Augustus had completely forgotten to test and summon Zhang Jian. However, it appeared that Zhang Jian was busy as well, so Augustus ultimately decided against.
After the meal, they booked a room at a nearby inn that Nolan used to frequent.
Now that Nolan was gone, the inn was free from any threats and could operate normally again.
The other inn was undergoing repairs, and luckily, the previous owner had a son who would take over the business.
Augustus booked two different rooms for himself and his companions. Arielle was not happy with this arrangement, but Augustus was not bothered and asked them to sleep in the other room.
"Phew," Augustus breathed out, feeling a sense of relief. "Nolan's situation is certainly unique. If I had miscalculated, it could have resulted in a disastrous outcome."
He paused, deep in thought. "If Nolan had a teammate who was just as strong as he was, I would have been in trouble. At the same time, if Nolan was perceptive and able to sense my movements, I would also be screwed."
I need to be careful when dealing with other irregulars, as they possess not just one, but multiple overpowered talents, especially the goddess blessing talent."
The goddess blessing talent, as noted by the system, doubles the amount of stats gained per level, making those who possess it much stronger than regular individuals in this world.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Arielle and Vera become as strong as possible, even stronger than myself. With my ability to teleport into dungeons and the leveling up system, they can grow infinitely."
The next day, they returned to the goblin dungeon, but this time, they started at the fifth room. It was a more efficient way to gain fighting experience, and the fifth room could still injure them if they were not careful.
Every time they were injured, Augustus would simply buy health potions for them from the store system. As they progressed, the more potions he buy from store and suddenly the store upgraded.
[The user has spent a certain amount of points in the store.]
[The store has been upgraded to a level 2 store.]
[New items have been unlocked.]
[The user can now sell items in exchange for points.]
Augustus could now sell the goblin ears and other useless equipment that had been stacking up in his storage.
As he was going through his inventory, Augustus stumbled upon a Skill Book he had yet to learn.
It was called 'The King's Rage.' He could consume it to learn the skill.
The book is bound to him, meaning he couldn't give it to anyone else.
"Arielle, have you ever heard of a skill called King's Rage?" Augustus asked.
"King's Rage? Where did you get the skill book from?" Arielle was surprised to see Augustus holding a Skill Book.
"I got it as a unique reward for killing the Goblin King alone. I also received the Goblin King's Gem and Skull, but I'm not sure what to do with them. They seem too precious," Augustus explained. He had no intention of selling them for points as he knew he couldn't find them again after killing the Goblin King yesterday.
Arielle suspected that this was yet another manifestation of Augustus' unique abilities. "I think you're blessed by a different goddess. That's why you're so much different than us," she said.
Arielle then went on to explain their usual reward system. "After defeating a boss, we would usually get to choose a reward based on our contribution. The highest contributor gets to choose first from the list of rewards."
"That's why people can get greedy and try to kill each other, as there are limited rewards and limited people who can choose," Arielle added. She had firsthand experience with this issue in her previous party.
"So, it's like that for them."
Even now with Vera and Arielle, I still get to choose the rewards, and my contribution remains 100%, even though they helped, as if the dungeon system treated Vera and Arielle as non-existent.
Since there's no other choice, Augustus used the skill book for himself.
[The King's Rage Lvl 1]
The King's Rage is a legendary ability that has been passed down through the ages. It is said to be the manifestation of the fury and power of ancient kings who were able to unleash their rage to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
The skill can only be acquired by those deemed worthy of it, and it is said that it can only be learned through a grueling and dangerous initiation process.
[Effect: +200% Basic Stats, +50% Damage Taken]
[Duration: 5 Minutes]
[Cooldown: 10 Hours]
"It has a lengthy description for a skill," Augustus expressed, surprised that there was lore behind a skill.
"It's a double-edged sword. Overall, King's Rage could be a valuable asset in certain situations, but it comes with significant risks," Augustus thought to himself as he reviewed the information about the skill.
With the upgraded store, he could sell the goblin ears he had been collecting for a while.
Curious about how much a single goblin ear was worth, he checked the system and was surprised to see that they were valued at five points each. "That's actually a lot?" he muttered to himself.
"Let's see how much a single goblin ear is worth," he muttered to himself. "Five points each? That's actually a lot."
Augustus had over four thousand goblin ears stored in his inventory.
He quickly sold them to the store and received notifications of new items being unlocked one after another.
As he scrolled through the store's new inventory, Augustus couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the vast selection of items.
He came across a Goblin's Flute, but at 5000 points each, he wasn't sure if it was worth it.
For now, he decided to focus on the task at hand and continued with the Goblin King's raid.
With Ellie's help on the battlefield, Vera had an easier time taking down the goblins, and the team progressed through the dungeon at a faster pace even without my help.
Also, Seedy continued to grow, and its vines could now extend up to a meter. It tried to protect Arielle from any potential threat, but for now, it was useless.
The routine of raiding the dungeon and selling the equipment to the store repeated itself for a while. Vera and Arielle were now struggling to level up from killing the Goblin King.
Augustus continued to gather more equipment and materials to sell them to the store, accumulating more points.
[1-Star Subordinate, Arielle]
Level: 16
Class: Magic Bowman (Epic Rank)
Unique Talent: Nature Empathy (Epic Rank)
STR: 14 (+5) CONS: 8 (+5)
AGI: 30 (+15) DEF: 7 (+28)
INT: 40 (+5) MAG: 48 (+5)
[2-Star Subordinate, Vera]
Level: 29
Class: Awakened Swordsman (Epic Rank)
Unique Talent: Sword Master (Legendary Rank), Sword Master's Sword (Legendary Rank)
STR: 63 (+25) CONS: 10 (+15)
AGI: 48 (+15) DEF: 20 (+45)
INT: 8 (+15) MAG: 12 (+15)
Augustus sat with his companions in the tavern, savoring the taste of the freshly cooked meal in front of them.
Augustus has started to eat even though he can't feel hunger.
He took a deep breath and cleared his throat, catching their attention.
"Tomorrow, we'll be going to the next dungeon," he announced, his eyes fixed on his plate.
"What?! We've been going to the dungeon for two weeks straight, every single day!" Arielle protested, rubbing her tired, baggy eyes.
She was clearly exhausted from the constant grind.
Even Vera, who had been enjoying the thrill of slaying goblins, seemed fatigued. "Yeah, Master, can we have a few days off? We're used to going to the dungeon every month. How about we go out tomorrow and explore Exonia, enjoy some fresh air?" she suggested.
Augustus considered their request, but his concerns for their safety quickly took over. "Isn't it dangerous to explore? There are tons of Irregulars, right? You guys could be killed or kidnapped by them," he reminded them, his voice filled with worry.
"Tomorrow, you guys can rest, but we'll be resuming the next day after. No buts. Endure for another month, then you guys can do whatever you want for a while," he said firmly.
His companions reluctantly agreed and went straight to bed, too tired to argue.
The next day, Augustus informed them that he would be testing out the next dungeon himself. Arielle and Vera didn't say much, too comfortable and content in their warm beds.
"I'm going now," Augustus said, as he teleported himself to the dungeon.
But this time, it wasn't a cave; instead, he stood before a colossal, menacing castle.
As Augustus approached the massive structure, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. The castle loomed over him, its dark, jagged spires piercing the stormy sky like razor-sharp teeth. The sky was a deep shade of purple, illuminated by flashes of lightning that lit up the ominous clouds overhead.
Black rain poured down in a torrential downpour, sizzling and hissing as it made contact with the ground. The castle itself was a foreboding sight, its walls constructed from thick, black stone that seemed to absorb the very light around it. The gatehouse, which Augustus had just passed through, was adorned with grotesque gargoyles and sinister-looking runes etched into the walls.
As he made his way through the castle's twisted, winding corridors, he could see skeletons standing still inside the buildings. Augustus couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, even though the skeletons didn't look his way. The darkness seemed to press in on him from all sides, suffocating and oppressive.
"This place is creepy. I kind of regret coming alone," Augustus muttered, shivering a little as he ventured deeper into the castle.
There were multiple sounds that could be heard, distant echoes from somewhere, and Augustus wasn't sure who was screaming. The air was thick with the scent of decay and death, and as Augustus passed a large chamber, he saw the source of the smell. An enormous pile of bones lay in the center of the room, picked clean of flesh and still smoking from the acid rain.
Suddenly, a message appeared in front of Augustus which surprised him a little.
[Kill 100 Skeletons]
The bones on the ground started to come alive, becoming moving skeletons that swarmed towards Augustus.
"I knew it," Augustus said, prepared for the challenge, knowing that this place was creepy. "This time, I have to fight the undeads."
Despite feeling a little overwhelmed, Augustus didn't panic, as he was familiar with undead monsters and had fought some before in his previous life.
He remembered a Trixion Mage, more like a necromancer, who could summon undead with his skills.
"Skeletons won't stop moving unless you "Skeletons won't stop moving unless you destroy everything thoroughly. They are the most troublesome undead if you aren't powerful enough," Augustus mused.
He started slashing through the skeletons, determined to destroy them all. The destroyed skeletons, with only their skulls remaining, jumped despite their bodies being destroyed.
Some with destroyed legs still crawled on the ground, trying to bite Augustus with their mouths as they were desperate and craved human flesh.
[You have obtained 'Skeleton Bone']
[You have obtained 'Skeleton Bone']
...
[You have obtained 'Skeleton Bone']
[Objective completed!]
[Warning: Boss is being summoned.]
[Death Skeleton]
A giant skeleton emerged from the ground, with dark, black bones that looked sturdier than normal bones.
The leftover bones on the floor formed together and became the skeleton's armor.
A death aura was released by the giant skeleton, causing Augustus's health to slowly decrease.
"I can feel my life force being sucked by it. For a mini boss, this guy looks tough," Augustus muttered to himself, determined to defeat it.