King materialized on the fast-travel platform, the world resolidifying around him as the teleportation completed. He stepped off immediately, orienting himself.

And after a while of walking, the familiar landscape of King’s Land stretched before him. The Victorian estate stood in the distance, its elegant facade rising against the twilight sky. The invisible barrier shimmered faintly as King approached, recognizing him and allowing passage without resistance.

He reached the entrance and pushed through the heavy wooden doors.

Vi was in the common area, sitting at one of the tables with a book open in front of her. She looked up immediately when King entered, relief washing over her face.

"You’re back," Vi said, standing. "How did it go?"

"Successfully," King replied, closing the door behind him. "I got the scroll."

Vi smiled.

"That’s good. I was starting to worry when you didn’t message."

King crossed the room, unequipping the staff as it vanished from his grip.

"Where’s Maya?"

"Still exploring the second floor," Vi said, gesturing toward the staircase. "She’s been wandering around all day, checking out almost every room. I think she’s fascinated by the underground levels."

King nodded.

"That’s fine. Let her explore. Just keep an eye on her."

"I will," Vi assured him.

King headed toward the hallway leading to his private quarters on the upper floor. The estate’s interior was far more refined than the construct bunker, with proper furniture, ambient lighting, and temperature control that adjusted automatically to maintain comfort.

He reached his room and entered, closing the door behind him.

The space was modest but well-appointed. A bed sat against one wall, a desk and chair occupied the opposite corner. A window overlooked the territory, providing a clear view of the surrounding landscape.

King sat at the desk and opened his interface.

The character details screen materialized in front of him, displaying his current stats, inventory, and equipped items. He’d accumulated a significant amount of gear during the academy infiltration, and his inventory was cluttered with items he no longer needed.

Time to organize.

King began sorting through the inventory systematically, categorizing items based on utility and value. The Scholar’s Robe was redundant now that he had better armor, so he moved it to the storage chest. The Magic Wand was outclassed by the Magic Staff, so that went into storage as well. The Rusty Hatchets and Minor Fire Resistance Potions were low-tier consumables that he wouldn’t use at his current level.

He opened the Global Marketplace interface and listed several items for sale:

- Scholar’s Robe (Common) - 500 Runes

- Magic Wand (Uncommon) - 1,200 Runes

- Rusty Hatchet x4 - 200 Runes each

- Minor Fire Resistance Potion x4 - 300 Runes each

The listings went live immediately, and King closed the marketplace tab.

He transferred the remaining low-priority items to the storage chest, keeping only the essentials in his active inventory. The Gauntlet of Ruin, Arcbearer’s Medallions, Red-Imp Talisman, and Ephelias Elemental Magic Scroll stayed equipped or readily accessible. The Greater Mana Potions and Intermediate Mana Potions remained in quick-access slots for emergency use.

Satisfied with the organization, King navigated to the Class Management section of his interface.

A new tab had appeared after acquiring God Runes.

Class Rank Up

King selected it, and a detailed breakdown appeared on the screen.

---

CLASS RANK UP SYSTEM

God Runes required for rank progression:

- F → F+: 1,000 God Runes

- F+ → F++: 2,000 God Runes

- F++ → E: 3,000 God Runes

- E → E+: 4,000 God Runes

- E+ → E++: 5,000 God Runes

- E++ → D: 6,000 God Runes

Higher ranks follow a similar scaling.

---

King reviewed the requirements carefully.

He currently had 5,000 God Runes, earned from upgrading the regular runes with God’s Hand during the academy mission. That wasn’t enough to rank up his mage class, but still enough to make meaningful progress on his combatant class. The math was easy

The Combatant class was at F rank. Upgrading to F+ would cost 1,000 God Runes, and to F++ 2000 God Runes

King calculated the total cost.

F → F+

F → F++

Total: 3,000 God Runes.

King selected the Combatant class and confirmed the double rank ups.

[RANK UP CONFIRMED: COMBATANT CLASS F → F++]

A surge of energy coursed through him. The Combatant class upgrade enhanced his melee capabilities, improved his weapon proficiency, and unlocked hybrid combat techniques that integrated magic and physical attacks.

King checked his remaining God Runes.

2000GRs.

He’d spent sixty present, and the investment was worth it. He was now stronger, more versatile, and better prepared for the challenges ahead.

King closed the interface and stood, stretching. The rank ups had left him energized despite the long journey. He decided to test the improvements immediately.

He exited his quarters and descended the staircase, passing through the common area where Vi was still reading. She glanced up as he passed but didn’t say anything, recognizing the focused expression on his face.

King continued down to the underground levels.

The estate’s underground complex was expansive, larger than the surface structure suggested. The first sublevel contained storage vaults and workshops. The second sublevel housed the training facilities, armories, and secure living quarters. The third sublevel was a command center with advanced monitoring systems.

King descended to the second sublevel to enter the training room.

_____________________

[EASTERN LOWLANDS -ZERO’S MISSION]

Eli crouched behind a collapsed pillar, breathing hard. Blood dripped from a cut above his left eye, and a tear in his left arm, his vest was torn in several places. The Calamity Long-Shoulder rested across his lap, smoke still rising from the barrels.

The boss room stretched before him, a massive circular chamber carved from grey stone. And at the center of the room stood the False Nephilim.

The creature was enormous, thirteen feet tall with grotesque proportions. Its skin was pale and mottled, stretched tight over bulging muscles. Four arms extended from its torso, each one ending in clawed hands that dripped with ichor. Wings sprouted from its back, vestigial and broken, useless for flight but capable of generating powerful gusts of wind, it was injured badly, but blinded by mad rage.

Behind Eli, Zero leaned against the wall, clutching a wound in his side. The mercenary leader was breathing shallowly, his face pale from blood loss. Two of his team members lay dead on the floor, their bodies broken and discarded.

Only one subordinate remained alive, a wiry man with a crossbow who was firing bolts from cover to distract the False Nephilim.

This was part of the questline.

Eli had known going in that casualties were scripted, that the mission was designed to test players under extreme pressure with limited support. But knowing it didn’t make it easier.

The False Nephilim roared, slamming one of its massive fists into the ground. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, forcing Eli to brace himself.

"I’m out!" the subordinate called from across the room. "No more bolts!"

Eli cursed under his breath.

It was just him now.

Eli reached into his pouch and pulled out an enchanted revolver he’d purchased from the Global Marketplace. The weapon was sleek, silver-plated, with glowing blue runes etched along the barrel. It didn’t use physical ammunition—it converted mana directly into rounds.

He holstered the rifle temporarily and drew the revolver, channeling mana into the chamber.

[MANA ROUNDS: 6/6]

The False Nephilim turned toward Eli, recognizing him as the primary threat. It charged, with all four arms outstretched.

Eli activated his Three-Eyed Eagle skill.

The spirit eagle materialized above him, soaring into the air and locking onto the False Nephilim. Through the shared vision, Eli could see the creature from multiple angles simultaneously, tracking its movements with perfect clarity, and locking onto the lethal wounds.

He fired three rapid shots from the revolver.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

All three mana rounds struck the False Nephilim’s chest, punching through the damaged flesh and causing it to stagger. The creature roared in pain but didn’t slow down.

Eli rolled to the side, avoiding a devastating swipe from one of the clawed hands. He came up firing, emptying the remaining three rounds into the creature’s exposed flank.

[MANA ROUNDS: 0/6]

The False Nephilim turned, wings flaring as it prepared to strike again.

Eli holstered the revolver and grabbed the Calamity Long-Shoulder, switching to close-range configuration. He pulled an explosive charge from his belt, one of the items he’d acquired from Zero’s armory, and primed it.

The False Nephilim lunged.

Eli dove forward, sliding under the creature’s outstretched arms. He slapped the explosive charge into the scar on its abdomen as he passed, then scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward cover.

BOOM.

The explosion tore through the False Nephilim’s midsection, spraying blood and flesh across the chamber. The creature collapsed forward, screeching in agony.

But it wasn’t dead yet.

Eli raised the Calamity Long-Shoulder, activated Precision Shot mode, and fired a devastating round directly into the False Nephilim’s head.

The creature’s skull exploded.

The massive body convulsed once, went still, and then crashed.

[FALSE NEPHILIM DEFEATED]

[+8,000 RUNES]

[QUEST COMPLETE: ZERO pt1] 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Eli lowered the rifle, breathing hard. His entire body ached, and his vision swam from exhaustion and blood loss.

But he’d done it.

Zero pushed himself away from the wall, limping toward Eli with a pained grin.

"Impressive work, ranger," the mercenary said. "Most people don’t survive their first run, and you by far had the hardest. You’ve earned your reward."

A notification appeared.

[REWARD: EXPLOSIVE SHOT SKILL (RARE)]

[REWARD: MERCENARY’S BANDOLIER (RARE) - +10 Ammunition Capacity, +5% Reload Speed]

[REWARD: VOLATILE ROUNDS]

Eli accepted the rewards and collapsed onto the ground, finally allowing himself to rest.