The Old Man

Suddenly, the surrounding temperature began rising rapidly. The atmosphere which was supposed to be heavy was replaced with scorching heat which somehow made it difficult to breathe.

Hans brandished his swords and aimed at the monster's weak point.

Swish—

The flames blossomed into a giant hurricane as if engulfing the monster alive. Its hardened skin began to suffer burns.

Kyaaaah!!!

In the end, Hans' sword struck the monster's weak point. The blade passed through its skin in just mere seconds.

It was too fast for the eye to catch.

Slash—

Another slash came to it. This time, the target was its eye.

The monster struggled to flee from the hurricane, burning him alive. It clung onto a giant boulder and propelled itself into an open pond.

However, the monster had overlooked something for a moment.

It was Hans that was now hovering above his head.

The rising heat instantly vanished and was absorbed by something from above. As the monster felt the heat transferred above his head, it stopped on its tracks and raised its head.

Grrr—

What it saw was a humongous flame dragon soaring high above the clouds.

And soon…

The dragon glided in its direction.

Roooooar!!

A fiery blazing behemoth resembling that of an eastern dragon gnawed the monster into smithereens.

Roooooar!!!

The monster could only watch as it slowly devoured its inner being. The monster's massive figure slammed on the ground, accompanied by explosion and destruction.

Crash—

In the end, its body fell to the nearest cliff, rolled on the giant rocks until it flopped onto the ground. Hans landed at the cliff edge, looking down at the monster who had its blood oozing outside its body.

The dragon manifestation already vanished, leaving a burned trail behind his back.

'Fuu—'

Hans wiped the sweats on his forehead. This was his first time using [Flame Control] and [Dragon Kick] at the same time.

Although the damage is huge, it has huge consequences.

'It's hard to balance the two.'

Firstly, balancing two skills without practice is nearly impossible to achieve. Sometimes, it requires years of practice just to perfect such a combination skill.

However, it was because of this that Hans tried it here.

Once he's in the state of concentration, he could somewhat tame his aggressive mana. This was the reason why he used the sword style first to enter full focus concentration.

'I should name it.'

Looking at the trail of burning craters, Hans smiled.

"How about… Fire Eating Dragon Feet?"

[Bruh.]

"What?"

[Your naming skill is… shit.]

Well, he can't really argue with that.

Even then, at least the name he came up with sounded cool right?

"Any suggestions?"

[Cough—, I'm not boasting but… I have named almost 12,345 skills. It's not really that many…]

"..."

Hans' mouth twitched. His stomach churned imagining Plundy's face speaking with a smug expression.

'Fortunately, he has no face.'

While Hans was lost in thought, Plundy continued.

[How about you name it… Burning Fiery Flame Scorching Fire Blazing Dragon Kick?]

"..."

Hans clicked his tongue.

"Forget it."

It seemed like it's better not to name it.

......…

Hans jumped off the cliff and landed next to the monster's corpse.

Well, it's not truly a corpse yet cause it's still alive.

The monster trembled as its eyes met Hans. Its body convulsed vigorously, trying to get away from the devil in front of its eyes.

"Fascinating…"

Hans' gaze fell on the monster's toasted body. He was amazed by the fact that it managed to survive despite receiving full blows of his skills. However, it's also horrible to think of one being alive while in this scorched state.

"Plundy, can I ask a question?"

[How about no?]

"..."

Actually, he just wanted to confirm if this monster is familiar to Plundy. Earlier, he was not sure but this time, he's absolutely positive that this monster's bloodline existed many eons ago.

It was not because it's unique but rather, the [Primeval Eyes] could somehow tell.

"What an amazing will."

For humans, it was troublesome dealing with monsters that seemingly have no pain receptors. Even in the face of death, they could strike a fatal blow anytime they can.

It's amazing how this monster is already preparing to attack him once he lets his guard down.

That's why…

"I can't let you leave here alive."

Shring—

Hans pulled out one of his swords and held the hilt with two hands. Then, it was wrapped in flames.

"I'm sorry…"

Sizzle—

Hans brandished his sword and the flames set the monster on fire.

Slash—

At that moment, a clean red line swept over the monster's neck.

[You have killed a 'Double Horned Ferocious Monkey']

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

-

[Level Up!]

The strings of leveling messages appeared simultaneously. It also meant that the monster finally died.

[Level: 58]

Hans nodded seeing his level shot through the roof 8 times. However, considering many factors, for Hans, the exp was too low for an SS-Class monster.

'Does the system recognize it as only an S-class monster?'

Or maybe the dungeon is just programmed with limited exp for each monster?

Even then, this is such a massive gain. Killing maybe 15 more of this would bring him to level 100.

Unfortunately, he's not here just to kill monsters. Thinking about the possibility of the other two people raiding inside the tomb, Hans has a sense of urgency.

If he continued hunting, the real treasures of the dungeons might have already been ransacked.

He can't let that happen.

[Do you wish to plunder the skill, 'Rage Meter (S)'?]

[Yes / No]

This is the skill that decreases the enemy's defense depending on how angry he is towards the target.

"This is perfect for that green-colored muscular guy."

That guy was always angry after all.

In the end, Hans clicked 'Yes'. Although he might not use it often, this might be a good skill to counter tank type monsters.

Next, Hans opened his stats and equally distributed all of his 64 stat points to mana and stamina.

[Stamina: 344

Mana: 325]

For Hans, this would be better for his long and arduous journey. It might be good to invest it in strength and agility; however, it would limit his capacity for long fights.

Additionally, the higher the strength and agility, the higher the stamina consumption.

After dividing his stat points, Hans crouched and collected a pint of the monster's blood to his fingers.

Hans rubbed his fingers and sniffed it.

Sniff—, sniff—

'Smells like fish blood.'

Although his face crunched for a second, he eventually swallowed the blood.

Gulp—

Then, the familiar metal taste spread on his taste buds. It was followed by a mechanical voice.

[You have consumed the blood of a 'Double Horned Ferocious Monkey'.]

[Strength +25, Agility +25, Stamina +25, Mana +10]

For a monster as strong as an SS-Class, these stats seemed lacking. Even then, it was better than nothing.

Hans lashed off the blood on the sword before sheathing back on its scabbard.

At that moment, the leaves rustled with the wind.

"Young man, did you kill that thing?"

An old and hoarse voice rang behind his back.

.......

Dungeons are places where monsters were trapped or reside whereas tomb are places where famous or legendary figures were buried.

One of the most famous tombs located at a place called Brocéliande magically appeared somewhere in France.

It was the place where Merlin, the magician from a legend, resided until his death.

It was foretold that the inside of the tomb is a magical forest blooming in dense mana. The magicians who tried to obtain the inheritance also said that monsters were everywhere.

Still, the place is the paradise for mages even though dangers are literally under their noses.

However, the Ruined King's Tomb seemed different from other tombs.

Hans stared at the old man looking at him with a curious gaze. With his powerful sense of smell, he could tell that this old man is not a simple guy.

After all, he managed to escape his perception. He's like a rock with no life, no aura, and no presence but as Hans gazes into his eyes, he felt as if he was being swallowed by a black hole.

Although the old man was wearing a simple white sleeveless shirt, black pants, and muddy boots no different from a commoner, Hans know all of this are facades.

Just by looking at the old man, Hans felt like mountains were pressed on his shoulders.

This old man is unfathomable, no doubt. One single mistake and his head might fall off.

But…

What intrigued him is that the old man is a human.

To prevent misunderstanding, Hans spoke.

"I killed it."

Hans spoke nonchalantly. Although his senses are telling him to ready himself, Hans just raised his guard which in turn causes the old man to smile.

"Can I take its corpse then?" The old man asked politely, "I needed it."

Seeing Hans didn't reply, the old man immediately realized his mistake.

He waved his hands vigorously and said, "I'm not here to rob you. In fact…" The old man then pulled an emerald coin from his pocket and stretched it towards Hans, "Here, this should be enough."

Hans brainstormed in his head. Many thoughts rippled in his mind about the theme of this tomb. However, in the end, he reached a dead point.

Having no option, Hans didn't receive the coin but instead asked for another payment.

Maybe this tomb is more special than any other tombs known to man. He needs information.

"Instead of paying me with coins, can I ask you questions?"

The old man who was almost 6 foot tall raised his head and probed Hans from head to toe.

At that moment.

"No, take the coin. If you're going there, you'll need it." The old man spoke in an enigmatic tone.

"What do you me—?"

The old man walked past him and inspected the monster's corpse. Hans was dumbfounded. He stood still, watching the old man remove the monster's carcass with just a swing of a knife.

'What just happened?'

He just saw the old man swing his small knife into the air and the monster's carcass fell off.

'A swordsman!'

Even if the old man is not a swordsman, it should be anything related to sharp weapons. The old man lifted the hatchet on his right hand and began to cut the monster's tooth and nails.

"Young man, I thought you would ask questions?"

Hans snapped out of his thoughts and swallowed the lump on his throat. Clearing his voice, Hans inquired politely.

"Uhm, I was with my friends…"

[Lies…lies…lies everywhere.]

'Shut up.'

Seeing the old man waiting for him, Hans continued, "...and a powerful monster teleported us to random locations so I'm basically lost in my way. Now, I don't know where this place is."

The two men stared at each other in silence.

10 seconds… 15 seconds…

1 minute…2 minutes.

The clock ticked by and no one said a word.

Their expression turned similar to a statue as they both coped with the deafening silence. It wasn't until the old man spoke that the awkwardness was broken.

"So what's your question?"

"..."

[Pfft!]

Hans puckered his lips; his cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

......…..

"Cough–, you're on the Northern Side of the Harisana Empire." The old man pointed his hand on the path ahead, "Walk straight here and you'll find the forest exit. There should be guards there, you can ask them questions."

As the old man explained the right ways, in his mind, Hans processed other information.

Different from other tombs, this place seemed complex and complicated.

Humans and other various races coexisted with each other. The place is called the Harisana Empire but as the old man further explained, Hans concluded that the empire was as big as half of the Earth.

"Thank you, Old man." Hans bowed slightly. His face full of gratitude. The old man just gave him valuable information which could help him in his journey.

The old man waved his hand and smiled.

"Just call me Isaac."

Hans nodded, "Thank you, Old man."

Before Isaac could even retort, Hans already dashed away. Isaac gently smiled and raised his head to the skies.

"He should be from the outside."

Although the old man already knows where Hans came from, he didn't feel like telling him. For him, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The old man lowered his head and pulled in the monster's carcass, tooth, and claws to his space storage.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the monster's remaining body exploded into ashes. He glanced back in Hans' direction and his gentle smile turned into a hideous grin.

"Hmm... that was too easy."

The old man opened his hand and stared at the triangular-shaped item hovering on his palm.