Jacob saw a screen flash before him minutes after stepping out of the wood shed. He stayed a few kilometers away but only left after he heard the police siren.
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[You successfully found the culprit of the kidnappings and killed him, saving 9 children in the process from a tragic end. Because they saw their attacker killed, the children's trauma was briefly alleviated, and your encouragement gave the children hope for a better future].
[Congratulations, you have obtained the following rewards: 1800 Experience, 180 Gold, Skill: Encourage (Unrated Quality)]
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Not giving Jacob a chance to be surprised for long, he felt the increase in strength as he saw that he had leveled up.
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He had expected that it would be rewarding, but he didn't expect that he would get 2 levels with this quest, on top of which he also got an unranked skill...
Taking the mask he had been wearing the whole time off his face, Jacob replaced it with the mask from the man he had killed. The instant the mask was positioned on his face, it ended up contouring to his features.
Jacob tested the stealth skill and noticed that he had a small jump in his speed. Running as fast as possible, he dashed towards the city.
Not long after, he stopped and looked through the details of the new ability he gained: Encourage.
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'Not bad.' Jacob particularly liked the chance to weaken the fear effect. He knew that after he reached level 20 and chose a class, he could fulfill the requirements to evolve skills. If it was already such a good skill even before it evolved, he got excited just imagining when it would undergo evolution. Although the cooldown was a bit high now, it could decrease when it evolved.
Jacob already came out of stealth mode as he got very close to the populated area and took off his mask, storing it in his inventory. Heading towards his house, Jacob noticed that it was getting dark.
"Hi again, neighbor~"
Right before reaching his house, Jacob was stopped by Mrs. Elisa. The woman before him not only had a seductive and charming aura, but also a sweet expression that inevitably made him gulp.
"Good evening, Mrs. Elisa, good to see you again," Jacob said.
He tried to be as natural as possible, but inevitably he noticed that she was wearing a different outfit and ended up taking one more look. She was wearing one of those tops that women and girls wear on hot days. Jacob ended up looking at the beautiful mounds that her top barely hid. Her nipples left definite marks on the front of the thin top. Despite having memories of two lifetimes, he was still an 18-year-old (and a horny one). It didn't take long for his pants to bulge.
Elise looked into his eyes, then she lingered on his groin and smiled sensually. Jacob had already sensed that she was somehow hinting at him. Even now she didn't show any disapproval and actually seemed quite pleased with her effect on him. This inevitably made him even bigger within the confines of his pants.
"It's hot tonight, yes?" Jacob said, a little embarrassed by her constant gaze.
With his change of topic, Mrs. Elise chuckled softly, making her full breasts sway invitingly...
"Yes, a lot." She licked her lips as she said, "But, I love it when it's hot, you know~?"
"Ohh..." Jacob was stunned, but then said, "I think so..."
"Yes, it is not the same with you?" She gave him a meaningful look.
The conversation between the two was quiet and 'ordinary'.
Mrs. Elise noticed a light being turned on in her house and said with a smile, "Gotta go! Have a good night, Jacob~"
"Yes, you too," Jacob said. He didn't leave right away, watching her smiling at him and waving as she left. He saw when she turned around and for a few seconds he was looking at her ass that moved seductively as if it had a life of its own.
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Even after he walked into the house, Jacob was still thinking about Mrs. Elisa. Grabbing a change of clothes and a bath towel, Jacob went into the bathroom...
Some minutes later...
Jacob got out of the shower and felt much better. His thoughts were clearer, and he went back to thinking about getting stronger. Now he was confident of making it past the fifth floor of the labyrinth.
After putting on all of his equipment, Jacob took the key to the maze and opened it. The instant he entered, Jacob saw not far from him a large wolf. Obviously, it was the fifth floor boss, who was at level 20.
Animals that reached level 20 gained their own names, which was like a class. Their stats were increased, and they even had some special skills.
But even knowing that, with his current status Jacob didn't fear this wolf, despite being bigger than himself even standing on all fours. With a health bar of over 600 health, Jacob calculated his current strength and imagined the current defense of the 'Bloodthirsty Wolf Igak', and determined that he would need a maximum of 5 accurate hits.
With a steady gaze, Jacob braced himself.
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"Woof!"
[Encourage]
The instant Igak, the Bloodthirsty Wolf roared, Jacob was under the effect of fear, however, by using encouragement not only did he have a 10% increase in his stats, he also weakened the effects of the fear.
Jacob didn't use his icy breath; this boss was immune to all types of stun. An absolute rule of the labyrinth was it was impossible to stun floor bosses. Igak's speed was no joke, with sharp claws being much taller than Jacob, and he attacked with an incredible speed twice in a row.
*Whoosh!*
If it weren't for Jacob's incredible speed, it would have been difficult to dodge even if he knew Igak's attack pattern.
[- 152]
[- 143]
[- 151]
[Moonwalker]
Jacob remained cool and collected as he backed away. At the same time he retreated, Igak roared again, but this time it wasn't to debuff but rather to add 50% increased damage for himself.
This was a very exaggerated buff that all Labyrinth floor bosses had. Worse was that it was cumulative, that is, the longer it took to kill the boss the worse it would be if someone in the party didn't have the ability to cancel the buff.
Obviously, Jacob didn't have any buff-canceling skills, so he didn't intend to prolong this battle. In the next instant, Igak attacked even faster than before, however, Jacob already expected it and reacted in time. Continuously dodging, Jacob waited, and when Igak used his strongest skill which was a heavy bite, Jacob dodged and charged!
[Moonwalker]
*Whoosh!*
Without giving the cooldown on Igak's abilities the chance to cycle, Jacob attacked three more times in a row.
[- 149]
[- 144]
[Critical!]
[- 184]
[Experience gained: 40]
[Bonus experience gained: 20]
'Phew~'
Although he wasn't hurt, even when he hit the gigantic Igak, it was quite exhausting, especially mentally, to get the timing perfectly right without getting hurt.
Seconds later, Igak turned into particles and an item was left on the ground. Seeing that it was a vial with red liquid inside, Jacob perked up. Taking it in hand, he saw the item's information.
[Potion of Lesser Health (Recovers 100 health)].
Although it wasn't all that special in the long run, it was very good for him who was just starting out.
'If one of the children from before drank a health potion like this, they would be able to restore their lost limbs...'
Even thinking this, Jacob shook his head. Although deep down he wanted to help them, there were 9 children, and honestly, having to choose one among them to give this health potion to was a very difficult choice. Not to mention that if someone close to him ever needed it, he might regret it later.
'If I reach the 10th floor, I can have access to the Labyrinth Shop, so I'll see if I can buy more health potions there or not.'
With that thought in mind, he placed the potion in his inventory. After that, Jacob approached the chest that was right behind where Igak was initially.
The trunk was relatively large, the size of a travel bag. Opening the trunk, his eyes blinked in disbelief.
[Congratulations, you've obtained 10,000 gold from the Labyrinth chest!]
"Wow!"
It was simply sensational.
Jacob immediately put all the gold in inventory. He saw that he already had a total of 11,222 gold and 136 silver coins. He had already created a small fortune. The potion he got from the boss, if his memory served him, Jacob remembered it would be worth around 100 gold.
That was a pretty high amount, considering that one could use that to buy a piece of equipment that could help a lot more, but a health potion was something that could restore life. No wonder it was so expensive; it could even restore a lost limb. As long as someone had 1 health, they could recover a full 100 health. Depending on the situation, this price could have been considered cheap, and while the potion that healed 200 health cost 500 gold, it was still a price many are willing to pay.
'When I pass the 10th floor, I... I'm going to help those kids!'
Despite understanding that he couldn't help everyone, it was hard to forget what he had witnessed and not want to help, especially when he was partially involved.
Passing through the portal leading to the next floor, Jacob saw a message that made him very happy:
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Jacob was all smiles; this was just too good!
'Now I have 5 Labyrinth keys, not counting the one I'm currently using!'
He automatically thought of his parents and sister. The more he got, the better.
The Labyrinth Key was hard to get at first. In his memories, he saw that he had only succeeded a total of 10 times. However, this time, in just 1 day, he got 6!
At the same time as he was rejoicing, not only having gained two Labyrinth Keys but also having gained 2,000 experience, the message of him passing Floor 5 appeared around the globe.
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[Congratulations to the player [Achilles] for being the first Player to clear Floor 5 of the Labyrinth. This achievement is engraved on the leaderboards for all eternity for the Labyrinth!]
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Jacob didn't become cocky because of this. He recalled that on the second day, someone else was going to get this achievement. However, he knew he hadn't been the First Player.
When thinking of the First Player in his memories, Jacob didn't have many memories about them. His/her achievements were never shown. Either that player was extremely cautious and didn't want to become a target… or they had died somehow.
In any case, it wasn't something Jacob needed to worry about right now. He needed to step up while he still had the upper hand.
Jacob looked forward. Seeing minotaurs with spiky clubs, he prepared for another fight, but he wasn't afraid. For now, these minotaurs were only level 12. Although they were smarter than the wolves, Jacob knew their attack pattern.
Edited by: Azurtha