RPG Veteran Possesses Their Main Character

Where should I go next?

Lumiel looked around for a moment, contemplating her next destination.

There were many places to go from Ojak Bridge.

The warrior's village along the rocky mountains.

There, you could see muscular warriors training, and sometimes play pranks with the occasional Bugi.

Ah, how about sitting by the campfire with the Bugis and making impromptu skewers using salt rocks?

Since Bugis can use fire magic, it would make for a good memory.

'Hmm, or maybe...'

The magician's village with its peaceful and gentle atmosphere didn't look bad either.

There, you can meet sweet tree sap and fairies.

When Lumiel first visited that village in the game in the past, she remembered being surrounded by fairies and receiving their blessing.

'I want to try the tree sap too.'

The thief's village is also fine.

This place has a different atmosphere from other villages.

The person presumed to be the instructor always appeared from the shadows, spouting chuunibyou-like lines such as "Those who want to become thieves, come to me..."

It was truly a world of darkness, with a mysterious atmosphere where shadows were deeply cast everywhere.

Of course, that's just the atmosphere, in reality, it's just a den of petty thieves.

'I wonder if that bat instructor is still the same.'

The pirate village is also a nice place.

It was full of people laughing and chattering excitedly everywhere.

Plus, it was characterized by cute marine creatures you could see.

From giant turtles to floating octopuses.

Sometimes squids would play pranks by wrapping around characters in the game.

Some people with unusual tastes even requested commissions of those scenes...

And finally, the archer's village.

A place where cute mushrooms hop around, becoming one with nature.

Following the neat paths, you could see mushrooms bouncing here and there.

It had a peaceful atmosphere with many cute small monsters, but the Tree Giants that appeared deep in the forest had high levels and defense, making it quite challenging in newbie days.

'Where should I go...'

Lumiel's deliberation deepened.

She stopped for a moment and looked around.

But soon, there was one place that caught Lumiel's attention.

The center of Ojak Bridge, the roots of the giant tree.

There stood an old signboard.

[Caution: Dangerous Area]

[Survival not guaranteed upon entry]

And right below that signboard.

A portal with a large skull emblem engraved.

As soon as she saw that portal, Lumiel's eyes sparkled.

'This is it.'

This is the underground dungeon.

A dungeon that's on a different level from other villages in terms of atmosphere and the levels of monsters that appear, truly the end-game content of the early continent.

But Lumiel headed towards the dungeon entrance with light steps.

Even if it's called end-game content, it's still a dungeon that came out in the early days.

Lumiel already knew the dungeon's boss, map structure, hidden boss locations, and strategies like the back of her hand.

As she descended deeper into the underground dungeon, the noise from the outside world gradually faded.

It felt like walking into a deep abyss.

Passing through the dungeon entrance, Lumiel recalled the memories of once wandering here.

In her newbie days, she had gotten lost here and wandered all day.

And finally—

She arrived at the underground village.

There was a guard at the village entrance.

But he was dozing off at his post.

"Ugh..."

Lumiel glanced at him once and shook her head lightly.

He's the same now as he was before.

In the game too, he was always like this.

Even if users talked to him, there was no response, or he would mumble nonsense in a half-asleep state.

Although there was a warning sign that this was a dangerous area, the actual guard was in this state...

'This is why users came in freely.'

Lumiel looked at the guard once more before moving into the village.

The atmosphere of the underground dungeon village was completely different from the outside.

A gloomy and quiet interior.

This place gave off a ruined feel, with no vitality felt at all.

Strangely shaped statues were erected here and there. Their faces were shaped as if whispering something, and seemed to be imbued with the energy of ancient magic.

Come to think of it, even in the game, those statues were always a mystery.

Among users, there were many theories that they might be related to hidden quests that hadn't been implemented yet, but in the end, nothing was revealed.

All speculations ended in vain with a single word from the developers saying they were just background objects.

'Still, it somehow bothers me.'

Lumiel casually stroked a statue.

She felt the touch of damp moss.

Following the path, she saw an herb seller sitting on one side.

He was sitting blankly, staring into space with unfocused eyes.

Lumiel gave a light smile to him who seemed to be dozing off, and headed deeper into the dungeon.

At the end of the village, the entrance to the dungeon proper.

A swamp-like place with damp moss covering the ground.

There was a stone door with a giant skull emblem engraved.

And in front of it, something was moving around lazily.

[Lv.25 Old Drake]

Dinosaur-like creatures twice the size of Lumiel.

They were wandering in the dark space, breathing heavily. Their skin was rough, and long split claws kept scratching the ground.

Lumiel slowly looked at them with sparkling eyes.

It was interesting, but now wasn't the time to pay attention to the drakes.

Lumiel's destination was deeper in this dungeon.

Lumiel naturally lifted her foot slightly and activated a skill.

[Holy Road]

In an instant, Lumiel's body smoothly cut through the air and moved forward.

The drakes sensed her presence, but Lumiel's figure had already disappeared from their sight.

The dungeon fell back into silence.

As if nothing had happened, the original darkness covered everything.

However—

Suddenly, huge numbers appeared above the drakes' heads.

-《15,000,000,000》

Silence.

And then—

Poof!

Poof! Poof! Poof!

The huge forms disappeared as if exploding.

The drakes didn't even realize they had died.

No remains, no death throes remained. Just a few small coins and useless items fell to the ground.

In an instant, everything was over.

The priest's movement skill, [Holy Road]

Usually, it's just a simple movement skill. Rather than for combat, it's mainly used for quick movement on the battlefield or avoiding enemy attacks.

But for priests, after the 6th job advancement, they could learn an additional passive called [Teleport Mastery].

Learning this skill adds a minor magic damage judgment to [Holy Road], which was originally just a movement skill.

Usually, it was such a low amount of damage that it was barely noticeable, so users evaluated it as "an almost meaningless additional effect."

The percentage damage itself was low, and with the typical priest's magic stat, it was difficult to expect any substantial dealing effect.

However, there was an additional effect where the damage increased in proportion to the user's magic stat.

This condition was the problem.

Even if the basic percentage damage was low, Lumiel's magic stat was far beyond the standard of a typical priest.

That's why the drakes disappeared without even realizing they had died.

○

As Lumiel headed deeper into the underground dungeon, she felt the damp air becoming thicker.

The moss on the floor became more slippery, and puddles had formed here and there.

Passing through a narrow and huge split that looked like an entrance, a vast underground tunnel stretching endlessly unfolded before Lumiel's eyes.

Lumiel's eyes sparkled.

It was a familiar scene.

This was the Ant Hole.

It was one of the hunting grounds that Lumiel frequently visited during her newbie days in the game.

Located in a dark cave, this place was teeming with high-level monsters and was infamous for its good efficiency but terrible terrain.

At that moment, numerous red eyes emerged from the darkness.

[Lv.33 Active Drake]

Unlike other drakes, the drakes inhabiting the Ant Hole were more agile and fast-moving individuals.

They spotted a stupid prey standing blankly in front of them and licked their lips.

Then they immediately rushed towards Lumiel.

Powerfully kicking off the ground with strong hind legs, baring sharp teeth, to tear the body of the female in front of them to shreds—

Poof!

Poof! Poof! Poof!

At that moment, the drakes' thoughts stopped.

With a momentary flash, Lumiel's body disappeared.

And—

Once again, huge numbers appeared above the drakes' heads.

-《15,000,000,000》

The drakes' forms disappeared as if exploding.

They crumbled powerlessly in the darkness, collapsing one by one.

Without knowing anything, without being able to resist at all.

Silence fell over the dungeon once again.

No monsters survived.

In the silence, Lumiel quietly moved her steps.

A faint light was visible in the distance. Lumiel instinctively stopped walking, her eyes sparkled.

The central part of the giant Ant Hole.

There, what Lumiel had been searching for was located.

A small, shabby food cart.