Fwish! Ding!
[You have arrived at the S-Rank Assessment Ground: "Origin Plains"]
Leon slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the silence.
It wasn't the peaceful kind either. It was heavy, pressing down on him from all sides, as if the land itself was watching.
Dark green grass stretched endlessly across the plains, its color muted, almost drained of life.
Above him, the sky was dim and clouded, with no visible sun or stars, just a dull, oppressive glow that made it hard to tell whether it was day or night.
Far in the distance stood a massive mountain. It towered over everything else in the plains, rising like a pillar that pierced the sky.
Its peak radiated an overwhelming power, faint waves of pressure rolling outward from it, subtle yet impossible to ignore.
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"This is…"
He had never seen this place before. And yet, as he stared at the mountain, a strange feeling stirred within him.
Not in the sense that he remembered it, but more like his body recognized it.
As if something deep inside him was being pulled toward that peak, quietly urging him to move.
Leon frowned slightly. What made things even stranger was the lack of information.
Normally, the moment someone entered an assessment ground, a panel would appear explaining the objective.
Even A-Rank assessments gave at least some guidance, as he had spoken to some people who went through them.
"You'll know what to do as soon as it starts."
But now? Nothing.
Leon waited for a few more seconds, scanning his surroundings, half-expecting another panel to pop up.
But nothing appeared.
"…So I have to figure it out myself," he muttered.
He crouched down and placed his palm against the ground, channeling his power.
Appraisal!
He wanted a map. Or at least some basic information about the terrain.
Beep!
[You are not allowed to analyze this place.]
Leon's brow twitched.
"So it's restricted."
Either the assessment itself blocked Appraisal entirely, or his skill simply wasn't high enough to pierce whatever authority governed this land.
Given that this was an S-Rank assessment, the latter wouldn't be surprising.
He stood back up and dusted off his hand.
"Fine."
If he couldn't rely on Appraisal, then he'd do things the old-fashioned way.
Leon lifted his gaze once more toward the distant mountain. The pressure coming from its peak hadn't lessened in the slightest.
If anything, the longer he stared, the more it felt like the source of everything here.
"That's where I'm supposed to go," he concluded.
There was no time limit announced, which meant he didn't need to rush recklessly. Still, standing still wouldn't accomplish anything either.
Leon leaned forward and burst into motion.
The moment he sprinted, the plains around him blurred.
His agility had long surpassed what level 10 should allow, and every step sent him flying dozens of meters forward.
The dark grass bent under his feet, the air whistling past his ears as he advanced straight toward the mountain.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
No monsters. No obstacles. Just the endless plains and that looming peak ahead.
Then—
BOOM!
The ground in front of Leon suddenly split open.
A massive fissure tore through the earth, stretching wide enough to swallow buildings.
From within the darkness below, cold, oppressive auras surged outward.
Leon skidded to a halt just as figures began to crawl out of the crack. Six of them.
They were clad in pitch-black armor, their forms tall and imposing.
Dark mist leaked from the gaps in their armor, and beneath their helmets, faint crimson lights flickered where eyes should have been.
Every single one of them fixed their gaze on Leon. Leon exhaled slowly and activated Appraisal.
---
[Soldier of Darkness]
[Level: 10]
[Talent: Darkness Control (D-Level)]
[Combat Power: 8,000]
[Details: Soldiers of darkness that follow the will of the Heavenly One. They will eliminate anything that obstructs their path.]
---
Leon's eyes sharpened.
"So that's how it is."
Each of these soldiers was pushing the absolute limit of level 10 combat power.
One of them alone would be enough to massacre an entire novice village.
Even inside the Novice Divine Temple, very few people could confidently defeat even one.
Six at once would normally be a death sentence. Leon, however, felt no fear.
"Well," he muttered, tightening his grip on both his staff and sword, "this is an assessment. I can't die here."
His gaze hardened.
"But that doesn't mean I can afford to hold back."
He raised his staff and poured Spirit into it without hesitation.
Powerful Fireball! Lightning Strike!
The air distorted violently.
A massive fireball condensed in front of Leon, its heat warping the space around it.
At the same time, crackling arcs of lightning gathered overhead, responding to his call.
He thrust his staff forward.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded as it struck the front line of soldiers, engulfing the area in searing flames.
The explosion was far stronger than anything Leon had used before.
The upgraded skill unleashed its full power, scorching the plains and sending shockwaves outward.
Two of the soldiers were instantly reduced to charred remains.
The other four were thrown back, their armor cracked and blackened, dark mist leaking uncontrollably from their bodies.
Leon's eyes flicked toward them.
"So it works."
A level 6 skill was something no one at this stage should possess.
The damage and area of effect were on a completely different level.
Zap!
The lightning strike descended next, slamming into one of the remaining soldiers. Electricity danced across its armor, locking its body in place.
Leon noticed something interesting at that moment. The other soldiers reacted.
They moved, positioning themselves between Leon and the stunned soldier, raising their blades defensively.
"I guess they have some sort of intelligence," Leon muttered.
One of the soldiers suddenly lunged forward, its movements sharp and decisive.
A dark blade flashed as it aimed straight for Leon's neck. Leon didn't even flinch.
Vision Enhancement!
The world slowed. Every motion became crystal clear.
Leon sidestepped with ease, the blade slicing through empty air.
In the same motion, he swung his sword, cutting cleanly through the soldier's side.
The dark armor split apart.
Before the soldier could retreat, Leon followed up with another slash, this time cleaving its body in half.
The remains collapsed onto the grass. Only three left.
They hesitated. Whether it was fear or calculation, Leon didn't care.
"If you won't come to me," he said calmly, "I'll go to you."
He shifted his stance and poured power into his sword.
Crescent Slash!
Energy gathered along the blade, forming a sharp, crescent-shaped arc.
The soldiers realized what was coming and attempted to move, but it was too late.
SLASH!
The crescent tore through the air, cutting across the plains in a wide arc.
It passed through all three soldiers in an instant, slicing cleanly through their armor and bodies.
They fell without another sound. Leon lowered his sword and let out a slow breath.
"…Yeah. Definitely overpowered."
Ding!
[You have killed x6 "Soldier of Darkness"]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
Leon immediately opened his storage, scanning through the loot. Given the nature of this place, he doubted these drops were meaningless.
And sure enough—
[Sub-Talent Scroll x6: Darkness Control (D-Level)]
[Sword of Darkness x3 (Epic): +300 Attack, +200 Strength. Requirement: At least one darkness-related skill or sub-talent.]
[Legacy Fragment x4 (Legendary): Pages taken from the Book of Inheritance. Records the legacy of the gods. Gather all fragments to obtain the inheritance. (4/30)]
Leon paused.
"…Legacy Fragments."
He focused on the pages. Each one was old, its surface covered in symbols and characters unlike anything he had ever seen.
Numbers were etched at the bottom of each page: 5, 8, 11, and 4.
When he tried to read them, nothing happened. He couldn't understand a single word.
Eternal Ascension automatically translated all languages, regardless of world or race. The fact that this wasn't being translated meant only one thing.
"This is beyond the system's standard rules."
Leon's expression grew serious. Thirty pages total. He had four.
"So this is the objective," he murmured. "Collect the pages. Then something happens."
Not every enemy dropped them, which meant he'd have to hunt specific targets, or perhaps stronger ones.
Leon's gaze sharpened with anticipation.
He also noted the other drops. Six D-Rank sub-talent scrolls were absurdly valuable, even at higher levels.
The swords were powerful too, though their requirements made them useless to him for now.
Without hesitation, Leon took one of the sub-talent scrolls and poured his mana into it.
The scroll tore apart, dissolving into dark particles that seeped into his body.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have learned the D-Level Sub-Talent: "Darkness Control"]