Karl looked at the last panel with a neutral expression.
The panel [May the will of the ancient gods be with you.] appeared every single time a player was about to challenge a difficult zone.
It popped up in temples, towers, hidden dungeons, anything that was considered above normal difficulty.
Players had seen it since the beginning of the game, yet nobody ever figured out why it existed.
Nobody knew who the ancient gods were supposed to be.
Nobody knew if it was some story element or just something to add tension.
It was simply there every time things were about to get dangerous.
But now, after everything Karl had gone through, that message didn't feel so random anymore.
He now knew the [Gods Continent] existed right after the [Ascension Continent].
He knew the [God of Oblivion] was probably one of those ancient gods mentioned in the panel.
And if that was true, then maybe this message wasn't some flavor text at all.
Maybe it was something real, something tied to the highest entities in this world.
Karl didn't fully understand it yet, but he felt like he at least understood it slightly more than other players.
There was still a massive gap of information, of course.
He didn't know what their intentions were, how many of them existed, or what role they played in the larger world.
But at least he knew they were out there.
And because of that, he needed to be extremely careful of them.
Fortunately for him, he also assumed he wouldn't be seeing any of them for a long while.
Probably not until he reached far into the future continents.
If nothing else, that meant he had time.
Time to grow, time to evolve, time to prepare.
So for now, he was fine.
After the first panels of the [Moon Tower], five new panels appeared in front of him.
---
[First Floor (Level 15)]
[Second Floor (Level 15-20)]
[Third Floor (Level 20-25)]
[Fourth Floor (Level 25)]
[Fifth Floor (???)]
---
Each floor was tied to its own zone with its own theme.
Players had to find a way to reach the next floor to advance, whether it was killing a boss, finding a key, or more.
There was no skipping, or way around it.
The only path was through.
But as said before, the third was the one mostly used for grinding by players.
Most didn't even dare dream of reaching the top.
The high majority didn't even dare to enter the [Fourth Floor].
Even veteran players struggled with it.
And because of that, the tower had turned into something like a leveling area rather than an actual challenge.
Karl already knew how terrifying the [Moon Skeleton King] on the fourth floor was.
He had fought it many times before and died many times to it.
He knew its strength, its attacks, its insane durability.
But despite that… he also wanted to face [Moonless], the true final boss of the [Moon Tower].
There was absolutely no information about it anywhere.
That alone showed how dangerous it was.
Perhaps some top players saw it, failed miserably, and decided not to say anything.
Maybe they didn't want to give out the information, or they simply died without having the chance to see anything.
Regardless of the reason, it meant only one thing: the boss was incredibly strong.
Still, Karl wasn't going to back down. In fact, he was confident in his own abilities.
He'd climb all the way to the top of the [Moon Tower] and get the rewards.
That was what he was here for.
With the rules explained, Karl immediately selected the [First Floor (Level 15)].
It was mainly the floor used to weed out the weak from those capable of continuing.
Anyone who couldn't even defeat the first boss had no business entering the rest of the tower.
Fwish!
The surroundings distorted around him, and after a few seconds…
---
[You have arrived at the "First Floor" of the "Moon Tower"]
[Lives loss rate: 5.]
---
For now, the lives loss rate was still low.
Even lower than the [Moon Temple], actually.
But it was the only kind of "mercy" the game would give someone here.
Once they entered the second floor, things would immediately get harsher.
Karl looked around himself.
The air in the tower was cold, damp, heavy.
It carried an eerie stillness, as if the entire place was waiting to judge him.
The walls were covered in carvings.
Some were cracked, some were faded, but many clearly showed symbols of the moon in its various phases, the crescent, the half-moon, the full moon.
It made sense. This was the [Moon Tower] after all.
Karl had appeared in a small room.
Ahead of him was a long corridor stretching forward into a bright light.
The light was so intense it almost erased the end of the hallway from view.
But Karl already knew this floor was just the "tutorial," so he didn't expect much from it.
And right as he took a step forward…
Ding!
[Special Quest related to this zone has been detected.]
"Huh?"
---
[Special Quest: "Recover a Moon Crystal"]
[Description: Fulfill Oliver's wish and bring him back a "Moon Crystal" from the top of the "Moon Tower"]
[Reward: 3,000 Lives and ???]
---
Some quests in [Gods Ascension] came with [Failure Conditions].
Those were extremely nasty. Once you failed one of those, the quest disappeared forever.
But this one didn't have any failure condition.
It meant Karl could try as many times as he wanted, as long as he survived.
All he had to do was clear all five floors and slay the final boss.
If he succeeded, the quest was his.
Karl nodded to himself and advanced forward, staff in hand.
His steps echoed softly along the corridor as he made his way toward the blinding light.
Eventually, he reached the end of the hallway.
The room ahead opened into a massive chamber, and right in the middle stood a single enemy.
'Perfect,' Karl grinned.
The "tutorial" of the [Moon Tower], the one test used to weed out the weak, was a boss fight.
---
[Moon Goblin General (Level 15)]
[Rank: Uncommon]
[HP: 50,000]
---
The [Moon Goblin General] was a massive goblin with blue skin and heavy armor.
A large moon symbol rested on the center of its chest plate.
In its hands was a war axe bigger than its entire torso.
Its silver eyes locked onto Karl the moment he stepped in.
ROOOOOAR!
It roared with all its strength, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling.
Then it lunged forward, lifting its massive axe over its shoulder.
Fwish!
It swung its weapon at Karl, who dodged by side-stepping with quick precision.
'Strange…' Karl thought as he avoided the attack.
'The [Moon Tower] is supposed to be a general zone, yet I'm alone.'
A general zone meant seeing every other player inside the tower.
So either very few players were in the tower right now… or he'd been placed in a separate instance.
That didn't make sense, but it wasn't something he cared about at the moment.
Karl spun his staff in his hand and pointed it at the goblin general.
Cataclysmic Fireball!
BOOM!
-43,050!
The blast sent a wave of force across the chamber.
The goblin general was pushed back violently, stumbling with its armor vibrating from the impact.
Without waiting even a second…
Frostbite Crystals!
Karl summoned his five crystals and fired them straight at the boss.
The general swung its axe desperately, trying to deflect some of them, but—
Slash!
One crystal pierced its chest.
-11,250!
Just one crystal was enough to finish the remaining health.
The general collapsed, its body hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Ding!
---
[You have killed "Moon Goblin General (Level 15 Uncommon-Rank Boss)"]
[You have gained 15,000 experience points.]
[You have gained 7 Evolution Points!]
[You have gained 42 Lives!]
---
Karl walked up and grabbed the dropped item.
[Moon Goblin General Axe (Uncommon): Warrior/Sentinel-type weapon. +150 Strength. Requirement: Level 15]
"Decent."
He stored it and immediately looked ahead.
Fwish!
A gate at the back of the chamber flared open, revealing a thick veil of darkness.
Karl stepped forward without hesitation.
Fwish!
Darkness swallowed him.
When he reappeared, he stood in a new chamber.
And—
HOOOOOOWL!
A loud howl echoed from somewhere above him.
'Huh…'
Ding!
[You have arrived at the "Second Floor" of the "Moon Tower"]
[Lives loss rate: 10.]