Uh... Was This an Instakill Spear?
"Uh... Was this an instakill spear?"
"This goes down in one hit."
One hit. Just a single strike had ended the life of the Stone Eater, a field boss monster. Even if it had pierced right between its eyes—a critical spot—and even with every buff skill stacked to unleash that sword thrust, it was absurd that a boss monster, not some run-of-the-mill field mob, would fall silent in one blow.
Thanks to that, the other players who'd been hunting for the boss after hearing the system alerts could only stare at its corpse. Assuming some high-level player had snagged it, they cursed up a storm before scattering back to their own hunting grounds.
"It was definitely a tank-type boss monster..."
But Vulcan himself was still a bit dazed. The Stone Eater lived up to its name as a predatory tank that devoured stone to empower itself. It didn't just eat rocks—it fortified its skin with them, sprouting gravel and boulders across its hide. Swing a blade wrong, and you'd just dull your edge on the bastard.
—Idiot. Once a weapon properly absorbs mana, it unleashes power on the level of a Mana Blade or even an Aura Blade. Of course it can't be blocked by mere pebbles.
Tud's response was matter-of-fact. From the moment it hit +5 reinforcement and started emitting that blue glow, it wasn't just a cosmetic change—the weapon had begun channeling true mana energy. It wasn't merely higher damage; even without explicit options like penetration or Mana Blade, the immense mana infused within granted unlisted sharpness and piercing power.
"Hmm, it's impressive, but this makes testing impossible."
Vulcan finally pieced it together and steadied himself, but this ruined any real testing. Sure, the Stone Eater was a field boss, but only level 160. Knowing he could one-shot even a tank-type monster with full power meant he now needed to gauge minimum damage and adjust his combat style accordingly.
"Still a one-shot."
So after the Stone Eater, Vulcan held off on other skills and stuck to his original plan: hunting the Grizzly Boars around the area. They didn't harden their skin like the Stone Eater, but their thick, tough hides were no joke—yet they fell to a single slash too. Charging head-on, he'd ram his sword into their skulls, the blade sinking nearly to the hilt with ridiculous ease.
Then silence. The only addition was his pre-cast Blessing of Might, but they dropped dead in one hit. He even tested non-headshots just in case—same result. Critical or not, they couldn't withstand it, no matter how many he faced.
"And this is at full condition."
Truth be told, he was fine with some resource drain if it meant this power. But as he looted the corpses, his HP, mana, and stamina were already topped off. His combat style—smashing charging Grizzly Boars with raw strength and destructive force—meant absorbing some impact on collision, but his defense dispersed most of it. Any minor mana or HP loss got cleanly restored by the Sun Sword's options.
"At this rate, I'm basically invincible in the field during the day."
Like photosynthesis, it absorbed sunlight to rapidly recover HP, mana, and stamina—a power akin to the Sun God Radin's authority. Anything worn down recovered before he could even check.
His gear was so stacked that he was burning more HP from holy power via Blessing of Might than actual damage taken, but whatever.
"Alright, time to farm 'em up."
The rest was straightforward. He'd keep tabs, but Grizzly Boars were among the tougher, higher-HP mobs around here. No point testing reactions on lesser prey with one-slash kills. He swung freely, and each time, one or more monsters bit the dust, dropping materials for the countless quests from Smell's artisans.
"Quest mat. And this one's... mine."
Thanks to his sky-high fame and reputation, Vulcan had racked up quests from Smell's hordes of artisans. The total materials they demanded were insane, but his hunting speed was otherworldly. Plus, with Dragon Eye, he spotted mobs dropping rare+ items or quest mats in advance, prioritizing and looting them efficiently. He quickly exceeded their requirements.
Excess from over-fulfillment aside, the rest was his. Some uses were unclear or meh, but no biggie. Stack 'em for later, appraise with Dragon Eye, or auction/shop them off.
"Subspace."
Inventory overflowing? No sweat with the subspace pouch. Vulcan vacuumed up EXP and loot, leaving same-level players—who'd escaped hell-levels with their own strong attack skills—sucking their thumbs as he swept the zone.
The hell-level stretch from 100-150 wasn't just about weak skills or power. Monsters gave far less EXP than needed for level-ups.
But flip it: from 150+, hunting grounds offered EXP in abundance, easily filling the bloated requirements. Monsters got tougher, sure—but not for Vulcan. He pulled levels easier than at 50.
"How's it leveling this fast?"
Even Vulcan was stunned by his pace. In three days, a whopping 10 levels. While others scraped for one, he'd gained ten.
"Quests are wrapping up too..."
Material collection for quest success overflowed. Over 95% of dozens cleared—he prepped to finish up.
"They said repairs done by today."
Time to move on. Normally, folks shifted cities around 165 anyway—not too early by level. Plenty more quests, but no need. Smell's artisan quests mostly built NPC favor for crafting requests—low EXP, meh rewards.
Better to level in the next city. Gremori's tip: teleport circle fixed today—perfect timing.
"Count Alter..."
One hitch: even with the disciple's letter, would Alter hand over the main scenario quest? Meeting was likely, but rejection for low level? Alter was infamous for his cold, prickly genius.
Many players failed sucking up; some got wrecked for arrogance. Probably.
[Holon's Request]
[Gremer's Request]
[Titin's Request]
Lost in thoughts of contingencies, he'd gathered everything—extras too. Vulcan returned to Smell, turned in quests.
"Whoa, thanks a ton! Take this."
"This fast? Damn, I knew you had it!"
"Try this out. Figure you'd appreciate it!"
Visiting each blacksmith, he handed materials, pocketed rewards. But they weren't ordinary.
'...Did they always give stuff like this?'
Having done a few quests here, Vulcan clocked it: these were special. Items they'd crafted themselves, infused with their signature techniques. Some junk, sure—but his rep, or memories of him wielding others' gear at the artisan contest, sparked their pride. Overkill for mere mats.
"Thanks. I'll put 'em to good use."
Some looked damn useful. No need for weapons with +9 Blessed Sun Sword, but quest-givers spanned blacksmiths, alchemists, architects, enchanters—plenty for personal use or inspiration. Non-bound too; auction 'em for fat stacks later.
Vulcan wrapped Smell quests buried in "gifts."
"Where to?"
The teleport circle—repaired right on time. Hero who saved the city deserved a free ride? Nope, mage tower ops.
"Alter territory—Alter City."
"Long trip. 200 gold. Wish I could discount, but mana stones..."
"Fine."
No hesitation. Alter's core city, named after him, among many holdings.
'Not like it's premium class... Tch.'
Steep for one warp, but roads took ages. Normally he'd balk, but main scenario quest? Worth the investment. No discount, but VIP skip-the-line.
"Urgh."
Brilliant light surged from the floor, vision spun. Dizzy like anemia, guts churning.
'Damn devs and their twisted tastes...'
Why simulate this crap? Vulcan braced, stood, scanned. 'Tud?'
—Am I your buddy? How dare you call this body's name so casually?!
Whack! Heavy smack to the occiput—relief. First teleport together; worried Tud might stay behind. But soul-linked, treated as one body.
"Alter... Been a while."
Rubbing his throbbing head, soothing Tud, Vulcan gazed nostalgically. He'd visited in his prime. Over level 400 archmage's domain, mage tower branches galore—worth a look even without loot or levels.
—Hoh? A decent aura here. Didn't know humans had this caliber now. And...
Tud approved—rare. Mage towers bred top mages, some noble-worthy by skill alone. But probably Alter. Strongest human mage? Pfft, dragon.
—Some riffraff with nasty auras too.
Vulcan nodded—then Tud whipped around, glaring murderously somewhere. Unpleasant as hell. Unpleasant eyes fixed on something.