Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Infinite Evolution Talent

Even with his current damage output, trying to fight the [Floral King] right now would be reckless. Stupid, even.

Karl understood that better than anyone.

Raw damage alone wasn't everything. Timing mattered. Preparation mattered. Peak condition mattered.

Right now, he wasn't there yet. Once he reached level 50, everything would change.

He'd be able to learn a new spell, one meant specifically for that threshold, and equip gear designed for players who had crossed that line. Gear that massively boosted his [Spirit].

And with [Spirit] being the foundation of his damage, that boost would be enormous.

With those upgrades in place, his damage output would skyrocket.

At that point, the [Floral King] wouldn't be some untouchable existence anymore. Karl estimated that he'd be able to one-shot him. Or at worst, two-shot him if things went poorly.

If the king truly had something to do with the key, and everything suggested that he did, then fighting him might not even be optional.

Especially when Karl thought about how the king reacted whenever someone so much as mentioned the [Death] flower in the sky.

The [Floral King] was intelligent. Calm. Reasonable.

Most of the time.

But the moment that subject came up, it was like a switch flipped.

His composure vanished. His presence turned oppressive. Aggression poured out of him without restraint.

That alone told Karl everything he needed to know.

If he brought up the key, or the guardian, or the flower, there was a very real chance the conversation would turn into a fight immediately.

And if things went wrong, if he misstepped, if he underestimated the king, or if he was simply too weak, the [Floral King] could lock him out of the [Floral Castle] forever.

That wasn't a risk Karl was willing to take. Not now.

"A little under twenty-four hours to reach level 50," Karl muttered, a grin slowly forming on his face. "Should be doable."

He trusted his instincts. Everything pointed toward the [Floral King]. The timing. The restrictions. The key itself. It made too much sense to ignore.

Karl stored the [Guardian Chest Piece] into his inventory, then climbed onto Moonless' back in one smooth motion.

With that, his inventory was now completely full, fifty out of fifty slots taken.

"I'll be able to equip the [Behemoth Backpack] at level 50 anyway," Karl thought calmly. "So it'll work out."

He pointed in a specific direction.

Moonless dashed forward without hesitation, her body blurring as she tore through the terrain at full speed.

"There should be a few difficult zones ahead," Karl said, gripping her fur as the wind rushed past them. "Not many people manage to clear them."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"But we should be able to."

Fwoosh!

Moonless surged forward even faster, not bothering to slow down. She clearly understood what he wanted.

After some time, as the terrain shifted and the plant life grew thicker and darker, Karl spotted a familiar formation ahead.

"…That'll do."

Moonless slowed to a stop as they reached the entrance of a narrow cave.

Ding!

[You are about to enter a dangerous level 50 zone: "Spider Nest"]

Karl looked at the cave entrance, his expression neutral.

Unfortunately, the tunnel was far too narrow for Moonless to enter with him. There wasn't enough space for her body to fit without getting stuck.

"Tch."

Karl dismissed her back into her space, the familiar ripple appearing as she vanished.

Then he stepped forward alone.

Ding!

[You have entered the "Spider Nest"]

[Lives loss rate: 300.]

Karl didn't even blink when he saw the lives loss rate. To him, this was nothing.

With the number of lives he currently had, he'd need to die around forty-five times before being fully erased. And that simply wasn't going to happen here.

As soon as he entered the [Spider Nest], he found himself inside a decently sized cavern. Thick spider webs stretched across the walls, the ceiling, and even parts of the floor. Some were torn, others freshly spun.

"Hm."

This was exactly what he expected.

Karl had heard plenty of rumors about this place. It was widely known as the second hardest area in the entire [Blooming Lands], surpassed only by the [Flower Labyrinth].

And the reason why became obvious almost immediately.

RKKKRKskr!

The moment Karl took a single step forward, he heard it.

Not one sound. Hundreds. Scraping. Clicking. Skittering.

The shadows along the cave walls began to move.

Then, from every direction, spiders started to emerge.

They crawled out from behind rocks, descended from the ceiling, and poured in from hidden tunnels along the walls. Each one stood around half a meter tall, their legs sharp and angular, eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

Dozens. No, more than that.

---

[Spiderling (Level 50)]

[Rank: Uncommon]

[HP: 150,000]

---

They rushed toward Karl all at once, filling the cave with movement.

In that moment, Karl instantly understood why so few players could clear this zone.

Individually, these spiderlings weren't impressive. Their health was far lower than that of a normal level 50 monster.

But their numbers made up for it. Overwhelm was the strategy. Worse still, these spiders fed on lives.

Any player who died here would only make the nest stronger.

"…I see," Karl muttered.

Unfortunately for them, they had picked the wrong target.

Storm of Lightning!

Karl raised his staff and aimed it forward. In an instant, lightning erupted.

ZAP!

Electricity flooded the entire cavern, branching in every direction and striking every spiderling at once. The confined space worked against them, amplifying the spell's reach.

-284,880!

The spiderlings didn't even have time to react.

Their bodies charred instantly, collapsing to the ground in unison.

Ding!

[You have killed x74 "Spiderlings (Level 50)"]

[You have gained 370,000 experience points.]

[You have gained 370 Lives.]

"Nice."

Karl exhaled softly.

Each spiderling only gave five thousand experience points. Under normal circumstances, that would be mediocre at best.

But when he could wipe out dozens of them in a single cast? It became a gold mine.

"Keep coming," Karl said with a grin as he stepped forward. "I'll take the entire cave if I have to."

The spiderlings didn't drop any items, which was both good and bad.

Good, because his inventory was already full.

Bad, because even if something useful dropped, he wouldn't be able to store it.

The lowest-level item in his inventory was level 40. He wasn't about to throw that away now.

'Once I hit level 50 and equip the [Behemoth Backpack], I can deal with that,' Karl thought.

Regardless, this zone was perfect for leveling up.

He continued deeper into the cave, lightning crackling occasionally as more spiders rushed him and were instantly erased.

While walking through one of the longer tunnels and listening to the constant clicking echoing around him, Karl opened his status window.

[Current Evolution Points: 151.]

He had more than enough.

Between the [Flower Behemoth] and the [Floral Guardian], his EP had piled up quickly.

With this amount, he could even evolve a mythical-rank skill into ancient-rank.

His gaze moved to his skill list.

[Skills: Blazing Meteor (Ancient), All-Powerful Magic Barrier (Mythical), Permafrost Crystals (Mythical), Storm of Lightning (Mythical), Eclipse Beam (Mythical), Bloom Curse (Legendary), Hand of Oblivion (Ancient)]

[Blazing Meteor] and [Hand of Oblivion] both required 250 EP to evolve further. That was out of reach for now.

But Karl already knew exactly which skill he wanted to evolve: [Storm of Lightning].

Not just because of this cave. But because of its nature. High area coverage. Massive AoE.

And more importantly, its damage scaled directly with [Spirit].

And Karl knew his [Spirit] was about to skyrocket once he reached level 50.

Fwish!

[Do you wish to consume 100 Evolution Points to evolve "Storm of Lightning"?]