"This battle made me realize that I can't go on like this..."

That was the first thing Jin said.

"Running was everything to me in my past life, but continuing to just run in this world is... nothing more than escapism. That's what I felt when I saw you and Jin-Jin."

"Well, probably."

Lee Shin-Woo agreed, uninterested. Jin had obviously improved his running related skills significantly in the process, but that was nothing but a by-product of him escaping reality. In order to survive in this world and advance forward... one needed to fight.

"Tell me. How did you...adapt to the world so quickly and move forward even after becoming an undead? Please help me do that as well if you can."

"For free?"

"No!"

Jin shook his head vehemently, but he seemed hesitant to elaborate. Lee Shin-Woo had anticipated the request to some degree, so he understood Jin’s hesitation.

After some time, Jin sighed deeply and said, "...I'll let you ride on my back in return. It should be helpful for travel as well as battle, right?"

"In other words, you’re offering to join me."

"Yeah."

Jin was originally a human. It must have taken a lot for him to offer himself up as a mount. He was effectively throwing away the precious evidence that he was human. That was the length he was willing to go to in order to move further.

"It doesn’t seem like a deal in my favor, but... yeah, your speed is definitely helpful. Honestly, I just need someone to talk to. Alright, let's work together."

"Then... gaah!?"

Jin sounded relieved, but then he couldn’t help but yelp when he saw Lee Shin-Woo pointing his index finger at him. After all, Jin had just witnessed this very index finger burrow into the Acid Ghoul and explode.

"Still, accepting you unconditionally right now isn't best for either of us."

"Then?"

"Here."

Lee Shin-Woo passed Jin a tattered sack. Jin obediently accepted it and tilted his head while holding it in his teeth. Lee Shin-Woo smiled faintly and explained.

"When you defeat undead such as skeletons and zombies, they usually drop Perium and bones. Come back after filling that sack to the brim with bones. That's my condition."

"...?"

The blue goblin fire which replaced Jin’s eyes shook violently, as if to express his doubt. Lee Shin-Woo never thought about the possibility of such fire being used as indicators for one’s emotions, and he was extremely envious of that. When he reached level 4, would goblin fire fill his empty eye sockets as well?

"It's all for your own sake, so fill the sack. The higher the monster’s level, the better."

"But... ugh, I got it. It's a test."

Jin seemed to have misunderstood Lee Shin-Woo’s intention, believing this to be a test for figuring out if he was good enough to be Lee Shin-Woo’s companion, or if he had the resolve to kill monsters. That was far from the truth, of course. Lee Shin-Woo had gained the ability to apply Bone Reinforcement to others after the skill reached level 4, so he simply planned to use all the bones Jin would have gathered to strengthen him, imparting the undead’s knowledge and experiences to the inexperienced hero.

"You will become as experienced as I am in no time."

"That sounds impossible, but... I got it. I'll prove to you that I haven’t been ignoring those undead until now because I was scared."

Jin’s past life as an athlete might have something to do with his strong spirit, and the experience of taking down the Acid Ghoul instilled in him some confidence.

"Come back here once you've filled the sack. Ah, don’t forget to do quests if you can. That’s the only way to unlock things like the inventory and chatroom."

"I got it. Ah, and take this."

Jin extended his neck toward Lee Shin-Woo, around which was a small pouch. Lee Shin-Woo took it off and found 50,000 Perium inside, as well as five Lv3 Equipment Reinforcement permits.

"I got them as the quest reward, but it's useless and actually pretty cumbersome to me. You should have them."

It seemed from the lack of a skill book that Jin had used it already, while the rest were things he didn’t know what to do about. Since Lee Shin-Woo wasn't the type to refuse something offered, he immediately took them.

"It should be fine to take this in advance, considering what I'm going to do for you in the future."

"Hmm...?"

"No, it's nothing."

It's likely that Jin wasn't familiar with 'karma' yet. Lee Shin-Woo snorted and shook his head. Jin wouldn’t understand Lee Shin-Woo even if he tried to explain since he lacked the fundamental knowledge.

"Then get going. If you can, try to get level 2 bones or higher. That'll be good for you."

"No matter how bad I am at fighting, I should be able to take down level 2 monsters... I got it. As soon as I fill the sack, I'll come back."

"Ok."

Jin nodded and turned around before running away in a straight line. He was faster than any monster Lee Shin-Woo had encountered since being dropped into the Empire. With that speed, Jin would be able to survive even if he encountered another Acid Ghoul. In no time, the skeleton horse had disappeared from Lee Shin-Woo’s view. He activated Bone Reinforcement to absorb the Acid Ghoul's Thumbnail.

[By sacrificing the Acid Ghoul's Thumbnail, both hands are reinforced. Strength and Endurance have increased by 3, and Magic by 5. Absorbing a portion of the Acid Ghoul's memories and experiences.]

[This... this is... This seems wrong, Doctor. This isn't it. This test is a failure! We can't stop it...! - Edward L. Baker]

"...This is..."

The amount of stats the bone granted was immense, but the memories flowing into his mind chilled Lee Shin-Woo to the core, like he had just swallowed a block of ice. This was a record of their struggle. A record of their struggle to not become undead...!

So that's how it was. They realized that they wouldn't be able to prevent the curse that ruined the Empire, so they looked for a method to not become the undead instead. However, they failed... and by tempering with poison, they became zombies that spurt Acid Poison.

That got him thinking: He’d obtained a number of deteriorated Poison Zombie’s bones in the sewers, hadn’t he? Moreover, the Slimes bore acid poison as well… Perhaps there was a connection between the two to be found in the sewers. Lee Shin-Woo could not sit still once the realization struck him.

"However, before that."

Lee Shin-Woo had acquired ten Lv3 Equipment Reinforcement permits. He used one of them to reinforce the Dire Wolf's Bone Armor, restoring the almost falling apart armor fully to its original form and further reinforcing it.

[Dire Wolf Bone Armor (+1) Lv3]

[Durability: 850/850]

[Defense: 110 - 125]

[Options: Increases Endurance by 21]

"Next up is..."

For a potential rainy day, Lee Shin-Woo put away one reinforcement permit in case his equipment got damaged in the future. He used the remaining eight all at once to reinforce his Bone of Thunder Lasting. While his armor only really possessed the ability to protect his body, his sword had a hidden power related to Bursting Thunder.

[Bone of Thunder Lasting (+8) Lv3]

[Durability: 1,070/1,070]

[Attack Power: 260 - 280]

[Options: Strength + 19, Magic + 19, Effectiveness of Bursting Thunder + 18%]

"Ooh, Oooooh."

As expected of a weapon that the goddess herself bestowed—though it had changed; it certainly was different from other weapons. The more he repeated the reinforcement, the more absurdly the attack power grew. Reaching +8 had already pushed its power to an unusual height. Taking the other bonuses into consideration, Lee Shin-Woo believed it outclassed even most level 4 weapons!

The same could be said about its stats. Equipping it granted him a noticeable edge. The sword was so incredibly useful that he wondered if the true reward for saving a hero were the reinforcement permits.

However, I must offer Jin substantial help to balance out the karma of receiving something so amazing. Pleine doesn't speak idly. It'll leave a bad taste in my mouth if I'm just on the receiving end.

Well, the problem should be solved once he met Jin again. He was sure that Bone Reinforcement would more than make up for what he had gained.

Anyway, if Jin doesn't have Bone Reinforcement, what skill did he get from the goddess?

Lee Shin-Woo thought about it briefly. Since coming to the Empire, he had come to realize one thing: Everything had karma, and karma is never something to be taken lightly. In exchange for becoming an undead, he gained 100 lives, as well as a reinforcement ability using bones, so Jin should have gotten something around the same level. Unlike Lee Shin-Woo, though, Jin had started at level 4. That should be taken into consideration as well.

I should ask when he gets back.

Lee Shin-Woo shrugged and put aside his thoughts regarding Jin before checking his stats and swinging his sword a few times. He shuddered and nodded approvingly; it felt as though his sword was splitting the air in half. Although he might be jinxing himself, he couldn't help but mutter for the second time, "I'm not afraid of anything anymore..."

He immediately went into the underground tunnel he had dug and returned to the dungeon. He was able to traverse the path more quickly and easily than he had anticipated.

[You possess the dungeon permit. All stats within the dungeon increase by 15.]

Now then, let's clear the dungeon fully before Jin comes back.

However, he soon found himself in a silent sewer. The empty darkness seemed to be mocking him. There were a few level 2 Slimes crawling around here and there, which he made quick work of, but the normalcy of it all was at odds with Lee Shin-Woo’s expectations.

Well, this is disappointing.

He wanted to familiarize himself with his strengthened body and go wild, but now he didn't feel comfortable with that idea at all. However, the instant he thought so and sighed, he saw something glowing in the darkness.

[Guooh...]

"Hmm?"

It was a sound he'd heard before. What was it? Before he could make the connection, the overwhelming sense of danger caused Lee Shin-Woo to instinctually dive out of the way, narrowly avoiding the powerful impact!

[Guoooooh!]

The sound it made was horrific.

"You bastard..."

Lee Shin-Woo smiled thinly when he figured out what monster it was, dejected. How could he not be? That was a Great Slime, an enemy he had risked his life fighting before finding this passageway.

[Lv3 Great Slime]

"I thought it was the boss, but now they're just appearing in the passageway wherever."

Lee Shin-Woo wasn't sure if it knew that he had fought one of its kin before. After hitting the ground, it regained its circular shape and got ready for another leap. However, compared to when he had first faced the Great Slime in the clearing, Lee Shin-Woo didn't really feel that threatened.

I can see its movements better.

[Guooooooooh!]

Bouncing around quickly and forcefully, it charged at Lee Shin-Woo nonstop, making its attack more powerful by spinning and rotating midair. He hadn't noticed the Great Slime doing that before.

However, now I can...

Lee Shin-Woo nimbly dodged out of the way the moment the Slime charged at him. Combat Sprint. Not only did it enable him to move faster, it also increased the body's reaction speed, albeit for a short time. It felt as if he was the only one moving quickly while time came to a crawl... The moment of intense concentration didn’t last longer than a gasp for air, but during that time, Lee Shin-Woo was able to move in the most efficient way possible.

"Hah!"

He raised his hardened sword and attacked it with Power Slash. Before, Lee Shin-Woo wouldn’t even dream of fighting such a giant monster head on, but that was exactly what he was doing now.

"Ugh...!"

The collision was tremendous, but he could endure it. With the bonuses granted by the dungeon and his equipment, his strength had reached 150, which enabled him to stand his ground facing the Slime.

[Gguoooooh!]

Ultimately, the Slime had failed to inflict any effective damage to Lee Shin-Woo. It bounced up into the ceiling, and although the Power Slash hadn’t cleaved its body in half, it left a significant enough injury that a considerable amount of mucus splattered all over him as the Slime slammed into the ceiling. The resulting acid mist didn’t bother Lee Shin-Woo in the least. After all, he had fought and defeated the Acid Ghoul.

"Hoo... That was good. Let's keep going like this."

[Guoh... Guooooh!]

Realization struck him then. Rather than training by fighting weaklings, it was always better to fight monsters equally as strong or stronger than he was in order to grow more efficiently. Lee Shin-Woo watched as the Great Slime patched itself up and shrunk. Eyes glinting, Lee Shin-Woo raised his sword again. If he could defeat a Great Slime face-to-face without Flames of Revenge, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that he’d become qualified to reach level 4, right?

"...Take this!"

[Guuuoooooooh!]

The Great Slime and Lee Shin-Woo clashed again. A fierce roar resounded through the sewers...breathing life into the once silent dungeon.