CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 62: TEN DAYS LATER, EXTRACTING SKILLS TO THE REAL WORLD

Ten days had gone by since Stark earned the [Slayer I] status effect.

Ten long days of the same routine: wandering the same hunting grounds, slaying anything that moved, and absorbing every reward he could get his hands on.

He hadn’t moved an inch away from his spot near [Shell City].

The [Tower of Divinity] event was almost here.

The event that would last through the entire final week before the [First Calamity] struck.

If Stark wanted to survive that and have any advantage afterward, he needed more than raw levels, he needed Lives.

He needed them to be able to extract his skills.

Mythical-rank skills weren’t cheap.

Each one cost 2,500 Lives to bring into the real world.

Mounts like the [Ghost Wolf] were too expensive to even consider for now.

But skills? Skills were eternal.

With them, he’d be strong both in [Eternal Soul] and outside it.

His target was clear: at least 10,000 Lives.

Enough for three, maybe four mythical-rank extractions.

That was what he’d been grinding toward nonstop.

Ding!

[You have gained 52 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 1,389 Lives!]

And now—

[Lives: 9824]

[Current Evolution Points: 76]

Stark smirked as he read the panel, "Good enough."

It wasn’t perfect, but it was close.

Just a little more work and he’d hit the number he wanted.

And better yet, he had more than enough [Evolution Points] on hand to take care of something else that had been waiting.

[Do you wish to consume 50 Evolution Points to evolve "Curse Flower" (Legendary)?]

"Yes."

Ding!

[You have evolved "Curse Flower" (Legendary) to "Cursed Flower" (Mythical)]

---

[Cursed Flower (Mythical): Use on a player or NPC’s corpse within five seconds of death to curse them with the "Cursed Flower."]

[The flower will grow on their body, absorbing their Lives for 30 seconds at a rate of 1 → 3 per second.]

[The flower has 100 → 1,000 HP. If destroyed, the bloom fails and no Lives are obtained.]

[Range: 10 meters.]

---

"Damn."

The upgrade was massive. The skill’s efficiency had tripled.

If Stark killed a strong player and planted the flower on them, he could siphon a good amount of Lives before anyone could react.

His grin widened.

If he ever found [SoulsGod], [GodOfViolence, [DivineGoddess] or any other players who tried to attack him, he’d take more from them than before!

’There’s only a few hours before the [Tower of Divinity] event,’ he thought, ’I should spend it like always.’

All he had to do now was push past that 10,000 mark.

During those tens days, Stark had seen [Ghost], [Starfall] and even [EvilDemon] grind monsters repeatedly around [Shell City] too.

They all did so to gain more lives, and even some equipment.

His backpack was nearly stuffed full, even with all his extra slots.

At some point he’d have to clear it out, but selling gear to the NPCs of [Shell City] was hardly worth it.

They bought items for scraps and sold their own for ridiculous prices.

Most people preferred trading with other players.

And lately, more and more players had been pouring into [Shell City].

Some he recognized, others he didn’t, meaning they were from other [Ruined Cities].

But Stark didn’t care about them. He was almost ready.

Until—

[You are tired.]

"Goddamnit."

He sighed. It wasn’t the worst.

The system now only forced him back once every two days instead of every single day.

The stronger players became, the more accustomed they grew to [Eternal Soul].

But it was still annoying.

Stark scratched his chin, "Guess it’s about time I extracted something."

---

[1. Extract Class and Talent] (Completed)

[2. Extract Level] (Completed up to Level 25)

[3. Extract Skills]

[4. Extract Equipment]

[5. Extract Bloodline (Not available)]

[6. Extract ??? (Not available)]

---

Equipment could wait. He’d gather more during the [Tower of Divinity].

But skills? Those had to be locked in now.

Ding!

---

[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Fire Meteor" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]

[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Invincible Magic Barrier" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]

[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Vines of Fate" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]

---

"Yes."

It cost him 7,500 Lives. Painful, but worth it.

Ding!

[You have consumed 7,500 Lives.]

---

[You have extracted your "Fire Meteor" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]

[You have extracted your "Invincible Magic Barrier" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]

[You have extracted your "Vines of Fate" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]

---

With that, he’d have at least his two strongest skills to fight back, and even a way to defend himself.

Sure, he wanted to take [Hand of Avarice] and [Storm of Lightning] too, but there wasn’t enough time or Lives.

He’d have to settle with these for now.

And with that choice made...

[Do you wish to leave "Eternal Soul"?]

[Yes] [No]

"Yes."

His body blurred into particles as he confirmed.

Fwish!

In less than a second, he was gone.

Stark blinked as his vision cleared, and he stood once more in the real world.

The sunlight hit him.

The familiar view of his intact city stretched outside his window.

"Only a week before this is all gone," he muttered, voice flat. "Oh well."

There was no point in clinging to it.

The change was coming whether anyone liked it or not.

He pulled up his real-world status window to see what had carried over.

---

[ID: Oblivion]

[Class: Mage of Oblivion (Tier-1)]

[Talent: Infinite Evolution (SSS)]

[Level: 25 (Locked)]

[Lives: 2,324]

[Constitution: 130]

[Strength: 130]

[Agility: 177]

[Spirit: 203]

[Skills: Fire Meteor (Mythical), Invincible Magic Barrier (Mythical), Vines of Fate (Mythical)]

---

Perfect. His stats were all there, carried over from his level 25 self. His new skills were present too.

The only problem? He couldn’t use them without a proper staff. Something else to take care of soon.

Still, this was progress. Stark was satisfied.

He ate a quick meal, though after the rich flavors of [Shell City], it felt bland in comparison.

After that, he headed straight for bed.

A few hours of rest was all he’d need before diving back in.

He closed his eyes, falling asleep.

...

When he opened them again, things were... wrong.

The room was gone. The bed was gone.

He was floating in a void.

"...Huh."

Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.

Stark turned slowly, but there was nothing to see.

No ground beneath his feet. No sky above.

"This is..." he whispered.

A dream? Probably. But it felt too vivid.

He stayed calm, crossing his arms. If it was a dream, fine. He’d wait it out.

But then—

BOOM!

The void shook. The darkness rippled like water, and Stark’s head snapped upward.

Something massive opened above him. A golden eye.

Its pupil was slit and vertical, gleaming like molten metal.

It burned with a power that didn’t belong to anything human.

The same eye he had seen in his past life.

The same one that stared at him before his death.

It fixed its gaze on him.

And Stark... stared back.

Neither spoke. Neither moved. The silence pressed down like a mountain.

Seconds passed. The eye didn’t blink.

Then—

BOOM!

Stark’s body jolted. His vision snapped back.

He woke up.