Chương 110

The Reidan desert was incredibly hot. Rudra pulled his black trench coat open, wiping a thick layer of sweat and sand off his forehead. At his feet lay the massive, segmented carcass of a Giant Desert Worm. The monster dissolved into grey ash, leaving behind a few silver coins and a tough piece of monster leather. It had been exactly one month since Piaro picked up a farming hoe. While the Great Swordsman turned the barren dirt by the river into a thriving crop field, Rudra had practically moved into the desert.

He spent thirty straight days hunting the giant worms from sunrise to sunset.

"System. Status window," Rudra muttered, resting the Staff of the Fire Lord on his shoulder. A blue holographic panel materialized in the bright sunlight.

[Name: Rudra] [Level: 295] [Class: Black Staff Lord] [Health: 68, 500 / 68, 500 | Mana: 24, 100 / 24, 100] [Staff Energy: 1000/1000 | Divine Power: 12, 210/12, 210] [Strength: 1, 654 | Stamina: 1, 615 Agility: 1, 652 | Intelligence: 1, 398] [Persistence: 1, 289 | Dexterity: 1, 415 Courage: 1009 | Charisma: 2204] [Dignity: 1, 632 | Insight: 1018 Divine Power: 1221] [Stat Points: 0] He swiped to the next tab, checking his recent skill progressions. The endless desert grind had pushed his abilities nicely.

[Abyssal Step (Lv. 5)] -> [Abyssal Step (Lv. 6)] [Intermediate Medicine Making (Lv. 5)] -> [Intermediate Medicine Making (Lv. 6)] [Intermediate Alchemy (Lv. 5)] -> [Intermediate Alchemy (Lv. 6)] [Blunt Force (Lv. 7)] -> [Blunt Force (Lv. 8)] Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. [Sweeping Gale (Lv. 7)] -> [Sweeping Gale (Lv. 8)] [Super Sensitivity (Lv. 1)] -> [Super Sensitivity (Lv. 2)] [Abyssal Sonar (Lv. 1)] -> [Abyssal Sonar (Lv. 3)]"Level 295," Rudra grinned.

"Just five more levels to go." He needed to hit Level 300 to lock in the [Pioneer] title before Kraugel caught up. Once he secured the global experience buff, he could finally go back to Winston, beat up Grid, and claim his Legendary class. Kratos trotted over, his paws sinking into the hot sand. The half-gold, half-black divine beast sneezed, shaking dust off his snout.

"I know, buddy. It's too hot out here," Rudra said, tossing the cub a piece of dried river-kelp.

"Let's find one more nest for the day." He raised his free hand and triggered his tracking skill.

"[Abyssal Sonar]." [500 Mana consumed.] A massive, invisible pulse of mana erupted from his body. With the skill now at Level 3, the radar expanded rapidly, mapping the harsh desert terrain for miles in every direction. Rudra closed his eyes, reading the feedback. He sensed a few scattered worms hiding under the dunes to the south. But then, the sonar pinged hard to the west. It wasn't a normal monster signature. It was a massive, clustered network of tunnels buried deep underground.

The mana radiating from the area felt incredibly cold and dense.

"What is that?" Rudra frowned. He opened his eyes and jogged west. After crossing two large sand dunes, he stopped. Sitting in the middle of a sunken basin were dozens of giant, rock-hard ant hills. They were easily ten feet tall, casting long shadows across the sand. But there were no ants. A heavy, dark aura leaked from the holes at the top of the mounds. Rudra's Insight stat, which had recently crossed the 1, 000 mark, immediately analyzed the dark mana.

"Vampires," Rudra whispered. He remembered the story Piaro told him. Ten years ago, the original citizens of Reidan were used as livestock by a massive vampire lair hidden in the west. The local militia had marched out here to stop them and never came back. This wasn't just a random monster nest. This was a Vampire City. Rudra stared at the dark holes leading underground. The air around the ant hills felt genuinely dangerous. It was an uncharted, high-level dungeon.

"I should probably go get Piaro," Rudra thought out loud. He took a step back, but then he hesitated. Piaro was currently back at the city, wearing a straw hat and watering wheat seeds. The Great Swordsman had finally found a sense of peace. He was happy. Dragging him into a dark, suffocating cave to fight an army of bloodsuckers just felt wrong. Plus, vampires were notoriously lethal. If Piaro died in an unmapped dungeon, the farmer would be gone forever.

If Rudra died, he just lost some experience points and respawned in town.

"Yeah, no. I'm not risking Piaro's life," Rudra decided, spinning his staff.

"Besides, I need the experience all to myself if I'm going to hit Level 300 today." He walked right up to the largest ant hill in the center of the cluster. He peered over the edge into the pitch-black hole. It went straight down into the earth.

"Alright, Kratos," Rudra said, cracking his knuckles inside his black leather gloves.

"Let's go see what a vampire city looks like." He didn't bother looking for a ladder or a rope. He just gripped his staff, hopped over the edge of the ant hill, and dropped directly into the dark.