< Congratulations on reaching Lv. 3! >
< Level 2 → Level 3 >
< +10 SP >
A system hologram appeared before my eyes, displaying a level-up notification. Now, since I was Lv. 3, if I died my account wouldn't be deleted.
A small appeared on my face and I quickly opened my Status
< STATUS >
Name: Leo
Level: 3 < 10/400 EXP >
Race: Demon
Class: Mage
Subclass: None
~~~~
< ATTRIBUTES >
HP: 13 [+3]
MP: 32 [+7]
STR: 5
AGL: 15 [+3]
PDEF: 9 [+4]
MDEF: 13 [+3]
INT: 32 [+2]
SP: 10
~~~~
Active Skills:
< None >
~~~~
Passive Skills:
< None >
~~~~
Spells:
1️⃣ Darkness Blast < Lv. 2 >
~ True Damage
~ AoE damage
~ Cost 5 MP
~ 5 sec. Cooldown
~ +5% Damage
~ +2% To inflict Status Effect
~~~~
Inventory:
1️⃣ < Healing Potion > x4
2️⃣ < Mana Potion > x5
3️⃣ < 100 Gold Coins >
4️⃣ < Salamander Scale > x18
5️⃣ < Fiery Meat > x17
6️⃣ < Salamander tooth > x2
~~~~
Equipped:
1️⃣ < Darkling Staff > { Copper }
~ MP +5
~ INT +2
~~~~
2️⃣ < Darkling Robe > { Copper }
~ MP +2
~ MDEF +3
~ HP +1
~~~~
3️⃣ < Salamander Scale Boots > { Bronze }
~ AGL +3
~ PDEF +4
~ HP +2
~~~~
4️⃣ < Salamander Ring > { Platinum }
~ +2% Magical Damage
~~~~
< Map >
< Friend List >
< Guild >
< Pet >
~~~~
< CLOSE >
Overlooking my character's status, I began to think about the guy who tried to rope me into fighting a boss.
His party was already wiped out by now.
The boss they tried to defeat was probably <The Dark Prince>.
He is immune to Dark magic and since everyone around these parts are demons it is almost impossible to defeat it.
Unless, of course, you have a skill or a spell of a different element.
However, to defeat such a boss by having a skill of a different element is not enough. You have to be at least Lv. 50 and be adept at combat.
To fight the boss you also have to travel to the middle of the Dark Forest where the <Gloomy Castle> is located.
The Dark Prince resides in the building's royal library and will not move from his place unless aggroed.
The boss also has a variety of powerful spells and skills, which makes him a very formidable opponent.
And I was planning to defeat it on my own while being a Lv. 3 newbie.
At the thought, a small smile crept on my face.
The boss's drops are also more than worth the effort.
Since the Dark Prince is a mage, upon his death the loot he will give is more suitable for mages.
In my previous life, the Boss dropped some Spell books that were very useful for mages.
Also since the boss is <Hidden> rarity his drops will be unique.
My eyes began to shine with a strange glint.
While smiling, I opened Oliver's shop menu and quickly sold all of the items that dropped from the Salamanders.
~~~~
Items Sold:
1️⃣ < Salamander Scale > x18
→ 180 Gold Coins
2️⃣ < Fiery Meat > x17
→ 85 Gold Coins
3️⃣ < Salamander tooth > x2
→ 40 Gold Coins
~~~~
After everything was sold, I counted the gold coins in my inventory.
"..."
Currently, I have 405 gold coins in my possession.
Click...
As I scrolled down the list of items sold by the shop, I delved into the section of Spell books.
If I could I would've bought a Light element spell since the darkness was weak against it. Unfortunately, demons can't wield the Light element, so my options were limited.
To save some of my time, I quickly adjusted the filters to narrow down my search for a suitable Spell book.
And to my delight, I quickly found a suitable Spell.
~~~~
1️⃣ < Lightning Spear > 📖
-- Throw a lightning projectile at your enemy
~ Cost 15 MP
~ 20 second CD
Spell Cost → 250 Gold Coins
~~~~
Without batting an eye, I pressed the buy option on the hologram, purchasing an old tome with a dusty cover that appeared in my hand.
Smiling, I eagerly touched its cover, making the book disappear into light particles.
< New Spell Learned! >
After learning the spell, I once again started adjusting the filters to match my needs.
Now that I had an offensive spell in my arsenal, I needed to buy a passive skill that would allow me to fuel the entire process.
Luckily, I soon found a similar skill that perfectly complemented my Mage class.
~~~~
1️⃣ < Mana Regen > ⭕
~ +5 MP per minute
~ No cost
~ No cooldown
Cost → 100 Gold Coins
~~~~
I also bought this skill, receiving an ancient tome and once again watching it vanish into particles as I absorbed its knowledge.
< New Passive Skill Learned! >
After buying the Lightning Spear spell and the Mana Regen passive skill, I felt a renewed sense of power and excitement.
Closing the Shop's hologram, I glanced at my current abilities.
~~~~
Active Skills:
< None >
~~~~
Passive Skills:
1️⃣ Mana Regen < Lv. 1 >
~~~~
Spells:
1️⃣ Darkness Blast < Lv. 2 >
2️⃣ Lightning Spear < Lv. 1 >
~~~~
< CLOSE >
After making sure that everything was in place, I nodded and opened the system map, observing as my character's location was displayed with a blinking marker.
Dragging the pin with my finger, I dropped it onto the unexplored zone, marking it with a green dot.
Tap... Tap...
After that, I promptly left the merchant's shop, humming a well-known melody while walking toward the Dark Forest.
If I truly wanted to defeat the Dark Prince, I needed to prepare myself thoroughly.
I needed to raise the level of the spell and passive skill I'd just bought.
While the Lightning Spear should be strengthened to do more damage and have a shorter cooldown, the Mana Regen passive skill should be leveled up to increase the rate at which I regain mana.
I wouldn't be able to meditate while in the middle of a battle, so Mana Regen was very important.
Whilst walking, I passed through quite a lot of players who were ganging up on Salamanders, struggling to defeat these simple creatures.
Although I could defeat these monsters easily, it wasn't the same for everyone.
I had played [ Fragmental ] for more than 10 years and acquired a deep understanding of its mechanics and strategies.
While others had to adjust to their new bodies and controls, I was able to seamlessly navigate my character, taking advantage of my superior experience.
Passing through the parties of players, I strolled deeper into the lush forest where a lot more dangerous creatures spawned.
Hiss.....
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a monster approaching from a distance.
Shifting my eyes to the side I saw a Fire Lizard observing me with its dull yellow eyes.
Looking at its face I couldn't help but shake my head.
I recalled the universal rule of this game. Monsters' intelligence scales with their level, making higher-level monsters more cunning and challenging to defeat.
For example, an Elite Fire Salamander is a level 5 being and would be able to create an ambush and grasp the fact that it would be more efficient to attack me with a surprise factor.
However, this level 1 monster couldn't comprehend that hissing would reveal its location.
'I almost feel bad...'
Muttering under my breath, I began channeling Mana and formed my first Lightning Spear.
At first Mana gathering in my fingertips was normal and with no affinity, but soon it began to crackle with an electric charge, indicating the infusion of lightning element.
Within a few seconds, a tangible spear of lightning formed within my grasp, pulsating with a menacing glow.
Clenching the projectile, I felt a small smile blooming on my face.
With a shift in my stance, I extended my arm forward and unleashed the Lightning projectile toward the Fire Lizard, who was mid-leap, caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Pluck...
My spell tore through the air with incredible speed and precision, striking the Fire Lizard directly in its chest.
- 49 Magical Damage!
< Fire Salamander x1 Killed! >
< LOOT >
1️⃣ 20 EXP
2️⃣ Salamander scale x1
3️⃣ Fiery meat x2
~~~~
A double-digit number appeared above the monster's head before it fell to the grass, its dull yellow eyes dimming.
The damage of the Lightning Spear was more than double that of the Darkness Blast.
However, I didn't dwell on the impressive performance of my newly purchased spell for too long, quickly collecting the loot and moving further away from the spooky village.
Along the way, I also met some practice dummies but quickly killed them.
I strictly used only my Lightning Spear, trying to get it to level up before I reached the Gloomy Castle and the Dark Prince.
Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...
< Fire Salamander x3 Killed! >
< LOOT >
1️⃣ 60 EXP
2️⃣ Salamander scale x5
3️⃣ Fiery meat x6
~~~~
After killing a group of Fire Salamanders, I finally received a level-up notification.
My Spell was now level 2!
< UPGRADES >
1️⃣ Lightning Spear <Lv.1>→ <Lv.2>
~ +5% Damage
~ +2% To Inflict Status Effect
~~~~
Overlooking the upgrades, I smiled waiting for another notification to appear.
To recover one's Mana a player needs to either meditate or consume a Mana Potion, however, I possessed the passive skill <Mana Regeneration>, which allowed me to slowly replenish my Mana pool over time without the need for external aid.
All I needed to do now was to wait for the skill to do its magic.
Luckily, I didn't have to wait very long as my Mana bar was soon filled to the brim.
< UPGRADES >
1️⃣ Mana Regen <Lv.1> → <Lv.2>
~ +50% Mana absorption
~~~~
Glancing at the hologram, I nodded my head, content with my current progress.
Tap... Tap...
Walking through the grass, I kept getting closer and closer to the Gloomy Castle, however, along the way not a single soul could be seen.
I wasn't sure but it's probably because the entire area surrounding the castle is Dark Prince's territory.
Usually, normal monsters tend to avoid staying near the bosses, because of their intimidating presence.
However, once the Dark Prince is defeated he will not respawn due to his <Hidden> rarity and maybe after his death, the monsters will start to flood this area.
====
#Author's note
Hidden bosses do not respawn!