"Crazy."
Then he remembered: a fatal bug associated with the sewer quest in the early days. The so-called 'Plague Annihilation Incident'. It was a bug where the 'Plague' curse from the Plague Gem could spread to players who never even touched the gem.
"Is it a problem because I came too early?"
This bug was discovered late originally because it only manifested after the "Plague Outbreak" quest chain had activated or the sewer dungeon was fully cleared. Even then, Plague Jewels dropped every time the dungeon was cleared. However, by the time a player brought a gem to Steroian, traffic at the Wizard's Guild had died down, so the bug's existence wasn't immediately obvious.
But now, Lokan had brought the gem to a guild packed to bursting. A widespread contagion was inevitable.
"If I had died, the infection would have stopped."
Lokan knew this curse event well. It became famous, with scholars even publishing papers like "Outbreak of an Epidemic in a Virtual World" and "An Example of Actual Disease Spread" based on it. The city would be thrown into chaos as a contagious curse, unhealable by normal potions or skills until the special antidote was taken, spread relentlessly.
"The NPCs… … I should avoid them."
At least users would just die and respawn. But merchant and guild NPCs, protected by 'immortality' for game convenience, wouldn't die. Instead, they'd become permanent carriers, continuously spreading the plague. Powerful Knight-level or higher NPCs would fall ill but not die, also becoming vectors. Eventually, even surviving players would have to abandon the city, as interacting with essential NPCs would become impossible.
In the end, the game's admin system, 'Condor', would have to step in, creating isolated instances and mass-removing the curse. An emergency patch would cause an uproar, even removing the merchant NPC immortality effect temporarily.
"The user wasn't punished, if I recall."
Despite the drastic response, a lingering controversy was that the player who unintentionally triggered the bug was never punished. It was deemed a setting error, not a personal fault or malicious exploit. Similarly, no compensation or rollbacks were offered for dead players; it was considered part of the game's natural progression.
This led to some chaotic player behavior. Knowing they couldn't permanently die, some would intentionally get infected, recover their health temporarily, chase others to spread the curse, and loot the items of those who succumbed. Lost items and experience were never restored.
"Well… … I don't see anything wrong with taking this."
Before Lokan, dozens of corpses lay, their dropped items glowing. No one was alive. Since contact with the Wizard Guild NPC was the only way to get infected now, and no one saw him, who would know who took the items? Lokan, who had even considered jumping out a window to avoid other players, hurriedly went downstairs and started looting.
Most items were beginner-level wizard gear, but the quantity was substantial. Selling it all would net a decent sum.
* * *
After packing everything useful, a commotion erupted outside. It seemed some users afflicted by the plague curse had stumbled out.
"Aaaaagh!"
"What is this!"
"Priests! Is there no Priest class? Please cleanse this… …!"
'… … No need to get involved.'
The screaming, zombie-like users caused a panic before presumably dying, making the area quieter. The curse didn't seem to have spread far yet. Lokan immediately went to weapon and armor shops, selling the looted items. Cton had no auction house, and the items weren't valuable enough for one anyway. The original owners would be furious, but that was their problem.
However, he kept one item for himself.
[Cowardly Wizard's Ring][Magic]
An escape ring made by a cowardly wizard.
- Once per day, shout 'Escape' to move back 3 meters.
– Charges: 1/1
– Recharge time: 24 hours
It was a ring with a survival skill. While it only had one skill and was only Magic grade, survival skills were rare. Many players used such items even at higher levels.
"Ah, the original owner got this early but doesn't know its value yet. Their loss."
Losing this would be a major blow, but the wizard who lost it would probably only be upset about losing a Magic-grade item. With poor game sense, they likely didn't even know how to use it properly. But Lokan knew. For a melee class like his, gaining a survival skill was like gaining an extra life.
"Thank you for the donation."
Lokan thanked the anonymous wizard and moved on.
"Now, let's spend this unexpected windfall."
Next was shopping. With the money from his unexpected profit, Lokan enjoyed a spree. He bought fabric to make more bandages, stocked up on detox candles, potions, and food, and purchased throwing hatchets and some armor he hadn't planned to buy yet. For armor, he prioritized items with bonus stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Vitality) over pure defense. Consequently, he didn't spend excessively.
"This should be usable until around level 50."
Defense-focused armor needed frequent replacement, but stat-boosting gear remained useful much longer. High-defense gear with good stats was expensive and rare anyway.
'Now… … time to disappear.'
Finished with preparations, Lokan hurriedly left the city. He couldn't predict how far the plague would spread this time. He didn't plan on returning until Condor implemented an emergency patch.
"In three days… … Perfect."
His meeting with Steroian was set for three days later. This timing fit his plans exquisitely.
* * *
"Let's see. The cemetery… … was east."
Lokan's destination was a cemetery east of the city. It seemed ordinary; many players had checked it for undead monsters to hunt, but online consensus was that it was just background scenery with no content.
'That's what naive people think.'
But Lokan knew better. He possessed information that wouldn't be public for another month or two.
"Found it."
Upon entering the cemetery, he searched for a specific item: a stray prosthetic leg.
[Gravekeeper's Prosthetic Leg][Normal]
The lost prosthetic leg of the footless cemetery keeper. He would probably appreciate its return.
It was a junk item; returning it yielded no reward, so everyone ignored it. But Lokan smiled and picked it up. He then found a specific gravestone.
"Here it is."
*Click. Grumble….*
The headstone had a small groove. When he placed the prosthetic leg into the groove, something remarkable happened. The grave slid open, revealing a staircase leading down.
[You have discovered the secret dungeon, 'The Graveyard Under the Moon'.]
[Awesome achievement! We applaud your insight in discovering this hidden secret dungeon for the first time.]
[You have acquired the title 'Pathfinder'.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[First][Pathfinder][Rare]
You have the talent of a seeker, unraveling hidden secrets with keen senses and unique insight.
[Hold Effect]
– Increased visual acuity.
- Gain the [Night Vision] effect, correcting vision in darkness.
- Low chance to discover hidden mechanisms.
He acquired a Rare-grade title. The vision correction and night vision were excellent, but the hidden mechanism discovery chance was the real prize. It gave a low probability to detect hidden devices or areas, even ones Lokan wasn't specifically looking for.
"Excellent."
Pleased with the simple yet long-term helpful effects, Lokan happily entered the dungeon.
[You have entered the secret dungeon 'The Graveyard Under the Moon'.]
*KRRRUMBLE!*
The entrance sealed shut behind him. The path inside wasn't gone, but entry from the outside was now blocked. Secret dungeons were instanced, allowing only one individual or party entry at a time. Of course, someone could find another prosthetic leg (which would respawn somewhere in the cemetery) and open it again, but until then, no one would know this dungeon existed. Hence, "secret dungeon."
[You gain a 30% experience bonus for 3 days as a first-entry bonus.]
[The drop rate is increased by 30% for 3 days as a first-entry bonus.]
The first-entry bonus was granted. For the next three days—his free time before meeting Steroian—Lokan planned to farm this place relentlessly.
"Now, shall we go get the honey?"
Despite the pitch darkness ahead, Lokan strode forward confidently. His new Night Vision meant he didn't need time to adjust, but he knew light was coming.
*Whoosh!*
As he advanced, torches on the walls magically ignited, illuminating a passage. The tunnel was damp, cave-like, and eerie, as if ghosts might appear, but Lokan didn't care. The only thing that scared him was enemies he couldn't hit.
"Well, it's not a ghost, but close enough."
*Clatter! Clatter!*
The dungeon's inhabitants soon appeared.
[Aged Tomb Skeleton][Lv 25]
It was an undead skeleton.
"What kind of undead can't even regenerate? Pathetic!"
The materials were poor and ancient, so they lacked the undead's typical regenerative ability. Their rusted weapons were clumsy.
*Whish!*
Lokan charged forward and smashed the first skeleton's skull with a single blow. The dull, satisfying crunch was part of why he came here. They were weak, but the tactile feedback was gratifying.
"Ouch!"
Lokan swung his Orc Battle-Axe horizontally, shattering the legs of the skeletons swarming him. His immense strength cracked bones and sent fragments flying.
*Crunch! Crack! Pop! Pop!*
Enjoying the sensation, Lokan pulverized the ancient bones. Five opponents were meaningless to him.
[You have leveled up.]
As soon as he killed five, five more appeared. He smashed them without pause, and another level-up notification appeared. Undead typically gave more experience than other monsters, and with the first-entry bonus, the 'Indomitable Perseverance' title effect, and the level difference, he was gaining levels at a rate that would terrify other players.
"This is good."
Lokan's level was now 21. Achieving this so quickly was difficult even for a full party. But for Lokan, it was as natural as breathing. He actually increased his pace, loosening up his body as he advanced deeper into the dungeon. In just ten minutes, he had cleared a third of it.