Karl didn't even bother wondering what that strange purple line was.
He had a feeling it was connected to his [Class], and since it led him straight to the entrance of the [Ruins of Oblivion], he knew what he had to do.
His task was clear: complete these ruins, no matter what.
The moment he stood before the entrance, Karl could feel the heavy pressure seeping out of the cave.
It was suffocating, as if the very air rejected him. But he didn't care.
Without hesitation, he took a step forward.
Ding!
---
[You have entered the "Ruins of Oblivion"]
[Lives loss rate: 100]
[Description: Abandoned ruins previously dedicated to the "God of Oblivion." Some believers still remain inside, but they became corrupted with time.]
---
'Damn.'
Karl frowned the moment he saw the warning.
A life loss rate of 100 was absurd.
That meant that dying here would cost him one hundred lives each time.
[Lives: 584]
Even with his current total, which was far higher than what any player could ever hope to reach at this stage, he could only afford six deaths before it was permanent.
'The God of Oblivion...' Karl's eyes narrowed, 'My class description did say he was killed by the [Ancient Gods] because he was too powerful.'
He paused for a moment, deep in thought.
If that was true, then did it mean those [Ancient Gods] were still alive somewhere?
And if they were, would they come for him if they ever learned that he was the "Heir" of the "God of Oblivion"?
In fact, was the God himself truly dead, or had he survived in some way, just enough to pass on his powers to Karl before fading completely?
'I did see that eye when I died in my previous life...' Karl thought, remembering the moment vividly, 'Weird.'
There were no answers. Only questions.
But Karl didn't need answers right now.
What mattered was moving forward.
The [Ruins of Oblivion] were, without a doubt, the hardest zone anyone could encounter on the [Novice Continent].
For reference, that continent had tens of thousands of identical [Novice Towns], each acting as a starting point for players all over the world.
None of those towns had anything close to a zone like this.
Now, Karl was deep inside it. There was no turning back.
The entrance tunnel was narrow, and he had to walk for quite a while before anything changed.
The darkness was thick and oppressive. Eventually, he noticed a dim light ahead.
As he kept walking, the rough, natural cave walls slowly transitioned into carved stone.
Strange murals began to appear on both sides: symbols of eyes drawn in different shapes, each one staring down at him.
Karl slowed down for a moment, studying them.
He didn't recognize any of it.
Still, there was no sense of familiarity or connection either.
Whatever the God of Oblivion was, Karl didn't feel influenced by him.
He reminded himself that he was merely the "host," nothing more, right?
After walking for several minutes, Karl finally reached a small stone gate.
Passing through it, he entered a vast underground chamber.
The place was massive.
Dozens of pillars supported the ceiling, and in the center of the room stood an altar marked with the same symbol of an eye.
Around it were several open paths that led deeper into the ruins.
The air was heavy with an ancient presence.
'So that's the symbol of the God of Oblivion,' Karl thought.
If that was true, then the other [Ancient Gods] probably had their own symbols as well.
Something he would need to remember.
Aside from the altar, what caught Karl's attention most were the three figures kneeling before it.
He immediately raised his staff, eyes narrowing.
---
[Corrupted Believer of Oblivion (Level 10)]
[Rank: Elite]
[HP: 10,000]
---
They were monsters, but strong ones. Even a single one of them had over 10,000 HP.
That made them much tougher than most creatures he'd faced until now.
The three were kneeling, their heads bowed, hands raised toward the altar as if in prayer.
'They're... worshipping that thing,' Karl thought, glancing at the altar again, 'Hm.'
Normally, he would've attacked instantly.
He preferred not to waste chances, especially against enemies that weren't aware of his presence.
But these were "Believers of Oblivion."
And technically, he was the [Heir of Oblivion].
'Wouldn't that mean they'd worship me too?' he wondered.
Still, he wasn't naïve enough to test that unprepared.
Karl raised his staff.
Frost Crystal!
He cast the spell and deliberately aimed it at the ground instead of them.
Bam!
The crystal shattered with a loud echo that filled the chamber.
The sound made all three believers twitch.
Slowly, they lifted their heads, their movements stiff and eerie.
Karl finally got a good look at them.
They were humanoid but clearly weren't human anymore, if they even were to begin with.
Their clothes were in tatters, their skin pale and cracked, and their eyes, completely black with glowing purple pupils, stared at him with a mix of emptiness and madness.
They had been here for centuries. Forgotten.
Karl tightened his grip on his staff. He didn't lower his guard.
Even with his theory, he was ready to fight the moment something went wrong.
And then, the believers looked at him directly.
Instantly, their bodies trembled, and they let out distorted screams.
["Corrupted Believers of Oblivion" have entered a "Berserk" state.]
"Huh?"
Karl blinked.
They weren't worshipping him. Not even close.
Fwish!
One of them lunged forward faster than expected, its claws slicing through the air toward his face.
Karl dodged, his boots scraping against the stone floor.
'Looks like I really don't understand anything about this world,' he thought, expression darkening, 'I'll figure it out later.'
A monster never entered [Berserk] for no reason.
That meant they recognized something about him, something they hated.
They saw his connection to the [God of Oblivion] and still attacked.
"Fine," Karl muttered, "Then die."
Annihilating Fireball!
Boom!
-9,380! -9,380! -9,380!
The explosion consumed all three believers at once, flames swallowing them whole.
Their screams echoed through the chamber before fading away.
When the light died, they were still standing, but barely.
Their HP had dropped to almost nothing.
'Strong, but not strong enough,' Karl thought.
Unfortunately, his cooldowns hadn't reset yet, which left him with limited options.
The remaining believers suddenly roared and rushed him all at once.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Their claws flashed through the air.
Karl dodged the first two strikes, but the third connected, slamming into his [Magic Barrier].
Crack!
[Magic Barrier: 1,674/2,500]
'They hit as hard as the [Broken General], and they're not even bosses,' Karl gritted his teeth.
Still, he wasn't worried.
Frost Crystal!
Fwish! Bam!
-2,500!
One of the believers was hit, killing it immediately. That left two alive.
Karl waited for the cooldown to end, then unleashed another fireball.
Boom!
-9,380! -9,380!
Both remaining believers were engulfed in flames, their bodies breaking apart as their HP dropped to zero.
Ding!
---
[You have killed x3 "Corrupted Believers of Oblivion (Level 10)"]
[You have gained 1 Evolution Point.]
[You have gained 28 Lives.]
---
Karl exhaled.
He didn't gain any experience because it was currently locked, but Evolution Points and Lives were more than enough reward.
Any other player would've struggled or outright died fighting those three.
For him, it was manageable.
Still, something about them unsettled him.
The look in their eyes, the way they'd reacted to his presence, it wasn't just random hostility.
They'd recognized him. But instead of bowing, they'd gone mad.
He glanced at the altar one last time.
The eye symbol engraved there seemed to stare straight into him.
"God of Oblivion," Karl muttered under his breath.
He tightened his grip on his staff and turned toward one of the dark paths leading deeper into the ruins.
"Oh well."
Without another word, Karl stepped forward, ready to conquer this place, no matter what waited ahead.