Having grown accustomed to his new body, Aaron weaved and swerved countless times toward the massive Elemental Golems. Despite their towering size, he wasn't deterred, and he deftly broke down their legs one by one as they tried to group up.
Suddenly, a loud boom reverberated in the air, followed by the distinct sound of a weapon being reloaded. Aaron grinned, knowing that his new friend Zephyria was doing an excellent job.
After spending some time fighting alongside her, he decided to give her a nickname, settling on "Zeph," a name that appeared to be frequently used by her other companions. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind at all.
As her weapon caused a lot of pushback, Aaron had given Zeph most of his rejuvenation potions, along with speed potions, to keep her moving quickly. He wasn't particularly perturbed, however, since they were gaining "experience" at a much faster pace.
It was also intriguing to discover that Golems possessed a soul. His class allowed him to enhance his damage and magical output based on the number of souls he had gathered, a unique skill for a Necromancer. It was nice to see the mechanic transfer over nicely.
Moreover, certain abilities required souls to use, adding another layer of complexity to his combat tactics.
Although he couldn't yet summon the dead, he knew that he would be able to do so in the future, but only by binding them to a Familiar. However, summoning too many spirits would deplete his mana too quickly. This was a challenge that he would have to overcome somehow.
"Found one," she exclaimed, breaking Aaron out of his thoughts.
He turned towards her, surprised. "You did?"
She grinned and pointed, "Look."
There it was, the Magma Core with a mere three percent chance of dropping. She had secured the item first, leaving Aaron to marvel at the delicate reddish hue that seemed to blaze from within the orb while retaining its shape.
They had been grinding mobs for half the day. Six hours of continuous work, with very few breaks in between. For Aaron, it was comparable to his daily scrim sessions when he was a professional gamer, but Zeph wasn't as enthusiastic about such things. Regardless, they both persevered.
"What level are you?" she inquired.
"I'm level thirty-seven," Aaron responded.
"I'm level forty-two."
"Should we take a break, then?"
She nodded in response. "Would you like the orb?"
Aaron frowned. "The spoil is yours, right?"
"We both found it," she smiled. "But you seem more adept at acquiring money than I am. If we sell it, we can use the profits to invest in other things."
Aaron smiled. "Yeah, I have some things in mind. But investing in oneself is also a wise choice. Let's not forget that."
"Shall we sell the orb and split the profits?"
"Sounds like a plan."
After gathering the rest of their spoils and cleaning their weapons of any blood, they sat behind a large rock, both sprawled out on the open field. Though they weren't hungry, their fatigue was catching up to them.
"Do you have plans if you clear the one hundred floors?" she asked him.
"Not really," Aaron shrugged. "I just want to go back to the time before I was born; settle down, and find a partner. I've given up a lot to get where I am."
"Why couldn't you find a lover here?" Zeph asked.
"It's just not the same," Aaron replied. "I'm sure you must have your reasons for wanting to go back, too. We all have lingering regrets, even as heroes."
"I agree," Zeph said quietly.
"And besides, if I succeed, I want a better body," Aaron added. "I don't know if there was a cure in the future, but I want to see those days. Even if only for a little while."
"Do you ever wonder if there's even a point to all of this?" Zeph asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
"What do you mean?" Aaron asked, turning to look at her.
"I mean, we're in the afterlife, right?" Zeph replied. "This is as close to heaven as we can get. What if all of this is meant for nothing, and it's better for us to just enjoy eternity peacefully?"
Aaron furrowed his brow as he contemplated her words. "You know, you might be right," he said after a moment. "But we're heroes. We didn't come all this way just to settle down. We're here to make the most of this opportunity. And once we've accomplished what we set out to do, then we can enjoy the scenery to our heart's content."
Zeph's expression softened as she looked at Aaron. "You think so?"
"I do," Aaron said with a small smile.
Zeph remained silent, closing her eyes and enjoying the breeze.
Today was a windy day, of all days. But Aaron didn't mind it. The serenity was palpable, and the sun cast a warm glow on his face. He wanted to nap, but at the same time, he was eager to move on to the second floor.
After a moment of silence, she finally replied, "To answer your question, the disease does eventually get cured. Your death caused quite an uproar. But your company did accomplish everything that you set out to do. They expanded into other games, then into the media. And finally, at the pinnacle of it all, they overtook North Korea."
Aaron's eyes widened in disbelief, "They became a city-state?"
"And a prosperous one at that," she replied, "I was actually born in North Korea, though it's now known as United Korea."
"But you don't look Korean," he remarked.
"That's because I'm not," she chuckled, "United Korea is now a melting pot of cultures."
"It's strange, isn't it?" Aaron mused, "We don't realize our impact until we're gone."
"Perhaps," she said as she rose to her feet, "Are you ready to continue?"
"Shouldn't we sell the orb first?" he asked.
"Don't forget, you still need to reach level forty," she reminded him.
"Fair enough," he conceded.
Aaron was left alone as Zeph informed him that she was going to meet up with her friend to sell their item directly. Even though there would be a small fee due to the friend acting as a middleman, they didn't mind. They preferred to get the transaction over and done quickly rather than trying to maximize their profits.
As he focused on dispatching the remaining Elemental Golems in the area, Aaron felt a sense of ease. Despite the sheer number of golems present, their sluggish movements and simple attack patterns made it feel like he was in a beginner's area.
Having drained the last of his potions, he realized it would have been more prudent to gather and dispose of them together. Thankfully, he had a reliable method: to stir up the remaining golems, he employed the lifeless remains of those he had already defeated by throwing rocks at them.
After an hour of tireless circling, the task was complete.
And just like that, he reached level forty!
By employing a Porting Stone, he was able to instantly transport himself to the nearest town. Despite having been gifted five of them from Zeph, he was eager to avoid wasting any time. After selling off the materials he had accumulated, he received a sum of three Blue Mystcoins, the equivalent of three hundred Green Mystcoins.
This meant that he had turned a profit today, albeit a modest one, but enough to buy himself a satisfying meal.
Despite being in the afterlife, he found it peculiar that his body experienced hunger as time passed. Since they were unable to die, it seemed logical for hunger not to be a factor as well.
Would dying from hunger also cause you to lose your memories?
When Zeph returned, he would have to ask her.
Fortunately, she was nearby. Because they were still in a party, she was just across town on his floor map. Before he would decide to take a quick stroll, however, he wanted to establish a Divine Dungeon party. That would have to come after his meal, however.
What were his next steps?
It seemed probable that he would need to recruit at least one more person for the Divine Dungeon.
Furthermore, as he was not completely certain what the Dungeon would entail, he realized he should also acquaint himself with the particulars of the first-floor dungeon. Aaron contemplated inquiring about it from Zeph's contact.
"Party Chat."
A notification materialized on the screen.
"What are the trade specifics?" he typed.
Several seconds elapsed before a response appeared.
"Going well. And you?"
"I've reached level forty," he replied.
"Come join me, then," Zeph suggested.
"I was aiming to recruit a third member," he explained.
"I have someone. We'll discuss the plan before entering," they reassured him.
"Understood," he confirmed.
Following a brief visit to a nearby food stall, he procured an assortment of fish skewers alongside a substantial sandwich containing a blend of familiar and exotic ingredients. To his surprise, the taste wasn't unpleasant. As the day's end approached, it was a welcome indulgence following a taxing day's labor.