Powerful Fireball!
Karl fired off his spell, and this time, the broken soldier didn't have the time to react.
The heavy debuff of [Slowness] had taken full effect, and the monster's body moved like it was stuck in thick mud.
Its sword barely rose halfway before the blazing orb of fire struck its chest.
The explosion came a second later.
Boom!
-1,680!
A wave of heat and light erupted across the battlefield, shaking the cracked stones beneath Karl's feet.
Smoke covered the broken ground where the monster stood.
And as the mist cleared, the once-menacing soldier staggered weakly.
It didn't even have the strength to raise its sword again.
Karl finished it off instantly.
One last [Blizzard Crystal] flew through the air, glowing in a faint blue light before shattering against the creature's head.
Crack!
The soldier froze in place, its body stiffening before breaking into fragments of dark ash.
Ding!
---
[You have killed "Broken Soldier (Level 6 Uncommon-Rank Boss)"]
[You have gained 3,400 experience points.]
[You have gained 4 Evolution Points!]
[You have gained 10 Lives!]
---
Karl's eyes moved over the blue panels quickly.
'I gained less EP even though the boss has a higher level.'
That small detail didn't escape him.
It didn't make sense at first, but then it clicked.
The rank must be what determined the amount of evolution points.
Level mattered, but not as much as rarity.
Either way, Karl wasn't about to complain.
The [Broken Soldier] dropped a few glowing items before fading into light.
Among them, two pieces stood out immediately:
The [Broken Soldier Sword (Uncommon)] and [Broken Soldier Armor (Uncommon)]
Karl picked them up and stored both in his backpack.
After a short pause to catch his breath, he opened his menu again.
With the battle done, and his EP count rising, there was no reason to delay his next step.
He currently had 8 Evolution Points.
Enough to evolve two skills.
Without hesitation, he scrolled through his list and selected the first one.
[Do you wish to consume 5 Evolution Points to evolve "Powerful Fireball"?]
"Yeah."
Ding!
[You have evolved "Powerful Fireball" (Rare) to "Scorching Fireball" (Elite)]
[Current Evolution Points: 3.]
---
[Scorching Fireball (Elite): Conjure a powerful fireball that deals 300% → 500% of Spirit. 20 → 15 (7.5)-seconds cooldown.]
---
Karl could already feel the difference.
Even the description alone made his heart beat faster.
The raw damage output had nearly doubled, and the cooldown dropped significantly.
A few seconds later, he focused on the next skill.
[Do you wish to consume 3 Evolution Points to evolve "Strong Magic Shield"?]
"Yes."
Ding!
[You have evolved "Strong Magic Shield" (Uncommon) to "Magic Barrier" (Rare)]
[Current Evolution Points: 0.]
---
[Magic Barrier (Rare): Summon a shield that can endure up to 1,000 → 2,500 HP. 60 → 45 (22.5)-seconds cooldown.]
---
Karl couldn't stop the small grin forming on his face.
Both his attack and defense had just skyrocketed.
Even powerful bosses like the [Blizzard Fox] or the [Broken Soldier] would now struggle to get through his barrier.
And even if they did, it wouldn't matter, his spells would already be raining down on them long before that happened.
'Perfect.'
A sharp determination lit up in his eyes.
He was dozens of times stronger than he'd been in his past life, and he wasn't planning to slow down.
'I have to keep going,' he thought, clenching his hand around his staff, 'There's still a lot to do.'
Half an hour passed after that.
Karl had been clearing the streets of monsters one after another, and by the time he looked at his level again, it read:
[Level 6.]
'All in on [Spirit],' he decided.
Five points instantly went into his main attribute.
[Spirit: 58 (+8)]
'Nice.'
The difference was immediate.
Every spell felt smoother, stronger, faster.
As he ventured deeper into the fog-filled streets, monsters jumped from every corner, but not one managed to last long.
The "ferocious" creatures that could tear through most players were now being wiped out in seconds.
Along the way, Karl collected small amounts of Lives and loot, though nothing too remarkable, until something glowing blue caught his eye.
'Oh shit!'
He quickly stepped forward and picked it up.
---
[Storage Backpack: +10 storage slots. Requirement: Level 6.]
---
Karl's eyes brightened.
Finally, an item that actually mattered.
Backpacks in [Gods Ascension] weren't ordinary.
Each came with its own slot capacity and level requirements.
The one he just found doubled his space to 20.
That meant he could carry more items.
"Perfect," he muttered, sliding the backpack on.
With his inventory expanded, Karl continued to hunt for another half hour.
The monsters he fought were around level 6 or 7, but they posed no challenge at all.
Their corpses dropped higher-level items now, which meant more value in Lives when he sold them.
By the time his storage filled up completely, Karl decided it was time to head back.
[Inventory Space: 20/20]
"Nice."
The trip back to [Novice Town Square] didn't take long.
The moment he arrived, several pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"Oh, it's that guy again."
"You think he's selling more items? How does he even get them that fast?"
"I know, right? It takes us hours just to get a few drops…"
Karl ignored the chatter, walking to the same spot he'd used before.
As mentioned before, items were one of the most valuable things in [Gods Ascension].
They could increase attributes, grant special bonuses, or even unlock new abilities.
Even the newest players knew that much.
He sat down, opened his backpack, and placed all twenty items neatly on the ground.
Almost immediately, players gathered around.
'Nice,' he thought, 'Looks like this is the right way to build a reputation.'
He priced each item based on its usefulness, ranging between 10 and 20 Lives.
It didn't take long for the buyers to swarm him.
In less than three minutes, almost everything was sold.
'This is even better than expected,' Karl grinned.
But as the last few coins were traded, his sharp instincts picked up something else.
A group of five players, all around level 8 or 9, were watching him closely from across the square.
And then, they started moving.
Karl didn't react right away, but his expression turned cold.
'...Great.'
His gut told him exactly what was coming.
The five players stopped right in front of him.
Only three items remained for sale, one of them being the [Broken Soldier Sword (Uncommon)].
"Hm…" The leader, a man with spiked hair, spoke first, "How much for that one?"
He pointed at the sword.
"Fifteen Lives," Karl said calmly.
"Well," the man smirked as his eyes flicked to Karl's status panel, "I don't think I will."
To them, all they saw was that his ID was [Oblivion] and that he was level 6.
A lone mage. In their eyes, an easy target.
Safe zones protected players from monsters, but not from other players.
'Of course,' Karl sighed internally, though a faint smile crept up his lips.
People like these always existed.
The kind who thought they were untouchable, who believed their level gave them power over others.
Unfortunately for them, they had picked the worst possible target.
At levels 8 or 9, average players had about 600 HP.
Karl's damage didn't scale down against players, meaning it hit with full force.
They just didn't know it yet.
The leader raised his sword and pointed it at Karl.
"If you move, we'll just kill you. So make it easy for both of us."
Karl didn't even blink.
He glanced briefly at the man's ID: [DragonSlayer].
"..."
He slowly raised his staff, mana swirling at the tip.
"Alright," [DragonSlayer] said, drawing his blade, "You die, then."
The others spread out immediately, forming a semi-circle around him.
But Karl didn't care to check their names or stats.
Swish! Slash!
The sword came down in an instant, fast, sharp, confident.
Clang!
But the moment it connected, the sound was hollow.
A shimmering blue barrier flashed into view, completely blocking the attack.
The sword didn't even scratch it.
"What—?"
[DragonSlayer] barely had time to finish his word.
Karl's eyes burned like twin flames.
"My turn now," he said with a grin.
Scorching Fireball!