Everlast Ruins
Once again, a few extra rewards appeared from the wreckage of the fallen puppet.
'9 gold coins, two mid-grade Earth-attribute mana stones, three Puppet Warrior crystal shards, and an unidentified core.'
About 50 gold in total value.
I could sell everything to the general merchant for cash, but these weren't just junk items.
'They're all useful crafting materials.'
Still, they weren't enough to really excite me.
The "Weakened Puppet Warrior Captain" I just defeated was a mid-boss of this dungeon —
not just some common mob, but a special enemy.
Which meant there was more than just loot from its remains.
The system itself had an additional reward to offer.
[View the special reward.]
...Yeah, it's only natural to get a special reward for defeating a special enemy!
'I could live happily just seeing this message every day.'
And of course, I already knew what was coming next.
"View reward."
[Special Hunt Success Reward]
Large amount of experience
New Title: Exploration Expert
Skill: Mana Enhancement
Just as I expected.
I nodded immediately.
"Claim reward."
[Absorbing a large amount of experience!]
[Level up!]
[New Title acquired: Exploration Expert!]
[You have learned Mana Enhancement!]
[Your internal mana flow becomes smoother.]
That brought me up to level 14.
Thanks to it, I gained new stat points and skill points....
'Exploration Expert, huh.'
That was actually a pretty good title.
Titles had various effects, though their exact influence wasn't always clearly displayed in the game system.
'In other words, you have to test them directly to figure out what they do.'
Most of them gave only minor or situational benefits.
The titles I already had were three in total:
'Pig Prince,' 'Novice Negotiator,' and 'Clumsy Brawler.'
...The Pig Prince title didn't sound like it offered anything positive.
Novice Negotiator helped a bit with persuading NPCs.
And Clumsy Brawler?
'That's just the one everyone gets after killing their first monster.'
But Exploration Expert was different.
For a dungeon explorer, it was an essential kind of title.
Because with it… this happens.
Flick.
I extinguished the Mystic Magic Torch I was holding.
Instantly, pitch-black darkness swallowed my vision.
But a moment later—
'I can see. I can actually see.'
It was like my eyes were adapting to the dark.
I began to perceive faint outlines… then eventually, almost everything around me.
It wasn't as bright as holding the magic torch, of course.
But considering I now had a free hand instead of wasting one holding it, the effect was amazing.
'That's the benefit of Exploration Expert.'
With this title, I could even turn darkness to my advantage.
Most enemies were as vulnerable to darkness as I was.
By deliberately removing light and fighting in the dark, I could create overwhelmingly favorable conditions for myself.
'A power that can amplify its effects the more cleverly you use it.'
And that went for the third reward too.
[Skill] — Allows you to enhance internal mana in various ways.
Links with multiple skills that utilize mana.
Mana Enhancement was one of the foundational skills in my skill tree.
At first glance, it looked like just another basic ability that anyone could eventually unlock with a few saved-up skill points.
But in truth, it wasn't simple at all.
'You need to invest seven points just to acquire it.'
If I wanted to get it through level-ups, I'd have to save every point for seven consecutive levels —
an enormous waste and a major hassle.
So skipping it wasn't an option either.
'That would be a huge mistake.'
According to its description, this skill enhanced one's mana and allowed that improvement to be applied across other skills.
In short, it strengthened every skill that consumed mana —
an incredibly powerful effect.
'No matter what you do with mana, your baseline changes completely.'
For mages, it was mandatory.
Even for warriors, getting it as early as possible was a huge advantage.
And I had just received such a skill, right here, for free.
"Since my mana's fully recovered now, might as well test it."
Of course, most of my current techniques didn't rely on mana — they were body arts.
That's typical for non-mage classes early on.
But that only lasts for the beginning.
Sooner or later, more and more skills will start requiring mana.
'Even the Sea-Walking Sword Technique already does.'
I began channeling mana slowly into the hilt of my blade.
Just like before, the blade gleamed with light.
[Special Technique: Sea Sword Form 1]
This was the introductory stage of the Sea-Walking Sword Technique's special attacks.
'In other fantasy worlds, this would probably be called an Aura Blade, right?'
In the world of The World Forsaken by God, however, it was known as the Sword Spirit —
a direct adaptation of the martial arts concept of Sword Qi (劍氣).
Of course, what I'd managed earlier wasn't worthy of being called Sword Spirit yet.
"Hm… maybe Sword Split would be more accurate?"
...That means "a cracked sword."
In other words, I was still a long way from creating a true Sword Spirit.
Fsssss—
"Five… six… seven… eight… wow…"
I was counting as I maintained the blade's energy — and I was honestly surprised.
Before, I could barely hold it for five seconds.
"Now it's ten."
Since this technique compressed mana into the shape of the sword, its mana consumption was enormous.
That's why even my clumsy imitation of Sword Qi only lasted five seconds before.
But now, after obtaining Mana Enhancement, the duration had doubled.
And the best part? Mana Enhancement wasn't a one-and-done skill.
'It's literally an enhancement skill, after all.'
As with most sword techniques, Mana Enhancement could also be strengthened in various ways.
Unlike swordsmanship, which could only be improved through experience and practice, Mana Enhancement offered many other avenues for growth.
'You can consume elixirs infused with high-purity mana, receive mana transfer from someone else...'
Or even steal mana.
In short, the paths to strengthen it were practically limitless.
And I would need to tread them one by one.
"Alright, that's the mid-boss down."
Now only the final section of the dungeon remained.
The composite zone.
If the first area had been the trap section, and the second the guardian section…
'Then the last one will combine both — traps and guardians together.'
Having barely cleared the previous two, most would assume this would be impossible to handle.
"...Guess I can finally relax a bit."
But instead, I felt calm.
Because I knew — this was actually the easiest section to conquer.
KWAOOOOOO!
Two Puppet Warriors charged toward me with an earth-shaking roar.
Yet I didn't even draw my sword.
Instead, I moved faster than anything else in this dungeon.
[Evasion Technique: Gale Request]
The burst of speed I gained was more than enough to outpace the Puppet Warriors.
Thanks to the Exploration Expert title, I no longer needed to hold a torch.
With both hands free, my body darted through the darkness like a gust of wind.
'Might as well try this too.'
[Movement Technique: Flash Step]
A flicker of light beneath my feet.
This was part of the Sea-Walking Sword Technique — a movement method that used mana to boost speed.
'If I remember right, it should make me at least 15% faster.'
But for how much mana it consumed, Flash Step wasn't particularly efficient.
Just as sword mastery progressed differently than in the game, so too did Flash Step.
'Yeah, I'll need a proper instructor for this one someday.'
For now, there was no reason to keep it active.
No point wasting mana on a technique that couldn't perform properly.
"Alright, this way! Come on!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, luring the Puppet Warriors to chase me.
Thud, thud, thud!
The heavy-footed dolls thundered after me, unable to tolerate their quarry slipping away again and again.
[Gale Request has ended.]
Just as I leaped across the spot I'd marked earlier, I felt my legs grow heavy — the speed boost was gone, and the skill entered cooldown.
Grrrrrr!
The Puppet Warriors' eyes glowed menacingly as they charged.
But instead of retreating, I grinned.
"Yeah, right there. Perfect! Step on it!"
Creak.
The lead puppet's foot pressed down on a large tile — and immediately, the mechanism engaged.
From all directions, traps triggered.
Arrow traps.
But this time, the arrows weren't aimed at me.
They were aimed at the guardians.
Shshshshk!
Half a dozen reinforced steel bolts flew at once.
The very same traps that had tormented me earlier—
'Now they're on my side, huh?'
Heh. No wonder people keep reincarnating and going back in time — this thrill is addictive.
Thud! Crack!
The arrows tore through the Puppet Warriors, their steel bodies pierced clean through.
Slower to react than I was, they became living pincushions in seconds.
One of them even collapsed on the spot.
Then the system message appeared.
['Weakened Puppet Warrior' defeated!]
Even though the trap, not I, had killed them, the reward still went to me.
'So the dungeon's designer actually intended for players to use the traps against enemies.'
That meant even the hidden objectives could still be completed perfectly.
After all, the condition for "Bleed from every trap" didn't require me to bleed —
just that something be injured by each trap.
"Let's finish this quickly."
The remaining puppet staggered behind, riddled with arrows — three, one of them in a very unfortunate place.
"See? You should've watched your step."
I finally drew my sword and swung it in one smooth motion.
[Attack Technique: Sea Sword Form 1]
The Sword Spirit I infused into the blade was still crude and unstable,
but it was enough to sever the puppet's head.
Clang.
The head rolled across the stone floor.
['Weakened Puppet Warrior' defeated!]
"...Phew."
And that was the end of this dungeon — The Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins.
I sheathed my blade, pulled out my torch, and shone it down the corridor ahead.
At the edge of its dim light, something was there — or rather, someone should have been.
The dungeon's final boss.
'The Broken Puppet Warrior Commander.'
That NPC should've been waiting at the far end.
That's where he was supposed to be.
"…He's gone?"
The spot where he should have been sitting against the wall was empty.
Which meant—
"What about the dungeon completion sequence?"
What about my reward?
Just then, a system message appeared.
[Dungeon exploration complete!]
[Dungeon objectives fully achieved!]
[Hidden objectives fully achieved!]
[View rewards.]
Wait, what?
"Is this because it's still in beta or something?"
I was trying to figure out why the procedure had changed when—
"…What is your name?"
"W-what the hell!"
A deep, shadowy voice suddenly whispered right into my ear — from behind me.