Although they were just ordinary monsters, their level spoke volumes.
Only after Howard had gathered the spoils did he realize he had astonishingly obtained three silver equipment pieces and a golden armor.
Besides that, there were 15 gold coins.
Adding to the earnings from his previous victory over the Dual Blades Mantis, Howard had now amassed more than 30 gold coins.
These 30 gold coins were equivalent to 300,000 dollars!
With this treasure trove of gold coins, Howard could return to the city to purchase a batch of equipment or lower-grade skill books, synthesizing them to the level he required.
Why not elevate skills or equipment to the highest possible level?
Howard was no fool; higher-level skills demanded a higher consumption of MP.
Presently, with just a few thousand points in his MP reservoir, even if he managed to synthesize a mythical skill, he wouldn't have the means to execute it.
Thus, it was more prudent to utilize skills around the SS-level.
The only regret was the towering level of the Skeletal Wraiths.
Even the fire dragon had to assail them continuously for over twenty minutes before securing a kill.
Glancing at the skill panel, he noticed the fire dragon had a remaining duration of half an hour.
Without hesitation, Howard turned and continued his exploration.
Within the map, the distribution of monsters resembled tree rings; the further inward one went, the higher the levels of the monsters encountered.
Battling LV60 Skeletal Wraiths already demanded enormous effort; delving deeper would be tantamount to courting death.
Once the fire dragon's duration ended, it would take 45 minutes before it could be summoned again.
Of course, he could recall it to avoid the cooldown, but then the dragon's duration wouldn't refresh the next time it was deployed.
To farm another round of monsters, Howard chose to explore laterally, where he would encounter LV60 entities that could be defeated within the remaining time.
Sure enough, after a short while, a group of Skeletal Wraiths emerged again.
This time, however, they wielded wands instead of their previous weaponry.
In the Dark Mausoleum, the class of monsters transformed based on the status of the tomb's occupant.
This discovery brought a surge of silent elation in Howard's heart.
Monsters of the Magus class would undoubtedly drop equipment that he could utilize!
Though Howard bore an epic ring and platinum weapons, the rest of his gear seemed rather shabby.
Before he earned enough money to buy sufficient low-grade equipment for synthesis, he wouldn't mind equipment of any level.
Boosting his own attributes even slightly could significantly increase his chances of survival when encountering monsters and bosses.
Moreover, Howard's adversaries were not limited to monsters and extraplanar creatures; there was also Headmaster Jay.
At this juncture, Headmaster Jay did not dare to confront Howard openly.
However, should Howard gradually grow stronger and Jay find all his plans thwarted, he might lash out in furious embarrassment, possibly taking direct action.
Howard wasn't about to place his hopes on so-called powerful figures; only enhancing his own strength could give him a sense of security.
Following the same tried-and-true strategy, Howard leveraged Blink to continuously lure the Skeletal Wraiths while the fire dragon unleashed skills from the sky, depleting their HP.
The only distinction this time was that the monsters he faced possessed long-range attack capabilities, demanding utmost caution.
Whenever he noticed a Skeletal Wraith swinging its wand to chant a spell, Howard would direct the fire dragon to swoop down, disrupting the incantation with a collision.
Time ebbed slowly.
After an unknown number of interrupted spell chants courtesy of the fire dragon's ramming, the horde of Skeletal Wraiths saw their HP diminished to the extreme.
Seeing this, Howard ceased his retreat, controlling the fire dragon to directly unleash the Meteor Shower skill.
Rumble—
A booming resonance echoed throughout the heavens as burning meteors, akin to tail-dragging shooting stars, tore through the sky and plummeted downwards.
Boom!
Whether it was the fall of the meteors or the explosive flames, the Skeletal Wraiths within the range suffered terrifying damage in an instant.
Splash!
In a flash, the Skeletal Wraiths fell to the ground like harvested wheat, dissolving into white light and vanishing, leaving behind a ground littered with coins and equipment.
Concurrently, the fire dragon in the sky dispersed.
"Ding Dong! Reminder to the awakened Howard: your skill — Dragonfire Spell has reached the end of its duration and will enter a 45-minute cooldown period. During this cooldown, the skill cannot be utilized."
Seeing the prompt, Howard couldn't help but sigh.
If only he could obtain a treasure to reduce cooldown times, his strength could ascend to a new level.
Indeed, unlike other magi, Howard's output depended solely on the duration of the Dragonfire Spell.
As for the Icy Touch of Winter Goddess skill?
This skill was dependent on Howard's level and HP; the higher his HP, the more devastating the damage, capable of instantly killing the opponent.
After securing all the spoils of war into his inventory, Howard recollected his spirit.
This wave of Skeletal Wraiths brought substantial gains, elevating him to level 11, further enhancing his attributes, and yielding 16 gold coins and three pieces of magus equipment.
Regrettably, their level was somewhat too high.
Only then did Howard remember that this world operated on set rules; monsters would only drop equipment up to 10 levels below themselves.
Only in special maps like dungeons and ruins could the awakened find equipment and skills that matched their own levels.
Therefore, Howard could only sigh, facing a pile of equipment that he couldn't use.
Fortunately, high-level equipment could be sold for money, so Howard was not disappointed.
After gathering all the spoils of war, he returned to Saint City via the same route he had come.
He did not head straight back to the academy.
After all, with Sterling recently killed, going back at this moment would surely draw the attention of Headmaster Jay.
Sterling had been a level 50 awakened, carrying a Bloodburn Potion with him; he would have stood a chance even against a level 80 boss, not to mention that during the daytime, all monsters in the Dark Mausoleum would be weakened.
If Sterling had died during the day, Headmaster Jay would undoubtedly sense something amiss.
Therefore, Howard decided to return only at night, preparing to concoct a tale by then.
Back in Saint City, Howard hurried to the magic shop once more.
"Oh, my God, esteemed customer, you've finally arrived. What would you like this time? I will prepare it for you promptly!"
Despite Howard always purchasing low-level items, the sheer quantity of his purchases had earned him a memorable reputation with the magic shop's attendant.
The attendant greeted him immediately upon his arrival, even bending down to dust off Howard's shoes.
In this world where the law of the jungle prevailed, the attendant might not have known the extent of Howard's strength, but the amount of money he could spend while still remaining alive was testimony to his extraordinary capabilities.
"Do you have any low-level magic robes, necklaces, and magic skill books of other series here?"
This time, with nearly 50 gold coins in hand, Howard intended to buy a variety of items.
"We have Iron-tier Apprentice Magus robes, Bronze-tier silver necklaces, and as for magic skill books…"
The attendant pondered before replying, "We currently have a large stock of Gravity Spell skill books."
Gravity Spell was a basic skill for Geo Magi, offering middling effects.
Other magi might be reluctant to learn such a foundational skill, but with his synthesis talent, Howard wasn't concerned.
He nodded, saying, "As long as you have sufficient stock, bring them all to me."
"Very well, esteemed customer. Please wait a moment, and I will fetch the items for you."
Overjoyed, the attendant knew that at the very least this would be a transaction involving 30 gold coins, earning him a decent commission. How could he not be thrilled?
While waiting, Howard began to roam around the shop.
In his previous visits, pressed for time, he hadn't really had the opportunity to thoroughly explore this magic shop.
"Hmm?"
Soon, Howard halted abruptly.
Following his gaze, there on the shelf were two identical books displayed.
Though they appeared rather worn, Howard's heartbeat accelerated.
In an inconspicuous corner of the magic shop, there lay these dilapidated books — wasn't this a stacked buff?
If these books weren't treasures, Howard would dare to applaud for love for Margaret in public!