Due to the fact that the lives-loss rate increased this much, it meant every other player would also need to be much more careful from this point onward.

It wasn't just something you could shrug off.

Even for someone like Karl, who had stacked a ridiculous amount of lives compared to the average player, the system still made the rule clear: it would only take 37 deaths to permanently die here.

And since most players didn't have anywhere near that amount to begin with, surviving zones like this became incredibly hard.

That was why so many players preferred to stay inside the safety of the cities for a while, slowly grinding for lives before heading any deeper.

It was the smartest thing you could do.

Lives weren't just a number, they were a shield, a safety net that stood between you and complete deletion.

And because the lives-loss rate of each region only got worse the further you advanced, anyone who wanted to go deeper had to be extra careful.

One mistake could ruin everything.

Fwish!

After about a minute of rushing through the [Blooming Lands] on the back of Moonless, Karl finally noticed the first group of monsters ahead.

The grass swayed and shifted as something moved beneath the thick vines.

Moonless lowered her body instinctively, her ears perked forward as she prepared to charge.

'Good.'

Karl tightened his grip on her fur as they came to a stop.

---

[Blooming Sprouts (Level 26)]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[HP: 80,000]

---

'Alright… next stage.'

The monsters were now officially above level 25, meaning that Karl had entered the next major stage of the game.

Things would start scaling harder from here.

He remembered the general progression path players had to follow to advance further into the continent.

But since this was a new life, he couldn't actually predict what would happen next.

The world wasn't identical to his previous run, especially now that he was involved with anything related to the [Gods Continent].

'Maybe I'll have to do something related to that again,' Karl thought, 'Which is fine by me.'

He planned to reach the [Gods Continent] no matter what.

Even if he needed to explore every single corner of the [Ascension Continent] along the way, he would do it.

Nothing was stopping him now.

He focused his gaze back on the [Blooming Sprouts] standing ahead.

At first glance, they looked harmless enough, small green sprouts with different-colored flowers blooming from the top of their heads.

Some players might even call them cute.

But to Karl, cuteness didn't exist in [Gods Ascension].

Every monster here was designed to kill you if given the chance.

The moment the sprouts noticed him, their flowers quivered.

Then their entire sprout bodies stretched open like a maw, revealing rows of sharp, plant-like teeth that dripped with green sap.

"Heh."

Karl didn't even flinch.

Fire Meteor!

The flames gathered instantly above his head, swirling into a blazing orb that grew larger and heavier by the second.

He didn't waste time.

The meteor dropped.

BOOM!

-453,150!

All four monsters were charred to ash instantly.

They didn't even move.

The fire smothered them completely, leaving nothing but scorched vines and steaming soil behind.

The damage was much higher than usual, jumping from the typical 302,100 to 453,150, and the reason was simple: these monsters were weak to fire.

Fire-type skills in this region could boost your chances of surviving massively.

Karl had learned that the hard way in his previous life, so he appreciated having a fire spell early.

Still, even though the [Blooming Lands] had taken Karl weeks to traverse back then, he knew these lands were nothing compared to the monsters that appeared in later zones.

Ding!

[You have gained 28,000 experience points!]

[You have gained 102 Lives!]

Hand of Oblivion!

Ding!

[You have gained 84 Lives!]

"Nice."

Karl naturally used [Hand of Oblivion] on every enemy he killed.

It was basically free extra lives/EP or loot each time, and with the increasing lives-loss rate, he needed every advantage he could get.

Once the skill finished absorbing what it could, Moonless burst forward again, eager to move.

She enjoyed fighting just as much as he did, but before they could reach another group of monsters, the terrain shifted.

The vines thinned, the floral mist grew heavier, and a clear path opened up.

They had reached the gates of [Floral City].

Of course, the entrance was guarded, and several NPC guards immediately shifted their stance when they saw Karl approaching on the back of a massive silver wolf-like beast.

---

[Floral City Guard (Level 50)]

[Rank: ???]

[HP: ???]

---

Their levels were absurdly high, completely unreachable for players at this stage.

Karl knew very well that nobody could defeat them, even if a thousand players grouped up.

He jumped off Moonless' back and unsummoned her quickly before she could react aggressively.

The guards were strong enough to erase her instantly—there was no point provoking them.

"Hm."

The guards eyed him suspiciously for a moment.

Karl stared back calmly until they finally sighed, relaxed their stance, and allowed him to pass.

Other than the fact that he rode in on a terrifying monster, he hadn't done anything wrong.

And so, Karl stepped through the gates of [Floral City] without any trouble, entering the main square.

"Nice."

Compared to [Moon City], [Floral City] felt deeper, older, and more rooted in the world.

This city actually had a king, one that players could meet upon reaching level 50.

Karl didn't care much about that, but he always had a lingering bad feeling about that king.

Something in the man's aura was… off.

It was like he always knew much more than he ever revealed, yet pretended not to.

Like he was hiding something far beyond what players understood.

'But the [Floral King] is the strongest being in the entire [Blooming Lands].'

Karl had seen it before.

At one point, around 300 players teamed up to attack the king just to see how much experience or loot he would drop.

But even without his guards, the king annihilated every single one of them effortlessly. A terrifying existence.

Which meant that even if Karl wanted answers, he wouldn't get any.

The king wouldn't bother explaining anything.

Worse, the king became extremely aggressive whenever anyone mentioned the giant crimson flower in the sky.

So aggressive that it became banned to talk about it in this city.

Meaning Karl's only way of ever uncovering the truth… would be to overpower the [Floral King].

But with his current arsenal, he had no chance.

Even if Karl gained an instant-kill spell, it wouldn't matter if the king could dodge it.

Raw power alone wasn't enough.

Karl looked around as he stepped deeper into the city's main square.

The differences from [Moon City] were obvious.

Every NPC here had some form of plant growing from their body: vines wrapped around their arms or legs, flowers blooming above their heads.

Some flowers were normal ones you could find on Earth, while others were strange, glowing, or shaped unlike anything seen before.

One even had a flower with a flame burning above it.

These inhabitants were clearly tied to plants in a way the previous city was tied to moonlight.

The players here were stronger as well.

More experienced.

Anyone who reached this place already understood how [Gods Ascension] worked on a basic level.

From here on out, new mechanics would only get more complex, and the monsters would only get stronger.

Since Karl didn't know of any [Special Quest] in this city, he figured it would be better to leave immediately and head outside to level up.

He only entered because he needed a second to clear his thoughts.

But right as he took another step—

"Holy shit, it's [HolyDemon]!"

"WHAT?!"

"Is that really him? Why is he here?!"

A commotion suddenly erupted all around Karl.

Players turned, pointed, whispered, shouted.

The noise rose fast, like a wave rolling through the crowd.

Karl frowned and pushed his way forward to see what was happening.

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