Leon equipped the [Shadow Necklace] without hesitation, feeling a faint chill spread across his skin as the item bound itself to him.
A moment later, he consumed the three [Shadow Dog Essences] one after another. Each essence dissolved into warm streams of energy that rushed through his body, sinking into his muscles and joints.
His movements immediately felt lighter. Faster. More responsive.
As the effects settled, Leon could clearly feel the increase in his agility. It wasn't subtle at all.
His legs felt springy, his balance sharper, and even the way the world felt around him seemed clearer.
Just like that, his [Combat Power] rose once more.
[Combat Power: 130 (+82)]
Leon stared at the panel for a moment, then let out a slow breath.
Managing to reach nearly 200 [Combat Power] at level 2 was something most players could only dream of. Even those who were considered talented would struggle to reach such numbers this early.
At this point, even level 3 monsters would have a hard time defeating him.
That realization alone filled him with quiet satisfaction. But he wasn't done yet.
Just like he had done earlier with [Appraisal], Leon took the skill book he had obtained and poured his mana into it without hesitation. The book glowed faintly as the information inside it flowed directly into his mind.
Ding!
[You have learned "Vision Enhancement"]
Leon closed his eyes for a moment as the skill settled, understanding flooding his thoughts naturally, as if he had practiced it for years.
'Perfect.'
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
With his agility already high and now having a skill that could directly enhance his perception, his combat potential had increased even further.
Still, despite everything he had gained so far thanks to his talent, there was something else Leon wanted to try: treasure chests.
His talent description clearly stated that [100% Drop Rate] worked not only on monsters, but on treasure chests as well. That single line had been stuck in his mind ever since he first read it.
If that was true… then what exactly did it mean? Would he really obtain every single item contained inside a chest?
In his past life, treasure chests were all about luck. You could find a rare chest and still walk away with mediocre items, while someone else might get absurd rewards from an ordinary one.
But now? Leon wanted to test it.
Unfortunately, his [Appraisal] skill was still only level 2. While it allowed him to view the terrain and gain a general understanding of the area, it didn't mark treasure chests or hidden points of interest.
All he could see was the [Wild Forest] from above, laid out clearly in his mind like a map.
'I guess I'll have to move deeper,' Leon thought calmly. 'And I can't let anyone else take these opportunities.'
In his past life, Leon had missed countless chances simply because he had been too weak.
[Eternal Ascension] was filled with hidden zones, rare monsters, and treasures that only appeared under specific conditions.
Often, the first person to discover them would take everything, leaving nothing behind for those who came later.
This time, Leon refused to be left behind. This time, he would be the one taking everything.
With that decision firmly set, Leon moved deeper into the [Wild Forest], his machete resting lightly in his hand.
Along the way, he encountered several monsters. Mostly [Shadow Dogs] though.
Each fight ended quickly. Leon didn't hesitate. He didn't waste movements.
One clean strike after another, his enhanced agility allowing him to dodge with ease while his strengthened machete tore through flesh and bone.
Their bodies hit the ground before they even understood what had happened.
Eventually, after pushing past thick clusters of trees, the forest opened up.
Leon slowed his steps.
Ahead of him was a small clearing, bathed in filtered light from above. The atmosphere felt different here, heavier somehow.
And right at the edge of the clearing…
There was a chest. Leon's eyes widened.
"Oh shit."
The chest was emitting a faint cyan glow, subtle but unmistakable.
'No way…'
His heartbeat quickened.
'That's a [Rare Treasure Chest]!'
Rare treasure chests were valuable. And though it was on the lower-side of the scale in terms of rank, it was still good.
Someone else had gotten it before him in his past life, since he never encountered it. But not this time.
Before Leon could even take a single step forward—
Fwish!
A massive figure dropped from the trees, landing heavily between Leon and the chest.
The ground shook. Leon's gaze snapped upward.
The monster stood tall, its limbs thick and powerful. Each of its hands ended in four sharp claws, digging into the earth.
Its body was covered in white fur, but patches of dark scales ran along its neck and shoulders, giving it a savage appearance.
---
[Forest Ape (Boss)]
[Level: 2]
[Combat Power: 250]
[Details: An ape-like monster that likes to act alone and protect its treasure, it has slow movement but is very strong.]
---
Leon exhaled slowly.
As expected, bosses in [Eternal Ascension] were on a completely different level.
Their [Combat Power] far exceeded that of normal monsters at the same level, often by a ridiculous margin.
Right now, the forest ape's [Combat Power] was clearly higher than Leon's.
But Leon didn't back away. He didn't panic.
[Combat Power] was only a general measure of strength. It didn't account for experience, skill usage, or combat awareness.
And in those areas, Leon was confident.
With his current [Strength] and [Agility], he knew he could win.
That said, the fight was still dangerous.
His [Constitution] wasn't particularly high. If the forest ape landed even one solid hit, Leon would die.
But the same was true for the boss. Leon's eyes focused on its neck. That was its weakness.
The forest ape roared and lunged forward, lifting its claws high before swinging them down with terrifying force.
But just as the description said—
It was slow. Far too slow.
Leon stepped aside easily, his body moving almost instinctively as he swung his machete in one smooth motion.
Crunch!
The blade struck the scales on the forest ape's neck, shattering them piece by piece.
A moment later, the sound of tearing flesh followed.
The forest ape let out a furious roar and began thrashing wildly, its movements becoming erratic as it tried to retaliate.
Its massive head swung back and forth, claws slashing unpredictably.
'It's getting too unstable,' Leon thought calmly. 'Perfect timing to try this.'
Vision Enhancement!
Mana surged through his eyes as the skill activated. In an instant, Leon's perception of the world changed.
A faint line traced itself across his vision, and everything around him slowed.
Movements became clearer. Sharper. Easier to read.
'So this is what it feels like…'
The forest ape's claws moved toward him, but they seemed sluggish now, their trajectories easy to predict.
Leon stepped forward, then sideways, weaving through the attacks with precision. His agility carried him effortlessly, each dodge timed perfectly.
He didn't rush. He observed. Then struck.
Slash!
The machete tore into the already wounded neck, deepening the cut.
The forest ape screamed again, stumbling backward in confusion.
Leon stayed calm. His eyes tracked every movement, every twitch of muscle.
And when the opening appeared—
Fwish!
With a final, decisive strike, Leon decapitated the boss completely.
The massive head fell to the ground, followed by the rest of the body collapsing heavily into the dirt.
"Phew."
Leon stepped back, his breathing steady.
Fifteen seconds later, the effect of [Vision Enhancement] faded, and the skill entered cooldown.
Ding!
[You have killed "Forest Ape (Level 2 Boss)" and gained 100 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Leon didn't even glance at the corpse. Instead, his eyes immediately shifted to the chest.
He walked toward it quickly, his excitement barely contained.
[Rare Treasure Chest: May contain skill stones, enhancement stones, special items or skill scroll.]
Every treasure chest had its own possible loot pool. Normally, players would receive only a few random items, entirely based on luck.
But Leon…
Luck didn't matter anymore.
Fwish!
He poured his mana into the chest, and it opened instantly.
Ding!
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, all items inside of the treasure chest have been placed into storage space.]
Leon's grin widened.
He opened his storage space immediately.
Alongside the drops from the monsters and the forest ape, every single item from the chest was there. Every single one.
'This talent is even more broken than I thought,' Leon thought, his grin growing wider. 'No matter what I do… I'll always get everything.'
Without wasting another second, Leon began checking what he had obtained.