CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: LEGENDARY CHEST, CURSE FLOWER SKILL

[Legendary Chest]

The chest shimmered before Stark, glowing with a golden radiance that screamed of its rank.

His reward for clearing the dungeon and defeating the boss now sat right in front of him.

He didn’t hesitate.

Pouring mana into the chest, he heard a soft—

Click!

That was the sound.

The chest had recognized him and was ready to be unlocked.

Most chests only contained a single item, but that wasn’t what mattered.

The quality of the loot always depended on the rank of the chest itself.

Which meant, no matter what came out, it would be legendary.

Stark reached forward and threw the lid open.

Ding!

[You have opened the "Legendary Chest" and obtained the "Curse Flower" skill book.]

The system announcement rang in his ears.

Stark immediately shoved his hand inside the chest and pulled out his reward.

[Skill Book: Curse Flower (Legendary). Requirement: Level 10]

A grin spread across his face.

His very first legendary skill, and it was a universal skill since every class could learn it!

Without a second thought, Stark chose to learn it.

Ding!

[You have learned the skill "Curse Flower"]

---

[Curse Flower (Legendary): Use on a player or NPC’s corpse within five seconds of death to curse them with the "Curse Flower".]

[The flower will grow on their bodies and absorb their lives for 30 seconds at a rate of 1 life per second.]1

[The flower has 100 HP, and if it is destroyed, the user gets nothing as it will not bloom.]

---

"What the fuck..."

Stark blinked at the description, then read it again. And again.

Each time, the shock didn’t lessen.

So far, he hadn’t seen a single NPC in this life besides the strange woman he encountered inside this very dungeon.

The [Novice Continent] didn’t contain NPCs at all.

They only began appearing once you set foot in the [Eternal Continent].

Which meant...

Right now, this skill was basically only usable against players.

And if the description was right, he could squeeze thirty more lives from someone after they died.

"Wait... if they don’t even have thirty lives left..." he muttered under his breath. "Would that mean... I could permanently kill them?"

The thought was insane.

’I wonder...’

As for the flower’s 100 HP? Stark wasn’t worried.

After all, how could the flower be destroyed if he made sure there was nobody left to do that?

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying this skill seemed.

This was his first legendary skill in his new life too, and he could definitely see why.

And the best part? Like everything else he obtained, this skill wasn’t stuck in place.

It could evolve. Curious, Stark checked the panel.

[Do you wish to consume 50 Evolution Point to evolve "Curse Flower"?]

His jaw dropped.

"God damn... that’s... way too much."

The jump was absurd.

From [Epic] to [Legendary], it only cost 10 EP.

But now, a single step further demanded 50 EP?

That was five times the cost!

He couldn’t even imagine what came after that.

100? 200? More?

Shaking his head, Stark closed the panel.

He would worry about that later.

Right now, something else appeared in front of him.

A glowing portal shimmered into existence nearby. His exit.

Once he stepped through, he’d be sent back to the start of the zone.

But before leaving, Stark wanted to deal with something else.

He wanted to check the panels that appeared around him when he reached level 10.

Ding!

[Congratulations to player "Oblivion" for being the first player to reach level 10 in Novice Town #783!]

[You have gained 5 Prestige Points!]

The announcement boomed across the minds of everyone in his novice town.

And then, before he even had time to smile—

Ding!

[Congratulations to player "Oblivion" for being the first player to reach level 10 in the world!]

[You have gained 10 Prestige Points!]

This one rang across the world.

"Nice," Stark grinned.

Fifteen prestige points. Just like that.

He knew that some players were already at levels 8 and 9.

People with ridiculous talents and overpowered classes.

But still, he had beaten them all.

Right now, nobody stood above him.

Of course, the rest of the world had their own thoughts.

"God fucking Oblivion again! Can’t that guy take a break?"

"Bro, just admit you’re jealous."

Speculation about his identity ran rampant, but it didn’t matter.

Nobody would figure out who he was.

’Soon enough, it won’t even matter,’ Stark thought. ’Once everyone moves to the [Eternal Continent], the real game begins. That’s when everything will connect.’

The world announcements weren’t the only panels that appeared.

Ding!

[Since you have reached level 10, you are able to leave the "Novice Content" and head to the "Eternal Continent" to finally start your journey!]

And right beside it—

[Congratulations, you may now undergo your first class advancement.]

Class advancements were usually a nightmare.

Tasks designed to push players to their limits.

But they were necessary, because each advancement strengthened your class beyond recognition.

But the very first one...

[To advance your class, you simply need to head to the "Eternal Continent"!]

[Your experience will be locked until then.]

"Of course," Stark muttered, grinning.

They made the first one easy to "help" players, but Stark knew the truth.

It was nothing but a leash.

A way to force every single person toward the [Eternal Continent].

Because in itself, agreeing to go there would be the real nightmare.

Once you left, there was no going back.

The real challenge would begin there.

And besides, nobody could surpass level 10 while staying here.

Ding!

[Do you wish to go to the "Eternal Continent"?]

[Yes] [No]

Stark immediately pressed [No].

’I still have things to do here. Besides, I can leave whenever I want.’

Another reminder flashed:

[You will only be able to extract your abilities to the real world by reaching the "Eternal Continent"!]

"I know that already," Stark groaned.

The system was pushing people toward that continent as much as it could.

Even he had no choice but to accept it eventually. But not yet.

Turning away, Stark stepped into the glowing exit portal and reappeared at the start of the [Abandoned Temple of Fate].

He left the cave behind and stepped back into the forest.

Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward town.

Sure, he could’ve killed himself to teleport instantly, he’d only lose a single life since he could unequip the [Revenant Bell]—

But why ruin his no-death streak now?

At full speed, it still took him twenty minutes to reach [Novice Town #783].

As soon as he crossed into the safe zone, Stark slowed, his eyes widening.

"What the hell..."

The streets were packed.

He had never, not once, seen a novice town this crowded.

Weaving through the mass of players, he made his way toward the central square.

And when he arrived, it all made sense.

Every gaze turned toward him.

"Wait, holy shit, it’s Oblivion!"

"He must be a strong warrior like me, right?"

"Nah, trust me, he’s an assassin. Nobody else levels that fast."

Then their eyes actually fell on him.

"Oh... he’s a mage."

"-_-," Stark could only sigh.

If you’re a fear and hunger fan, you might get the reference of this skill