CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: EXCHANGING WITH GHOST, REACHING THE OUTSKIRTS

"Are you... teaming with her?" Stark asked, tilting his head.

He couldn’t believe it.

Ghost, of all people, with someone else?

In his past life, she had always been alone. Always.

No one ever mentioned her teaming up, no matter how big the event or how dangerous it was.

Ghost was the definition of a solo player.

Now, though, watching her fight alongside Grace, Stark understood why she’d never needed anyone.

The damage Ghost could deal with her class and talent was absurd.

Monsters that should’ve been trouble just melted away.

For some reason, players who went solo often ended up the strongest.

Maybe it was because their classes and talents allowed it.

Maybe it was because they were confident enough to walk alone and thus gained more experience.

Either way, they stood out from the rest.

Ghost glanced at Stark, her face expressionless as always.

"I took a liking to her," she said simply. "She doesn’t disturb... and she deals decent damage."

Stark blinked. That last part sounded more like a joke than anything.

Ghost didn’t need backup. If she wanted, she could deal with everything herself.

"Oh well," Stark sighed. He wasn’t going to dig too deep.

Since they were both right in front of him, though, it felt like the perfect chance.

"Here."

He pulled out the [Revenant Staff] from his inventory and extended it toward Grace.

It was leagues better than her current weapon.

She was still carrying the same staff Stark had given her earlier, which was already outdated compared to what he could offer now.

Grace’s eyes widened slightly, but she already knew Oblivion wasn’t the type to hand things out for free.

"How much?" she asked.

"Hm..." Stark looked at the staff for a moment. "Two lives."

He said it casually, almost like a joke. But—

Ding!

[You have received 2 lives from "Starfall"]

"Hm."

Stark nodded, satisfied. The two lives weren’t much.

For him, it wasn’t about value. It was about principle.

He didn’t want to give away anything for free.

Even if it was just one life, he’d take it.

Grace smiled faintly, almost amused. Stark wasn’t finished, though.

"I also have something for you," he said, smirking. "Though... it’ll take more than two lives for these items."

He pulled out two more treasures from his inventory: The [Alley Reaper Cloak (Elite)] and [Alley Reaper Scythe (Elite)].

Both were rare drops, and both were extremely powerful at this stage of the game.

The requirement to use them was level 15. Ghost wasn’t there yet, but she was close.

Ghost’s calm mask cracked for the first time.

Her eyes locked on the items, and Stark saw her expression shift ever so slightly.

She was extremely calm usually, but this... was insane.

She recovered quickly, though, hiding it under her usual neutral face.

"I am willing to pay any amount you ask for," she said, "But... I don’t think I have the experience to do anything else."

Stark: ?

EvilDemon, passing by in the distance: ?

PrinceLucas and his team, overhearing nearby: ?

Grace: ⚆ᗝ⚆?

Stark was genuinely confused. Did she misunderstand him?

He only meant "more than two lives" in terms of price.

Ghost probably thought it meant... something else entirely.

"Ahem..." Ghost coughed lightly, regaining her composure. "So how much do you want?"

Stark smirked. These items could easily sell for fifty lives each.

And someone would gladly pay that price.

But—

"Twenty-five lives each," he said. "I’m giving you a discount."

Ghost stared at him for a few seconds. Then, slowly, she smiled.

Ding!

[You have received 50 lives from "Ghost"]

Stark passed her the items.

Ghost tucked them into her inventory, her fingers brushing over them like she couldn’t wait to use them.

She checked the scythe first.

One of the passives glowed faintly in its description.

’A passive too... Just what is his goal?’ she thought.

Her [Assassin’s Intuition] passive skill didn’t trigger. No ill intent. No hidden scheme. Just Oblivion being Oblivion.

She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you. I’ll be going now. We need to focus on leveling before the [First Calamity]."

Stark nodded. "Good idea."

Grace waved at him before following Ghost out of sight.

Everything was falling into place.

Stark had reached level 16, and Ghost had her path forward.

But he wasn’t done yet. He needed more experience. A lot more.

That meant heading deeper into the [Ruined City] to look for stronger monsters.

He also had access to the [Church Sanctuary] now.

A level 25 zone, one of the hardest areas in the entire city.

Players avoided it in his past life even when they reached level 25.

Which, of course, meant Stark was interested.

Thankfully, [Eternal Soul] didn’t weigh him down with exhaustion.

The game had mechanics for fatigue, but the stronger you became, the less it affected you.

Stark could grind for hours without worrying about collapse.

He checked his lives again.

[Lives: 1497]

’Oh shit.’

Nearly fifteen hundred. Enough to fully transfer his levels to the real world if he wanted, but his skills... would take more.

All of his skills were epic-rank or legendary-ranking.

Transferring each one cost seven hundred and fifty to a thousand lives.

He didn’t have anywhere near enough yet.

And then there was his staff. He’d need lives to carry that over too.

The square had finally calmed down.

The chaos from the appearance of the [Man of Steel] earlier had sent waves of panic through players.

This was the first time they had seen a [Lives loss rate] be set so high.

But now, with the danger zone cleared, the tension was gone.

Stark didn’t linger. He slipped out of the square, no one daring to follow.

’Even deeper now,’ he thought, grinning.

Dozens of monsters blocked his way through the ruined streets.

Dozens more lurked in alleys and broken courtyards.

None of them slowed him down.

His [Cataclysmic Fireball] wiped out the [Ruined Sentinel General] in one hit.

His [Sovereign Vines] ripped apart groups that tried to ambush him.

The deeper he went, the stronger the monsters became.

Near the square, they were level 11. Midpoint, they climbed to level 14, then 15.

And beyond that? Stark knew he was heading straight into the end-zones of the [Ruined City].

And then—

Ding!

[You have reached the "Outskirts" of the "Ruined City"]

[Lives loss rate: 20]

The system prompt confirmed it.

This wasn’t just stronger monsters, it was a warning.

[Eternal Soul] liked to remind players how dangerous the world could be. Lives loss could spike at any time.

From 5 to 20. Just like that.

For normal players, it was terrifying.

For Stark? Stronger monsters meant faster growth.

He took another step forward, and the moment he did...

Fwish! BOOM!

The ground split open. Stone erupted from the earth.

Figures rose from the ruined ground, shaped like warriors but carved from rock.

Their hollow eyes glowed faintly.

In the middle of their foreheads, a swirling orb pulsed with energy.

---

[Ruined City Guardian (Level 17)]

[Rank: Elite]

[HP: 65,000]

---

They had no weapons. They didn’t need them. Their fists were boulders.

The health and strength of monsters were also slowly climbing as Stark went on.

But that was expected. Beyond the [Ruined City], the world truly opened up.

Stark gripped his staff tighter.

Cataclysmic Fireball! Sovereign Vines!

Fwish! Boom! Swash!

-40,800!-35,775!

Two of the guardians collapsed instantly, crumbling into piles of stone.

[Eternal Soul] was designed to be brutal.

Normal players struggled with elites, even at their own level.

Yet Stark was dominating.

His grin widened.

"Come to me, experience points. I really need to hit level 25!"

He lifted his staff again, already preparing his next wave of spells.

The guardians moved in, their massive stone fists swinging like hammers.

Stark didn’t back down.