Ding!
[You have killed "Demonized Rat (Level 1)" and gained 10 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, item has been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Ding!
[You have killed "Wild Boar (Level 1)" and gained 10 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, item has been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Ding!
[You have killed "Small Goblin (Level 1)" and gained 10 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered...]
The notifications kept appearing one after another.
Leon moved through the battlefield with calm precision, seizing every opportunity he saw. His machete flashed cleanly through the air, each swing deliberate and efficient.
He didn't waste energy.
Every monster that stepped into his range was killed with a single, well-placed strike.
A rat lunged toward him.
Slash!
A boar charged, tusks lowered.
Sidestep! Chop!
A goblin screamed and raised its crude blade. Leon cut it down before it could even finish the motion.
He moved like someone who had done this thousands of times before. Because he had.
By the time the last monsters fell, Leon had personally killed nine of them.
It was probably the highest number in the village.
What made the difference, however, was that while most players received nothing but experience points, Leon received something every single time.
Every kill triggered his talent.
Fwish!
Leon swung his machete one last time, cleanly decapitating the final goblin just as the last remaining monsters in the [Novice Village] were wiped out.
The battlefield fell silent.
And at that moment—
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 2!]
[You have gained 5 points in all attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]
"Oh wow."
Leon blinked in surprise.
In his previous life, he hadn't leveled up from this first wave. The experience had been spread too thin, and he hadn't killed enough monsters personally.
But this time… He actually leveled.
It might not seem like much, but to Leon, it meant everything.
This life was already different. Better. More meaningful.
Around him, discussions erupted as players caught their breath and wiped blood from their weapons.
"Holly hell, that was insane."
"I thought I was gonna die."
"They all went down in one hit if you didn't panic."
Leon ignored the chatter and after placing his five free attributes points in [Strength], he calmly opened his status panel once more.
---
[Name: Leon Rykard]
[Level: 2 (0/300)]
[Constitution: 10]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 10]
[Spirit: 10]
[Skills: None]
[Combat Power: 90 (+2)]
---
Everything looked familiar. The only difference was the numbers.
His attributes had doubled, and so had his combat power.
Leon clenched his fist slightly. He could feel it.
His body was sturdier. His movements sharper. His breathing steadier.
One level alone already made a noticeable difference.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the upper-right corner of the panel.
[Players: 9,847/10,000.]
Leon's expression darkened slightly.
Exactly 153 people had died during the very first monster assault. That number wasn't small. But it wasn't surprising either.
This was the first time humanity had ever faced monsters like these. Panic alone was enough to kill people, even if the enemies themselves weren't strong.
Leon knew this lesson well.
Every other [Novice Village] across the world must be experiencing the same thing right now.
As players stared at the monster corpses and the bodies of those who didn't survive, a heavy silence settled over the village.
Fear. Confusion. Sorrow. All of it mixed together.
Leon stood slightly apart from the others, arms crossed, saying nothing.
In his previous life, this scene had shaken him too. But time had hardened him.
People would grieve, panic, and despair for now. Then they would adapt. Or die.
'The [God of Eternity] and its followers…' Leon's eyes hardened. 'No. Every single one of those gods. Their servants.'
'I won't let them kill me again.'
Just as panic threatened to resurface, a few figures stepped forward.
Leon recognized them immediately. David and Aaron.
In the future, both of them would become well-known figures: strong, decisive, and respected.
David raised his voice first.
"Everyone, calm down," he said firmly. "We've lost people, yes. But we're still alive."
Aaron nodded beside him. "This is our new reality. Running from it won't help."
"There's strength in numbers," David continued. "If we cooperate, we can survive and grow stronger."
"We only have one month," Aaron added. "We need to act quickly."
Their words carried weight. Slowly, players began to steady themselves.
Some nodded. Others clenched their weapons.
Groups began forming almost naturally. People compared talents, discussed fighting styles, and made quick plans.
Leon received several invitations. He declined every single one.
'My talent revolves around acquiring items,' he thought calmly. 'I can't afford to share kills right now.'
Going alone was the correct choice.
Finally, once small teams were formed, players began leaving the [Novice Village] in different directions.
Leon waited.
When most of them were gone, he slipped behind one of the dilapidated wooden houses and opened his storage space.
It was the first time he had actually used it.
The [Storage Space] functioned like an inventory, starting with a capacity of 100 slots. Expanding it required [Eternal Coins], the main currency of [Eternal Ascension].
Coins could be earned through killing monsters, trading, and other means.
Leon focused.
Fwoosh!
The storage interface appeared. His eyes widened instantly.
[Storage Space: 14/100]
"…Damn."
Leon couldn't help but grin.
He had killed ten monsters total. And he had fourteen items.
Normally, it could take dozens of kills just to get a single drop.
But his talent… It really was working exactly as described.
"I really am getting everything," Leon muttered.
He began checking his loot.
[Eternal Coins x20]
Twenty coins. Likely two from each monster, stacked neatly into one slot.
[Eternal Coins] were universal currency in [Eternal Ascension]. They were accepted by every race, faction, and system.
Even after leaving the [Novice Village], even in higher zones, they would remain essential.
It was impossible to survive without them. And early on, they were painfully rare.
Leon moved on. Several gray orbs occupied the next slots.
His eyes lit up.
'Essences.'
Essences were condensed vital energy left behind by monsters. Normal monsters, elites, bosses, any of them could drop one.
Consuming them directly enhanced attributes.
Leon checked their descriptions.
[Small Goblin Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 2.]
[Wild Boar Essence: Consuming will increase Agility by 2.]
There were no essences from the demonized rats, but he didn't.
Without hesitation, he consumed them all.
Fwish! Ding!
[You have consumed "Small Goblin Essence" and gained 2 Strength.]
[You have consumed "Wild Boar Essence" and gained 2 Agility.]
...
[You have consumed...]
Warm energy surged through Leon's body. His muscles tightened. His balance improved. His movements felt lighter.
He exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming.
'If I can keep doing this… I'll be unstoppable.'
He checked his panel again.
[Combat Power: 118 (+2)]
It was already above 100. In his previous life, reaching that number had taken hours.
Leon moved to the next item. And froze.
"…A skill book?"
He pulled it out carefully.
[Appraisal: Can look onto things, the higher the level, the more can be observed. Requirement: None.]
Leon's breathing slowed.
Skill books were rare. Extremely rare.
There was no limit to how many skills someone could learn, but the problem was acquiring them. Drop rates were abysmal. Some players killed tens of thousands of monsters without seeing a single one.
And skill requirements could make them even harder to use.
That was why most people specialized into one role instead of branching out.
Even Leon had struggled juggling mage and warrior skills in his past life.
But now… His talent guaranteed drops. Which meant skill books too.
A grin spread across his face. [Appraisal] was invaluable.
At higher levels, it could reveal monster stats, equipment quality, maps, and even hidden information.
In the early stages… It was practically divine.
Leon poured mana into the book and the pages dissolved into light before seeping into him.
Ding!
[You have learned the skill "Appraisal"]