Chapter 24: The Bottom of Hell

Slinging his bag in front of him, Peace plopped down on the slope of bones.

’What a gloriously awful induction to the dungeon...’

Skeletons still wandered aimlessly all around him, but as long as he stayed as still as possible, had a little luck, and shuffled out of their way when he needed to, no more would aggro.

Although he’d healed slightly, his body was still in shambles for the most part. It would be best for him to get the hell out of hell as soon as possible.

Yet, he let himself be absorbed by this respite for a moment longer, taking out a canteen and chugging down a quarter of it.

’The moment I can afford an Anchor... I’m placing it as far away from this place as possible.’

Well, it wasn’t like an Anchor could be placed outside the Convergence Zone.

Panting a little, he ripped out a slab of jerky and devoured it, using the taste to somewhat drown out the dry, chalky taste of the bone. He only ate half of it, though, seeing as there was a clear progression to what he had to do next.

Peace was still a little confused and unsure of what had happened, but he’d figured out quite a bit during his battle. Mostly about [???]. But he also earned some new questions. Mainly...

’Can I sustain myself eating... whatever?’

If so, that would help him save some money for future expeditions as well as bag space.

Plus...

’How much can I eat at once?’

Sure, devouring was needed for progression, and he felt he could consume more than his body should be able to, but was that amount finite or infinite?

’I guess we’ll see if any adverse effects from eating the bones appear.’

Speaking of them, there were still other corpses to devour and Spirit Stones to collect.

Reaching down, Peace grabbed the skull of one of the skeletons, pulled out the stone, and shoved it in an undamaged section of the bag. Then, he began gnawing on its hand while dipping into thought.

✖✖✖

Name: [Pax Garnier]

Tier: [9]

Rank: [F] - (EXP: 16/51)

Class: [Terror]

Traits: [???]

Resonance: N/A

Item Level: 3

✖✖✖

’16 EXP...’

That was from the one Skeleton Archer and seven Skeleton Warriors he’d killed in the skull train.

While this place seemed like a treasure trove of EXP, there was a certain function of the game that prevented such a farming method.

Whatever Tier a beast was at dictated how many times killing that type would reward EXP. A Tier 9 would reward EXP for 9 kills of the type, while a Tier 4 would allow 4, and so on and so forth.

It was the main reason he’d been counting his kills — so he didn’t kill more than needed.

The silver lining to this was that, no matter one’s level, the EXP gained would be a flat amount. As for how much that flat amount was, it was dictated by Tier and Class.

’Though I’m not really sure if any of this holds true given my circumstances...’

But he’d find out soon enough. Once he started moving again, he had a lot more mountain to go and a lot more chances for rotten luck.

There was also one thing to note...

The only beasts that stood outside of these standards were bosses and humanoid races, which always granted EXP, albeit how much a humanoid gave was dependent on the person themselves, and if a group was the first to kill a boss, they earned bonus EXP for it.

Peace heard a glorious voice whisper in his ear, distracting him from thought.

[???] — (condition to unlock: 13/100)

Glancing around, Peace noticed that the space was starting to swell with more and more skeletons.

’I guess I should get a move on.’

Sticking around to devour the corpses was both immensely greedy and risky. But he did take his time plucking the stones from the skulls and putting them in his bag.

Picking up his newly acquired [Bone Sword], Peace resumed his downward journey.

While his injuries were making him move more slowly, it didn’t take long for him to note that he felt his perception had improved a little. It was as if his sight was clearer and his instincts were guiding him to avoid the paths of the aimless wanderers.

He even felt confident enough to pick up his speed as the slope began to decrease and flatten out.

The only thing he didn’t know was what caused this improvement: the increased EXP or [???]. Thankfully, that was something he’d learn in time.

Either way...

There were a couple of close calls, but he defied his own expectations and reached flat ground without having aggroed a single one of the skeletal bastards.

’I guess there’s some benefit to being solo...’

At the bottom, Peace turned and looked up at the Maw of Hell and the temple presiding over the Bone Plains.

It was magnificent in all its bony glory.

’I seriously... survived.’

Peace was so stunned he hit himself with the...

’That’s crazy.’

A little dubious smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned and ran out of the way of a passing Skeleton Archer.

Then, his eyes were drawn toward the blood-red horizon. As far as the eye could see, there were mounds of bones and gigantic spikes of bones poking up from the ground, along with a myriad of skeletal beasts roaming about.

Unlike when he was at the top...

’Where the hell do I go?!’

Peace couldn’t see any of the landmarks. All he could do was use the Maw of Hell and try his best to angle himself toward the Convergence Zone.

’Wait...’

’Do I even want to go there?’

As a Night Elf who looked like a Night Parade remnant...

’Ah, shit.’

Not many would hesitate to take advantage of the situation, especially given that Peace was alone.

Just as he thought that, he spotted something abnormal appear in the distance...

’Oh, fuck. Already, seriously?!’

It was a group of Divers racing to claim the bonus EXP from being the first to kill the Bone Plains boss, the Dread Knight, and to race to the second floor.

And Peace...

Peace was in their way.

’Where do I hide?!’

No...

Even if there was a place to hide, they’d notice him.

What he needed was their mercy.