Chapter 58 - A Trap
"I can't log out of the game… Logging out means giving up on the quest, and giving up also means failing it. And failing the quest…" Malik muttered under his breath, "…means receiving the penalty."
"No. I can't risk this… never." He clenched his fists. "I'm not really concerned about the 10 levels, but what concerns me most is my cultivation base. Now that I'm at the Peak Stage of the Body Refinement Realm, I don't want anything affecting my progress. I even earned two cores from both bosses… Let me check them out."
Malik pulled out the two monster cores from his loot and activated his Appraisal skill.
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[Direbrinbare Monster Core]
[Silver Rank]
Description: A core from a Silver Tier Boss. Can be used as a power source or for forging weapons and equipment.
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[Goremaw Monster Core]
[Secret Silver Rank]
Description: A core from the ferocious Boss Monster who devours all. Can be used to power a town or forged into a Secret Silver weapon or equipment with a 40% chance of activating the Goremaw's traits.
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"What? Why does the system deem it unconsumable at my level?" Malik frowned. "I've been consuming different monster cores, but I haven't heard of something like this."
He brought the cores closer to his nose—and in that instant, a sharp, searing pain lanced through his skull, staggering him backwards. The monster cores slipped from his grip and clattered onto the ground.
"Tch… I think the system's right. Silver Tier cores are still out of my league." He averted his gaze and picked up the silver ring lying nearby.
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[Storage Ring]
[Silver Rank]
Effect: Attack +5%
Synopsis: A ring that has caused countless wars between Merchants and Adventurers. Can be used to store goods and items conveniently without the burden of carrying them manually. Contains 40 slots.
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"What a heaven-defying ring…" Malik's eyes lit up. "It actually boosts my strength by 5%, and it has 40 slots? Damn. I didn't pick up earlier loot because my inventory was full. Now I can head back and start sorting the stuff that hadn't despawned."
A smirk tugged at his lips as he equipped the ring. Instantly, his Strength stat jumped by 5%.
He bent down again and began appraising more loot:
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[Direbrinbare's Rib Shard]
[Silver Rank]
Requirements: Level 30
Description: Can be fused into armor to create a unique passive effect.
Effect if forged into chest armor:
[Passive Skill – Boneguard]
When HP drops below 30%, gain a temporary +25% Physical Defense and -10% damage taken from monsters for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 120 seconds
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[Goremaw's Jawbone Claw]
[Secret Silver Rank]
Requirements: Level 30
Description: Can be socketed into fist-type weapons or crafted into specialized martial gauntlets.
Effect if used on handgear:
[Passive: Predator's Edge]
Basic attacks have a 15% chance to inflict Bleed (150 Damage over 5s).
When attacking bleeding enemies, gain +10% bonus damage.
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[Goremaw's Pants]
[Secret Silver Rank]
Requirements: Level 30
Defense: +200
HP: +500
Effect: Increases stamina regeneration by 10%
Description: Durable, beast-hide leggings ripped from the defeated Goremaw's hide. Offers high protection and enhanced endurance.
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Malik's mouth twitched. "Almost all these loots need Level 30. And I'm just Level 25…"
He sighed. "If this was the Feral Dungeon, the system would've lifted the requirements. But here? No chance."
He scooped up the coins and stored them in his new ring along with the Rib Shard. As he was about to leave, something glimmered amidst a pile of mana stones. Malik's eyes narrowed. He darted toward it.
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[Skull Belt]
[Dark Gold Rank]
Strength: +300
Effect: Increases Defense by 10%
Synopsis: A belt crafted from the skulls of Silver Tier Bosses. Grants the wearer the ability to bypass 10 level requirements for equipping weapons and armor below the Fine Gold Rank.
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"This is heaven-defying…" Malik's pupils dilated. He immediately swapped out his old gear, equipping the Goremaw's Pants, which had a sleek black and silver sheen, and strapped the Skull Belt around his waist. The moment he did, a surge of power roared through his limbs.
He checked his inventory again. The Feral Gloves were still at 15% progression. Without hesitation, he slotted the Jawbone Claw into it and stashed the Rib Shard in his ring.
"One hundred mana stones… To think those bosses would be this generous."
Malik let out a cold chuckle and fed the crystals into the ring. It absorbed them instantly, without so much as a hum.
"Tch. What a gluttonous item. I just fed you something worth millions of naira, and you didn't even burp."
He shook his head and checked the ring again:
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Item: ??? (Sealed)
Requirements: 100/1000 Mana Stones
Description: ???
This item has recognized Player 'Man like Malik' as its owner.
Cannot be traded.
Cannot be dropped on death.
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"Still 900 mana stones left… I'll truly cry if this turns out to be useless."
Malik sighed and pulled up his Attribute Panel.
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[Attributes]
Strength: 820
Agility: 700
Endurance: 670
Intelligence: 90
Free Stat Points: 120
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"This is around the stat point of an average Tier 1, Level 50 player… But still, it's not enough. That fight between those two bosses taught me a hard lesson—I still need more strength."
He looked down at his fists and smiled. "Thanks to the belt boost, my strength has undergone a qualitative change… but it still isn't enough."
"System, allocate all free stats to Strength."
In that moment, his aura exploded outward—like a sudden storm breaking through calm skies.
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Strength: 940
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"With this level of strength… even if I meet another Silver Tier Boss, they're in for a rude awakening."
As he turned to leave, his gaze landed on two crystals still untouched on the ground. "Huh? The ring didn't absorb these… which means they're not mana stones."
He reached for his Appraisal skill but stopped midway. Instead, he focused, activating his Enhanced Senses.
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Effect: Enter a rooted stance for 6 seconds, gaining +50% Knockback Resistance and +20% Defense.
Perfect for holding ground or absorbing boss attacks while counter-punching.
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Effect: Launch a flurry of 3 spinning kicks. Each hit deals 120% base damage, with the final kick knocking enemies back.
Scales with Agility. Stylish and deadly crowd control.
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"Jesus Christ…" Malik gasped, stunned. "I learned two skills at once. One defensive, the other offensive. With this… I should have no problem fighting that Truceholder."
A wide grin spread across his face as the crystals crumbled into sand. He dusted off his palms and made his way deeper into the forest.
That's when he saw it—gleaming like treasure in the sun.
A chest.
His eyes glimmered with excitement as he sprinted forward—
—but the ground beneath him cracked open like a trapdoor, and in the blink of an eye, half his body was buried in the earth.
"Shit! I should've known—it's a trap."