"Whew! This is easy."
Lokan spoke lightly, as if he were just jogging, but his actions were anything but. Clearing about twenty Aged Tomb Skeletons in 10 minutes and advancing through a third of a dungeon significantly above his level was no small feat. It was an achievement in itself, though the system didn't award one, likely because his past deeds had set the bar so high.
"Let's see… … ."
Lokan, who had been charging recklessly, paused to catch his breath. From this point on, different enemies would appear. It wasn't that he was scared, but he needed a moment for maintenance. He checked his status.
[Race] Human [Gender] Male
[Level] 22 [Class] Berserker
[Owned Titles] Natural Fighter, Natural Fighter (First), Descendant of David, One in Seventeen, Nothing is Impossible!, Rat Hunter, The One Who Sees Through Lies, Pathfinder
[Health] 1,110/1,110 [Mana] 30/150
[Hunger] 10 [Thirst] 7 [Status] Normal
[Strength] 132 [Agility] 63 [Stamina] 111
[Vitality] 96 [Intellect] 15 [Wisdom] 12
[Weight/Total Weight] 89/300
[Availability] 105
He had over 100 unspent stat points saved since the Orc Fighter, feeling no urgent need. Now, to increase his hunting speed, he boldly invested them.
[Race] Human [Gender] Male
[Level] 22 [Class] Berserker
[Owned Titles] Natural Fighter, Natural Fighter (First), Descendant of David, One in Seventeen, Nothing is Impossible!, Rat Hunter, The One Who Sees Through Lies, Pathfinder
[Health] 1,200/1,200 [Mana] 30/390
[Hunger] 10 [Thirst] 7 [Status] Normal
[Strength] 200 [Agility] 63 [Stamina] 120
[Vitality] 100 [Intellect] 39 [Wisdom] 12
[Weight/Total Weight] 89/300
[Availability] 0
"Pretty good."
A whopping 200 Strength! It was a staggering number. He felt a surge of power as soon as the points were allocated. It seemed he could now crush a skeleton's skull with his bare grip.
"Now I need to work on my skill proficiency… … ."
He had also invested heavily in Intellect to increase his mana pool, which was necessary for leveling up his skills. Setting his Stamina to 120 and Vitality to 100 felt right. While still far from his prime, he felt ready for a real battle.
"Alright, let's aim for level 30."
He planned to gain 10 levels in just three days. Having already gained 2, he knew declaring 8 more was absurd. Yet, strangely, he didn't think it would be difficult. In fact, he felt he might even have time to spare.
He gripped his axe and headed deeper in.
*Clatter! Clatter!*
After crossing a certain 'boundary', the sound of skeletal footsteps returned. At the familiar, cartilage-free crunching, Lokan prepared to charge.
[Tomb Skeleton][Lv 27]
They looked similar but were different from the previous ones. Their bones were whiter and harder. The 'Aged' prefix was gone, and their level was 2 higher.
"Dash! Strike!"
*Crunch!*
Of course, the only difference for Lokan was a slightly more satisfying crunch.
*Whish!*
At that moment, something whizzed past Lokan's cheek.
[Tomb Skeleton Archer][Lv 28]
Archers had joined the fray. Their arrows were fierce, fired without regard for allies in the narrow cave terrain.
"Now things are getting interesting!"
However, Lokan only welcomed them. He cleaved diagonally through a Tomb Skeleton blocking his path, smashing it from the collarbone, dashed forward, and crushed its fallen skull underfoot.
"More… … what!"
Other Tomb Skeletons appeared but were ignored. He dodged a flying arrow, letting it bounce off the wall, and slammed into an archer shoulder-first.
*Shoulder Charge!*
His high base defense and rock-hard shoulder, bolstered by his Stamina, impacted the skeleton's chest like a cannonball. Though not a formal skill, this was a technique Lokan had frequently used in his previous life.
"Shoot… … kill… …."
"Take this!"
As the archer collapsed, he spun around and hurled a hatchet at additional archers.
*Wham!*
Even without a throwing skill, the hatchet, propelled by his immense strength, was powerful. It didn't get stuck but shattered bones as it passed through.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
His War Cry caused the skeletons' glowing eyes to flicker momentarily. Despite their higher level, the overwhelming stat difference caused a brief stun. In that time, Lokan closed the distance significantly.
"Strike!"
This time, he swung the axe sideways. Gripping the handle long, he spun his body in a full circle. The axe blade and haft screamed through the air in unison, sending bone fragments flying like cherry blossoms.
"Alright! Let's have fun, friends!"
As Lokan grinned at the newly emerged skeletons, he felt his own bones tremble with anticipation. But that was probably just an illusion.
* * *
"Berserk!"
Lokan's eyes turned red, and his muscles swelled. Explosive power radiated throughout his body, channeled toward the enemy through a savage shout.
"Heh heh heh heh!"
A Skeleton Warrior, the dungeon boss, flinched, its eye sockets shaking. It quickly regained composure, but Lokan was already upon it.
"Strike!"
*Crack!*
He severed its already damaged collarbone. Pivoting 180 degrees, he delivered a low kick. The skeleton's light frame couldn't withstand the blow.
"Let's finish it!"
The cool touch of the Orc Battle-Axe met the creature's neck. But it was only for a moment. The instant the sensation registered, all magical neural circuits connecting the skeleton were severed.
[You have leveled up.]
"Cancel!"
With the level-up notification, Lokan forcibly deactivated Berserk. The backlash instantly dealt 50% of his max health as damage, but he could withstand it as leveling up had fully restored his health. The real challenge was the 50% stat penalty for the next 10 minutes.
"Whew! Easy does it, safe and sound."
Lokan dropped his limp body to the floor and quietly checked his level.
Finally, level 30! He had achieved his target level, and it was still only the third day. 'The Graveyard Under the Moon' was just a secret dungeon in a beginner's area, nothing extraordinary, and Lokan had soloed it. The boss was only a Level 30 Skeleton Warrior, slightly stronger than the rest. He could have faced it without Berserk, but he used it to grind proficiency.
After killing the Skeleton Warrior, Lokan waited out the Berserk aftereffects. He then backtracked, repeatedly farming the respawned Tomb Skeletons and Archers. His level rose steadily. He used no consumables except food, occasionally using bandages to raise his First Aid skill. Conversely, the money and items from the skeletons piled up in his inventory.
"Thanks to this, I've saved quite a bit."
The 'Skeleton Warrior Series' gear dropped by the boss was popular, considered standard gear for melee classes. Lokan had collected dozens of pieces, sometimes getting two or three parts at once, likely due to the first-entry bonus.
"With this money… … it'll be good seed capital."
He now possessed 1 Gold and 80 Silver. At this level, it was substantial seed money for investments. For him, with knowledge of the future, turning a profit through speculation wasn't difficult.
"I need to wrap things up here first."
But there were limits in Cton. To see real market profits, he needed to move to a larger city with an auction house. Trading via shouts in the square was inefficient.
"Shall we head out soon?"
Having decided, Lokan got up as soon as the primary Berserk aftereffects ended. It was a pity to leave such a profitable hunting ground, but it was fine. He planned to sell the information on how to enter this dungeon. It had been generous until the end.
"The guilds would love this."
Before players moved to the Orc Camp, this dungeon was perfect for quickly leveling up, especially with the valuable Skeleton Warrior drops. He could sell the entry method for a high price to pre-formed guilds, even before the official guild system launched.
But that was after handling his own business first. After confirming in his quest log that the three days were up, Lokan returned to the city.
* * *
"As expected."
The city wasn't much different from three days ago. While a plague-related annihilation and an emergency patch had occurred, the curse hadn't become a major event like in his previous life, thanks to Steroian intervening to cure affected NPCs. Lokan, confined to the dungeon, didn't know the details but inferred the situation was resolved from the patch notes.
Thus, Lokan walked proudly through the streets, restocked his bandages, and sold his junk items.
"Here, paid in full."
He stopped by the Berserkers' Guild to repay the loan from the bank NPC. With over 1 Gold and 50 Silver left, he could pay with a smile.
Finally, Lokan headed to the Wizard's Guild to meet Steroian.
"Stereoian, I'm here."
Upon opening the door to the second-floor room, Steroian was deep in research, just like last time.
'Now… … is it real or fake again?'
As he pondered whether to summon the Bell of Truth, Steroian fortunately greeted him first. It was the real one this time.
"Come in. My apologies for last time. I was in a hurry."
"It's fine. So, did you find the culprit?"
"No, I couldn't, even with an official quest. There were no witnesses… …"
It seemed he had investigated those commissioned by the guard post. But unless they were fools, the culprits wouldn't have left obvious traces. The investigation had failed.
"So you can't find them?"
It seemed vague. In a world with magic, there was a universal key.
"So I decided to read the memories of the earth."
'Of course.'
Typical of a High Wizard, Steroian presented magic as the logical solution.
'But there must be a catch.'
"However, there is one problem."
Unsurprisingly, he looked troubled. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Lokan here.
"Actually, the reason I called you here today, aside from courtesy, boils down to this. Could you grant me a favor?"
A new quest activated.