Now that he had finally completed his task and evolved his rank, it meant Karl's experience was no longer locked.
He could finally start leveling again, just like before.
To reach level 10, it had required 10,000 experience points.
But now, to go from level 10 to level 11, it would take 20,000.
And from there, it would increase by another 10,000 with every level.
The higher he climbed, the harder it would become to keep advancing.
Of course, there were zones made specifically to help players keep growing.
The [Moon Temple] and especially the [Moon Tower] were perfect for that.
Karl already knew exactly what he needed to do.
There were several challenges he hadn't been able to take on in his past life.
He simply wasn't strong enough back then.
But this time was different. Now, nothing would stop him.
'I should test that new passive of mine,' he thought.
He immediately opened his skill list.
[Skills: Annihilating Fireball (Epic), Strong Magic Barrier (Elite), Frost Crystals (Epic), Lightning Strike (Epic)]
It was still relatively low compared to what he wanted in the future, but for now, it was enough.
Karl selected his [Annihilating Fireball], the strongest spell in his arsenal, and focused on his fourth passive.
Ding!
[Which skill do you wish to fuse "Annihilating Fireball" with?]
He instantly selected [Frost Crystals].
Beep!
[Not compatible.]
'I guess a fire skill won't work with an ice one,' Karl muttered.
He shrugged and tried another.
He attempted to fuse it with [Lightning Strike].
Beep!
[Not compatible.]
Then with [Strong Magic Barrier].
Beep!
[Not compatible.]
'Figures,' Karl sighed.
One after another, he tested all possible combinations, but none worked.
Every attempt ended the same way.
It seemed that none of his current skills were compatible with each other.
'I'll have to find other skill books for that, it seems,' he thought.
'Oh well.'
It wasn't a big deal for now, but he made a mental note to start collecting new skills as soon as possible.
The potential of merging two powerful abilities into one was far too good to ignore.
If it worked as he suspected, the result could be beyond anything he'd ever seen.
"Alright," he said quietly, "I should move now."
Ding!
[You are allowed to leave "Gods Ascension" as you reached level 10.]
"I know."
Karl closed the status window.
He had no intention of leaving yet. There was no reason to.
Before heading outside of [Moon City] to face whatever awaited him beyond its borders, he had one last thing to do.
'I should find that NPC now,' he thought, 'If I can grab that quest, it'll allow me to grow stronger.'
[Moon City] was known as the most neutral city in the [Ascension Continent].
That didn't mean it was peaceful, just balanced.
It was the most "normal" place players could find here.
No floating islands, no towering sects inside, no terrifying temples.
Just a quiet city that served as a hub for players who had arrived from the [Novice Continent].
But in that quiet and unassuming city, there was one thing that made it stand out: a single special quest that could make a player much stronger.
Karl made his way deeper into [Moon City], ignoring the bustling main streets and turning down narrow paths.
Eventually, he reached a small blacksmith shop hidden behind several empty alleys.
The surroundings were almost completely deserted.
No players were around.
Most people didn't bother exploring this far into the city because, as far as they knew, there was nothing of value here.
Karl stepped inside the shop without hesitation.
The air was thick with heat and the faint scent of metal.
Inside, an old man sat behind a heavy wooden table.
His eyes were closed, as if he'd been waiting.
"Hah…" the man grinned the moment Karl's footsteps echoed through the room. "It's been a while since someone last came here."
Karl stayed silent, observing him.
The man had scars across his face, his skin a dull gray tone, and a massive hammer rested in his right hand.
---
[Oliver (Level 25)]
[Rank: ???]
[HP: ???]
[Skills: ???]
---
This was the NPC he had been looking for, the one who offered one of the hardest early-game quests in all of [Gods Ascension].
If his memory was correct, nobody had ever completed the quest this man gave.
Its difficulty was absurd.
"It's been three years since your civilization came," Oliver said, his grin widening. "Yet somehow, not a single one of you comes back with what I asked for."
His tone was calm but carried clear disappointment.
Karl remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly.
But the fact he said "your civilization" also confirmed to Karl that humanity wasn't the only world part of this whole thing.
He had never met anybody else from any other civilization in the [Ascension Continent].
Which meant those from other civilizations must have made it to the [Gods Continent], or were in difference instances of [Gods Ascension].
The NPCs, on the other hand, weren't from those civilizations.
They were native to this realm, beings bound to the world itself.
[Quest] NPCs were rare.
And when they appeared, their missions were always impossibly hard.
Most players ignored them, assuming the risk wasn't worth it.
But those who dared to accept them and somehow succeeded were rewarded with incredible power.
"So…" Karl said calmly, "what do you want?"
Oliver scratched his chin and placed his hammer down on the desk.
"Alright, I think you're strong enough."
He snapped his fingers, and a glowing panel appeared in front of Karl.
Ding!
---
[Special Quest: "Recover a Moon Crystal"]
[Reward: 3,000 Lives and ???]
---
"I've always wanted to use one of these crystals to forge something," Oliver said, his voice dropping into a sigh. "But they're extremely rare."
Karl stared at the panel silently.
"Bring me back one," Oliver continued, "and I'll craft you any piece of equipment you want with it."
He had never heard of the [Moon Crystals] before, but if an NPC like Oliver valued them this much, they were probably important.
"Though watch out, kid," Oliver added, a grin forming on his face, "I think the only crystal that's available is… at the top of the [Moon Tower]."
Karl's expression didn't change.
'Oh well, that explains it,' he thought.
No wonder nobody had ever completed this quest.
If the crystal was at the top of the [Moon Tower], then it made perfect sense.
The tower's [Fourth] and [Fifth] floors were infamous for their difficulty.
Even the strongest players failed there.
"Strangely enough," Oliver said, tilting his head, "you don't seem surprised."
"Why would I be?" Karl asked, already turning toward the door. "It's expected."
"Hahaha…" Oliver laughed, leaning back in his chair. "We'll see. There are many things nobody is ready for."
Karl ignored him and kept walking.
Many players had tried to fight Oliver in the past, thinking they could get the reward by killing him.
But he always crushed them effortlessly.
He was level 25, after all, strong enough to destroy any early-game player in seconds.
Even Karl wasn't confident he could win against him right now.
'I guess I can head out now,' he thought.
He stepped back into the moonlit streets of [Moon City].
The quiet hum of the city filled his ears.
The soft chatter of players, the faint wind blowing through the stone streets, the ever-present glow of the silver moon above.
Karl walked toward the central square where he had first arrived.
'Time to sell my items,' he thought.