Bones lay scattered across the grass. Gold pouches glimmered under the moonlight, catching the light like tiny beacons.
Alex exhaled slowly, resting his mace on his shoulder. "Not a bad start."
But the fight wasn't over.
The skeletons weren't finished, far from it. The Grave Warden he'd just crushed was nothing more than a mini-boss.
From the dark soil, more skeletons began to rise. This time, they were different.
Their weapons freshly polished. Some wore partial armor, dented but enchanted, and a few of them clutched staffs crackling faintly with mana.
Alex grinned, eyes lighting up with excitement instead of fear. "Now we're talking."
Even if a bone dragon decided to crawl out next, he wouldn't flinch. His experiment had worked.
If he had more time, Alex was confident he could change any number, manipulate any stat, rewrite the rules.
'I'll save this as a trump card,' he thought, glancing briefly at the glowing interface flickering faintly in the corner of his vision. 'Just in case.'
Sound of clanging bones echoed trough the graveyard.
The second wave has started.
A skeletal knight dome first, its longsword slicing toward Alex's head. He ducked, rolled under the blow, and countered with a full-body spin, his mace smashing the knight's shield, splintering it like rotted wood.
[Undead Sentinel Defeated]
[You get: Silver Tooth Amulet, Medium Gold Coin Pouch x1]
Two more skeletons moved in, one with a glaive, the other with dual daggers.
Alex shifted, parried the glaive, took the dagger slash across his arm, then answered with a Cleave skill, his mace cutting a wide arc through both enemies.
[Critical Hit! 400 Damage]
[You get: Rusted Blade x2, Torn Mage Robe, Healing Herb x1]
From the backline, a skeleton mage lifted its staff, dark glyphs lighting the air. "Not this time," Alex growled. He move forward, dirt exploding beneath his boots as he closed the gap.
The staff shattered. The mage's skull caved in.
[Skeleton Warlock Defeated]
[You get: Bone Dust x1, Tattered Spell Page]
But before he could breathe, the air changed.
A low growl rippled through the mist. Then it appeared.
A creature larger than the others, its skeletal frame fused with metal plates and glowing chains. Its ribcage pulsed with a black fire. Horns curled from its skull, and jagged wings stretched behind its back.
[Field Boss: Bone Reaper Dragon Lv.35]
Alex stared up at it, chest rising and falling slowly. Then, he laughed. "Ask and you shall receive."
The Bone Reaper roared, and the battlefield erupted.
It's tail whipping toward him. Alex leapt sideways, narrowly dodging the bone spike that tore a trench through the earth. The dragon's maw glowed red as it prepared to fire a beam.
Alex raised his mace, focused, and slammed it to the ground.
The earth exploded. Dust and bone fragments flew into the air, momentarily obscuring the dragon's vision.
He dashed in through the cloud, rolled under the beast's ribs, and slammed his mace upward into its exposed core.
The dragon screeched and twisted violently. A swipe of its claw sent him flying back, crashing through two tombstones.
[You take 480 Damage]
Alex spat blood, wiped his mouth, and stood.
The dragon come again.
Alex threw a flashbomb from his inventory, white light burst across the graveyard, staggering the beast just long enough.
He activated his hack The world stuttered. Reality warped.
With a roar, Alex charged again, his body distorted. The dragon turned, mouth open wide. He jumped, spun mid-air, and brought his mace down with both hands.
The beast's skull caved inward. A shockwave tore through the field.
[Boss Defeated: Bone Reaper Dragon]
[Loot: Reaper Core x1, Heavy Bone Plating x1, Dragon Fang x2, Rare Gold Coin Pouch x3]
The massive corpse collapsed into a pile of shattered bones and scorched metal.
A radiant glow wrapped around Alex as a soft chime echoed.
[Level Up! Level 31 → Level 40]
[EXP: 1220 / 180,000]
Alex let out a low laugh as the system messages faded. If he kept this pace, he could probably reach max level just by grinding this endless dungeon. But he knew better.
Even hacking this many times already pushing it.
Still… he couldn't help himself.
'Cheating while everyone else is out there grinding their souls dry, is fun.'
The dopamine rush, the thrill of bending the rules in a world built on limits, it was addicting.
The graveyard trembled again, the mist swirling tighter, soil cracking as the next wave prepared to rise.
Alex rolled his shoulders, sighing. "Yeah… time to leave."
His current plan was simple,sell just enough loot to buy a decent house and hire a maid to take care of Jack's mother. Somewhere safer. Somewhere clean.
After that, he'd report in to General Asmon, complete the assigned mission, and then finally… start exploring the world properly.
He still hadn't forgotten his real purpose here.
Gather information. Send it back to his real body. And if possible… burn the system to the ground.
This world wasn't just a game. It was a cage, one where many human minds were sealed away.
And the worst part? They didn't even know they were prisoners.
Just like that old movie he'd seen once. Alex smirked to himself. "Heh… maybe I really should make those pills. Red and blue. Offer them like a choice."
The idea made him chuckle. More and more plans started forming in his head, some crazy, some practical, and a few so ridiculous they just might work.
One of them stood out.
Picture it: dark sunglasses, sleek black suit, standing in the middle of a shady alley like some mysterious merchant.
A small box in one hand, two pills in the other. "Wanna know the truth, or enjoy your dream?"
The thought made Alex grin wider. It started as a joke, but now he was thinking about it seriously.
The method could actually work.
Releasing people without preparation? That would just create chaos, maybe even rejection from the capsule itself.
But if they chose to wake up…
if they understood the fight waiting on the other side… then they'd be ready.
They wouldn't be a burden.