Facing the Skeleton King's attack, Leander remained completely calm. His movements were precise and agile, perfectly predicting the boss's attack and dodging it without a scratch.
The Skeleton King wasn't particularly strong. Its attacks were slow, and after its first strike, it began charging a skill.
The ground even helpfully displayed the skill's attack range.
Leander decisively moved out of the danger zone, once again avoiding damage entirely.
He quickly realized something.
This dungeon was essentially a gift—a tutorial designed to help players gain experience and familiarize themselves with the game mechanics.
But even so, it was still a significant challenge for most players.
Leander, however, was an exception.
"Even though I've lost my memory, the instincts engraved in my soul remain. Whether it's dodging or attacking, it all feels incredibly familiar to me."
"Even without the attack range indicator, I can tell just by watching the Skeleton King's movements where its next attack will land."
Preemptively predicting and dodging.
The Skeleton King's health was already halved, and Leander was still unscathed.
The battle lasted less than two minutes before Leander delivered the final blow.
[Congratulations! You've completed Dungeon Quest 2. Reward: Bone Armor ×1.]
[Congratulations! You've achieved the first kill of the Skeleton King. Reward: Level 1 Warrior Medal ×1. Equipping this medal grants a 10% boost to all attributes.]
[You've gained EXP +800, Evolution Points +20, Swift Boots ×1...]
[Global Announcement: Congratulations to Player Leander from Newbie Village #33555 for setting a new record in the Valley of Death dungeon! Current clear time: 21 minutes and 37 seconds!]
A series of notifications popped up, overwhelming Leander's vision.
Among the standard rewards, the [Global Announcement], glowing with rainbow colors, stood out the most.
The world chat exploded.
"Holy fuck! That's insane! Solo-clearing Valley of Death and setting a new record?!"
"Quick, check Leander's ranking in Newbie Village #33555!"
"Oh my god, you won't believe this—he's only Level 2!"
"No way. A Level 2 player soloed a Level 10 dungeon boss? My team wiped twice in there! And don't forget, dying in the dungeon costs real-life lifespan. I've already lost six months of my life for nothing!"
"That's on you for being bad. Don't question someone else's skill just because you suck!"
The world chat refreshed rapidly, with players divided into two camps: those in awe of Leander's strength and those doubting his legitimacy.
"Look, the leaderboard just updated! Leander's already Level 5!"
"Level 5? That's gotta be the top spot!"
"Check the rankings in Newbie Village #33555! His name is glowing in rainbow colors!"
"Wait, Newbie Village #13's leaderboard just updated too. The Chosen One is also Level 5, only two seconds behind Leander!"
"What the hell? The game's only been live for two hours! How are they doing this?"
"Calm down. A bunch of leaderboards just updated. There are more than two Level 5 players now!"
"Weird. Did all the top players coordinate their level-ups at the same time?"
It was pure coincidence.
When Leander exited the dungeon, the overflow of experience points immediately pushed him to Level 5. His skill panel also unlocked a new ability.
[Tempest Slash (Tier 0): A ranged AoE skill. Consumes 20 MP to deal 20–27 damage to all enemies within a 3-meter radius. Cooldown: 8 seconds.]
In total, Leander had earned over 1,000 Evolution Points in the dungeon, most of which came from the skeleton soldiers.
The Skeleton King itself had only provided 20 points.
However, the boss compensated with significantly higher experience rewards, balancing the system.
Leander didn't dwell on it. With over 1,000 Evolution Points, plus the leftover points from before, he immediately maxed out Basic Swordsmanship.
[Basic Swordsmanship (Tier 2 → Tier 5): A normal attack that consumes no MP. Deals 20 → 100 physical damage per strike. Attack frequency: 6 attacks per second. Max level reached.]
Leander couldn't help but clap his hands in satisfaction.
The power of his Infinite Evolution talent was becoming increasingly apparent.
With his current stats, if he were to face the Skeleton King again, he could kill it in just two seconds.
SSSSS-grade talent truly lived up to its reputation.
Leander glanced at the now-gray portal behind him and sighed regretfully.
The beginner dungeon was a one-time opportunity. Once cleared, players couldn't re-enter.
Fortunately, the game was filled with countless other dungeons. He could simply move on to the next one.
Leander turned and left.
Instead of rushing into another dungeon, he sought out a pack of Level 5 wild dogs nearby and charged in.
With a few swings of his sword, he wiped out the entire pack in seconds.
It was exhilarating.
Thirteen monsters yielded 325 Evolution Points.
As expected, higher-level monsters provided significantly better rewards.
Evolving skills was becoming easier and faster.
"If I clear another dungeon, I might be able to max out all my warrior skills."
With that thought in mind, Leander opened his map and located the nearest dungeon.
However, after taking just a few steps, he noticed something strange.
Why were all the players he passed staring at him?
The closer he got to the dungeon, the more players there were. By the time he reached the entrance, a crowd had gathered, and they erupted into cheers upon seeing him.
"I knew it! The big shot's here to clear another dungeon! I called it!"
"Oh my god, I'm seeing the legend in person! Please carry me, Leander!"
Male players surrounded him excitedly, while a few female players approached with seductive smiles.
One of them swayed her hips as she spoke in a sultry voice:
"Sir, could you take me with you? I'm a healer—I can keep you alive!"
Another woman leaned closer, her voice dripping with honey:
"Sir, please take me along. I may not be very useful, but my breasts are huge, and I know 69 different positions in bed!"
A male player chimed in, "Big guy! What's the point of taking women? Team up with me instead! By the way, do you like butts?"
Leander was utterly dumbfounded by the chaos.
It took him a while to piece together what had happened from their chatter.
His achievements had been broadcast across the entire server, and he was the first player to reach Level 5.
In a game where strength was revered, players had already dug up his personal information and were comparing him to the Chosen One.
To make matters worse, someone had even started a betting pool on who would level up faster: Leander or the Chosen One.
All of this had unfolded in just a few minutes.
It wasn't entirely surprising that Leander was out of the loop. He had muted all notifications after finding the constant world chat messages annoying when he first woke up.
Now, his screen was flooded with friend requests and party invitations, completely obscuring his view.
Overwhelmed by the players' enthusiasm, Leander rejected all the friend requests with a single click and stepped into the dungeon portal.
With a flash of light, he disappeared from sight.
The crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment.