As long as Leon was the one who contributed the most to a battle, it seemed his talent would always activate without fail. That much was clear now.
Whether it required him to land the finishing blow was something he still needed to test. He wondered if striking a monster once and letting others kill it would count, or if the system was stricter than that.
Either way, those details could wait. What mattered now were the rewards.
Leon opened his storage space and looked through the items he had obtained from the mutated goblin.
[Eternal Coins x10]
[Mutated Small Goblin Essence: Consuming will increase strength by 3.]
[Goblin Machete +2 (Common): +15 Attack, +6 Strength.]
He stared at the list for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.
"I guess it doesn't change much if the mutated monster doesn't have many differences," he muttered.
In the end, that creature had still been a goblin. Taller, more aggressive, and stronger than usual, yes, but not fundamentally different.
Mutations raised stats, not rarity. Bosses were the ones that truly warped the rules.
Without hesitating, Leon consumed the essence first. A warm sensation spread through his body, flowing into his muscles and settling there, familiar by now. Strength rose, and with it, his overall stability in combat.
Next, he pulled out the machete. He already had one identical to it in his storage. There was no reason to keep both separate.
Fwish!
[You have consumed two identical equipments… enhancement successful!]
When the light faded, Leon now had two [Goblin Machete +3] with him. One was already equipped. The other sat unused, sharp and heavy, its stats noticeably higher than before.
'Maybe I could give it to David or one of his teammates,' Leon thought briefly. 'But they'll be fine, I think.'
David and Aaron were competent, and more importantly, cautious. They wouldn't die anytime soon if they kept playing it smart.
Still, Leon couldn't ignore the thought that his presence here, his interference compared to his past life, might cause a snowball effect. Even small changes could eventually spiral into something unpredictable.
He pushed the thought aside and kept moving.
The deeper he went into the [Wild Forest], the more monsters he encountered. Demonized rats scurried between roots and rocks, their red eyes glowing faintly in the dim light beneath the canopy.
Leon killed them without hesitation, fireballs bursting through their bodies or his machete cleaving them apart in a single swing.
At one point, he encountered a mutated demonized rat. Larger than the others, its muscles swollen unnaturally, its movements erratic and aggressive. It lunged at him with surprising speed, but Leon met it head-on, crushing it without mercy.
Fwish!
[Demonized Rat Essence: Consuming will increase constitution by 2.]
Leon consumed it immediately. His body felt heavier, sturdier, as if his bones and organs had been reinforced from within.
He checked his status again, eyes narrowing slightly as the numbers updated.
[Combat Power: 190 (+124)]
Leon let out a low whistle.
His combat power had officially surpassed 300. That meant level 4 monsters would no longer pose a real threat to him. He could fight them cleanly, without needing to gamble his life.
A wide grin spread across his face.
"I'm not far from level 3 either," he said to himself. "Once I reach it, I'll be able to unlock the [Level Ranking]."
Rankings were more than just bragging rights. In the future, they shaped reputation, drew attention, and influenced how gods and factions viewed players from all races.
Leon knew better than anyone how dangerous that could be, but he also knew how powerful it was to stand at the top early.
Just as he was about to keep moving forward, a familiar sound echoed in his ears.
Ding!
The chime rang out clearly, not just for him, but for every player inside [Eternal Ascension]. Leon stopped walking instantly.
'Right,' he thought. 'About an hour has passed.'
Sure enough, the announcement followed.
[The Trading House is now open for everyone. You can buy and sell items without any fees.]
[Note that currently, it is limited to trades within your novice village.]
"Expected," Leon said calmly.
It had been exactly one hour since they were all summoned into this world.
The opening of the [Trading House] always came at this time. It was the first real taste of economy in [Eternal Ascension], the place where [Eternal Coins] stopped being numbers and started becoming leverage.
Voices immediately erupted across the system channels.
"Wait a minute, why are there already items being sold?"
"What kind of junk is this? They're selling novice machetes for five Eternal Coins. Are they trying to scam people?"
"Someone's listing monster meat. Let's buy it so we can eat," David said, purchasing food for his team without hesitation. "Better than starving."
Eleonore tilted her head while browsing, her expression growing more confused by the second, "Why is there women's underwear being sold… and why did someone just buy it?"
"Buying a [Goblin Machete] for ten Eternal Coins, anyone selling?"
Leon observed quietly, watching listings appear and disappear at a rapid pace. The market was chaotic, full of ignorance and impulse. Players didn't yet understand value. Some hoarded coins. Others spent them recklessly.
For Leon, there was nothing there he needed. With his talent, he could obtain everything himself.
Still, he knew [Eternal Coins] weren't useless. Far from it. Once players left the [Novice Village], coins would become essential.
"Well," Leon murmured, "I might as well sell my machete."
He opened the [Trading House] interface and selected the [Goblin Machete +3] he wasn't using. He listed it carefully, setting the price at forty Eternal Coins.
It was expensive, but fair.
Given how rare enhancement levels were this early, and considering the stats, it was a steal for anyone who understood what they were looking at.
The moment he confirmed the listing, the item shot straight to the top of the Trading House page.
"What kind of idiot sells something for that price?"
"Wait, look at the enhancement level. It's +3."
"…What?"
The chatter exploded. Players stared at the weapon's stats in disbelief.
+30 Attack and +12 Strength.
That kind of weapon could carry someone through the start of the [Novice Village] phase without trouble. It was undeniably overpowered.
Only a few seconds passed and...
Ding!
[Your "Goblin Machete +3" has been sold to "David Windbreak."]
"Hah," Leon chuckled softly. "So he did buy it."
The machete vanished from Leon's storage and appeared directly in David's hands.
That seamless transfer was exactly why the [Trading House] was so valuable.
'The other novice villages must have some interesting items by now,' Leon thought. 'But that can wait.'
For now, what mattered was strength.
He closed the Trading House and refocused on the [Wild Forest]. The map hovered faintly in his vision, but it showed nothing special yet.
'I'm still not strong enough to attempt that quest,' Leon thought. 'Level 5, at least.'
With that in mind, he continued forward.
Before long, another group of monsters appeared. At this depth of the forest, levels below 3 were rare. The danger was rising steadily, just as he remembered.
Fireball!
A demonized rat exploded in flames. Leon dashed forward, cutting down a small goblin before narrowly avoiding an arrow that whistled past his head.
He turned sharply.
---
[Archer Goblin]
[Level: 3]
[Combat Power: 220]
[Details: A goblin that wields a bow and fires arrows. Becomes defenseless once at close range.]
---
Leon closed the distance instantly.
Fwish!
He deflected an arrow mid-step and swung his machete in one smooth motion, slicing through the goblin's skull.
Ding!
[You have killed "Goblin Archer" and gained 15 experience points.]
[You have killed…]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
The system messages stacked rapidly, and then—
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 3!]
[You have gained 5 points in all attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]
Leon exhaled slowly.
'Perfect.'
His growth was steady, efficient. Exactly how he wanted it.
Without hesitation, he allocated the five free points into [Spirit]. Now that he had spells, his spell efficiency mattered far more than raw physical stats alone.
After that, he equipped the necklace he had been waiting to use.
[Purple Jade Necklace (Rare): +15 Spirit, +20 Constitution. Comes with the "Purple Jade" defensive skill. Requirement: Level 3.]
The moment he equipped it, a faint protective sensation wrapped around his body, subtle but reassuring. His stats surged again, and Leon immediately checked his combat power.
[Combat Power: 240 (+194)]
"Haha!" Leon laughed openly this time. "Incredible."
He clenched his fist, feeling the strength and stability coursing through him.
"I might actually be able to complete that quest sooner than expected now."
And with that thought firmly in mind, Leon turned his gaze deeper into the forest, already planning his next move.