Chapter 147. Nostrava Deepwood and Derelict Lodge

Since the second Dungeon was a combination of undead and animals, Michael downed a Weak Precision Elixir before entering, after which he stormed the front.

[ Dungeon Quest issued - Nostrava Deepwood

Objective: Slay all enemies in Wild Thicket. ]

The combination of undead Skeletons alongside Worgen and Quillrats was... refreshing, to say the least.

The most annoying were the Quillrats, which attacked with their quills from afar. Michael was even stabbed in the neck by one such attack, almost making his heart stop by the sudden surprise.

If there was a good thing in all this mess, it was the materials gained. Not only did he get 53 Grave Dust and 42 Demon Hearts in the previous Dungeon, but he also gained 36 Rawhides and 25 Superior Leather, as well as 23 Grave Dust from the current one.

[ Dungeon Quest update - Nostrava Deepwood

Objective: Travel to Treebones Glade. ]

'Unexpectantly,' he encountered another Trap Room on his way there, where he had to destroy a Skeletal Construct and the suddenly spawned Skeletons.

Walking further in, the Quest changed again, and he found a strange note on a dead Skeleton.

[ Dungeon Quest update - Nostrava Deepwood

Objective: Slay the Treebones (0/3). ]

The note was also terrifying enough.

[Please turn back. We have tracked the undead to these woods. They attacked our camp a few nights ago. I awoke to the cries of other loggers being dragged away into the night.

We followed the blood and limbs back here. I can hear the screams of the unlucky ones still alive. I can't leave them... but I doubt I'll make it out of these woods - Signed Talmu.]

It resembled a last will more than it did a random note. At least he knew to keep an eye out in case he could find any survivors.

[ Treebones, Terror of the Woods (Elite) - Level 43

*Poison Enchanted: All attacks create a poison puddle on the ground. Enemies affected by poison are dealt 250 damage per second for a duration of 3 seconds.

*Plaguebearer: Upon death, detonates its Corpse and soul to deal 600 fixed damage, as well as 150 Poison damage per second, for a duration of 5 seconds.

*Waller: Manipulates the earth to create a wall around the target. ]

Further in, while searching for the other two Treebones, Michael found a Cursed Chest and the Unique Elite guarding it. 

The chest and the Elite contributed with two more Legendary item boxes, much to Michael's delight.

The second Treebones also fell quickly when Michael had about a third left of his Elixir's duration. That's when he walked in on another Ravenous Soul Event. 

This time around, he fed the soul with enough slayed enemies, allowing it to become an Elite. It and the second Treebones added two more Legendary items to the Necromancer's inventory.

The last Treebones was stingier, but the experience it gave brought Michael to Level 39, making him wonder if he could really get one level per Dungeon after using the Elixirs.

He was aware that he had gained lots of experience due to the frequent Events he kept encountering in the Dungeons, but even he found it ridiculous.

Furthermore, the material gains were just as unbelievable. Not only did he gain 19 Rare items and 4 Legendary ones, but he also got 78 Grave Dust, 42 Demon Hearts, 32 Crushed Beast Bones, 79 Rawhides, and 63 Superior Leathers.

He felt rich, and reality proved that he actually was. The materials he gained were enough to last him for a while, even if he upgraded some items.

Without hesitation, he returned to Menstad again, salvaging all his Rare items, getting another 27 Iron Chunks, 5 Iron Ores, 15 Rawhides, 3 Superior Leather, and 15 Veiled Crystals.

It suffices to say that the day could end here, and he would be very satisfied. However, one Dungeon was still on the list, so he didn't hold back and traveled to Nostrava through the Waypoint.

There were still some traces of the damage caused by the Stronghold Event in the city, but seeing people move about happily proved that humans are a resilient race, whether on Earth or in the Sanctuary.

Reaching the Derilict's Lodge after some riding on horseback, Michael downed his only Elixir of Demon Slaying and entered the premises.

[ Dungeon Quest issued - Derilict's Lodge

Objective: Search the slain villagers for the Bloodstained Key. ]

The Quest was already creating problems for his mental health, but he sent his minions in as he cautiously followed behind them.

The promised demons were nowhere to be found, but some Worgen, Arctic Bears, and Shambling Corpses attacked him from all directions once inside.

As for what the hell the gigantic white bears were doing in a Dungeon where demons were supposed to reign with an iron fist, it was beyond the Necromancer's understanding.

The search took longer than it should've, mostly because of the Arctic Bears. Especially the Elites. They were stupidly tanky, and they charged recklessly through his minions as if they were a newbie playing GTA and driving through pedestrians. 

In the end, he finally found the Bloodstained Key after searching for his seventh dead villager, and the Quest changed.

[ Dungeon Quest update - Derilict's Lodge

Objective: Use the Bloodstained Key to open the door. ]

Returning to the place where the locked door was, Michael was surprised to see his experience had already reached 50% of his current level. Judging by the way things moved, he had a decent chance to reach Level 40 today.

After traveling through the next portion of the Dungeon, the Necromancer dealt with tons of Elites and monsters, one wave after the other.

Furthermore, the Elites appeared to complement each other again, making things difficult for him.

For example, there was this one Elite with only the Waller modifier, while its best buddy had goddamn four. Furthermore, those were Chilling Wind, Cold Enchanted, Frozen, and Hellbound. 

It was a nightmare to deal with. Fortunately, after killing it, he quickly found the Boss Room.

"Are you kidding me!?"

Unfortunately for him, as he wanted to activate the shrine right next to the Boss Room and have an easy way of getting the hell out of there, he joined the Cursed Shrine Event.

After killing seven waves of demons, leveling up to 40, and killing the Boss, Michael left with a full inventory and another Legendary item box.

To say he was confused would be an understatement. Furthermore, after dealing 1,048 damage to the Boss with one of the ticks, Michael decided to get at least five of each type of Elixir possible. That way, he could breeze his way through every Dungeon, just like he did with this one.

Tired both physically and mentally, he used quick travel to return to Kyovashad, where he met with Orzen and Ronova to sell the Rare items in his possession. 

[Tsk! Brat, are you done saving materials already?](Zivek)

[Zivek! Let the boy be.](Ronova)

[Easy for you guys to say that! I was barely starting to make a living with his help. Now... I'll go back to starving again.](Zivek)

[Okay, okay! Stop teasing the child. Hmm... 28 Rare items. Only a few are Class-restricted. Good condition and decently high level. Boza will snatch them for the recruits. 120,000 gold coins for the whole lot?](Orzen)

"Sure. Sorry, Uncle Zivek. I was bled dry after having to upgrade some items... Fortunately, I was able to recoup my losses."

Seeing the smiling trio, he knew Zivek was messing with him. He obviously had no intention of selling all items he found for gold coins, as materials were more important. 

But now, with the small fortune he made, he has finally broken through 300,000, making him feel much richer than before.

[ Class: High Necromancer

Attack Power: 639

 Armor: 3,097

 Life: 1675

--------------

Strength: 235

Intelligence: 288

Willpower: 310

Dexterity: 263 ]

His stats page also changed quite dramatically, while his experience bar exploded after leveling up twice in a row over the course of less than three hours. 

Looking at it, he was currently at 54,648/199,125. It felt like he was taking the fast train to the high levels, but it didn't make him feel good.

On the contrary, he was getting more and more worried about the future and what it held in store for him.

He dragged his body to the Inn since Helen had already left to recruit talented Wanderers for her future Elite Squad. 

[Hard to see you around, lad. How have you been?](Raskya)

"Ms. Raskya. Overall, it's good. Could've been better, but I can't really complain."

[You don't say... Level 40 already, and it hasn't even been that long since you arrived in my Inn, barely a Level 6 newbie. I'm not sure Helen told you, but your body needs a break to catch up with you with how fast you've been growing. Right now, I bet you can't bring out even half of the attributes you have when you fight.](Raskya)

"Mhm. About 40% or so, actually. Helen told me about it, but I had no choice... It should take me at least a full month without leveling up before my body can catch up to my attributes."

[It's good that you know. When do you plan on doing that?](Raskya)

"Probably after wrapping up my remaining Quest. I'll finish that one in a week. Also, Helen said continuous fighting might help me acclimate faster to my new attributes. I am planning on doing some fighting at the frontlines starting tomorrow."

[Just be careful. There's no need to risk your life when you can spend some time and slowly deal with the problem instead.](Raskya)

"Unfortunately, what I lack mostly at the moment is time..."

[Child... *Sigh* Just make sure you take care of yourself. Food?](Raskya)

"I would love some."

[Here, or do you want it brought to your room?](Raskya)

"To my room, please, if you have someone to bring it. I feel bad whenever you are the one bringing it, knowing you are always busy with something else."

[It's fine. I recently hired some waitresses in accordance with your suggestion. They are both young and pretty. As it turns out, you were right about the coins I'm making because of them increasing. I've even added the 'tipping' you mentioned on the sign by the door.](Raskya)

"I've seen it. Just make sure they don't put their hands on the girls. You know how Wanderers can be after spending time out there."

[*Scoff* They wouldn't dare even if they were dead drunk. Go upstairs! I'll have someone bring you the food.](Raskya)

"Thank you."

The 'lag' in attributes and the Wanderer's capability to use them usually came from fast leveling. That's why after the recruits of the City Guards are power-leveled by their peers, they undergo training for at least a couple of weeks until they can use at least 80% of their strength.

Michael shouldn't have this problem after he used the training array Martel gifted him back at the camp, but ever since he reached Kyovashad, he's been growing at a ridiculous pace, and his body couldn't catch up.

There were two ways to deal with this. One was to passively chill, and your body would slowly digest its new strength throughout a longer period of time, or two, by intense fighting and/or training. 

'I need to move back to the frontlines starting tomorrow. That way, I can get to at least 70-80% use of my attributes by the end of the week. I should also stop temporarily using Elixirs to boost my experience gain. I need to reach 25 Dungeons cleared before Level 50, and there's no need to risk missing out on such a perk. With these three today, the previous two the day before... I probably need less than 10 Dungeons to reach my goal.'

Opening up the MAP and checking the Region Progress interface, he realized that he had already reached 12/23. Adding on top of that, the temporary Dungeons, which also count for the Codex of Power upgrade, he reached around either 15 or 18, depending on how many the mines where he searched for Lilith counted as.

The food arrived, and Michael was surprised to see he was served a very delicious stew, as well as a fish-based dish. They were both incredibly enjoyable, proving that Raskya and her husband caught scent of the condiment combinations he 'sold' to Aylin.

It was good news for everyone, including him and the city's residents. After all, if they ate once at the Sleepy Peaks, they would be curious and try to cook such dishes themselves at home to save money.

And once that happens, the local cuisine will further develop. Once the locals catch up, the restaurants must keep improving to make money, creating a virtuous cycle.

'I have decided. After I finish with Lilith and the Black Lake, I'll take a month-long break. During that time, I can focus on the restaurant chain and other possible business avenues. It's a win-win situation. Worst case, I'll go out and explore the location of the shrines the girls find since that would be helpful for everyone.'

With the plan made and the food eaten, Michael jumped into bed after using a Cleaning Marble. 

It was only 7:48 PM, but he decided to sleep until the next morning. Which he successfully accomplished.