After obtaining the short mace, Leo tossed The Gnasher and 5,000 Gold into the space for analysis. Once they finished clearing the battlefield, he was surprised to find two pieces of jewelry—a ring and a necklace. Without wasting words, he identified them immediately.
Silver Ring of the Apprentice: +78 to Attack Rating, 10% Faster Cast Rate. Required Level: 9.
The attributes were a bit niche, but it happened to be perfect for Majesty. Leo handed the ring to her; one could tell she was in a very good mood.
Steel Amulet of the Dire Wolf: +44 to Attack Rating, +19 to Life. Required Level: 12.
Though it was relatively basic, it suited him perfectly, so he equipped it directly.
The trio continued their exploration. Unexpectedly, they found a small mountain rising from the wasteland. Having spent so much time in the tavern, they had never heard other class members mention this place; it seemed they were the first guests to arrive at this peak.
The mountain wasn't high, composed entirely of grayish-white rock. They slowly circled to the other side and discovered a deep, bottomless cave at the base, its surrounding rock walls carved with eerie totems.
Could it be the Den of Evil? In the game, the first quest was to clear all monsters inside the cave to receive a skill point from Akara. However, in the real world, caves were everywhere; it wasn't necessarily the Den of Evil.
After a brief discussion, they decided to head inside. After all, staring at the vast, desolate moor for so many days was getting tiring.
Leo used his shield to protect his vitals, leaving only his eyes exposed as he led the way. Gerdie walked in the middle, her Howl ready to drive back any monsters at a moment's notice. Majesty was even more cautious; upon entering, she immediately cast Cloak of Shadows to reduce the vision range of nearby enemies.
Upon entering the cave, a massive sense of oppression washed over them. It wasn't just the thickening hellish aura, but the sudden drop in visibility that left them unable to see their surroundings clearly. Eerie sounds echoed occasionally; no one knew what kind of danger awaited in the darkness. Uncertainty remained humanity's greatest fear.
Their eyes soon adjusted to the change in light. The entrance area was clear of monsters. Even though Leo's light radius was maxed out, the cave was so exceptionally wide that he still couldn't see the side walls, nor could he see the ceiling. The air was very dry with no hint of moisture. However, judging by the stalactites found everywhere, this cave had once been very damp.
Leo listened intently and noticed the faint roars of monsters coming from a fork to the left. They scouted in that direction, rounding two corners until a flickering firelight appeared ahead. He quietly peeked out to observe.
A large pack of Fallen—and there was even a new type of monster. Red skin, two yellow horns on its head, and a thin, hunched body slightly taller than the average Fallen. One hand held a soul-banner while the other gripped a short blade. He used his "app" to identify it.
> Fallen Shaman: Level 36.
>
Leo observed closely and found a total of 3 Shamans and about 20 Fallen.
Leo decided to take the fight. If things went south, they could retreat; the Stamina Potions had yet to be put to use.
The three hid behind the corner. They were a bit far for Taunt to reach the Fallen, but that didn't stump Leo.
"Hey! Your grandpa is over here!"
The pack of Fallen froze for a moment. It was the first time they had heard a human voice inside the cave. Looking at their hunched Shamans holding banners, the Fallen regained their courage and charged toward the corner with a cacophony of "Wara-wara!"
Leo watched the charging Fallen and brought up the rear as the three slowly backed away. Once the last Fallen had rounded the corner...
Majesty immediately cast Cloak of Shadows. A veil of smoke obscured the Fallens' vision, blinding them instantly. They began screaming "Rakanishu!" in panic, spinning around like headless flies.
Seeing the timing was right, Leo stepped forward to begin clearing them. After switching weapons, his attack range was broader and his damage had increased several times over. Using Sacrifice, he could clear a Fallen in three or four hits. Gerdie's cooperation was seamless; whenever a Fallen fell, she immediately cast Find Item on the corpse. The poor Fallen corpses were directly destroyed by the skill, leaving them with no chance of resurrection.
The three Fallen Shamans found it very strange. Why were their 20-plus lackeys making such terrified sounds after charging in? It seemed these underlings were useless without a boss to hold the line. They began to waddle their awkward legs toward the corner.
"I use my green hammer, heh-heh-ha-hey!" Leo was fighting with gusto. The massive pressure he had felt previously needed an outlet, and he couldn't help but remix a song from his past life.
The three Fallen Shamans struggled around the corner, only to hear the human Paladin utter a strange incantation. Suddenly, their vision went black—they could see nothing. Hearing the constant screams of agony around them, the three old things panicked, wildly swinging their short blades and launching fireballs in every direction.
Leo quickly told the two women to stay back. Currently, both of their fire resistances were negative; he didn't know if they would be one-shot by a fireball. He, meanwhile, cleared the remaining Fallen with even more caution.
Soon, the Fallen had all gone back to Hell to find their mothers.
Leo switched to his Resist Fire aura, and his resistance soared. Heh, Paladins are tanks. Let's see what you three old campers do now.
With a grin on his face, Leo strolled toward the three Shamans with a swagger. A fireball exploded on his face; he glanced at his life bar—he had only lost 15 points. Looking at the Shamans firing blindly, he thought, You couldn't kill me even if you drained your entire mana pool.
He lifted his Grand Scepter, eyeing the thick, dark hammerhead against the Shaman's face, wondering how to swing for maximum comfort. Finding the right feel, he swung for a home run. "Brother's giving you a green buff!" The hammerhead slammed violently into the Shaman's face.
The poor elderly Fallen lost all its rotten teeth instantly and was sent flying, tumbling several times before slamming into the cave wall. Its right hand clawed the air with its short blade as it trembled, trying to crawl back up.
How could Leo give it the chance? He strode forward and unleashed a flurry of downward hammer strikes on the lone Shaman. By the fourth hit, the Shaman finally let go of its ridiculous blade and stopped moving.
The remaining two Shamans heard the commotion and tried to run back in terror, but it was too late.
Leo caught up, knocking each one down with a single hammer blow. Then, like pounding rice cakes, he struck left and right. Soon, the two demons were no longer afraid; the demons' Hell should be quite peaceful as well.
A flash of white light—Level 13. Leo let out a groan of comfort. Being able to level up immediately after an exhausting battle and experiencing that release from the depths of the soul to the body was truly a supreme pleasure.
The sensation of leveling came and went quickly. Leo opened his eyes to see the two women looking at him strangely. Embarrassed, he averted his gaze and said, "Heh, why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face? Hurry up and clear the battlefield. With so many monsters, we must have hit the jackpot again."