The journey to the location took about seven minutes. Patrick diligently tried to teach me close combat techniques and sword control... verbally. Naturally, I understood little, but I didn't show it.
We came out into a slightly denser part of the forest, where trees surrounded a structure made of mossy white stone. A gloomy atmosphere reigned around, the vegetation seemed withering. The entrance to the crypt was a broken dark grate, behind which was a staircase leading down. Above this passage rose a semicircular arch with creepy symbols and runes.
Three tall ghouls wandered around the "withering" area. They were half-decomposed corpses in tattered clothes, with sharp claws, teeth, and red eyes.
I've seen worse creatures on the wiki, but observing ghouls with my own eyes and realizing that I'll have to fight them is a completely different matter. I really do feel a little fear and uncertainty.
Is this really going to be the first fight? And I'm going to run at these creatures with a sword? Oh God, this is a total mind blast...
"Don't shake like you're about to solo raid the Lord of Terror," Patrick encouraged, though the comparison to Enchantia's strongest boss is quite offensive. "These mobs are level 3, they'll fall from two or three hits with your sword. Even if you take a hit, the chain mail will reduce the damage considerably."
"How can you see the characteristics of my equipment?" I was stunned. He's unlikely to know all the items in the game by heart. By the way, I haven't looked at them myself yet.
"That's another reason why a minimal number of people should know about my abilities," he smirked.
Looks like an ability from the category of reading others' stats and everything related. Awesome, I want one like that!
"Don't tease. Okay, then I'll charge at them, and you help in a critical situation," I put on a confident expression and prepared to rush into battle, although the anxiety remained.
"I'm afraid you'll have to clear the dungeon alone."
"Great, I'm goi... WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALONE?!"
"Uh... Literally a minute ago, I received information from my spy familiar. Apparently, he found the place where the dagger is hidden and there's... a huge fierce brute. I need to send more familiars to check the surroundings and study the brute. I'll do it best if I take a look personally—"
"That's cool!" I got excited. "Forget this crypt then, let's go together. We'll get everything done fast and it'll be great."
Not that I've changed my mind about my own unsuitability for this, but I really don't want to separate from Patrick at all.
"Haha, calm down, noob. I won't take you anywhere with a level below 10. Come on, go farm. I'll be back soon and we'll go to the next dung."
I don't have time to object before Patrick skillfully jumps aside, quickly drinks some gray potion, and runs away at an incredible speed. In only two seconds he is out of my sight.
The thought of catching up with him doesn't even cross my mind. Once again, I bitterly feel my powerlessness before my leveled-up friend.
Damn, I should have formed a party with Patrick, I thought regretfully. That way I could observe if he's losing HP, dealing damage, and so on. However, it's not certain he would have agreed—maybe that can be tracked somehow too?
And he ran away at the most interesting moment, what "fierce brute" did he mean? Logically, it's a boss... A giant boss guarding the Dagger of Madness. I'll definitely interrogate him in detail when he returns.
It seems strange to me that he decided to run to that point. According to his words, the artifact is hidden in a deep and remote part of the forest.
Probably Patrick was afraid to use a portal to avoid revealing his presence. I read somewhere that the magical aura of a portal is easy to detect.
The portals themselves are a very convenient mechanic. I'll definitely learn how to open them.
So, I was left alone with the crypt... well, for now, one on three with the ghouls. They're such ugly creatures, the designers did a great job on the models. Even though I know it's only level 3, it doesn't get any less creepy.
What about the sword anyway?
I open the inventory tab, which is the second window after statistics, and find the sword.
[Hardened Steel Sword]
Quality: Rare.
Damage type: Physical.
Damage dealt: 71-143.
Passive ability: Sharp Edges. 20% chance to deal additional damage of 50 to 85 units.
I've seen newbie items, they're usually much worse, good stuff. I'll check the chain mail too.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
[Bronze Chain Mail]
Quality: Common.
Defense type: Physical damage.
Amount of guaranteed blocked damage: 68-133.
Gives 5 armor units.
I should be able to handle the ghouls, and I might really need to dodge the boss. However, I don't know the total number of ghouls in the crypt, there might be other undead. In that case, the task will be more complicated.
Patrick said it takes two to three hits for one ghoul. He has no reason to lie, I'll try to hit quickly.
I gather my strength, move one regeneration potion from my backpack to my robe, and wait for the ghouls to spread out more or less, so I don't have to fight all three at once. It takes about five minutes, but eventually two move behind the crypt and one ends up close to me.
Come on, Dean, you can do it! Tens of millions have successfully done the same thing, how are you any worse?
With a burst of motivation, I jump out of the bushes and, gripping the sword with both hands, rush at the ghoul. It quickly notices me, lets out a roar that almost makes my knees buckle, and throws itself at me. The motivation fades, but it's too late to retreat.
I prepare to strike at its head, but at that moment I run directly onto the "withered" ground and see:
Cursed Crypt (level 3).
Why are these inscriptions so bright?!
The suddenly appearing designation almost throws me off balance, but I confidently jump towards the ghoul and hit it in the torso area. I couldn't reach its head.
It lets out a roar of pain and swings at me with its right hand. I jump to the left, make a clumsy roll, and plunge the sword into the ghoul's back.
The creature lets out an even louder roar and... falls dead. I glance at the experience parameter—44 units are added.
Really two hits, and I almost leveled up!
I'm as happy about my first killed mob as if I won $1 trillion in the lottery and became the CEO of Amazon. Swinging a sword turned out to be... not difficult, but quite unusual and extraordinary. It will take some time to get used to it, to hone the strikes and movements, as I got a bit winded.
The excitement quickly passes—two similar roars are heard and the remaining ghouls run out at me from behind the crypt. I manage not to get confused and run behind the nearest tree with a large trunk, to sort of separate the opponents.
As soon as the first one appears from behind the tree and attacks with a lunge, I dodge to the opposite side, push off from the trunk, and quickly deliver a series of blows to it. After the third, it lets out a death rattle and falls to the ground.
The last one remains—it has already appeared from behind the tree and attacks with a jump, swinging both hands. I wasn't expecting that, so I fall into a stupor for a short while.
I quickly realize that I don't have time to duck and decide on a risky move—I raise the sword and chop in advance at the center, where the ghoul's head should fly. I feel the weapon entering its flesh and splitting its head in half.
The ghoul falls dead right in front of me, unable to make a sound. I stagger back and try to calm my wildly beating heart. If my counter-attack had failed, this bastard would have done a number on me, I might have had to use a potion.
However, I overcame all three and didn't lose a single unit of health! It's still unfamiliar and the movements are clumsy, but it's much easier than I thought. And also...
Congratulations! You have reached level 2!
HP increased to 283.
Received 4 free characteristic points.
This is what I was waiting for. Now I'm not a complete noob! If I'm lucky, I might be able to level up to at least 5 in one crypt. And I'll distribute the points... like this:
+1 STR. +1 AGI. +1 INT. +1 PER.
Strength and agility will increase my combat ability right now. I'll try to level up the two main attributes always, regardless of the situation.
I was hit by real euphoria from my first success in the game. I allowed myself to enjoy it for a couple of minutes, but then drove away this intoxication. I need to think soberly—I haven't really done anything cool yet and haven't even entered the crypt itself. Premature celebration of victory usually turns out badly.
The only loot from the ghouls was:
Received [Rotten Flesh (2 pieces)].
I think it's needed for alchemy, but I'm not planning to get into that topic yet. Let it be, I can sell it in the future.
I shake myself thoroughly after crawling over the ghouls' corpses, grip the sword tightly, and approach the coveted entrance to the crypt. On my skin, I immediately feel a breath of grave cold from its depths.
Right at the beginning of the stairs hangs a dim torch, and further down the descent... nothing can be seen. At this moment, I realize that I screwed up badly in the store, because I didn't ask for a pack of glowing green sticks. They can illuminate huge areas for a long time. About a quarter of all dungeons in Enchantia have poor lighting to create atmosphere. Having sticks with you is necessary.
I'll have to make do with what the game offers.
With my left hand, I take the torch from the wall and start descending. Slowly, so as not to scare myself and not slip.
And the music playing is so creepy. It's already some kind of horror.
The passage consists of the same mossy stone, which is additionally cracked. Large areas of it are covered in cobwebs. Damn, if there's a lot of cobwebs here, then there are also...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" I screamed, noticing an incredibly creepy spider, the size of my palm, hanging in front of my nose. "GET THE FUCK AWAY!!!"
I screamed for about five seconds and had a staring contest with this devil that made my blood run cold. There seemed to be some kind of consciousness in its eyes, although it showed no interest in me despite my scream.
After finishing screaming, I reflexively swing my sword and strike the terrifying monster. Compared to it, the ghouls seem like cute kittens.
The creature fell dead to the floor, bringing little experience. I thought about setting fire to the cobwebs to destroy all these spiders, but imagined the huge number of them that might crawl out. I had to abandon the idea.
Along with this, I was given my first trait:
[Arachnophobia].
You are extremely afraid of spiders and anything that looks like them. When in contact with arachnids, you panic, lose concentration, and receive -15% to AGI, CHA, and PER.
Damn, this is literally copied from my real life! They didn't lie in the description, bitches, full immersion.
This isn't the first trait I wanted to get... but globally it doesn't affect anything. Hmm, why does it give a minus to charisma?
I decide to put these thoughts aside for later and continue the descent, as new spiders might appear.
Luckily, they don't appear, and I calmly enter a new room. For some reason the torch shines better here, I can see the surroundings. It's a medium-sized crypt made of the same stone, but even dirtier and more cracked. Coffins lie in the walls, half of them with open lids.
AND AGAIN A DAMN JUMPSCARE!
Stepping onto the crypt floor, I crushed some debris with a loud crack. A roar was heard from the right, and a tall, large creature in well-preserved leather armor lunged at me from the floor. It has completely black eyes and massive clenched fists. This is no longer a ghoul, but some kind of zombie.
I dodge by sliding back onto the stairs. It hits its head on the wall and it cracks a bit. Without wasting time, I jump out and hit it in the back, while behind me I hear more roars and growls of at least a dozen enemies.
Looks like I'm in for a long haul...