John looked on with disdain as the Orc chieftain charged at him, his movements slow and deliberate as he raised his staff.

"Hmph, you think you can cast a spell now? Too late!" the Orc chieftain sneered, raising his massive blade. As a Berserker, his physical damage was devastating, and any mage caught in close quarters with him was as good as dead.

However, John wasn't casting a spell.

Bam!

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A dull thud echoed as John struck the chieftain with his staff, a terrifying damage number floating above the Orc's head.

With the power of his B-grade physical damage talent and the B-grade Dual Mastery talent, John's regular attack dealt over fifteen thousand damage.

Even with the Orc's high physical resistance, it still inflicted over ten thousand damage.

The chieftain felt dizzy, blood trickling from his forehead, and he stood there in shock.

His health, just shy of fifty thousand, was nearly reduced by a quarter in a single hit from this human adventurer.

"Despicable!" the chieftain roared, finally regaining his senses, enraged that this supposed mage was actually a warrior in disguise.

"Attack! Take down these adventurers first," he ordered, retreating quickly as he commanded his subordinates to charge at John and his companions.

John remained unfazed, the powerful magical energy around him surging.

Earthquake!

Rain of Fire!

Two area-of-effect spells blanketed the hundred or so elite Orcs.

[Killed 100-level elite Orc, gained 410 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, constitution +2, strength +5] ...

The notifications flashed as the powerful elite Orcs fell effortlessly.

John's two spells wiped them all out, leaving only the chieftain standing.

The Orc chieftain stood in a daze, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, "Adventurer, are you a warrior or a mage?"

John didn't bother to answer, raising his staff once more.

"Wait!" the chieftain panicked, trying to stop John. "Adventurer, this is a hero-level Secret Area. The final boss is a rare fourth-tier power. You can't defeat it alone. Let's join forces. I promise the Secret Area's treasure will be yours."

"Not interested," John cut him off, casting another spell.

Two Wind Blades, a Thunderstorm, and two large Fireballs flew towards the chieftain in quick succession.

Boom...

The series of explosions and the overwhelming magical energy left the Orc chieftain no time to scream before he was obliterated.

[Killed 100-level elite boss Orc chieftain, gained 810 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, gained S-grade talent, Spatial Awareness]

[Spatial Awareness: S-grade talent, allows detection of spatial weak points and the ability to learn spatial magic]

"S-grade talent, Spatial Awareness!" John read the talent description, filled with surprise and excitement.

No wonder the Orcs could invade the Land of Elves and this Secret Area. Some of them had mastered such a powerful talent.

This is undoubtedly a godly skill for exploring the Secret Areas in the wild.

Not only that, mastering the Spatial Awareness talent allows one to train in spatial magic.

Spatial magic doesn't belong to any particular school; it's powerful and mysterious, and very few possess it.

While John now had the ability to learn spatial magic, he would still need to find spatial skills.

The rarity of spatial skills was on par with that of obtaining the Spatial Awareness talent.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, arrows flew towards John, interrupting his thoughts.

With the elite Orcs defeated, the undead soldiers had set their sights on John and his companions.

"You two, stay back," he instructed the women, immediately launching a magical assault.

Although the undead soldiers were numerous, they were no match for John.

Flames roared, wind howled, and the earth trembled.

One by one, the undead soldiers fell to his magical attacks.

Soon, most of the undead soldiers in the hall were cleared, and a massive, burly undead soldier emerged.

It was the final boss of the Secret Area, a rare-grade level 100 undead general.

With 100,000 health points and a strength attribute of 9600, all other attributes hovered around 5000.

Just like the undead soldiers, it had physical attack immunity, but the undead general's immunity was even higher, reaching 80%.

"Human, leave this place, or die!" a thunderous shout echoed throughout the hall. The undead general pointed its spear at John, exuding murderous intent.

John was unfazed, raising his staff as powerful magical energy surged around him.

"Foolish mortal!" the undead general scoffed, launching an attack and charging towards John.

Rumble...

Suddenly, the ground quaked, and the undead general's speed was hindered.

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A terrifying damage number appeared. With just one area skill, Earthquake, the undead general lost over twelve thousand health points.

But it didn't end there.

Large Fireball, Wind Blade Slash, Thunderstorm, all struck in succession, triggering two spell combos.

Caught in the slowing effect of the Earthquake skill, the undead general couldn't dodge. It could only watch helplessly as the skills rained down.

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...

Terrifying damage numbers flashed, even triggering a magical critical hit.

The undead general's health quickly depleted and vanished into nothingness in an instant.

Throughout the entire battle, John didn't even take a step.

[Killed level 100 rare-grade undead general, gained 1620 experience points]

[Plunder talent activated, strength +50, constitution +10, agility +10, attack speed +1]

[You have cleared the Gates Empire Treasure Secret Area (Heroic), overall rating SSS]

[Bonus rewards: 100 skill stones, 20 free attribute points]

The notifications appeared as the undead general fell, dropping several items and a treasure chest.

This must be the final reward of the Secret Area.

"Old man, I've reached level 60 and unlocked the class advancement quest." Tracy ran over, looking at John with eager anticipation.

Her advancement quest required her to kill a tier-three elite boss.

The thing she absolutely couldn't do on her own and thus needed John's help.

"Don't worry, I'll help you with the advancement in a bit," John replied, understanding Tracy's intentions. He then turned his attention back to the treasure chest in front of him.

[You have opened the Gates Empire Treasure Secret Area chest and received: Crimson Serpent Set1, Phantom Mage Set1, Divine Heart Set1, Beginner Talent Upgrade Stone1]

John was thrilled; the chest yielded three sets of rare tier-three gear and a highly precious Beginner Talent Upgrade Stone.

[Crimson Serpent Blade: Rare; Usable by tier-three Assassin class; Physical Damage +65, Strength +68, Critical Hit +1]

[Crimson Serpent Armor: Rare; Usable by tier-three classes; Physical Defense +60, Magic Defense +40, Constitution +55]

[Crimson Serpent Belt: Rare; Usable by tier-three classes; Health +700, Strength +61, Constitution +60]

[Set Effect: Physical Damage +100, Critical Hit +2, Attacks inflict a bleeding effect, causing 1% damage per second until the target dies]

[Description: Crafted from the body of the demonic beast Crimson Serpent Snake, it bestows significant physical damage boosts, making it a dream set for Assassins]

…

[Phantom Mage Staff: Rare; Usable by tier-three Mage class; Magic Damage +70, Spirit +66, Magic Recovery +2 points/second]

[Phantom Mage Ring: Rare; Usable by tier-three Mage class; Magic Damage +69, Agility +40, Critical Hit +1]

[Phantom Mage Robe: Rare; Usable by tier-three Mage class; Physical Defense +50, Magic Defense +70, Spirit +55]

[Set Effect: Magic Damage +100, Magic Points +1000, Magic Recovery +10 points/second]

[Description: The set shimmers with light, dreamlike and illusionary, providing high bonuses for Mages]

…

[Divine Heart Staff: Rare; Usable by tier-three Mage and Priest classes; Healing Effect +700, Magic Damage +50, Spirit +55]

[Divine Heart Dress: Rare; Usable by tier-three female classes; Physical Defense +55, Magic Defense +55, Spirit +40]

[Divine Heart Necklace: Rare; Usable by tier-three classes; Health +500, Magic Points +500, Agility +40]

[Set Effect: Health +1000, Additional Healing Effect +20%, Speed +20]

[Description: It's said that this set was crafted over three years by a Priest and offers powerful healing effects]

…

These tier-three sets seemed tailor-made for John and the two women.

Especially the Phantom Mage Set, which provided a magic recovery rate of 12 points per second.

Given that John had the Wrath of the Gods talent, he often lacked effective means to recover mana.

His current battles required him to stock up on large amounts of mana recovery potions.

The Phantom Mage Set would provide a continuous effect akin to that of a basic mana potion recovery.

John immediately equipped his new gear and handed the Crimson Serpent Set and the Divine Heart Set to Sini and Tracy.

"Wow, this equipment is so beautiful!" Tracy was captivated by the Divine Heart Dress and Necklace, completely ignoring their attributes as she held them up happily.

Then she looked dejected, realizing that this set required a tier-three class to equip.

"Old man, when are you going to help me advance?" Tracy asked John impatiently, eager to wear the new gear.

She wants to equip the set as soon as possible.

"Not yet," John replied, paying no attention to Tracy's impatience.

He sensed a weak spot in the space, indicating another hidden area.

"John, what are you looking for?" Sini asked, delighted with her new equipment.

"This space has something off," John said, carefully sensing the area until he pinpointed the weak spot in a hidden corner of the hall.

"Stand back," he instructed the two women behind him. Raising his staff, he channeled a surge of powerful magic.

Boom! Boom!

Two Thunderstorms struck the spot, creating a rift in the hall. The spatial energy rippled, revealing a narrow passage.

"Is this a hidden map?" Sini asked curiously, peering at the still-unstable passage.

John nodded and, to be cautious, summoned a Water Mist Clone to enter the unknown space first.

After a while, he received no indication that the clone had been attacked, suggesting the area was safe.

"Let's go in and see," John said, leading the way through the spatial passage.

[You have discovered a hidden unknown map.]

The prompt flashed, and John saw his Water Mist Clone idling nearby.

Mist covered the area, which was barren and desolate.

In the distance, a glimmering light reflected off the surface of a shimmering lake.

John confirmed there was no danger and dismissed the Water Mist Clone before approaching the lake.

The small lake, spanning only a few dozen meters, had clear water. A line of information appeared:

[Vein of the Earth; a rare treasure, comparable to the Elven Spring of the elves and the Dark Sea of the demon race, known as one of the three miraculous waters. Drinking directly from it can increase strength by 100 points; can be added to Death Land.]