Summoning his courage, Saad drew his whip and shield and decided to quickly check the information about the monsters. He wasn't scared of them for some reason, perhaps because of all the games he had played?
[Decaying Corpse]
Level: 4
Type: Shadow
Description: These undead are commoners and lack any special powers.
Attributes:
HP: 40/40
ATK: 30 VIT: 5
AGI: 17 INT: 4
Abilities:
[Poison Scratch], [Bleed] >>>Expand for Details<<<
Weaknesses: Light, Slashing damage
Seeing that light was their weakness, Saad decided to bring out the radiance orb. Surprisingly, it worked! The radiance orb cast an eerie, otherworldly glow over the undead horde. It slowed their approach, buying him precious moments to prepare. Saad quickly put the alchemical sachet back in inventory and took out his shield and whip.
The first undead creature lunged at him with surprising speed, its bony fingers clawing through the air. Saad's shield intercepted the attack, but the force of it nearly knocked him off his feet. He could feel the chill of death emanating from his assailant. He realized that the effects of the monster ward had grown weaker and it was not a good sign for him but Saad was confident. He was seven levels higher. The undead were nothing to him.
With a quick flick of his wrist, Saad cracked his whip. The enchanted weapon crackled with energy as it struck the undead creature, sending it staggering backward. But more were closing in, their numbers seemingly endless. Saad wasn't scared; after all, due to his constant fight against arachnids and earning the titles [Shadowbane Arachnid Annihilator] and [Shadow Queen Slayer], his attack was boosted by 200% against shadow-type monsters, and his speed and attack were far higher than theirs. This was going to be a piece of cake. Each swing of his whip and bash of his shield was a show of power.
He leveled up after defeating one but ignored the message and continued to use his whip, employing lash strike to break the legs of zombies and pushing them away with the shield. The radiance orb's pale light played eerie tricks on the grotesque, decaying forms before him. Their limbs moved with unnatural speed and unpredictability. But Saad was still confident.
The monster ward he had activated earlier served as a double-edged sword. While it confused the undead, causing them to occasionally attack one another, it wasn't enough to stem the tide. Their relentless advance pressed Saad to his limits. He had made a crucial mistake. While the undead were not as powerful as him, they were constantly respawning, and he didn't even have the time to invest status points. There was no place to hide, and using lash strike again and again had consumed precious stamina.
Saad realized that he needed a new plan to deal with the relentless wave of undead. And at this point, Saad had started to feel tired because the undead kept coming. There was just no end to it.
[Your Stamina is below 10 points.]
The message made him anxious, and he fought with every ounce of his virtual strength, his shield deflecting skeletal claws, and his whip cutting through rotten flesh. But the undead were relentless, and for every one he struck down, it seemed two more took its place.
[Congratulations. You have purged 100 Decaying Corpses. You have received a new title 'Graveyard Hunter.' Please check the character window for more details.]
[Your physical attack increases by 2.4.]
The stench of death hung heavy in the air, making Saad's stomach churn. He could feel the cold sweat on his brow as he dodged a particularly vicious swipe from a skeletal warrior. The relentless onslaught was pushing him to his breaking point. His defense grew weak, and he couldn't protect himself in all directions, causing him to get scratched even with all of his protection.
[Your stamina has increased by 1.]
[Your resistance to poison has increased by 4%.]
Saad's health points dwindled rapidly. The combination of poison from the environment and the relentless attacks of the undead had taken its toll. Desperation clawed at him as he knew he couldn't withstand much longer. There were too many windows popping up the longer he fought. He ended up having to use the moonlit barrier as his HP dwindled. It lasted him 30 minutes, and he was able to recover, but the undead had increased significantly. There were clearly at least a few hundred. The fight started again, and while his movements were better than before, the sheer number was too much. He had no time to even breathe. Messages were popping up one after another.
[The Serpent's Scale Whip is absorbing poison.]
[Durability decreases by 1.]
[The Serpent's Scale Shield is absorbing poison.]
[Durability decreases by 1.]
[The Widow's Eye is absorbing the poison.]
[Durability of armor decreases by 1.]
[Physical Def has increased by 0.2.]
[Evasion has increased by...]
With trembling hands, he reached for the healing draught health potions and hastily gulped them down. The restorative magic coursed through him, rejuvenating his strength. But time was running out, and poison was still there. So Saad decided to focus on killing as many as he could. He had leveled up at least two times, so he decided to just put the points in randomly to help him out somehow.
"Investing 10 points in-" Saad had started when he saw the light spreading, and it was definitely not the faint light of his out-of-battery radiance orb.
Then, as if a divine intervention, the virtual sun began to rise on the horizon. Its radiant light washed over the cemetery, and Saad could see the undead for what they truly were: grotesque, decaying creatures. As the sun's rays touched them, the undead recoiled, their unholy forms sizzling and burning.
With feeble, unnatural shrieks, they retreated, their dragging feet carrying them back to their graves. Saad watched in exhaustion and relief as the last of them disappeared beneath the earth.
He sank to his knees, his virtual body trembling with fatigue. The fight against the undead had been brutal, a life-and-death struggle that had pushed him to his limits. He knew that without his monster ward and the timely sunrise, he would have been overwhelmed.
He had leveled up twice, but at what cost? At least he was alive, but he realized once more how much skills mattered, true skills that required control. He needed to grasp that control.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Saad realized that his quest for the everbloom had taken an unexpected and perilous turn. The forbidden cemetery held more mysteries and dangers than he had ever imagined, and he couldn't help but wonder what other challenges lay ahead on his path.
Exhausted but determined, Saad collected himself after the harrowing encounter at the forbidden cemetery. He had successfully completed the quest for the everbloom, and as he plucked the last of the flowers from the grave, a sense of relief washed over him.
[You have completed the quest '[Arachnidbane Sizzle Serum]'. Head to the guild to receive your reward.]
He knew he had faced dangers he couldn't have anticipated, but he had emerged victorious, even if it was a mess. He did think that he should have just used the barrier chance to run away, but either way, he was alive. Thanks to the level-ups, he was healed up, and Widow's Eye had really saved him with its shadow defense. Things had worked out one way or another, but he was fully aware that the level difference had been huge. It wouldn't always be the same, and Saad understood that.
The eerie silence of the cemetery was restored, and the message about the disturbance faded away. With a sigh, Saad marked the forbidden cemetery as a place of danger on his map. It was not a place he intended to return to willingly, at least not until he gained more experience. But he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to avoid dangers for long in this world.
Saad decided to sit on a stone outside the cemetery as he looked at the status window and contemplated how to distribute the status points. He was surprised to see that he was now at level 16. This surprised him, considering the apprehension and promises he had made to himself about not returning here. However, it was clear to him now that he would be coming here regularly to farm. After allocating 60 points to his stats, they looked significantly improved compared to before.
Attributes:
----------------
Stamina: 54
Strength: 45.3
Agility: 66.7
Intelligence: 26
Charm: 25
Dexterity: 44.2
Vitality: (Unavailable)
Arcane Points: Locked
With his stamina, strength, agility, and dexterity all surpassing 40, Saad received a new notification that thrilled him.
[Congratulations! Your Strength, Agility. Stamina and Dexterity have reached the threshold.]
PDEF: +40
PATK: +40
PCRIT: +100%
STEALTH: +40
EVASION: +40
MSPD: +40
Saad was just about jump in the air with happiness but then a next message showed up and he went still.
[Due to vitality stat being locked, Your physical defense is being decreased by 30. Your Physical Defense will increase by 10. Additional increase will be locked until Vitality is available. ]
'Of course- Vitality.'
He decided to not sour his mood over this and rather check what other things he had gotten from this. He still had chests to open.