Chapter 8: Underground

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**Gamer Upgrade Report**

- **THE GAMER LVL 2**

- Unlocking Game-Based Skills

- Item Inventory Unlocked

- Inspect Unlocked

- Language translation Unlocked

(Common)

- Attribute Increase Unlocked

- You will now get 4 attributes per level.

- 1 attribute for each level you currently are for back pay.

Krez, with a beam of excitement, promptly pulled up his character screen.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Krez~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Level: 34

Body Realm: 1st stage Mercenary

+ Strength: 102

Agility: 200

+ Vitality: 100

+ Stamina: 100

Available Attributes: 34

Experience Points (Exp): 2999/3000

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Krez chose to spread out his atribute points evenly instead of just focusing on one, like he did before before.

Krez added 10 points to strength, 12 to Vitality, and 12 to Stamina. Each press resulted in a heavenly PiP sound. Krez sensed power emanating from his core, feeling a boost in muscular strength. The durability of his bones to his nails, increased, and it seemed like he could now take deeper, efficient breaths with his lungs. Even his heart seemed to beat more effectively, stronger.

Krez approached the fallen boss's body, swiftly collecting the salvageable parts of the skeleton's armor. Skipping the chest portion, given its sizable hole, he pondered the potential use for the remaining pieces.

A thought crossed his mind – "Inventory." In response, a light green-blue portal materialized before him, roughly the size of two fists together. Krez was curious about the size of his inventory and the item retrieval method, but Krez, with a nonchalant shrug, decided to figure it out later.

One by one, he fed the boss skeleton's greaves into the portal, each disappearing with a distinctive "shloop" sound. The metal pants, arm parts of the chest plate, and gloves followed suit. Krez had placed everything he wanted into the inventory, and almost as if the inventory portal sensed its use was no longer needed, it promptly closed.

Krez then decided to use his next skill, "Inspect." Similarly to before, Krez muttered to himself, "Inspect," while fixing his gaze on the corpse of the boss skeleton.

~~~~~~~~~Skeleton Warrior~~~~~~~~~~

Status: Dead

Power Level: 1.2

Background:

A creation of a necromancer, the test of time has taken its toll on the being.

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Krez was rather perplexed by the power level of the skeleton. What did 1.2 mean? He could only assume it was part of the grading system used in this world or something generated by The Gamer Talent. Either way, Krez didn't care much at the moment; he figured he would understand it sooner or later.

Krez continued using "Inspect," further experimenting to grasp its limitations and scope. After a couple of tries, he deduced that it worked on things with a certain rank; normal items or animals wouldn't trigger the inspection window.

Krez would have liked to test out his language translation skill, but there was no one to talk to, and no books to read. The word "common" below the skill likely signified the common language of this world.

Krez began walking towards the stone stairs that the skeleton boss had been guarding. Full of vigilance, this was the heart of the skeletons' territory, and whatever lay beyond the stairs was what they had been protecting.

Krez began walking down the stairs, their descent illuminated by torches on the walls casting a ghostly green light. Initially straight, the stairs gradually curved, forming two full circles like a massive spiral staircase. As Krez descended, a wall appeared in front of him, with a door to his right. It became apparent that the staircase circled around an underground room.

The door, a simple wooden one reinforced with metal, presented itself with a sturdy metal hinge and a metallic knob. Krez, his hand still wrapped in snake scale knuckles/bracers, took a deep breath, gulped, and fearlessly reached for the knob. Without hesitation, he turned it and entered the room.

To Krez's surprise, the room presented a stark contrast to the outside. The torches within cast a warm, bright glow, revealing a cozy atmosphere. The first thing catching Krez's eye was a big, comfy chair in the middle, reminiscent of a lazy boy recliner from his previous life. Surrounding the circular room, bookcases extended up two stories,all filled with books creating a rich reading environment. It was an unexpected sanctuary within the heart of the skeletons' territory.

Despite the warm and inviting atmosphere of the room, Krez could sense that no one had been there in a while. Dust coated every surface, from the books on the shelves to the recliner, leaving no spot untouched by the passage of time.

Krez reflected on The Gamer skills obtained through the Talent level up, pondering the inclusion of the language skill. Was it merely luck , or was there a larger force at play? The idea of someone or something manipulating behind the scenes crossed his mind, but Krez didn't want to dwell on it. Dealing with a being capable of manipulating The Gamer talent was not something he could handle.

Krez grabbed a book from the shelf and opened it, only to find he couldn't read it. Undeterred, he tried another one, but the outcome was the same. Krez went through book after book, from the bottom to the top not a single book he could read krez descended down the ladder attached to the bookshelf, shaking his head in frustration. Krez thought to himself the books on this shelf must not be in the common language.

Though saddened by the inability to read the books on this shelf, Krez remained undeterred. There were nine more shelves to explore, he was confident that he would eventually discover a couple of books he could read if not a whole shelf.

Krez went through shelf after shelf, book after book, and eventually, on the last shelf at the very top of the bookcase, he found three books he could read: "History of Gorark," "Beasts and Plants Compendium," and the final one, "The Art of crafting." Krez was ecstatic at the prospect of learning something about the place he was in.

Krez gathered all three books and made his way to the middle of the room where the big recliner awaited. Seated comfortably, he opened the first book, deciding to delve into the pages of "History of Gorark."

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