Leveling Up

Eight against four. The pressure soared in an instant.

"Now!" Without hesitation, Su Ran tore open the Light Spell scroll in his hand.

"Close your eyes!"

A brilliant silver-white light burst forth once more, like a tiny sun igniting in the gloomy cemetery.

Wherever the light reached, the soul flames in the skeleton soldiers' eye sockets flickered wildly, flaring and dimming. They let out silent howls, their movements growing noticeably confused and sluggish.

Their aversion to the light even made some of them instinctively raise their hands to shield eyes they did not have.

"Attack!"

The shield guard seized the precious opportunity and charged forward with his massive shield, crashing hard into the three closest skeletons—the ones weakened most by the light. He sent them staggering and threw their formation into disarray.

The two spearmen's spirits lifted as well. They seized the opening and thrust their spears, striking precisely at the joint weaknesses the skeletons had exposed under the bright light's interference.

Su Ran moved too.

He tossed aside the rod from the used scroll and drew his sturdy oak staff with a reverse grip.

Rather than rush recklessly to the front, he moved behind and to the side of the shield guard, slipping between the spearmen's attacks as he watched for an opening.

A skeleton struck in the shoulder blade by a spear was leaning to one side and about to right itself. Su Ran stepped forward, swung the oak staff with both hands, and smashed it down on the exposed joint at the side of its knee!

Crack!

A crisp snap of bone rang out. The skeleton's left leg broke, and it lost its balance and fell to the ground.

Without pausing, Su Ran immediately brought his staff down on the joint at the back of its neck, finishing it off.

He was not as strong as a warrior, but his eye and timing made up for much of the difference.

In his hands, the oak staff became an efficient tool for delivering finishing blows and controlling the battlefield, striking only at targets whose rhythm his teammates had disrupted and which had temporarily ceased to be threats.

The battle rapidly swung in their favor over the ten seconds the Light Spell lasted. The eight skeletons were first severely weakened by the bright light, then scattered by the shield guard's charge, and finally struck with precision by the spearmen and Su Ran.

By the time the light faded, eight more piles of scattered bones lay on the ground.

"Hah... hah... nicely done!"

The shield guard panted heavily and wiped away his sweat, his face alight with excitement. Although the pressure had been greater this time, they had handled it properly, and it had turned out to be an even closer call without mishap than their last run in the Rat's Nest.

The two spearmen also smiled and high-fived each other.

Just then, a dense mass of gray mist gathered atop the broken stone pillar at the center of the cemetery.

A skeleton half a head taller than an ordinary one slowly took shape. It held a rusty saber that was chipped but still looked heavy, and wore a battered iron helmet.

Two deep-green soul flames burned in its eye sockets.

[Decaying Skeleton Saber-and-Shield Soldier (Elite)]

But after their baptism by the previous eight skeletons, the party was already working together seamlessly, and morale was high. The shield guard held firm, the spearmen moved nimbly around the elite, attacking its sides and legs, and Su Ran used another Light Spell scroll at the right moment.

Although it weakened the elite less effectively, it could still disrupt it.

The elite skeleton's attacks were powerful and heavy, putting considerable pressure on the shield guard, but with three people keeping it occupied and the Light Spell disrupting it intermittently, openings kept appearing in its movements.

Finally, after the shield guard successfully blocked and rebounded one of its attacks, the two spearmen drove their spears deep through the gaps in its ribs almost simultaneously, crushing its soul flame core.

The elite skeleton fell apart with a clatter louder than that of an ordinary skeleton.

The gray mist began to ripple, and a gate of light leading to the exit appeared nearby.

At the same time, four plain wooden treasure chests appeared before them.

"We cleared it! We really cleared it!"

The shield guard laughed heartily and hammered his shield with his fist. The two spearmen were visibly delighted as well, and eagerly looked at their own treasure chests.

Su Ran also breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to his chest. The battle had gone even more smoothly than he had expected. The Light Spell tactic had been remarkably effective, and his teammates' performance had exceeded his expectations too.

He glanced at the exit, which radiated a soft white light, then looked at his wooden chest by his feet.

What would his first clear of the generously rewarding Skeleton Graveyard bring him?

He did not open it immediately. Instead, just as last time, he put the wooden chest into his Personal Space with a thought.

Then Su Ran said goodbye to his teammates, who were excitedly discussing opening their chests.

[Calculating battle results...]

[Instance: Skeleton Graveyard (easy)]

[Contribution assessment: 42%]

[Base experience reward: 20 points]

[Calculation complete.]

After returning home, Su Ran locked the door from the inside, then took off and hung up his cloth robe, which was coated in the cemetery's chill damp and a faint layer of bone dust.

He pulled out a chair and sat down. Rather than immediately checking the newly acquired wooden chest in his Personal Space, he first opened his class panel.

[Level: LV.1.]

[Experience: 110/100 (level up available).]

[Class: Scholar.]

[Constitution: 8.]

[Strength: 6.]

[Agility: 7.]

[Spirit: 12.]

[Skills: Knowledge Insight Lv.2, Scrollmaking Lv.2, Light Spell Lv.2, Lesser Healing Spell Lv.1.]

[Equipped: cloth robe (common), Rabbit-Skin Shoes (common), oak staff (common).]

[Personal Space: copper coins ×80, silver coins ×3, worn knowledge notes (common), Basic Conductive Ink (common)...]

The clear indicator that he could level up finally brought a distinct, heartfelt smile of joy to his calm face.

Finally... I can level up.

Going from Lv.0 to Lv.1 meant becoming a class holder. But going from Lv.1 to Lv.2 was the first true advancement in his class.

It meant leaving the absolute beginner stage behind and gaining a tangible, system-recognized increase in strength.

Level up, he silently recited, focusing his mind on the indicator.

A faint light flowed across the panel.

[Level increased! Lv.1 → Lv.2]

A warm but distinct current emerged from nowhere deep inside him and quickly flowed through his limbs and bones.

The warm current did not strengthen his muscles or bones. It was more like it was washing over and ordering his mind and soul, bringing a slight sense of expansion and clarity.

After about two or three seconds, the warmth subsided.

The experience field changed accordingly: [Experience: 10 / 200]. The experience required to level up had indeed increased considerably.

He immediately looked at the attributes field.

[Spirit: 12 → 13]

His spirit attribute had increased by one point. This was the core attribute a Scholar gained when leveling up.

When that one point of spirit was added, Su Ran clearly felt the change.

It was not simply a quantitative change.

If his spiritual perception had previously been like a candle flame barely illuminating its surroundings, then the flame did not seem especially brighter now, but its stability and control had subtly improved.

His perception of the free-floating energy particles in his surroundings seemed a little clearer, and the occasional sluggishness he had felt when manipulating them had diminished considerably.

When casting Lesser Healing Spell or channeling Light Spell, perhaps it would take less effort, and their structures would be more stable.

This was the direct benefit of leveling up.

His Personal Space had also doubled in size, reaching one cubic meter.