I left Endyrion’s office and made my way out of the Adventurer’s Guild. I hadn’t noticed it on the way in, due to RED’s interference, but everyone inside the building was frozen still. They looked like they were paused in time. Nox had guaranteed our conversation wouldn’t be overheard by any rats for the other Fae.

I needed to start leveling up. I didn’t have time to dally. I could worry about healing Lily afterwards. I had already set up her brother’s tournament, too. She wouldn’t have to be stressed out for too long. One thing I knew was that Nox underestimated me. He thought it would take me a few years to ascend. This world, while different in many ways, was far too similar to SHO. I may not be able to do much, but I am very capable of leveling up.

I decided it would be cruel to leave Lily without giving her some form of goodbye, but I also dreaded what she’d say to me in return. I eventually settled on taking the coward's way out. I left the Capital of Gransus without saying a word to anyone.

RED, does the Heaven’s Punishment Dungeon still exist in this world?

[Solution: Yes.]

Guide me to it.

[Solution: The user must head East, past the Asmodian Woods, and will find the entrance to the Dungeon in the Heaven Desert.]

I wasted little time and took off running East. I considered stopping by Eastrock to visit Jack Evergreen and Millie, but something nagged at the back of my mind, stopping me. Using my empowered eyesight, I could move at my highest speed without damaging the surroundings.

Eventually, along the road, I came across a strange scene. A small merchant’s caravan was surrounded by armed thieves.

If I hadn’t met Nox, outright killing these bandits would have been far easier. I was considering if capturing them alive was the right move when I watched the bandit chief try to cut down a pregnant woman from the caravan. I made my mind up then. Evil souls will stay evil. Perhaps, if I absorb them, they won't be able to stain the rest of this world. If I had to corrupt myself to save others, then I would gladly do so.

I jumped forward and caught the chief’s blade before it hit the woman.

“Who‘re you!” Cried the pot-bellied criminal. I smashed his nose through his skull.

“I’m a demon, and soon enough I’ll become a God,” I said, as I moved towards the next man, “And you are nothing more than E.X.P.”

I slaughtered the criminals in an instant. Then, before the caravan members could say anything, I started running again. I didn’t need their thanks, nor did I need to get caught up in their problems.

The countryside flew by. I passed several small towns in minutes and quickly found myself at the Asmodian Woods again. I could hear howling from within. It was a bit nostalgic.

I tore through the woods without hesitation. Any Devil Hounds in my path were torn asunder. Eventually, the trees began to thin. The ground grew soft and dry. I could feel the arid air. I had reached the edge of the desert.

The endless expanse of sand seemed to spread out forever in front of me, but I could feel a powerful mana source in the distance. The raw mana being emitted was absurd. It was at least four times stronger than the Calico Labyrinth Dungeon.

The Heaven’s Punishment Dungeon was one of my personal favorite grinding spots for late-game in SHO. The monsters were powerful right from the beginning. Rank 6 monsters could be found on the first floor alone. It was nice that there were no serious traps or mazes in it either. It was a straightforward monster spawn bonanza.

I started running through the sand, creating a dust cloud behind me. I didn’t need RED’s guidance from this point on. I could sense the dungeon ahead. The ambient mana was so thick it made me shiver.

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At my speed it didn’t take long to reach the entrance. It wasn’t a hole in a rock like Calico… The Heaven’s Punishment Dungeon was far classier. The entrance was an old world palace, decaying from exposure to the elements. Three massive pillars stood, holding up a collapsing roof. The entryway was more mausoleum than foyer. Grave markers dotted the site and Rank 6 Skeleton Guardians were roaming about.

The biggest key to rapid leveling wasn’t in fighting rank 9 beasts. It was a common misconception many high level players had. In order to kill rank 9 beasts, the player would have to expend mana and stamina. While those with sufficient levels could handle it, it was a huge hassle. The true easiest way to level up was to fight mobs of level 6 and 7 beasts. Level 5 monsters had low yields, but level 6 and up the monsters had a qualitative difference in experience.

I could kill Rank 6 beasts with a flip of my hand. I could slaughter them in the hundreds. The only hard part was finding locations where hundreds of them actually spawned. The Heaven’s Punishment Dungeon was one such location.

In the game days, the HPD dungeon was considered a noob trap. It had very low item spawn rates and hordes of ‘unchallenging fights’. That was also why few people ever realized just how sweet of a site it was to power level. It was in my top 3 locales. It was rare to meet another player party there unless they had a quest related to the location. The monsters in the dungeon were also almost entirely undead, making them tricky for most to fight. I, of course, knew all their weak points. For me, the Punishment Dungeon was actually a paradise. From level 900 to 1000 I’d usually exclusively level on the 62nd floor.

Without wasting any time, I quickly blasted the Skeleton Guardians outside the tomb and made my way inside. The first room was a long staircase, leading to dark depths below.

I activated -Dynamic Vision- and made my way into the darkness.

Monsters formed battle lines in front of me, but I tore through them like they were made of paper. With Belial’s Blade in hand, nothing could stand before me in these early levels. I made my way down the dungeon and continued my tirade against the undead.

It didn’t take me long to reach my grind spot. Just like I remembered from the SHO days, the sixty second floor contained a massive coliseum sized pit under a trap door. It was a mana vein spawn point. Monsters would spawn by the hundreds in that pit every five seconds. Most players considered it suicide to fall in this kind of pit trap, especially when you could just walk avoid it and advance, but I didn’t have to worry about being torn apart. I leapt feet first into the trap with a smile on my face.

Belial’s blade flashed in the darkness, cutting swathes through my endless foes. Now was a good time to finally experiment with just how much stamina I had. In my old life it would only take a few hours to reach level 1000 from this point, but the experience in this world was a bit more diluted than the game world.

[-Level Increased-]

I began to hear the voice of the world in my head. The monsters spawned endlessly, but I didn’t grow tired. In fact, I even began to smile as I bisected zombies and skeleton beasts. Even if the implications were darker, I was finally getting to do the thing I loved again.

Eventually, I started laughing with joy whenever my sword ended a life.

[-Level Increased-]

[-Level Increased-]

[-Level Increased-]

…