"Clearing dungeons?"
It was the first time Leander had heard such a term.
Though curious, he maintained a calm and indifferent expression.
"No."
His refusal was crisp and decisive.
Leander didn't need teammates. His evolution points were only earned through solo kills. Having others involved would undoubtedly slow his progress.
"You're so ungrateful…"
The mage in the four-person party was visibly annoyed and pointed at Leander, ready to lash out, but the archer quickly stopped them.
"Bro, is this your first time playing a game?"
Leander turned to look at the archer.
The archer seemed like a straightforward guy. He stepped forward and said:
"Don't worry, we're not bad people. We just found a dungeon up ahead and need a melee warrior to act as the MT. Could you help us out?"
"You might not know this, but dungeons drop way more experience and money than grinding monsters in the wild. More importantly, the best gear is found in dungeons. If you want to grow quickly, the best way is to clear dungeons."
"Plus, there's a big reward for the first clear. Medals, loot boxes—things that can significantly boost everyone's strength."
So that's how it worked.
Leander pondered for a moment but still shook his head firmly.
"Sorry, I have other things to do."
The archer's expression dimmed, but he didn't press Leander further and simply watched him leave.
As Leander walked away, the mage sighed.
"Leader, why'd you let him go? Didn't you see how cleanly he killed that wild boar leader? He's definitely strong. If we could've gotten him on our team, we'd level up so much faster!"
"Exactly! He's probably just a lucky noob who doesn't know anything about games. People like that are so easy to manipulate!"
The other teammates voiced their dissatisfaction, feeling it was a waste to let Leander go.
The archer shook his head. "You all saw how strong he is. We've barely started the game, and he's already capable of soloing a wild boar leader. I'd bet his talent is at least B-grade, maybe even A-grade."
"People like him are best recruited. If we can't recruit him, we definitely shouldn't provoke him. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."
Though they felt the archer's words were a bit exaggerated, he was the leader of their party, so they could only keep their complaints to themselves.
Meanwhile, Leander continued on his way, checking his map as he walked.
The party's mention of a dungeon had piqued his interest. A perfect opportunity to quickly level up and grow stronger was right in front of him. Without hesitation, he opened the map and began searching for the nearest dungeon entrance.
Although the game had just started, 95% of Earth's population had entered this world simultaneously. With such a massive player base, five dungeons had already been discovered and marked on the map.
The closest one was less than a 10-minute walk from Leander's location.
Why hesitate?
Leander broke into a jog. After rounding a corner, he saw a group of players gathered at the dungeon entrance, shouting to recruit teammates.
"Looking for a warrior! We need a tank!"
"We need a mage!"
"Any rogues? Open the treasure chest, and we'll split the loot with you!"
As soon as a team was formed, their bodies would flash with light, and they'd disappear.
They were entering the dungeon.
In less than a minute, ten teams had already gone inside.
Leander approached the glowing portal hovering above the players' heads. A notification popped up in front of him:
[Do you want to enter the beginner dungeon: Valley of Death?]
Without hesitation, Leander selected Yes.
The next moment, the world spun around him. When the dizziness subsided, he found himself in a dark, eerie valley.
[Warning: You have entered the Valley of Death. If you die here, you will be immediately ejected and lose three months of your lifespan.]
[Quest 1: Kill 100 Skeleton Soldiers and collect Soul Flames. Reward: 15-minute 2x EXP Boost Card. Progress: 0/100.]
[Quest 2: Place the Soul Flames on the Summoning Altar to summon the Skeleton King and defeat it. Reward: Bone Armor. Progress: 0/1.]
The quest panel popped up in front of Leander. To clear the dungeon, he needed to complete both objectives.
A beginner dungeon. The difficulty shouldn't be too high.
Leander closed the panel, and almost immediately, a group of skeleton soldiers materialized in front of him. Wielding bone swords, they staggered toward him.
[Monster: Skeleton Soldier (Elite)]
[Level: 5]
[HP: 40/40]
[Attack: 8–11]
[Skills: None]
Compared to monsters outside, dungeon creatures of the same level had significantly higher attack power and health.
Most players, lacking skills and equipment, were fragile and couldn't withstand the skeletons' attacks. That's why dungeons required teamwork.
But for Leander, this wasn't a problem. His base HP was 10,000, and he had powerful swordsmanship skills.
With his Basic Swordsmanship skill, Leander could attack three times per second. In just one second, the skeleton soldier's health bar was halved.
Effortlessly, Leander wiped out the first wave of 10 skeletons, reaping massive rewards.
[EXP +500, Evolution Points +100, Soul Flames ×10, Materials ×Several, Silver Coins +25.]
Leander's eyes lit up.
The rewards were far better than he had expected.
The experience points were double what he'd earn from monsters outside, and the drop rate for materials was much higher. His backpack was already half full.
Fortunately, identical materials could stack in a single inventory slot, saving space.
The countdown for the second wave ended, and 20 more skeleton soldiers appeared.
In dungeons, players couldn't level up mid-run. Any excess experience would only be applied after leaving the dungeon.
Seeing the larger group of skeletons, Leander felt a slight twinge of nervousness.
But it wasn't a big deal.
The skeletons were slow, and Leander could kite them while attacking. In just two minutes, he cleared the second wave.
The third wave. The fourth wave.
Leander grew faster and more efficient with each wave.
By the final wave of 40 skeletons, he only needed three minutes to finish them off.
With 100 Soul Flames in hand, he also received a 15-minute 2x EXP Boost Scroll.
This item could be a game-changer when used at the right time.
No wonder so many players were eager to challenge dungeons.
Following the map's guidance, Leander made his way to the altar.
The altar was constructed entirely of bones, inscribed with mysterious symbols. At its center was a brazier filled with partially burned bones.
Leander placed all the Soul Flames from his backpack into the brazier.
With a loud whoosh, green flames shot several feet into the air. The massive altar began to tremble, and the sky above darkened as storm clouds gathered.
Moments later, a giant skeletal hand emerged from beneath the altar, followed by another. A massive skull, wreathed in green flames, rose from the ground.
This was the Skeleton King, a Level 10 boss with 1,000 HP.
Leander tightened his grip on his sword and launched his attack before the Skeleton King could strike.
1,000 HP? With his high-speed attacks, that was nothing!
In mere seconds, Leander had already landed three strikes, each dealing around 20 damage.
[-24], [-23], [-19]
Meanwhile, the Skeleton King's first attack was only just coming down.