Pfft!
Irvine Wolf plunged the tip of his sword in and twisted it lightly, extinguishing the wild boar's last breath. Blood seeped from the precise wound but didn't gush out—the reason Ler had advised him to strike that specific spot.
'Gained 15 experience points!'
A message flashed across his status panel.
[Status]
Player: Irvine Wolf
Karma: 0 [Neutral]
HP: 23 (1.7%) MP: 13/13 (1%)
Physical Attack: 23 (1.7%)
Physical Defense: 13 (1%)
Agility: 23 (1.7%)
Magic Attack: 13 (1%)
Magic Defense: 13 (1%)
Overall Resistance: 0 (0%)
Special: 0 (0%)
Total: 9.1%
...…
[Ability List]
Talent: [Player]
Overall Level: 2Lv
Experience: 95 / 100
Classes:
General Class: Genius 1Lv (Warrior, Cleric)
Intermediate Class: Sword Master 1Lv
Skill Points: 0
Passive Skills: Item Box, Slash Enhancement (1%)
Active Skills:
Warrior — Instant Reflex, Slash of Light - Fourfold, Instant Slash
Magic — Lesser Healing (1st Tier)
— — — —
Irvine's gaze swept over the panel visible only to him. He was just 5 experience points away from leveling up, a much faster pace than he had anticipated after killing only a few wild beasts. But that was normal; his level was currently very low. He knew the required EXP would increase dramatically as he progressed.
"Hmph." Grandma Lizzie Bareare's previously satisfied expression had vanished. She had thought Irvine listened to her advice, but it seemed he hadn't taken it seriously at all!
Irvine, for his part, pretended not to hear. His goals were far beyond her understanding.
When humans in this New World reached level 30, they entered the Heroic Realm, already considered top-tier powerhouses among the human nations . However, even with supreme talent and relentless effort, the maximum level a human could achieve was around level 40, a state known as "Aberrant" . This was no longer a matter of effort but a hard racial limit.
Even the four known human "Aberrants" had, more or less, a "tendency to be less than human" to achieve such power. A level around 40 was merely the beginning of Irvine's planned progression. This also meant that in the future, when he inevitably became an enemy of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, no human would be able to stand beside him as a true companion.
This was part of the reason he had initially struggled between choosing a magic or warrior class—without companions, a pure build would be easily countered and targeted by the min-maxed entities of Nazarick.
"You're much more skilled than when you started," Ler remarked, grinning as he lifted the lifeless boar to begin butchering it. "But let me remind you, monsters are different from ordinary beasts."
"There has to be a process of getting used to it," Irvine replied with a faint smile. He then picked up the ceramic pot he had borrowed from Nfirea, poured all the water from his waterskin into it, and placed it over the campfire to boil.
This pot was originally for storing herbs but was temporarily idle, so Irvine had requested to use it as a kettle.
"You seem to really like drinking hot water," Nfirea observed, watching Irvine's actions and recalling how he had been boiling and drinking river water for several days.
"Oh, it's not that I love it so much," Irvine said, sitting back down cross-legged. "Actually, it's a tradition from my homeland." It was a simple excuse, a habit from his previous life that also served as a practical measure to avoid waterborne illnesses in this unfamiliar world.
Nfirea seemed to understand and didn't press further. In this world, different regions had various beliefs and customs, and it was impolite to pry too deeply into them.
Currently, the mainstream faith across human nations was that of the Six Great Gods.
The humans of this world indeed owed their survival to the first wave of players who had descended. Based on the lore, almost the entire narrative occurred within human-occupied territory. While the human territory seemed vast, it was merely the northwest corner of an enormous continent. The central regions were dominated by demi-humans and heteromorphic races, where humans were often slaves or even food .
Demi-humans and heteromorphs far surpassed short-lived humans in both lifespan and level potential. Logically, a weak race like humanity should have gone extinct long ago. And indeed, 600 years ago, they were on the verge of annihilation.
But at that critical moment, the first players, known as the Six Great Gods, descended . With their overwhelming power, they rescued humanity and secured the northwest corner of the continent for them to survive . This was why the Six Great Gods were the cornerstone of human faith.
Unfortunately, among the Six Great Gods, five were human and succumbed to their limited lifespans within a century . The sole survivor, the God of Death, was killed 500 years ago during the cataclysmic events following the descent of the Eight Greed Kings, the second wave of players .
Compared to the seemingly benevolent Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings were more typical players in their demeanor; their title alone suggested the havoc they wreaked across the entire continent. Interestingly, records indicated that despite most of the Eight Greed Kings being demi-humans or heteromorphs, they were surprisingly fond of humanity . This resulted in a peculiar situation where, even now, human societies lacked the legends of the Eight Greed Kings being purely evil.
"The Six Great Gods descended 600 years ago, the Eight Greed Kings 500 years ago, a host of Demon Gods appeared around 200 years ago, the Thirteen Heroes emerged, and there are other unknown players suspected to have descended on the Central Continent," Irvine mused. "Plus the Great Tomb of Nazarick arriving in the future."
A pattern emerged: roughly every 100 years, players descended into this world. If the True Dragon Lords were deducing based on this cycle, they likely knew another descent was imminent.
"Compared to the suddenness of previous descents and the limited information available then, the True Dragon Lords should be preparing this time. But compared to the Six Great Gods, the Eight Greed Kings, and the lone player among the Thirteen Heroes, the overall strength of the Great Tomb of Nazarick far surpasses all previous batches of players combined ."
Irvine fell deep into thought, and a cunning notion surfaced in his mind: "If I can instigate a conflict between the True Dragon Lords and the Great Tomb in advance, perhaps I can reap the benefits."
Even if the True Dragon Lords ultimately lost, it would only benefit Irvine by consuming the Great Tomb's resources and weakening its overwhelming power.