CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: END OF THE GHOST HUNT, GHOST WOLF MOUNT BELL

[The "Ghost Hunt" event is now over!]

The event came to an end, and as expected, Stark stood firmly at the very top.

[1. Oblivion: 2,643]

He had completely dominated, scoring over 2,600 points.

To put it in perspective, in his past life the top player during this exact event had been [EvilDemon], and even he hadn’t managed this much.

Stark had beaten the old record by a massive margin.

Normally, players who ranked at the top of the leaderboard gained rewards such as rare weapons, powerful skill books, or unique accessories.

For most people, these prizes were considered jackpots.

But Stark wasn’t after any of that.

There was only one reward he wanted: first place.

Ding!

[You have scored first during the "Ghost Hunt", and have thus received the "Mount Bell (Ghost Wolf)"]

"Haha!" Stark laughed, unable to hold back a wide grin.

This was exactly the item he had been aiming for.

And luckily, it hadn’t changed compared to his memories.

---

[Mount Bell (Ghost Wolf): Upon usage, you will summon the "Ghost Wolf", who can be ridden to travel long distances, but cannot fight yet. Requirement: Level 25]

---

Mounts weren’t just convenience items. They were game-changers.

Once the world of [Eternal Soul] expanded, distances would stretch endlessly between zones, cities, towers, and dungeons.

Having a mount allowed faster travel and, in some cases, an extra edge in combat.

The [Ghost Wolf] wasn’t a combat mount for now, it couldn’t fight at all, but in terms of pure speed and stamina, it was one of the best in the early game.

Exactly what Stark needed.

He was about to immediately store it inside his system panel when another notification appeared.

Ding!

[Note: Treating your mount well is essential. Failing to do so may cause the mount’s loyalty to weaken, and the "Mount Bell" may disappear.]

Stark already knew this system, but for most new players it would come as a surprise.

Mounts weren’t just tools, they had their own mechanics.

If treated harshly, their loyalty would drop.

At first, the mount might just disobey commands.

But if it hit rock bottom, the consequences could be brutal.

The mount could vanish forever... or even turn hostile.

Stark had no plans to mistreat it.

If anything, the [Ghost Wolf] was too valuable.

Closing the panel, his gaze shifted to another number that mattered just as much.

[Current Evolution Points: 56]

"Good," he muttered.

Enough to evolve one more skill.

At the rate he was going, actually evolving his mythical-rank skills to ancient-rank definitely wouldn’t be impossible.

Ding!

[Do you wish to consume 50 Evolution Points to evolve "Storm of Lightning"?]

"Yes."

[You have evolved "Storm of Lightning" (Legendary) to "Storm of Lightning" (Mythical).]

---

[Storm of Lightning (Mythical): Releases a storm of lightning that will hit any enemy within radius, dealing 800% → 1,200% of spirit and also has a chance to apply "Stun". 18 → 16 (8)-seconds cooldown.]

---

"Finally."

The power increase was massive, and the cooldown reduction made it even more efficient.

With this, only two of his main spells remained at legendary rank: [Plague Crystals] and [Curse Flower].

Out of the two, he planned to evolve [Plague Crystals] first.

[Curse Flower] could wait, it was useful for stealing lives, but compared to raw damage, it was secondary.

Now that the event officially ended, all players on the leaderboard began receiving their rewards.

Stark skimmed the names quickly. One stood out.

’Max is in the ranking,’ Stark narrowed his eyes.

That was strange. In his previous life, Max hadn’t even reached 500 points.

This time, he’d placed seventh. Something had clearly changed.

"Oh well," Stark muttered.

Seventh place would still give Max a solid prize, but nothing game-breaking.

Stark’s [Ghost Wolf] was by far the most practical reward of the entire pool.

The [Ruined City] slowly returned to silence.

The endless waves of ghosts faded.

The thick, ghastly aura that had blanketed the streets vanished too.

The city was still ruined, but without the event it felt... empty.

Stark wasted no time heading for the city’s edge.

He had no reason to linger anymore.

The [Tower of Divinity], the first official tower of [Eternal Soul], and also the easiest, would open in two weeks.

Until then, he needed to prepare.

Of course, his level was still capped at 25.

But Stark wasn’t going to waste two weeks standing idle.

"Hm."

He stopped just before the barrier and looked back at the ruined city one last time.

’Alright. One more thing.’

If he was leaving, he wanted at least one final chance to find the [Church Sanctuary].

He had the key, but no idea where it was located.

Ding!

[You have sent a message to "Ghost" and "Starfall."]

[Oblivion: If you ever find the "Church Sanctuary" before leaving the city, let me know. I have the key.]

Waiting hours or days combing through ruins himself would be pointless.

Better to leave some instructions with others.

[Ghost: We will try.]

[Starfall: Okay (✿╹◡╹)]

Not much of a promise, but it was something.

Stark doubted Ghost would stay in the city much longer either.

Still, better to try than nothing.

Turning back, he approached the edge of the barrier again.

This time, when his hand touched it, there was no system warning telling him he lacked the recommended level.

’Perfect.’

Normally, the huge majority of players didn’t leave the [Ruined City] before the second event passed.

But Stark wasn’t like normal players.

His knowledge gave him a way forward.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the [Mount Bell (Ghost Wolf)] into his hand.

Giving it a slight shake—

Ding!

A pale glow burst out, covering the area.

In front of him, a figure slowly began to form.

When the light cleared, the [Ghost Wolf] stood before him.

It was about one and a half meters tall, its body translucent with a silver sheen to its fur.

Its eyes glowed golden, radiating a strange mix of majesty and ferocity.

Even though it was classified as an "early-game mount," it looked far from weak.

Just its size alone told Stark it could easily carry two, maybe even three players without issue.

’Perfect,’ he thought, his grin returning.

Mounts had their own status panels too, so Stark decided to inspect it.

---

[Ghost Wolf (Level 25)]

[Rank: Rare]

[HP: 30,000]

[Loyalty: 80%]

[Sprint (Passive Skill): Runs at extremely high speed to quickly reach destinations.]

[Night Walk (Active Skill): The "Ghost Wolf" and its riders become invisible for 30 seconds. 5-minutes cooldown.]

---

Stark nodded in approval.

The wolf didn’t have attack skills like combat mounts yet, but that didn’t matter.

[Sprint] guaranteed travel speed faster than most early-game mounts, and [Night Walk] was far more useful than most people would realize.

’Strange that it can’t attack,’ Stark thought, ’But that doesn’t matter.’

Even without combat ability, the [Ghost Wolf] was invaluable.

Faster travel alone put him ahead of everyone else.

As long as he kept its loyalty above 50%, it would never abandon him.

At 80% to start with, there was plenty of room.

Without hesitation, Stark swung onto the wolf’s back.

The creature remained still, then gave a low growl that almost sounded like approval.

"Alright," Stark muttered, tightening his grip on his staff.

His eyes locked on the horizon beyond the ruined city.

"Let’s go."