CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: UNDERGROUND WITCH HAT, TRYING TO OVERTHROW OBLIVION?

[Underground Witch Hat (Epic): Mage-type hat. +63 Spirit, +30 Constitution, +100 Fire Element Resistance. Requirement: Level 23]

"Oh?"

Stark’s eyes lit up.

It was the first time a monster had dropped a hat-type equipment, and even better, this one was perfectly tailored to his class.

Until now, most of his loot had been weapons, robes, boots.

But in [Eternal Soul], hats and helmets were their own category.

They weren’t just cosmetic; the bonuses they gave mattered too.

Stark bent down, picked up the blue witch’s hat from the ground, and spun it in his hands.

The fire embroidery shimmered faintly as if it still carried remnants of the witch’s magic.

Without hesitation, he placed it on his head.

Ding!

The weight settled comfortably, and at once, he felt the boost.

’Much better,’ Stark thought. ’This even outshines my [Undead Soul Mage Robe] in spirit and constitution.’

This goes to show just how important levels are.

The witch had been level 24. It made sense her drop would be stronger than gear from earlier bosses.

He smirked.

’I’ll allocate points at level 25. Until then, I can manage.’

He looked ahead.

Just like the previous boss zones, a treasure chest appeared a bit further from where the [Underground Witch] had fallen.

This one gleamed with a rich purple glow.

[Epic Chest]

Stark pressed his palm against it, pouring mana into the seal.

Click!

The chest unlocked and creaked open, light spilling out.

---

[Blue Flames Staff (Epic): Mage-type weapon. +74 Spirit, +49 Agility. Requirement: Level 20]

[Blue Flames (Active Skill): Allows you to summon the blue flames, instantly dealing 10,000 damage to any enemy hit by them. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

---

"Now that’s a solid weapon."

The staff was long, black with blue patterns etched across its length.

At its tip, a faint fire flickered, burning without consuming anything.

For most players, this was jackpot.

Strong stat boosts, and on top of that, an active skill.

10,000 flat damage on a short cooldown? Many mages would kill for that.

But Stark shook his head.

’Good staff, but not good enough.’

His current [Soul Staff] gave him +100 Spirit.

Spirit was everything for him as his raw damage all scaled with it.

Trading that away for an active skill wasn’t worth it.

Still, that didn’t mean it was useless.

’Grace mentioned wanting to be a support-type mage. Even supports need a way to defend themselves. This’ll do nicely.’

Stark slid the [Blue Flames Staff] into his inventory.

The chest faded, and as always, a swirling portal appeared beside him.

Stark didn’t waste time.

Fwish!

The light wrapped around him, pulling him through.

Ding!

A heartbeat later, Stark stood once again at the stone gate where he had first entered the [City Underground Maze].

Behind him, the portal snapped shut, and the gate sealed itself, returning to lifeless stone.

That was how [Eternal Soul] worked.

Zones weren’t one-time unless specifically designed that way.

They regenerated over time, ready for the next challenger.

In the future though, there would be unique zones, ones that could only ever be cleared once.

Those were the real treasures.

For now, Stark was satisfied. He stepped forward, stretching his arms.

He had cleared one of the deadliest zones in the city.

And now, only two more levels until 25.

His progress was absurd. Not even two full days since the game’s launch, and he was already far beyond the pack.

But just as Stark turned toward the deeper ruins—

Ding!

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

"Oh?"

Since communication was blocked inside the [Underground City Maze], he hadn’t been able to receive messages until now.

Grace must have been waiting.

Curious, Stark opened the message, after all, maybe they had found the [Church Sanctuary]?

[Starfall: Hey, me and Ghost were trying to look for the "City Sewers Key" by killing nearby monsters, but as we kept going... we found a group of players!]

"...?"

Why tell him this? At first glance, it didn’t seem like his concern.

Another ping.

[Starfall: We asked them what they were doing and... the leader said something about being able to overthrow you!]

[Starfall: The name of that player was "SoulsGod", and he looked pretty powerful, and so did his team.]

[Starfall: I tried to talk back, but Ghost simply shook her head and we went in the opposite direction!]

The messages stopped there. Grace didn’t follow up since he hadn’t replied.

Stark rubbed his chin, [SoulsGod].

Of course he remembered.

In his past life, [SoulsGod] had been a rising warrior, wielding the hidden class [Tarnished] and the SS-Rank [White Souls] talent.

Stark narrowed his eyes, ’I never found out how that talent worked. Doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out when we meet.’

Being [Oblivion] meant enemies would come, sooner or later.

That was inevitable. It was also why he refused to officially team up with anyone, even Grace.

Connections created weaknesses.

And weaknesses were something Stark couldn’t afford.

Not with the title of "strongest" hanging over him.

He typed back.

[Oblivion: What did they do after that?]

As he walked toward the outer edge of the [Ruined City], Grace replied almost instantly.

[Starfall: Oh! You’re here, something crazy happened... ╭(°ﾛ° ")╯]

[Oblivion: ?]

[Starfall: SoulsGod and his team actually have the "City Sewers Key," and they entered it when we weren’t looking!]

Stark’s eyes narrowed.

The [City Sewers] was a level 22–24 zone.

If they were only level 20–21, clearing it would be brutal.

Odds were good they’d be wiped.

[Starfall: They haven’t come out though, so maybe they died!]

Stark nodded. That was the most likely outcome.

But he didn’t lower his guard. If SoulsGod was reckless enough to try, he couldn’t be underestimated.

At least now he knew players were starting to target him directly. Useful information.

[Oblivion: Good to know, thanks.]

He closed the chat. His focus returned to the world ahead.

The level of the top players was still hovering around 20.

Stark was leagues ahead at 23, already eyeing 25.

That was the gap created by conquering zones nobody else dared to touch.

And that gap would only grow wider.

Other teams across the [Main Land] were clearing dungeons and zones.

But none could compare to his pace, or his damage.

’Try me,’ Stark thought, his eyes glinting. ’Let’s see who’s strongest.’

Ghost wouldn’t care. She never did, unless it directly touched her or Grace.

But Stark? He welcomed the challenge.

He kept walking until the ruined streets gave way to the very edge of the city.

There, the shimmering barrier marked the end of the zone.

Beyond it stretched a broken wasteland: the wider world of [Eternal Soul].

Gray skies, warped grass, and distant monsters whose very presence radiated power.

For a moment, Stark just stared. Even corrupted, it was beautiful. Dangerous, yes, but beautiful.

But then...

Crrk—

A sound behind him made him turn.

And there they were.

The strongest monsters in the entire ruined city.

There wasn’t anything beyond them except for the [Church Sanctuary] in this city.

And if Stark could defeat them as easily as the others, it would truly cement his place as the strongest in here.

He raised his staff, expression flat, eyes sharp.

---

[Plant Abomination (Level 25)]

[Rank: Rare (Boss)]

[HP: 220,000]

[Description: A bunch of plants that gained sentience.]

---

[Ruined Knight (Level 25)]

[Rank: Epic (Boss)]

[HP: 200,000]

[Description: The ultimate protector of the city, or at least what remains of it.]