Chapter18-The Dark Church

Phantom Ruins, Cemetery of the Deceased.

"Achoo!" 

In the midst of the black mist, where he was hunting monsters, John suddenly sneezed, experiencing a spellcasting failure for the first time in his life.

Casually, John hurled an Aquakinesis at a skeleton archer not far away, grumbling under his breath, "Which jerk is cursing me behind my back? Let me find out and I'll break his legs!"

Seraphina, who was following behind John, didn't catch what he said. 

She just stared at the damage numbers that sprang up animatedly in front of her.

"-3310!"

Had she not witnessed it with her own eyes, Seraphina would have found it hard to believe that such damage could be dealt by a Level 7 character!

Her strongest skill at the moment could only inflict 800 damage, and that too with the enhancement of a silver-tier crystal staff.

Yet John, who was merely two levels higher than her, was dealing four times her damage!

And she was well aware that John's gear, though decent, wasn't powerful enough to inflict such high damage.

This meant either John had maxed out his basic skill, or he possessed an incredibly powerful class or talent.

Seraphina leaned towards the latter, suspecting that John might have an extraordinarily potent talent or class, one not even a transcendent-tier warrior could detect.

She murmured to herself, "Indeed, you must have succeeded in your awakening that day, just unnoticed by others."

John overheard Seraphina's words but didn't mind.

The moment he decided to let her accompany him to the Cemetery of the Deceased, he was prepared for her to uncover his secrets.

As for why John trusted her, it was probably because of her eyes at that moment.

The look in Seraphina's eyes reminded him of his early days in this world, in Stellarburg, when he was all alone and could only survive by fighting relentlessly.

Although John couldn't fathom why Seraphina, who came from a wealthy family, would exhibit such a sense of crisis, he was confident in his judgment of people.

Without a word, John continued deeper into the mist.

The staff in his hands constantly lit up with a four-colored glow, some monsters barely had the chance to approach before being instantly annihilated. 

John's experience began to soar rapidly.

[You have slain "Tomb Guardian lv10," earning 1852 experience points!]

[You have slain "Grave Digger lv10," earning 2046 experience points!]

[You have slain "Headsman lv10," earning 1927 experience points!]

...

As John's skills were unleashed one after another, his experience continued to climb.

To level up from lv7 to lv8 required 53,000 experience points, and he was about 30,000 short.

At this rate, it seemed it wouldn't be long before he could level up.

Seraphina watched as spell after spell flew from John's hands, as monsters fell like wheat before the scythe, rapidly collapsing one after another.

She finally understood why John's level was increasing so swiftly.

Monsters that would take her half a day to defeat couldn't even withstand a second skill from John.

Seraphina's expression was complex as she realized just how vast the gap between them was.

And unless something unexpected happened, that gap was only going to widen.

Until one day, perhaps she wouldn't even be able to see his silhouette anymore...

A sense of defeat suddenly rose in Seraphina's heart.

It was the desolation felt when the person you've set as your benchmark leaves you far behind.

For the first time, Seraphina doubted her own talent—was it really that strong?

This time, John had truly struck a blow to her confidence.

Seraphina was still in a daze, unaware that a massive shadow had quietly approached her from behind without making a single sound.

The black mist not only obscured sight but also dampened some senses, affecting even magus class individuals with strong mental fortitude significantly.

By the time Seraphina realized, the massive creature had already appeared behind her, raising a huge hammer and violently smashing it towards her head.

Seraphina had no time to react, only watching as the hammer drew closer and closer, with the shadow of death swiftly enveloping her mind.

Panic and confusion flashed in Seraphina's eyes.

For the first time, she, who had always been protected, realized death was so perilously close!

Was she just an ordinary person once away from those protectors?

In that moment, Seraphina came to a harsh understanding, only to close her eyes in despair at last.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, a chilling ice spear flew swiftly through the air, its passage marked by a whistling sound, before fiercely striking the creature.

"-4134!"

The massive monster was sent flying by the powerful force, its rusty, gigantic hammer missing Seraphina by mere inches, almost reducing her to pulp!

"What are you standing around for? Get over here!" 

John called out irritably to Seraphina, who was still foolishly keeping her eyes shut, "If you really wish to die, please do it far away from me. Don't drag me down with you!"

Coming back to her senses, Seraphina realized she was still alive.

The huge creature lay on the ground, half of its body frozen, now slowly rising to charge at them again.

The monster's massive frame shook the ground as it moved, making one wonder how it had managed to sneak up on Seraphina.

Not daring to linger, Seraphina hurried towards John, taking cover behind him.

Only then did she get a clear view of the monster's full form.

It was a gigantic, obese humanoid creature with a swollen belly.

Naked, its body covered in fat, wielding a rusty hammer, and with a wrinkled face that featured a large mouth full of yellow-brown, dense teeth but no eyes or nose, it presented a terrifying sight.

[Name: Ghoul (Elite)]

[Level: lv10]

[HP: 18000]

[Strength: 316]

[Stamina: 124]

[Defense: 79]

[Speed: 20]

[Skills: Heavy Smash, Devour, Throw…]

...

Witnessing the creature's stats, Seraphina's face turned pale.

An elite monster of level 10!

Just as she instinctively prepared to urge John to retreat quickly, Seraphina suddenly noticed the gleam in John's eyes as he looked at the monster.

Grinning, he said, "After all this grinding, finally an elite monster shows up!"

Seraphina stared at him bewilderedly for a moment, then remembered that what was an insurmountable beast for her might just be a matter of a few skills for John.

With a smile on his face, John's staff glowed green.

A thorny vine burst from the ground behind the monster, swiftly stabbing towards it!

"-4087!"

The sharp vine pierced straight through the ghoul's body.

The ghoul's massive frame was immediately stained green, with numbers indicating poison damage continuously rising above its head.

The ghoul roared in fury, ignoring its wounds and charging at them with its giant hammer.

John decisively put some distance between himself and Seraphina to keep her out of harm's way, while skill after skill rained down on the ghoul.

"-3256! -3378!"

Two damage numbers rose from the ghoul.

As soon as his skills were off cooldown, John finished it off with an ice spear, and the ghoul crashed to the ground.

[You have slain "Decapitating Specter lv10 (Elite)," earning 7300 experience points!]

Simultaneously, a bronze glow lit up in the midst of the black mist.

A bronze-tier gear had dropped!

John's eyes lit up instantly as he quickly went forward to pick it up.

[Equipment]: Ghoul Necklace

[Attributes]: Spirit +10, Speed +10, Stamina +10

...

He hadn't expected a bronze-tier necklace.

John was quite pleased.

When he reached level 10, he could replace the Hound Paw Necklace.

John tucked the bronze-tier gear away with delight, feeling very pleased.

The first elite monster dropped a piece of equipment, a promising start indeed!

John didn't linger for long and continued to hunt.

He had quite a few level 10 pieces of equipment in his possession, but it was frustrating not being able to wear them yet.

John was also eager to see what kind of damage he could achieve once he reached level 10.

After encountering the ghoul, it seemed John's luck had turned.

Before long, he came across two more elite monsters.

After slaying them, John was enveloped in the glow of leveling up!

[You have leveled up to lv8, gaining ten skill attribute points!]

More importantly,

He once again caught a glimpse of that dark church through the mist!

Necrochurch!