Liam reappeared iown square of Prento. Excited chatter reached his ears as more and more pyers ehe game.

  From the ptform not far away a stant stream of new pyers walked down. After the news spread yesterday, everyone did their best to get their hands on a sole.

  Those noobs mostly looked around in wonder, only a few walking with purpose.

  Some of the veteran pyers also gathered oown square. They fuheir achievements to enjoy the admiring gazes of others.

  “Hey, you, look. I pyed the entire day yesterday, already reag level three! Do you know what this means? Level three is the highest level right now!”

  “Don’t listen to him! Level three is nothing if you just farm me monsters! But I was among the first to kill the elite monster ‘Huge Red-eyed Rabbit’! That’s something no one replicate!”

  “Tzz. Amateurs!”

  “What?”

  “I said amateurs! I already discovered the first dungeoerday while you were still pying around in the newbie vilge!”

  The st person grinned under his hood as many came to eagerly talk to him.

  Liam overheard the discussion. He couldn’t help but feel a pinch of annoyance as he realized someone had overtaken him.

  His petitive streak reared itself. Obviously, Liam wasn’t as uurbed as he wished to believe.

  Being at the top is b but getting there might still offer some challenges.

  At this moment a notification suddenly popped up before Liam.

  [gratutions! [Double Ssh] reached rank 2!]

  [gratutions! [Sidestep] reached rank 2!]

  Liam stared at the empty air in shod fusion. He couldn’t prehend how his skills suddenly leveled up.

  Usually this took hundreds of uses at lower ranks and thousands at higher ranks.

  Liam only believed it as he checked his skill’s information.

  [Double Ssh (rank 2)

  Cost: 6 Fury

  Effect: Ssh out two times in quick succession, dealing 85% (PATK) and 135%(PATK) physical damage.

  Cooldown: 6 seds]

  Liam tried to uand the reason but ultimately, he could only ask C.

  C? What’s going on with my skills?

  [Your skills rose through repeated training, Pyer Liam.]

  But I didn’t… wait.

  Are you talking about training in real life?

  [Indeed, pyer Liam.]

  Liam’s thoughts were chaotic as he processed the information. Something like this never happened in his past life.

  Is this something everyone do?

  [Indeed, pyer Liam.]

  Liam stood frozen for a while. But eventually he pushed the matter to the back of his mind. His situation wouldn’t ge much.

  Subsequently Liam left the town square, his thoughts ba the first dungeon.

  Reyr’s curse…

  However, the dungeon was only accessible from level 5-10, so the pyers would most likely be able to enter sometime tomorrow.

  Liam pondered for a bit as he formed pns in his mind.

  I o make some preparations. I earn money from the dungeon and fight some bosses soon.

  The veteran gamer realized that his schedule was densely packed. Thus, he hurried up ahe novice vilge.

  Cye invited him to py but Liam deed, urgio level up aer that day.

  At this point he had already left through the western gate, walking deep into the outer forest.

  Liam had a clear path in his mind as he tried to avoid most fights.

  Soon, the area turned more hilly as Liam advanced in the dire of the volo. The fming giant appeared big in his view, but Liam khat it was still quite a distance away.

  He followed a narrow path through the dense forest. Fortunately, most of the obvious paths in aboul were free from monsters, allowing Liam to reach his target soon.

  Withered, dark steles lihe path, most of them broken, their surfaces covered in cracks.

  The surrounding temperature dropped, the light dimming.

  A notification appeared before Liam’s eyes.

  [Discovered Reyr’s temple. Reward: 15EXP]

  [EXP: 90/500]

  Liam took a st turn as an old temple appeared in his vision. It was heavily damaged, its once pristinely white wall darkened and broken in many pces.

  A few smaller structures once surrouhe temple, but only some walls and rubble were left.

  A pyer could be seen lingering at the temple’s entrance.

  Liam wasn’t surprised about the man’s presence as the first dungeon, Reyr’s curse, was located here.

  Suddenly a monster walked out form behind a pile of rubble, its narrow eyes focused on Liam.

  The vetera his calm, using [I].

  [Cursed WolfRank: on

  Level: 4

  HP: 120/120]

  Liam didn’t back down as the wolf pitch-bck fur rushed towards him.

  The agile monster had a high movement speed. Ordinary pyers might get overwhelmed, but Liam reacted leisurely.

  As a rge maw with disgusting bck teeth bit at him, Liam took a step to the side, retaliating in kind.

  [Stance -6]

  [-24!]

  The wolf howled angrily, its voice sounding like the weeping of ghosts.

  Atack followed but Liam blocked quickly.

  [Double Ssh]!

  [Stance -8]

  [-20! -36!]

  The wolf lost more than half its HP. A real animal might run away now but in the game the monster naturally kept attag.

  A short while ter the wolf’s HP bottomed out. Liam received a generous 17EXP. But just as he wao carry on, another motacked from his back.

  Liam frowned as he dodged to the side.

  [Stance -6]

  With a grim face Liam realized that his stance was used up. The wolves had given him no time to recover between fights.

  Although stance recovered during fights as well, it only did so slowly. From Liam’s calcutions he had to take at least two hits until he could dodge again.

  The veteran focused his mind as he started with another [Double Ssh]

  [-19! -36!]

  The wolf fletched its teeth, sending a cw attack.

  [-47!]

  Liam drew a sharp breath as a huge number appeared, sending him close to critical health immediately.

  Without the Nephilim’s resistance against dark damage, it would’ve been even worse.

  Strohan I thought. Why?

  Despite his doubts he wasn’t distracted, attag again.

  [-24!]

  The wolf swung its cw, difficult to dete the dim light, but Liam hastily used [Sidestep].

  I have to save my fury. But it might still not be enough.

  The pattered twice more but eventually Liam had no fury left and the wolf was only at half HP.

  Just as he po use his barely recovered stao disehe fight and recover, a deep voice reached his ears.

  “Don’t worry friend! Radiant Shield is here!”

  Liam was taken aback, missing the perfect timing to get away from the monster.

  But a tall man with broad shoulders suddenly jumped in front of him blog the wolf’s attack with his shield.

  “What are you waiting for, let’s kill this beast and bring peace to its cursed soul!”

  “Right…”

  Liam hid his amusement as he attacked quickly. Together with the neeared tank he easily took the wolf down, even nding the st hit.

  But the two men didn’t have much time to celebrate as more and more wolves appeared in the viity.

  “You choose a bad time, my friend! Those cursed beasts are respawning in droves. Let’s ehe once sacred temple. It’s divine might sill keeps the monsters outside.”

  Liam was almost questioning whether he talked to an NPC or a pyer. But he held baot wanting to antagohe kind tank.

  “Thanks for your help. I’m Bleary Mirage.”

  “You are wele, warrior! My name is Radiant Shield, future hero of the nephilim!”

  “Maybe you should have chosen the human race.”, murmured Liam inaudibly.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  A momehe two men walked up some stairs, entering the rge temple.

  Liam spotted a few other pyers lingering around a rge, closed gate. Some NPCs prevehe pyers from getting too close, proteg a male nephilim arently prepared some kind of ritual.

  “My friend, did you e to assist these righteous priests as well?”

  Radiant Shield spoke while pointing at the NPCs.

  Liam naturally khat these NPCs would only i with pyers when the dungeon opened.

  “Well, I’m just taking a look.”

  “Oh, I uand, another curious soul drawn by the tales of the first dungeon.”

  “Sorry bro, he just likes to rolepy. Don’t take it seriously. I’m Sun’s knight. o meet you.”

  A tall man with red makeup around his eyes approached with a wry smile.

  “Bleary Mirage.”

  Liam shook hands with the tall man while Radiant Shield rolled his eyes.

  “How often do I have to tell you? Someone who doesn’t rolepy doesn’t love the game!

  Oh, I mean. He who doesn’t stay true to himself, will be forsaken by the world.”

  Liam and Sun’s Knight both had to chuckle.

  “Bleary Mirage, did you e for a quest? I’m afraid there isn’t much to get here. We also thought about going back just now.”

  “Well, I came to fetething for a different quest.”

  “Oh! If you need help, just speak my name, friend!”

  Liam pondered for a sed. Although the two men didn’t appear as if they wao steal from him, he could only feel relieved wheem was in his hands.

  “Thanks for the offer but I’m alright. I will just grind slowly.”