Radiant Shield wasn’t disced by the reje.

  “A pity. If you ever need help iure, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “If you really mean it, I might indeed need help ter today.”, nodded Liam.

  “You t on me as long as my name is Radiant Shield!”

  “He means we’re looking forward to pying with you.”

  “Great. I’ll message you.”

  Liam wasn’t surprised by the men’s behavior. He khat many people liked to make friends in the game.

  In his old life Liam might have rejected them, afraid that others would drag him down or steal his knowledge. But now he was a lot more rexed about these kinds of things.

  Thus, he sent a friend invitation to the two men before they left the temple.

  Liam lingered for a bit more, making use of his passive regeion, the wolves outside.

  Seeing a few other pyers struggling against the monsters, Liam finally couldn’t ignore his doubts anymore, asking C.

  C, tell me, are all monsters stronger? I ’t believe I’m mistaken so often!

  […]

  [This is Hell difficulty, Pyer Liam.]

  Liam raised his brows sharply. Finally, he got firmation.

  Hell difficulty…

  Liam’s surprise quickly turo excitement as he tried to prehend what this meant for his future gaming experience.

  From what I’ve seen so far, I must reevaluate every mob. I have to sider them at least 10% stronger in my calcutions.

  Liam grinned as he thought about a few particurly difficult bosses, looking forward to challenging them iure.

  But unfortunately, his oppos now were still a few cursed wolves.

  Liam went outside, tinuing his fight. He moved slowly, only drawing one enemy after another while searg around.

  Distang himself from the temple, Liam reached the edge of the zohe buildings here were the most damaged, only rubble rown with shrubbery remaining.

  Pyers hadn’t discovered the usefulness of exploratio, most of them adhering to quests. But Liam khat mas were hidden everywhere in the world.

  One of them was around Reyr’s Temple, extremely difficult to find.

  However, Liam was naturally at a huge advantage.

  After fifteen minutes of strolling around he found a spicuous boulder half buried in the ground.

  In aboul almost everything was destructible with enough strength and patience. [I] could reveal the HP of objects. A normal rock had at least 600HP. But this one…

  [Boulder

  HP: 1/1]

  Liam grinned, knowing that this was the game’s way of grabbing the pyers’ attention.

  After this information spread, people would explore every nook and y, trying to find items with 1HP.

  But pared to the enormous size of the world it was like pying itery with a aybe 1:1,000,000.

  Liam inwardly thahese tireless explorers as he drew his sword and stabbed at the boulder.

  With the slightest touch the boulder disied into dust, carried away by a cold breeze.

  A dark staircase appeared before Liam’s eyes, looking quite eerie as it swallowed all light.

  However, knowing what to expect Liam didn’t hesitate as he stepped o stone.

  After a short desd Liam arrived at a door which barely g to its hinges.

  Liam carefully pushed it open.

  Thud!

  The door didn’t withstand the slightest movement, falling to the ground with a loud sound eg spicuously in the dark.

  Rustling could be heard. Something woke up.

  Suddenly torches lit up on both sides, revealing a rge room to Liam. It was decorated with s and skulls, dry bloodstains on the walls.

  Some distance away stood a small sacrificial altar.

  [Discovered hidden prayer room. Reward: 40EXP]

  [EXP: 280/500]

  Sihis pce was sidered secret, it gave more EXP upon disc.

  But before Liam could s the room, a human-like figure with extremely pale face walked out from behind a pilr, approag him.

  In the light of the torch, one could see the figure’s rotting skin and withered hair.

  Even Liam had to focus and not get distracted by the disgusting appearance.

  [Minor Zombie Rank: on

  Level: 4

  HP: 60/60]

  Minor Zombies were rather weak creatures, but they often appeared in groups.

  Thus, Liam dider the room, waiting by the door for the oppoo arrive.

  “Gnaah Lerkk.”

  The zombie’s dislocated jaw moved, letting out strange sounds.

  “Shut up.”

  Liam initiated the attack, making use of his sword’s reach.

  [-32!]

  Satisfied with his damage the veteran took a step back. Sihe zombie wasn’t able to attack yet, this didn’t t as dodge.

  A moment ter Liam’s attack was off cooldown, another swift ssh finishing the zombie off.

  The fight ended quickly but Liam didn’t dare to be pt. A soft breeze came from his back, letting the torches sway eerily.

  Right then the corpses scattered on the ground began moving. They stood up, staring at Liam with small green fmes in their eyes.

  Liam readied his sword as the zombies approached him with stiff steps.

  He stayed outside the room, waiting for the perfeent.

  Suddenly his sword fshed, using [Double Ssh]

  [-27! -42!]

  [-27! -42!]

  Liam’s sword drew a graceful curve. Both his sshes hit two zombies, killing them both.

  Attacks like this ohe reason why he traihe movement of his skills to perfe. With strong enough trol one was able to get the maximum out of every skill.

  The remaini zombies weren’t intimidated, however, tinuing without stopping.

  Liam kept a calm mind. Preventing them from swarming him, he got rid of them one by one.

  Soon, the zombies returo their lifeless states, lying dead before Liam’s feet.

  Liam stayed calm as the fight ended. Knowing that zombies dropped fabric, which was a useful item for many professions, Liam quickly looted them all.

  But to his pleasant surprise he found a small bottle in his hand after a few attempts.

  [Minor poison of decayCategory: on

  Effect: Deals 40+2%(HP) poison damage per sed. Lasts for five seds.

  Charges: 3

  Don’t get it on your hands!]

  Poison was one of the many ables in the game. It could be applied on ons to unleash its effects.

  Liam was satisfied, finally entering the room.

  A moldy smell assaulted his nose, incredibly lifelike. The heat of the torches fought against the cold from outside, but the bloody room made one’s body freeze, heless.

  Liam was already used to such ses, ign it for the most part as he began searg the room.

  Random chests stood at the side. Some pyers might think they entered their first treasure chest but Liam reized them as part of the sery.

  Opening them only revealed some moldy food bitten by rats.

  Liam shook his head. The prayer room he was in was first discovered by a teammate of his in Liam’s first life. It was supposed to tain a certain key, but his teammate never expined were exactly.

  Thus, Liam was forced to search all the miseous chests and decorations.

  Suddenly a crisp sound could be heard. Liam’s eyes lit up. He put the skull in his hand ba its pedestal, sing the floor.

  He found a small bck key which just dropped out of the skull.

  [Bck KeyCategory: ???

  A bck key, found in the hidden prayer room. Its use is unknown.

  You found the key but where is the lock?]

  Naturally Liam khe usage of the key, or he wouldn’t have deliberately searched for it. He put it into his iory before direg his gaze at a shelf he ignored so far.

  It was filled with tattered books covered in dust. Their covers were grey, their sites yellowed by time.

  However, upon a closer look one would notie book standing out. Below all the dust a violet light peeked out, proving that one of the books survived the erosion of time.

  Liam took it away, reading its title out loud.

  “Refresnim!”

  Refresnim was one of the devils in hell and the book baring its name was a lore book taining tales about the devil.

  But in this prayer room it had another fun.

  As soon as Bleary Mirage spoke the devil’s he torches flickered ominously.

  A rumble rang through the room as the wall before Liam began moving. A rge part of it opeurning and revealing a secret passage, the way foritch bck.

  The wailing of ghosts could vaguely be heard.

  Even Liam felt the hairs on his arms stand up as he stared into the darkness.

  He grabbed a torch from the room before entering, the door closing behind him.

  A corridor made frh stone was revealed in the flickering fme.

  Liam advanced carefully, his eyes on the floor, knowing that this path was filled with traps.

  He spotted a few reddish spots on the ground, avoiding them carefully.

  After a while most pyers would gain a rudimentary pathfinder profession, allowing them to spot some traps.

  A few csses, mostly those evolved from thieves, also had a bonus on this profession.

  But at this point in the game traps were still a y most people other than Liam would fall for.