Lucas woke to the faint glow of dawn filtering into the cave.
For a brief moment, he lay still, listening.
No movement.
No threats.
Just the distant whisper of wind brushing across the plains.
Safe.
For now.
He sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his limbs. His body responded immediately—light, responsive, powerful.
Different.
"Yeah…" he murmured, clenching his fist.
The strength was real.
Not imagined.
Not temporary.
Earned.
"Three-star…"
Even without checking his panel, he could feel the difference. His movements were sharper, his balance steadier, his reactions faster.
This wasn't the same person who had panicked inside that wooden hut on day one.
Not even close.
Lucas stood, grabbed his gear, and stepped out of the cave.
The morning air was crisp. Clean.
Alive.
He took a deep breath—then paused.
His ears picked up something.
Faint.
Metal striking. Voices shouting.
Combat.
"…East side."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Curiosity wasn't what drove him anymore.
Opportunity was.
Without hesitation, he moved.
Lucas approached the source of the noise carefully, slipping into a low crouch as he neared.
He parted a bush just enough to see—
And immediately smirked.
"Well… look who it is."
It was someone he recognized.
Ethan Cole.
Back in the novice zone, Ethan had already built a reputation—confident, loud, and always surrounded by followers. The kind of person who naturally drew attention.
Now, he stood at the center of a seven-man team, directing the fight.
In front of them—
A massive Poison Ring Snake.
Larger than average.
More aggressive.
Definitely not an easy target.
Ethan raised his hands, flames flickering to life between his palms.
"Keep pressure on it!" he shouted.
A stream of fire shot forward, striking the snake's upper body. Smoke rose instantly as the heat seeped through the gaps in its scales.
"Nice talent," Lucas muttered quietly.
Fire-based. Offensive.
Clean. Effective.
The rest of the team moved in coordination.
Three melee fighters rotated at the front, taking turns drawing aggro.
Two others attacked from the flanks, striking when openings appeared.
A support-type lingered behind, likely managing recovery or buffs.
It wasn't perfect—
But it was structured.
Functional.
"They've got a system…" Lucas observed.
Not bad for early-stage survivors.
Every time the snake attempted to retaliate, Ethan's flames interrupted it, forcing it back into a defensive cycle.
Slowly—
Relentlessly—
They were wearing it down.
Lucas activated his skill.
"Insight."
A faint shimmer passed over his vision.
Information appeared.
[Target]: Mutated Poison Ring Snake
[Level]: 1
[Combat Rating]: ★★★ (Limit)
[Traits]: Aggressive, Toxic, Durable
[Drop Chance]: Extremely Low
[Weakness]: Lower abdomen (reduced scale density)
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Low drop rate… figures."
Still—
Mutated meant higher value.
Higher rewards.
And likely…
Better plunder results.
His interest deepened.
The fight dragged on for several minutes.
The team was getting tired.
So was the snake.
Then—
Ethan made his move.
He gathered energy into both hands, flames intensifying into a near-white blaze.
"Now!"
He thrust forward—
A concentrated burst of fire slammed directly into the snake's head.
The beast shrieked, its body convulsing violently before collapsing to the ground.
"Finish it!"
The team rushed in.
Steel flashed.
Blades rose and fell.
Moments later—
Silence.
A glow emerged from the corpse.
Then split—
Seven streams of light, each flowing into a different person.
"…Split distribution," Lucas noted.
Voices followed immediately.
"I got six EXP!"
"Only four here…"
"Seriously? I got one?!"
Complaints.
Excitement.
Comparison.
Ethan wiped sweat from his brow, clearly pleased.
"EXP scales with contribution," he explained. "Makes sense."
Lucas nodded slightly.
Efficient system.
But flawed—
For someone like him.
"Too inefficient," he thought.
Seven people sharing one kill?
Not worth it.
Not when he could take everything himself.
Then—
A burst of light erupted around Ethan.
Bright. Sudden.
Transformative.
When it faded, his posture had shifted.
More confident.
More composed.
"I leveled up," he said simply.
The group reacted immediately.
"No way!"
"Already Level 2?!"
"That's insane!"
Lucas watched, amused.
"…Let's see."
"Insight."
[Name]: Ethan Cole
[Level]: 2
[Strength]: 15
[Agility]: 14
[Endurance]: 13
[Energy]: 12
[Combat Rating]: ★★
Lucas blinked.
Then exhaled through his nose.
"…That's it?"
He almost laughed.
At Level 1, he had already surpassed those numbers.
Now?
There wasn't even a comparison.
"Yeah…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I could handle him."
Not arrogance.
Just calculation.
The team gathered together, discussing their next move.
"I heard there's something valuable in the eastern valley," one of them said.
"Stronger monsters there," another added cautiously.
Ethan crossed his arms.
"We go carefully. No rushing."
Lucas's interest spiked instantly.
"Valley… treasure…"
His mind began to turn.
Groups like this—
They were useful.
They explored.
They fought.
They took risks.
And more often than not—
They left things behind.
Or created opportunities.
Lucas didn't need to lead.
Didn't need to compete.
He just needed to follow.
And take what mattered.
Once the group moved out, Lucas waited.
Thirty seconds.
A full minute.
Then—
He stepped out from hiding.
The battlefield was quiet again.
The corpse remained.
He approached calmly.
Placed his hand down.
"Plunder."
A faint glow flickered.
[Success: Strength +1]
Lucas smiled.
"Free gain."
No risk.
No effort.
Maximum efficiency.
He stood, glancing in the direction the group had gone.
"Eastern valley, huh…"
His decision was already made.
Tracking them was easy.
Between his enhanced senses—
Smell.
Hearing.
Movement awareness—
They might as well have been leaving a glowing trail.
Lucas moved through the terrain with ease, maintaining distance.
Never too close.
Never too far.
Invisible.
Untouchable.
"…Mantis stalks the cicada," he murmured.
A faint grin appeared.
"…but the oriole waits behind."
Only—
He wasn't just the oriole.
He was something worse.
Something smarter.
As he followed, Lucas's thoughts remained steady.
Clear. Focused.
Others still saw this place as chaos.
A nightmare.
A survival game.
Lucas saw it differently.
A system.
A structure.
A ladder.
And he was climbing it faster than anyone else.
Not through brute force.
But through understanding.
Exploitation.
Precision.
He paused briefly atop a small rise, watching the distant figures of Ethan's team moving toward the valley.
Unaware.
Unprepared.
Unseen.
Lucas adjusted his grip on his blades.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"This is getting interesting…"
Treasure.
Stronger enemies.
Better rewards.
Higher risks.
Exactly what he needed.
He stepped forward again, silent as ever.
"No more watching from the sidelines," he said quietly.
"Not completely."
A faint smile followed.
"But I'll still let them do the hard part."
His figure disappeared into the terrain once more.
Untraceable.
Unnoticed.
Unstoppable.
Because while others were starting to believe in "strong players"…
Lucas Reign already knew the truth.
He didn't need to follow them.
He didn't need to compete with them.
He didn't need to prove anything.
They weren't the main players in this battlefield.