Slash!
-320!
The [Soul Revenant] struck the nearest [Broken Sentinel], leaving a faint burn mark on the monster's armor.
The damage wasn't enough to even make it flinch, but that didn't matter.
Karl didn't summon it to win the fight, he summoned it for bait.
The monsters reacted instantly.
Slash! Swash!
-400! -450! -435!
The [Broken Sentinels] surrounded the [Soul Revenant], hacking and slashing at it from every direction.
The [Revenant] barely held its ground, dark energy leaking out of its cracked body.
But this was exactly what Karl wanted.
'Perfect,' he thought.
'They're all grouped together.'
The [Soul Revenant] wasn't going to be much help in the long run.
It wasn't strong, it didn't scale with his stats, and it clearly couldn't withstand much damage.
But it could pull monsters together, distract them, and buy him a few seconds.
Seconds he could use to unleash devastating spells.
Karl pointed his staff forward, eyes gleaming.
Scorching Fireball!
Fwish! Boom!
-5,700!
A massive explosion erupted in the middle of the street.
The blast engulfed the monsters in roaring flames, turning everything around them into burning ash.
When the light faded, all three [Broken Sentinels] had been obliterated.
Their bodies vanished into glowing shards of light.
Only the two [Sentinel Bears] remained, barely standing, their fur charred and their health nearly drained.
Karl glanced at where the [Soul Revenant] had been.
It was gone.
'So it takes friendly fire too,' he noted.
'Good to know.'
He tightened his grip on the staff and raised it again.
Frost Crystal!
Fwish! Bam!
-4,000!
A sharp crystal of ice shot forward, piercing one of the [Sentinel Bears] right through its chest.
The beast froze mid-roar before collapsing to the ground and shattering into blue dust.
The last bear, enraged, charged straight at Karl.
Its claws sliced the air, but when it struck, it hit an invisible wall instead.
Clang!
The [Magic Barrier] shimmered faintly, absorbing the blow with ease.
The bear's claws left faint cracks on the barrier, but they quickly faded.
With 2,500 HP backing his defense, Karl didn't even flinch.
He calmly aimed again.
Frost Crystal!
The second bear didn't even have time to roar.
The crystal hit its head directly, and its body dissolved into light.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 "Broken Sentinel (Level 9)"]
[You have killed x2 "Sentinel Bear (Level 9)"]
[You have gained 6,400 experience points.]
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 9!]
[All your attributes have increased by 5, and you have gained 5 free points to distribute.]
[You have gained 1 Evolution Point!]
[You have gained 17 Lives!]
'Nice.'
Karl smirked, closing the system window.
Only one more level, and he'd reach the first real milestone: level 10.
Once that happened, he'd be able to take on his first [Advancement Task].
Advancement tasks were mandatory.
Every player had to complete them to increase their tier, and each one was unique.
The game used them to test players, to make sure they were worthy of moving forward.
Right now, Karl was still [Tier-0]. Everyone below level 10 was.
But upon reaching Level 10, the task was always the same: reach the [Ascension Continent].
It was the first true trial of [Gods Ascension], the first push forward.
Simple, maybe, but mandatory.
Karl knew future tasks wouldn't be so easy.
The higher the player's level and power, the harder their challenge would become.
Still, he didn't care about that now.
He allocated his five free points into [Spirit], boosting his damage even further, and pressed onward.
He had nearly cleared the entire [Broken Town].
The air around him grew still as he walked.
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the shattered streets.
Cracked walls, broken lamps, and fallen statues lined the roads, remnants of a once-lively town now filled with monsters.
For fifteen minutes straight, Karl fought through waves of enemies, killing every single one that crossed his path.
Experience notifications filled his vision one after another.
His rhythm was efficient, almost mechanical, summon, bait, explode, repeat.
Finally, he arrived at a large open square.
There, standing in the center, was the final boss of the town.
---
[Broken General (Level 10)]
[Rank: Elite (Zone Boss)]
[HP: 25,000]
---
Karl stopped.
This was it, the last hurdle before leaving this place behind.
He stared at the towering figure.
The [Broken General] stood over two meters tall, clad in black armor cracked by time and battle.
Its helmet glowed faintly from within, a red mist swirling behind the visor.
Around it stood several [Broken Soldiers (Level 8)], their weapons dull but deadly.
The [Broken General] raised its hand, and a wave of energy pulsed through the air.
[Broken Spirit]!
The monsters around it roared, their bodies glowing faintly as the buff took effect.
Karl's expression didn't change.
He tightened his grip on his staff and summoned the [Soul Revenant] again.
The faint mist inside the [Revenant Necklace] swirled, materializing into the familiar figure.
It wasn't strong enough to fight the general head-on, but it had its uses.
"Go," Karl muttered.
The [Soul Revenant] dashed forward.
Scorching Fireball!
Boom!
-6,200!
The explosion shook the ground.
Flames spread outward, scorching both the [Broken General] and its soldiers.
A fifth of the general's health vanished in one hit, and the soldiers around it fell instantly, their charred armor clattering to the ground.
The buff faded from their bodies. The morale boost was gone.
Karl didn't stop there.
Frost Crystal!
Bam!
-4,000!
The icy crystal slammed into the general's chest, shards spreading over its armor.
A thin layer of frost crawled up its body, slowing its movements.
The general stumbled but refused to fall.
With a sudden leap, it crossed the distance in one motion and swung its massive sword down.
Karl's eyes flicked toward the [Soul Revenant].
"Attack."
The revenant slashed upward, claws meeting steel.
-200!
The hit barely did anything, but it was enough to throw the general's balance off for a moment.
Karl sidestepped, the sword crashing into the ground beside him.
The shockwave cracked the tiles under his feet.
The general roared, crimson light bursting from its armor.
It turned and unleashed a flurry of attacks, striking the [Soul Revenant] over and over again.
Each swing landed like thunder.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In seconds, the revenant was shredded into mist.
'That's fine,' Karl thought coldly.
He lifted his staff.
Scorching Fireball! Frost Crystal!
Boom! Bam!
-6,200! -4,000!
The fire and ice collided, bursting across the general's body.
Its health bar dropped dangerously low.
But then—
Ding!
["Broken General" has entered a "Berserk" state.]
Karl's eyes narrowed.
'Tch. Figures.'
The general's movements changed instantly.
Its body trembled, armor glowing red.
Its aura became heavier, more violent.
Monsters went berserk when enraged or at death's edge.
They grew faster and stronger, but lost their sense of reason.
This one was no different.
The general roared and swung.
Clang!
Karl's [Magic Barrier] rippled, losing a third of its strength in one blow.
The attack power had doubled, it was easily hitting for 800 damage now.
The general didn't let up.
It slashed again. And again.
Each hit shook the barrier more violently until it finally shattered into fragments of blue light.
Karl stepped back quickly, raising his staff just in time as the sword came down again.
The blade hit the staff with a heavy clang, sparks flying.
He could feel the weight of the attack through his arms, but he didn't retreat.
He used the recoil to jump back, gaining distance.
Then, he raised his staff one last time.
Scorching Fireball!
BOOM!
-6,200!
The explosion lit up the entire square.
When the flames cleared, the [Broken General] stood still for half a second before collapsing to its knees and fading into light.
Ding!
---
[You have killed "Broken General (Level 10 Elite-Rank Boss)"]
[You have killed x8 "Broken Soldier (Level 8)"]
[You have gained 12,400 experience points.]
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 10!]
[You have gained 5 points in all of your attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]
[You have gained 6 Evolution Points!]
[You have gained 37 Lives!]
---
Karl lowered his staff slowly, exhaling.
"Finally."
The word left his lips like a sigh of relief.
He looked around the square.
The boss's armor, sword, and fragments of its soldiers were scattered across the ground, glowing faintly.
Among them lay several dropped items.
'I reached level 10.'
He had finally done it.
But before he could act, a new notification appeared.
Ding!
[You have reached Level 10.]
[Congratulations, you may now...]
'Not now.'
Karl closed the panel immediately. He'd deal with that soon enough.
First, he wanted to review everything else: his new stats, his loot and his evolution points.
Only then would he focus on the [Advancement Task].
After all, this was the biggest turning point so far.