Ding!
[You have evolved "Magic Shield" (Common) to "Strong Magic Shield" (Uncommon)]
[Current Evolution Points: 1.]
Karl immediately opened his skill panel to check the new stats.
---
[Strong Magic Shield (Uncommon): Summon a shield that can endure up to 300 → 1,000 HP. 60 (30)-seconds cooldown.]
---
"Nice."
His lips curved slightly as he read the description.
The shield's endurance had increased more than threefold, which meant it would take a lot more to break it now.
For most players, this kind of upgrade was something they would be thrilled about.
But Karl wasn't satisfied.
He wanted to evolve it again.
'But I need more EP for that,' he thought, 'Looks like I'll need to find other bosses.'
It took three Evolution Points to evolve a skill from Uncommon-rank to Rare-rank.
He still had only one.
That made him wonder: how many would it take to evolve his [Powerful Fireball] next?
He hadn't checked before, but there had to be a way to know.
Ding!
[Do you wish to consume 5 Evolution Points to evolve "Powerful Fireball"?]
Karl grinned slightly.
"Well, I guess that's the way."
Five points wasn't that bad.
He could get that much by killing two bosses.
It was perfectly doable.
After that thought, Karl began sorting through his items, moving all the monster drops into his backpack inventory.
---
[Normal Backpack: +10 slots]
---
Every player started with the same standard backpack that held only ten slots.
If someone wanted to increase their storage, they had to find or buy better ones, and could equip up to three in total.
Karl knew there were powerful backpacks in the game, some with hundreds of slots.
But in his past life, he never got to see the highest tiers of items or bosses.
He assumed the strongest players after three years had probably reached around level ninety or a hundred.
He didn't have access to the [Level Leaderboard] after all.
That was already incredible, especially given how cruel the future zones of [Gods Ascension] were.
The further you went, the more merciless the game became.
Once everything was sorted, Karl decided it was time to move deeper into the [Broken Town] and hunt more monsters.
'Most people are just aiming to reach level ten so they can leave the [Novice Town],' he thought, 'That's their only focus right now.'
Everyone in this area had probably joined [Gods Ascension] recently.
They were all the same age as him, still inexperienced, still weak.
Only those who advanced beyond level ten could meet the "veterans".
And Karl intended to join that group fast.
Ten minutes passed, and he continued hunting without pause.
And then—
Ding!
[You have gained 1 Evolution Point.]
"Huh?" Karl stopped mid-step, "But… I didn't kill any boss."
He had only been clearing low-level monsters, and all of them died in a single hit.
Which meant—
"I see." His eyes widened a bit as realization struck, "Monsters can also give me Evolution Points… it's just that their drop rate must be ridiculously low, while bosses give them every time."
That was good to know. Invaluable, actually.
He made a mental note of it for later.
While he fought, he also acquired a small amount of lives.
It wasn't much, but it was steady progress.
Karl had neither low damage nor lack of awareness now.
He moved with efficiency, every strike and cast cleanly executed.
Powerful Fireball!
Boom!
-840!
The numbers flashed before his eyes as the fireball hit.
Even though barely half an hour had passed since he entered the zone, he could already deal that much damage.
Back in his past life, even the strongest early players of [Gods Ascension] hadn't been able to do that.
Karl had gone beyond that point already.
Still, he wasn't satisfied.
'I need more lives,' he thought, 'I only have forty-nine. And I also need to reach level ten.'
He kept going.
More monsters appeared. More fireballs flew.
Then—
Ding!
---
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 3!]
[All your attributes have increased by 5, and you have gained 5 free points to distribute.]
---
Karl didn't hesitate.
He placed all five points into [Spirit], pushing his magic power even higher.
His damage easily crossed 1,000 now. At level three.
Most players wouldn't even believe such a number was possible.
While walking through the streets, Karl saw other players struggling.
Some were surrounded, barely surviving as monsters overwhelmed them.
Others screamed for help, their attacks bouncing off thick hides.
But Karl didn't react.
His eyes stayed calm, cold, and distant.
He had seen far worse than this.
In his previous life, death had become a routine sight.
He had seen cities fall, and entire armies burn.
Compared to that, this beginner chaos was nothing.
People thought the [Calamity] was the worst thing that happened from [Gods Ascension].
But they were wrong. There were far darker things waiting down the line.
Karl knew. He remembered.
But that was for later.
For now, he had one goal: grow stronger, faster than anyone else.
And right as he thought that—
Bam!
A sharp sound echoed ahead.
Karl turned his gaze toward the source and saw three shadowy figures prowling from an alley.
---
[Shadow Wolf (Level 4)]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[HP: 750]
---
The wolves growled lowly, their crimson eyes fixed on him.
Their dark fur shimmered faintly under the broken moonlight.
Karl didn't flinch.
He simply raised his staff, already preparing his spell.
But before he could fire, he heard voices.
"There's monsters here!"
"They're shadow wolves!"
"Hold up, we're level five. We should be able to deal with them, right?"
Karl glanced to the side.
A group of players had appeared at the end of the street.
"Wait," one said, pointing at him, "look, that guy's already fighting them."
Their leader frowned.
"Hah, it's just one mage. Do you really think he—"
Powerful Fireball!
Boom!
-1,140! -1,140! -1,140!
The explosion engulfed all three wolves at once, reducing them to ashes instantly.
The air trembled from the impact.
"—What?"
Every player watching froze.
They stared at Karl in disbelief, their mouths hanging open.
"Did I just see… over a thousand damage?"
"You did too? That's insane!"
"Mages aren't that strong normally!"
"Yeah, Oliver's a mage, and he's useless!"
"Hey...!"
"Then it has to be his class or his talent!"
The group started arguing, throwing guesses back and forth, but Karl didn't care.
Building a reputation mattered, yes, but not right now.
In the early stages, he didn't actually need to.
He walked forward, heading toward the charred remains of the wolves.
Ding!
---
[You have killed x3 "Shadow Wolf (Level 4)"]
[You have gained 300 experience points.]
[You have gained 9 Lives!]
---
'Good.'
Nine more lives added to his total. That brought him to 58 now.
Then he noticed two items lying beside the corpses.
---
[Shadow Fang Dagger: +12 Strength, +7 Agility, Attack Speed +5%. Requirement: Level 4.]
---
[Skill Book: Shadow Slash (Uncommon): Assassin/Warrior-type skill book. Requirement: Level 4.]
---
He picked them up without hesitation and stored them in his [Normal Backpack].
But then—
[Inventory Space: 10/10]
He frowned slightly.
"Hm. Guess I'll have to sell some of this."
The second best way to earn [Lives], besides killing monsters, was trading.
Karl had planned for that since the start.
He could sell skill books and items to players in exchange for [Lives].
That way, he'd gain both resources and reputation.
He wanted the name "Oblivion" to be known across the entire world.
He wanted people to remember it every time they saw his name on the leaderboards in the future.
So, ignoring the chatter behind him, Karl turned around and started heading back toward the [Novice Town Square].
The square would be full of players, after all.