CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: SNAKE BACKPACK, REACHING SHELL CITY

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Small World Serpent Trio (Level 25 Epic-Rank Bosses)"]

[You have gained 15 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 158 Lives!]

---

Hand of Avarice!

Ding!

[You have gained 4 Evolution Points]

[You have gained 6 Evolution Points]

[You have gained 98 Lives]

Stark’s lips curved slightly as the panels stacked one after another.

His skill had triggered twice for one of the serpents, doubling the gain. Not bad.

But then, something caught his eye. An item drop.

He walked forward, crouched down, and stared at the object lying on the ground.

It was a backpack, shaped like a coiled serpent, with dark green scales that almost looked alive.

---

[Snake Backpack (Epic): +30 storage slots. Requirement: Level 25]

---

"Oh shit!"

Of all things to drop, a backpack was one of the most practical for his situation!

This actually made fighting them even more worth it than he thought!

Without hesitation, he equipped it.

[Current Inventory Slots: 57]

[3/3 Backpacks Equipped.]

’Perfect.’

His current setup had been clunky: a [Normal Backpack (10 slots)] and a [Storage Backpack (5 slots)], plus the [Small Space Ring (12 slots)].

Adding this [Snake Backpack] pushed his capacity to 57 items total.

He was full now, though.

The system only allowed three backpacks at once, so whenever he found a better one, he’d need to swap.

Not an issue for the moment. This was huge.

Satisfied, Stark flicked his wrist, the serpent backpack settling snugly against his robe.

He glanced back at the [Ghost Wolf], who had been waiting a short distance away.

The mount seemed calmer now that the serpents were gone.

He swung himself onto the wolf’s back and gave the order.

"Forward."

Fwish!

If a normal player tried to make the same journey toward the first NPC town, they’d spend hours on the road.

Mostly because of the speed, but also because of the monsters that blocked the way.

But the [Ghost Wolf] sprinted so fast that most enemies couldn’t even react, let alone keep up.

An hour later, Stark saw it: the outline of a city in the distance.

It was large, though only about half the size of the [Ruined City].

This was humanity’s first foothold beyond the novice zones: [Shell City].

When most players finally arrived here, the [First Calamity] would have already swept through the world, leaving destruction behind.

A large number of survivors would flock here, clinging to the idea of safety.

Compared to the broken ruins they were used to, it looked alive.

Many players would prefer to stay here forever. And who could blame them?

Though of course, the [Tired] system would force them out.

Stark smirked, "Nostalgic."

He reined the [Ghost Wolf] in as he neared the gates.

With one smooth motion, he hopped off, pat the wolf’s head, and unsummoned it.

Fwoosh!

The mount’s body dissolved into faint ghostly mist, leaving behind only the bell in Stark’s hand.

With a flick of his wrist, it vanished into his inventory.

As long as the [Ghost Wolf] didn’t die, he could summon it anytime without cooldown.

If it did die, though... the recovery period was brutal.

He wasn’t planning to let that happen.

He turned toward the massive gates and stepped inside.

Ding!

---

[You have entered "Shell City" (Safe Zone)]

[A neutral town filled with NPCs, mainly acting as an introduction to more mechanics.]

[Lives loss rate: 100]

---

Stark’s eyes flickered across the panels.

"Right. Just like I remember."

[Shell City] was technically a safe zone, but the term was misleading.

Monsters couldn’t enter, sure.

But unlike the [Novice Towns], player killing was active.

And since this was the very first NPC town, it was supposed to be neutral.

"...Damn it’s been a while," Stark muttered, scanning the streets.

NPCs filled the city, wandering about in their daily routines.

None of them gave him so much as a glance.

Stark knew better. These NPCs were simply there to introduce new mechanics.

They weren’t important. Only one NPC in the entire city truly mattered, and Stark already knew who it was.

’Still... it’s good to see this place again.’

He exhaled and started walking deeper into the streets.

[Shell City] was a hub.

A place for players to relax, regroup, and adjust before diving deeper into the nightmare outside.

The real twist was the currency. Even here, people used [Lives].

Which meant you could spend your very survival to buy equipment, items... or even food.

And the food? Stark grinned, his stomach rumbling faintly.

’Yeah, let’s not waste time.’

He ducked into the nearest restaurant, a cozy tavern-like place filled with long tables.

The smell hit him instantly, spices, roasting meat, freshly baked bread.

Players who hadn’t eaten here yet wouldn’t understand.

The food in [Eternal Soul] was on a whole other level.

Stark waved a hand at the menu hanging on the wall.

"Everything. Bring me everything."

The NPC waiter nodded mechanically, taking [70 Lives] as payment.

For Stark, that was pocket change, though it might be a lot for some other players.

But as the dishes began arriving, he leaned back and dug in.

He let himself enjoy it, even if only for half an hour.

When he finally pushed his chair back, his hunger was satisfied, but his thoughts were sharper.

On the way out, he grabbed a large cut of meat from the counter.

He wasn’t planning to eat it himself.

Outside the city walls, he summoned the [Ghost Wolf] again.

The mount appeared, golden eyes glowing faintly.

"Here," Stark tossed the meat.

The wolf tilted its head, then snatched the food mid-air, tearing into it with silent ferocity.

Ding!

[The Ghost Wolf’s Loyalty has increased by 1%.]

"Good."

Stark believed that if he could maybe raise its loyalty to 100%, the ghost wolf would possibly start fighting.

Though raising loyalty could be harder depending on the mount.

He gave the wolf a final pat, then dismissed it once more.

"Alright," Stark muttered, narrowing his eyes at the horizon.

There were two weeks before the [Tower of Divinity] event, and he had absolutely no plans to waste time.

The system’s level lock irritated him.

Being capped at 25 until the second advancement task was completed was restrictive, and Stark hated restrictions.

Thankfully, it was the only time the game forced players into this kind of waiting period.

Once they passed this point, future advancements would be personalized.

That meant he could grow on his own terms. And he intended to.

The world ahead was wide, and he couldn’t explore it because his level was too low.

Walking back into [Shell City], Stark’s eyes flickered toward the guards posted along the walls.

--

[Shell City Guard (Level 30)]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[HP: ???]

---

Strong enough to shut down troublemakers, weak enough that eventually, they could be challenged.

For now, though, even the most reckless players wouldn’t risk it.

’I’m not here to cause chaos anyway.’

He slipped deeper into the city streets, mind sharpening.

’I should find that NPC now. If I can grab the quest early, I’ll have more time to prepare. Better to get it out of the way.’