The moment Leon opened his [Storage Space], a loud announcement echoed, not just in [Novice Village #1], but across every single novice village without exception.
[Congratulations to Leon Rykard for clearing the Hard difficulty "Wild Ruins".]
The message appeared simultaneously before countless players.
"What?"
"Holy shit… which novice village is that guy from?"
"Damn…"
Confusion, shock, disbelief, reactions erupted everywhere.
This was the first time such an announcement had ever appeared since the start of [Eternal Ascension].
Not a single player had even discovered the [Wild Ruins], yet this Leon guy cleared it already?
But while many villages buzzed with shock and awe, [Novice Village #5] reacted very differently.
"This little fuck!" Damon roared, slamming his fist down. "Our village is still stuck with that experience and resource penalty, and he's already soaring ahead like this?!"
"We can still kill monsters just fine," Maki replied after a brief pause, her tone far calmer. "But maybe it's time we stop messing around and actually focus on getting stronger."
"I know," Damon growled, clenching his teeth. "But now I'm sure of one thing. That bastard isn't some random nobody like the others."
The announcement burned into his mind: Leon Rykard.
Damon and Maki exchanged a brief look. Neither of them spoke again, but neither was thinking of backing down. It didn't matter how far Leon pulled ahead.
Eventually, they would catch up. Eventually, they would settle things.
Meanwhile, back in the depths of the [Wild Ruins], a different panel appeared before Leon. This one wasn't global. It was his alone.
[Since you are the first to conquer this dungeon in its Hard difficulty, you have been rewarded with 20 Reputation Points.]
"Damn…"
Leon stared at the number, genuinely surprised. Twenty reputation points was an enormous reward, especially at this stage.
His gaze immediately shifted to his status.
[Reputation Points: 40]
"Hah," he muttered, unable to hide his satisfaction. "Only ten more, and I'll get my first reward."
In his past life, Leon had never heard of any human reaching fifty reputation points before their first assessment at the [Novice Divine Temple].
Most players barely scraped together a handful by then.
He didn't know exactly how much this would influence his future rewards, but one thing was certain: it wouldn't hurt.
Then his eyes dropped to another line.
[Level: 9 (4,850/5,000)]
"Damn… I'm really close."
He needed barely any experience now. One or two decent monsters, and he'd level up. Once he reached level 10, he would be forced to advance to the next stage of [Eternal Ascension].
Before worrying about that, though, Leon refocused his attention on his [Storage Space].
[Eternal Coins x500]
[Flower Demon King Essence: Consuming will increase Constitution by 10 and Spirit by 15.]
[Wild Forest King Essence: Consuming will increase Strength by 30, Agility by 20, and Constitution by 15.]
[Skill Stones x6]
[Enhancement Stones x5]
[Wild Forest Sword (Epic): +250 Attack, +200 Strength. Requirement: Level 10.]
[Crescent Slash (Skill Book). Requirement: Level 10.]
[Sub-Talent Scrolls: Constitution Enhancement (F-Level) and Strength Enhancement (F-Level)]
[Wild Forest Crown (Epic): All attributes +100. Requirement: Conquer the "Wild Ruins" in "Hard" difficulty.]
"…Damn."
Even Leon had to admit it. The loot was insane.
Most of it clearly came from the [Wild Forest King], but that was to be expected. Zone bosses always dropped items far beyond normal standards.
Without wasting time, Leon consumed both essences. As the energy flowed into his body, he felt a clear and immediate change.
His muscles tightened slightly, his breathing steadied, and his spirit pool expanded. The stronger the monster, the greater the benefit from its essence, and these two had been among the strongest possible at this level.
Normally, players barely ever obtained monster essences. The drop rate was absurdly low.
Leon, however, was an exception.
After that, he checked his stones and merged them with what he already had.
[Skill Stones x14]
[Enhancement Stones x11]
"Nice."
With that amount, he could evolve multiple skills or reinforce several pieces of equipment once he found the right opportunity.
His gaze lingered briefly on the [Wild Forest Sword] and the [Crescent Slash] skill book. He wanted to equip and learn them immediately, but the level requirement stopped him short.
It wouldn't take long to reach level 10, but rules were rules. For now, he stored them away.
Next, Leon picked up the [Wild Forest Crown].
He placed it on his head without hesitation.
The crown was woven entirely from thick vines, interlaced with small, living flowers that pulsed faintly with energy.
It didn't feel heavy at all, but the moment he equipped it, power surged through his body.
The requirement was unusual. Instead of a level restriction, it demanded proof: conquering the [Wild Ruins] on [Hard] difficulty.
That condition alone made the item nearly impossible to sell. The number of people capable of meeting it was small, even across all races.
Leon felt the effect instantly. All attributes increased by one hundred.
That single item boosted his combat power by roughly eight hundred points in one go. It was absurd.
Finally, Leon turned his attention to the two sub-talent scrolls.
He already possessed [Constitution Enhancement], so he didn't hesitate to learn the one he lacked.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have learned the F-Level Sub-Talent: "Strength Enhancement".]
[Strength Enhancement (F-Level): Permanently increases Strength by 10%.]
It functioned exactly as expected, mirroring [Constitution Enhancement] but affecting strength instead. Leon nodded in satisfaction.
Then his gaze fell to the remaining scroll in his hand.
Another player would have learned it immediately without thinking twice. But Leon already had that sub-talent.
Did that make the scroll useless? Not at all.
Sub-talents followed the same underlying rules as items. They could be fused.
Unlike equipment, however, a failed fusion wouldn't destroy the existing sub-talent. Only the scroll itself would break.
Leon focused his mana, tore the scroll apart, and let the fragments dissolve into his body.
The energy merged with his existing sub-talent.
Ding!
[Fusion successful.]
[You have evolved "Constitution Enhancement (F-Level)" to "Constitution Enhancement (E-Level).]
[Constitution Enhancement (E-Level): Permanently increases Constitution by 20%.]
"Nice."
This improvement would scale even harder as his base attributes increased. It was a long-term benefit, and one that most players wouldn't even consider possible this early.
'I wonder how far I can evolve it,' Leon thought, a grin tugging at his lips. 'I'll need more sub-talent scrolls for that, though.'
As that thought crossed his mind, a portal formed in front of the shattered throne. Its surface shimmered faintly.
It was the exit. Without hesitation, Leon stepped forward and left the [Wild Ruins].
Ding!
A few seconds later, he emerged outside the massive ruin structure, standing once again in the original [Wild Forest].
The air felt lighter here. Familiar.
"I'll kill a few more monsters and move on," Leon said quietly, nodding to himself.
But before that, he wanted to meet David, Eleonore, and the others at least one more time.