CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: EXPERIENCE DECAY, OTHER PLAYERS ARE HERE

Ding!

---

[You have killed x14 "Ruined Sentinels (Level 11)"]

[You have gained 28,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 11!]

[You have gained 5 points in all of your attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 76 Lives!]

---

Hand of Avarice!

Ding!

---

[You have gained 1 Evolution Point]

[You have gained 59 Lives!]

---

Stark stared at the glowing system panels floating before him.

Fourteen of the hulking [Ruined Sentinels] now lay in broken heaps, their metallic shells scattered across the cracked ground.

The rewards this time were impressive.

A single hunt had already given him more lives than most players could dream of.

Of course, the reason for that was obvious.

The game wasn’t designed to be completely merciless.

It had to give players a way to at least extract something meaningful into the real world.

Lives, skills, and abilities, this was the bridge between the game and reality.

But even with all these rewards, there was no true balance.

Many would still die repeatedly, burning through their lives like paper.

Few would ever get ahead.

For Stark, though, none of that mattered.

He glanced down at the items scattered around the corpses and casually stored them into his inventory.

Ever since his little trade stunt back in Novice Town, his reputation had tilted just enough toward the positive side.

People would remember the name [Oblivion] not just as another player, but as a decent trader.

That might sound small, but Stark knew in the long run such impressions mattered.

Connections, alliances, even survival... sometimes, it was all about who thought of you favorably.

Besides, right now, he had reached Level 11.

That alone meant power.

And he would need every bit of that strength soon.

Two events were approaching fast, both crucial stepping stones before the [First Calamity].

The first was the [Ghost Hunt], and the second was the [Tower of Divinity].

Both these events could be attempted by 15-25 level players if they wanted to get good rewards.

And then came the real trial, the [First Calamity].

Surviving that meant being at least Level 25 too.

Coincidentally, Level 25 was also the point at which players could finally step beyond the boundaries of the [Ruined Cities].

But right now, Stark was only Level 11.

Which meant there was only one option: head deeper.

He clenched his staff, recalling another of [Eternal Soul]’s cruel systems.

Players would decide to call it the [Experience Decay] system.

In his last life, players had cursed its existence endlessly.

Some even gave it a different name: the [Get Fucked] system.

Stark smiled faintly at the memory.

At first, the ruined sentinels had given him 2,000 experience each.

A generous amount.

But now...

Fwish!

Scorching Fireball! Vine Cataclysm!

A ball of fire roared across the cracked ground while thorned vines ripped upward, slamming into the chest of another sentinel he found while moving forward.

The hulking figure groaned and collapsed in a heap.

And...

Ding!

[You have gained 200 experience points.]

Stark let out a short breath. Just as expected.

Experience decay cut experience down the moment your level climbed too far above the monsters you were killing.

By the time he hit Level 12, these sentinels would barely give him 100 points.

And beyond that? Almost nothing.

The message was simple: stop farming weaklings and keep moving forward, no matter the risk.

Lives had their own decay system too.

After all, if high-level players could farm low-level monsters endlessly, stockpiling thousands of extra lives, the game would break.

Stark shook his head.

As much as he hated it, he had to admit one thing, [Eternal Soul] was frighteningly well-designed.

Balanced enough to make people struggle, yet generous enough to lure them in deeper.

Whoever, or whatever, had created this system hadn’t just made a game.

They had reshaped the world itself.

"Maybe in this life..." Stark murmured, clenching his fists. "Maybe I’ll find out."

But for now, he had a different goal.

He wanted the strongest staff available at this stage.

The earlier he acquired it, the bigger his advantage would grow.

Sure, there would be stronger weapons later, but Stark had no intention of falling behind until then.

Step by step, best gear, best growth. That was his plan.

He pressed deeper into the ruined streets, knocking down more sentinels along the way.

Their experience points were hardly worth the effort anymore, but he couldn’t leave them unchecked.

And soon, curiosity tugged at him.

He lifted his gaze and summoned the leaderboard.

---

[Level Leaderboard:]

[1. Oblivion: Level 11]

[2. Ghost: Level 10]

[3. EvilDemon: Level 10]

[4. PrinceLucas: Level 10]

---

So, three others had already arrived in the [First Ruined City].

Stark nodded slightly.

Of course, these weren’t the only players in the entire world.

There were ninety-nine other ruined cities out there, each spawning players.

But this meant the world was advancing.

Others were catching up.

’Ghost,’ Stark thought, his eyes narrowing.

A grin tugged at his lips.

He remembered her.

In Stark’s past life, she had also been one of his friends.

Though unlike Starfall, she had actually survived the [First Calamity].

An assassin with a terrifying class and talent, and one of the few allies he had called a true friend.

Making contact with her again would be valuable.

As for the other two names, EvilDemon and PrinceLucas?

Stark couldn’t recall much.

EvilDemon didn’t ring a bell, while PrinceLucas... yes, he remembered that one from his novice town.

Still, that wasn’t important right now.

"No need to meet them yet," Stark muttered. "The staff comes first."

The [Ghost Hunt] event was one week away.

Enough time to level, prepare, and get the weapon he needed.

After that, maybe he would go back.

For now... food would have to wait.

Though Stark couldn’t deny it, [Eternal Soul]’s food was on another level compared to reality.

Once synchronization deepened and extraction became common, people would be eating feasts in both worlds.

But just as he was about to move again—

Fwish! BOOM!

A sharp whistle tore through the air, followed by an explosion of dust and broken pavement.

Stark spun on his heel, eyes narrowing.

A massive shadow loomed behind him.

---

[Ruined Sentinel General (Level 12)]

[Rank: Uncommon (Boss)]

[HP: 50,000]

[A general that controls the other sentinels, takes pride in what he does.]

---

Stark sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Here we go..."

The general didn’t understand a word.

Its glowing eyes locked onto Stark, and with a thunderous stomp, it lunged forward, spear cutting the air in a deadly arc.

Stark grinned.

"Well then. Let’s dance."

...

Meanwhile, back in Novice Town #783—

Players across countless towns were finally starting to hit Level 10.

Most weren’t alone.

Teams had the clear advantage, tackling monsters in groups and leveling together.

Solos were rare, almost nonexistent.

Ghost, for instance, was one of those exceptions.

She played alone, and she could still dish out thousands of damage per strike.

"Finally!" Max whooped, pumping a fist. "Level 10!"

"Phew," Seren exhaled, wiping sweat from her brow.

The two of them had also reached the threshold.

At last, they could ascend to the [Eternal Continent].

They didn’t hesitate.

"Here we come, Oblivion," Max laughed. "We’re going to get so strong we’ll catch up to you for sure!"

...

Elsewhere, Grace was tearing through monsters at David’s side.

In fact, she was doing more than that, she had already become the main damage dealer of the team.

Even David himself was surprised.

"I did NOT know mages could pump out this much damage," one of the priests blurted out.

"Agreed," David said with a wry smile. "But honestly? Getting carried doesn’t feel that bad."

Grace barely heard them.

Fire and lightning surged from her staff, spell after spell ripping through enemies.

Her focus was absolute.

All she wanted was to reach the [Eternal Continent].

To follow the path where Oblivion had gone.

And after a brutal fight against a rare-rank Level 10 boss—

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 10!]

Light shimmered around Grace’s body.

She glanced at David and the others.

They hadn’t hit Level 10 yet.

She hesitated. She couldn’t just abandon them, could she?

But David caught her eye and shook his head firmly.

"Just go," he said. "In this sort of game, you have to move where it benefits you most. We’ll catch up."

The others nodded, echoing his words.

Grace felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

She turned her eyes back to the glowing panel before her.

---

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

[Yes] [No]

---

Her grip tightened around her staff.

"Yes!"

White light engulfed her, radiance wrapping around her entire form.

And in the next heartbeat, Grace vanished, carried away toward the true start of [Eternal Soul].