CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER 9: SELLING ITEMS, EVOLVING MONSTER

Stark assumed that fifteen minutes would be more than enough to sell everything.

Any more time than that wouldn’t be worth it to him.

What he wanted most right now was to level up and get more items.

Of course, he could have just dropped the items in the forest and gone after better ones.

But to Stark, that was a waste of resources.

And obviously, he wasn’t about to give things away for free, especially not to strangers.

He remembered clearly how many people and opportunities he had missed out on in his past life.

Most of them were lost because of his so-called best friends.

Max and Seren were strong, with powerful classes and talents, that was true, but their personalities were the problem.

This time, things would be different.

He wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice. He would form bonds only with strong and reliable people.

As soon as his shop appeared, it immediately attracted everyone nearby.

"Holy shit, isn’t that Oblivion guy?"

"That’s amazing. I wish I could get strong like him..."

"Look at that loot. It’s actually really good!"

The crowd grew quickly, whispers spreading as they examined the items Stark had placed for sale.

Before long, a man stepped forward and pointed at one of the skill books, [Shadow Slash].

"How much for this? It could be useful to me."

The man, like Stark, had the [Hide Face] feature activated.

His ID was shown as "PrinceLucas," and he wore a clean, small uniform that suggested he wasn’t a casual player.

Stark glanced at him, then answered plainly. "Ten Lives."

PrinceLucas frowned slightly. "Ten Lives? That’s basically what you start with at the beginning. You can’t be serious."

Stark shrugged. To him, it was a fair price.

A skill like [Shadow Slash] didn’t just allow the user to slash an extra time.

It also increased the damage output and had a chance to cause bleeding.

That kind of ability was far too valuable to let go cheaply.

In fact, Stark was making them an incredible offer.

"Can I use cash instead?" PrinceLucas asked.

"If you’ve got cash, you can buy Lives from others," Stark replied calmly. "Then come back and trade."

The man scratched his chin for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Very well."

He turned away, walking back toward his teammates. The group huddled together and exchanged a few words.

Not even thirty seconds later, PrinceLucas returned.

"Here."

Ding!

[You have sold the "Shadow Slash" skill book and gained 10 Lives]

[Lives: 65 → 75]

In [Eternal Soul], players could trade lives at any time, this was what made them the universal currency.

Seeing the notification, Stark grinned.

His number of Lives was already starting to rise at a good pace.

After that, several more people approached his shop.

Some tried talking to him casually. Others asked if he would accept real money instead of Lives.

But Stark refused all of them.

"Move along if you’re not buying. Don’t interfere with my business."

To him, money was already on its way to becoming worthless.

Soon enough, people would realize that Lives had far more value.

They could be used not only in the game but also to extract things from [Eternal Soul] into reality.

And that was only the beginning.

The players around him had no idea what awaited them in the future, both inside the game and in the real world once the rest of the system fully opened.

Later on, only strength would matter. Everything else would be irrelevant.

And Stark would make sure he was among the strongest.

All the friends and close people he had lost in his previous life because of his mistakes, this time, he would not fail them.

This time, he would fix everything.

Only a few minutes after his first sale, he managed to sell every last item.

No one really knew the market price yet, but Stark had made sure to sell at a rate slightly smaller than the normal one, allowing him to sell and also make the buyer satisfied.

When he was done, he had earned an additional thirty-six Lives.

Once his last item was gone, Stark packed up.

"Time to head back," he thought. "I need to go deeper into the forest and find stronger monsters."

Upon reaching Level 5, he would unlock the [Teleportation Array], allowing him to move between towns.

And his main goal was Level 10.

At that stage, he would be able to extract power from the game into reality to be ready for the disasters that would come.

Other parts of [Eternal Soul] would also open.

That was where the real game would begin.

With his mind set, Stark left the town and returned to the [Shadow Forest].

...

About twenty minutes later, he was already rushing through the forest.

This time he went deeper than before, not slowing down.

He soon reached a large clearing.

The air felt heavy, and his instincts told him something was about to happen.

Sure enough, on the ground ahead, he noticed large footprints scorched into the earth.

"Flame monster," Stark muttered, eyes narrowing.

He pushed forward. And soon enough, he found it.

A massive [Flame Fox] boss was feasting on the fallen remains of players.

Their Lives had already been consumed.

---

[Flame Fox (Level 3)]

[Rank: Uncommon Boss (Evolving...)]

[HP: 5,000]

---

Stark tightened his grip on his staff.

This monster would give him solid experience if he could bring it down.

He prepared to cast [Venom Crystal].

But right as he aimed at the fox...

Fwish! BOOM!

The ground erupted with a violent explosion. Fire scorched the entire area around the boss.

Stark’s eyes widened as he instinctively stepped back.

The fox lifted its head, flames dancing violently around its body.

Its aura grew heavier, more powerful. Its form stretched, looking sharper and more majestic as the fire consumed it.

"It evolved," Stark thought, his eyes narrowing further. "Not sure if this is good or bad timing."

In [Eternal Soul], monsters that killed players could absorb their Lives.

If they gathered enough, they could evolve.

This was the same thing that had nearly happened to the very first shadow wolf Stark had encountered.

He had killed it just in time. But this time, the [Flame Fox] had succeeded.

Its new form radiated dangerous power.

---

[Inferno Fox (Level 3)]

[Rank: Rare (Boss)]

[HP: 7,500]

---

When a monster evolved, its rank increased, its stats jumped, and its HP rose significantly.

Thankfully, this was still early in the game.

Evolutions weren’t too terrifying yet. But soon enough, things would become much harder.

Stark took a steady breath. He pointed his staff forward.

"Venom Crystal!"

Fwish!

A jagged crystal formed instantly, then shot toward the towering three-meter-tall Inferno Fox.

Bam!

-1000! -150! -150!

The crystal slammed into the boss, making it stumble.

The poison seeped into its body, lowering its HP over time.

The fox’s flaming ears twitched. It snapped its head toward Stark’s position, its burning eyes locking onto him.

The ground trembled as it unleashed a surge of flames in his direction.

Flame Surge!

The attack spread wide, covering the entire area with fire.

Magic Shield!

Stark summoned the shield just in time.

The wall of energy held for a moment against the flames but shattered quickly under the pressure.

The fire still grazed him, and he felt the heat bite at his skin even through the protection.

-10! -10! -10!

Using [Great Fireball] against this boss was pointless. Fire skills simply wouldn’t work.

That was why having [Venom Crystal] was such a blessing.

Even better, his class’s passive ability cut cooldowns in half.

The skill was ready again in just six seconds.

"Here we go," Stark muttered, his eyes sharp and focused.

He aimed his staff again.

The Inferno Fox stepped forward, flames burning hotter, its mouth opening wide as it prepared another deadly attack.