The Judgment skill was indispensable to any Paladin, regardless of their specialization. Without it, a Paladin simply wasn't a Paladin.
Closing his quest log, Ryan applied a Crude Sharpening Stone to his weapon and headed toward the nearest quest marker. The task was straightforward: eliminate a few rogue beasts. He completed the objective quickly and followed the next prompt to a nearby farm.
This was it—the starting point of Goldmine Town's main storyline.
Having completed the main questline several times in his previous life, Ryan knew exactly which quests mattered. He ignored the flood of side missions that popped up and moved on with purpose, navigating the area like a veteran.
Main quests, aside from their final step, were practically indistinguishable from side quests. New players often couldn't tell the difference and would waste hours clearing every task available before stumbling into the real story progression. Ryan had no such problem. Even if he didn't remember every quest by heart, his instincts—sharpened by countless hours in this game—were enough to sniff out which paths led forward. And if he ever picked the wrong one, correcting course would take him mere minutes.
The dozen or so farms surrounding Goldmine Town, plus the quests within the town itself, offered over a hundred missions—enough to push a player all the way to level 11. But Ryan didn't need to go that far. Reaching level 10 and completing his class specialization quest would be enough to move on to the human capital city.
Stormhold Fortress—that was his destination. Players unlocked the banking system there. More importantly, Ryan needed to find out if his old public account bank had carried over into this life. If it had... then his level 90 Paladin's legacy might still be intact.
The farm quests were numerous, but only around twenty of them were worth Ryan's time. Over the next two hours, he moved from location to location, grinding through objectives with mechanical efficiency. By the time he wrapped up, no other players had caught up—most were still struggling through the first wave of farm quests behind him.
As he turned in his final task, a new quest popped up. It pointed him toward the most important location on the regional map: the Abandoned Mines.
This was more than just a storyline location—it was also the entrance to the class specialization dungeon.
At the entrance of the Abandoned Mines, Ryan encountered something new for the first time: elite monsters.
These weren't like the standard mobs he'd been cutting down until now. Elite monsters had significantly higher health pools, tougher defenses, and stronger attacks. Many players dreaded fighting them alone—without a decent set of Green gear, going solo was a death sentence.
Unless you were a Paladin.
Or more accurately, unless you were a Paladin facing undead elite monsters.
The elites inside the Abandoned Mines were all undead, which made them vulnerable to the Paladin's Radiant attribute. Of course, if there was too big a level gap, even a Paladin would be overwhelmed. But with the right level and the right timing...
---
Bone Miner
Elite
Level: 10
Health: 1020
Type: Undead
---
The Bone Miner's health was more than double Ryan's, and its attacks packed a serious punch. At level 7, there was no chance he could take one down.
Fortunately, he didn't have to. Ryan glanced at his experience bar—he'd accumulated over 70,000 experience points. Leveling from 7 to 8 only required 36,000. He had more than enough, possibly even enough to push straight to level 9.
He eyed the Bone Miner as it lumbered past on its patrol route. There was no hesitation.
Ryan clicked the level-up button. His massive pool of experience instantly halved.
Level Up: 8
However, Ryan was still short—about 5,500 experience points away from level 9. Going back to farming regular monsters was no longer an option. They were too inefficient now. His eyes turned to the elite monsters. Risky, yes, but the experience they granted made the danger worth it.
---
Character Status
Name: Featherlight
Race: Human
Class: Paladin
Level: 8
Health: 429
Mana: 328
---
Leveling up had granted him an additional 38 health, plus 10 more from the single point of Stamina he'd earned. His total HP now sat at 429—just under half of a Bone Miner's.
Casting Radiant Light had become significantly more expensive, now consuming 18 mana per cast. Mana costs seemed to double with each level—he'd have to be careful with his resource management.
Clicking his tongue, Ryan scanned the terrain and gauged the distance. One of the Bone Miners was patrolling close. Perfect.
He raised his hand and unleashed a Judgment.
It was one of the few ranged abilities available to Paladins. Though its range capped at 10 yards, it was just enough for him to get a hit in and immediately enchant his weapon again if needed.
–342 (Critical Hit)
A powerful burst of Radiant energy slammed into the Bone Miner, wiping out a third of its health in one shot. Critical hit. Excellent.
The Bone Miner screeched and immediately locked eyes on Ryan. With a guttural roar, it rushed him, its heavy mining pick swinging with vicious intent.
–133
Ryan grimaced as the weapon connected. Even with what was likely the best tanking gear available at this stage—most of it coming from early quest rewards—he still lost over a hundred HP in a single blow. If that had been a critical hit, a less durable class would've dropped on the spot.
He retaliated fast.
–152
–114
A Fist of Light, followed by a quick melee strike. The two hits combined brought the Bone Miner down to 412 health. Ryan didn't waste time checking numbers. The moment his skills went on cooldown, he began channeling Radiant Light.
Then came disaster.
The Bone Miner's second strike landed—and it was a critical hit.
–245
Ryan staggered. His health plummeted to 51. Worse still, the critical hit delayed his channeling just slightly. His heart pounded.
But luck hadn't entirely abandoned him. The Bone Miner's attacks came in two-second intervals. That window was just enough. Ryan gritted his teeth and finished the cast.
Radiant Light surged through him, restoring 320 health.
Not full, but enough. He could take another hit—maybe two.
He didn't plan to give the monster that chance.
Ryan's next Fist of Light landed clean—another critical hit.
–335
The undead creature shrieked as divine energy tore through its body. Its form staggered, then crumbled. A final regular attack shattered its frame completely. Bone fragments scattered across the dirt.
Breathing heavily, Ryan didn't pause to admire the victory. Another Bone Miner was already patrolling nearby. He quickly looted the remains, scooping up a few coins, then slipped into cover.
Once at a safe distance, he fully restored his health. When he checked the loot, his mood soured.
One silver coin. A handful of copper. That was it. He sighed. "Too poor. Give me some good loot already."
Still, he wasn't leaving.
That last fight had been close, but it wasn't the norm. As long as he didn't get hit by two crits in a row, he could keep farming here with minimal risk.
Fortunately, luck seemed to stay on his side.
In the battles that followed, no Bone Miner managed to land two critical hits in a row.