CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: LEGENDARY-RANK RUINED KNIGHT BLADE, MYTHICAL-RANK FIRE METEOR

Stark gathered up most of the loot scattered across the ground, tossing the equipment into his inventory without much thought.

The majority of it was standar, useful to others, maybe, but nothing that could compare to his current gear.

Only two items made him pause.

One came from the [Plant Abomination], and the other was the golden-glowing prize his [Hand of Avarice] had pulled from the [Ruined Knight].

Stark crouched down, eyes narrowing as he inspected the first item.

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[Plant Shield (Epic): Warrior-type shield. +500 Magical Resistance, +500 Physical Resistance. Requirement: Level 24]

[Plant Immunity (Passive): Any attack related to plants that hits the shield will be completely deflected.]

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Much like the [Vigilante Daggers] and the [Blue Flames Staff], loot could come with unique abilities.

Some granted active skills that required mana and cooldowns.

Others, like this one, carried passive effects that were always active.

Passive skills were considered more valuable by most players.

No cooldown. No mana cost. Just constant effect.

That said, the difference wasn’t massive.

A strong active skill could sometimes turn the tide of a battle more than a passive one ever could.

’I can’t use this shield anyway,’ Stark thought, tucking it into his inventory, ’Shame, though. It’s a good piece.’

The real prize lay in the second item.

It glowed with a golden aura, a stark contrast to the violet sheen of all the epic-rank loot.

Stark’s gaze lingered on it.

The difference was obvious., because this was... a legendary-rank item!

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[Ruined Knight Blade (Legendary): Warrior-type weapon. +680 Strength, +105 Physical Resistance. Requirement: Level 25]

[Double Damage (Passive): When this blade is equipped, every warrior-type skill will deal double the damage.]

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Stark’s eyes widened slightly.

The difference between epic-rank and legendary-rank skills was like night and day.

Every rank above widened that gap even more.

He wished he could have also acquired a legendary-rank staff or robe, but that would be for later.

Even then, this was a massive find.

’This sword could easily fetch 300... maybe even 400 Lives,’ Stark thought, lips curling into a grin.

Thanks to his past life, he knew market values inside out.

Something this powerful, a legendary weapon with a broken passive like [Double Damage], would be snapped up instantly by warrior players.

He stored the blade away and finally looked ahead.

At the edge of the [Ruined City], the shimmering barrier stood tall, stretching endlessly to the left and right.

Stark slowly approached it, extending a hand.

His fingers brushed against the surface. It was warm to the touch, but harmless.

It wasn’t meant to keep people in. It was meant to keep the horrors out.

’The first real NPC city... is still far from here,’ Stark thought, studying the gray world beyond the barrier, ’Even with my agility, I can’t rush there yet.’

This was why the upcoming [Ghost Hunt] mattered.

That event carried a reward Stark considered critical.

Something that would save him time, effort, and risk when traveling.

[Eternal Soul] wasn’t small.

Its zones stretched for miles, its cities were scattered, and monsters lurked everywhere in between.

Players could travel on foot, but it was inefficient.

Walking burned stamina quickly, and the distances were brutal.

That’s where mounts came in.

From wolves and horses to rare beasts and legendary creatures, mounts could be used for transportation, or even help you fight!

One class in particular, [Beast Tamer], had a huge advantage in that regard.

But they were rare.

’I can make it to the first city alone,’ Stark thought, ’Nothing out there can beat me.’

But his confidence didn’t blind him.

There was also the fact that on the way to the city, there were several zones and places to explore.

’I think it’s better to simply wait to get what I want from the [Ghost Hunt],’ he thought to himself with a grin.

Still, he decided to test the system.

He stepped forward, pressing his palm firmly against the barrier.

Ding!

[You are currently below the recommended level (25), do you still wish to proceed?]

A warning message popped up instantly.

[Eternal Soul] never actually restricted players.

The game gave freedom, if someone wanted to charge into death, they could.

But this prompt was a reminder: going underleveled meant suicide.

Beyond the barrier, the [Lives loss rate] was at 100.

Each death drained a lot.

For Stark, with thousands of Lives, that wasn’t devastating.

But for the average player sitting on 800 or 1,000?

Ten deaths would permanently kill you

Stark pulled his hand back.

He could force his way out if he wanted.

But it wasn’t worth it. Not yet.

’I guess I just need to level up one more time and wait.’

The area around Stark was quiet. Too quiet.

For the first time in hours, Stark had a moment to do what he wanted.

He opened his panels and checked his stats.

[Current Evolution Points: 55.]

That was enough to evolve one of his epic skills into mythical rank.

No reason to wait.

[Do you wish to consume 50 Evolution Points to evolve "Cataclysmic Fireball"?]

Stark considered.

It wasn’t necessarily the smartest choice.

[Cataclysmic Fireball] was already his strongest damage dealer.

His Spirit growth made it scale naturally.

Maybe another skill would’ve been more efficient.

But efficiency wasn’t everything.

Sometimes, raw destructive power was better.

"Yes."

Ding!

[You have evolved "Cataclysmic Fireball" (Legendary) to "Fire Meteor" (Mythical).]

[Current Evolution Points: 5.]

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[Fire Meteor (Mythical): Summon a meteor from your staff that deals 1000% → 1500% of Spirit. 12 → 10 (5)-seconds cooldown.]

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Stark’s lips curved upward.

Mythical-rank skills weren’t supposed to exist at this point.

Especially ones that could actually deal damage, as they were simply too overwhelming.

And yet, Stark now had two. And more would follow, eventually.

His damage ceiling had just shot through the roof.

And it would keep climbing the more he evolved.

He closed the skill panel and checked something else.

[Lives: 3344.]

That number was staggering.

Over 3,000 Lives put him miles ahead of anyone else right now.

With that much, he could actually start pulling things into reality.

Ding!

[Do you wish to use 300 Lives to extract your "Soul Staff" (Epic) to the real world?]

"Hm."

The prompt lingered.

His mind ticked through the numbers.

His [Revenant Staff], a level 7 elite weapon, had only cost 50 Lives to extract.

But the [Soul Staff] cost 300 despite only being one rank higher.

The difference wasn’t rank. It was level.

Higher-level items demanded much higher extraction costs.

Stark knew he’d eventually need to extract either this staff or the next one he found.

Having access to them outside the game would be essential during the [First Cataclysm].

But right now, he wasn’t in a rush.

He closed the panel.

’I don’t know if I should extract my skills now,’ he thought.

Extracting a legendary skill into the real world cost 1,000 Lives.

A mythical one? 2,500.

Stark could afford one right now, but it wasn’t worth it.

If he didn’t extract his legendary-rank skills now and evolved them all, it would take a while before he could do it.

"No," he muttered, shaking his head. "Evolution is my top priority. I’ll gather more Lives as long as I fight more."

Decision made, he spun his staff idly and turned back toward the city.

There were still monsters to hunt. Still experience to gain.

The [Ghost Hunt] was coming.

Until then, he’d grind harder than anyone else.