CHAPTER 15: CHAPTER 15: VINE SMASH, EXCHANGING ITEMS WITH GRACE

The majority of the loot dropped by the [Swamp Revenant] were rare and elite-rank items.

The rare ones were fine, but the elite-rank pieces were useless to sell for now.

Not because they weren’t valuable, just the opposite.

Nobody at this stage could actually afford them.

Still, Stark wasn’t disappointed.

[Do you wish to consume 3 Evolution Point to evolve "Vine Swing"?]

"Yes!"

Ding!

[You have evolved "Vine Swing" (Uncommon) to "Vine Smash" (Rare)]

---

[Vine Smash (Rare): Summons a vine from the ground that will smash with immense force at a target, it will deal 100 → 200 damage + 100% → 150% of spirit. 40 → 35 (17.5)-seconds cooldown.]

---

’Nice,’ Stark nodded, satisfied, ’The damage can rival those of the others now.’

With that done, he gathered up the items, storing everything between his backpack and storage backpack, then left the swamp behind.

Ding!

[You have sent a message to "Starfall"]

[Oblivion: I’m done, I’ll come back up and then I can give you some of the items!]

[Starfall: Thanks... I struggled against those monsters (ಥ﹏ಥ)]

[Oblivion: The fact you actually killed them is good enough.]

She had been fighting two level 3 monsters earlier.

It wasn’t easy, but her [Star Prophet] class gave her the tools to survive and take them down on her own.

Climbing back up the cliff, Stark soon found her sitting on a rock, catching her breath.

...

At the same time...

Slash!

Max’s sword cut through a level 4 uncommon-rank monster.

-473!

Thanks to his class and his talent, every blood he shed raised his damage.

With each swing, he hit harder than before, allowing him to tear through enemies even at his level.

And when he did take hits...

Divine Healing!

Seren raised her scepter, her light wrapping around Max and restoring him to full health in an instant.

"Did you see that Oblivion guy?" Seren asked while keeping her eyes on Max’s fight. "He’s in another town, judging from the announcements."

"What of it?" Max grunted, hacking into another monster. "Eventually, we’ll catch up."

"Hm..." Seren nodded slowly. "I just hope it doesn’t take too long."

"We only need to be level 5 to use the teleportation array," Max reminded her, cleaving into another beast. "Let’s focus on that, then see what happens after."

"Agreed!" Seren replied brightly.

The two of them kept grinding, eager and full of excitement for what awaited in this new world.

Their classes and talents gave them confidence that they could achieve greatness.

"Do you think Stark actually entered the game?" Seren asked suddenly.

Max barked out a laugh. "That guy? He’s probably already dead or running scared. No way he changed overnight like that."

"If he ever shows up again," Seren grinned, "we’ll make him beg to join us. Maybe we’ll even let him be our dog."

"Haha, sure."

But what they didn’t know... was that Oblivion, the most talked-about player in the world, and Stark were the same person.

...

Stark moved quickly through the [Shadow Forest], the [Revenant Bell] hanging around his neck.

Grace was in his arms as he carried her toward town.

"I’ve got all the items," he told her calmly. "We’ll head back and exchange there."

Grace nodded lightly, relieved.

Before long, they reached [Novice Town #783].

Stark put her down outside, not wanting her to feel embarrassed by being carried the whole way.

"As agreed, I’ll give your team most of the stuff," he said, "but I’m keeping some of the mage gear."

Grace nodded again.

He handed over a fair portion of the items, keeping the other half for himself.

Then, seeing her weapon, he also gave her the [Shadow Staff] he had been using earlier.

"W-Wow!" Grace’s eyes lit up as she held it. "Thank you!"

He wasn’t finished.

Alongside it, he gave her a rare-rank necklace that added +15 spirit and boosted mana recovery by +3 every second.

Grace blinked in surprise.

Honestly, she had expected him to scam her somehow, or at least hold back more.

Instead, he trusted her with the rest of the gear for David and their teammates.

"Thank you," she said, bowing slightly. "With this, my spells will be way stronger."

Stark only shook his head and smiled faintly. "It’s fine. We had a deal. Now, can I have the [Small Space Ring]?"

"Right!" Grace fumbled in her inventory and brought it out, placing it carefully in his hand.

"It’s not like I’ll be filling it anytime soon," she admitted with a smile.

Stark slid it onto his left hand.

[Small Space Ring (Rare): +12 storage slots, does not occupy a backpack slot.]

’That makes 27 storage slots total,’ Stark thought, ’Much easier.’

"Look, it’s Oblivion!"

"Holy crap, maybe he’s selling again! If he lists new gear, I want in..."

The people of the novice town were buzzing, and Stark couldn’t help but notice the shift.

In this life, his reputation was completely different.

He was not only the strongest in his town, possibly in the entire world, but he had also helped others by selling items they desperately needed.

He had earned respect.

’It doesn’t matter now, but later... it could be useful,’ Stark thought.

For now, his focus was simple: reaching level 10.

At that point, he could perform his [Class Advancement] and leave the [Novice Continent] behind to head to the true beginning of [Eternal Soul].

But he still needed two more levels.

He had already explored most of the [Shadow Forest], even fighting its hidden boss.

Normally, other players would grind experience by farming monsters.

But Stark remembered something.

From his past life... a memory resurfaced.

There was an entrance to a level 10 zone deep within this very forest.

The hardest zone in the entire [Novice Continent].

Back then, Seren and Max had refused to go.

It was too dangerous, and Stark had backed off with them.

But not this time. This time, he would enter alone.

If he could clear it, there was no doubt he would hit level 10.

...

Leaving town once more, Stark cut down every monster in his path, but their experience wasn’t enough to matter.

He rushed deeper, straight toward his destination.

He searched through the thick shadows until he found himself at the forest’s edge.

’It should be here... I’m sure of it.’

Minutes passed as he scanned the area.

Then, finally, he saw it.

A grin spread across his face. "Heh. Just like before. Still here. I doubt anyone else has even thought of trying."

In truth, even he hesitated for a moment.

But he was stronger now.

With his class, his gear, and his skills, Stark had confidence.

A narrow cave entrance yawned before him.

The moment he stepped close...

Ding!

[You are about to enter a dangerous level 10 zone: "Abandoned Temple of Fate"]

[Once you enter, you cannot leave unless you die.]

This warning had stopped countless players before.

Even Seren and Max had turned away at this point.

But Stark? He didn’t slow.

The pressure rolling out of the cave only made his heart beat faster.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

Ding!

[You have entered the "Abandoned Temple of Fate"]

[Lives loss rate: 100]