CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21: USING CURSE FLOWER, ABSORBING LIVES

Vine Cataclysm!

The moment Stark activated the spell, the ground trembled.

Several thick vines shot upward like serpents breaking free from the earth.

They lashed out instantly, striking toward Max and Seren with brutal force.

BOOM!

-8,660! -8,660!

The numbers exploded above their heads.

Even with Max’s absurd defense and raw power, and Seren’s continuous healing spells wrapping around him, there was no way they could withstand that much damage in an instant.

Their bodies staggered. Their vision blurred.

And then, darkness.

Ding!

[You have been killed by Oblivion.]

In [Eternal Soul], death wasn’t just a vague blur of defeat.

If the killer didn’t hide their identity with a special ability, their name was displayed for all to see.

It was one of the reasons wars in this world escalated so quickly.

The moment a player saw who killed them, grudges were born, and blood would follow.

Just like that, Max and Seren’s avatars flickered, their bodies on the verge of disintegration.

But before they fully vanished, Stark moved.

He tried to cast [Curse Flower] from where he stood, but a cold message appeared before his eyes.

[You are too far from the target.]

"Tch."

Without hesitation, Stark burst forward.

His boots hammered against the dirt, closing the gap between him and the collapsing corpses.

Five seconds.

That was all the time a body lingered before disappearing in [Eternal Soul].

And it was the exact same five-second window that [Curse Flower] required.

Finally, Stark skidded to a stop right beside them, thrusting his palm out.

Curse Flower!

Ding!

[The "Curse Flower" has been planted on the corpses of the players you killed.]

’Got it.’

Relief flickered across Stark’s face.

A thin vine sprouted from Max’s chest, followed by another from Seren’s.

Each carried a small bud at the end, tightly closed, like a crimson flower yet to bloom.

[Curse Flower: 100 HP]

The mechanic was simple.

If anyone struck those buds, even with the weakest attack, they would instantly shatter.

But here, no one would come to save them.

Stark crouched low, watching as faint energy bled out of the corpses.

The buds pulsed faintly, glowing as they began to absorb.

It was slow, steady, and unsettling.

’Beautiful,’ Stark thought, his eyes narrowing as the buds slowly grew, ’And terrifying. A flower that steals lives.’

At a rate of one life per second, the flowers drank greedily.

Ten seconds. Fifteen. Twenty.

At the thirty-second mark, both buds unfurled at the same time, their petals opening wide.

They revealed beautiful crimson flowers that shimmered like crystals.

Ding!

[Your "Curse Flower" has taken 30 Lives from GodOfViolence]

[Your "Curse Flower" has taken 30 Lives from DivineGoddess]

Stark let out a low whistle.

Sixty-two lives. From just two kills.

It was absolutely game-breaking, and it was only the start!

But his smile faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

He couldn’t use this ability recklessly against just anyone.

Only against tthose he knew would be a problem later on.

It wasn’t something to be wasted on random fodder.

Plus, no one should know the existence of this.

If they knew, it would spread, and people do anything they could to hit the flower.

With the test complete, Stark straightened.

He had no reason to linger in the [Novice Continent] any longer.

Max and Seren now knew his name. His identity.

The seed of fear had been planted.

And more importantly, he had confirmed the power of his new skill.

Across the leaderboards, the second-place player in his town was already level 8.

In the world, several players should be already at level 9 and pushing.

Stark knew that in under a few hours, many would enter the [Eternal Continent].

And once you crossed over... there was no going back.

He opened his interface.

---

[Oblivion: I’m going ahead, make sure to level up and immediately proceed afterward.]

[Starfall: Okay

---

Grace’s odd way of typing always caught him off guard.

Somehow she had access to emoticons no one else even knew how to input.

A grin tugged at his lips despite himself.

’Good. Everyone’s moving at their own pace. Hopefully, we’ll meet again on the other side.’

With that thought, he closed his eyes and focused.

His mind sharpened. His energy gathered.

Ding!

---

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

[Yes] [No]

[Do note that you cannot go back, but many more opportunities (and dangers) await you there!]

---

This time, Stark didn’t hesitate.

"Yes!"

The confirmation triggered instantly.

White light exploded around him, wrapping him in brilliance.

"Holy shit, what’s happening?!"

"Hey, what the hell is that?"

Nearby players stumbled back, shielding their eyes.

None of them had seen this before.

To them, it looked like Stark’s entire body was being erased from the world.

Stark, however, simply smirked.

’Heh. They’ll understand soon enough... if they live long enough to see it.’

The light devoured his vision.

For a moment, there was nothing but blankness.

And then, movement.

A vortex pulled him forward, swirling like a cosmic tunnel.

His body drifted through it, pulled toward something vast and unknown.

’The first act begins now,’ Stark thought, his fists tightening, ’No mistakes. Not anymore.’

Ding!

[You are about to enter the "Eternal Continent"]

...

Meanwhile...

"God fucking damn it!" Max’s roar echoed across [Novice Town #783], the square buzzing with other players.

His body had respawned in a flare of light, armor scuffed, sword still clenched in his hand.

He slammed the weapon against the ground in rage.

"That bastard, Oblivion—!"

Seren appeared beside him, shaking her head.

"Mm... and somehow, I lost thirty-one lives instead of just one."

Max’s expression snapped toward her, "What?!"

He looked at his own lives, and indeed, he had lost many more than expected!

"He must have some kind of special skill." Seren’s tone was calm, though her eyes narrowed, "But it doesn’t matter. I’ve still got more than one hundred and fifty left."

Max ground his teeth.

His fury was real, but it didn’t blind him to the truth.

They needed to adapt.

"We should focus on reaching level 10," Seren said, more firmly this time, "Others will be close. We can’t fall behind."

Max let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.

"You always say that, but don’t forget, we’re monsters, with our classes and talents, we can rip through thousands of damage in seconds."

"I know." Seren gave a faint smile, "I’m just reminding you that we don’t know what comes next."

"...Fine." Max exhaled, "Let’s move."

The two disappeared into the forest once again, blade and magic ready.

But their moment of calm didn’t last long.

Ding!

[A player has ascended to the "Eternal Continent"!]

The world shook.

Every player across [Eternal Soul] froze, stunned.

"What the fuck?"

"Wait, how do you even do that?"

"It’s Oblivion, isn’t it?! I bet you have to hit level 10!"

"So there’s more beyond this?!"

The towns erupted, players theorizing wildly.

For most, it didn’t matter.

They were still stuck around level 3–5, struggling to even fight the monsters at the start.

Many had already logged out, too frustrated to continue.

But for the ones who stayed, the ones that could feel a connection to [Eternal Soul], knowing that it would change the world, they wanted to know.

Somewhere else, Grace’s party was grinding relentlessly.

Lightning strikes and blades cut down monsters in the dense forest.

She froze mid-cast when the announcement rang out.

Her heart skipped a beat.

’So that’s why he told me to hurry.’

Earlier, Oblivion’s words echoed in her mind.

She opened her menu, fingers twitching.

[Player "Oblivion" is out of reach, you cannot speak to him.]

Her lips pressed together.

’He must already be there... in the [Eternal Continent].’

Her gaze hardened as she turned back to her team.

"I’m almost level 8. Let’s keep pushing."

Around the world, tens of thousands of players had the same thought.