Wait a second... just a mere gold chest, and there's already a monster guarding it?
Daniel's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. He turned his gaze toward the looming creature ahead.
[Earth Giant] (BOSS)
[Level: 45]
[HP: 1,500,000]
[Skills: War Stomp, Rockfall, Pummel]
[Description: A subspecies of the giant race. Said to have a peculiar obsession with stones. Possesses extraordinary stamina.]
One and a half million HP?
Daniel narrowed his eyes. So far, this Earth Giant had the thickest health bar of any boss he'd ever encountered—hands down.
And it wasn't alone.
Surrounding the towering giant were more than a dozen smaller monsters, seemingly acting as its entourage.
Daniel didn't seem particularly alarmed. According to the records he'd studied, any gold chest or higher usually came with guardian monsters. The rarer the chest, the more dangerous the sentinels.
To him, that was perfectly reasonable.
After all, a gold chest was a hundred times more valuable than a silver chest. It only made sense that something that precious wouldn't be left unguarded.
If any ordinary adventurers came across this Earth Giant—especially even in teams—it would likely be the end of their journey. With a health pool that thick, even the slightest misstep could spell total annihilation.
But Daniel?
He barely gave it a second thought.
A level 45 boss was barely a warm-up.
The only unfortunate part was that he couldn't one-shot it with a single skill.
But that wasn't a big deal.
If one skill wasn't enough, then he'd just throw two.
Daniel didn't have cooldowns. He could spam spells to his heart's content.
The only minor concern was MP consumption.
Still, an Earth Giant like this would at most cost him 5% of his total mana. On top of that, he had a sizable stockpile of mana potions—no worries there.
"Little Giant, are you ready to die?"
Tin-Silver Empire, outskirts.
A fair distance away, in the wide open fields outside the capital, the young saintess Marina finished downing a bottle of mana potion. A healthy flush returned to her pale cheeks.
[Lumen Sanctum Redemption]!
Warm, divine light rained down from the skies. The surrounding pack of level-30 Ironback Bears were instantly vaporized by the cleansing rays.
"Saintess, please continue!"
[Holy Judgement]!
BOOM!!
An explosion of brilliant light engulfed another cluster of enemies.
In the blink of an eye, all of them were slain by Marina's radiant onslaught.
Of course, it wasn't as if she was capable of actually one-shotting level-30 monsters under normal conditions. The only reason it looked so effortless was because all the monsters were already at a sliver of health.
And the reason for that?
It was the Pope's decree.
A command had come down directly from the Papal Office: Marina's tier had to be raised as quickly as possible.
As a result, an enormous amount of resources and manpower had been invested into her growth. Members of the Church, regardless of rank or reward, worked tirelessly to support her.
Thanks to their unrelenting efforts, her tier had skyrocketed as if fueled by divine rocket fuel.
"Keep going, Saintess! You're doing great!"
–2013
–2013
–2013
One hour later—
Marina's strength had successfully reached tier-1, mid-stage (Level 16).
"Saintess, your performance is extraordinary!"
"You should take a short break—you've been casting high-intensity spells for over three and a half hours."
"We'll summon the next wave of monsters in five minutes."
Marina wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat unceremoniously on the grass, trying to recover her stamina.
Even with a top-tier support team, continuous casting for three hours straight was brutally exhausting. Channeling powerful spells wasn't just physically taxing—it demanded razor-sharp focus.
Her leveling method was the standard tactic employed by Tin-Silver Empire's royal family and top noble houses. The system was refined over centuries of trial and error. The efficiency was unmatched—but it came at a steep price.
This level of support was something commoners could only dream of.
Breathing heavily, Marina allowed herself a moment of rest. But even in her fatigue, curiosity gnawed at her.
"Has there been any news from Prince Daniel lately?"
The nun by her side, Sister Merlina, had clearly been expecting the question. Without a word, she handed over a small stack of freshly printed newspapers.
Marina blinked in surprise, then picked one up and began flipping through it.
And almost immediately, her eyes widened.
Every page—every single article—was about Prince Daniel.
One second?
Daniel cleared the Village of Undead… in just one second?
And that wasn't all—dozens of powerful factions were openly inviting him to join their ranks.
But something didn't sit right with her.
Why hadn't their own Church sent him an invitation?
Her brow furrowed. Shock gave way to confusion, and confusion slowly gave way to wonder.
She had never imagined that Daniel would become such a hot commodity—someone that powerful forces across the continent were all competing for.
Wasn't his Talent classified as F-rank Furniture Craftsman?
How in the world did he accomplish all this?
Despite her confusion, Marina's face lit up with joy.
Whatever had happened, it was now clear beyond doubt:
Daniel was no failure. He was a genius!
Otherwise, why would so many organizations be scrambling to recruit him?
"Sister Merlina, did you see this?"
"Daniel cleared the Village of Undead in one second! Isn't that insane? How is that even possible?"
"The newspaper said the reporters even confirmed the story with multiple eyewitnesses. Sister Merlina, don't you think Prince Daniel is incredible?"
Her eyes sparkled with happiness—genuine and unreserved. She looked even more pleased than when she'd set her own dungeon-clearing record.
But Sister Merlina could only sigh.
"Saintess... this may not be as good a thing as it seems."
"I was the one who gathered those articles for you. Naturally, I know what they say."
"But haven't you noticed something?"
"Our Church never extended an invitation to Daniel. Haven't you wondered why?"
Marina's expression shifted. The joy on her face began to waver.
"Sister Merlina... are you saying you know something about this?"
The older nun paused for a moment, clearly conflicted. Then she sighed and spoke.
"I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but… don't you think it's strange?"
"Could any normal human really clear the Village of Undead in a single second?"
Marina fell silent.
She lowered her gaze, lips pressed together, her eyes dimming slightly.
But after a few seconds, she looked up once more—this time with firm, resolute eyes.
"If it were anyone else, of course not. But this is Prince Daniel we're talking about!"
"Even so… even if it's Daniel, it's still impossible."
Merlina shook her head slowly. Her wrinkled face revealed helpless concern.
The saintess still idolizes him too much, she thought.
That's not good.
She was a Saintess of the Church—a position of unparalleled importance.
How could she allow herself to fall for a deposed prince from a fallen nation?
Merlina cleared her throat gently, then added solemnly:
"In truth… I suspect he may have used a Forbidden Power."
"Saintess, you've heard the stories. You know what price must be paid when one draws upon those kinds of forces."
"They don't come for free. They consume… your very life force."