An Undead Hero... Damn it, that's what the system prompt was talking about.

It was only then that Lee Shin-Woo grasped the meaning of the message he had received when the quest began. 'The dungeon itself is safe from the curse, but one could be cursed before entering a dungeon.' It wasn't talking about Lee Shin-Woo, but heroes who had entered the dungeon before him and become undead!

It’s a level two hero. Other heroes must have been cruelly turned into the undead after their death as well.

Right now, he wasn't even concerned about the reward for taking down the Undead Hero. Instead, he was wondering how much Perium the hero had gathered before dying, and what he would be able to buy with that money in the secret shop. He did have one concern, though. The effect of Invisible Heart had raised all his stats by three, pushing his total stats beyond the 200 mark; he wondered whether he should level up now or not.

...I'm strangely torn.

Common sense dictated that he should immediately nod and level up. The thing that had lobbed off his head might be a zombie, but it was still a level 2 hero. It made sense that he would have to be level 2 as well in order to kill it with ease, didn’t it? However, there was something bothering him; the message had stated that he could postpone his decision, but why? What were the implications here? If he had to level up sooner or later, there was no point in telling him not to proceed with it immediately, right?

Perhaps...I’ll get something for postponing my level up?

Lee Shin-Woo violently rolled his head as the Undead Herosheathed its sword and turned around after confirming his death. Why would anyone wait before leveling up? What difference would it make, if any?

[Harumph... Hmph.]

While he was deep in thought, the Undead Hero hobbled away, slowly returning to where it came from. When he looked at the Undead Hero, he noticed that it was badly damaged. Its entire body was covered in slash marks as well as bite marks, and the damage its neck had suffered was especially serious⁠—the neck bone had been sliced more than halfway through, its head threatened to fall off its body.

...Then...

Lee Shin-Woo made up his mind when he noticed the injury. He would postpone his advancement to level 2, and he knew what he must do as well as what he would be capable of. He didn’t need any more justifications. He had made up his mind. No matter how far it’d push him, he would get his revenge.

[Your advancement to level 2 is briefly on hold.]

[Your body is reviving.]

For now, he steeled himself and quickly proceeded with his resurrection. Even his once lost arm was completely restored, and with nimble movement, Lee Shin-Woo retrieved the Bone Spear that was rolling on the floor. 

Silently, very silently, he got to his feet. The zombie didn't know the skeleton it had just taken down was capable of resurrection, so it kept walking slowly away.

Hmph... Die!

Lee Shin-Woo aimed for the zombie’s neck and took a forceful step forward while gripping his spear and thrusting it with great might. His stats were buffed while he was in the dungeon, so his attack was imbued with a power he hadn’t possessed yesterday!

[Critical Hit!]

[You have learned the passive skill, Beginner Critical Hit Lv1! It will become easier for you to ascertain your opponent's weak points, and you can land a fatal blow.]

[Kyaaaaaaaahk!]

Its piercing, drill-like scream echoed throughout the clearing. His attack had definitely hit the mark, and he had succeeded in shattering more than half of the zombie's neck bone. As expected, he had a chance to win the fight even at level 1! Moreover, he had acquired the skill Critical Hit with that attack, killing two birds with one stone.

[Kik, Kihaaaaahk!]

"How dare you! Kyaaaaahk!"

Furious, the Undead Hero whirled around and slashed at Lee Shin-Woo with its sword, but as he yanked the spear lodged in its neck with all his might, Lee Shin-Woo let out a shriek that was no less powerful than that of a zombie. It was the only skill utilizing mana at his disposal, Shriek of the Dead!

[By using Shriek of the Dead, the enemies in the entire area have momentarily fallen into a state of frenzy.]

[Shriek of the Dead is now Lv2.]

The trajectory of the zombie’s slash went awry as soon as the shriek hit. Lee Shin-Woo seized the opportunity to safely pull out his spear and retreat. However, his vision was soon filled with messages that infuriated him, especially compared with the ones he had received when he cut into the zombie’s neck with his spear.

[The enemy resists the status effect. It was unable to completely break free of its state of frenzy, but its accuracy has returned to normal.]

[Kuhwaaaak!]

"You piece of...!"

The zombie had immediately recovered, and its sword was approaching quickly! Lee Shin-Woo observed the trajectory of the attack and managed to raise his spear in time, using his Beginner Weapon Defense. However...

- Kwajik[1]

"Huh...?"

Its quick slash had broken his spear into pieces, the bone spear that had been reinforced three times after reaching level two! The hit felt like a lightning strike. Despite the crazy situation, however, Lee Shin-Woo quickly pushed aside his nerves and shoved his broken bone spear into the zombie’s neck. The zombie screamed and retreated.

"You piece of shit...!"

[Kuwaaaahk!]

He hurriedly picked up the remaining half of his splintered bone spear. However, the zombie was driven mad by the spear lodged in its neck and attacked immediately! Fortunately, the force behind its sword swing was noticeably weaker than before. The damage it had sustained was critical.

"Ugh...!"

The moment they clashed, Lee Shin-Woo used Sprint on instinct and threw himself at the zombie, the small of his back ending up grazing dangerously against the zombie’s blade. Hearing a violent crack, Lee Shin-Woo nimbly picked himself up and thrust the other half of the broken spear into the zombie’s neck before it could recover its stance.

[Critical Hit!]

[Ugh.... Kuhaaak, Keueeek...!]

Lee Shin-Woo had definitely hit the mark. Moreover, there were now two thick spears buried in the zombie’s barely attached neck, rendering it immobile save for its floundering arms. Still, its seemingly aimless slashes in the air were still destructively powerful and couldn’t be ignored.

No matter how Lee Shin-Woo thought about it, it seemed that the zombie's strength mostly came from its weapon rather than itself. Otherwise, it shouldn’t have been able to break a level 2 weapon like it were a straw!

"Hoo..."

Since he knew how frightening the zombie's sword was, Lee Shin-Woo didn't hastily approach it, but instead stayed in a safe distance and took out his bow and arrows from his inventory. Although his Beginner Archery was only level 2, there was no way he'd miss at this distance. He notched an arrow on the bowstring, carefully aimed for its head, and fired.

[Gguaaaaahk!]

It hit the mark. Of course, a level 1 weapon wasn't capable of inflicting a fatal wound on the Undead Hero even with a headshot. Although the kinetic energy of the arrow had sent a violent tremor through the zombie’s head, it ended up shocking the zombie rather than damaging its unstable neck.

"Here, have some more!"

He shot another arrow at the zombie, and then another. Its neck extended and sagged, accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing. Its sword, which had been relentlessly cutting through the air, had momentarily stopped. Nevertheless, Lee Shin-Woo didn't let down his guard, and once again notched an arrow, pulled the bowstring with all his strength, and... let go.

[Critical Hit!]

[Beginner Critical Hit is now Lv2.]

[Kehk...]

The zombie muttered something, and the moment it took a step forward, its neck bone let out a horrifying crack before breaking. Without the bone supporting its head, it tore off and rolled onto the ground. Lee Shin-Woo immediately stomped on its head hard when it rolled up to his foot. That was the moment his vengeance was complete, and simultaneously, the time for him to level up.

[You have defeated a Lv2 Undead Hero. You have achieved a feat of defeating an enemy with a higher level than you. Agility and Magic permanently increase by 2.]

[You have acquired a permit to access Goddess’s Secret Shop. You have acquired 2,280 Perium.]

[You did not submit to defeat and succeeded in your revenge. Now, it is time for you to receive karma.]

[Lv2 Feather Bone Boots (+1), Broken Lv2 Bone Spear (+3), and the Lv2 Undead Hero's arm bones are absorbed through Bone Reinforcement. Beginner Sprint is now Lv7. Strength has increased by 5, Agility by 10, Endurance by 5, and Magic by 15. Absorbing a portion of the Undead Hero's memories and experiences.]

[You have learned the passive skill, Beginner Swordsmanship Lv1.]

[You have learned the passive skill, Low Rank Bursting Thunder. Beginner Spearmanship Lv4, Beginner Swordsmanship Lv1, Beginner Weapon Defense Lv1, and Beginner Critical Hit Lv2 have been absorbed into Bursting Thunder. You have acquired 17% proficiency in Low Rank Bursting Thunder.]

[You have achieved a feat of acquiring a low-rank skill. Magic increases by 5.]

[ Bone Reinforcement is now Lv3. Skill effectiveness increases.]

Even though he hadn’t used Bone Refinement, all the bones around him flickered before vanishing into thin air the instant his level increased. The energy within the bones was absorbed, including the Feather Bone Boots he was wearing! Fortunately, he was able to receive all the abilities granted by the equipment intact.

Ugh... my head hurts...!

At the same time, memories began to burn into his head, sending his mind to overdrive. The Undead Hero's memories had obviously increased his level, and its knowledge of this world instantly rushed into him! Lee Shin-Woo kept himself conscious by gritting his teeth and took in the outpour of knowledge as calmly as possible. His body made a dreary sound as it changed in real time. However, the overpowering headache had prevented him from feeling the pain of his physical transformation.

Urgh...!

His feeble bones became thicker, more durable and combat-ready. His excessively large skull had reduced in size relative to his body and became sturdier, while his pristine clean skeleton became slightly murky. Meanwhile, a brand glowing faintly of red was engraved onto his forehead. 

Lee Shin-Woo assumed the branded word meant ‘avenger’, though he had no way of knowing. It was proof that his decision to postpone his level-up in favor of taking down the zombie was correct.

[You are now level 2. The effectiveness of your stats increases. Your inventory increases by 10 boxes.]

[Due to your achievement, you have gained the ability of an avenger. You have learned the passive skill, Beginner Avenger Lv1.]

How much time had passed since that message first appeared? He had been frantically sorting through all his newly-acquired knowledge and information, while his vision became cluttered with messages. Finally, the pain inflicted on Lee Shin-Woo’s body and mind faded away.

"Hoo..."

Once he had gotten a hold of himself, Lee Shin-Woo surveyed his surroundings and let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he hadn’t attracted any monsters despite the commotion he created. Perhaps the Undead Hero he had fought had killed all the living beings in the dungeon.

"Where should I go next?"

Too many things had changed all at once. He needed more concrete information on the dungeon for nothing if not to explore it. Lee Shin-Woo took a deep breath and muttered ‘status’.

[Lee Shin-Woo]

[Skeleton Avenger Blessed by God]

[Lv - 2 (Stats effectiveness 110%)][Strength - 73 + 10 Agility - 77 + 10 Endurance - 61 + 10 Magic - 43 + 10] (While the dungeon bonuses still apply)

[Passive skills - Invisible Heart Lv3, Acting Lv2, Beginner Avenger Lv1, Low Rank Bursting Thunder Lv1, Beginner Archery Lv2, Beginner Magic Affinity Lv2]

[Active skills - Bone Reinforcement Lv3, Beginner Sprint Lv7, Beginner Shriek of the Dead Lv2]

He realized then that it had been a miracle after another for him to defeat both the Treasure Eater and the Undead Hero.