NOVEL NEXT Chapter 562: [ERROR!!]
Jack, or rather Alex, had never met the crown prince. Everything he knew came from hearsay. People said the prince was kind, the type who truly cared for his kingdom and his people.
But Asmon knew better.
The prince was an ambitious man, the kind who'd scrub a floor like a maid if it helped him reach his goal.
Pride? He tossed that aside without hesitation.
It was a trait Asmon both respected and feared. A man like that would climb high, no doubt about it. But that also meant trusting him was out of the question.
If their goals lined up for now, sure, they could cooperate.
But long-term? Not a chance.
Asmon wouldn't trust his back to him for even a second.
If it served him, the prince would throw anyone under the cart without a second thought. That's what made Asmon uneasy.
There's no way to transport extar life, but information on the ruin?
The prince would find a way.
Even if Alex shared what he knew, if the prince thought he was holding something back… he wouldn't rest until he got it.
Especially if he believed it was important.
Asmon sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Time to get ready for the next expedition… but to think the prince's personal guard is the one that got that legendary class…"
It made him worry.
Right now, the crown prince's ambition was to become king. But now, with a powerful class under his command? Who knew how far that ambition might reach.
Time went on. Despite Asmon's advice, Alex didn't go to the temple. He went to the market instead, selling the spoils from the wolf hunt.
Wolf Fang and hide? Cheap stuff. Barely worth the trouble.
But the Alpha Pelt?
That fetched a good price—15,000 gold. Counting what Jack already had, plus the small pouch he earned, he now had 23,180 in total.
The old Jack would've saved every coin to hire a healer for his mother. But now, Alex had done all he could. He figured it was time to move her to a safer district. "Leaving Jack's mom there alone… it's too dangerous."
No one dared touch her now, not with him around. But what if something happened? What if he left on a long journey?
To keep her safe, he needed to move. "Might as well get the best one in this case."
Alex checked the price and marked it as his goal. As the sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the streets, he grinned to himself.
"Monsters in this world are more dangerous at night… but that also means better loot."
He didn't plan to waste time. Without hesitation, he geared up, ready to grind for EXP and gold.
***
The graveyard near the city lay cloaked in thick mist, its crooked tombstones casting twisted shadows under the pale moonlight.
Most adventurers avoided this cursed place. The loot was tempting, but with great reward came even greater risk.
At night, the skeletons never stopped spawning. They'd keep crawling out of the earth until the first light of dawn.
Normal players? They'd get overwhelmed in minutes.
Even going in groups didn't help. The more people entered, the more skeletons rose to meet them.
But Alex wasn't most adventurers. Wearing his armor, he stepped through the rusted gate without hesitation. His mace rested loosely in his grip, eyes cold as they swept through the dark.
Bones rattled beneath the soil. A low, eerie moan drifted on the wind. Then, one by one, they began to rise.
Dozens of skeletons clawed their way from the dirt. Empty sockets glowed faint red, their hands gripping cracked swords, rusted spears, and chipped shields.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
One moved, thrusting a rusty blade at his chest. He sidestepped and bashed its skull with a brutal swing.
CRUNCH!
[200 Damage]
[Undead Soldier Defeated]
[You get: Tiny Gold Coin Pouch x1]
Another came from behind. He ducked, swept low, and shattered its knee with a swift strike, then stomped its ribs into dust.
SMASH!
[180 Damage]
[Undead Soldier Defeated]
[You get: Tiny Gold Coin Pouch x1]
More poured in. Two, three, five at once. Alex smiled, parrying a spear, then slammed his mace upward into a skeleton's jaw, sending the skull flying off like a cannonball.
BANG!
[220 Damage]
[Critical Hit!]
[Undead Archer Defeated]
[You get: Tiny Gold Coin Pouch x1, Rusted Arrow x5]
The Horde keep spawning, but Alex didn't falter. With each swing, bones shattered, weapons cracked, and loot dropped at his feet.
[Undead Soldier Defeated]
[You get: Tiny Gold Coin Pouch x1]
[EXP +75]
[Undead Spearman Defeated]
[You get: Tiny Gold Coin Pouch x1, Rusted Spear Tip]
[EXP +90]
He was a whirlwind of destruction. Even as his HP dropped, he laughed. "Come on. I've got infinite lives. What do you have? Rust?"
A skeletal knight stepped from the shadows, heavier armored than the rest. A decayed crown on its skull. It raised a two-handed sword as tall as Alex himself.
[Elite Monster: Grave Warden Lv.32]
The knight charged.
CLANG!
The first blow sent Alex skidding back, boots digging into dirt. He spat blood, narrowed his eyes.
"Finally. Something fun."
Alex smirked as the Grave Warden stepped into the open, towering over the scattered bones of lesser undead. Its decayed armor creaked with each step, dragging a massive rusted greatsword behind it, its blade caked in centuries of dried blood.
[Elite Monster: Grave Warden Lv.32]
The Warden dashed with shocking speed, sword raised overhead.
WHOOSH!
Alex barely rolled aside, the blade missing his head by inches and carving a crater into the ground behind him. Dirt and bone shards exploded upward.
He didn't waste the opening. He moved in, twisted his body, and smashed his mace into the Warden's exposed ribs.
BOOM!
[310 Damage]
The knight didn't even flinch. With an eerie screech of rusted metal, it spun around and brought its greatsword down in a arc.
Alex tried to block—but he was too slow.
CRACK!
[You take 400 Damage]
[HP: 520 / 1100]
The blow tore through his shoulder, forcing him to stagger back, blood spilling onto the dead earth. The weight of the hit numbed his left side.
And still, he grinned through the pain.
The Grave Warden let out a low groan, eyes flickering like twin embers.
It raised its sword again, this time channeling dark energy into the blade. The air itself twisted, a thick, suffocating pressure falling over the battlefield.
Alex's eyes widened. He knew this hit would kill him.
The greatsword fell like a guillotine. But just as it struck, he moved.
With a sudden flash, Alex try something. The world around him distorted, like reality itself had been cracked.
The sword connected.
[You take 1200 Damage]
[HP: -100 / 1100]
Time froze for a second. The red glow on the edge of his vision flickered strangely. His body turned into static.
[ERROR!!]
[ERROR!!]
[ERROR!!]
"So it's working," he muttered with a crooked smile, gripping his mace tighter.
The Grave Warden stepped back, blade humming with residual force. Even it paused, as if sensing something was wrong.
Alex didn't give it the chance to strike again. He moved feinting left then leaping forward, roaring as he brought his mace down at it's weakspot.
BANG!
[520 Damage]
[Boss Defeated: Grave Warden]
[EXP +220]
[You get: Warden's Token, Medium Gold Coin Pouch x2, Cracked Crown Fragment]
The armored corpse crumbled to dust, sword clattering lifelessly onto the ground.
A faint glow wrapped around Alex.
[ERROR!!]
[ERROR!!]
[Level Up! Level 30 → Level 31]
[EXP: 220 / 172,000]