Chapter 448 (Side Story): Killing Two Birds with One Stone (2)

The Sanctuary of the Ancient was vast. The smallest floor was the first floor, and even it was enormous, about the size of thirty soccer fields combined.

And the lower you go, the more complicated the paths become, and the wider the area grows.

It was no coincidence that this was the place with the most incident reports. It was the perfect environment for chaotic players who killed indiscriminately. Despite being such a terrifying place, the reason people never stopped coming was simple.

The efficiency is good.

The monsters respawned quickly, and the XP points per creature were decent. Among the items dropped, there were even jackpot ones, often called lottery items.

While Kai lingered idly near the entrance of the labyrinth, a few players approached him.

“From your attire, you seem to be a Cleric. If you don’t mind, would you like to hunt with us?”

“W-wait! Our party will give you a better share ratio!”

“Excuse me, but what level are you? We are a party that has gone down as far as the third floor...”

In any game, Clerics were nobles. Even more so, Clerics wearing equipment as luxurious as his were rare.

“Sorry, but I’m not looking for a party.”

Kai politely refused the flood of party invitations and slipped through the crowd. He felt the stares piercing the back of his head.

A clueless Cleric showing off in fancy gear.

Most players were probably looking at him that way now. They would soon forget about him, but in a few minds, he would be remembered vividly.

A Cleric traveling alone, who even looks wealthy, is rare.

A perfect target to rob without much trouble.

But there won’t be any fools attacking me right away.

There were too many eyes watching on the first floor of the labyrinth. Even a scream would be heard nearby.

According to reports, ninety-six percent of all robberies happened starting from the second floor.

Of course, that wasn’t only because players minded each other.

Clank, clank.

“Excuse me, did you perhaps lose your way or get separated from your group?”

“No, I’m alone.”

In the labyrinth, NPC knights dispatched from the territories were openly patrolling. From the second floor onward their numbers dropped sharply, but at least on the first floor there were few who would attack people.

But ten knights on patrol... Wasn’t it usually just two or three?

He had paid little attention recently, but had murders become that frequent?

At Kai’s brief answer, the leading knight nodded. “One more thing. This is a church I have not seen before. May I ask which god you serve?”

Kai handed over his church registration certificate. “I am a lamb of the Church of Solaris, serving the Solarian God.”

“The Church of Solaris? I have never heard of it.”

“It is a newly registered church with certification from Raves City Hall. The Solarian God is a generous one who governs the sun and mercy. Are you interested by any chance? if you join now...”

“No thank you, I already serve another god,” the knight shook his head firmly and returned the certificate. “There are rumors that many harbor ill intent in this labyrinth lately, so I recommend finding companions to travel with if possible.”

“I will give it positive consideration.”

Which really meant no. The knight, knowing that perfectly well, simply nodded and disappeared with his group.

“So there are many with ill intent...”

Even better.

***

[Ancient Skeleton Soldier LV.67]

Two skeletons that spotted Kai began dragging their old bones toward him.

“

Phew

.”

He would likely be able to gauge his own capabilities through this battle.

Then for now... I’ll try without weapons.

By changing his class to Solaris Cleric, the Holiness stat had finally been unlocked. That meant he could now deal extra damage to undead enemies.

“Heal.”

Holy power of the Solarian Church gathered into his fists. It was a familiar energy he hadn’t felt in years. As he slightly smiled, the skeletons, now close enough to reach him, swung their swords.

As expected.

If this had been his first battle since returning, he might have felt a little nervous. But unfortunately, he had already crossed fists with a ranker from the Carmelo Company. Compared to her, these skeletons were slow.

So slow it makes me yawn.

Kai curled his shoulders inward as he slipped forward, his body lightly trembling. He deflected the sword aimed at his heart with the back of his hand, twisting its path. Like flowing water, his fist charged with holy power drove into the skull of the defenseless skeleton.

Crunch!

The moment the strike landed, the impact from the crown of its head shot down his spine.

“

Phew.

”

It was the thrill of hunting that he hadn’t felt in a long time. The adrenaline that reminded him he was alive. Kai’s movements grew faster.

First, finish one of them.

His fists moved like lightning, mercilessly pounding the defenseless skull. Even then, his senses and gaze never lost track of the other skeleton.

Two versus one becomes easy in this way.

As long as he shifted positions well, it was simple to turn it into a one-on-one fight. The skeleton he had excitedly been pounded flew back and smashed into the wall.

[+7,861 XP.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

Perhaps because he used a large finishing motion, the sword of the remaining skeleton was already coming down toward his crown.

Indeed.

Compared to the past, his movements had slowed. He couldn’t believe he allowed this much before even recollecting himself.

Kai glanced upward and said, “Sacred Barrier.”

A shield of holy power instantly spread above his head. What followed would have been obvious for an ordinary Cleric. While the sword shattered the shield, they would retreat and regain their stance. However, Kai had already once reached his peak. It meant the mindset of a ranker had seeped into his very bones.

Just as before, more efficiently, with nothing to waste.

Not even a tenth of a second could be wasted in battle. That 0.1 second would pile up into a second, into ten seconds, and overturn the outcome of battle.

Kai tilted the Sacred Barrier. The sword that had fallen fiercely slid down the shield like a slide and missed his body.

Now.

He grabbed the wrist holding the sword, spun his body, and slammed an elbow into its jaw. At the same time, he yanked the wrist hard. With the sound of a branch breaking, the arm holding the sword tore off. Kai swung that arm as is.

[+7,798 XP.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

The skull rolled across the ground, marking the end of the battle.

“

Hm

.”

It had taken twenty-seven seconds to hunt two of them. That was absurd considering his level, yet he wasn’t satisfied.

I can reduce it further.

He could move more efficiently than this. It was the certainty only someone who had once stood at the summit could have. After all, part of the reason he entered this place was to regain his old senses.

“The levels do rise well.”

He had leveled up six times in one go. It was only natural, since a level 26 had taken down two level 67 monsters alone.

Normally, just a scratch from them would have killed me.

On top of that, since he had raised his stats a lot with cash techniques and equipped top-tier gear, his damage had gone through well.

I was planning to use the saved-up stat points if needed, but it seems I can invest later after observing more.

Kai looked around. In the short time he had been standing still, five skeletons had already surrounded him.

“I should quickly level up to level 70 for now.”

Two or three hours would be enough for that.

***

[Level increased.]

With that pleasant message, Kai said, “Stats window.”

[Kai]

Class: Solaris Cleric

Level: 71

Title: Herb Addict

Strength: 48 Stamina: 57

Intelligence: 20 Agility: 35

Holiness: 10 Benevolence: 20

Stat Points: 350

“

Hmm

.”

That was the result of spending two hours roaming around the first floor of the labyrinth. Though he had done nothing special, the reason his Benevolence stat had risen by 20 was simple.

[The Solarian God Helik is pondering deeply.]

[Undead = bad ones. Defeating bad ones = good deeds. Formula established.]

[+20 Benevolence.]

If another player had seen that, they would have foamed at the mouth and caused an uproar over such nonsense. Even he thought it was ridiculous, so how ridiculous would others think it was?

Well, so what?

If they didn’t like it, they could earn the goddess’s favor themselves. Of course, there still was someone Kai truly feared.

Hmm. The moment Dr. Jim finds out about this, it might get blocked.

So the conclusion he reached was simple.

Do more, and do it faster.

It wasn’t about avoiding it out of fear of punishment, but about exploiting it as much as possible before getting caught. That way, even if an emergency nerf came later, it would feel less unfair.

Maybe I should try going down since I’m hardly gaining XP on the first floor now.

From the second floor, level 80 monsters appeared. On the third floor, level 90. On the fourth, level 110. On the final fifth floor, level 130 monsters roamed. That was why the Sanctuary of the Ancient inevitably required parties.

Even just the second floor is on a whole different level from the first.

It was rare for a dungeon’s monsters to spike in strength so sharply after just going one floor down.

“Found it.”

Though he had wandered a bit, he discovered the staircase leading below. In the labyrinth, each floor could generate up to four random staircases, and their locations lasted anywhere from five minutes to an hour.

[You have entered the Sanctuary of the Ancient B2.]

As he went down the stairs, the color of the walls turned noticeably darker. Unlike the unusually bright first floor, the dimmer surroundings now made visibility much harder.

“

Hm

.”

More than anything, the very density of the air felt heavier. At the same time, Kai’s brow furrowed.

What was this feeling again?

He felt a tickling sensation in the corner of his memory. This was something he had clearly experienced before. The kind of feeling that, once he heard the answer, would make him say, “

Ah

, so that’s what it was!” Yet he couldn’t quite recall what it was.

Hm. This doesn’t feel good.

And such premonitions of his always tended to be accurate.

“Sacred Flare.”

The gloomy corridor instantly brightened. The stairs behind him had already disappeared. It was a structure where the stairs vanished once the entire party had crossed.

They must have disappeared right away since I’m hunting alone.

Kai moved forward while carefully examining the details of the corridor. Although the monsters appearing were similar to the ones above, he paid close attention to the walls and floor.

From here on, I need to be more wary of chaotic players than monsters...

They were ones who killed anyone they met, just to steal money and items. In fact, traps and snares were presentably set up along the corridors.

Seriously, who would still get caught by such crude traps in this day and age.

But reports must have been consistently coming in every week since people stepped on them.

As his thoughts reached that point, a sudden question arose.

Hm? Wait a second.

Didn’t that mean if he deliberately triggered these trivial traps, those guys would show up on their own? Solving his curiosity wasn’t difficult.

Click.

[You have stepped on a Hunter’s Trap.]

[You are bound. You cannot move until the trap is released.]

[You are bleeding. HP decreases by 300 per second.]

[You have been poisoned by Goblin Toxin. HP decreases by 700 per second.]

They even coated it with poison? Just as he was thinking it was a malicious trap deliberately laid...

“Well, would you look at that, someone still steps on these.”

“What did I tell you? The early bird gets the worm.”

“

Hm?

Wait. I used detection magic, and that guy’s the only one here.”

Kai let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the trio of a Warrior, an Archer, and a Wizard. Step on it, and they really did come.