Item: Drop of Death
Description: Revives the dead and restores them to full health.
My eyes widened, and a grin slowly spread across my face.
"This is a good item."
I looked at the vial in my hand again.
"I never thought I would find something like this here."
My grip tightened around it.
With this... I can save one person, even from death itself.
I quickly shifted my attention toward the other rewards.
"Let's see what else I received."
The system displayed several new items.
[Skills]
Teleportation — A Rank - Upgradable
A powerful movement skill capable of instantly transporting the user to another location.
Teleportation is limited to a 500 m radius.
"My luck is really good today..."
Upgradable skills were rare and you either have to pay hefty price or you gain it by chance in dungeon or from special boss kill.
I continued reading.
Death Seal
A cooldown-based artifact that greatly increases all physical and magical attributes for one minute.
Drawback:The user will experience extreme pain for ten seconds after activation.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Extreme pain for ten seconds, huh?"
Bracelet of Death
Moderately increases Mana & reduces spell-casting time.
"Not bad..."
A satisfied smile appeared on my face.
Looking around the chamber.
All I could see was bones covering almost every inch of the room.
The remnants of the battle were scattered everywhere, serving as the only evidence of the fierce battle that had taken place here.
I reached into my storage and shot the arrow from my bow.
The whole place started burning.
The fire spread across the chamber slowly burning everything
I watched the place burn for a few seconds before turning around and walking toward the exit.
The flames spread from one corner to another.
The bones burned.
The remains of the undead were swallowed by the fire.
Every trace of the battle slowly disappeared.
Everything was reduced to ashes.
By the time I stepped outside, the entire dungeon chamber was engulfed in flames.
I looked back at the burning dungeon one last time.
Just Then —
Something strange happened.
Small lights began gathering around me.
At first, there were only a few.
Then more appeared.
One after another, the lights began taking human forms.
I could simply stare at them in silence.
Soldiers.
Men and women.
Young and old.
They stood around me like faint apparitions, their bodies glowing softly.
One of them stepped forward.
A young man around my age looked at me with a peaceful smile.
"Thank you... for freeing us."
I remained silent as the young man continued smiling.
"We were trapped with that monster for a long time, waiting for someone who could free us."
Looking around, I could see so many of them.
Some smiling, some crying and some simply standing there with peaceful expressions, as if they had finally found rest after an eternity of suffering.
I could see their emotions clearly.
Happiness.
Sadness.
Relief.
Peace.
Slowly, their bodies began turning into countless particles of light.
One after another, their souls began fading away.
The young man smiled at me one final time.
Then his body dissolved into light and disappeared.
The others followed.
One by one.
Until the final particle of light vanished into the air.
Silence returned.
I stared at the place where they had once been, but I couldn't say anything.
After a while, I turned around and started walking toward the forest once again.
Behind me, the dungeon continued burning.
The flames grew brighter as they consumed everything that remained.
Soon, the place that had tormented so many souls was reduced to nothing but ashes.
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The sounds of insects echoed throughout the forest.
The rustling of leaves could be heard from all directions, occasionally interrupted by the sharp crack of a tree branch beneath my feet as I continued running toward the forest's exit.
It had already been half a day since I started travelling.
Thankfully, I could feel that the exit was getting closer.
The heavy atmosphere I had sensed before stumbling upon the dungeon had completely disappeared.
Even the monsters and wild animals I encountered along the way were no longer much of a threat.
I continued following the route we had decided upon during the group meeting.
After some time, I noticed the trees becoming fewer and farther apart.
I slowed my pace slightly and began observing my surroundings more carefully.
Human traces started appearing along the path.
At first, I noticed a few footprints.
Then I found several cut tree stumps.
Further ahead, I could even see marks where someone had set up a camp.
"It seems the group stopped here once."
I stopped for a moment and examined the surrounding area.
There were no signs of a struggle.
No blood.
No damaged trees.
No signs of a monster attack.
Nothing unusual.
I let out a small sigh of relief.
"I'm glad they didn't encounter any strong monsters."
I continued forward.
After walking for roughly another hour, the dense forest finally began to disappear.
My eyes widened slightly.
Beyond the last line of trees were vast plains stretching far into the distance.
And beyond those plains stood a town surrounded by enormous walls.
"So this is the town..."
This town served as a checkpoint for players travelling toward the capital city.
Players would usually stop here to purchase basic equipment, restock their supplies, and sell the loot they had obtained from the forest.
I realised that the place was considerably larger than I had expected when I reached near it.
Farmers could be seen working outside the town walls, while two- and three-story houses lined the streets within the town.
Each building was painted in different colors, giving the town a lively appearance.
People were constantly entering and leaving through the town gates.
The entire place was bustling with activity.
At the entrance, guards stood at their posts, checking the identification of everyone entering the town.
Some people were allowed through without much trouble.
Others were questioned for longer.
I waited in line for a while before receiving my visitor token.
Fortunately, I was able to enter using a false identity that I had prepared with the help of a merchant group.
Once inside, I began wandering around the town in search of an inn.
Along the way, I saw countless shops selling all kinds of things.
Food.
Clothes.
Weapons.
And many other items.
The marketplace was lively and full of people.
For a moment, I simply stood there and observed everything around me.
It was strange.
Even though I had seen this town countless times while playing the game, standing here in person felt completely different.
For even a moment, it didn't feel like a game.
Eventually, I found an inn close to the marketplace.
Walking inside, I could see a middle-aged man standing at the reception.
"Hello. I would like to rent a room for one night."
The innkeeper looked at me.
"It will be ten coins, sir."
I paid the required amount and received the room key.
Afterwards, I retreated to my room to rest.
I lay down on the bed.
But instead of immediately falling asleep, my mind returned to the battle inside the dungeon.
Even though I had played the game countless times, fighting in real life was completely different.
I needed time to adjust to actual combat.
If I hadn't been careful, I would have died several times during that fight.
"I must grow as strong as possible."
I clenched my fist while staring at the ceiling.
"I need to save everyone and I can't do this alone."
I needed allies.
People I could trust.
People who could stand beside me when the real dangers began appearing.
But for now...
I needed rest.
My exhaustion finally caught up with me.
Before I even realized it, I had fallen into a deep sleep.