The heated discussions happening in the outside world were completely unknown to Ethan. At this moment, he was busy exploring the dungeon's prison.
The air inside the prison was filled with a foul stench, and the dim surroundings made it hard to see anything. This was where Zogg had been imprisoned, but few people knew that there was a hidden treasure chest within.
With a flick of his fingers, a small flame appeared in Ethan's hand, casting just enough light to navigate the dark space. Relying on his memory, he made his way to a specific stone tile in the corner of the room.
"Thud thud!"
Ethan tapped his foot twice on the tile, and a hollow sound echoed from beneath. It confirmed that there was an empty space below. Taking out his short blade, he wedged it into the gap between the stones and applied force.
With a loud crack, the tile was pried up, revealing a metallic treasure chest underneath.
The chest had no lock, so Ethan simply lifted the lid. Inside, two items lay waiting: a green fruit and a skill book.
"Just as expected. That guy wasn't lying!"
In his previous life, Ethan had met a rogue who mentioned a hidden treasure chest in the prison of the *Cursed Crypt*. It was a one-time chest, meaning it wouldn't respawn with the dungeon. The items inside were incredibly rare and valuable, the kind of treasures you wouldn't come across often.
Excitement stirred within him as Ethan licked his lips and carefully picked up the fruit and the book.
**[Fruit of Life (Epic): A one-time consumable from the Tree of Life!]**
**[Effect: Permanently increases Constitution by 5 points.]**
"It's the *Fruit of Life*! Awesome!"
Ethan couldn't contain his excitement as he examined the item. Stat-boosting consumables were extremely rare in the world of *Godfall*, especially something that boosted Constitution by a whole 5 points. That was like gaining 5 entire levels' worth of stats! Only the legendary *Fruit of Life* could provide such a massive effect.
Without hesitation, Ethan opened his mouth and devoured the fruit.
**[Ding! You have consumed the *Fruit of Life*. Constitution increased by 5 points (Permanent).]**
"Yes! With that, my health's practically on par with a tank now!"
Ethan clenched his fists, feeling the surge of vitality coursing through him. His increased Constitution meant his durability was now on par with many tank classes. It was a huge boost to his overall survivability.
After eating the fruit, Ethan turned his attention to the skill book.
**[Purification: Removes negative status effects (depending on the level difference), including but not limited to: Freeze, Poison, Burn, Silence, Battle Shackles, Blood Tracking...]**
**[Cast time: Instant]**
**[Cooldown: 1 minute]**
**[Requirements: None]**
"There's a universal skill hidden here?!"
Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement and he quickly learned the skill. Universal skills were incredibly valuable. He already had two of them, *Inspect* and *Blink*. Now, with *Purification*, that made three.
*Inspect* was useful in everyday situations for gathering information. *Blink* was his go-to for quick escapes in combat. However, in Ethan's opinion, *Purification* was even more valuable than the other two combined. Just take the incident with *Third Heaven*, for example. If he had *Purification* back then, their *Blood Tracking* skill would've been completely negated.
"Fifty gold, a boat ticket, 5 Constitution, and a *Purification* skill book—I've hit the jackpot this time!"
**[Ding! Congratulations! You have reached Level 6 and gained 2 attribute points.]**
Suddenly, a system notification chimed in his ear, snapping Ethan out of his thoughts.
"Huh, No.1 and *King of Assassins* really pulled through. Those guys are doing a great job," Ethan said, grinning. Since he hadn't been grinding mobs himself, his experience gain had stagnated. But his *No.1* and *King of Assassins* clones were busy gaining experience for him, and it was now paying off.
This was the beauty of having clones—his leveling continued even while he was occupied elsewhere.
Ethan opened his character panel and allocated his two newly gained attribute points, placing one in Agility and the other in Spirit.
**[Name: Dustwalker]**
**[Race: Human]**
**[Base Attributes: Strength 10, Agility 17, Constitution 15, Spirit 17, Intelligence 9]**
**[Special Attributes: Charisma 2, Luck 1]**
**[Class: Magician (Level 6)]**
**[Talents: One More Time, Twin Shadows]**
**[Feats: Silver Tongue, Dexterous, Card Mastery, Quick Reflexes, Knife Mastery, Combat Reflexes]**
**[Skills: Purification, Blink, Inspect, Shadow Clone, Shadow Hide, Shadow Jump, Shadow Stab, Flame Jump, Hat Trick, Create Fire Out of Nothing]**
**[Items: Roy's Top Hat / Purple Gold, Phantom Card / Gold]**
**[Wealth: 91 Gold, 48 Silver, 70 Copper]**
**[Experience: 53]**
**[Reputation: 30 (Global), 100 (Dwarves)]**
**[Status: Tired, Excited]**
**[Clones: No.1, King of Assassins]**
Looking over his stats, Ethan nodded in satisfaction. His attributes were practically perfect, and if *King of Assassins* hadn't taken the *Fanged Fish Dagger*, his Agility would have been a whopping 18 points. Not that it mattered too much.
"I wonder when I'll get my stats to 50."
A base stat of 50 was known as the *Divine Threshold*. Once a player crossed that line, their real-world physical capabilities would begin to change dramatically. Their speed and strength would skyrocket beyond human limits.
Unfortunately, leveling in *Godfall* was notoriously slow. In his previous life, it had taken Ethan over a year to reach 50 Agility, and by that time, *Godfall* had already descended upon Earth, leaving him far behind the top players.
But this time, with his *One More Time* talent and the help of his clones, he believed he could reach that goal within half a year.
Ethan opened the in-game chat and typed out friend requests to *No.1* and *King of Assassins*, hoping to motivate them to level up faster.
**[Ding! Your friend request has been declined!]**
"Those bastards!"
Ethan cursed under his breath. His own clones had the nerve to reject him!
"Damn it, those two need to learn their place. One of these days, I'll take them down."
Muttering to himself, Ethan left the prison.
As he stepped out, he was greeted by the sight of Naomi standing nearby, her face adorned with a bright, cheerful smile. She seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.
"How'd it go?" Naomi asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity.
"Not bad. How about you guys?" Ethan responded casually.
"We got three silver pieces and a golden staff!" Naomi said excitedly, showing off the golden scepter in her hand.
Ethan recognized the staff. It was called the *Blasphemer's Staff*, a drop from Zogg, the demon warlock. Along with its high stat boosts, it had a special ability to curse enemies. It was a top-tier weapon for warlocks at this stage of the game.
"Congrats."
Ethan nodded, giving her a brief smile. Glancing around at the rest of the group, he added, "Well, you've seen how the dungeon went. I've fulfilled my part of the deal, so I'm off."
He turned to exit the dungeon.
"Wait!" Naomi called out, stepping forward to stop him.
"Hm? What is it?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with mild confusion.
"Um…" Naomi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Do you have a guild?"
"No, not at the moment. Why?"
"Then… would you consider joining us at G&G? I could offer you a vice president position."
Ethan's value was undeniable. It wasn't just his strength, but his extensive knowledge of dungeons and other game secrets. If she could recruit him into G&G, the guild's power would soar to new heights.
Ethan paused, momentarily caught off guard by the invitation. So, that's what this was about—Naomi wanted him to join her guild. It wasn't just about his strength; she wanted access to the knowledge stored in his mind.
Unfortunately, joining a guild didn't align with Ethan's current goals.
"Sorry, but I'm not looking to join a guild right now."
"You don't have to decide immediately…" Naomi began, but before she could finish, Ethan's figure had already vanished.
He had logged out of the dungeon.
"What a shame," Naomi murmured, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
However, she wasn't discouraged. This was only her first attempt at recruiting him. Plus, G&G would soon be moving to Winterhold, meaning she'd have plenty of opportunities to work on him.
Naomi believed that with a bit of persistence, Ethan would eventually come around.
…