While Leon was moving quickly through the [Wild Forest], a familiar sound reached his ears.
"Take this, asshole!"
"God damn it, that thing is too strong…"
"Mutated, huh."
Leon slowed his pace, his expression sharpening. Those were voices. Fighting voices.
He immediately adjusted his direction and rushed toward the source. Based on his experience from his past life, there were only a handful of teams that could have progressed this far this early. And among them, only one stood out clearly in his memory.
Sure enough, the moment he broke through the trees and reached the clearing where the noise originated, he saw them.
A group of four humans were locked in combat with a single monster.
It was a goblin, but not a normal one.
This goblin was taller than usual, its limbs thicker, its posture more upright. In its hands was a massive machete that looked far too heavy for a creature of its kind, yet it swung the weapon with frightening ease.
Leon narrowed his eyes.
'A mutated monster already.'
---
[Small Goblin (Mutated)]
[Level: 3]
[Combat Power: 300]
[Details: A goblin that has mutated, becoming taller and more aggressive. It is fast and will attempt to flee if it judges a fight unwinnable.]
---
Mutated monsters were a special category in [Eternal Ascension].
They weren't quite bosses, but they were far stronger than normal monsters of the same level. When encountered alone, they were manageable for skilled teams. When encountered in groups, they were disasters waiting to happen.
Their defining feature was simple: they looked wrong.
Extra limbs, unnatural proportions, unusual growths, anything that broke the standard appearance of their species was a clear warning sign.
They could also be mutated based on their abilities, though those were harder to spot.
This goblin was a textbook example. Taller, bulkier, faster, and far more aggressive than its normal counterparts.
Leon's attention shifted from the monster to the people fighting it.
As expected. David and Aaron's team.
They were the same players who had stepped up after the monster assault on the [Novice Village], calming people down and organizing groups.
Even now, they were doing well, despite facing something beyond what most players could handle at this stage.
Slash!
The mutated goblin brought its massive machete down in a brutal arc. Aaron stepped forward and raised his shield, blocking the strike head-on.
The impact echoed through the clearing, the force driving Aaron back half a step, but he held his ground.
Smash!
The moment the goblin's attack was halted, David moved in. He swung his own machete at the goblin's torso, slicing into its side before immediately retreating to avoid a counterattack.
Their movements were coordinated. Clean. Disciplined.
Many players in [Eternal Ascension] fought timidly, afraid of taking damage because they only had one life. But David's group understood something crucial: growth required risk.
They weren't reckless, but they weren't paralyzed by fear either.
"Eleonore!" David shouted. "Fire!"
A girl standing at the back reacted instantly. She raised her bow and released an arrow with smooth precision. The projectile pierced the air and struck the goblin directly in the eye.
The monster roared in pain, staggering as one side of its vision was lost.
Leon's gaze sharpened.
'Interesting.'
He instinctively used [Appraisal] on her. Something about her felt familiar, though he couldn't immediately place why.
---
[Name: Eleonore Starlight]
[Level: 2]
[Talent: ???]
[Skills: ???]
[Combat Power: 176]
---
At first glance, her stats didn't seem exceptional. But Leon could tell there was more to her than the panel showed. The power behind her shots wasn't normal.
'She has a strong talent,' Leon thought. 'They all do.'
David and Aaron weren't the type to recruit randomly. They only gathered people with clear potential, and this group was proof of that philosophy.
Slowly but steadily, they continued to wear down the mutated goblin. Each attack was calculated, each movement deliberate. They avoided unnecessary risks while steadily stacking damage.
For a moment, it looked like they had the situation under control.
Then—
ROOOAR!
The mutated goblin suddenly released a deafening roar. A wave of pressure swept through the clearing, freezing everyone in place for a brief but critical moment.
The monster raised its machete high, preparing a wide, sweeping strike that would hit everyone nearby.
"Holy shit," David muttered. "Dodge!"
But the stun hadn't fully worn off yet. That was when Leon stepped in.
Fireball!
A condensed sphere of flame shot from Leon's hand and slammed directly into the goblin's torso. The explosion disrupted the attack entirely, knocking the monster off balance.
Before it could recover, Leon closed the distance.
His machete flashed. The mutated goblin's body was cleaved cleanly in half.
Fwoosh! Ding!
[You have killed "Small Goblin (Mutated)" and gained 30 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
The clearing fell silent. David's team stared at the corpse, then at Leon.
They had been fighting carefully, wearing the monster down bit by bit. And yet, the moment Leon intervened, the fight ended almost instantly.
They had done damage, yes, but the speed and decisiveness of the kill were shocking.
The group's support member, a girl with black hair cut into a neat bob, reacted first. She quickly moved among her teammates, casting a healing spell that restored their injuries.
'Healing-type talent,' Leon noted. 'That's rare and valuable.'
Their team composition was solid. Eleonore provided ranged damage. The healer kept them sustained. Aaron served as the frontline tank. And David handled close-range offense.
With talents like these, they could survive for a while. But Leon knew the truth.
Even with this strength, most humans wouldn't make it.
The later stages of [Eternal Ascension] were merciless. Entire civilizations fell there. Power alone wasn't enough.
David. Aaron. Eleonore. Every single one of them would eventually die.
Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not even for years. But they would fall.
Leon was one of the very few humans who had survived long enough in his past life to truly understand what awaited them.
Most others either lost their minds, pledged themselves to gods, or allied with monstrous beings just to stay alive.
"I can't let that happen again," Leon murmured quietly, shaking his head. "Focus."
"I heard footsteps," David said, turning toward Leon. "You're the guy who warned everyone about the barrier back in the village."
Leon nodded slightly. David remembering him made things easier.
"What's your name?" Eleonore stepped forward, her eyes bright with curiosity. "You're really strong."
Up close, she was striking. Her orange hair flowed naturally, framing a beautiful face that carried both confidence and excitement. In her hand was a small bow, one that could seemingly generate arrows on its own.
Her talent was still in its infancy, far from its true potential. And that was when it clicked.
Leon's eyes widened slightly. He remembered her.
In the future, Eleonore Starlight would form one of the largest guilds humanity had ever seen. Thousands followed her, drawn by her SS-level talent: [Archer of Destiny].
And yet, despite everything she built, she would eventually be betrayed. Her own people would abandon her and side with the gods.
If Leon had to judge beside him, then she was definitely one of the strongest person in the entirety of [Novice Village #1] if not humanity.
For now, though, she was safe.
"Leon," he replied calmly. "I was passing through and saw the fight."
Aaron stepped closer, studying Leon carefully. His eyes lingered on Leon's equipment, the enhanced machete, the necklace, the scales.
Compared to them, Leon was absurdly well-equipped.
"Want to join our group?" Aaron asked without hesitation. "You'd fit in perfectly."
They were selective. They only recruited those with strong talents and clear potential.
Leon clearly qualified. But Leon shook his head.
"I prefer being alone," he said with a small smile.
"Fair enough," David nodded easily. "If you need anything, let us know. You saved us."
"Sure," Leon replied.
Connections mattered. These people would become important figures later. But right now, Leon's priority was preparing for what came next.
As he turned to leave, Eleonore hesitated, then stepped closer.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, "Can I add you as a friend?"
[Eternal Ascension], like any game, had a friends system. It allowed trusted individuals to communicate, form parties, and coordinate across zones. In the future, it would be indispensable.
But Leon shook his head.
"No."
"Aww…"
"Maybe later," Leon said as he walked away. "Focus on not dying first."
David's group turned back toward the forest, heading deeper in search of more monsters.
Leon on the other hand stopped a short distance away and opened his storage space.
'Let's see what a mutated monster gives me,' he thought.