CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: THE RUINED SENTINEL GENERAL, HUNGER IS REAL

The [Ruined Sentinel General] swung its massive spear with shocking speed, the weapon slicing through the air like a whip.

’That thing’s faster than me.’ Stark’s eyes narrowed.

Magic Barrier!

A shimmering wall of light snapped into place just in time.

The spear slammed against it with a thunderous crack.

The barrier rippled, holding for a moment before Stark shifted, sliding sideways to avoid being crushed by the follow-up.

The sheer force behind that strike alone was enough to pulverize most players in 3 strikes.

This monster wasn’t ordinary.

Its presence alone weighed on the ruined plaza, and the confidence in the way it carried itself said everything.

It didn’t need an army of sentinels with it.

Just it alone was enough.

But in front of Stark? That confidence meant nothing.

He raised his staff, his expression calm.

Scorching Fireball!

A roaring flame gathered at the tip of his weapon before blasting forward, scorching through the air.

The fireball burned bright as it shot straight toward the sentinel general’s chest.

Fwish—!

The monster twisted, avoiding the spell completely.

Then its spear flashed, slamming into Stark’s barrier a second time.

"..." Stark tilted his head, a faint smile creeping across his lips. "Right. You can do that too."

Until now, none of the monsters he fought had actually dodged his spells.

But there were some who could.

The sentinel’s burning eyes seemed to lock on him, as if mocking him.

It was telling him: "did you think you were the only one who could move like that?"

Of course, Stark half-expected it.

But this wasn’t all he had.

VINE CATACLYSM!

The ground beneath them ruptured.

Vines erupted upward, lashing toward the sentinel general.

It moved, quick, precise, but there were too many.

The vines slammed into its armored body, wrapping and smashing it into the cracked stones.

-13,215!

While it staggered, Stark didn’t hesitate.

He pointed his staff again, eyes sharp.

Corrosive Crystal!

A jagged green shard shot forward and burst against the sentinel’s chest.

-4,500!-1,125!-1,125!

The acidic residue hissed against the monster’s armor, but it barely reacted.

Its crimson eyes locked on Stark again, glowing with rage.

Then it lunged.

BOOM!

Its spear slammed into the barrier one last time.

CRACK!

And the barrier shattered into fragments of light.

Another strike followed instantly.

Stark had no time to cast.

His body moved on instinct, he swung his staff like a weapon, parrying the spear’s tip just enough to redirect it past his side.

Sparks flew.

If anyone saw it, they would have thought he’d lost his mind.

A mage fighting a monster this close? Swinging his staff like a sword?

It was madness.

In Stark’s past life, any mage caught this close was already dead.

But he wasn’t any mage.

If he had to fight tooth and nail, he would.

SLAM! SLAM!

The spear came again, brutal and precise.

Stark shifted his stance, staff clashing against the weapon twice in rapid succession before knocking an upward slash to the side.

Then, without hesitation, he pressed his staff directly against the general’s chest.

Scorching Fireball! Corrosive Crystal!

Two spells exploded point-blank.

-7,620!-4,500!-1,125!-1,125!

The blast staggered the sentinel, smoke hissing from its armor.

Even then, the monster didn’t falter.

Its strikes didn’t slow, but Stark could see it now, hesitation in its movements.

’It’s confused.’

The thought flashed in Stark’s head.

’How can he cast so many spells that deal this much damage? How can a mage fight me head-on without dying?’

It probably couldn’t understand.

But Stark didn’t care. He wasn’t here to explain.

The battle raged on for another minute.

Then—

VINE CATACLYSM!

-13,215!

The vines ripped upward again, piercing and binding the sentinel’s body.

The light in its eyes flickered.

For a moment, the world went still.

Then, with a final groan of grinding armor, the general collapsed to the cracked earth.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Ruined Sentinel General (Level 12 Uncommon-Rank Boss)"]

[You have gained 20,000 experience points.]

[You have gained 7 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 37 Lives]

---

Half of Stark’s experience bar surged upward at once.

This was the strength of defeating monsters above your level.

Just like there was [Experience Decay], there was also the opposite, the [Experience Boost].

[Eternal Soul] was as fair as it could be among all players.

So except for classes and talents, everything was the same for everyone.

Hand of Avarice!

Ding!

---

[You have gained 7 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 34 Lives]

---

"Nice." Stark’s grin widened. "Looks like the evolution points really do increase with level too."

Even though the general was only uncommon-rank, the rewards were close to the ones he got from the elite-rank boss of the abandoned temple of fate.

Rank mattered, but so did level.

The combination of both was what truly defined the amount of EP he got.

’Which also means... the EP requirements are going to climb too.’

He remembered, 50 EP just to push a skill from Legendary to Mythical.

The path forward wouldn’t be easy.

Without wasting time, Stark collected the loot.

[Sentinel General Armor (Uncommon)]

[General Mask (Rare)]

Both items were stored in his inventory.

Then he glanced at his panel.

[Current Evolution Points: 15.]

Perfect. Enough to push skills further.

[Do you wish to consume 5 Evolution Points to evolve "Magic Barrier"?]

Ding!

[You have evolved "Magic Barrier" (Rare) to "Magic Barrier" (Elite)]

[Current Evolution Points: 10.]

---

[Magic Barrier (Elite): Summon a barrier around the user that can endure some attacks. If damage is too strong, it will break. 40 → 35 (17.5)-seconds cooldown.]

---

The cooldown wasn’t reduced much, but Stark knew strength of the barrier itself would skyrocket.

Then he turned to the next skill.

[Do you wish to consume 7 Evolution Points to evolve "Scorching Fireball"?]

Ding!

[You have evolved "Scorching Fireball" (Elite) to "Annihilating Fireball" (Epic)]

[Current Evolution Points: 3.]

---

[Annihilating Fireball (Epic): Conjure an annihilating fireball that deals 400% → 700% of Spirit. 15 → 14 (7)-seconds cooldown.]

---

"Damn!" Stark’s eyes widened. "That’s almost double the damage output."

This was the true difference between ranks.

Just one step up could completely change the scale of power.

The cooldown didn’t shift much, but that wasn’t the point.

The raw damage was terrifying.

Now, all of his skills had reached at least Elite rank.

His path was set.

The next goal: save enough EP to push [Hand of Avarice] and [Vine Cataclysm] up to Legendary.

With the fight over, Stark moved forward.

’I’m only level 11, but I can feel hunger already. I want to at last find the area with that staff before leaving though.’

He glanced at the leaderboard, the glowing names scrolling across his vision.

Dozens now, all competing.

And among them—

"Oh." Stark’s grin returned. "She’s here."

The name [Starfall] appeared.

Though... where were David and the others?

"Maybe she advanced on her own." Stark nodded to himself. "It’s the smarter choice."

In [Eternal Soul], clinging to others was dangerous.

You would need to have loyal companions if you wanted to live.

One could say the only reason Stark stayed with Max and Seren for so long was because they actually formed a good team.

The three of them could deal lots of damage and managed in [Eternal Soul] all on their own.

Without that, nothing lasted.

And as if on cue—

Ding!

A message appeared.

[Player "Starfall" has sent you a private message!]

[Starfall: I’m finally here (◐ω◑), but what the hell is the first calamity?]

Stark’s expression darkened slightly.

But he shook it off and typed back quickly.

[Oblivion: We should prepare for it. It might be dangerous. You should also focus on getting stronger.]

[Starfall: Alright, but I think I’ll log out for now, I’m starting to feel hungry... (ಥ﹏ಥ)]

[Oblivion: Alright!]

Her name faded to gray on his friend list, meaning she was offline.

Stark exhaled softly.

"I guess I really should track down that staff now."

He stepped into the ruins once more, grip tightening on his weapon.

Fighting a level 15 Epic boss would be suicide for anyone else.

But for Stark? He grinned.

"There’s no reward without risk."