On the way through the wilds outside the starter village, Miguel walked with an air of calm that masked his relentless efficiency. Every time he spotted the corpse of a fallen beast nearby, his hand flicked out almost instinctively, drawing the remains into the mysterious ring space on his finger. To the casual observer, it might've seemed like he had an odd hobby for scavenging trash.
Other players certainly thought so.
A few glanced his way with puzzled or even mocking expressions. They didn't bother to hide their smirks. In this starting zone, where no life skills could be learned yet, monster corpses were useless. Without the skills to butcher or skin them, dead beasts were nothing more than fading scenery—ten minutes, and they vanished completely.
Miguel knew that. What none of them knew was that his ring ignored the rules of time. Once an object entered its space, decay stopped. Ten minutes or ten years—it didn't matter. Those corpses weren't disappearing. They were waiting for him.
Soon, the grassy plains gave way to looming trees.
Ding! You have entered [Forest].
Warning: Based on your current level, this map is classified as EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Proceed with caution.
The mechanical voice in his head was calm and detached, but Miguel didn't even blink. The forest brimmed with higher-level monsters, a step up from the weaklings outside. It was where level 5–6 players grinded in groups, watching each other's backs against ambush predators hiding in the foliage.
Miguel, of course, was alone.
Players milling around the forest edge stared as he walked past them without hesitation. One guy in a leather vest chuckled, muttering to his team, "Another lone wolf walking to his grave."
A girl in the group, fresh-faced and sweet-looking, spun around and glared at him. "Don't talk about him like that!" she snapped before her eyes drifted toward Miguel's retreating figure. A dreamy look softened her expression.
The lone wolf's jaw tightened. This damned face-worshipping world…
Miguel ignored them all and vanished deeper among the trees. The further he went, the quieter it became, the sounds of other players fading until there was only the rustle of leaves. Certain he was unobserved, he swept his hand, pulling dozens of wild chicken corpses out of his ring space. They piled up around him, a macabre hill of opportunity.
"Supreme Sacrifice," he whispered.
The air shimmered as the corpses dissolved into streams of light, rushing toward his brow like moths to a flame.
You have sacrificed a non-tiered corpse. You gain +1 Free Attribute Point.
You have sacrificed a non-tiered corpse. You gain +3 Free Attribute Points.
You have sacrificed a non-tiered corpse. You gain +6 Free Attribute Points.
…
On and on it went until the final light faded. Miguel's lips curled upward as he glanced at the glowing numbers in his interface. Over a hundred points—107, to be exact.
Players had seven base stats. Every level-up granted +1 to all and +2 free points, for a total of nine attributes per level. These corpses had just given him the equivalent of ten entire levels, and he hadn't even left the tutorial zone yet.
His smile was nothing short of radiant. With this broken power and the memories of his past life, his rise was inevitable, a future carved in stone.
A sharp hiss cut through the silence.
From the branches above, a massive viper lunged, fangs bared, striking like a living arrow. Miguel's sword was faster.
Swish! The blade flashed once, cleaving the serpent cleanly in half before it even reached him.
-1080!
The damage number floated in the air, absurdly high for a level 6 snake. It collapsed instantly.
Ding! You have slain [Cobra (Normal)]. +6 EXP.
Then the forest erupted. The first kill was a signal. The underbrush shook as dozens—no, hundreds—of snakes slithered out, tongues flicking, eyes fixed on their prey. Their bodies coiled, forming a deadly ring around Miguel.
Any other player would've frozen in despair. Alone, surrounded by a hundred venomous monsters, it was certain death.
But Miguel? He grinned like a predator who had just stumbled on a feast.
"Perfect. Not only free experience, but free attributes too. You guys sure know how to make a man feel welcome."
He rolled his neck, loosening his muscles. "Fine then. Let me send you all off painlessly."
The interface opened at a thought. Miguel dumped every single one of his 107 fresh points into Agility.
Player: Stellar Mist
…
Agility: 117
…
From a measly ten points to triple digits instantly. Agility boosted not just movement speed, but attack velocity too. Miguel's body felt lighter than air, his limbs thrumming with power.
Then he moved.
To the snakes, he might as well have vanished. A blur of motion darted into their ranks, sword flashing like lightning.
-1080!
-1080!
-1080!
Each stroke reaped a life. One hit, one kill. Miguel danced through the swarm like a phantom, his blade singing death with every swing.
Ding! You have slain [Cobra (Normal)]. +6 EXP.
Ding! You have slain [Cobra (Normal)]. +8 EXP.
…
The notifications streamed endlessly in his mind, his experience bar creeping upward, though even this massacre barely scratched the requirement for level 1: a grueling ten thousand points.
When the last snake twitched and went still, the clearing was littered with corpses. Miguel exhaled once, steady and unhurried, before calling out again:
"Supreme Sacrifice."
Light filled the forest, brighter this time. The higher-level monsters paid better tribute. One by one, their bodies dissolved into energy.
You have gained +6 Free Attribute Points.
You have gained +8 Free Attribute Points.
…
By the time the last corpse vanished, Miguel's total haul reached a staggering 732 points. Adding that to his earlier gain, he'd accumulated 839 free points in under two hours of game time.
He looked at his glowing stat screen and let out a low whistle. "This talent… this is beyond broken," he muttered, unable to hide his awe even from himself.
In a world where normal players crawled for scraps, Miguel was building himself into a monster. This was just the beginning.