[Location: The Royal Gardens - 3:15 AM]
WHOOSH.
Gravity pulled at him. The wind roared in his ears.
Fifty feet. Forty. Ten.
Rex didn't panic. He watched the ground rushing up to meet him with cold calculation.
'Bend the knees. Roll. Scatter the kinetic energy.'
THUD.
He hit the grass, rolled forward—once, twice—and jumped up to his feet in a crouch. No broken bones. No pain. Just a slight vibration running up his lower leg.
"Agility 18," Rex whispered, checking his hands. "Impressive. In my old body, that fall would have turned me into paste."
He scanned the area.
The Royal Gardens were a maze of high hedges and moonlight. Patrol guards walked the perimeter, holding torches.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
"Two guards on the east wall. Three on the west," Rex noted, his eyes narrowing. "Patrol pattern: Standard Loop. Blind spot: 15 seconds."
He moved.
He didn't run like a jogger. He ran like a shadow. He stayed low, moving only when the clouds covered the moon. He slipped between the rose bushes, silent as a ghost.
To the guards, he was nothing more than a breeze rustling the leaves.
[Location: The Royal Cemetery - Entrance]
The air changed here.
It didn't smell like roses anymore. It smelled of wet earth, dead leaves, and something sweet—like rotting flowers.
Iron gates loomed ahead, wrapped in heavy chains. A sign carved in stone read: "RESTRICTED AREA. BY ORDER OF HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR."
"FUCK the Emperor Order, Restricted zones always have the best loot," Rex muttered.
He didn't break the lock. That would leave evidence. Instead, he found a gap in the stone wall where the mortar had crumbled. He squeezed through.
Scrape.
He dropped onto the other side.
Mist clung to the ground, swirling around ancient tombstones. The silence was heavy. It wasn't a peaceful silence; it was the silence of something holding its breath.
[ You have entered a Dungeon: 'The Rotting Catacombs' (Level 3-8) ]
[ Warning: Hostile entities detected. ]
Rex summoned his dagger.
SHING.
The black blade of [The Monarch's Fang] seemed to drink the moonlight.
"Come out," Rex whispered.
Kr-kr-kr...
The sound came from his left. The sound of dry bones grinding together.
The ground erupted.
EXPLOSION of Dirt!
A skeletal hand, clutching a rusted iron sword, punched through the soil. Then another.
A Skeleton Soldier dragged itself out of the grave. It was covered in rags, its empty eye sockets glowing with a faint blue soul-fire.
[ Target: Rotted Skeleton Soldier ]
[ Level: 3 ]
[ HP: 50/50 ]
[ Weakness: Neck/Spine Connection. ]
"Level 3," Rex analysed. "I'm Level 1. But I have the gear advantage."
The skeleton screeched—a sound like metal scraping on glass—and charged toward Rex.
It was fast. Much faster than a human corpse should be. It raised the rusted sword and swung down.
SWISH!
The attack aimed for Rex's head.
In Rex's eyes, the world slowed down.
[ Skill Activated: Eyes of the Arbiter ]
A red line appeared in the air—a trajectory line showing exactly where the sword would fall 0.5 seconds later.
'Too slow.'
Rex didn't block. Blocking would damage his weapon durability.
He sidestepped. A minimal movement, shifting his head just three inches to the right.
The rusted sword sliced through the air next to his ear.
MISS.
"My turn," Rex said.
He stepped inside the skeleton's guard. He drove [The Monarch's Fang] upward, aiming for the glowing blue vertebra in the neck.
SLASH!
The obsidian blade cut through the bone like it was butter.
There was no sound of the cut. The dagger's [Silence] passive absorbed the noise.
The skeleton stiffened. The blue fire in its eyes flickered... and went out.
Clatter.
The pile of bones collapsed onto the grass.
[ You have defeated a Rotted Skeleton Soldier. ]
[ XP Gained: 15 ]
[ Current XP: 15/100 ]
Rex looked at the pile of bones. He didn't feel fear. He felt... satisfaction. The familiar dopamine hit of a gamer seeing numbers go up.
"Fifteen XP," Rex calculated. "I need six more kills to reach Level 2."
CREAK... SNAP...
More sounds echoed through the mist. To his right. To his left. Behind him.
Three more skeletons were pulling themselves out of the earth, and he was surrounded.
Rex spun the dagger in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Good respawn rate."
[Time: 4:45 AM - Near the Tomb Entrance]
CRUNCH.
Rex's boot crushed the skull of the twelfth skeleton.
haaa...haaa...haaa....
He was breathing hard now. Sweat dripped down his nose. His shirt was torn at the shoulder where a rusty spear had grazed him.
[ Level Up! ]
[ You are now Level 2. ]
[ All stats +1. ]
[ 5 Free Attribute Points available. ]
"Put 3 into Strength, 2 into Agility," Rex commanded mentally.
[ Stats Updated. ]
He felt the power surge through him again. His fatigue vanished.
"I need a Boss," Rex said, looking at the large stone burial chamber in the centre of the graveyard. "Minions don't drop Skill Books."
He walked toward the burial chamber. The stone doors were cracked open. A cold, freezing wind blew from inside.
[ Warning: High-Level Energy Detected. ]
[ Boss Class Enemy Nearby. ]
Rex stepped into the darkness.
Inside, the tomb was lit by blue torches. At the end of the room, standing over a stone coffin, was a creature twice the size of the skeletons.
It wore heavy iron armour. It held a massive great sword. And unlike the others, its eyes burned with a purple flame.
[ Boss: The Tomb Guardian ]
[ Level: 8 ]
[ Status: Enraged ]
The Guardian turned and saw Rex. It didn't screech. It growled—a deep, bass sound that shook the dust from the ceiling.
It raised its greatsword.
Rex tightened his grip on his dagger. This wasn't a mob. This was a raid boss. A single hit from that sword would cut him in half.
"System," Rex asked. "Odds of my winning rate?"
[ 12%. ]
Rex grinned. His crimson eyes glowed brighter in the dark.
"I've beaten games with worse odds."
The Guardian charged.
BOOM!
The greatsword smashed into the ground where Rex had been standing a split second ago. Stone fragments exploded.
Rex rolled, sliding under the Guardian's massive legs. He slashed at the armour's weak point—the back of the knee.
CLANG!
Sparks flew. The armour held.
"Shit...Too thick," Rex cursed, leaping back as the Guardian swung its arm.
The giant sword swept horizontally. Rex ducked, feeling the wind of the blade ruffle his hair.
'Think...Rex... Analyse the situation. The Great sword is heavy, and its timing is slow. It has a 2-second recovery time after a heavy smash.'
Rex watched the pattern.
Smash. Recover. Swing. Recover.
He needed to bait it.
Rex stopped moving. He stood perfectly still in front of the monster.
"Hey, ugly bastard!" Rex shouted.
The Guardian roared and lifted the sword high over its head for a crushing blow.
'Now.'
[ Eyes of the Arbiter: Maximum Output. ]
Rex saw the red line descending. He waited until the last possible millisecond.
WHOOSH!
The sword came down. Rex lunged—not away from the sword, but toward it. He stepped onto the flat side of the blade as it slammed into the ground.
CLANG!
He used the sword as a ramp.
Rex ran up the blade. He ran up the Guardian's arm.
The monster looked up, confused.
Rex was already in the air, level with the creature's helmet.
"Checkmate, bastard."
He drove [The Monarch's Fang] through the slit in the helmet, straight into the purple flame.
SQUELCH.
The Guardian froze. The purple fire flickered violently.
Rex kicked off the helmet and landed gracefully on the floor.
Behind him, the massive armour collapsed.
CRASH!
[ Boss Defeated: The Crypt Guardian ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You have reached Level 4. ]
[ Loot Dropped: ]
[ 1. Skill Book: Shadow Step (Rank D) ]
[ 2. The Guardian's Ring (Rare) ]
Rex picked up the glowing book from the pile of armour.
"Shadow Step, Short-range teleportation skill. Perfect," he read the skill book description.
He looked at the sky through the cracked ceiling. The horizon was turning grey. Sunrise was coming.
"Quest complete," Rex said, turning to leave. "Time to go back and face the Emperor."