The Tomb

In Heroes of Might and Magic, there were many achievements. Meeting certain requirements was all it took to earn them.

Only one achievement could be equipped at a time. After earning one, you received some attribute bonuses even if you didn't equip it. Naturally, equipping it granted greater rewards.

Achievements could add a series of attribute bonuses to a character, and some special achievements even granted players skill points or special attributes outright. The more achievements, the better.

To distinguish achievements by rarity and encourage competition between players, the game's developers had introduced the concept of Speed Achievements. The earlier you earned an achievement, the stronger its effects.

The achievement Rhode had earned, Warrior's Heart, was a Speed Achievement. Its basic reward might have been only +1 Strength, with another +1 Strength for equipping it. But thanks to its Speed Achievement bonus, equipping it granted +1 Strength, +1 Speed, and +1 Constitution. Compared to ordinary achievements, Speed Achievements offered a whole series of additional bonuses.

Rhode's delight wasn't simply because he'd earned Warrior's Heart. More importantly, if he could earn this Speed Achievement, then he could earn the others as well.

In other words, no one in this life would be competing with him for the famous achievements from the game in his previous life. As long as he steadily grew stronger, every achievement he earned would be a Speed Achievement.

Thanks to his experience with the game in his previous life, Rhode knew all too well what earning a series of Speed Achievements meant. A great many attribute bonuses, all kinds of beneficial effects... More importantly, no one would compete with him for those achievements. He only needed to steadily improve, and he could earn every Speed Achievement.

The thought left Rhode unable to calm down for a long while. Only after a while did he remember he was still in the tomb, and that the Necromancer Apprentice could return at any moment. He finally quelled his excitement and stood up.

Rhode equipped Warrior's Heart. His Strength immediately increased by two points, and his Speed and Constitution each increased by one. This was equivalent to the bonuses from all the attribute points gained over four levels, giving Rhode a considerable boost. The achievement's four attribute points didn't conflict with any other bonuses, showing just how much support achievements could provide.

Rhode felt a new strength welling up inside him. However, the Constitution bonus from the achievement couldn't restore his health or stamina, so his health remained at around half.

After checking his status panel, Rhode decided to save his experience and use it to raise his Class Level.

Generally speaking, at lower tiers, raising one's Class Level was better than improving combat skills. When one's tier was low, attributes and special skills were clearly more useful than combat skills. Combat skills could only increase damage to a limited extent unless they reached a certain level, while special skills could let someone defeat foes they would otherwise struggle against.

Rhode went over to the Skeleton Warrior's shattered bones and found its equipment on the corpse and the ground nearby: an iron sword, a one-handed iron round shield, and an iron breastplate.

Looking at the sword in his hand, Rhode saw that the Rusty Iron Sword, already worn with rust, was now covered in cracks. It would probably snap after a few more swings. He promptly tossed it aside and replaced it with the Skeleton Warrior's undamaged iron sword.

As for the breastplate and shield, Rhode didn't equip them. Armor placed a heavy burden on Constitution, especially Iron Armor made purely for hardness. It was particularly cumbersome. Unlike the Skeleton Warrior, Rhode's current attributes meant he might struggle even to charge in it, let alone dodge nimbly in battle.

Rhode considered whether to equip the shield, then made up his mind. In his current battles, he relied more on swordsmanship than on blocking blows with a shield. Besides, with his current attributes after earning the achievement, ordinary Skeleton Soldiers and Walking Corpses were no longer a problem. Carrying a shield would only waste stamina.

[Skeleton Warrior's Iron Sword]

Equipment Requirements: None

Basic Attributes: Damage +7, Durability 9/15

Description: One of the Skeleton Warrior's three signature items, and the weapon every Skeleton Soldier yearned for.

After sorting through the spoils of battle, Rhode continued onward. Beyond the hall was another narrow passage. The path underfoot was no longer as level as before, but sloped at a noticeable angle. Though he couldn't see the end, Rhode knew the exit wasn't far away.

After continuing for a while, Rhode spotted three Walking Corpses in the passage ahead. Unlike the Skeleton Soldiers, the moment Rhode saw the Walking Corpses, they spotted him too and charged as one.

Rhode wasn't the least bit afraid. The narrow passage didn't restrict his movements; instead, it kept the Walking Corpses from using their numbers to their advantage. They could only charge at him one after another.

Walking Corpses were slow, but had plenty of health. Rhode could already have worn them down without taking a hit. Now that he had the attributes granted by Warrior's Heart, dealing with them was even easier.

Because the passage was narrow, Rhode didn't use the usual slashing attacks. Instead, he relied on thrusts, then retreated with his superior speed, clearing out all three Walking Corpses in the passage.

Killing three Walking Corpses earned Rhode 45 experience points. Since he had reached the threshold for leveling up, he opened his status panel.

"50 experience points consumed, 25 experience points remaining. Class Level increased to Militiaman Level 6..."

"1 Free Attribute Point gained, 1 Skill Point gained..."

His current attributes were sufficient for the time being, so Rhode left both the attribute point and the skill point unassigned.

Rhode encountered no more Undead Creatures as he continued onward. The passage grew steeper, and before long, he reached its end.

Realizing there wouldn't be any other Undead Creatures in the passage, Rhode couldn't help feeling disappointed. With his current attributes, he could even beat a Skeleton Warrior, but there were no more Undead Creatures here.

Rhode sighed. Low-tier Undead Creatures were simply too weak without a Necromancer controlling them. He wouldn't get another opportunity this good anytime soon.

At the end of the passage, Rhode could reach up and touch the earth at the surface above him. He jabbed at the soil overhead with his sword a few times, making a sizable hole, then climbed out.

He emerged onto the surface. Since he'd only been able to see by the glow of phosphorescence in the tomb, Rhode needed time to adjust to the light outside. The bright sunlight made him squint, and it took a while before his eyes adapted.

Rhode looked around. He was in a somewhat gloomy forest, its trees exceptionally tall. Beside the tomb's exit stood a tree whose trunk would take four or five people to encircle. The sunlight could barely pierce the canopy and reach the ground. The forest was damp, and Rhode could clearly feel the moisture in the air.

Rhode looked back at the passage he'd climbed out of. It lay beneath several large trees. The soil nearby had been freshly disturbed, probably by the Necromancer Apprentice's minions after he left the tomb. The grass around it was in disarray. Apart from these traces, it was hard to tell from the surface that a tomb was buried here.

I wonder how long it'll be before the Necromancer Apprentice returns. I've already spent a long time getting from the moment I woke up to climbing out of the tomb. Judging by the signs I noticed on the corpses in the burial chamber before I left, he should be back sometime today to animate the Walking Corpses. I'd better get out of here before he returns...

Just as Rhode was about to leave, he suddenly seemed to think of something. He whipped around and looked at the large tree beside the tomb, then at the passage he'd climbed out of. The next moment, an idea came to him...