Chapter 30

"Ah."

Upon checking the notification window, Carpe also grasped the situation.

A scenario event.

This meant that the current situation before his eyes was an event necessary for the scenario to progress.

"Hu, Hu Yesi."

The NPC Geas, the gravekeeper, was an NPC who was destined to die if Carpe proceeded with the 'Magical King's Relic' quest.

As Carpe approached the fallen Geas, he opened his mouth with great effort.

"Cough, cough. The bastards have noticed our existence. Please take this."

Geas reached into his robes with great difficulty. When he pulled his hand out, it held a small crystal fragment and a talisman.

"T-this is the last thing I can give you... Please carry on the will of Arkham..."

Thud.

Geas's arm, which had been struggling to hold on, finally slumped to the ground.

Then, his body turned gray and disappeared.

Ding.

[Fragment of the Purification Crystal]

[Category: Quest Exclusive]

[A fragment of the Purification Artifact that was shattered by the intruders. It contains a faint power of purification.]

[Token of Arkham]

[Category: Quest Exclusive]

[Usage Restriction: Magical Overlord]

[The key to obtaining the Magical King's relic. Those who do not qualify cannot use it.]

The moment Carpe received these two items, the quest was updated again.

[Magical King's Relic (2)-3]

[The forces hostile to Arkham have launched an attack. You must recover the relic before they destroy it.]

[Quest Success: Obtain the Magical King's Relic, proceed to the linked quest]

[Quest Failure: Main storyline canceled, all quests related to Arkham disappear, quest fails upon death]

"..."

Carpe quietly stored the two items in his inventory and stood up. His expression was slightly stiff.

-Just to be clear, this is a game. It's just an NPC who died. Don't get too immersed.

"Really? Of course. It's just an event that happened while the game story progressed, right?"

After all, he had only had a brief conversation with Geas, a very short one.

The idea of getting too immersed was laughable.

So,

"Who dares to covet the relic?"

Right now, his anger was merely a justified rage towards the scoundrels who were coveting what he should obtain.

Carpe repeated this to himself.

* * *

Leaving the hut, Carpe ran at full speed back to the pit.

"Here it is."

Seeing the boot prints right in front of the pit, Carpe smiled wryly. These marks hadn't been there when he first investigated the area.

"I was wondering how to get in, but they've clearly marked the entrance."

Should he just jump in?

Carpe hesitated, tentatively placing one foot into the pit, and a notification window appeared.

[You have discovered the event dungeon 'Ruhan's Pit.']

[Dungeon Level: ???]

[Entry Restriction: Magical Overlord]

[This is an event-exclusive dungeon. If you fail to clear it within two hours, the quest will fail. After clearing, this dungeon will become a regular dungeon.]

[Do you wish to enter?]

Thankfully, he didn't just jump in.

Carpe nodded.

"I'll enter."

The moment he confirmed his entry, a two-hour timer appeared in the corner of his vision.

Whoosh.

He felt his entire body being sucked in, and when he regained his senses, he was already inside a dark cave.

Ding.

[This is a space filled with the aura of death. Monsters with Dark, Evil, and Undead attributes are greatly enhanced.]

[Your vision is limited due to an unknown aura. Your stats are significantly reduced.]

The moment he entered the dungeon, Carpe was hit by a storm of debuffs, but he almost cursed reflexively. However, his body began to emit a faint light before he could.

[The Fragment of the Purification Crystal is exerting a faint power of purification.]

[Your vision is somewhat restored. Your stats are slightly recovered.]

The gentle light surrounding Carpe acted like a torch, illuminating the inside of the dungeon. The "somewhat restored vision" seemed to refer to this.

-As you read in the quest window, if you die even once in this quest, it's over. Don't let your guard down.

"Of course."

Carpe summoned Mokhyang from the shadows and opened his status window.

First, he needed to check how much his stats had decreased.

Ding.

[Name: Carpe]

[Level: 14]

[HP: 1010/1010]

[MP: 285/285]

[Strength: 1 (+36) Agility: 1 (+46)

Vitality: 1 (+33) Dexterity: 1 (+37)

Magic: 1 (+33)]

-Allocatable Bonus Stats: 69

[Titles (10)] (Details)

-9 out of 10 are unique

[Back Command]

0-star - Supreme Demon (Irregular)

[Skills] (4 unlocked)

10-star - Unlock (解禁) Lv. 14

[Back Command Skills]

0-star – Repeat (反復) Lv. 14

-Allocatable Bonus Skill Points: 39

"Quite a drop."

His stats had been boosted by over 40 due to title effects, but now they were in the 30s.

Calculating, he found that all his stats had been reduced by exactly 7.

"The penalty is quite significant. Maybe I should invest some bonus stats."

Until now, he hadn't needed to allocate additional stats to dominate, so he hadn't paid much attention, but this dungeon clearly wasn't ordinary.

-Not a bad idea. There's no point in hoarding them forever.

In the Lase system, once stats were allocated, they usually couldn't be reversed, so stat allocation had to be done with great caution.

One wrong move and you could end up with a useless character.

Of course, this didn't apply to Carpe, who had the ultimate guide.

-There are generally three types of stat builds for magic users.

The first is the artillery type.

As the name suggests, this build focuses entirely on firepower, emphasizing burst damage.

-It's the most popular and powerful build. It's easy to allocate stats. Just max out Magic and Dexterity while ignoring Strength, Vitality, and Agility. The allocation is 3 to 1.

"Dexterity? Why Dexterity?"

-Even the strongest magic is useless if it doesn't hit. Dexterity affects accuracy.

"Ah, I see."

The second type was the balanced build.

-This is usually for special classes like a magic knight, not a traditional mage. You're this type.

Of course, you can also go with the artillery build for the Magical Overlord class. You would be able to unleash a terrifying amount of firepower that other magic users can't match.

However, the Demon Lord thought it would be a waste of Carpe's physical capabilities.

-To maximize your combat sense, this build is better. In this case, allocate 2 to 1 for Magic and Dexterity... But do you really need an explanation?

"Huh? You were doing well, but what's this all about?"

-You'll do what you want anyway. You're just a casual gamer.

"..."

"How do you see me?"

While Carpe was primarily a fun-first player, he wasn't reckless enough to mess with something as sensitive as stats in a game.

-Ah, whatever. Just allocate them roughly. As long as you don't go all-in on Vitality for a mage, you can cover it with items.

"Ooh! All-in on Vitality for a mage?"

-...If you do, I'll kill you. I'll curse you to death!

He decided to temporarily face the monsters inside the dungeon before allocating his stats and slowly advanced.

"By the way, bro."

-What?

"You said there were three types of magic users earlier. What's the third one?"

-It's the specialized build I used. You don't need to know it. You can't choose it anyway.

"Really? You were a mage?"

-Didn't I tell you?

"Not at all."

Come to think of it, he only knew that the Demon Lord had regressed, but nothing about how he had lived or what kind of player he was in Lase.

-...I'll tell you later if the opportunity arises. For now, let's focus on the dungeon. Hurry up.

As he moved forward, he soon encountered the first monster.

Clank. Clank.

A skeleton, which he had seen outside the pit, was approaching him, making clanking sounds.

However, unlike outside the pit, the skeleton held a sword and a shield.

<Enhanced Skeleton>

The name above its head appeared in red.

"Red, huh."

In Lase, the color of a monster's name changes based on the level difference between the player and the monster.

If the level difference is minimal, the name appears white; if the monster is higher level, it appears red; if the monster is lower level, it appears gray.

In other words, the Enhanced Skeleton in front of him was significantly higher level than Carpe.

"Fire Arrow!"

He cast a spell as a precaution.

Of course, no monster had ever withstood Carpe's precautionary spells before, so the term "precaution" didn't quite fit.

Boom!

"Huh?"

-Oh ho.

This was the first time a monster had withstood Carpe's precautionary spell.

No, it wasn't just withstanding...

"It blocked?"

To his surprise, the Enhanced Skeleton blocked Carpe's spell with its shield.

-It can block. Fire Arrow isn't Hell Fire, after all.

"That's true."

He cast the spell again, but it was blocked by the shield once more.

Thinking that melee combat might be better, Carpe quickly ran towards the skeleton.

However,

"Ugh?!"

An arrow suddenly flew from behind the Enhanced Skeleton, hindering Carpe's advance.

Twisting his body sharply to avoid the arrow, Carpe looked behind the Enhanced Skeleton.

<Enhanced Skeleton Archer>

Another skeleton had appeared, aiming its bow at Carpe.

"Wow. They even use coordinated attacks?"

-These guys have good balance. One tanks, the other deals damage. Oh, a Mythical-level monster raid for Carpe! Hang in there, bones!

"Bro, whose side are you on?"

Indeed, it was a solid combination, as the Demon Lord had said.

His magic was blocked by the shield, and his approach was hindered by the arrows.

"If the body is weak, the mind suffers."

-...Isn't it the opposite?

"By the same logic, if the damage is lacking, a strategy is needed."

Deal damage.

In RPGs, there's nothing easier than overwhelming with damage.

"I'll invest 10 stats into Magic."

[Your Magic has increased by 10.]

"Fire Arrow!"

Boom!!!

A much louder explosion occurred this time. The Enhanced Skeleton blocked it with its shield, but the shield was visibly damaged.

"I'll invest 10 more stats into Magic."

[Your Magic has increased by 10.]

"Fire Arrow!"

Boom!!!

With the enhanced Fire Arrow, the skeleton's shield finally shattered.

Although skeletons don't have expressions, Carpe could feel their shock.

The Demon Lord sighed.

-...If the guy who designed this dungeon sees this, he'll choke. He didn't design it to be broken like this.

"None of my business! Fire Arrow!"

After that, it was one-sided.

The Enhanced Skeleton, now without its shield, was incinerated by just two Fire Arrows. With the tank gone, the archer's aim wavered.

A drop in accuracy was inevitable!

"Ha!"

Carpe, who had closed the distance, drew his sword from his inventory and swung it.

The Enhanced Skeleton Archer, unable to shoot, fell without putting up a proper fight.

Ding.

[Level Up! You have been granted bonus stats.]

[You have reached level 15. As a reward, an 'Elementary Skill Pack' has been added to your inventory.]

The moment of 'Repeat' had come again.

A 10-star player who had become stronger through random allocation.