Chapter 77

I just stared at the message window.

[You have received the skill ‘Devi’s Knife.’](EN: Devī is the Sanskrit word for ‘goddess’.)

I could not forget the moment that skill struck me in my past life. I had to use up everything I had saved up to that time to heal, and just one hit had been almost fatal. If I didn’t have a shock-absorbing insignia, I would have died then and there.

I remembered that the Man Who Overcame Adversity had made the First Evil who he was. In my past life, it had been a sight when the Eight Evils and Eight Virtues had fought together for the first time. The First Evil would have died, but the Man Who Overcame Adversity had revived the First Evil so he could kill one of the Seven Demon Kings.

The world was shocked, but even the First Evil had been afraid of the First Virtue. The reason was due to the First Virtue’s main skill, the ‘Devi’s Knife.’

The day the world saw the Seven Demon Kings for the first time was carved into my memory, as it was the first time people knew that there were stronger boss monsters than S class ones, and the Eight Evils and Eight Virtues had revealed their true strength for the first time.

I had watched the recordings of that fight, I memorized each and every moment of the footage, though it was  fragmentary, and occasionally the screen filled with hissing static, created from the corona discharges from high level skills.

When I saw the First Virtue there, I first thought that he had rebuilt his skills, as every one of them had been S class. One could have eight at the maximum for each category from traits to skills, and he must have filled his slots to the max.

However, the number of his S class skills exceeded even this limit, and it took me a long time to guess that it was not due to skills from an item. Then, it took me even longer to find out that Devi’s Knife was a skill with multiple effects.

***

Since I now had the Man Who Overcame Adversity AND Devi’s Knife, I could only stare at the screen.

[Devi’s Knife (Skill)

Effect: The user projects a sharp force.

Class: F(0)

Cooldown time: 5 minutes]

While the skill was an F class, for now, I would know its true potential as the skill improved. I began to open other boxes, starting from the Gold Boxes.

[You have gained 15 Strength points.]

[Strength: E(15)]

While the number was low for a Gold Box, it was Strength again. Now, the second Gold Box.

[The Man Who Overcame Adversity increases by 81.]

[The Man Who Overcame Adversity: F(89)]

Now, the Diamond Box. As my stats were too low to receive the proper rewards of the box, it would give me something else.

[Will you open the Diamond Box?]

One could spend the rest of their lives opening Diamond Boxes in an S class dungeon. The box opened with radiant light.

[You have received the item ‘The Ruler’s Ring.’]

[The Ruler’s Ring (Item)

Effect: The user can control a monster of a lower class to fight for you. However, monsters designated for boss quests and One-on-One combat quests are excluded.]

It was not bad, as this item had been sold at a high price in my previous life due to three reasons. First, the effect was like a summoning skill. Second, it could be given to others, and third, it immediately removed a monster from a fight.

I had opened all the boxes, and now I was going to open two Bronze Boxes and three Silver Boxes with my accumulated points.

I received 4 Stamina points and 6 agility points from the Bronze Boxes. Now, for the Silver Boxes.

[You have gained 22 Agility points.]

[You have received the item ‘The Necklace of Vitality.’]

[The Necklace of Vitality (Item)

Effect: The user’s stamina level is increased by one level temporarily.

Class: E

Duration: 5 minutes

Cooldown time: 6 days]

I could use this until my Stamina level increased to E class. If I got a similar insignia, I could strengthen it.

[You have received the Skill ‘Earthquake.’]

[Earthquake (Skill)

Effect: The user shakes the surrounding area by a little.

Class: F(0)

Cool time: 5 minutes.]

It could be used to both attack and defend, and it seemed to be useful for now. While increasing the number of skills would decrease the possibility of reinforcing Devi’s Knife, I was too weak to rely on  a single skill.

Now, I received all of my rewards, and it was time to check my status.

[Name: Sunhoo Na

Stamina: F(27) Strength: E(15)

Agility: F(43) Perception: F(25)

Accumulated points: 120

Traits(4) Skill(5) Insignia(1) Items(4)]

I scrolled over the specifics and thought of what had happened in that dungeon.

***

Yeonhee Woo was still heavily injured after three days, but I did not need to watch over her all the time anymore. She could move very slowly now and could digest meals again.

I thought she would not be able to move at this stage, but she could walk to the bathroom and back again.

“I succeeded.”

Yeonhee Woo’s face told me how difficult it was for her to move, but her voice was bright. She had received many boxes after finishing the dungeon conquest and including the rewards from being second-place in destroying the dungeon and defeating the boss monster, she had two Gold Boxes and a Platinum Box.

She had gotten Agility points, skill points, and a new skill, which were satisfactory. However, I could not understand how she could move like she had the Man Who Overcame Adversity. Her rewards could not explain her current status.

“It’s time to go back, isn’t it?”

School began two days from now, and Yeonhee Woo asked me to take her back.

“Won’t it be better here?”

“I want to go back.”

“The dungeon is completely destroyed, and that means the monsters will not come.”

Yeonhee Woo’s eyes widened.

“That’s a relief.”

Her gaze turned outside to the rural village that could be seen across the concrete walls. She spoke suddenly to ask me a question.

“I want to ask about the Revival trait.”

What was that? I had never heard of it, and Yeonhee Woo seemed to have noticed my confusion.

“Weren’t you the first? If you don’t know…”

She raised her voice like she had realized something.

“There may be others like us!”