[Hidden level, requires Luck 5 or above to trigger]
Peeping the note, Mike nods slightly.
Luck5, that's a steep ask for a newbie.
But with Mike's 10 points in Luck, it's a piece of cake.
Plus, the way to trigger the hidden level? That's top secret—Mike hasn't heard a peep about it!
"What's in this hidden level?"
Mike focuses harder, and notices that the more he concentrates, the more info pops up in the notes.
[Once you enter the hidden level, all the monsters in the newbie instance wake up and join the chase to take you down...]
"Yikes—"
Mike feels his blood pressure spike.
10 blood-sucking bats, 1 mutant bat, that's manageable.
But the real trouble is the juvenile [Cerberus]!
"Monster: Cerberus (Juvenile)
Lv:10
HP: 20,000
MP: 12,000
Physical Defense: 150
Magical Defense: 200
Skills: ...."
20,000 HP, that's like 100 Mikes combined!
With a physical defense of 150, regular attacks won't even scratch it.
Immune to magic damage under 500, and it takes 33% less damage from magic hits over 500!
After reading about Cerberus, Mike almost shuts down.
"How in the world did the supreme being Morpheus ever take down Cerberus? That's just insane!"
Mike checks the time.
[Charge Up] stacks one layer every 10 seconds, that's 6 layers a minute.
Since entering the newbie instance, 5 minutes have passed.
Mike's stacked up 30 layers of Charge Up, and he can't stack any more.
30 layers!
What does that mean?
It's not just 30 times stronger.
It's 2 to the 30th power!
That is...
A terrifying number pops up before Mike: [1,073,741,824]
Note: Due to a mysterious effect, full damage can't be dealt right now.
1.07 billion times! Even with some mysterious effect reducing it, seeing that number makes Mike's eyelids twitch and his jaw drop.
A billion times!
One Lightning Arrow could deal 60 billion damage!
It's just a Cerberus, right? Forget the juvenile version, even a full-grown Cerberus has got to go down!
Suddenly, Mike's feeling pumped.
Being cautious around a Cerberus? That's not how Mike rolls!
Bring it on!
With 30 layers of [Charge Up], Mike's got some seriously scary firepower.
Following the hint, Mike moves a nondescript stone and uses it to sketch a complex pattern on the wall.
Well, it's not really that complex. Once he's done, it looks like this.
ूाीू
As Mike finishes the last stroke, the whole corridor starts shaking, with bits of rock and sand falling down. The stone wall in the middle slowly cracks open, revealing a hidden passage.
"This pattern is way too complex, triggering the hidden level is like finding a needle in a haystack!"
Mike's been busy for a while, and casually stuffs the stone into his backpack.
Don't just toss stuff away, even a plain-looking stone might be the key to unlocking something epic!
As the wall splits, something weird happens in the corridors on both sides of Mike!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
In the darkness, nearly ten shadows zip by, circling overhead, their blood-red eyes fixed on Mike, craving for blood.
These vampire bats don't attack right away, instead, they have a silent standoff with Mike.
"Roar—"
From the right corridor, an angry roar echoes.
Then, with loud crashes and the sound of chains breaking, the ground shakes non-stop!
A monstrous creature breaks free from its cage!
And obviously, it's gunning for Mike!
Rip, chew, swallow!
Driven by its hunting instincts, it charges forward, its claws ready to tear through skin, its fangs eager to taste blood!
"Here it comes!"
Mike is all in, gripping his staff tightly, not daring to slack off.
He's got only one shot!
[Blessing of Lightning] is clearly not gonna cut it!
Mike can't match the speed of Cerberus, this isn't some clunky Cave Giant Rat.
One wrong move, and even a graze from the beast could turn Mike into a ghost, with no chance of a comeback!
Can't exactly slide tackle it and hope to feed it, right?
[Lightning Arrow] is Mike's only option!
With thirty layers of [Charge Up], [Lightning Arrow] can deal massive damage!
One shot, one kill!
Mike holds his breath, eyes glued to the dark corridor, as a countdown appears before him.
"..5.4.3.2.1!"
"Now's the time!"
Mike yells out, swinging his staff forward!
"Lightning Arrow!"
The massive Lightning Arrow fires instantly, with thirty layers of Charge Up, filling the entire corridor!
Cerberus has no room to dodge!
Just as it emerges from the shadows, ready to relish the hunt, it's overwhelmed by lightning in a flash!
Snap, that was quick!
A mix of defiance, anger, confusion, and bewilderment flashes in its eyes.
It thought... the enemy was so weak... why is it the one falling?!
Before it can even howl, a terrifyingly huge number pops above Cerberus' head, turning it completely to ash!
Mike, drained of all mana and weakened, hasn't even had the chance to enjoy the thrill of slaying Cerberus when a system notification pops up.
"Level up to 10!"
Mike is thrilled!
Level 10!
You gotta know, leveling up in the Tower of Truth is tough, getting experience is beyond hard!
Mike had to grind down 20 Cave Giant Rats to move from level 1 to 2.
Taking down Cerberus shot him straight to level 10!
"Gain Strength+50, Intelligence+50, Spirit+50, Agility+50, Constitution+50."
Since it was a leapfrog kill, and a solo one at that! Tower of Truth dished out a hefty attribute bonus.
"This is a major score!" Mike can hardly contain his excitement.
Even without counting the newbie instance's settlement rewards, or the loot dropped by Cerberus.
Just the attributes alone are a huge win for Mike!
And there's loot!
Mike looks ahead, the corridor widened by the Lightning Arrow is a mess.
Cerberus left a vague wolf-shaped imprint on the ground.
And on top of the charred remains, a golden glowing orb quietly lies on the ground!
"Let's see what good stuff popped out!"