Moon reappeared in a dark, empty alley far away from the camp. He leaned against a brick wall, breathing heavily. He wasn't tired, but his body felt like it was going to explode with energy.
A glowing red screen popped up in front of his face. It was completely different from the normal blue screens.
[System Alert: You have absorbed massive energy from a Boss Monster.]
[Level System bypassing... Calculating new Stats...]
Moon felt his bones crack and pop. His muscles grew tighter and much stronger. His eyes glowed a bright, scary crimson in the dark alley.
Ding!
A very loud bell rang, not just in Moon's head, but across the entire First Sanctuary. The sky turned bright purple. Every player in Zone 1 stopped what they were doing and looked up in fear.
A giant, golden message appeared in the sky for everyone to read:
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: A player has solo-killed the Zone 1 Boss. The path to the Second Floor is now OPEN.]
Back in the camp, Alex slammed his fist into the dirt. "Solo killed?! That phantom guy didn't even have a team! Who is he?! This isn't fair!"
Lina watched the golden words in the sky. She remembered how the Phantom had stepped in front of the giant snake to protect her. He was so cool, so fearless.
"He is amazing," Lina whispered, putting a hand on her heart. "If only Moon was like him... then I wouldn't have had to leave him."
She had no idea the truth.
In his alley, Moon read his own private, red screen.
[Target: Moon.]
[Level: NULL (Infinite Scaling)]
[Life Points: 1,650]
[Warning: Zone 1 is too weak for your Stats. You will gain no more power here. Proceed to the Second Floor immediately.]
Moon smirked behind his scarf. He was already too strong for the beginner zone. He didn't want to play with weak goblins anymore. He wanted real power.
He looked down the street. A new portal had opened. It wasn't blue like the first one; it was glowing blood-red. This was the door to the Second Floor. The place where the real monsters lived.
"Looks like my warm-up is over," Moon said. He put his hands in his pockets and walked straight into the red portal.