Stepping on Blue Sage Grass was worse than stepping on a landmine.
Just as he feared, the Lazy Pig's eyes snapped open before glaring straight at him.
"Hi?" Alex smiled weakly.
*Graaaa*
The monster roared in response, with a sound that echoed like thunder, rolling across the valley. Alex's ears perked up in an instant. He could hear sounds of other monsters, perhaps running...
Ten, sixteen... no, dozens.
They were all coming.
"Run"
Alex took off instantly.
As he ran, he activated Primary Detective. His vision expanded, and he saw over a hundred monsters rushing toward him from every direction.
"A whole fuc*ing army of pigs is coming at me… unbelievable."
He activated Spirit Cloud Step, increasing his agility by another 30%. His body blurred as he rushed toward the mountain, where there is a cave halfway up.
It appeared like a perfect hiding spot.
"That's it."
He ignored the treasure chest glowing faintly in the distance. Survival comes first.
He sprinted toward the cave while the entire valley howled behind him.
"Move, move"
Alex sprinted up the slope nonstop, reaching a boulder wedged in the mountainside. Without slowing down, he grabbed its edge and swung himself upward. His fingers barely caught the next handhold, but he pulled anyway, somehow…
Behind him, dozens… maybe over a hundred wild monsters arrived at the base of the mountain.
They snarled, snarled… then stopped.
The whole army of monsters gathered there with their claws digging into the dirt, yet none dared to climb. As Alex scrambled into the cave, the deafening roars slowly faded. The beasts paced below like angry prisoners for a while, stomping and huffing, but none took a step further.
Alex didn't look back. He rushed deeper into the cave and collapsed against the wall.
Safe at last...
He sat on the cold stone, taking heavy breaths while sweating from top to bottom. His hands were seen trembling slightly after pushing his body close to the limit.
He took several long breaths until his pulse slowed.
Then he stood and decided to explore the cave.
However, the cave was dark. He could see nothing and had to go slowly. His foot even bumped something, clinking softly.
He activated Primary Detective.
The world brightened instantly, freezing his gaze right away, as he saw that the place was filled with treasure chests.
Not one.
Not three.
Not ten.
There were dozens of treasure chests piled randomly across the cave floor, stacked against the walls, some half-buried under others like someone had dumped a vault's worth of loot into the cavern. A few were cracked open...
A treasure dungeon hidden right under the valley.
Alex swallowed his breath. "This is the result of having high luck…"
Without wasting much time, he opened the emergency shop where everything cost ten times the normal price, but he needed a light right now. As a result, he bought a single copper candle for ten silver coins that he got from the recent treasure chest he opened.
*Ding! Use a candle now?
"Yes."
A tiny flame burst alive in his palm, lighting the cave in warm orange glow at once, revealing treasure chests everywhere.
Black iron, bronze, and there were even a few silver-trimmed ones in the trove.
Alex let out a breathless laugh. "Blessing… truly in disguise. Haha..."
He knelt by the nearest black iron chest and unlocked it.
A Black Iron Pistol.
He stuffed it into his bag without inspecting it.
No time for that.
There was another item inside: a Junior Chef Skill Book.
He used it.
*Ding!
[Chef Apprentice 0%]
Can cook simple food. +10% food taste.
Another book increased proficiency by 10%.
He kept going.
The more he looked, the more a smile appeared on his face. When he opened ten black iron chests, his entire inventory filled up. As if his luck factor was working, one chest dropped [Black Iron Space Ring +100 slots]
He put it on immediately.
He also learned two new sub-professions:
[Pharmacist Apprentice 20%]
[Alchemist Apprentice 10%]
Alex paused.
The loot was incredible, but something nagged him.
Where were the experience books?
He had come here mainly for EXP books to boost his level and luck before the system update.
But so far?
Only one treasure chest gave him the EXP books, and that too, only the one outside in the valley.
His mood dipped slightly for a moment. Experience books were king in the early game; they determined growth speed, hunting range, survivability… basically everything.
Still, he pushed forward, opening the last twenty-two unlocked chests one by one.
More gear. More items. More materials. But no EXP book
He filled his space ring until even the extra 100 slots were packed.
Finally, only the four bronze chests remained.
He whispered, rubbing his hands and praying for the nonexistent god of MMO games, "Please… just give me experience books."
He opened the first bronze chest.
Four pieces of bronze equipment… not bad, but not what he needed. He stored them all quickly.
Next chest: Three bronze items and...
A gold-glowing skill book.
[Poisoner Skill Book Rare]
He learned it immediately.
*Ding!
"You are now a Poison Maker."
[Poison Maker 0%]
Craft primary poisons. +5% poison damage. +10% toxin resistance.
Alex nodded slowly, satisfied with the profession.
After all, Poison Makers were powerful as long as they had the resources. Most players couldn't afford the materials, and without guild support, most poison makers quit.
But Alex?
He wasn't worried.
He knew where every herb, every monster, every poison material would spawn for the next five years. His knowledge alone was worth a hundred guilds.
Becoming a master poison maker was only a matter of time.
However, now is not the time to think about his future as a poison maker. Right now, what he needs is a fuc*ing EXP book.
Seeing no luck so far, Alex didn't have much hope when he opened the bronze chest.
And when he glanced inside, he found two bronze pieces of gear, one martial arts skill book, an,d hidden at the bottom, a single experience book.
"YES… an EXP Book..."
He couldn't help but shout in delight.
Alex didn't even glance at the gear. His hand shot straight for the experience book like a starving wolf grabbing meat.
"Consume Experience Book +10,000 EXP"
*Ding!
[You leveled up]
His experience bar shot upward like a rocket, stopping just shy of level 6, 93%.
"Ah, damn… just 7% away. Perhaps, I should have killed a few monsters down there while I was running away, earlier..." He muttered. "Never mind, there is still another chest."
And now, as expectations filled in his head once again, Alex rushed to the third bronze chest.
He opened it...
And immediately, his expression fell as he found:
* 1 bronze equipment
* 2 martial arts books
He tossed the bronze gear into his space ring without a thought and picked up the first book casually.
But when he saw it, his breath caught in surprise.
[Hidden Kill] D-Rank Martial Skill
Enter stealth for 30 minutes.
Cannot be detected by skills below D-rank.
Can only attack using small weapons (daggers, scimitars, short swords).
Each stealth attack deals 150% damage, with a chance to instantly kill.
Stealth ends after 3 attacks.
Cooldown: 30 minutes.
Requirements: Level 5, Assassin/Thief/Hunter.
"This is… perfect," Alex whispered in shock.
A hunter using assassin-level stealth?
Yes, please.
He learned it instantly.
"Hidden Kill learned successfully."
A new killing skill appeared in his list.
And then Alex lifted the second martial arts book.
And this time, his jaw dropped so far he could fit an egg in it. "What in the..."
[Devouring] E-Rank Martial Skill (Rare)
Can devour enemy martial arts skills.
30% chance to convert the devoured skill into your own.
Warning: Can only activate after killing enemy players.
Alex froze.
Then he burst into laughter. "Hahahahathis is… this is insane."
A skill that lets him steal other players' martial arts?
It was basically cheating.
Someone might have an A-rank technique, or even an S-rank. Normally, impossible to obtain. But if Alex killed them with the Devouring active…
Their martial arts could become his.
This wasn't just a strong skill.
This was a god-tier criminal skill, tailor-made for assassins, bounty hunters, and anyone who preferred killing players over monsters.
"Perfect," Alex said with a wide grin. "Completely perfect for me."
He learned it immediately.
"Devouring learned successfully."
His fingers trembled with excitement. He wanted to find a player right now. Test this skill and steal something rare.
But he calmed himself.
After all, he needed levels first. That was his primary goal. First level up, then everything else...
He then opened the martial arts ranking board out of curiosity.
The list had filled.
Top players everywhere were beginning to create martial arts. Some were familiar names.
Rank 2: Shui Shui C+ rank
Rank 3: Dark Rose C rank
Others were top master players he recognized from his past life.
But one name caught his eye:
He Goes With the Wind E Rank
A gentle, artistic name. But this man?
He was nothing short of a murderous demon.
In Alex's previous life, this player spent six months at the top of the world's Red List, killing players every single day. Even the Assassin Alliance had once taken a contract to kill him. Alex sent a vice president and five top guardians.
However, they barely escaped with their lives. Four guardians died. The vice president was injured. "He Goes With the Wind" Player was only slightly wounded before he counter-killed them.
The memory burned deeply in Alex's heart as his guild was made a target of trolling the next day.
"I'll kill him one day," Alex whispered. "And when I do… his skills will be mine."
He closed the ranking panel and returned to the final bronze chest in front of him.
"This one better have an experience book."
He took out the worn bronze key, the one with only a 50% chance to work and inserted it into the keyhole.
Click.
The chest opened.
And Alex's eyes lit up immediately.
Stuffed inside:
* Two pieces of bronze gear
* One skill book
* A strange wooden token
* And an experience book.
Alex snatched the book and consumed it without hesitation.
"Consume Experience Book +10,000 EXP"
[You level up]
[You have reached Level 6]
He opened his stats.
Two new free attribute points.
He dumped all four free attribute points into Luck once again.
Luck: 17.
His chest filled with pride. Seventeen Luck wasn't just lucky… it was rare-grade quality. A stat only obtainable by players wearing two pieces of rare-tier gear.
And yet his was personal.
Permanent.
And undroppable.
He looked at the time. "21:23."
Two hours until the update.
With his EXP bar sitting halfway through level 6, he knew there was no chance to reach level 7 by grinding monsters. Not even close. Monsters at this stage gave tiny bits of experience. Even killing for half a day wouldn't be enough.
But honestly?
He didn't care.
He looked at his Luck attribute 17, and a warm satisfaction spread in his chest. In his past life, he could train for years and never touch that number. Something like this was only possible in a second life.
No need to be greedy.
He smiled faintly.
Then he remembered that he still had treasure chests left.
Three black iron keys.
He opened the three black iron chests quickly.
Good loot but not enough, just filled with a few silver coins and some black iron level equipment. Without looking much, he threw them into the inventory.
However, amidst those, there was one thing though, that made him pause and gave him another look.
It was a rare Locksmith skill book.
Just how convenient. It was as if the god of games had decided to wholeheartedly support him as he came to the past.
Well… that is the power of luck… There is no logical explanation for luck.
Alex knew that very well, and that is why he invested in luck every time he levels up, increasing his fortune for blessings over and over...
Alex learned it at once.
"Congratulations, you have become a [Locksmith]."
[Locksmith] 0/100 proficiency
Black-iron chests: 100% success
Bronze chests: 10% success
Unlock chance reduces by tenfold above each rank.
Alex let out a laugh he couldn't hold back.
There was a saying among locksmith players: "Once you become a locksmith, you'll never need a key again."
Counting everything…
Trap Apprentice.
Chef.
Pharmacist.
Alchemist.
Poison Maker.
And now, Locksmith.
Six sub-professions on the very first day.
It felt unreal.
Each profession gave free attributes when upgraded. The more he had, the stronger he'd become. This cave really was a fortune pit, a hidden vault, created for him alone.
He opened the remaining twelve chests.
The haul was glorious.
Nine Pharmacist skill books.
He used eight of them immediately, pushing his subclass forward.
"Congratulations, you have advanced to Pharmacist Master."
"+2 free attributes.
As the first player to become a Pharmacist Master, you gain +1 bonus attribute."
Three points total.
He dumped them all into Luck.
Luck rose to 22.
And then
"Congratulations, Your Luck has exceeded 20.
You have acquired a new passive: [Lucky Aura]."
[Lucky Aura]
Fate cannot be reasoned with, but fortune now follows you. May the goddess of luck smile upon your steps.
The effect description was vague, mystical, and almost poetic. But before Alex could savor it, the system rang again, this time with urgency.
*
"Emergency Notification:
Full system update in 30 minutes. All players must log out within the next half hour.
Estimated downtime: 1 hour."
*
Alex blinked. "Thirty minutes? That's two hours earlier than before."