Karl pushed the unsealed stone door open, then quickly stepped back just in case.
In [Gods Ascension], defeating a zone boss didn't automatically mean safety.
Even after victory, there were often hidden dangers, last-minute traps or ambushes waiting for careless players.
But nothing came at him.
The only thing that appeared before Karl was a large, starlit chamber.
The walls were covered in strange runes that shimmered faintly like the night sky, and in the middle of the room stood an altar glowing with a deep, pulsing purple light.
But what drew his attention even more were the two figures standing beside it.
"Huh?" Karl's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Two tall, graceful silhouettes stood beside the altar, one in a flowing white robe, the other in deep black.
Both had transparent hoods drawn over their heads, blurring their faces beyond recognition.
He couldn't make out a single feature.
The panels appeared right away.
---
[??? (???)]
[Rank: ???]
[HP: ???]
[Skills: ???]
---
Nothing but question marks.
No name, no rank, no readable stats.
The only clear detail was their shape.
Even through the distortion, he could tell they were female.
Still, the fact that they had a "skills" section meant one thing: they weren't ordinary monsters.
They were NPCs, and strong enough for the system to hide every single bit of information about them.
That alone was enough to tell Karl they were far beyond his reach.
He tightened his grip on his staff, instinctively preparing for the worst, though he held back from fully channeling mana.
'I can't fight them,' he thought coldly, 'Way too strong.'
Even so, he didn't step back. His eyes stayed locked on theirs.
Under their transparent hoods, their eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness: deep, endless black with bright purple pupils glowing like stars.
Just like the eyes of the [Corrupted Believers of Oblivion].
The one dressed in white turned to her dark-robed counterpart and whispered something that Karl couldn't understand.
It didn't even sound like a real language, more like… gibberish, full of echoes and distortions.
The one in black looked at her, paused, then replied with a single word.
"Navato."
Karl didn't know what that meant, but the moment it left her lips, both turned toward him.
Their eyes shimmered, their hands lifted, and before Karl could move, their entire bodies dissolved into glowing purple particles, fading into the air.
"…What the hell was that."
Karl stood there, staff still ready, but nothing happened.
He lowered his weapon slightly, frowning.
'Their eyes… the same as the [Believers of Oblivion],' he thought, recalling the cultists he'd just fought, 'There's no way that's a coincidence.'
He stayed alert for a few moments longer, but when nothing else appeared, he finally turned his attention to the altar.
That's when he saw it.
Right in front of the glowing pedestal sat a chest radiating faint purple light.
[Epic Chest]
Karl's eyes widened.
"An Epic Chest?"
He hadn't expected something this good.
The reward chest that appeared at the end of every zone always reflected the challenge's difficulty.
The higher the risk, the better the reward.
And since the [Ruins of Oblivion] was the hardest zone in the continent, an epic chest made perfect sense.
Chests like this usually contained a single item, but that item always matched the chest's rarity.
Meaning that whatever was inside… it would be epic-rank. Guaranteed.
Karl reached out, letting his mana flow into the chest.
Click! Ding!
[You have opened the "Epic Chest" and obtained the "Lightning Strike" skill book.]
"Nice!" Karl grinned. "A skill book."
He held it up with satisfaction.
Skill books were extremely valuable in [Gods Ascension], and for mages especially, they were essential.
The more spells you had, the more versatile, and dangerous, you became.
With his [Infinite Evolution] talent, even a mediocre spell could become a weapon of destruction given enough evolution points.
Karl inspected the new item.
[Skill Book: Lightning Strike (Epic): Mage-type skill book. Requirement: Level 10.]
Perfect. It matched his level exactly.
Without hesitation, he poured mana into the book.
The pages flared with light before disintegrating into energy that merged with his body.
Ding!
[You have learned the skill "Lightning Strike"]
A new notification appeared. Karl quickly opened it.
---
[Lightning Strike (Epic): Summon a lightning strike from your staff that will directly hit a target, dealing 600% of Spirit and also has a chance to "Stun". 18 (9)-seconds cooldown.]
---
Karl nodded with satisfaction.
"Nice."
It was the same rank as his [Annihilating Fireball] and [Frost Crystals].
Meaning he didn't need to evolve it immediately either.
Even better, it scaled with his [Spirit].
That made it one of the strongest kinds of spells: a scaling skill that grew more powerful as the caster's stats and gear improved.
Right now, Karl's Spirit stat wasn't especially high, but once he gathered stronger equipment, this skill's damage would skyrocket.
Though Karl didn't have any actual way to permanently increases his stats yet beside leveling up.
He mentally reviewed his other spells.
[Frost Crystals], for instance, dealt flat damage but had control utility.
Many players would've considered it weak later on, but Karl knew better.
Between its slowing effect and his evolution system, he could make even simple skills terrifying.
For now, though, evolving from [Epic] to [Legendary] would cost 10 Evolution Points.
He didn't have that many left.
'I'll need to find a reliable way to farm EP… maybe a [Boss Rush].'
He made a mental note to look into it later.
Just as he finished organizing his thoughts, the altar before him shifted.
A glowing purple portal appeared, swirling with mist. His exit.
Crossing it would teleport him back to the start of the zone and mark his conquest as complete.
Karl stared at it for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the panels that had appeared in front of him.
A new notification blinked across his vision, brighter than the rest.
Ding!
---
[Congratulations to player "Oblivion" for being the first player in the world to complete the "Ruins of Oblivion" in the "Novice Continent."]
[You have gained 5 Prestige Points!]
---
"Oh?"
Now this was something special.
This wasn't just a local announcement: it was a global one.
Every player, everywhere, could see it.
It spread across the entire game: the [Novice Continent], the [Ascension Continent], even the real world's global player feed.
Karl's in-game name, "Oblivion", was on display for millions to see.
And the reactions began instantly.
"Huh?"
"I've explored the whole [Novice Continent] and never saw that zone!"
"Wait, so he's still a newbie? Then how strong is this guy?"
Karl couldn't help but smirk.
He hadn't planned to attract attention this soon.
His goal was to make his real debut later, once he reached the [Ascension Continent].
But still…
'This isn't bad,' he thought, closing the global chat with a small grin, 'Not bad at all.'
More panels popped up.
Ding!
---
[Congratulations, you have completed your Tier-1 Advancement Task: Clear the "Ruins of Oblivion."]
[Rating: SSS]
[To confirm your class advancement, you simply need to head to the "Ascension Continent"!]
---
"Finally," Karl let out a small breath, "This took much longer than it should have."
Most players would have already advanced by now, the moment they hit level 10.
But Karl's advancement quest had forced him into one of the hardest zones in the continent.
And the fact that he'd been the first in the world to finish it meant only one thing: he was far ahead of everyone else at his stage.
Then came one last notification.
Ding!
---
[Do you wish to go to the "Ascension Continent"?]
[Yes] [No]
[Do note that you cannot ever go back, but many opportunities (and dangers) await you there.]
---
Karl stared at the panel quietly.
This was the moment that marked the true start of [Gods Ascension].
His mind drifted briefly, memories of his past life flashing before him.
The mistakes, the regrets, the lost chances. All of that had led him here.
Now, with everything reset, he wouldn't repeat the same path.
He smiled faintly, a grin spreading across his face.
Then he reached out and pressed [Yes] without hesitation.