Moonless' teeth flared with a sharp silver glow as the [Moon Crystal] empowered her bite, making the light shimmer along every edge of her fangs.

SNAP!

Her jaws closed around the air where Karl had been a split second earlier.

Karl pushed himself back with everything he had, feeling the heat of her breath pass right in front of his face.

But he didn't even get the chance to breathe.

Moonless' massive paws lifted from the ground, her claws flashing with the same silver light as she swung down at him in a brutal arc.

'Can't dodge that,' Karl thought, already bracing himself, 'Then…'

Swash!

He swung his staff up, smashing it against the incoming claws.

BAM!

The impact rang out across the cavern.

-300!

Karl gritted his teeth.

It wasn't much damage, but it was the first time he received some in this life.

Worse, the force behind the hit sent him skidding backward across the stone floor.

His boots scraped the ground as he tried to keep balance.

But something felt wrong. Very wrong.

Karl looked down at his staff, and his eyes widened.

A long, thin fissure now ran along its side, the crack spreading like a spiderweb.

'Oh shit.'

Ding!

[Your "Moon Staff" is on the verge of breaking.]

Karl inhaled sharply.

The staff was his lifeline. If it broke, he didn't know what would happen.

He'd never tried casting spells without one, and doing so was something only powerful mages with insane control could manage.

And even then, they didn't get the [Spirit] boost from their staff.

It was weaker, slower, and extremely unreliable.

And right now? In the middle of a Legendary-Rank zone boss fight? Not a chance.

He forced his focus back onto Moonless.

She was already preparing to lunge again, her four silver eyes locked onto him like a beast that had decided its prey wasn't allowed to escape twice.

The staff wasn't fully broken yet, so he could still cast normally—but one more direct hit and it would shatter completely.

He couldn't afford that.

'I don't know if I can cast my spells without a staff,' Karl thought, tension freezing inside him, 'Can't risk it.'

Weapons in [Gods Ascension] didn't have normal durability, but they could still break when used the wrong way, like smashing a basic wooden staff against the claws of a legendary beast.

A sword clashing against a stronger sword could snap.

A staff trying to block a monster's physical attack? That was just suicidal.

Only a complete maniac would use their staff as a shield instead of simply standing far away and casting spells.

But Karl… well, Karl had just proven he was that maniac.

'Need a staff that's way more durable,' he thought with a sigh, 'No matter.'

He pushed himself back to his feet, positioning himself as far away as the last knockback had sent him.

Moonless charged again, claws scraping deep lines into the ground.

Karl raised his cracked staff.

Fire Meteor!

FWOOOM!

A massive meteor erupted from the staff and slammed directly into Moonless' chest.

BOOM!

Flames exploded outward, sending silver smoke flickering around her fur as the hit landed.

-38,475!

Karl's eyes widened. That wasn't enough. Not even close.

'Right. The [Moon Crystal],' Karl realized immediately, 'She's getting a 50% damage reduction.'

He had assumed the meteor would end it, but nope.

All the attack managed to do was bring her to the brink of death.

She was staggering, but still alive, and still fast.

And before Karl could gather the mana for another spell…

Moonless lunged again.

Lunar Bite!

She moved with terrifying speed, her entire massive body sweeping across the cavern in an instant.

Her jaws opened wider than before, showing rows of silver fangs that seemed ready to tear him apart whole.

Karl didn't even have a full second.

'Damn.'

The sight was horrifying, but he stayed calm.

Panic would kill him faster than any monster.

'If I try to dodge, she'll adjust immediately… and I can't block her claws again. This staff won't survive. Meaning…'

Karl inhaled deeply, just enough to steady everything inside him.

Revenant Call!

A cold wind rushed out as the [Soul Revenant] snapped into existence in front of him, its ghostly body forming between Karl and Moonless.

Karl didn't waste a heartbeat, he immediately jumped to the side.

SNAP!

Moonless' jaws clamped shut on the Revenant's torso, cutting it clean in half.

Nom!

She swallowed the spirit whole, silver light trailing from her teeth as she realized she'd eaten something that wasn't Karl.

Her four eyes turned, searching for him again—

The moment she looked in Karl's direction, he lifted his staff.

Storm of Lightning!

CRACK!

Lightning burst across the area in a huge arc, filling the cavern with blinding flashes as the spell detonated.

ZAP!

-20,520!

Moonless froze mid-step, her entire body seizing up.

Her jaw fell slightly open, her eyes turning hollow as the electricity fried her from the inside out.

Then—

Bam!

She collapsed, her massive body falling limp and unmoving.

'God damn.'

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Moonless, The Lunar Beast (Level 25 Legendary-Rank Zone Boss)"]

[You have gained 400,000 experience points!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 23 + Level 24 + Level 25!]

[You have gained 15 points in all of your attributes, and 15 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 20 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 302 Lives!]

---

Karl couldn't help it, his smile stretched wide.

He had to admit, he was proud.

He thought the boss was going to be simple at first, but Moonless' second phase had turned her into a complete nightmare.

The fact he still managed to beat her, with a half-broken staff no less, felt incredible.

Ding!

[You have completed the "Fifth Floor" of the "Moon Tower"]

Fwish!

The cavern rumbled.

Beyond Moonless' corpse, the dark space she had emerged from suddenly lit up with a bright glow.

And there, was a golden chest.

'Bingo,' Karl grinned, 'That's the zone reward.'

He could grab it anytime, but before that, Karl walked toward Moonless' body to check her drops.

But just as he stepped forward—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A global announcement echoed through the entire world of [Gods Ascension], reaching every player no matter where they were.

---

[Player "Oblivion" is the first to complete the five floors of the "Moon Tower" and defeat "Moonless, The Lunar Beast"]

[You have gained 20 Prestige Points!]

---

"Oblivion again? Who the fuck is this?"

"He already cleared some random hidden zone nobody knew about… and now he finished the [Moon Tower] too?"

"He must have some busted class. No way a newbie gets that far."

The reactions flooded in instantly.

But unlike the first announcement Karl triggered days ago, this one made even the top players stop what they were doing.

Every strong player had tried climbing the [Moon Tower].

Some couldn't even get a [Fourth Floor Key], others couldn't pass the [Moon Skeleton King].

No one had beaten Moonless. But Karl did.

Even if they didn't say anything, even the top 100 players were now paying attention.

Meanwhile, Karl focused on the important part: Prestige Points.

Those were incredibly valuable, and this reward was huge.

But before he could even enjoy it fully—

Ding!

---

[Congratulations, you have reached level 25.]

[Your experience will now be locked until you complete your advancement task.]

[Depending on the rating of your advancement task, your class may evolve in different ways.]

---

Karl sighed.

Again, he would need to complete an advancement task before leveling any further.

[Level: 25 (Locked)]

He didn't waste time.

Before touching the chest or anything else, he opened his task window to see what the next requirement was.

Ding!

[You will receive the hardest Tier-2 Advancement Task possible.]

[Tier-2 Advancement Task: Acquire the "Crystal Key"]

"Huh?"

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