At the same time Leon reached level three, not too far away, near a wide clearing deep inside the forest, another fight had just ended.
Fwish!
The massive body of a giant blue frog collapsed onto the ground, its thick blood seeping into the dirt and staining the grass beneath it. The creature twitched once, then went completely still.
Standing around the corpse were four exhausted but excited players: David's team.
David wiped the sweat from his brow and looked down at the weapon in his hands, his grip tightening around the handle of his machete. His face slowly broke into a wide grin.
"This [Goblin Machete +3] is insane," he said, unable to hide his excitement. "We can even take down a boss with this thing now."
Aaron laughed as he leaned on his shield, nodding in agreement.
The fight had been smoother than expected, and the damage David had dealt was on a completely different level compared to before.
"Good," Eleonore said with a grin of her own, lowering her bow slightly. "At least I'm not the one dealing the most damage anymore."
Even though she fought from long range, her arrows were still terrifyingly strong.
More than once, she had killed monsters in a single shot, and only David's enhanced weapon had finally taken that role away from her.
"Fifty experience points," Aaron said cheerfully, checking his panel. "That boss was worth it. You all got the same, right?"
"Yep~"
"I did too."
David let out a satisfied breath and straightened his posture. "I'm almost level three now," he said, clearly pleased. "If we keep going like this, we might be the first team to reach it."
But the moment those words left his mouth, a familiar sound echoed through the clearing.
Ding!
A system announcement rang clearly, cutting through the atmosphere and drawing everyone's attention.
[Player "Leon Rykard" in "Novice Village #1" has successfully advanced to Level 3, unlocking the Level Leaderboard.]
[It will constantly show the level ranking of the top 25 players above Level 3.]
David froze.
"What?" His jaw dropped slightly as he stared at the floating text. "I thought I was fast, but… he beat me to it?"
Aaron scratched his chin, his expression thoughtful rather than shocked. "That's Leon. The guy we saw earlier," he said slowly. "The one who sold you the goblin machete."
He paused for a moment before adding, "Looks like he really was strong enough to go solo."
Almost instantly, players all across the novice village opened the new panel that had just unlocked.
---
[Level Leaderboard:]
[1. Leon Rykard: Level 3]
---
Since no one else had reached level three yet, Leon's name stood alone at the top of the leaderboard.
That single fact alone made waves.
His name was already spreading far faster than it ever had in his past life. Back then, even with an S-Level Talent, Leon had never once appeared in the top twenty-five. He had always lagged behind, cautious and underprepared.
This time was different. And there was a reason for that.
'It should happen soon,' Leon thought calmly as he continued moving through the forest. 'Now that the Trading House is open, it won't take long.'
Before he could dwell further on that thought, more system panels appeared, one after another, visible to every player.
Ding!
[Level promotions will be rewarded.]
[The first to reach Level 10 will be rewarded with a Legendary Treasure Chest.]
[The 2nd–3rd to reach Level 10 will be rewarded with an Epic Treasure Chest.]
[The 4th–10th will be rewarded with an Elite Treasure Chest.]
[The 11th–25th will be rewarded with a Rare Treasure Chest.]
[All remaining players will receive a Uncommon Treasure Chest upon reaching Level 10.]
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he read through the list. In his past life, he had only ever received an [Uncommon Treasure Chest].
He remembered that disappointment clearly. By the time he reached level ten back then, the rewards that truly mattered were already gone.
But this time? This time, it would be different.
With his current talent, aiming for the legendary chest wasn't just possible, it was logical.
Getting every single item inside a Legendary Treasure Chest would completely change his early trajectory.
It would give him a massive advantage that could carry him far beyond the novice stage.
Ding!
Another panel appeared.
[Since you are the first to reach Level 3, you have been rewarded with 10 Reputation Points.]
[When Reputation Points reach certain thresholds, rewards can be obtained.]
"Oh," Leon muttered softly.
Reputation points were rare and valuable, especially this early. They affected how systems, NPCs, and even certain quests responded to a player. Getting ten of them right away was a significant boost.
When the announcements finally ended, the entire novice village was buzzing.
"How the hell is he leveling that fast?"
"Overpowered talent, probably."
"Figures…"
Even experienced players were shaken. David and his team exchanged looks, their excitement turning into renewed determination.
"Alright," David said firmly. "No slacking off. If we can't get the legendary chest, we'll at least aim for the epic ones."
"Yeah!"
Back in the forest, Leon checked everything one last time and confirmed that his status was stable. There was no reason to stop now.
Then the notifications came.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[You have received a friend request from "Oscar Daniels."]
[You have received a friend request from…]
[You have received…]
The requests flooded in rapidly. Dozens of them. Leon frowned slightly and muted the notifications without hesitation.
He had no interest in accepting random players. Connections were important, but only the right ones. Blind trust was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Instead, he opened the map that had been unlocked through his [Appraisal] skill and began scanning it carefully.
"The secret quest should still be available," he murmured. "No one else could've found it yet."
His eyes moved slowly across the terrain markers, paths, and shaded regions. Then, after only a few seconds, they stopped.
Leon's gaze sharpened. There it was.
A small, almost unnoticeable opening tucked between uneven terrain, barely visible unless someone knew exactly where to look. It was the entrance to a cave.
Exactly where he remembered it.
Without the map, finding it would've been nearly impossible. Even back in his past life, he had only stumbled across it by accident, and far too late.
Leon didn't waste another second. He moved quickly toward the location, pushing his pace despite the rising danger around him.
The area surrounding the cave was home to level four and five monsters, far stronger than what most players could handle right now.
But Leon didn't slow down.
After roughly ten minutes of careful but swift movement, he finally reached the cave entrance.
This was the place. A quest that no one had ever completed in his past life.
The reason was simple. It was time-based. If players didn't complete it within a few hours of entering [Eternal Ascension], it disappeared forever.
The first time Leon had entered this cave, all he had found was a corpse.
This time—
"H-Hello?" a weak voice echoed from within.
Leon stepped inside and immediately spotted a woman leaning against the cave wall. Her breathing was shallow, her body trembling.
"P-Please… I need your help…"
"Bingo," Leon said quietly, a grin forming. "I wasn't late."
The woman had pale, beautiful skin and pointed elf ears.
She wore a robe and clutched a scepter tightly in one hand. But her condition was terrible. Blood stained her lips, and she coughed violently, her life force visibly fading.
"My name is Emilia," she said weakly. "I-I was attacked by [Poison Snakes]… I don't think I can last much longer…"
Ding!
[You have triggered the S-Level Novice Village Quest: "Save the Poisoned Elf."]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour 14 Minutes.]
Leon's expression turned serious.
Emilia had died quickly in his past life. No one had reached her in time. By the time players discovered this cave back then, it was already too late.
But now? Now there was a chance.
"I-I think some of the snakes may drop an antidote," Emilia continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "But… I don't think you'll have enough time…"
She coughed again, her body sagging further against the wall.
[Quest Objective: Bring the antidote to Emilia to save her from her cruel fate.]
[Reward: Elite Treasure Chest and 500 Eternal Coins.]
Leon clenched his fist.
'Yeah,' he thought firmly. 'There's no way I'm letting this slip.'
This time, he would change the outcome.