CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 23: THE FIRST MONSTER OF THE RUINED CITY, OVER 10,000 DAMAGE!

[Ruined Sentinel (Level 11)]

[Rank: Common]

[HP: 15,000]

---

As one might notice, the [Corrupted Fate Believers] from the [Abandoned Temple of Fate] also had 15,000 HP even though they were only level 10.

And of course, the sole reason was because of the rank.

The believers were rare-rank monsters, while the sentinels were only common-rank.

That difference was everything.

The sentinels appeared everywhere in the ruined city.

They were humanoid-shaped, covered in a full set of white and golden armor that gleamed even in the dust-filled ruins.

Their faces were hidden by pale masks, and each carried a long spear, moving like statues that had come alive.

That was why their HP was the same as the believers despite being one level higher, but in terms of strength, they were around the same.

Since this was the real beginning of [Eternal Soul], players would have to start getting used to details like these.

Later in the real world, forums and websites would spring up, players documenting monsters, bosses, skills, and all the best strategies.

Stark remembered those well.

In his past life, they had been extremely useful.

But right now? He was alone.

He hadn’t met any of the "strong" figures from back then.

For now, all the knowledge he had was his own advantage.

Scorching Fireball! Vine Cataclysm!

Boom! Fwish! Bam!

-7,320! -12,990!

"Holy shit."

The moment the sentinel was struck by both spells, its armored body shuddered.

It froze mid-step, the golden glow fading from its spear before it collapsed onto the cracked stone floor.

Stark’s lips curled upward.

He was confident, nobody else could deal this much damage right now.

His class’s damage multiplier had gone from 10 to 15 after his advancement, and that made all the difference.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Ruined Sentinel (Level 11)"]

[You have gained 2,000 experience points.]

[You have gained 8 Lives]

---

To reach level 10, it had cost 10,000 experience points.

But after advancing his class and stepping deeper into the [Eternal Continent], the requirements had increased.

30,000 points were needed to go from level 10 to 11.

And from there, the requirement would increase by 10,000 each level until level 25.

Slowly but surely, leveling would become harder and harder.

Of course, the ruined city was massive.

There were countless enemies here, offering opportunities for both danger and growth.

"The [First Calamity] is the final event before we can leave the ruined city," Stark murmured to himself.

His hand tightened around his staff.

"But before that... there are two other events."

Events were scheduled by the system itself in every ruined city.

They gave players the chance to gain more experience points, more loot, and more growth than they could normally find.

Exactly one week from now, the [Ghost Hunt] event would begin.

And two weeks after that, the [Tower of Divinity].

Once these two events passed, many of the most powerful players would already have extracted their gains into the real world.

Events came in two forms:

[Events], like the [Ghost Hunt] and [Tower of Divinity]... and [Global Events].

[Global Events] were on a much larger scale, such as the [First Calamity].

But to survive any of them, Stark needed to grow stronger.

Hand of Avarice!

Ding!

[You have gained 7 Lives]

The sentinel had dropped something else.

[Sentinel Spear (Common): Warrior-type Weapon, +15 Strength, +8 Agility. Requirement: Level 11]

Stark stored the weapon in his inventory.

Even a common-rank item had its uses.

If he couldn’t equip it now, it could always be sold or traded later.

---

[Level Leaderboard:]

[1. Oblivion: Level 11]

---

Since Stark was the only one in this ruined city, there was no reason for any other names to appear on the list.

But the moment another player stepped into this place, their names would be displayed too.

Stark had one massive advantage, though: he already knew what was coming.

The events, the monsters, the best areas, the secret rewards.

A grin spread across his face.

’I know where one of the best staffs at my level is,’ he thought, ’The only problem is that it’s guarded by an epic-rank level 15 boss.’

The [Novice Continent] could technically be split into three main zones:

The novice town, the shadow forest, and the abandoned temple of fate.

But the ruined city alone had at least a dozen distinct zones, each one more dangerous, and more rewarding, than the last.

The sheer size and scope of it had shocked players back then.

It was here that guilds had first begun to form, people realizing they couldn’t take on the challenges alone.

But Stark was alone now.

He didn’t have allies or a guild.

He needed to level up, secure that staff, and prepare for the coming storm, no matter what.

For a mage, spells and equipment were everything.

He couldn’t fight in close combat yet, which meant his casting potential needed to be as high as possible.

He tightened his grip on his staff and stepped forward.

Fwish! Bam! Bam!

The sound of movement echoed.

Several [Ruined Sentinels] leapt from the ruined buildings around him, landing heavily on the cracked streets.

Their spears glinted as they surrounded him.

"Here we go," Stark muttered, his lips curled into a grin, "My experience points."

Fwish!

One of the sentinels lunged first, its spear thrusting forward with frightening speed.

But Stark had already shifted his stance.

He slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike, and immediately retaliated with spells.

Corrosive Crystal! Scorching Fireball!

-4,500! -1,125! -1,125! -7,320!

The [Corrosive Crystal]’s poison spread quickly, dealing a total of 10,125 damage.

That left only one conclusion, [Scorching Fireball] was slightly falling behind.

It was time to evolve that skill soon.

The sentinel crumpled. But its companions were already advancing.

Around a dozen more had surrounded him, white and gold armor gleaming in the half-light.

The ruined city didn’t have safe zones.

The longer one fought, the more enemies would appear.

But Stark wasn’t nervous.

Soul Shockwave!

The [Revenant Bell] around his neck rang, releasing a pulse of spectral energy that rippled outward.

All of the sentinels froze mid-motion.

Their spears stopped in the air.

Their armored feet halted inches above the ground.

For three seconds, they couldn’t move at all.

That was all Stark needed.

Vine Cataclysm!

The ground split open as countless vines erupted upward, lashing through the group and striking them from every angle.

-12,990! -12,990! -12,990!

The sentinels were battered back, their armor cracking under the force.

Not dead yet, but close.

Scorching Fireball!

A blazing sphere of fire slammed into the nearest three, blowing them apart.

Corrosive Crystal!

Another shattered against a sentinel’s chest, poison spreading as its HP ticked down.

By the time the bell’s stun wore off, a third of them were already dead.

The others roared in silent fury and charged.

One thrust its spear directly at Stark.

Clang!

He raised his staff, instinctively deflecting the blow.

"Damn," Stark muttered, a small grin on his lips, "Old warrior habits, huh?"

He shoved the weapon aside and swung his staff in retaliation.

-55!

Of course, the attack did no real damage.

He was a mage, not a warrior.

But the motion bought him just enough time to sidestep the others.

And then—

Scorching Fireball! Corrosive Crystal!

Boom! Slash!

One after another, fire and poison ripped through the sentinels until the last of them collapsed to the cracked stone.

Stark exhaled, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.

"Phew," he said, grinning to himself, "Guess it’s harder when you’re alone."

But in his eyes, there was no fear.