Chapter12-Mejir
Is that old man Simar playing a prank on me?
For once, an expression of genuine doubt surfaced on Principal Owen's usually calm face.
After all, he remembered quite clearly that the fastest record for clearing [Village of Undead] was 1 hour and 3 minutes.
Why did he remember so vividly?
Because he was the one who set that record!
Back in the day, Principal Owen had been the undisputed genius of his generation—the strongest, bar none.
And now Simar, that slippery old coot, was claiming Daniel had cleared it in just one second? How could that even be possible?
What's more, it had only been an hour since the Awakening Ceremony.
Even the most elite prodigies in history would barely have reached Tier-1 by this point.
Simar was clearly being absurd.
Wait a second... it's not April Fool's Day, is it?
No, it definitely wasn't.
Almost as if he could sense Owen's disbelief through the line, Professor Simar's voice came through again, full of sincerity.
"Owen, listen to me—I swear on my reputation, I'm not lying to you!"
"If you don't believe me, why don't you come see for yourself?"
"Even if I wanted to trick you, do you really think I could fake the readings on the Dragon Glass Stele?"
"I'm telling you, this Daniel kid... he's not what we thought. Not by a long shot."
Hearing Simar say that—swearing on his reputation no less—made Owen pause.
Simar may be a sly fox, but he was also a man who fiercely guarded his name and honor.
If he was being that serious, then maybe… maybe it was worth a look?
The storm of wild lightning gradually faded away.
Only then could Daniel finally see the scene clearly before him.
Ahead lay the ruins of a decayed, desolate village.
Scattered among the remains were the charred corpses of countless monsters, still crackling faintly with leftover energy.
[You have slain — Wandering Zombie (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 30,000]
[You have slain — Venomous Ghoul (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 30,000]
[You have slain — Flame Zombie (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 30,000]
[You have slain — Plague Hound (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 30,000]
...
[You have slain BOSS — Vampire Buro (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 300,000]
[You have slain BOSS — The Pallbearer (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 300,000]
[You have slain BOSS — Soul Shepherd (Lv.30)]
[EXP Gained: 300,000]
...
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 30.]
That was… unbelievably fast.
Just like that, he had jumped all the way to Level 30.
No wonder this dungeon was considered one of the most challenging in the entire Royal Academy. There were tons of enemies inside—and tons of EXP to go with them.
But what truly propelled Daniel from Level 18 to 30 wasn't just the sheer number of monsters.
It was the level gap bonus combined with the solo clear multiplier.
You see, while underground labyrinths had loose entry rules, a dungeon like [Village of Undead] was almost always tackled by a team of well-prepared students.
For someone to dive in solo—especially at a lower level—and clear it effortlessly?
That was virtually unprecedented.
So while it all seemed almost too fantastical to believe, when you accounted for all the compounding factors, Daniel's meteoric rise to Level 30 wasn't entirely impossible.
In fact, if Daniel had bothered to tally up the EXP he earned...
He would've discovered something shocking—he had gained so much EXP that it overflowed.
Because the level cap before a first class change was 30, any excess experience would simply pool, unable to convert into levels.
Unless Daniel completed his first class change quest, he'd remain capped at Level 30.
He even suspected that once he did unlock that class upgrade, he might just jump straight to Level 40 on the spot!
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, three massive treasure chests appeared before him.
Since the dungeon had three bosses, it made sense that it came with three chests.
And each boss had a whopping 500,000 HP!
But for Daniel, it simply meant casting one extra spell. Hardly time-consuming.
"Let's see what kind of loot I get this time…"
Tin-Silver Kingdom – House Kafka
"You are the pride of our bloodline, my son."
"I know you've had feelings for the Saintess for quite some time. But alas... her heart is tied to Daniel."
"But do not lose hope! You've awakened the strongest Talent in our family's history—Bloodfire!"
House Kafka was one of the most powerful noble houses in the Tin-Silver Kingdom.
Their bloodline passed down exceptionally powerful talents, and they held authority over the entire Warrior's Guild.
And Mejir… was the heir to that legendary house.
He had awakened the SS-rank Talent: Bloodfire—a top-tier melee Talent, revered across the kingdom.
In fact, Bloodfire was widely recognized as the pinnacle of physical combat Talents. As long as the wielder didn't perish in some dungeon, they were all but guaranteed to become a dominant force in the world.
As for SSS-rank Talents? Well, those hadn't been seen among humans in over five centuries—so nobody bothered thinking about those mythical things anymore.
Not only did Mejir possess Bloodfire, he had also awakened a rare Specialization:
[Rage Overdrive]
Once he entered combat, all his stats would double, and his critical hit rate would jump to 100%!
Put simply, with this skill alone, Mejir was like a hero born of destiny.
His damage output was quadruple that of any ordinary warrior.
"Father, rest assured. I would never concern myself with an F-rank weakling."
"I am the heir of House Kafka. I bear the Bloodfire Talent. I will usher in a new era!"
Soon after, Mejir followed his father to the entrance of the Royal Academy's underground labyrinth.
His father, Melron Kafka, looked proudly at his son and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Mejir, the time has come to show the world your strength!"
"Prove to the Saintess that you're the one who can protect her for life—not some worthless Furniture Craftsman!"
"Go forth and shatter the dungeon records of this Academy. Let the world remember your name!"
"Start with the [Howling Cave]. Did you know that record was set by your great-grandfather?"
"It's time for House Kafka's glory to shine once again!"
"I've already provided you with the dungeon strategy—have you read it thoroughly?"
"My son, are you ready?"
Mejir's face gleamed with confidence as he nodded heavily.
For this moment—for this very day—he had sacrificed so much and prepared for years.
Sure, he slept through every lecture…
But that didn't mean he lacked the heart of a true warrior!
He had devoted himself tirelessly to sleeping every day, and now, his dream was finally coming true.
"Daniel…" he muttered, his voice low and burning with ambition.
"I'm coming for you."