The Second Life of Adam Cosmos

Satisfied with his status, Adam drew his sword and prepared to raid the catacombs. For good measure, he activated Purify on his new sword, but nothing happened—the blade was already in optimal condition. The Superior Longsword he wielded was well-balanced, crafted by an experienced blacksmith, and ready for the challenges ahead.

Superior Longsword (Common)

Type: Longsword

Damage: 70

Weight: 5

Durability: 50/50

Requirements: 10 Strength

Description: A high-quality sword created by an experienced blacksmith.

The outer part of the catacombs sprawled like a web of interconnected rooms, filled with the remains of countless sacrifices, many of which were now animated corpses. These forsaken souls were now part of the temple's largest and most complex section, patrolled by Level 9 to 12 Skeleton Soldiers. For players under Level 10, this area was nothing short of a death sentence. Fortunately for Adam, his stat boosts and superior equipment put him well above the standard Level 7 player, especially with his 18 permanent stat increases. Most of all, Adam had the advantage of experience, having dealt with Skeleton Soldiers countless times before.

He made his way toward the trio of skeletons that the Hao-Wei team had failed to defeat earlier. Initially, Adam considered using Firebolt from a distance to eliminate them efficiently, but he decided otherwise. This would be his first real combat since regressing, and he wanted to engage in melee to sharpen his instincts. After all, he relished the challenge. He placed his bag down to shed unnecessary weight and approached the skeletons, who quickly noticed him and charged.

The closest skeleton dashed forward with its rusted weapon raised to strike. Adam sidestepped with ease and countered with a precise slash aimed at the joint of the skeleton's sword arm.

[You have dealt 59 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

The impact staggered the creature, though the magic animating it kept the arm attached. This brief opening allowed Adam to thrust his sword into the skeleton’s torso, landing another clean hit.

[You have dealt 60 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

Despite his well-placed attacks, the skeleton’s high HP—around 200—meant that Adam would need several more strikes to finish it off. But before he could land another blow, the remaining skeletons came to their comrade’s aid. Instead of retreating, Adam shifted tactics. This time, he targeted the knee joints of one of the advancing skeletons.

[You have dealt 65 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

Though the limb remained attached, it left the skeleton vulnerable. Wasting no time, Adam struck again, this time severing its head from its body.

[Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9 slain. You have absorbed 250 Essence.]

With one down, Adam turned his attention to the other two. He continued to target the joints of the second skeleton while keeping an eye on the third. With the two enemies closer together, he found it harder to exploit their weaknesses.

Slash! Thrust!

[You have dealt 62 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

[You have dealt 61 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

The fight became a deadly dance where a single misstep could cost Adam his life. With only 39 HP, every hit from the skeletons was potentially fatal. However, Adam remained calm. He had fought countless battles like this before, where the stakes were far higher. One mistake in the real-world apocalypse he had lived through meant true death. By comparison, this was just an exercise.

Finally finding the right rhythm in the fight, Adam gripped his sword with both hands, increasing his damage output. This was the advantage of using a longsword: it was versatile, capable of being wielded one-handed for mobility or two-handed for power. In contrast, a greatsword required both hands at all times, while daggers and short swords lacked the same raw impact.

[You have dealt 87 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

[You have dealt 82 damage to Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9.]

Since these enemies were skeleton-type undead, critical hits were ineffective. Raw damage was what mattered, which is why most undead hunters favored blunt weapons like maces. Though Adam lacked a blunt weapon, his two-handed strikes were more than enough to deal serious damage.

After a few more well-timed strikes, the remaining skeletons were reduced to a pile of bones.

[Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9 slain. You have absorbed 250 Essence.]

[Skeleton Soldier Lvl. 9 slain. You have absorbed 250 Essence.]

“Three skeletons in a 3-minute fight? I’m not at my peak yet,” Adam remarked to himself, referring to his real-life standards. For him, a 3-minute battle against low-level monsters like these was both dangerous and inefficient. The longer the fight dragged on, the higher the risk of something going wrong. He glanced at the Essence he had accumulated. For each Level 9 skeleton, he had earned 250 Essence—a respectable yield for such a brief fight. In total, he had gained 750 Essence. It was enough to level up again, but Adam decided to wait. He preferred leveling up in larger increments, typically five or ten levels at a time, to fully appreciate the power boost.

If the Hao-Wei party had defeated the same skeletons, the Essence would have been divided among the five members, giving them a fraction of what Adam had earned solo. This efficiency was one of the many advantages Adam had over other players. In the World of Pangea, players could choose how to distribute Essence among their party, either equally or based on individual contributions. Adam, however, did not need to share.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Adam collected his bag and looted the skeletons. The weapons they carried were in worse condition than the starter equipment most players used, but Adam took them anyway. He had plans for every piece of equipment he found in the catacombs. He activated Purify on the mediocre weapons, improving them slightly while also increasing his Alchemy proficiency.

The eerie silence of the catacombs returned as Adam resumed his solo exploration. His heightened perception allowed him to sense the movements of nearby enemies. If he focused, he could even detect which areas were more heavily populated by undead. The familiar sounds of the catacombs—clattering bones, low growls, and the scraping of skeletal feet on stone—reverberated around him.

Adam moved in the direction with the least noise, following his instinct. When it came time for combat, he set down his bag to stay light and focused. His next encounter was with a lone skeleton, but there was something unusual about it. The skeleton pointed at Adam with its bony finger as if taunting him. Most players would have been surprised by this seemingly intelligent gesture, but Adam recognized it immediately.

“A Revenant,” he muttered. “But still a low level.”

Revenants were different from the mindless Skeleton Soldiers he had just faced. There were two kinds of skeleton enemies in Pangea: those summoned by necromancers and those that had awakened on their own. Skeleton Soldiers were summoned creatures bound by the limited skill of their summoners, which made them less intelligent and more predictable. They were programmed to guard certain areas and attack intruders, nothing more. This explained why they hadn’t pursued the Hao-Wei team when they retreated.

Revenants, however, were self-aware. They had once been powerful warriors or knights, and when they awoke as undead, they retained some of their combat skills. Fortunately, this particular Revenant was still low-level, though Adam wasn’t one to take unnecessary risks. He threw a dagger to test its reaction.

[You have dealt 9 damage to Revenant Lvl. 8.]

The Revenant barely reacted to the hit, continuing its slow, menacing approach.

“Hmmm, Level 8 is manageable, but let’s not take any chances. Firebolt!”

The familiar surge of heat coursed through Adam’s hand as he cast the spell. The Firebolt hit its mark, dealing a significant amount of damage.

[You have dealt 32 damage to Revenant Lvl. 8.]

The extra damage came from the Revenant being undead, combined with the 10% pyromancy bonus from Adam’s Ignition Gloves. Staggered by the impact, the Revenant faltered, allowing Adam to rush in and finish it with a series of rapid stabs.

[You have slain Revenant Lvl. 8. You have absorbed 450 Essence.]

Despite its low level, the Revenant offered more Essence than the Skeleton Soldiers. Adam sighed, thinking it was a shame that Revenants were so rare. After collecting the Revenant’s weapon and using Purify, he continued deeper into the catacombs. Adam remained selective in his battles, avoiding large groups of enemies whenever possible. If a fight seemed manageable, he would engage, using Firebolt to soften up distant foes before finishing them off with his sword.

In this methodical way, Adam progressed steadily. He preferred one-on-one encounters until he had accumulated enough Essence to level up multiple times.

After about 12 hours of hand-picked fights, Adam estimated that he had cleared at least 10% of the outer section of the catacombs. This was no small feat, especially for a solo player, as these areas were typically raided by large guilds and organized groups. His system of selectively engaging in manageable battles had paid off, allowing him to steadily accumulate Essence and gather a substantial amount of loot along the way. Adam didn’t just pick up weapons and armor from his fallen enemies; he took shields, scraps of wooden furniture, and even coffins—anything that could be carried and potentially repurposed.

Although his bag still had some capacity, he began piling the loot he didn’t immediately need in specific key spots around the catacombs. This saved valuable space in his bag for encountering more significant items. Whenever he stumbled upon a metal coffin, he used it to stash his previously collected loot, making it easier to access and organize later.

With the frequent use of Purify on the deteriorating items he found, Adam’s Alchemy proficiency had also improved. He had now reached Novice Alchemist (29.91%)—an impressive growth considering how difficult it was to level up in Alchemy without brewing actual potions. Most players focused on crafting potions to gain proficiency, but Adam’s clever application of Purify allowed him to progress more efficiently. This gave him a considerable edge over the general player base, whose proficiency in their respective classes likely hovered around 10-15% at this game stage.

Being in a group might offer safety, but solo players like Adam reaped the benefits of greater Essence and skill gains. It was a risk-reward scenario, with Adam favoring the individual growth that came with going it alone.

One significant difference between Pangea and other games was the looting system. In most games, loot drops were restricted to specific items, but here, players could loot nearly everything their enemies wore or carried. The challenge, however, lay in the state of the equipment. Much of what Adam looted was ancient, degraded, and close to breaking. Even with Identifying skills, it was hard to discern what was useful or valuable. In time, as players learned to properly loot monsters, they would likely become more selective. For now, Adam’s approach was simple: take everything, sort it later.

After amassing a substantial amount of Essence, Adam was ready to level up. His initial goal had been to level up five times, but given the amount of Essence he had accumulated, he decided to triple that and go for a major power-up in one go. He added 2 points to Vitality, 3 to Endurance, 4 to Strength, and 3 to Dexterity, rounding out his combat stats to better prepare himself for the tougher challenges ahead.

Although he could have pushed for more levels, he opted to save some of his Essence for another purpose. Adam was now Level 19 with 19 skill points available to spend. Before distributing those points, though, he turned his attention to upgrading his Ignition Gloves. Now that he has met the level requirements, he can enhance them further. Using the remaining Essence, Adam upgraded the gloves to Level 4, exceeding his original estimate of reaching Level 3.

Ignition Gloves Lvl. 4 (Unique)

Restriction: Adam

Description: A medium designed to enhance fire magic abilities. Upgradeable, but needs Essence.

Details: Damage increased by 18%. Casting costs reduced by 18%.

The Ignition Gloves Lvl. 4 (Unique) were now exclusively bound to him, upgrading their rarity from Rare to Unique. This signified that only Adam could wield them moving forward. The gloves now offered an 18% increase in damage and reduced casting costs by 18%, making them an even more formidable tool for his Pyromancy.

Pleased with the upgrade, Adam knew that the investment had been worth it. Improving his gloves had yielded a noticeable boost in his attack power—far more effective than simply adding a few extra points to his stats. Despite not having invested heavily in magic-related stats, his spells still packed a punch.

Next, Adam turned his attention to his skill points. He focused on upgrading his Firebolt spell, which had already proven invaluable. The cost of upgrading spells increased incrementally with each level—2 points for the first upgrade, 3 for the next, and so on. Players could upgrade skills up to Level 9, which meant managing skill points wisely was crucial.

Adam upgraded Firebolt to Level 2, increasing its damage to 35. Satisfied with the results, he upgraded it again to Level 3, boosting the spell’s damage output to 50. While many mage class players would prefer having several spells at their disposal, Adam valued having one powerful ranged attack he could rely on, especially since he viewed Firebolt as both a primary ranged attack and a trump card against tougher foes.

Firebolt 3

Description: Shoots a bolt of fire that deals 50 points of damage.

Cost: 30 MP

Cooldown: 10 seconds

As for his Purify skill, Adam chose to leave it unupgraded for now, saving the rest of his skill points for future needs.

With his level-ups and skill upgrades complete, Adam backtracked to areas where he had previously avoided combat, confident that his newfound power would allow him to take on larger groups of enemies. He methodically cleared out enemies he had left behind, steadily gaining more Essence and refining his combat technique.

Once his enemies were dispatched, Adam returned to the spots where he had stashed his loot. The sheer volume of items he had collected far exceeded what his bag could hold. He carefully transferred as much as possible into his bag and then moved the loot closer to a specific room he intended to raid. This process took time, requiring multiple trips to move the items from his makeshift storage points to the new location.

After hours of preparation, Adam was finally ready to raid one of the largest rooms in the Outer Catacombs. The massive gates ahead of him were unmistakable—a clear indicator of a boss room. Any seasoned gamer would recognize the signs: this was where the real challenge lay.

Just as he steeled himself for the upcoming battle, a system notification appeared.

[System Notification: You have been in Pangea for 24 hours. You need sustenance in the real world. Eating and drinking in-game would consume your gaming capsule’s supply of nutrients and fluids.]

This meant that 8 hours had passed in the real world. Adam, realizing that he didn’t need to rush, decided that logging out for a break would be wise. "Logging out doesn’t sound so bad," he muttered to himself. “System, log out.”

Within seconds, Adam was back in the real world. He had no intention of using the capsule’s expensive supply of nutrients unless absolutely necessary, especially since there was no immediate urgency in-game. The boss raid could wait for an hour or so. He preferred to conserve the capsule’s resources for more critical moments, such as extended quests that demanded his full attention. Once he could secure more funds, stocking up on capsule life supplies would become less of an issue.

As Adam stepped away from the capsule, another system notification was sent to the players still logged in. This one, however, would shake the gaming world.