"Jackpot!"
Lucas sprinted over, eyes sparkling with excitement. As the remains of the massive spider boss faded into light, a shining object glimmered on the cave floor.
He picked it up and checked the stats:
---
Name: Spider Heavy Armor
Type: Chest Armor
Grade: Excellent
Star Rating: ★★ (Two Stars)
Level Requirement: Level 20
Wearing Requirements: Strength 120+
Attribute Effects:
Life +250
Physical Defense +150
Magic Defense +120
Strength +50
Constitution +30
Stamina +30
Resistance +5%
Special Effects: None
---
Lucas whistled, clearly impressed. "This is pretty solid."
It was heavy armor focused on boosting strength, clearly designed for tanky, strength-based professions like Warriors or Guardians. The bonus stats weren't outrageous, but they were well-rounded and ideal for those on the front lines.
Even though it was only a two-star piece, the health and defense stats were significantly better than the three-star leather armor Lucas was currently wearing.
That's the difference between armor types.
Heavy armor is all about defense and endurance. Cloth armor offers the least defense but highest magic boosts. And leather—like what Lucas wore—was a balanced middle ground, built for mobility and speed.
Lucas, as an agility-based Assassin, wasn't suited for heavy armor. It would only weigh him down and kill his speed.
"Still…" he murmured with a grin, "I've got enough strength to equip it. Might as well try it on!"
He slid the armor into his equipment slot.
In an instant, his appearance changed.
A dark green and black exosuit wrapped around his torso, molded like the exoskeleton of the giant female spider he had just slain. Sharp, spider-leg-shaped protrusions extended slightly from his back, twitching ever so slightly, giving him a fierce and menacing look.
It was a mix of scary and stylish.
Lucas couldn't help but admire himself.
"Not bad," he chuckled. "Reminds me more of that Wasp villain suit from Ant-Man than Spider-Man's spandex."
The colors were a bit questionable, but the design? Definitely cool.
"Now I'm curious—what would the full Spider Set look like?" he thought.
Sadly, it was still heavy armor, and wearing it long-term would hurt his agility-based build. It would slow him down, kill his dodge rate, and make him vulnerable in fights where speed mattered more than raw stats.
With a little sigh, he unequipped it and swapped back to his Ogre Leather Armor.
Then, he collected the rest of the dungeon loot and materials, exited the instance, and—without wasting time—jumped straight into a second Spider Cave run at Nightmare difficulty.
---
This time, things didn't go as well in terms of loot.
No gear dropped—just some mid-tier crafting materials: tough spider silk, stinging legs, and venom sacs.
Not amazing, but not bad either.
Lucas didn't complain. He knew how RNG worked.
"Let's go for round three."
---
On his third Nightmare run, his luck rebounded.
This time, the main crafting material for the Spider Set dropped—a rare blue item called:
"Giant Female Spider's Fang"
Lucas immediately recognized its value.
Blue-grade crafting items like this were usually the core component for dungeon-specific gear sets. He had already seen a similar drop pattern from the Ogre Lair, where the high-quality item dictated which part of the set it created.
He wasn't sure if this fang was for a weapon or armor piece yet—but one thing was certain:
"This thing's valuable."
But Lucas didn't intend to use it.
The Spider Set was heavy armor, which didn't suit his Assassin class. Rather than crafting gear he'd never wear, it was smarter to sell the fang and make serious cash.
With three Nightmare clears completed in under an hour, he left the dungeon zone and headed to the wilderness to grind monsters for XP.
---
His next stop?
A wild zone filled with Level 34 monsters—Violent Fire Ants.
Lucas ran full speed through the grasslands, occasionally slaying any lower-level beast that crossed his path. It was free EXP, after all.
Soon, he arrived at a hilly stretch of terrain littered with strange, rounded mounds.
These were the nests of the Violent Fire Ants—aggressive insect monsters about the size of large dogs, armored in bright red shells.
They were well-known among players. Tough to kill, highly defensive, and a pain to deal with in swarms.
Their bite was average, but their real threat lay in one move:
Acid Spit.
Anyone hit would be afflicted with Acid Corrosion, a debuff that slowly drained HP for an entire minute. Unless you had a neutralizing potion or a support teammate with a cleansing skill, you'd be bleeding the whole time.
Most solo players avoided them.
Too risky. Too resource-intensive.
But not Lucas.
He had calculated everything.
With his attack stats, he could one-shot each ant with a basic attack. No skills needed. No stamina drain. No wasted potions.
"Cheap and efficient," he said with a grin, pulling out his dagger.
---
As he crept closer, he spotted several ants crawling around the nearest hill. They moved in and out of the tunnels constantly, busy with whatever insect business they had.
Lucas struck quickly—always from the edge, to avoid drawing the entire nest.
One slice. One dead ant.
Another step forward. Another clean kill.
Occasionally, he disturbed a nest a little too much and a dozen ants would swarm toward him—but even then, he didn't panic. He handled each group with composure and speed, never letting himself get surrounded.
The experience was great.
Since he was fighting monsters 14 levels above his own, the XP gain was considerable. Much better than clearing low-level dungeons.
On top of that, the ants occasionally dropped materials—acid sacs, hard shells, pincers—that could be sold for a decent price.
They weren't rare, but they sold better than the junk from Level 15 mobs.
Lucas kept grinding. No breaks. No distractions. Just pure, focused leveling.
---
Hour by hour, the sun dipped low.
The once-blue sky was turning a hazy orange.
Finally, Lucas heard the familiar chime of a level-up and saw a flash of golden light erupt from his body.
Level 21.
He checked his stats. The EXP bar had gone from 88% to 100%.
"Perfect," he nodded, satisfied.
Three nightmare dungeons. Half a day of ant-grinding.
Mission complete.
---
As night fell, Lucas packed up his loot and made his way back to Kyoto City.
Before heading to the academy, he made a quick stop at the local trading house and sold off his haul.
The Spider Heavy Armor, while not suited for him, was still worth a fair price.
The random materials—silks, venom sacs, and ant shells—added a few thousand more.
But the real prize?
"Giant Female Spider's Fang."
To his surprise, it wasn't used for crafting armor—but for weapons.
And its market value?
A clean 20,000 credits.
Lucas blinked, then grinned.
"Now that's what I call a good day."
He walked out of the store with tens of thousands in his account and a lighter backpack.
Not only had he gained a level, but he'd also walked away with real money, top-tier materials, and a better understanding of future dungeons.
This was how you rolled as a solo player. Efficient. Smart. Ruthless.
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