Fwish!

Karl appeared on the second floor of the [Moon Tower], which worked completely differently than the first.

The first floor had been a simple test, a direct challenge meant to see if the player was strong enough to even deserve stepping foot inside the tower.

But the second floor… the second floor actually let you move, explore, and get lost.

The [Second Floor] was a massive maze-like zone, one that stretched out in multiple directions with halls twisting and turning endlessly.

The walls were lined with countless carvings, symbols, shapes, and patterns that glowed faintly in the dark, giving the entire place a strange, mysterious atmosphere.

Every step Karl took echoed slightly, carried along the winding passages.

And as Karl stepped out of the small room he had spawned into… he immediately noticed several monsters waiting for him in the nearby hallway.

---

[Moon Slime (Level 16)]

[Rank: Rare]

[HP: 30,000]

---

[Moon Goblins (Level 17)]

[Rank: Elite]

[HP: 40,000]

---

Several of these monsters turned toward Karl's location at the exact same moment.

Their eyes glowed faintly, their bodies tensing up as if they instantly recognized him as a threat.

Karl didn't even hesitate.

His fingers tightened around his staff, and he lifted it with his usual calm expression.

And—

Cataclysmic Fireball!

BOOM!

-43,050!

The fireball detonated with an explosive roar, engulfing the entire hallway in flames.

Every single one of the monsters was blown apart instantly, leaving behind only drifting smoke and fading flashes of light where they had once been.

Not a single creature on this floor could even threaten him right now.

His damage was simply too overwhelming.

Though, of course, Karl knew perfectly well that the strength of the monsters would rapidly start increasing the deeper he went.

But for now…

Ding!

[You have gained 24,000 experience points.]

[You have gained 73 Lives.]

"Nice."

Once done with these monsters, Karl stepped deeper into the maze-like corridors.

The halls stretched far ahead, twisting into paths he couldn't see, and every time he turned a corner, the carvings on the walls shifted into different shapes of the moon.

And eventually… he finally encountered actual players.

Two of them, standing side by side, currently fighting a group of [Moon Goblins].

"God damn it."

"Watch out for the goblins!"

Karl ignored them.

He wasn't interested in whatever they were doing, but the fact that there were indeed other players on this floor meant he wasn't in a separate instance.

It was simply that this maze was big enough to scatter everyone apart.

He kept moving, not slowing down.

And after a few more minutes…

"RUN!"

He encountered another group of players, but this group was not fighting.

They were sprinting in the opposite direction as fast as they could.

One of them almost collided with Karl before stopping right in front of him, pale and panting.

"Don't stay here. There's a terrifying boss ahead."

"…?"

Karl slightly tilted his head, but before he could even ask, he suddenly heard loud rumbling coming from further down the hall.

Heavy footsteps. Cracking stone.

A deep, sharp sound of something massive dragging metal across the floor.

"Just go," Karl spoke lightly, taking a calm step forward, "I can deal with it."

"D-Damn, well don't complain if you die!" the man shouted before turning around and sprinting after his teammates.

And right as Karl took another step forward…

BOOM!!!

The hall in front of him broke apart as a massive monster burst through the stone, swinging its enormous sword directly at Karl's location.

Clang!

The blade struck Karl's [Powerful Magic Barrier], stopping dead in its tracks, sparking violently before the monster lifted its sword back.

Karl finally got a good look at it.

---

[Goblin Warlord (Level 17)]

[Rank: Elite (Boss)]

[HP: 100,000]

---

"Damn, no wonder."

The thing was massive.

Much bigger than the [Moon Goblin General] he had fought on the first floor.

Heavy armor. A giant blade. A body filled with insane strength.

Most players, when facing something like this, usually did the smartest possible thing: run.

When they knew the boss was too strong, why risk dying?

Especially on a floor where many people came to grind levels.

But for Karl, running wasn't even an option.

Not when this thing was basically a walking treasure chest.

He needed all the evolution points he could get from ANY boss.

In fact…

"Thank you for coming to me," Karl grinned, a devilish smile appearing on his face, "Free EP."

The monster didn't react to his demonic expression.

After all, monsters of [Gods Ascension] didn't care about anything, they only wanted to kill.

Even while facing an overwhelmingly strong foe, most of them wouldn't react and keep trying.

But the moment it looked directly into Karl's eyes… it suddenly shuddered.

It flinched. Its body tensed up. It even took a step back.

Karl narrowed his eyes.

'It only reacted when it saw my eyes.'

It truly seemed like these monsters felt fear when they saw he was linked to the [God of Oblivion].

But he didn't have time to think about it much more.

He pointed his staff forward.

Cataclysmic Fireball! Frostbite Crystals!

Boom! Bam!

-43,050!

The fireball struck the warlord straight on, blasting it backward with a massive explosion.

The boss quickly recovered, roaring and rushing forward again, swinging its blade to deflect each of Karl's crystals.

But right as it was about to attack again—

Storm of Lightning!

Zap!!!

Lightning surged out of Karl's staff, flooding the entire hallway in less than a second.

-34,440!

The bolts hit everything, including the [Goblin Warlord].

Ding!

["Goblin Warlord" has been stunned.]

The boss froze with its blade raised, unable to move.

Sparks danced across its armor, its massive body momentarily paralyzed.

Karl didn't waste a single moment.

Moon Beam!

Normally, [Moon Beam] was difficult to use in battle.

The one-second charge time made it risky.

In later zones of [Gods Ascension], one second was more than enough time for enemies to kill him.

And because it was a charging spell, if something interrupted him, the skill simply wouldn't activate.

But a stunned enemy… was the perfect window.

Karl charged the moon beam.

A bright silver light formed at the tip of his staff, building up rapidly.

And just as the warlord recovered—

BOOM!!!

The silver beam shot out violently.

-15,000! -15,000! -15,000!

And with that, the boss was finished.

The massive goblin collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Karl glanced back, but the group of players who had been running earlier was already far gone.

He simply shrugged.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Goblin Warlord (Level 17 Elite-Rank Boss)"]

[You have gained 40,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 16!]

[You have gained 5 points in all attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 9 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 52 Lives!]

---

"Nice."

Much like every other boss he fought, it dropped its [Goblin Warlord Blade], which Karl stored without hesitation.

Then he checked his evolution points.

[Current Evolution Points: 18.]

'Decent,' Karl thought, 'But I need much more.'

His goals right now were simple: gather as many evolution points as possible, reach the top of the [Moon Tower], and most importantly… reach level 25.

Only then could he undergo his second advancement task, become far stronger, and continue his progress through [Gods Ascension].

'Come to me, experience points,' Karl's grin widened as he stepped into another hall and saw a whole horde of monsters waiting ahead, 'I really need to hit level 25.'

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