Chapter 80: Using Spare Time Effectively

[You killed Hakhas, Second Prince of the Naga.]

[+1,472,000 XP.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[+15 Stat points.]

[You killed Hakha, Second Prince of the Naga, by yourself. +17,000 Fame.]

[Unique title acquired: Enemy of the Naga.]

“Phew.”

Kai had gotten used to these messages because he saw them so much and it had become the norm, yet it still made him somewhat excited.

My XP bar wasn’t even full when I started, but I leveled up three times... Hakhas, you are amazing!

As Kai was unable to hide his excitement, he slowly descended as the water that had filled the dungeon was being drained away from the moment he cleared the dungeon.

Having breathed in the game for the first time in a while, Kai moved forward with a refreshed expression.

Let’s see, tigers die and leave their hides, but what have you left behind?

Although now turned into polygons, Hakhas had once been the second prince of the naga tribe during his lifetime! Therefore, the items he possessed were bound to be remarkable.

Clang!

When Kai kicked the summoned chest forcefully with his foot, the lid opened. His expression brightened when he peered inside.

There was a large cluster of green shimmering scales, a trident, and gold accessories!

“I see you’ve left behind scales.”

[Hakhas’ Scales x100]

Grade: Unique

A beautiful scale possessed only by naga royalty. Has the ability to grant high magical defense when used in equipment crafting.

With this amount...

Seeing how massive Hakhas had been, it wasn't quite comparable in the amount left behind but after taking a moment to estimate how many he would need, Kai nodded energetically. He had enough.

I should be able to make a decent set item.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He had been thinking it was time to update his armor. The Armor of the Undead set was a good set item, but it started with a level requirement of 50.

Now that my level is at 88, it’s about time for an armor change.

In

MID Online

, armor wasn’t just a simple tool. Depending on the grade and type of equipment, it was an essential factor that could bring a player’s skill to 100%, or even beyond.

High-performance equipment enhances a player’s skills, but conversely, low-performance equipment hinders them.

Kai was the latter case.

Until now, he had barely managed by relying on the overwhelmingly superior Armor of the Undead set. However, since he was now approaching level 90, Kai felt the need for new equipment.

People don’t spend hundreds of thousands for nothing.

To become stronger and better, purchasing high-quality equipment was essential.

Kai glanced at the bluesteel equipment he was wearing.

But using bluesteel gear on land wouldn’t be the best.

Bluesteel equipment was entirely focused on underwater combat. Of course, he would continue to use the Three Treasure Accessories set on land, but not the armor.

I should take the scales and go see Solid. It’s been a while.

After all, Solid was the best blacksmith Kai knew at the moment. Moreover, since he had a high affinity with him, he was sure to get high-quality equipment made.

“The next item is the trident.”

The trident used by Hakhas was a decent Rare item.

Tridents are a weapon used by players who practice spear techniques, so it should sell for a decent price.

Next, he examined the accessories made of gold. Each was classified as a kind of artwork.

I see. Since this is the deep sea, they put these in place of gold coins as a reward.

Having finished thinking, Kai finally picked up a small marble from inside the box.

"As expected, there’s one here as well. An Essence of Darkness Fragment."

What this was would be explained by the Sage of Water, Tardal.

However, there was still a week left until the quest's time limit was over. With his Invulnerable state right now, there was no reason to complete the quest.

I should destroy the device first.

Looking around, Kai's gaze settled on one spot.

"...Is it that?"

He looked at a huge magic circle that covered an entire wall of the boss room!

He hadn't noticed it while the room was filled with water. But now that the water had completely drained, the wall with the magic circle emitted an impression that no one could ignore.

If my guess is right, that’s the device that locates Aquavera.

Whether he was right or wrong, he would find out by checking!

Approaching the wall, Kai drew his sword without hesitation.

Crack!

As the wall cracked in half, the magic circle lost its light.

At the same time, a message appeared.

[The magic circle used to find Aquavera has been destroyed.]

I was right.

With this, Kai had finished all that needed to be done and looked at the effects of his newly acquired title.

[

Enemy of the Naga

]

Rank: Special

Description: A title bestowed upon an adventurer who kills a naga of royal blood.

Effects: +5 to all Stats, maximum aggro gained against all naga enemies, +5% damage against all naga enemies, +50% underwater movement speed.

(This effect remains even when the title is unequipped.)

Nice.

It was indeed a special title given by a level 165 boss monster!

Though he had become an enemy of the naga tribe, it was something he had already foreseen the moment he knew he would defeat Hakhas.

So does that mean nagas will now rush at me madly whenever they see me?

It wasn't a big concern. After all, once he left Aquavera, the nagas would be monsters he wouldn’t be able to meet even if he wanted to.

“Let’s get going then.”

The place Kai headed was not Aquavera, but the mainland.

***

The remaining time for the Invulnerable state was about three days and a half. Kai wandered through a dungeon, deliberating over and over how to use this time.

What would be the best way to take advantage of it?

He first classified the things that could be gained by investing time into four categories: Level, money, Fame, and Stats.

But I can level up anytime I want, and I have enough money.

For those reasons, those two options were dismissed. What remained was the final contest between Fame and Stats.

Honestly, it wouldn't be bad to crush the morale of the Black Bee guys once...

Then Kai shook his head.

The Fame of Unknown would rise, but at the same time, it would raise alertness elsewhere.

The power of the world's top ten guilds was not something an individual could challenge. Even if Kai were given enough time, nothing would change. A game where one player could fight against hundreds, thousands of players and win didn’t exist.

Kai also had no intention of engaging in a direct full-scale war when he eventually confronted the Black Bee guild.

After all, the advantage lies with the individual. It’s a success if I just manage to crack the reputation they have built.

A thorough small-scale guerrilla warfare was the maximum struggle and war an individual could wage against a guild.

Moreover, the Black Bee guys can't even find me right now. If I mess with them just to gain some Fame...

It would be like lighting a fuse!

Furthermore, other guilds would start to feel the danger.

The guilds that had burst into laughter when Black Bee got thrashed by Unknown considered the incident a mere happening and pointed fingers at Black Bee's incompetence and complacency.

However, if the same thing happened again, and Unknown, using his Invulnerable state, crushed them with his power, things would become troublesome.

They would come together. That’s the nature of groups.

Such a solidly united guild, like a fortress, would leave no room for even a needle to get through. In the long run, it would only be bad for Kai!

In that case, that means I should be earning stats points during this time...

The quickest shortcut to gaining stats was none other than obtaining a special title. However, this was by no means a guaranteed method.

Even if I achieve a great feat, if someone else had beat me to it, it’s all for nothing.

Ultimately, Kai needed a guaranteed method that would raise his stats.

And if someone were to challenge him asking if such an easy path in life exists, Kai would say:

"There is."

***

"

Huff,

huff

."

Breathing heavily, Kai kicked the scattered polygon clusters with his foot and lay down.

Then a notification window appeared in his view.

[Please enter the name to be recorded in the rankings.]

"...Unknown," he replied in an exhausted voice and let out a sigh of relief along with his ragged breath.

At the same time, another notification window slid up.

[The effects of Undying Will have been dispelled.]

[You are no longer under the protection of Undying Will.]

"Phew, that was a close call to death."

As if releasing one side of a tightly stretched rubber band, the tension in his body abruptly dissolved.

Kai had cleared five instance dungeons over the past three days non-stop.

He felt his vision blur and closed his eyes.

I need to sleep well first, hunting and everything else can wait.

Even for Kai, who was practically addicted to gaming, playing over nineteen hours continuously for three days was excessive.

Especially since

MID Online

wasn’t just a simple game of moving the keyboard and mouse and was a game where the player had to think and physically move, it was no wonder Kai felt extreme fatigue.

"Still..."

As the saying went, no pain, no gain.

Kai was able to significantly increase his game character’s stats at the expense of his real health.

[

Instance Dungeon Champion

]

Rank: Special

Description: A title given to a player who has achieved first rank in an instance dungeon.

Effect: +5 to all stats per dungeon in which player ranks first.

(This effect remains even when the title is unequipped.)

The secret to being able to do that was the special title he acquired by ranking first in the solo ranks of the Rat Kingdom! It was a title that increased all stats by 5 for each dungeon he ranked first.

Needless to say, thanks to this title, Kai was able to increase all his stats by 25 over the past three days.

If only it had been this easy last time...

When clearing the Rat Kingdom, Kai had a significant risk at hand. Even he had been afraid of the threat of death that came with boss runs.

However, things were different this time. He just ran and ran to the boss room, then hit the boss!

Through this simple and unsophisticated method, Kai created an outstanding record.

I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to break this until MID Online shuts down.

Kai had reduced the record gap to 2 hours at least and 3-4 hours at most compared to second place! He was confident that this record would never be broken.

And... soon, my Strength stat will be similar to the Holiness stat.

Though his total stats had reduced by 10% since the effects of the Invulnerable state ended, his Strength stat was at 316 and his Holiness stat was at 330, which were still quite high.

I’m not afraid of facing head-on battles with close-combat classes anymore.

Even without using Supernova, his Strength stat was not far off from a warrior of the same level. Moreover, Kai was equipped with various powerful skills!

After achieving an all-strength cleric, the greatest confidence had settled in him.

“Then first...”

As Kai was about to continue speaking, his eyes gently closed.

[User's sleep state has been detected.]

[User's connection will be safely ended.]

Kai slept continuously for two days without a break.