Chapter 85

I was transported to a hill with steep slopes and a small flat plateau, from where I could see the Dwarven Mountains and the plain stretching before them. We were north of Zirda, near the mountains bordering the lands of human kingdoms.

I wondered, what principle was used to split us into groups? There were about forty people here, while around four hundred had entered the portal. Where’s the equality in that? Or does the group size depend on the strength and number of enemies?

From the plateau, I could see not only the plain but also the surrounding lands—hills and ravines, wooded groves.

Three trial overseers appeared.

"You are the fourth group. Your task is to descend the mountain and continuously kill undead for twenty-four hours, after which you must return here. We will be constantly monitoring the trial’s progress. You are allowed to kill each other, form groups, and use anything you have on you or from your teammates. Hiding is forbidden, but tactical retreats to recover strength or eat are permitted. Remember, we’re watching all of you. In fifteen minutes, a countdown timer will start—accept the raid group invitation and head down the mountain."

For the first time in my life, me—a kid—was offered to join a group. A slight thrill of anticipation for the fight… levels! I could grind levels!

"Your experience is individual, as are the items from defeated enemies. The raid group is just a formality—it won’t stop you from teaming up. This way, we can accurately track who dies and your current position on the map. The raid participant panel won’t be available to you. You’re free to go!"

Time, time, time, time, time… aaaah, levels!!!

I descended the near-vertical mountain slope with enhanced leaps and constant healing. There were small ledges and overhangs, making it easier to jump than to climb down.

I wasn’t the only one moving fast—many others present used the same method.

Once I reached the bottom, I started thinking: I needed a tactical advantage against the enemy. The ravines could work, but other players would likely camp there—it’s a great spot for defense. That left the plains, forests, and small hills.

“Hm, madness,” they said. “It’ll be fun,” they said. I’d use everything I had to gain absolute superiority against a stronger opponent.

I bolted toward the forest near the mountains at top speed. It was the farthest from the ravines, reducing the chance of getting ambushed from behind.

I had to zigzag, blasting undead with fireballs along the way.

**Tattoo: Seal of the "Fireball" Spell**

*Effect: When activated, allows the use of the fireball spell. Damage depends on intelligence stats and fire magic skills. The bearer takes 5% fire damage based on the spell’s strength and type.*

*Mana Cost: 100 units*

*Tattoo Effects: Intelligence +1%, Wisdom +1%, Spirit +1%*

*Additional Ink Effects: Mana Pool +610, indestructible upon use*

A handy thing—I could take down an undead with one shot. I had to cast spells in bursts of ten streams, no more than six or seven shots per minute. Undead were highly vulnerable to fire, and on top of that, fireballs dealt physical damage from the explosion effect.

*Level Up: Level 1*

*Attribute Points Available: 5*

...

*Level Up: Level 27*

*Attribute Points Available: 135*

I’d be thrilled, but the situation didn’t allow it. There wasn’t a second of peace—I had to twist like a snake to avoid traps or strikes from ghouls, zombies, and skeletons. The entire plain was swarming with all sorts of undead, and the moment they spotted you, they’d rush to take a bite. Wait, where were the normal mobs? There weren’t any at all.

The farther I ran, the denser the enemy ranks became. Near the mountains, there were so many undead that I had to arc around them. They reacted instantly to my maneuver, moving to cut off my path. My only edge against them was speed, but they countered with sheer numbers and tight positioning. My brain was working overtime. There were too many, but if I ran across those rocks… Wights, after being raised, gained incredible speed and agility but had low health. Only they could catch me, yet I couldn’t have anticipated this kind of attack.

As I started leaping across the rocks, leaving the undead below, I sensed something flying toward me. Without looking, I hurled a fireball. Flesh horrors were throwing wights at me! What the hell was going on?! Where did the undead get this kind of intelligence? Setting a trap and waiting at key points for a coordinated attack, exploiting the strengths of wights and flesh horrors. Good thing there were no archers among them. And seriously, where did chimeric undead come from?! Where were the regular zombies and skeletons?

I couldn’t kill this many at once. Now I just had to knock down whatever they threw at me. There were too many.

**Undead, Wight, Level 513**

How was I supposed to take down something like that in one volley, especially with this many enemies?

They didn’t follow me into the forest, sticking to the plains, which I was incredibly grateful for. I was too tense—I needed a break, urgently.

“What are you, completely insane? They’ve got advanced intelligence, and you charged straight through the whole field into the thick of it!”

Well, there’s some news. I came to the forest, and someone was already here. Oh, it’s a girl, about two years older than me.

“I forgot to ask your opinion… So why’d you come here? Everyone else went to the ravines.”

“Yeah, sure. Last year, I got stabbed near the end. The more participants survive the first trial, the harder the next one gets. So I headed to the forest—gives me a tactical edge with my fighting style.”

Oh, look at the fancy words she knows. After meeting Rachel, I started paying more attention to girls. For a kid, those were awfully clever words, and her behavior was far from typical.

The girl wore matte-black composite armor made of multiple components. It was the first time I’d seen such a marvel of smithing. Master or grandmaster work—too perfect for ordinary armor. Ideal symmetry, plates shifting with movement and paired with chainmail underneath, a unified set. Got it: semi-passive defense, fully aggressive combat style. No shield, just a bastard sword that, on a kid, looked like a massive two-handed flamberge.

“What do you want?”

“A group.”

*You’ve been invited to join a group.*

*Accept: Yes / No*

This girl’s quick. No thanks, I don’t need female company.

“I refuse.”

*You’ve declined to join the group.*

She looked at me, paused, and said, “You’ll die alone.”

“I’m used to working solo. If you get in my way, I’ll kill you without a second thought.”

“Do you even have the strength for that, shrimp?”

Oh, she shouldn’t have said that. A double dwarven hammer slammed her into the ground.

“Come within thirty meters of me, and I’ll kill you.”

I couldn’t care less about her wishes or offers. I’d finish anyone who dared to interfere. But right now, I had to deal with a question that’d been nagging at me for a while.

*Attribute Points Available: 155*

I’d managed to gain thirty-one levels while reaching the forest. Time was short—I needed to figure something out fast and get back into the fight. The overseer mentioned that hunters lose the wisdom stat, and from what I understood, its value gets added to endurance. That’d mean my health and mana bars would merge, with part being health and the rest mana. Nothing was clear yet, but I needed combat power, so all focus had to go to intelligence.

Wait, something’s bothering me. Right—“You’ll die alone.” Even this girl figured it out. Damn, the moment I open my mouth, everyone knows I’m a boy. And that overseer, calling me “little miss,” probably figured it out too but didn’t say anything. Whatever, as long as they don’t get in my way. Time to fight.

“Stats window.”

*Name: Sadji*

*Level: 31*

*Experience: 30,771 / 53,400 (22,629 until next level)*

*Race: Human*

*Class: Not selected*

*Primary Attributes:*

*Strength: 103*

*Agility: 146*

*Endurance: 156*

*Intelligence: 522*

*Wisdom: 719*

*Free Attribute Points: 0*

*Secondary Attributes:*

*Speed: 225*

*Athletics: 139*

*Spirit: 342*

*Vitality: 217*

*Derived Stats:*

*Physical Damage: 51 (Strength / 2, minimum 1)*

*Carrying Capacity: 250 kg (Strength x 10 / 4)*

*Mana: 20,360 (Wisdom x 10)*

*Health (HP): 1,560 (Endurance x 10)*

*Stamina: 1,560 (Endurance x 10)*

*Health Regen: 2,170 HP/min (Vitality x 10)*

*Mana Regen: 3,420 MP/min (Spirit x 10)*

*Stamina Regen: 1,390 SP/min (Athletics x 10)*

*Running Speed: 83 km/h (1 + Speed / 10)*

*Defense: 55*

*Resistances:*

*Physical Damage: 15.27% (Damage Ignored: up to 81,422/sec)*

*Poisons: 12.60% (Damage Ignored: up to 47,368/sec)*

*Fire: 35.62% (Damage Ignored: up to 1,177,204/sec)*

*Electricity: 18.35% (Damage Ignored: up to 292,021/sec)*

*Mental Damage: 35.52% (Damage Ignored: up to 1,155,597/sec)*

*Skills:*

*Cooking: 250*

*Trap Setting/Disarming: 19*

*Archery: 250*

*Swimming: 250*

*Breath Holding: 250*

*Stealth: 250*

*Life Magic: 250*

*Spirit Magic: 250*

*Space Magic: 250*

*Earth Magic: 250*

*Water Magic: 250*

*Fire Magic: 253*

*Air Magic: 250*

*Light Magic: 250*

*Dark Magic: 250*

*Meditation: 250*

*Hand-to-Hand Combat: 92*

*Perception: 172*

*Necromancy: 250*

*Blood Magic: 250*

*Chimeralogy: 250*

*Ritual Magic: 250*

*Artifact Creation: 250*

*Poison Making: 25*

*Ointment Making: 25*

*Metal Reinforcement: 25*

*Wood Reinforcement: 25*

*Body Enhancement: 26*

*Professions:*

*Herbalist: 250*

*Fisherman: 250*

*Tailor: 250*

*Blacksmith: 250*

*Carpenter: 250*

*Miner: 25*

*Abilities:*

*Imp’s Eye*

*Eleven Streams of Consciousness*

*One of Us*

*Shroud of Darkness*

*Gifts:*

*Delayed Encounter*

Yes, yes, yes, yes! Experience, give me experience! Hm, maybe celebrate? Yesss!

“Meteor!”

*Damage Taken: 711,200 (Ignored: 1,177,204)*

*1,560 / 1,560 HP*

Yes, yes! I’m insane! Screw their advanced intelligence—I’ll shred you all! More experience!

*Level Up: Level 42*

*Attribute Points Available: 55*

I aimed the meteor at the pile of undead that tried to catch me. Not my fault—they started it! Heh-heh-heh. Mwahahaha (evil laugh).

My madness suggested finding a quiet spot to meditate and start sniping undead with meteors. I was inclined to agree.

I wasn’t the only clever one—the undead quickly figured out who the biggest threat was and started charging at me from all over.

“You idiot, at least move around so they can’t pinpoint you! Don’t just sit there!”

This girl’s got some fire. She’s keeping exactly thirty meters away and isn’t leaving. Hm, maybe I could use her? No, too risky—I’ll handle it myself.

“Thanks for the advice. I think I’ll go.”

“Maybe join a group after all?”

“You’re weak if you want a group. I don’t need weaklings on my team.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’ve offered me teamwork twice now. The conclusion’s obvious.”

Surprisingly, I underestimated her. Or rather, I judged her too superficially—she was keeping up with me just fine. Hm, her armor’s glowing with a faint red light. No way?!

“We’re in a remote part of the map—survival odds are way lower solo than in a pair or group. I saw you use that meteor. How, though? I didn’t see a scroll, and you weren’t using a staff.”

“None of your business… Blood Knight!”

She faltered for a moment and started falling behind.

“What makes you think I’m a Blood Knight?”

“Your armor, your speed stats, that telltale glow from the armor.”

“Oh, so you’ve fought knights before and decided I’m one of them.”

“No,”—two fireballs x5, and two bodies flew off the path—“I just figured it out from the armor. Four more minutes, and I’ll launch another meteor.”

“You forgot kids can’t pick classes. How could I use Blood Knight armor and skills if I’m still a kid?”

“I didn’t mention skills. Same way I launched a meteor without being a mage or having a scroll. But I’m sure that’s Blood Knight armor.”

“Why?” She was back at thirty meters. The armor glowed brighter.

“Because you’re still keeping up with me, and that armor’s drinking more blood. Soon you’ll hit your limit and need someone else’s blood—and I’m the only living thing around. Just so you know, you won’t reach me in time. I’ll smear you or incinerate you. I’ve got plenty of options.”

We reached the other side of the grove and climbed a hill, still keeping our distance. Oh, enough mana! Meteor into the grove… without looking. The ground shook, a deafening roar of wind hit, and the shockwave literally knocked me off my feet.

*Level Up: Level 45*

*Attribute Points Available: 70*

That was a solid hit, but I didn’t account for the consequences. The impact was so close that the shockwave caught me. I fell, and the girl closed the gap in two leaps, swinging her sword full-force at my exposed throat… but stopped at the last second.

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. Believe me now?” How could I not, with a sword at my throat? Stopping a blade moving that fast takes insane strength. But she did it effortlessly.

“Almost… Your armor’s glowing bright red now. I don’t get your motives. Until I do, no team-up.”

She pulled the sword back and struck a knightly waiting stance—blade between her legs, hands on the hilt. It was a brief lull; she could afford it.

“The armor’s a family heirloom. It lets me use Blood Knight enhancements, but it feeds on my blood. Until last year’s hunter trial, I couldn’t fully use it. A hereditary mutation for boosted vitality lets me fully regen health in two minutes. Family skills with the bastard sword, born into a swordmaster lineage. Clear now?”

“Good lord, you’re the biggest pay-to-win player I’ve seen in two years! How much money did you sink to get a swordmaster set that polished? It’s scalable and part of a set, too.”

“Yes, and yes again. A ton, but I thought you were the same. Judging by your reaction, though, you haven’t spent a dime on your growth.” Her face showed mild curiosity.

“First, we run. The undead are rushing here—the trees are cracking. Second, I didn’t promise to tell you anything. Third, that doesn’t explain why you want to team up with me.”

We ran toward the mountain plateau, where the grove met the cliffs. There was a handy ledge where we could continue talking. Well, I ran—she followed.

“Interesting—you thought of three things at once, with that much detail. Are you sure you’re a kid?”

“Says the kid! Non-Blood Knight!”

“Pfft. You don’t have to tell me about yourself yet.” She paused briefly.

Yeah, right, like I’d fall for that bait.

“Any more attempts to manipulate me, or should I just kill you now?”

“Fine, I get it. You won’t talk. As for why I want to team up—you can dish out even more damage, but you need cover. You know it: one or two more attacks, and the undead will get serious about you.”

“Your offer?”

“Teamwork. You kill as much as you can. I guard the approaches and pick the next spot to move or rest. Hit now—enemies will figure out where we are soon.”

I glanced at the hill where we’d rested—it was crawling with undead. I had to make the most of this moment.

“Group.”

*She accepted the group.*

*Themis, Level 279*

Good lord, how much do you have to play to gain that many levels in a year? She must live in this game 24/7! A hardcore pay-to-win player grinding Chrysalis all day—what a nightmare… and a girl, no less? What about makeup, parties, trendy movies? What are you wasting your childhood on, idiot?! I play because my whole life’s here. But you—what are you spending your money on?

Meteor! Sit in meditation pose—I’ve got two minutes, then another meteor and we run. I always keep a 10,000-mana reserve.

“Your job’s to guard me while I meditate. I need tons of mana—one meteor’s 10,000, and I can cast every—” oh, interesting—“every two minutes.”

“Wait, what? You’ve got 500 Spirit?” Themis looked startled.

“I’m not telling you anyway.” Why mention that meditation boosts my mana regen to 8,500 per minute? I need two and a half minutes for dual meteors.

Each level gives attribute points, and I dump them all into Intelligence. Today, an undead-killing machine is born! Meat, give me meat!

“Fi.”

“What?”

“What’s your fire resistance?”

“About 70,000. Been grinding it all year.”

“Too low. You can’t walk through fire.”

“What do you mean ‘too low,’ and why? Wait, do you have fire fusion?”

“I wanted to burn the forest and all the undead in it. Ideally with us inside. We’d draw more in, then kill or wound them.”

“Psycho! Why burn the forest? Just keep hitting with meteors.”

I’m so glad I’ve got scalable gear. Every five levels, they boost their bonuses by one. Right now, that’s +10 to all stats they enhance. I’m a monster—my tattoos boost Intelligence, Wisdom, and Spirit by 29%. And the further I go, the stronger I get.

“Heh-heh-heh.”

“What’s so funny? Time to run.”

“Just thinking how much stronger I’ll be by tonight.”

“What’s on for tonight?”

“Levels. Lots of levels. We’re killing undead 300 levels above us—tons of experience.”

“Oh, come on. Not my first rodeo,” she shrugged.

“Wait. Not your first? You’ve got the ‘Titan Slayer’ achievement?”

“Yup.”

“Well… with that armor, no surprise.” What’s there to think? She can triple her power and slaughter everything for a minute before the blood-drinking armor kills her.

“And how’d you manage? Launching meteors at level one.”

“With cunning and a lot of determination. Didn’t have much choice.”

We ran through the battered grove, which had already endured a dozen meteor strikes. At the forest’s edge, a whole army was gathering.

Themis was a genius. That’s the only way I could explain her sword and armor mastery. It wasn’t just leveled skills—it was how she used them. Not experience, but efficiency. She didn’t waste a single second activating her armor.

“You must train a lot—your combat technique’s flawless.”

“It’s pathetic. If you saw how perfect my brothers are, you’d be shocked. I lack fights with truly skilled opponents—ones who’d push me past my limits and force me to surpass myself.”

“What about our swordmasters? I mean, master swordsmen?”

“That’s a class, not swordsmanship mastery. They’re weak against foes with real combat experience in swordplay or other fighting styles. Real swordsmen among them are rare. A good close-combat fighter can dismantle an inexperienced master swordsman.”

“Sounds intense. I can’t imagine a swordsman more effective than you.”

“Because you lack the experience. All you’ve got is raw power to kill enemies, not the skill to wield it.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“It’s an objective take on your abilities. You’re short on experience.”

“So many smart words from a little girl.”

Another short break—this time, I waited and reflected. The undead were prepping a major counterattack, gathering forces at the forest’s edge. From what I could tell, their advanced intelligence had figured out to sweep the forest, stripping us of our advantage.

“Sadji, we need to leave. Or find a way to wipe out that assembling army. They’ll overwhelm us with numbers.”

“Obvious, but where to? You don’t think the undead won’t be waiting elsewhere. We can’t leave the zone. I’ve got something, but it’ll need sacrifices.”

Fi gave me a suspicious, expectant look, then said, “Fine, what do you need from me?”

“Flesh horrors. Five’ll do. I need five minutes to prep a ritual.”

“A ritual?”

“Move, we’re short on time. Be back in ten minutes. I’ll paralyze them myself—you just bring them to me.”

The last meteors bumped my level, and I can’t use big spells without consequences anymore. Scalable gear jacks up Intelligence fast, amplifying spells. The last meteor nearly killed me with recoil. I need to switch to defense—build a base to wipe out everything around me. That means sacrifices.

Themis brought seven flesh horrors—I’m not complaining, more’s fine. They’re immune to poison, which is surprising. But their mental resistance is weak, and runed stakes hold them easily. Looks like the necromancer lowered their mental defenses for easier control. Smart, but risky—he could face a necromancer who’d hijack his army. Right now, the enemy owns the battlefield, so he’s got no reason to worry about that, but it’s a future exploit. I don’t have army-control spells—just one chimera or undead at a time. There are workarounds, but not now.

There are tons of AoE damage spells. The most famous and versatile are meteor, fire tornado, tornado, chain lightning, death whirlpool, and death star. Right now, those seals are etched on my chest.

“Sadji, hurry up, they’re close. They’ll reach us soon, and we won’t escape.”

I handed her two stakes.

“Stick these in yourself. It’ll link our health to the sacrifices. If things go south, I can heal you within the seal’s range—about a hundred meters.”

No time to watch her—I had to get to work! A fire tornado hit the forest, right where the undead were marching. A second later, another struck near us, blasting heat. I’ll burn this whole forest and everything in it!

Meditating, I noticed Fi and changes in her armor. It was covered in pulsing, bloody veins.

“What’s up with you? You never turn off that bloodsucker? We’ll die from it!”

“No, your ritual woke the armor to 40%. I can use quadruple enhancement now.”

“Hm, makes sense. The ritual was originally for Blood Knights, and I’m repurposing it. We’ve got just over four million—looks like ten million health for full activation.”

“Seems so.”

“Your sword—is it just a regular one?”

“No, rare. Dropped from a dungeon boss.”

“I mean it’s not Blood Knight gear. If you paid so much, why not complete the set?”

“Could only pick one item. Between the family armor and a sword, I chose the armor and don’t regret it. After character creation, I couldn’t spend more money.” Fi looked down sadly.

“Your call. Just asking.”

We held that spot until evening, killing any undead that got too close. First came skeletons, ghouls, zombies, and raised animals, then chimeric undead—flesh horrors, wights, spider-like freaks, and other nasties. The finale was two packs of bone hounds that nearly got us.

Massive chimeric dogs, two human heights at the shoulder, always moving in packs. Two groups of ten entered the forest from opposite sides.

**Undead, Lesser Death Hound, Level 577, Local Boss**

Trouble hit when three wounded ones burst from the forest onto our plateau. I smashed two instantly with the dwarven hammer; Fi took out the third. I couldn’t do anything—it was too close and inside the seal’s range. Killing the sacrifices early or taking a hit myself wasn’t an option, so Fi saved us: with quadruple enhancement, she hacked the hound to bits in a minute.

“Sadji, it’s getting rough. It was small fry before—now local bosses. The undead are switching tactics. We need to plan a retreat.”

“I know.”

Two more dogs from the second pack jumped out. How much health do they have to survive a burning forest after a meteor? Mana’s at zero—last attack drained it. The undead were wearing us down, testing our limits.

First bad news: rain started, washing away the seal. Second: our fears confirmed.

**Undead, Irkhan the Great, Level 515, Raid Boss**

This mountain of flesh crawled out of the ground, moving like a centipede on hundreds of legs. Thirty meters long, ten high. In close combat, it fired meter-long bone spikes from its body. Its death aura was palpable even from afar. Guarded by ten bear-sized hounds in spiked bone armor, covering it from all sides.

“Sadji, can you kill that?”

“I think so.”

“Then think—is it worth it? We haven’t seen a lich or necromancer yet. That means after we deal with the raid boss and its guard, a necromancer might show. I don’t see the point in risking it—odds against a lich are slim.”

“There’s logic there. Let’s bail now. Nothing left for us here.”

Twelve hours remained in the trial. We spent it running the zone’s edge, killing every undead we met. I needed Fi’s help now. Gained 106 levels that day—scalable gear massively boosted Intelligence. The further I went, the worse the spell recoil. Dragon’s Breath at max spread was terrifying—like standing in a hellish furnace, ground scorched, corpses underfoot, me in a dress, wig, and staff. Hell’s little girl! In ambushes, I had to improvise like that. It got harder each time. Near the end, we faced another local boss squad.

**Undead, Bearfly, Level 562, Local Boss**

A dead, winged version of our village cow, buzzing like a fly. They cornered us on a rocky plateau, where we fought back. One: undead burn well. Two: dwarven hammer works on flying targets. I knocked them down; Fi sliced up the fallen. Then we torched the corpses to stop larvae from spawning.

Fi was right—there’s a pattern to the enemy’s moves. Clear a chunk of the zone, and local bosses pop up. Kill them, and raid bosses appear. Next, probably necromancers.

**Undead, Iridium Scout, Level 533, Raid Boss**

A spider-like monstrosity with a face on its torso and hands on all eight legs. Man, did it make us run! We fled across the whole zone, making it to the portal just as the trial ended. Level 116 was my personal reward.