[Mist Repellant Ring (Mythical): When wearing this ring, will allow the user to see perfectly fine inside the "Land of Mist". Requirement: Level 50]

This was precisely the item Stark wanted.

With that, he could finally see where he was going.

That meant one thing, he would be able to find the zone where the bloodline boss was.

Of course, Stark had only heard bits of information about it.

The only reason he even knew about the bloodline and its monster was because other players in his past life had talked about it.

They complained about how impossible it was.

How that place chewed people alive and left no traces behind.

When facing a bloodline boss, it would actually say "Bloodline Boss" next to the rank, and even show the exact bloodline you'd receive if you managed to defeat it.

That way, players knew exactly what they were risking their lives for.

But this setup wasn't a reward, it was bait. A trap by the system.

It wanted players to see the reward glowing in front of them, close enough to touch, only for it to crush them seconds later.

After all, the zone Stark was aiming for was a level 50 zone.

And once a player went past level 50, it would lock forever for them. No second chances.

If you missed the window, that was it.

So back then, most players who saw the [Spirit Devourer] bloodline tried their luck.

They ran into that zone with excitement, chasing what looked like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But they only respawned one after another, if not had been killed permanently.

And it made sense.

The [Bloodline Bosses] were unique.

Only one of each existed in the whole world.

Killing one meant no one else could ever get that same bloodline again.

That was part of what made them legendary.

But also terrifying.

Because [Bloodline Monsters] were in a completely different class from anything else.

Some of the strongest boss types in [Eternal Soul].

They were simply... unfair to fight, and always had crazy mechanics and conditions to fight them.

Even Stark knew this was a straight path into danger, but that didn't matter.

He needed that bloodline.

Anything that gave him even an advantage was worth it.

He stored the ring in his inventory, saving it for when he hit level 50, and decided to focus on leveling as fast as possible.

Then, he turned toward the [Mist Cave] he had seen earlier.

Ding!

[You are about to enter a level 42–45 zone: "Mist Cave"]

'Should I go in?' Stark scratched his chin, eyes fixed on the entrance.

If he went to the edge of the [Land of Mist] now, he'd face level 48–50 monsters instead, and those would give far better experience.

'I want to be as fast and efficient as possible,' he thought.

Still, the [Mist Cave] might hold useful items.

He could probably sell some drops, make quick gold.

But right now, he didn't really need items or lives.

So…

'I'll come back later,' he decided as he turned around.

The [Land of Mist] was hard enough to move through as it was, and until he could see clearly, pushing forward blindly was pointless.

Once he wore that ring, though, it would be a different story.

He turned his back on the cave and headed deeper into the mist.

On his way to the outer edge of the [Land of Mist], two familiar figures appeared in the fog.

The [Mist Slime (Level 47)] and the [Eyeless Abomination (Level 48)] he had avoided earlier.

Stark stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The two monsters stared back.

Their sluggish bodies tensed the moment they recognized him.

The silence lasted a second.

Then, both roared and charged forward.

'Hah,' Stark thought.

It was funny, really.

To them, it probably looked like he had run away before because he was weak.

But now they were about to realize just how wrong they were.

Bind of Silk!

The spell activated instantly, silk threads bursting from his staff.

They flew straight at the [Eyeless Abomination], wrapping around its gray, corpse-like frame.

The creature's claws lashed out wildly, but too late.

The silk tightened, locking its limbs and forcing it still.

-783,360!

Its body jerked violently as it lost nearly all its HP in a single cast.

Seeing that, the [Mist Slime] reacted.

Its body rippled as it oozed forward, surrounding the [Eyeless Abomination].

The silver fluid seeped into the cracks of its companion's body.

And then—

Mist Healing!

-500,000!

"Huh."

Stark blinked.

So the slime was actually a support-class monster. Those were rare.

Most monsters attacked mindlessly, even alone.

But a few, like this one, had been designed to work in groups, healing and buffing their allies.

It was interesting. But it didn't matter.

The slime tensed, gathering itself to lunge forward and protect its companion.

After all, this human had run away earlier, so he must be weak, right?

Torrent of Lightning!

Lightning gathered around Stark, his staff crackling as he aimed at both targets.

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Six lightning bolts shot forward, each one aimed perfectly.

-1,175,040! -1,175,040! -1,175,040!

Both monsters froze mid-motion before collapsing.

Dead. They didn't even have time to scream.

Even these level 47–48 monsters were nothing but fodder in front of Stark's power.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Mist Slime (Level 47)"]

[You have killed "Eyeless Abomination (Level 48)"]

[You have gained 46,000 experience points!]

---

'Nice. The experience here's much better since I'm only level 44,' Stark thought, grinning.

[You have gained 1 Evolution Point!]

[You have gained 174 Lives!]

'Damn,' Stark muttered under his breath.

This was the first time in a long while that normal monsters had given him Evolution Points.

He almost forgot they could even drop EP.

The rate was just so low it barely ever happened.

Still, he wasn't going to complain. Every point counted.

Bosses would always be the main source, but it was good to get small bonuses here and there.

He stored the two drops that had fallen and kept moving.

The mist around him never changed, it always looked the same.

Endless white, drifting, quiet.

Only the faint echo of his boots and the occasional glimmer of a monster's eyes broke the stillness.

And yet Stark moved with confidence.

Every step took him deeper into the unknown.

Monsters appeared now and then, [Mist Hounds], [Corrupted Spirits], even another [Eyeless Abomination].

Each time, he dispatched them quickly, barely slowing down.

An hour passed.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 48!]

Stark gained four levels in an hour.

Only two more to go before hitting level 50.

He closed the window and let out a quiet breath, his eyes gleaming faintly under the pale glow of the mist.

He could feel the difference already, his magic output, his speed, everything had grown sharper.

And more importantly, he had gained over fifty Evolution Points in that span alone.

[Current Evolution Points: 128.]

'Heh. Only one of my offensive skills is still at mythical-rank,' Stark thought, a grin stretching across his face.

If this pace continued, he'd reach level 50 soon.

He didn't think he'd hit 250 Evolution Points before then, but it didn't matter.

128 was more than enough to evolve another skill.

He was almost ready.

Soon, he'd wear that [Mist Repellant Ring], step into the bloodline zone, and hunt down the bloodline boss.

Stark glanced at the fog-covered horizon, then back down at his panel.

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