Chương 12

Rudra stopped just past the town gates. He ignored the bustling players and swiped downward to open his status window. [Name: Rudra] [Level: 1] [Class: None] [Title: Unyielding Staff Initiate] [Health: 223/223 | Mana: 135/135] [Strength: 51 | Stamina: 50 | Agility: 50 | Intelligence: 45 | Persistence: 73] [Stat Points: 0] [Basic Staff Mastery (Lv. 4)] [Passive] [When equipped with a staff, attack power and attack speed will increase by 10%. The probability of a critical hit will increase in proportion to the user's Agility.]"Hell yeah," Rudra whispered, a smug grin spreading across his face. He rarely let himself get arrogant in the real world, but looking at these numbers? It was impossible not to. He was a Level 1 player with over two hundred health. His physical stats could rival a boss monster of the same level, and his Level 4 mastery added a flat 10% damage boost.

If a normal player picked a fight with me right now, Rudra thought, laughing quietly, I wouldn't even need the staff. I could slap them to death. But before his ego got completely out of hand, he opened the system menu. He pulled up the Unified Ranking Board, which displayed the top players across the global Satisfy servers. [Unified Rankings] Zibal - Lv. 37 Kraugel - Lv. 36 Yura - Lv. 36 Chris - Lv. 35 Red - Lv. 35 Rudra's smirk vanished instantly.

"Level 37? Damn," he whistled.

"These guys must live inside their capsules." The top rankers had been grinding relentlessly for over three days in real life while he tortured himself on a beach. The level gap was massive.

"Whatever. My foundation is perfect," he muttered, closing the board.

"Time to catch up." He hefted Gareth's Heavy Oak Staff over his shoulder and marched north. When he finally arrived at the northern edge of Seabreak Beach, the ocean was wild. High tide was crashing against the steep cliff faces, completely hiding any caves. As he walked toward the rocks, a system prompt appeared. [The entrance to the Forgotten Tidal Caves will be exposed during the lunar nadir in: 4 Hours.]"Four hours to kill," Rudra said, looking around the sandy dunes.

The beach was crawling with Level 3 to 7 monsters. Massive, armor-plated Iron-Shelled Crabs scuttled around, dodging slippery, spear-wielding Sand Murlocs.

"Perfect warm-up." He stepped onto the sand. The nearest Iron-Shelled Crab immediately clattered toward him, snapping its heavy claws. To a normal beginner, these crabs were a nightmare. Their shells bounced basic iron swords, forcing players to team up just to chip away at their health. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Rudra didn't party up. He planted his feet and twirled his heavy staff.

His freakish hand-eye coordination locked onto the exact center of the crab's shell.

"Batter up," he grinned, swinging the iron-oak wood like a baseball bat. CRACK! His 51 Strength, the staff's +5 Strength bonus, and the 10% damage multiplier all activated at once. The impact was brutal. The crab's armored shell caved in completely. [Critical Hit!] [You have defeated an Iron-Shelled Crab (Lv. 3).] [Experience has been acquired.] [Level Up!]"Holy shit!" Rudra let out a booming laugh.

"That feels amazing!" After a week of doing squats with boulders, the sheer joy of one-shotting a monster was addicting. For the next four hours, Rudra was a menace. He moved wildly, fighting purely on instinct and reflex. He swept the legs out from under Sand Murlocs, crushing them before they could even thrust their spears. Whenever the staff's passive 5% knockback effect triggered, the heavy strikes sent hundred-pound crabs flying across the sand like skipped stones.

"Fore!" Rudra yelled, punting another crab into the ocean. By the time the moon hit its highest point in the sky, casting a pale glow over the receding water, the notifications finally slowed down. [Level Up!] [You have reached Level 10.] Just as the adrenaline of the four-hour grind started to fade, his stomach gave a sharp, violent cramp. A red warning blinked in his vision. [Satiety has dropped below 30%. Stamina recovery will be severely restricted.]"Right. Survival mechanics," Rudra groaned.

He was actually starving. He opened his beginner inventory and pulled out the standard-issue Hard Rye Bread given to all Level 1 players. Since the game had perfect realism, he figured it would just taste like a stale bakery roll. He took a massive bite.

"GACK—" Rudra coughed violently, spitting crumbs onto the sand.

"What the fuck is this?!" he choked, aggressively washing his mouth out with his beginner water flask.

"It's like chewing on sawdust mixed with actual gravel!" It took every single ounce of his 73 Persistence just to force the dry, nasty lump down his throat.

"Absolutely not," Rudra swore to the moon.

"The second I get back to town, I am learning the Cooking skill. This is a crime against food." As he furiously chewed the rest of the bread out of pure survival necessity, the ocean finally pulled back. Retreating far away from the rocks, a dark, gaping cave entrance appeared at the base of the cliffs. Rudra tossed the last awful crumb aside and splashed through the shallow tidal pools. The second he stepped under the cave's rocky overhang, a bright golden message popped up.

[You are the first player to discover the 'Forgotten Tidal Cave'!] [First Discovery Achievement Unlocked!] [As the first discoverer, you will receive the following benefits for the next 2 months within this dungeon:] [- Experience gained from monsters is increased by 20%.] [- The drop rate of items is increased by 20%.] [The Barnacle-Encrusted Key in your inventory has reacted to the First Discovery Achievement!] Rudra pulled the rusted key out of his pocket.

Originally, it looked so fragile he thought it would break. But under the golden light, the thick rust flaked away, revealing heavy, glowing dark iron. [Item: Barnacle-Encrusted Key (Reinforced)] [Rarity: Unique (Quest Item)] [Uses Remaining: 2/2] [Description: A key forged by the Temple of Asterion. Infused with the blessing of the First Discoverer, its magic has strengthened. However, it cannot open the gateway if the user's level exceeds 45.] Rudra read the text, his brain immediately doing the math.

"The closed beta ends in exactly five in-game weeks," he murmured.

"And Medivah said this low tide only happens once a month." A wide smile spread across his face.

"Double-dipping," he laughed.

"I use the key right now for the beginner clear. Then, right at the very end of the beta, I come back for the next low tide. I'll use the second charge right before I hit Level 45 and squeeze every last drop of EXP out of this place." It was a flawless plan. Rudra stepped up to the massive stone doors blocking the tunnel. He pushed the dark iron key into the slot and turned it. With a deafening rumble, the heavy doors split apart. A blast of freezing air hit him, smelling heavily of rotting seaweed and old magic.

[The trial of the God of Forgotten Knowledge adapts to the challenger.]"Bring it on," Rudra said. Gripping the heavy staff tightly with both hands, he stepped into the dark.