Ding!
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. All items inside the treasure chest have been placed into storage space.]
"Nice."
Leon didn't waste a second. He immediately opened his storage and checked what he had gotten.
[Eternal Coins x700]
[Skill Stone x6]
[Enhancement Stone x5]
[Sage's Chain (Epic): +100 Spirit, -15% Cooldown Reduction. Requirement: Level 6 and 150 Spirit.]
[Lightning Strike (Elite): Focus your Spirit and condense it into a lightning strike that can hit a target and sometimes stun them. Requirement: 200 Spirit.]
"…Damn."
Leon couldn't help but mutter that out loud. This haul was absurd.
Even compared to the best chests he had opened in his past life, this one stood out.
But that made sense, this was an epic chest, after all. Epic-ranked items were on an entirely different level compared to elite ones.
The [Sage's Chain] alone was ridiculous. And then there was the spell. [Lightning Strike].
An elite-ranked offensive spell that could stun. For a mage, or a magical swordsman like Leon, this was huge.
But unfortunately… Leon's expression shifted slightly as he checked his current stats.
[Level: 5 (1,370/1,500)]
[Spirit: 114 (+30)]
"…So close."
He was missing just a little bit of everything.
A few hundred experience points. A bit more Spirit.
He couldn't equip the [Sage's Chain] yet.
And without the chain, there was no way he could reach 200 Spirit to learn [Lightning Strike].
It was frustrating, but Leon didn't panic.
If there was one thing he had learned from his past life, it was patience mixed with decisiveness.
He knew exactly what to do.
Leon turned around without hesitation and headed straight back toward the deeper areas of the [Wild Forest].
The level 6 and 7 zones.
Fwoosh!
He shot forward at full speed.
No players appeared along the way. That wasn't surprising, most people were still struggling in level 3 and 4 areas. Going this deep required confidence, power, or recklessness.
Leon had a mix of the three. Eventually, the dense forest opened up into a clearing.
A small lake shimmered under faint light, surrounded by grass and broken stones. Near the water, several massive shapes rested calmly.
---
Leon narrowed his eyes.
[Elemental Bear]
[Level: 7]
[Combat Power: 700]
[Details: Bears capable of controlling elemental forces. Each one usually masters a single element during childhood.]
---
Four bears. Each one radiated a different aura.
One had sparks of lightning dancing across its fur.
Another had small flames flickering along its body.
The third had thick roots and patches of earth clinging to its limbs.
And the last one stood partially submerged in the lake, water swirling lazily around it.
Leon observed them quietly.
"Yeah," he muttered. "This should be enough."
He stepped forward.
Strong Fireball!
A blazing fireball formed instantly and shot forward. Leon aimed it straight at the bear covered in roots.
If that one used earth-element abilities, then fire should be its weakness.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded on impact.
Flames engulfed the bear for a split second before its massive body collapsed onto the ground, lifeless. Instant kill.
Leon didn't slow down.
Unfortunately, fire wasn't ideal against the other three. He didn't have spells tailored to each element yet.
So he switched tactics.
Fwish!
Leon closed the distance in an instant, his [Poison Fang Dagger +3] flashing in his hand.
Slash!
He slashed across the flame-type bear's side.
The blade cut deep, and a sickly green poison immediately spread through the wound. The dagger's passive activated instantly, eating away at the bear's vitality.
Roar!
The remaining three bears reacted at once.
The water-type and lightning-type bears roared loudly, elemental energy gathering around them.
Zap! Splash!
A bolt of lightning and a condensed water projectile shot toward Leon.
Leon twisted his body smoothly, dodging both attacks without difficulty.
He dashed forward again.
The flame-type bear was already slowing down. Poison coursed through its body, weakening it rapidly.
Slash!
Before it could even retaliate, Leon ended its life with a clean strike. Two down.
The remaining bears hesitated. Fear flickered in their eyes.
They had seen two of their companions die in seconds.
Strong Fireball!
Leon fired another spell, this time targeting the lightning-type bear.
The bear leapt aside, barely avoiding the explosion. But that was exactly what Leon wanted.
Slash!
In the next instant, Leon was already behind it. The dagger flashed.
The lightning-type bear's head separated from its body and fell to the ground.
Blood splattered across the grass. Only one remained.
ROOOAR!
The water-type bear roared furiously.
It retreated backward and plunged fully into the lake. Water surged violently as it gathered the surrounding liquid.
The surface of the lake began to churn.
A massive [Water Ball] formed, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a car.
Leon frowned.
'That's dangerous.' The water ball shot toward him at terrifying speed, 'But… it's fine.'
Strong Fireball!
Leon launched a fireball straight into the incoming attack.
The two collided. The water ball slowed for a moment, just enough.
Leon dashed to the side.
BAM!
The water ball smashed into the ground where Leon had been standing, creating a violent explosion of water and force.
Leon raised his arm to shield his face as debris scattered everywhere.
When the water settled, the bear realized something: the human was still alive.
Its movements slowed as a result.
Fwish! Slash!
So Leon closed the distance and ended it.
The bear's head rolled into the lake. Silence returned to the clearing.
Ding!
[You have killed x4 "Elemental Bears" and gained 400 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 6!]
[You have gained 5 points in all attributes and 5 free points to distribute.]
"All free points into [Spirit]," Leon said instantly. Then he checked the drops.
[Elemental Bear Essence x4: Consuming will increase Spirit by 4.]
[Elemental Stone x4: A stone that reacts to a specific element. Currently has no known use.]
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Hm."
He stored the stones without much thought and consumed the essences.
His Spirit climbed again.
[Spirit: 140 (+30)]
He smiled.
Level requirement met. Spirit requirement, almost.
Next, Leon equipped the [Sage's Chain].
Beep!
[You already have two necklaces equipped. Please remove one.]
"Oh, right."
Leon glanced at his equipment.
He was currently wearing the [Shadow Necklace +2] and the [Purple Jade Necklace].
After a short pause, he removed the [Shadow Necklace +2].
The necklace vanished.
Thankfully—
[Spirit: 155]
Leon exhaled softly.
If his Spirit had dropped below the requirement after removing it, that would've been embarrassing.
It had happened more times than he liked to remember in his past life.
With the [Sage's Chain] equipped, Leon felt an immediate change.
His mana pool expanded. His thoughts felt clearer. Spellcasting felt… smoother.
Without wasting time, he summoned the spell scroll: [Lightning Strike].
Fwoosh!
Leon poured his mana into it and tore the scroll apart.
Ding!
[You have learned the skill "Lightning Strike."]
"Second spell," Leon said with a grin. He clenched his fist, "And I still have plenty of [Skill Stones] and [Enhancement Stones]."
He had been waiting for this moment.
Now that he had the chain equipped and the spell learned, there was no reason to hold back anymore.
"…Time to get stronger."