Constantine knelt beside the Treasure Chest with an expectant gaze.
The chest was primarily dark brown, with gold plating carved around its edges. Within it was a bright light that brilliantly bounced off his pale face.
After reaching into it, he recovered a few more interesting items. Once four items were taken out, the chest shattered and disintegrated.
'Just like in the game… five random items in total.' Constantine slowly nodded.
When he thought about Eccles Accel, he immediately had a realization:
In the game, when enemies approached, there would be a [Danger Notice] warning the player of incoming threats. Logically speaking, his System also ought to have that function, so why hadn't it warned him about the Adventurers earlier?
At the time, with the kind of trouble he was in, he hadn't given it much thought.
However, he was a lot more clear-headed now.
'I'll have to move forward with caution and compare whatever the System does with my in-game knowledge…' With this thought deeply etched in his mind, Constantine finally decided to take a good look at his loot.
He received one more Full Recovery Potion, two Forge Tokens, and a pouch filled with 50 Gems.
It wasn't a bad haul by any means.
Just as he had feared back then, though, no weapon was in the chest.
Nevertheless, Constantine was overjoyed.
'With two Forge Tokens, I can upgrade two of my weapons. This is good…' He immediately placed his Forge Tokens and Gems inside his Inventory.
Then, he opened his Status Window.
[STATUS INFORMATION]
{Name}
Constantine
{Race}
Undead
{Level}
7
{System Points}
100
{Class}
Ghoul
{Title(s)}
Dead on the First Day
Died Once
{Skill(s)}
Miasma Emission
{Equipped Items}
Male Adventurer's Outfit (R)
Basic Arrow ×11 (C)
Basic Quiver (C)
Basic Bow (C)
Basic Longsword (C)
Basic Dagger ×2 (C)
Basic Adventurer Pouch ×3 (C)
Minor Ability Boost Potion ×6
Minor Recovery Potion ×7
Full Recovery Potion ×1
{Current Quest}
Explore the Dungeon's interior
Upgrade your weapon
{System Note}
You can use the Forge Tokens and the Gems you received to upgrade your current equipment. This will increase their attack potency and durability, which will surely provide a greater advantage in future battles.
<<Click Here to Access Inventory>>
<<Click Here to Access Gacha>>
<<Click Here to Visit Shop>>
<<Click Here to Check Map>>
<<Click Here to Reach Forge>>
<<Click Here to End Your Life (RECOMMENDED)>>
'This System…'
Constantine couldn't help but scoff when he noticed that the System was still hell-bent on trying to get him to kill himself.
Beyond that, he also rolled his eyes at the System Note.
'I wasn't the best player in Eccles Accel, but I was at least top-tier. Why wouldn't I know something as basic as this? Isn't the System supposed to know all this and give me really useful advice? Instead, it has been useless since our first meeting…'
Constantine was already beginning to regret giving this shitty System a five-star review.
He wanted to revoke it, but he couldn't find a way to do so.
'Looks like my System Points also increased to 100. I can use them for Gacha or to buy stuff in the Shop, but that's not my priority at the moment.' After looting those three Adventurers and the Random Treasure Chest, Constantine was relatively stable in terms of items.
'I can save these points for later…' Constantine slowly rose to his feet, cautiously glancing around before walking away from the Dungeon Entrance.
It was time to venture further into the Dungeon.
"Let's look at the map."
After clicking on the <> segment of his Status Window, he quickly discovered a rough outline of the Dungeon's first floor. The remaining floors were obscured by darkness and would only gain some level of detail once he reached them.
This was quite normal in Eccles Accel.
In fact, if this hadn't been the case this time, he would have been suspicious of the System's tampering.
As a long-time player of Eccles Accel, Constantine had actually memorized most of the in-game maps. Out of all of them, he probably recognized the Dungeon maps the most, and the current image projected before him was accurate.
As for why he was looking at the map despite already knowing it by memory, it could only be for one major purpose.
'I need to find a Safe Zone. That'll be my base while I'm here…'
When a Player first spawned in the game, the Awakening Cave would be their automatic Safe Zone. However, this place would lose its effect once the Player killed those six Goblins. In fact, it would disappear after the Player left the vicinity.
'I'm sure I won't be able to find it if I return to that spot,' Constantine sighed as his eyes scoured the image for the most viable Safe Zone shown on the map.
This was something that couldn't be memorized.
After all, Safe Zones often appeared and vanished at random.
Since this was a living world, it made even more sense. A Safe Zone was somewhere devoid of monsters—a place where they couldn't interfere for an extended period.
'As long as I periodically check my map and notice when they stop being Safe Zones, I'll be able to use these areas as my resting places.' Constantine got his answer after spotting all the green markings on the map alongside the red markings.
Naturally, the green areas were safe, while the red areas were the opposite.
Those were Danger Zones.
They were crawling with monsters, and the current Constantine knew too well that he had to avoid those areas at all costs!
…..
"What a pleasant surprise!" Constantine beamed after cautiously stepping into the vast cavern that constituted the Safe Zone.
'I was a little skeptical, so I exercised due caution before entering, but this wasn't another trap…'
He took one more nervous look around before finally settling down.
'I suppose even a shitty System can't interfere with the more integral game mechanics. Since the Map is an essential part of the game, that rule must apply. And if the Map is like this, then I should also expect the Forge to be the same.'
Constantine felt more at ease now.
He had found it suspicious when the System told him to explore the Dungeon and also upgrade his first weapon, so he chose to tread carefully.
However, it turned out the Map wasn't lying, and the Forge was not compromised.
In that case—
"Time to upgrade my items!"
Undead like Constantine didn't feel exhaustion, so there was no reason for them to rest. The true reason he sought out this Safe Zone was to safely upgrade his weapons without any external disturbance.
Now, with all the conditions met, he could start without any problems.
"Status Window: Forge."
His screen immediately transformed into a different one, displaying all kinds of options.
In the Forge, there were three options.
One was to 'Craft' a new item.
The second was to 'Upgrade' an existing item, either by fusion or by using the necessary materials, and the third was to 'Downgrade' a superior item into a lesser version of itself.
Opting for the latter allowed Players to obtain different kinds of materials.
'Right now, I have two Forge Tokens. I can use the Forge two times. I'll upgrade that rusty blade so it can serve as my secondary weapon. Then, I'll use the second Forge Token to create something for defense. A shield… or armor, if I'm lucky.'
Constantine couldn't hide the relief and excitement that slowly coursed through his body.
For the first time since entering this world, things were finally going right!