Rank Rewards!
The moment the news hit, a strange silence fell over the group. Then—almost in unison—everyone seemed to arrive at the same thought, their gazes flicking between one another with dawning realization.
"In that case... it's really possible that it's Black..."
"Yeah! He was nearby just now—alone. It lines up with the profile of a lone hunter."
"Hey~! No wonder he didn't want to team up with us. Turns out he's a monster."
Murmurs spread like wildfire. Shock mixed with awe, and people who had dismissed him before now wore surprise plain on their faces.
Even Alaric—who'd kept his composure through blood and fire—looked conflicted. His expression twitched slightly, eyes narrowing with something unreadable. Maybe it was respect. Maybe it was wariness.
And then, just as the tension peaked, another notification from the Celestial Will shimmered into the air.
[Announcement: One individual in this Starter Village has reached Level 3. Ranking Channel has been activated.]
[Reminder: Only the village-level ranking is available at this stage. Top 100 players will appear on the list.]
"Whoa! The level ranking just went live!"
"Only a hundred spots? That's tight."
"Whoever hit Level 3 must've triggered it."
"You think... it's Black again?"
"Check it! Hurry!"
Alaric and the others wasted no time. In an instant, they pulled up their Celestial Will light screens and opened the newly unlocked Ranking Channel.
What they saw left them speechless.
Black's ranking… wasn't what any of them expected.
They stared, baffled, thrown off once more.
Meanwhile, far from the confusion, Black was making his way toward the edge of Beginner Land.
He'd also received the announcement.
Curious, he let his mind flicker toward the Celestial Will, and instantly, a pale light screen bloomed before his eyes. In the bottom-right corner, a new button pulsed softly: [Ranking Channel].
He opened it.
A grid of names and numbers filled the screen.
[No. 777 Starter Village – Level Rankings]
1st Place: Vir – Level 3
2nd Place: Logan – Level 2
3rd Place: Victor – Level 2
4th Place: Jolly – Level 2
5th Place: Mike – Level 2
6th Place: Alaric – Level 2
...
47th Place: Black – Level 1
...
"Forty-seventh?" Black blinked, muttering to himself.
His eyes flicked toward the Public Chat Group—he switched over with a thought.
The moment the chat feed loaded, a wall of excited chatter greeted him.
"Wow! Big Vir already hit Level 3! That's insane!"
"Seriously! I'm still stuck at Level 1—13 percent in—and he's already full leveled? Unreal."
"Eight people have reached Level 2 already… they're monsters."
"I know, right? Total envy."
Black frowned, heart tightening with a creeping anxiety.
It had already been four or five hours. In that time, eight players had made it to Level 2. One of them, Vir, had already broken into Level 3.
Meanwhile, he was still technically at Level 1.
Sure, he'd spent all his time scavenging—searching corpses for loot and traits. He hadn't hunted a single beast yet. Not properly.
That had to change. Now.
If he wanted to compete, he had to start killing.
As if the system had heard him, another notification flickered in.
[Announcement: The Novice Upgrade Reward System is now live.]
[First to reach Level 10: Golden Treasure Chest]
[Second to reach Level 10: Silver Treasure Chest]
[Third to reach Level 10: Three Bronze Treasure Chests]
[4th–10th: Two Bronze Treasure Chests]
[11th–100th: One Bronze Treasure Chest]
[Treasure Chest: Item reward created by Celestial Will. Open to receive randomized loot.]
[Chest tiers: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, Purple Diamond, Epic, Mythical. Higher tiers contain higher-level gear.]
[Reminder: As soon as you hit Level 10, your treasure chest is issued immediately—no need to wait for the end of the assessment.]
As soon as the news dropped, the Public Chat Group exploded.
"Yo! Top 100 get rewards?! Let's go!"
"Golden chest for first place?! That's insane!"
"Immediate delivery? Damn, this system is generous!"
"Holy shit, I need to level up. Now."
"Same! I'm not missing this."
"Top 10 or bust, baby!"
Laughter, ambition, hunger—players rallied in the chat like bloodthirsty wolves.
A ranking war had officially begun.
Black's blood stirred with it.
First place.
Golden treasure chest.
He wanted it.
He needed it.
Without another thought, he exited the Public Chat Group and broke into a sprint, heading straight for the far edge of Beginner Land.
His steps barely made a sound on the dry earth, eyes locked on the tree line ahead.
He was almost there.
But then—
A low growl broke through the silence.
A shadow lunged from behind the brush.
He skidded to a stop.
There, blocking the path ahead, stood a giant wolf.
Two meters tall at the shoulder. Its fur was ash-gray, but with a long silver stripe running from the back of its skull down to the tip of its tail. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and its breath fogged in the air like mist.
At a glance, it resembled an Ashfang Wolf. But this thing… was bigger. Meaner. Smarter.
With a flick of his thought, True Sight activated.
[Ferocious Beast]: Silverfang Wolf (Mutated)
[Level]: 1
[Combat Evaluation]: ★★★★ (Maxed)
[Traits]: Brutal, bloodthirsty, cunning—known to summon its pack
[Skills]: None
[Drop Rate]: 1%
Black's breath caught in his throat.
A level 1 mutant... with four-star max combat power?
That was stronger than most level 2 beasts.
In fact, regular level 2 monsters only ranked at four stars. This thing? It was right at the upper edge of that range.
And his own strength?
Also hovering around four stars… maybe just barely touching the limit.
In other words—they were equals. At best.
Worse, this one wasn't just strong. It was vicious, smart, and if things went sideways—it could call others.
A misstep here wouldn't cost him just time. It could cost him everything.
But…
That drop rate.
One percent.
Ten times higher than a standard level 1 beast.
He stared into the wolf's glowing eyes, weighing the danger. If he killed it, there was a chance—just a sliver—that something valuable would drop. Something rare. Maybe even game-changing.
Besides… up till now, all his power assessments had been theoretical. Speculative.
It was time to test himself for real.
He clenched his fists.
Muscles tensed.
Heartbeat steady.
His blood thrummed, not with fear—but with hunger.
This was the moment.
No more holding back.
Let's see what I'm really made of.