Chapter 29: Rushing Through The Floors, Gaining Attributes

"Synthesis!"

[Zombies Claws + Zombies Claws = Sharpened Zombie Claws!]

"Synthesis!"

[Undead Skeleton Bow + Sharpened Zombie Claws = Sharpened Undead Skeleton Bow (EPIC)]

"Here," he upgraded the bow for Alice then gave it back to her, it now granted a +200 strength bonus!

"W-Wow, can I really take it?" this was more than money could currently buy her.

"Take it, it's fine," Alex nodded, "Let's go though, I want to reach the third floor with the boss room."

With her level up and advancement, Alice could now do a little under 1000 damage, way more than 99.99% of current players.

And it was only the end of the second day right now!

In [Universal Descent], everything went fast at the start, it was but at the end of the first week that everything would stabilize as more people would discover the open-world and explore.

But right now, he needed to focus on getting the [Awakener's Set] first.

The only monster that could drop it was the boss of the third floor, and even then there was a less than 1% chance to get it.

Meaning that the difficulty of the quest mainly came from both trying to get to the boss, but also to get the set in the first place!

Alex and Alice went through the second floor easily, meeting a few awakeners along the way, but not anything interesting as they slayed hundreds of monsters.

[+108 strength, +163 vitality, +47 agility, +121 spirit, x4 Ghoul Wings (Uncommon), x2 Undead Boots (Uncommon)]

He got a MASSIVE amount of attribute points, each [Hell Storm] he unleashed causing massive damage across the floor, and finishing with his spells.

By the time he reached the stairs to the third floor, Alex's level was now level 21, and each of his skills had leveled up thrice except for Grand Fireball who leveled up twice, and [Strike] not leveling up as he didn't use it.

Ding! Ding!

[Red Crystal has reached level 10; it can be upgraded to 'Crimson Shard' using 10 skill points!]

[Rock Throw has reached level 10; it can be upgraded to 'Boulder Smash' using 10 skills points!]

He had 41 skill points; and so Alex didn't stop himself.

He used up 20 of his skill points to upgrade both skills.

Ding! Ding!

[You have used 10 skill points to upgrade 'Red Crystal' to 'Crimson Shard'!]

[You have used 10 skill points to upgrade 'Rock Throw' to 'Boulder Smash'!]

[Crimson Shard Level 1; Deals exactly 1000 damage to target; consumes 75 mana; 4-second cooldown.]

[Boulder Smash Level 1; create a small ball of rock that you can throw at enemy dealing 2000 damage, chance of stunning; consumes 200 mana; 10-second cooldown]

Other people would struggle to upgrade even one or two of their skills because of the level requirements and how long it took to get the skill points, but Alex managed just fine.

The [Undead Ghouls - Level 28] and [Advanced Skeletons - Level 30] weren't even able to harm him, all falling from his spells, only giving him more and more attribute points as he advanced.

When they reached the third and final level of the [Undead Temple], there weren't any players around them, no one daring to go, or those that tried instantly dying.

The third floor of the [Undead Temple] was dark, oppressive, and filled with the scent of death, it was a vast underground with a massive amount of corridors that twisted and turned, seemingly without end.

The enemies here were tougher, deadlier, and more cunning.

[Undead Wraiths – Level 30]

[HP: 4500]

The first of the enemies to appear was a floating, skeletal figure wrapped in ethereal, tattered robes.

Its glowing, red eyes locked onto Alex and Alice as it let out a piercing shriek, summoning other creatures from the darkness.

Following the wraiths, other terrifying monsters joined the battle

[Ghastly Reapers – Level 32]

[HP: 4800]

These spectral beings moved silently, their black cloaks blending into the shadows.

[Death Knights – Level 35]

[HP: 5000]

Alex didn't flinch as the creatures swarmed toward them. He had been preparing for this, every stat boost, every upgraded skill, and every piece of equipment was for moments like these.

With a swift motion, he conjured a powerful fireball.

Grand Fireball!

Alex cast his skill, sending a searing ball of flame toward the approaching wraith.

-2693!

The fireball hit the wraith directly in the chest, causing a massive explosion that lit up the surrounding area.

That thing lost half of its life like this, and the beings around it were hit by the explosion too, causing massive damage.

"…Damn," Alice had been scared after seeing them all, so menacingly advancing, but after just the first spell none of these things were are problem anymore.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't do anything.

Alice, now wielding her upgraded [Sharpened Undead Skeleton Bow (EPIC)], fired arrows rapidly.

Each shot found its mark, doing significant damage with every hit.

-1050! -980!

The +200 strength bonus from the bow had turned her into a damage-dealing machine, and now her attacks were much more than a mere nuisance to these higher-level monsters.

"Keep going, we've got this," Alex encouraged, his voice calm as he prepared another spell.

"Crimson Shard!" A shimmering red crystal appeared in his hand before hurtling toward the nearest Death Knight.

The impact was devastating, shattering its chest plate and causing the knight to stagger before crumbling to the ground.

Dozens of monsters infested the corridors, each trying to kill the humans.

But alas, they were all targets to Alex, who mercilessly slaughtered them all.

In the end, all they did was grant him attribute points!

[+47 Strength; +56 Vitality]

"BEHIND YOU!" Alice called out as another wraith floated behind Alex, lifting its claws, confident it was going to tear the human apart as he was a mage.

But of course it wouldn't work, as Alex turned around fast and struck the wraith with his [Bear Poison Dagger]

Strike!

-546!

He dealt way less damage since his strength was low compared to his spirit, but who cares.

Strike! Strike! Strike!

A few more strikes were enough to kill the being.

As they fought, Alice leveled up again, reaching level 17 (+4), while Alex himself reached level 22 and was only 2000 experience away of level 23.

…

After what felt like an eternity, the duo now stood before a towering door at the end of the hallway.

Its massive frame was covered in intricate, ancient runes, the stone appearing weathered and cracked from centuries of neglect.

But something was wrong: right beside the door, dozens of undead creatures were pounding on some kind of barrier.

"Krakrkk!"

"Grrr…"

"...?" Alex furrowed his brows, watching as the monsters struck the shimmering blue barrier, unable to pass through.

He couldn't see what was beyond it, but there was clearly something, or someone, inside, holding them off.

Without hesitation, Alex summoned his magic, determined to clear the path.

"Grand Fireball! Crimson Shard! Boulder Smash!"

The combination of spells was deadly, dealing massive area-of-effect damage.

The entire room lit up as flames, crystals, and rocks slammed into the undead creatures.

Each one fell in rapid succession, unable to withstand Alex's onslaught.

Ding!

[Choose something to extract!]

The familiar prompt appeared, and Alex swiftly selected the first extraction.

[Ghastly Reaper's Cloak (Rare)]

[Description: +45 Agility, +100 magic resistance]

The cloak shimmered for a moment before disappearing into his inventory.

Alex smiled, this could be sold or given to an assassin for a fair price or a favor.

Ding!

[Choose something to extract!]

A second prompt followed after another kill.

[Death Knight's Cursed Blade (Rare)]

[Class: Warrior]

[+60 Strength, +20 Vitality, +50% Damage against Undead]

This was a great weapon, but could only be used by warriors, so Alex wasted no time adding it to his [Advancement Backpack] for later use.

With the last of the undead dispatched, Alex took a moment to catch his breath and survey the battlefield, making sure every monster was dead.

The path to the giant door was now clear.

But what caught his attention wasn't the door itself—it was the figure slumped against the wall inside the barrier.

"...?"

The blue barrier flickered for a moment before dissolving, revealing an old man, wounded and bleeding profusely.

He wore tattered robes, his face pale and lined with pain.

As Alex and Alice approached, the man's eyes fluttered open, and he coughed weakly, blood dripping from his mouth.

"I… Those bastards got me," the old man rasped, clutching his side as blood pooled around him. "N-Now I'll never be able to deliver the goods... to them..."

Before Alex could say anything, the old man's body convulsed, and he slumped forward, lifeless.

In his hand, a single item remained—a letter, glowing faintly with an orange hue.

Alex approached and grabbed it.

Ding!

[You have acquired: "Letter of The Hatred Sect"!]

Alex stared at the item in his hand, the implications of the letter racing through his mind.

This wasn't part of the original [Undead Temple] dungeon, he had actually never seen it in his past life.

Whatever this "Letter of the Hatred Sect" was, it had to be important, connected to something much larger than just clearing out the dungeon.

Alice peered over his shoulder, "What do you think it's for?"

Alex's eyes narrowed as he examined the letter, "I'm not sure yet… but we're going to find out."