Stark stepped into the glowing crimson portal, the exit of the [Demonic Ruins].

After a brief pull, his vision shifted.

A second later, he was standing outside again, the chill air of the open plains brushing against him.

Finally, fresh air.

But the first thing Stark noticed wasn't the wind. It was the crowd.

The pit of the [Demonic Ruins] had drawn in more players.

Many stood close, peering into the darkness of the hole, while others fought against the monsters nearby.

The noise of conversation and weapons clashing echoed everywhere.

"Wait, look! Is that Oblivion?"

"No way, he came out of the portal!"

"That means the pit's indeed the entrance to the zone?"

"Hold up… if he's coming out, doesn't that mean he already cleared it?"

The comments spread quickly through the crowd.

Dozens of players stopped what they were doing and stared at Stark, the name [Oblivion] being the most famous one and all.

Of course, the faint outline of [Slayer I] was also visible, but it wasn't actually that eye-catching.

Most of them weren't particularly strong, at least, not to him.

But for this stage of the game, they weren't weak either.

These were players with enough talent to handle the monsters around here without getting wiped out instantly.

Not on his level, of course, but decent.

Among the crowd, Stark's gaze immediately landed on two familiar figures: Ghost and Grace.

They were standing near the pit's edge, clearly debating whether to jump down or not.

Before heading toward them, Stark's eyes flicked upward.

---

[Level Leaderboard:]

[1. Oblivion: Level 38]

[2. Ghost: Level 31]

[3. EvilDemon: Level 31]

[4. CardMaster: Level 31]

[5. Starfall: Level 30]

[6. MrL: Level 30]

[7. SoulsGod: Level 30]

[8. SlaughterOni: Level 29]

...

---

As expected, he was still far in the lead.

Only seven players across the entire world of [Eternal Soul] had reached level 30 so far.

Ghost was one of them, tied for second.

But even then, the gap was massive.

Seven levels at this point wasn't something you could close quickly, it could take hours, maybe even a whole day of nonstop grinding to catch up.

Stark wasn't surprised.

He remembered exactly how the leveling pace worked from his past life.

What was happening was completely normal.

The only abnormal thing here… was him.

Clearing zones far earlier than anyone else.

Killing monsters in numbers no one else could.

Collecting loot no other player could touch.

The distance between him and the rest wouldn't shrink anytime soon.

And he had no intention of slowing down.

Stark would just keep pushing forward, gathering strength, grabbing every item and opportunity he could.

The items in his inventory alone were proof of that, gear no other player at this stage could even equip.

He turned back to Ghost and Grace and walked over.

"Hello!" Grace greeted him the moment he came close.

Her orange hair bounced slightly as she smiled wide.

"You look like you've been working really hard!"

"Yeah," Stark nodded simply.

Before he could add anything else, Ghost spoke up, her eyes still fixed on the pit.

"Is it safe to go down?" she asked, her tone flat but curious.

As usual, she was more focused on information than pleasantries.

Stark didn't mind.

"Yes and no," he answered, "The jump is safe. But the zone inside is dangerous."

"Still… if you want to grind, it's the best place right now."

The spark in Ghost's eyes made it clear she was satisfied with that answer.

"Alright then," she nodded, glancing toward Grace, "We'll go."

Grace, who seemed far more excited than cautious, gave a small cheer.

But then her eyes narrowed on Stark.

She pointed.

"Wait a second… why do you have horns now?"

Stark blinked.

He hadn't expected her to notice so quickly.

His black hair covered the two small horns well enough.

But Grace had sharp eyes.

Ghost stepped closer, peering at his head with more interest.

"…She's right," Ghost murmured, rubbing her chin, "Interesting."

Grace, however, gasped and stepped back.

"W-Wait! Don't tell me you became a demon?!"

Stark grinned.

"Not yet."

To change the subject, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the [Underground Witch Hat (Epic)], then tossed it lightly to Grace.

She caught it without hesitation, looking confused.

"You're not wearing anything on your head. Try it."

Grace slid it on immediately, the system recognizing it as hers now.

"Thanks. How much—"

"It's fine," Stark cut her off, "Consider it a favor. I don't need it anymore."

The hat had a level 23 requirement, and Stark had outgrown it long ago.

It barely mattered now.

Even the thirty extra lives it granted were meaningless to him.

Grace gave a small nod, accepting without further argument.

She then grinned and crossed her arms.

"I'm planning to activate my [Luck Boost] inside those ruins. That means my drops will improve! Maybe I'll be the one selling you items soon!"

Stark shrugged, "I doubt it. But if you get something good, show me."

With her [Goddess of Luck] talent, predicting her loot was impossible.

Maybe she would actually pull something rare enough to surprise even him.

But that was for later.

"See you," Stark said, already turning away.

Ghost and Grace exchanged a look, then nodded to each other.

Together, they walked to the edge of the pit.

"I trust Oblivion," Ghost muttered, "Not completely… but enough. He has no reason to lie."

"I fully trust him," Grace replied with a smile.

"…Sigh," Ghost gave a small exhale.

And then the two of them jumped.

The crowd went wild.

"Holy crap, they actually jumped!"

"Does that mean it really is a zone?"

"Wait, I'm level 28, it won't let me in!"

"Then go grind, dumbass!"

The hesitation that had held the others back began to fade.

Seeing two well-known players follow Oblivion's path gave them courage.

Among the crowd, [EvilDemon] cracked his neck, smirking, before leaping into the pit.

[CardMaster] followed shortly after.

The rush had begun.

...

Meanwhile, Stark moved away from the chaos.

'My inventory's getting full,' he thought, 'But not full enough to head back yet.'

Most of the equipment he carried couldn't even be used by the players around him.

Their level requirements were too high.

Which meant that for now, selling them was pointless.

'At some point, the lower players won't be able to catch up at all. Which means… NPCs are my best option.'

He knew regular merchant NPCs were terrible to sell to, their buying prices were a scam.

But if he could build relationships with the right individuals, or even entire races, he might be able to trade fairly.

And if the [Soul Continent] really existed, like Olikar's note had suggested, then selling to other civilizations might become possible too.

But that was a problem for later.

Fwish! Ring!

Stark pulled the mount bell from his inventory.

The [Ghost Wolf] appeared in a flash of pale light, its translucent body shimmering, its golden eyes focused on him.

"It's only been a few hours. Don't look at me like that," Stark muttered, climbing onto its back.

He patted its head once, then pointed forward.

"Our next stop is the [Land of Mist]," he said.

The wolf growled softly, then leapt into motion.

The [Land of Mist]. The most dangerous zone he would face so far.

But also the most important yet.

Because it was there Stark would have the chance to obtain his first bloodline: the [Spirit Devourer].

Even if it killed him multiple times, he wasn't going to back down.

That bloodline was his goal.

He knew the strongest monsters in the [Land of Mist] could reach level 50.

And the monster guarding the bloodline was exactly that strong.

Defeating it was non-negotiable.

It was the key to his next step forward.

Reaching Level 50 also meant he could attempt his third advancement task, pushing his class to Tier-3.

The wolf sprinted across the plains, dodging monsters as they ran.

Time blurred until the air around them shifted.

Fwish—

A faint haze rolled in, spreading across the land.

In just a few seconds, the mist thickened, curling like white smoke, cutting visibility down to a few meters.

The wolf slowed, its ears twitching, its body tense.

Paranoia filled the air, the sense of danger pressing down.

Ding!

---

[You are about to enter an extremely dangerous zone: "Land of Mist."]

[Recommended Level: 40+]

---

Stark smirked.

'Oh well. Who cares at this point.'

He leaned forward, letting the ghost wolf carry him deeper into the mist.

It was time to step into what players of the future would call a [Major Zone].

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