Radiant Shield wasn't discouraged by the rejection.
"A pity. If you ever need help in the future, don't hesitate to ask."
"If you really mean it, I might indeed need help later today.", nodded Liam.
"You can count on me as long as my name is Radiant Shield!"
"He means we're looking forward to playing with you."
"Great. I'll message you."
Liam wasn't surprised by the men's behavior. He knew that many people liked to make friends in the game.
In his old life Liam might have rejected them, afraid that others would drag him down or steal his knowledge. But now he was a lot more relaxed about these kinds of things.
Thus, he sent a friend invitation to the two men before they left the temple.
Liam lingered for a bit more, making use of his passive regeneration, observing the wolves outside.
Seeing a few other players struggling against the monsters, Liam finally couldn't ignore his doubts anymore, asking C.
C, tell me, are all monsters stronger? I can't believe I'm mistaken so often!
[…]
[This is Hell difficulty, Player Liam.]
Liam raised his brows sharply. Finally, he got confirmation.
Hell difficulty…
Liam's surprise quickly turned to excitement as he tried to comprehend what this meant for his future gaming experience.
From what I've seen so far, I must reevaluate every mob. I have to consider them at least 10% stronger in my calculations.
Liam grinned as he thought about a few particularly difficult bosses, looking forward to challenging them in the future.
But unfortunately, his opponents now were still a few cursed wolves.
Liam went outside, continuing his fight. He moved slowly, only drawing one enemy after another while searching around.
Distancing himself from the temple, Liam reached the edge of the zone. The buildings here were the most damaged, only rubble overgrown with shrubbery remaining.
Players hadn't discovered the usefulness of exploration yet, most of them adhering to quests. But Liam knew that many secrets were hidden everywhere in the world.
One of them was around Reylar's Temple, extremely difficult to find.
However, Liam was naturally at a huge advantage.
After fifteen minutes of strolling around he found a conspicuous boulder half buried in the ground.
In Crunaboul almost everything was destructible with enough strength and patience. [Inspect] could reveal the HP of objects. A normal rock had at least 600HP. But this one…
[Boulder
HP: 1/1]
Liam grinned, knowing that this was the game's way of grabbing the players' attention.
After this information spread, people would explore every nook and cranny, trying to find items with 1HP.
But compared to the enormous size of the world it was like playing in the lottery with a chance of maybe 1:1,000,000.
Liam inwardly thanked these tireless explorers as he drew his sword and stabbed at the boulder.
With the slightest touch the boulder disintegrated into dust, carried away by a cold breeze.
A dark staircase appeared before Liam's eyes, looking quite eerie as it swallowed all light.
However, knowing what to expect Liam didn't hesitate as he stepped on the wet stone.
After a short descend Liam arrived at a door which barely clung to its hinges.
Liam carefully pushed it open.
Thud!
The door didn't withstand the slightest movement, falling to the ground with a loud sound echoing conspicuously in the dark.
Rustling could be heard. Something woke up.
Suddenly torches lit up on both sides, revealing a large room to Liam. It was decorated with chains and skulls, dry bloodstains on the walls.
Some distance away stood a small sacrificial altar.
[Discovered hidden prayer room. Reward: 40EXP]
[EXP: 280/500]
Since this place was considered secret, it gave more EXP upon discovering.
But before Liam could scan the room, a human-like figure with extremely pale face walked out from behind a pillar, approaching him.
In the light of the torch, one could see the figure's rotting skin and withered hair.
Even Liam had to focus and not get distracted by the disgusting appearance.
[Minor Zombie
Rank: Common
Level: 4
HP: 60/60]
Minor Zombies were rather weak creatures, but they often appeared in groups.
Thus, Liam didn't enter the room, waiting by the door for the opponent to arrive.
"Gnaah Lerkk."
The zombie's dislocated jaw moved, letting out strange sounds.
"Shut up."
Liam initiated the attack, making use of his sword's reach.
[-32!]
Satisfied with his damage the veteran took a step back. Since the zombie wasn't able to attack yet, this didn't count as dodge.
A moment later Liam's attack was off cooldown, another swift slash finishing the zombie off.
The fight ended quickly but Liam didn't dare to be complacent. A soft breeze came from his back, letting the torches sway eerily.
Right then the corpses scattered on the ground began moving. They stood up, staring at Liam with small green flames in their eyes.
Liam readied his sword as the zombies approached him with stiff steps.
He stayed outside the room, waiting for the perfect moment.
Suddenly his sword flashed, using [Double Slash]
[-27! -42!]
[-27! -42!]
Liam's sword drew a graceful curve. Both his slashes hit two zombies, killing them both.
Attacks like this one were the reason why he trained the movement of his skills to perfection. With strong enough control one was able to get the maximum out of every skill.
The remaining eight zombies weren't intimidated, however, continuing without stopping.
Liam kept a calm mind. Preventing them from swarming him, he got rid of them one by one.
Soon, the zombies returned to their lifeless states, lying dead before Liam's feet.
Liam stayed calm as the fight ended. Knowing that zombies dropped fabric, which was a useful item for many professions, Liam quickly looted them all.
But to his pleasant surprise he found a small bottle in his hand after a few attempts.
[Minor poison of decay
Category: Common
Effect: Deals 40+2%(HP) poison damage per second. Lasts for five seconds.
Charges: 3
Don't get it on your hands!]
Poison was one of the many consumables in the game. It could be applied on weapons to unleash its effects.
Liam was satisfied, finally entering the room.
A moldy smell assaulted his nose, incredibly lifelike. The heat of the torches fought against the cold from outside, but the bloody room made one's body freeze, nevertheless.
Liam was already used to such scenes, ignoring it for the most part as he began searching the room.
Random chests stood at the side. Some players might think they encountered their first treasure chest but Liam recognized them as part of the scenery.
Opening them only revealed some moldy food bitten by rats.
Liam shook his head. The prayer room he was in was first discovered by a teammate of his in Liam's first life. It was supposed to contain a certain key, but his teammate never explained were exactly.
Thus, Liam was forced to search all the miscellaneous chests and decorations.
Suddenly a crisp sound could be heard. Liam's eyes lit up. He put the skull in his hand back on its pedestal, scanning the floor.
He found a small black key which just dropped out of the skull.
[Black Key
Category: ???
A black key, found in the hidden prayer room. Its use is unknown.
You found the key but where is the lock?]
Naturally Liam knew the usage of the key, or he wouldn't have deliberately searched for it. He put it into his inventory before directing his gaze at a shelf he ignored so far.
It was filled with tattered books covered in dust. Their covers were grey, their sites yellowed by time.
However, upon a closer look one would notice one book standing out. Below all the dust a violet light peeked out, proving that one of the books survived the erosion of time.
Liam took it away, reading its title out loud.
"Refresnim!"
Refresnim was one of the devils in hell and the book baring its name was a lore book containing tales about the devil.
But in this prayer room it had another function.
As soon as Bleary Mirage spoke the devil's name, the torches flickered ominously.
A rumble rang through the room as the wall before Liam began moving. A large part of it opened, turning and revealing a secret passage, the way forward pitch black.
The wailing of ghosts could vaguely be heard.
Even Liam felt the hairs on his arms stand up as he stared into the darkness.
He grabbed a torch from the room before entering, the door closing behind him.
A corridor made from rough stone was revealed in the flickering flame.
Liam advanced carefully, his eyes on the floor, knowing that this path was filled with traps.
He spotted a few reddish spots on the ground, avoiding them carefully.
After a while most players would gain a rudimentary pathfinder profession, allowing them to spot some traps.
A few classes, mostly those evolved from thieves, also had a bonus on this profession.
But at this point in the game traps were still a novelty most people other than Liam would fall for.