Now that Stark had gained so many [Lives] from the slaughter of the [Calamity Wolves] and their leader, he had some breathing room.
With this many, he could afford to extract some skills immediately.
But before diving into extraction... he had sometihng else to do.
Ding!
[Do you wish to consume 50 Evolution Points to evolve "Sharp Bone Spikes"?]
Stark’s lips curved.
This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
With his Evolution Points stacked up and his Lives secured, this was the perfect time.
"Yes."
Ding!
[You have evolved "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary) to "Piercing Bone Spikes" (Mythical).]
[Current Evolution Points: 10.]
’Perfect.’
---
[Piercing Bone Spikes (Mythical): Summon 10 → 15 skeletal spikes from the ground to pierce an opponent, each spike deals 1,500 → 2,000 damage and has a small chance to cause "bleeding". 25 → 20 (10)-seconds cooldown.]
---
’Holy shit.’
Stark’s eyes narrowed as he studied the new numbers.
The strength increase was brutal.
If every spike connected with a single target, the damage would easily surpass half a million.
That was more than enough to wound or even cripple a mythical-rank boss if timed correctly.
It was exactly the kind of skill he needed.
The problem was, he couldn’t use it yet.
The ability might have evolved in his system panel, but in reality it would remain stuck at its old legendary version until he paid the price.
And that price was Lives.
[Do you wish to use 1,500 Lives to adjust your "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary) into "Piercing Bone Spikes" (Mythical)?]
Stark nodded.
The logic was simple.
Extracting a legendary skill cost 1,000 Lives. A mythical skill cost 2,500.
To adjust from one to the other, he only had to pay the difference.
"Confirm."
[You have consumed 1,500 Lives.]
Ding!
[Your "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary) skill has been adjusted to "Piercing Bone Spikes" (Mythical).]
’Good.’
He clenched his staff tighter.
That was one of his core skills secured, boosted to mythical rank, and usable right now in the real world.
But he wasn’t done.
With Lives still to spare, he could push even further.
Another prompt appeared.
Ding!
[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Storm of Lightning" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]
"Yes."
Ding!
[You have consumed 2,500 Lives.]
[You have extracted your "Storm of Lightning" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]
Stark immediately checked his panel.
And sure enough, there it was, [Storm of Lightning] added to his current arsenal.
Seeing it listed there gave him a thrill.
Another mythical power, secured and ready.
That left only two more: [Curse Flower] and [Crystals of Death].
His last unextracted abilities. He glanced at his Lives count.
[Lives: 2,388]
’Only 122 short of another one.’
At this rate, he could actually have his entire arsenal in the real world before the second day even began.
The thought made him grin.
Having all his skills this early would make him unstoppable.
And he would need that strength.
Because once the second day hit, everything would change.
The first day had been full of fodder mobs: [Common] and [Uncommon] ranks, with only the occasional [Rare] or boss. Discover more novels at novel-fire.net
The second day wouldn’t be so forgiving.
The lowest tier of monsters would start at [Rare]. The stronger ones would be [Elite].
And on the final day... [Epic] rank mobs would swarm the world.
That was when the [First Calamity] would reach its peak, and when most civilizations collapsed.
Even now, he had already faced a legendary-rank boss, the [Iron Maiden].
Which meant the bosses didn’t obey the same rules as the mobs.
Their ranks remained high, and the stronger ones were still out there.
For Stark, that was both a warning and an opportunity.
He looked forward. The city was still in ruins.
Screams echoed faintly in the distance, but far fewer than earlier.
Each passing hour meant fewer survivors left.
He darted forward, hunting down anything he could find.
...
The rest of the first day passed in blood and fire.
Every monster he crossed, he killed.
Every square he checked, he found nothing but devastation.
Buildings torn down, entire neighborhoods empty of life.
The number of humans he encountered dwindled steadily, shrinking to almost nothing.
By the time night bled into morning, he checked his gains.
Ding!
[You have gained 47 Evolution Points!]
[You have gained 3,783 Lives!]
Stark stopped for a moment.
He hadn’t encountered anything like the wolf pack again.
That had been the largest and deadliest wave so far.
But even so, hundreds of kills meant thousands of Lives and a solid stack of Evolution Points.
Enough to finally do what he had been waiting for.
Ding!
[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Crystals of Death" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]
[Do you wish to use 2,500 Lives to extract your "Curse Flower" (Mythical) skill to the real world?]
He confirmed both instantly.
Ding!
[You have consumed 5,000 Lives.]
[You have extracted your "Crystals of Death" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]
[You have extracted your "Curse Flower" (Mythical) skill to the real world.]
Stark exhaled slowly, then smiled.
’Finally.’
[Crystals of Death] would definitely be useful.
And as for [Curse Flower], it might not have a fighting capability, but... you never know.
He wasn’t about to dismiss anything mythical.
And with that, his arsenal was complete.
---
[Skills: Blazing Meteor (Ancient), Invincible Magic Barrier (Mythical), Hand of Avarice (Mythical), Crystals of Death (Mythical), Vines of Fate (Mythical), Curse Flower (Mythical), Storm of Lightning (Mythical), Piercing Bone Spikes (Mythical)]
---
Every skill he had once possessed in [Eternal Soul] was now his here, in the real world.
And he had achieved it before the second day even began.
He couldn’t have asked for a better start.
But at the moment, exactly twenty-four hours had passed after the [First Calamity] began, and so new panel appeared before every survivor still alive.
Ding!
[The second day of the "First Calamity" will now begin.]
[Over half of your civilization has died.]
[The rest of you have done well to survive until this point, but there is more to come.]
That was all. Brief words. Cold, merciless.
Above, the black vortex pulsed and twisted, its whirl growing stronger, faster, hungrier.
Stark remained calm.
’Half of civilization gone already.’
But the thing that grabbed his attention wasn’t that.
The message didn’t say "humanity." It said "civilization."
It meant dozens if not hundreds of other worlds have gone through this.
He already knew that, obviously, but confirming it each time was a different feeling.
But Stark didn’t feel fear. He felt focus.
Ghost and Grace were still alive, their names lit up bright in his [Friend List].
If they had fallen, their names would have gone gray, marked with a skull.
They were still fighting, still surviving.
With the number of Lives they must have collected, killing them wouldn’t be easy.
Stark heard noise stirring nearby.
Growls. Heavy footsteps.
Just like on the first day, monsters were spawning again.
But these were different. Stronger.
It was time for the second batch.
---
[Calamity Orc (Level 25)]
[Rank: Rare]
[HP: 140,000]
---
[Calamity Ghoul (Level 25)]
[Rank: Elite]
[HP: 145,000]
---
Fewer than the mobs from before, but each one was far more dangerous.
But It didn’t matter.
Stark lifted his staff, his expression calm.
’The sooner I get rid of you all, the easier it’ll be.’
Blazing Meteor! Vines of Fate! Storm of Lightning!