Adam repeated the cycle many times and only stopped after the system alerted him that he had spent 24 hours in the dungeon.
Adam knew that he could stay in the dungeon for 48 hours at most without suffering backlash, but he still felt like he had hunted enough and that it was time to return to reality to train with his master.
He had gained 456 EXP, including what his summons were able to gain, and looking at his progress speed, Adam couldn't help but be disheartened as he realised how slow his progress was becoming.
He hadn't even reached half way through LVL 11 yet, even after all the hunting he had done and it was becoming increasingly difficult to gain EXP.
The amount of EXP he was gaining was capped by the system and he would only gain a single EXP for every LVL that the beast was higher than that of the LVL that he entered the Floor at.
So currently he was only gaining a few points for defeating LVL 11, 12 and 13 Wood Pythons as he entered Floor 2 at LVL 10.
[I am only a rank 1 Novice and at this rate, it will take years for me to be strong enough to be able to do as I please] thought Adam to himself.
Adam's current rate of increasing his strength was similar to that of an average talent in the world of cultivation, but Adam was yet to come across anybody that was considered to have average talent and he had only seen low graded talents that fought over the scraps of the large families.
Considering that he began to cultivate at the age of 18, it would be extremely difficult for him to catch up to cultivators his age, let alone surpass the youths in the large and hidden cultivation families.
However, Adam would gain combat prowess and experience through hunting in the dungeon along with unique skills and mastery, all meanwhile he was cultivating both Internally and Externally.
But despite that, Adam wasn't satisfied and after seeing the strength that his master displayed, he felt extremely weak and insignificant.
[System is this my limit, how am I meant to increase my strength with the necessary EXP continuously increasing while the amount of EXP I can gain is staying the same] asked Adam who was slumped against a tree and preparing to return to reality.
{You are the Hunter of the Dungeon System and you are yet to display the drive and skills of a hunter. The Dungeon System is training you as a hunter and the EXP you gain has nothing to do with the system} answered the system.
[So how do I gain EXP] asked Adam.
{EXP represents the amount of the LVL that you have completed, and just like a cultivator, you need energy to be able to increase your strength. Any beast you kill within the dungeon is converted into energy, that is absorbed by your body. The stronger you become, the more energy is necessary} explained the system.
[But doesn't the energy of the beasts also increase, so the amount of EXP I gain should also increase] refuted Adam.
{That is true, but your Dungeon Form can only absorb a certain amount of energy currently} replied the system.
{Your Dungeon Form is currently only LVL 1 and each LVL of the Dungeon Form is equivalent to that of a rank for the host. But the rank of the Dungeon Form has no effect on its strength and it will display the same amount of strength as the host, but what it does affect is the absorption ability of the Dungeon Form} informed him the system.
{Currently, your Dungeon Form has been absorbing energy that you would have been able to absorb on Floor 1, which is 10 points lower than it should be, for your body that is now on the next rank and needs more energy} stated the system.
"What! Why didn't you tell me this" exclaimed Adam frustratedly.
{You didn't ask} answered the system, that seemed to be amused by Adam's frustration.
Adam was really annoyed and would have gained much more strength if he had known that his Dungeon Form also needed to be strengthened, but after calming down, he had made sure to note down anything that he didn't know and to ask the system about it, so he wasn't left in the dark about important information like he usually was.
[Does the Dungeon Form have an effect on the amount of gold and system points I gain] asked Adam after calming down.
{No the amount of gold is still 10 times the LVL of the beast that you have defeated, but the system points that the host gains will increase and are equivalent to the amount of EXP that the host gains} answered the system.
[So, how do I increase the LVL of my Dungeon Form] asked Adam.
{Do you really have to ask. It will obviously cost you system points and to LVL UP your Dungeon Form to LVL 2, it will require 1000 system points} answered the system.
"So my Dungeon Form will always have the same amount of strength as me, but it will only be able to absorb a certain amount of energy. If the LVL of my Dungeon Form matches that of the Floor that I am on, I will gain the same amount of EXP and system points as the LVL of the beasts that I kill and for gold, I will gain 10 times the LVL of the beasts. So if I don't upgrade my Dungeon Form, I will gain 10 less system points and EXP from every beast I defeat" summarised Adam.
Looking at his status, Adam had only just gathered 1033 system points and could now afford the transferal feature, but he wasn't yet sure of the cost of transferring the B Rank Mortal HP Recovery Pill, which itself costed 200 system points.
Knowing that he could always gain system points and he would be able to do so faster by investing the 1000 system points, Adam decided that it was worth it.
"I am sorry aunt and I promise I will save you as soon as I can, but I have to postpone your recovery slightly" mumbled Adam regretfully.
He wanted to save his aunt, but he knew that if he didn't spend the 100 system points now, he would only be wasting his time in the dungeon as he would gain 10 less system points and EXP for every beast he killed.
[System upgrade my Dungeon Form to LVL 2] ordered Adam.