NOVEL FROG CHAPTER 22 Mountain Top Crypt
After his quick rest and recreation in the real world, nearly 18 hours have passed in World of Pangea.
“Tyler’s now the #1 player of Lorikan at level 56.” Adam commented out loud.
The rest of the leaderboard has mostly been regained by the pro gamers. After all, the chamber players only received the massive essence as a reward, but when it comes to skills and teamwork a pro is undeniably of a different caliber than a regular player.
Adam started walking. His plan is to head deeper into the forest to put some distance between himself and the rest of the players.
At this point, no player would venture this far into the forest when there’s so many roaming undead and beasts to take care of in the plains. Not to mention, the forest is home to many powerful beasts that players not familiar with the wildlife will find challenging to face- even for pros.
Every now and then, Adam would occasionally encounter hostile beasts. Fortunately, all of his encounters ended with his swift victory.
A few more hours of walking and finally he reached a specific section of the forest that he was trying to get to. He found the base of a rocky mountain.
Normally, one would need to circle around the base of the mountain until players can find a terrain that is easy to traverse.
He brought out his handy Grappling Crossbow (Rare); why bother hiking when he could take a shortcut?
He aimed his crossbow at the highest platform he could reach.
Vrrrrrng!
-10 MP, -20 MP, -30 MP…
In just a few seconds, he landed on a part of the mountain that others would have taken several hours to reach.
Vrrrrrng!
-10 MP, -20 MP, -30 MP…
-60 MP, -70 MP, -80 MP…
-100 MP, -140 MP, -160 MP…
Since the terrain is rocky and very steep, there’s no reason to stick around in the platforms Adam is landing on. So he just continued grappling until he reached the top of the mountain where he could gain a stable footing.
And from there, he continued traveling on foot. His objective is to reach an area called the Mountain Top Crypt.
In this part of the region, the temperature has gotten considerably colder; one can see hints of snow at the top section of the mountain. Fortunately, it is still tolerable and no debuff has been applied to Adam.
Ding!
[You have arrived at a cold area.]
[A Pyromancer will not easily succumb to the cold.]
[Trait ‘Frost Resistance’ prevents you from suffering cold-related debuffs.]
‘Lucky me!’
Adam is delighted to learn that his trait is enough to protect him from the cold.
But even if he hadn’t, he has a few of the utility potions and scrolls from the hidden room still saved up; some of them grant a certain level of cold resistance.
‘At least, I won’t have to use them yet.’
His stock from the hidden room is running dangerously low. Many of the offensive types of scrolls and various items are about to be depleted though he still has a decent stock remaining for the utility and support types.
He will need to restock his supplies soon. Or at least find better gears so a utility item won’t be as much of a necessity in fights.
And that is why he is traversing the mountain. After one more hour of walking, he finally reached the Mountain Top Crypt.
Unlike the near-countless catacombs and graveyards in the Undead Region, the Mountain Top Crypt is one of the unique exceptions as it existed long before the Lorikan border was established. That is another way of saying that the crypt existed long before the birth of Lorik itself, be it the kingdom or the republic.
Mountain Top Crypt is an ancient tomb that contains valuable treasures and other priceless items. Of course, it is also home to several highly dangerous undead and other enemies.
While Adam can reasonably take care of enemies in the plains and forests of the region, the Mountain Top Crypt enemies are a notch above them all. The minimum level of enemies in an ancient catacomb is at least level 100.
Fortunately, there are several things Adam can use to his advantage.
For this raid, Adam decided to switch out his usual set-up. He took out a longbow and a quiver full of arrows, and he kept Vetius’ Dagger as a back-up melee option.
While he has a semi-automatic crossbow, the other rare crossbow he got from the hidden room from the Forgotten Temple, he deemed the longbow a far better fit for this particular raid as it's far stealthier and less bulky.
He made his way into the entrance and touched the massive door.
And by a massive door, it is a huge boulder that is sealed by magic. A certain array pattern is showing in and around the boulder. If another player were to be in Adam’s place, they would have been stumped as to what to do.
But for Adam, it is immediately obvious to him what is required: essence and the blood of a living. Fortunately, he has both.
Normally, a Rune Tracer is required to decipher the meaning behind what the array requires. However, Adam was one in his first life so the knowledge was retained even though he doesn’t have the class this time around- at least, not yet.
Just as his skill in swordsmanship, alchemy, and others remained intact despite not having the advanced rank of the classes yet, so too is his knowledge of rune patterns. After all, he is not manipulating the runes to unseal it but to simply meet the requirements.
There’s a reason why Rune Tracing is considered the calligraphy of magic. Once it is understood, fulfilling its requirement is the only thing left to do.
Just like in activating the hidden room’s array, he wounded himself using his dagger.
[You took -1 HP damage.]
[You lost 1,000 essence.]
The huge boulder opened on its own accord as soon as Adam provided the price of passage. And as soon as he stepped inside, the boulder returned to its original position, trapping Adam inside.
Anyone else would have been scared shitless by what happened and panicked but Adam knew the array’s function is to only open from one side; there is no option to open it from within. Therefore, it stands to reason that the exit is elsewhere inside the crypt.
Surprisingly, the tomb is well-lit albeit the entire place is unusually cold despite the flames from torches that can be found all over the place.
Adam recognized the type of flame almost immediately: Dead Fire.
It is a magical flame that grants light but lacks any heat. Despite the appearance of a flame, it is actually considered a dark-based magic.
As to the reason why the place is well-lit, the answer is simple. The dead walk the halls of the crypt and they need the light to maintain the place. After all, even the dead need a form of light to see their surroundings.
Before taking another step, Adam crouched and adapted a very low stance. He then concentrated to detect the lightest sound that would give him an idea as to the types of enemies in his immediate vicinity and their numbers.
He didn’t need to concentrate for too long.
Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa!
Kruuug! Kruuug! Kruuug!
‘Of course.' smirked Adam. 'The first undead enemies are always zombies and skeletons.’
‘What a surprise.’
The halls of the crypt are narrow, with only two people barely able to walk side by side. Though this means that the undead cannot overwhelm him if they’re only coming from one direction, it also means he will be trapped if he was flanked.
Therefore, the route he takes from this point forward would determine his survivability.
As a matter of fact, these types of hallways are what gave Adam an idea when clearing the room with 5 necromancers in the catacombs.
He took the path that he remembers from the team that tried, but failed, to raid the crypt. It was a small group of adventurers who managed to get to this location first during Adam’s previous life. In the end the team failed in raiding the crypt and whoever succeeded decided not to share the news.
However, a 24-hour long video was uploaded by the ranger who explored the series of hallways to draw a map for the rest of his team. Despite their failure, the uploader of the video was kind enough to put up a relatively detailed map as he was walking the hallways so Adam was more or less able to recall the general path he took.
But the difference between the ranger and Adam is that the ranger avoided enemies, but he intended to eliminate the undead.
The basic structure of the crypt is fairly simple, even if the overall layout is complex. Besides, even if Adam doesn't fully know the layout of the area, all he needs to do is mark the path he took so he doesn’t run in circles.
There are numerous hallways in each floor, and in each hallways’ end are chambers that typically have some of the buried dead in their coffins.
Of course, sometimes the coffins are empty and the dead are walking around.
This is why ensuring that all the dead are really dead is of utmost importance. While the ranger took the path of stealthily navigating the place while avoiding enemies, Adam decided that the path of silently dispatching the dead is better.
Why pass the chance to gain essence?
He took a chug of invisibility potion and briskly headed to the nearest chamber. There he found two skeletons and two zombies walking around. If one were to take note of their actions, it is clear that they are maintaining the place.
In the absence of an enemy, the undead surprisingly spend most of its time ensuring that their resting place remains in as good condition as possible. Unfortunately for them, someone is aiming to give them a second death- a more permanent kind.
Before firing a shot, Adam observed their movement pattern and then headed back somewhere in the middle of the hallway. This way, even if the enemy rushes towards him when the fight starts, he has a bit of distance to work with.
Adam activated his trusted weapon buff: Fire Enchantment.
This spell works not only in melee weapons, but arrows as well. In fact, it can also be used to imbue one’s fist with fire or anything that the player considers to be their weapon
Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa!
He nocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring as far back as he could. Fortunately, with his current stat in strength, drawing a longbow strings to its fullest is an easy thing to do.
Kruuug! Kruuug! Kruuug!
He picked his target, he chose the skeleton armed with a bow. As soon as the skeleton archer came to his light of sight, he released the arrow.
Swish!
Thud!
[You have dealt 132 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
‘The level didn’t show, huh?’
Even at level 77, the level of the skeleton archer didn’t show. That means there’s a high level difference between them. But more realistically, the skeleton enemy is at least in the level 90s..
It’s HP also didn’t show so Adam can’t gauge how well or poorly his damage inflicted was.
Not that it matters.
He nocked another arrow and fired.
[You have dealt 129 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
‘Still kicking, huh?’
Fortunately, the skeleton enemies are a little slow at reacting. Even though one of them has already been hit, they did not immediately recognize the presence of a threat.
And this gave Adam a few precious seconds to pepper the enemy archer with a few more arrows. Meanwhile, the skeleton archer tried to use his arrow but the fire caused some staggering effect on it.
[You have dealt 135 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
At this point, the skeleton archer managed to return fire, but Adam can tell at a glance where its arrow’s trajectory is so he was able to dodge it when the arrow was released.
Woosh!
Then Adam returned fire, clearly his firing frequency is faster than the skeleton.
[You have dealt 127 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
[You have dealt 133 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
Woosh! Another shot from the skeleton was dodged by Adam.
[You have dealt 122 damage to Skeleton Archer Lvl. ??.]
And then-
[You have slain Skeleton Archer Lvl. 92. You have absorbed 2800 Essence.]
“So, level 92 and approximately 700 HP.” Adam acknowledged the data that flashed before him.
Since he had slain the skeleton, its level was finally revealed. More than likely, the rest of the enemy are around the same level.
His next target is the Skeleton Soldier. Luckily, it only reacted when the archer had finally fallen so Adam didn’t need to worry about another target while engaged in a ranged fight.
Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa! Ka-chaa!
Swish! Thud!
The arrow landed directly in its head.
[You have dealt 112 damage to Skeleton Warrior Lvl. ??.]
And yet the damage inflicted is less than the one Skeleton Archer took.
Kruuug! Kruuug! Kruuug!
But no matter, Adam kept firing before it could reach him in melee. It took nine arrows to take the soldier down. In comparison, the archer took only six.
Kruuug! Kruuug! Kru-
[You have slain Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 95. You have absorbed 3500 Essence.]
But the fight isn’t over yet. There are still two zombies. This time, Adam prepared for a melee confrontation. Most likely, the zombies are also high-level. But it doesn’t change the fact that they are slow.
Fire Enchantment!
Adam rushed toward the nearest zombie and started slicing at its joints.
Slash!
[You have dealt 119 damage to Zombie Lvl. ??.]
Stabbing attacks isn’t ideal as there’s a chance his weapon could get stuck in their body. So he focused on dealing swift slashing attacks.
Slash! Slash!
[You have dealt 121 damage to Zombie Lvl. ??.]
[You have dealt 117 damage to Zombie Lvl. ??.]
For every swing of the zombie’s arm, Adam is dodging and slicing at it at least twice so it didn’t take long for the zombie to be defeated.
Slash!
[You have dealt 122 damage to Zombie Lvl. ??.]
[You have slain Zombie Lvl. 92. You have absorbed 1200 Essence.]
He didn’t have to bother to read the notification, he immediately continued his attack on the second zombie before the Fire Enchantment expired.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
[You have slain Zombie Lvl. 93. You have absorbed 1300 Essence.]
“Whew! That was just a warm-up!” Adam exclaimed silently.
Despite emerging victorious, he immediately checked the coffins in the chamber to ensure there are no dormant zombies- and thankfully, there aren't.
He then analyzed the information he gathered from the encounter:
Skeleton Archer has at least 700 HP at Lvl 92
Skeleton Soldier has at least 900-1000 HP at Lvl 95, and;
Zombie with at least 400 HP at Lvl. 92
As expected, even the basic enemies have relatively high HP. There is now no doubt in Adam’s mind that the enemies further ahead would even be more challenging.
Adam continued exploring the tomb. This time, he made sure to move stealthily and only engage in enemies with a relatively low number. His ideal group target is 2 to 3 enemies.
As much as Pyromancy would help in dispatching the undead faster, he refrained from using anything but Fire Enchantment for fear that the sound of explosion would alert the entire floor’s enemy to his location.
Just like in the Catacombs back in the Forgotten Temple, he picks his fights carefully until he accumulates enough essence and becomes stronger for a more direct confrontation. With the combination of stealth and archery, he’s slowly but gradually clearing the floor he’s in.
Eventually, he started encountering chambers with 'sleeping' undead. These are the types of undead that are lying in their coffin and would rise once it senses that there’s an enemy nearby.
But instead of becoming an added challenge, Adam welcomed the easy prey. He would keep on stabbing the target until it died- long before it could rise from its coffin and become a threat.
Adam continued this strategy until he’s positive he cleared the floor.
By the time he’s defeated all enemies, he has once again accumulated an impressive number of essence. Considering that even a ‘basic’ enemy like a zombie provides nearly over 1500 essence, it is of no surprise that he had collected over 250,000.
Once again, it is the wonder of having a single person absorb an essence all to himself.
Had it been anyone else, it would require a group of players at least level 90s to raid the place with a relatively high chance of completion. But by then, the essence yield would have been considerably less.
Adam used the essence to reach Level 83. He placed all 6 points into Harmony. But this time it is the skill point he needs more than the stat increase itself. He then used the skill points he earned to upgrade Fire Enchantment to Lvl 4. And finally, he used the last remaining skill point to unlock Fire Breath.
Fire Enchantment 4
Description: The caster enchants a weapon with flames, granting an additional 40 fire damage for 40 seconds. Has a fair probability of setting the target on fire.
Cost: 40 MP
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Fire Breath
Description: Produce a burst of flame that deals 10 points of damage per second.
Cost: 15 MP/second
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Although the description of Fire Enchantment states the fire damage increased to 40, his Ignition Gloves and his slowly improving Harmony stat are providing a small, yet valuable bonus to his fire damage.
If he could dispatch enemies with one less strike or arrow hit, that would give him more time to deal with the rest of the enemies. In turn, this would cause a snowball effect of him gaining more essence that he could invest further into becoming stronger.
As for Fire Breath, it was one of the first skills offered to him when he first learned Pyromancy. Though he initially didn’t think it’s very useful, he figured a brief burst of flame can act as a good distraction in case he’s rushed by the undead. If nothing else, it can quickly ignite enemies he doused in oil.
And on the subject of Pyromancy, he is delighted to see its growth. Fighting a higher-leveled enemy using Fire Enchantment causes his proficiency to improve steadily.
He decided to rest for about an hour before continuing. He then applied repair powder in his dagger and then refilled his nearly-depleted quiver with more arrows- fortunately, he has an abundance of it so running out of ammo won't be a problem anytime soon.
After resting for an hour, he continued exploring the first floor. This time, he cleared the area with 4 or more enemies- the ones he originally avoided.
It took him another 12 hours to finally clear the first floor of every enemy.
Unfortunately, there is no notable loot other than the occasional alchemical ingredients. As for the weapons and armors, the equipment of the undead are understandably in less ideal condition that it’s not worth looting.
At least, this is going by Adam’s standard. Anyone else would have taken the time to collect everything and sell it for a decent price. But to Adam, the time it would consume for such a task is not worth it. It is better to continue his exploration.
However, Adam still made it a point to Purify each and everyone of the equipment he came across to help improve his Alchemy progression if only for a small percentage.
At this point, there is nothing more to be done on this floor. He decided to head to the next level.