Storm of Lightning! Fire Meteor! Vines of Fates!

Fwish!

Three spells erupted from Stark's staff, surging forward with terrifying force.

Zap! Boom! Slam!

The bolts, flames, and vines all collided into the spider at once. But then the notifications appeared.

Immune! -195,750! Immune!

"Hm."

Stark narrowed his eyes. His spells had hit cleanly.

Lightning crashed against the spider's armored body, and vines slammed into its limbs.

Yet the monster barely reacted.

It was immune, not just to lightning, but to direct attacks that didn't strike the right spot.

Its exoskeleton was simply too thick.

On the other hand, his [Fire Meteor] had left a scorch mark across the creature's head.

The impact had actually harmed it.

'Then the head is the weakness… which is the case for ninety-nine percent of beings.'

Before Stark could press the advantage, the [Ground Spider] moved.

Fwish!

It launched itself into the air, its massive body blotting out the dim light.

A second later, it came crashing down, eight legs stabbing like spears into the ground.

Boom!

The earth cracked apart where Stark had been standing just a moment before.

He'd already leapt back, dust swirling around him as he lifted his staff.

Sharp Bone Spikes!

The ground split open with a sickening crunch.

White skeletal spikes shot upward, stabbing into the spider's body from below.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Most of them bounced off the armor.

But the ones that reached its neck and face pierced through.

-27,000! -27,000! -27,000! Immune! Immune!

The numbers floated above the monster's head, confirming Stark's suspicion.

The head and neck were weak points.

Everything else was like hitting a steel wall.

Even so, those hits were devastating.

Two clean strikes had already shaved off two-thirds of its HP.

For a moment, Stark just stood there, staff raised, watching the monster flail in pain.

In his past life, he had been cautious, always second-guessing himself.

Even after being reborn with all his knowledge, he still carried that hesitation.

But now… Seeing himself dominate a level 26 rare monster?

It made him realize something.

He could do whatever he wanted. He didn't need to hold back.

One day soon, he might even be able to fight monsters ten levels higher than him, and win.

The spider shrieked and lunged forward, mandibles snapping.

Stark sidestepped, feeling the hot breath of decay brush past his cheek.

A leg swung down at him like a club.

He rolled aside, dirt flying.

Fire Meteor!

He pointed his staff upward, and once again, a blazing sphere of flame descended from the sky.

Boom!

The meteor slammed directly into the spider's head, blasting it apart in a cloud of ash.

The monster twitched once, then collapsed, its body dissolving into motes of light.

Ding!

[You have gained 86 Lives!]

Stark exhaled. Victory.

He hadn't earned any [Evolution Points] or experience since this wasn't a boss, but the [Lives] were reward enough. Every bit counted.

Now he knew for certain, he could kill level 26 monsters, maybe even stronger.

But he didn't step deeper into the danger zone.

Why? Because he wasn't stupid.

If he ran into an epic-rank level 30 boss, there was no guarantee he'd survive.

Also, beyond this area lay the [Land of Mist], an enormous region players had to cross to reach the next town.

That place was infamous for devouring careless players.

Stark wasn't about to risk it yet.

He summoned the [Ghost Wolf] again, the beast appearing with a shimmer of light.

Climbing onto its back, he returned to safer grinding grounds near [Shell City].

'Less than seven days left,' Stark thought grimly as the wolf carried him across the broken fields. 'Better make it count.'

...

The days blurred together after that.

Stark pushed himself harder than ever before.

Each fight was efficient, each kill precise.

He hunted monsters without pause, grinding as if the world was ending.

Because it was.

Ding!

[You have gained 37 Evolution Points!]

Ding!

[You have gained 3,764 Lives!]

His progress was steady.

Evolution Points were still slow to accumulate, even bosses usually dropped only one or two, but it didn't matter.

His [Lives] skyrocketed.

With more than 3,700 new ones in his stockpile, he finally felt satisfied.

At this rate, he could send everything he needed into the real world.

When he returned to [Shell City], he noticed the difference immediately.

The once half-empty square was now overflowing with players.

They crowded the streets, shouting and bartering, preparing for whatever was about to come.

Then the sound hit.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A global announcement echoed across the world.

[The "First Calamity" is coming in 1 hour.]

Every player froze.

Stark stood among them, expression darkening slightly.

He knew what this meant. He'd lived it before.

Almost everyone would die.

[Eternal Soul] wasn't warning players out of kindness.

It was reminding both worlds, game and reality, that something catastrophic was about to happen.

Of course, most still didn't understand.

Many thought this was just a game.

Maybe the [First Calamity] would happen in [Eternal Soul] like all the others events, right?

Others refused to believe the danger was real, clinging to "normal life."

But Stark knew better.

Only a fool would wake up in a strange world, be forced to fight to reach level 3, and still think it was all JUST a game.

The system gave no guidance about extracting abilities into reality.

No panels flashing, no warnings urging players to prepare.

If people ignored the possibility, it was their problem.

He wasn't going to be one of them.

Opening his panel, Stark checked his stats.

[Lives: 11,196]

[Current Evolution Points: 123]

'Not bad.'

Still, he didn't like the crowded square.

Too many eyes. Too many distractions.

He turned away from the noise and walked deeper into the city.

His destination was the cathedral where Olikar was located.

The massive double doors creaked open under his push.

The familiar scent of dust and dried blood filled his nose.

And then a voice spoke from the far end.

"Your civilization is going to face it too now."

Stark looked up.

Olikar was still there, seated near the altar.

But he was in worse shape than before, blood ran freely down his body, his wounds darker, deeper.

"They all faced it," Olikar continued, his voice rough but steady. "And though they pushed it back… the casualties were massive in every one of them."

The [First Calamity].

The trial every civilization endured.

Stark's face stayed calm. He already knew.

The only thing that surprised him was that Olikar was still alive this close to the calamity.

"I'm going to die," Olikar admitted with a faint grin. He raised his eyes to meet Stark's. "But at least… there's something worth seeing."

"…Hm."

Stark didn't answer. He wasn't here to talk. He was here to prepare.

'I have over 100 EP. Enough to evolve a skill. But there's no point now. Evolving means higher costs to extract to the real world. Better to wait to see if I have enough.'

For example, his [Fire Meteor] was already mythical-rank.

If he pushed it to ancient, he'd need a massive pile of [Lives] to match the difference.

"It seems you already know what you're doing," Olikar said, watching him carefully. "How… strange."

"There are many things you don't know," Stark replied with a faint smile. "But I'll be fine. I think."

Olikar chuckled weakly. "Hah… others told me the same. They all perished. Let us see, then."

Stark frowned slightly.

Even with his second life's knowledge, some of Olikar's words were still puzzling.

There were truths hidden here he didn't fully grasp.

But that was for later. Right now, he had work to do.

He opened his extraction panel.

---

[1. Extract Class and Talent] (Completed up to first tier)

[2. Extract Level] (Completed up to level 25)

[3. Extract Skills]

[4. Extract Equipment]

[5. Extract Bloodline (Not available)]

[6. Extract ??? (Not available)]

---

'I'll focus on equipment first,' Stark thought, scanning the options. 'Then use the rest on skills.'

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