Now that he had finally reached level 28, Stark didn't waste a single second.

He pulled out the [Skill Book: Silk Bind (Epic)] from his inventory.

The black-bound tome hummed faintly as he gripped it, and with a simple motion, he poured mana into it.

Ding!

[You have learned the skill "Silk Bind"!]

'Perfect.'

Stark's lips curved slightly.

He immediately pulled up his status window to check the details.

---

[Silk Bind (Epic): Summon threads of silk to bind your enemies firmly. They may break free. 60 (30)-seconds cooldown.]

---

The description was short, direct.

To most players, it wouldn't look like anything special.

But Stark knew better, skills in [Eternal Soul] rarely showed their full value on paper.

He'd have to test it himself to see how strong it really was.

But before he did that, something else came to mind.

He had more than enough Evolution Points. He could actually evolve this skill twice right now.

[Current Evolution Points: 70.]

Ding!

[Do you wish to consume 10 + 50 Evolution Points to evolve "Silk Bind" twice?]

"Yes."

Ding!

[You have evolved "Silk Bind" (Epic) → "Spider Silk Bind" (Legendary) → "Bind of Silk" (Mythical).]

[Current Evolution Points: 10.]

Almost all his EP vanished in a single decision. But Stark didn't care.

Sooner or later, he'd need to evolve every skill he obtained anyway.

It wasn't a waste, it was an investment.

And with his current strength, replenishing Evolution Points wasn't difficult.

As long as he kept pushing forward, farming monsters and bosses, EP would come.

A single boss could easily cover the cost of evolving a skill from common to legendary, which is 26 EP.

And with his [Hand of Avarice] evolved, he could grind Evolution Points even faster, sometimes doubling his gain.

So really, there was nothing to regret.

"Let's see what you've become."

He opened the new description.

---

[Bind of Silk (Mythical): Summon several powerful threads to bind multiple enemies at once. The threads are sharp enough to cut, dealing 0% → 250% → 500% of Spirit as damage to anyone bound. 60 → 50 → 40 (20)-seconds cooldown.]

---

'Oh shit.'

His eyes widened slightly.

He had expected the evolution to improve binding strength, maybe increase the number of targets.

But this? Not only did the skill restrain enemies, it dealt damage as well!

Sure, it wasn't on the same level as his heavy offensive spells, but that didn't matter.

This was a utility skill that had turned into both control and damage.

Binding and bleeding enemies at the same time? That was the definition of overpowered.

Stark grinned. Satisfied, he looked up and scanned his surroundings.

Shapes moved faintly through the mist in the distance.

He couldn't make out details, only shifting silhouettes.

"Let's go," he said, patting the ghost wolf at his side.

The beast obeyed instantly, its posture calm.

Its loyalty had risen to ninety percent now, and Stark could already see the difference.

Earlier, it had trembled constantly, unable to stand firm in this eerie place.

Now it stood steady, its eyes sharp.

'As I expected. Maybe once it reaches a hundred percent loyalty, it'll be able to fight back.'

That was fine by him. He had plans for the wolf.

For now, though, he wasn't stopping. He only needed two more levels to reach thirty.

Since he was already here in the [Land of Mist], why turn back early?

This place was too valuable to abandon now.

He didn't intend to return until he was strong enough to head even deeper, so he might as well make the most of it.

Stark raised his staff and advanced toward the four monsters ahead.

Two [Mist Reapers], one [Bone Spirit], and a new face, [Ghastly Ghoul].

Their bodies were faint outlines through the haze, moving with unnatural motions, affected by the mist's power.

They weren't as corrupted as the things deeper in the zone, but they were still far beyond anything a normal player could face right now.

Perfect test subjects. The monsters noticed him and charged forward, weapons and claws ready.

Stark lifted his staff.

Bind of Silk!

Threads of white shot outward, weaving through the air.

They wrapped around the monsters instantly, coiling like vipers before constricting tightly.

Swish!

-99,720! -99,720! -99,720!

The numbers floated above their heads as the silk threads cut into their bodies.

Stark's grin widened.

'Damn. This is better than anything I could've imagined in my last life.'

Not only were the monsters pinned in place, thrashing helplessly, but they were bleeding out from the threads themselves.

It was perfect.

Blazing Meteor!

Boom!

A massive fireball crashed down, exploding across all four targets.

None of them had the chance to dodge.

They were burned and shattered instantly, the silk threads ensuring their deaths.

Ding!

---

[You have killed x2 "Mist Reaper (Level 30)"]

[You have killed "Bone Spirit (Level 30)"]

[You have killed "Ghastly Ghoul (Level 30)"]

[You have gained 44,000 experience points.]

[You have gained 105 Lives!]

---

Stark used [Hand of Avarice], squeezing even more lives from their corpses.

Still, when he checked his bar, his smile faded slightly.

[Level: 28 (60,500/260,000)]

He sighed.

'Oh well. Just means I'll grind for a few more hours. Other players could use the time to build up their own lives anyways so that I can sell.'

And so, he pressed forward into the mist.

Hours slipped by as Stark hunted without rest. Everywhere he went, monsters fell.

He encountered countless [Mist Reapers] and [Bone Spirits], mixed in with [Ghastly Zombies], [Mist Spiders], and more.

All of them collapsed under his spells, their bodies reduced to ash, bone, or nothing at all.

He also ran into two bosses.

The first was a legendary-rank [Mist Assassin], its shadowy blade glinting with poison. It never even touched him.

The second was an epic-rank [Ghost Mage], hurling curses and phantoms in every direction.

It too was obliterated in moments.

By the time Stark finished, the mist was littered with corpses, and his inventory bulged with loot.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 29!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 30!]

[You have gained 10 points in all of your attributes, and 10 free points to distribute.]

Without hesitation, he dumped everything into [Spirit].

Power. That was all he wanted right now.

His class, [Mage of Oblivion], existed for one purpose: destruction.

He'd focus on damage until later, when permanent attribute boosts became available through future methods.

For now, raw Spirit was all that mattered.

More notifications appeared.

Ding!

[You have gained 94 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 3,482 Lives!]

The effect of [Hand of Avarice] was clear.

The double trigger was happening more often now, doubling his rewards.

It made every kill worth far more than it should have been.

His inventory, however, was now crammed to the brim.

He let out a breath and looked at the wolf.

"Let's go."

The ghost wolf crouched low, letting Stark climb onto its back.

With a command, it sprinted out of the mist at blinding speed, its paws barely making a sound.

Behind him, the [Land of Mist] stretched endlessly, but Stark didn't look back.

His eyes focused forward.

On the way back, he passed the great pit that led to the [Demonic Ruins].

The shimmering barrier that had once sealed it off was gone.

He smirked. Level 30 unlocked the path.

The dungeon was now waiting for him. But not yet.

After a few minutes, thanks to the wolf's [Sprint], Stark reached [Shell City] once again.

The walls came into view.

'First, I'll sell everything. Then, I'll start Olikar's quest.'

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