As Luca approached the central square of Pure River Town, the deformed monsters around him became denser, crowding together inrge groups. The monsters'' levels were also steadily increasing.


    However, these creatures posed no threat to Luca. In fact, their numbers made it easier for him to clear them out.


    Previously, he had prepared arge number of low-tier magic runes, and now they wereing in handy. Alternating between me Runes, Frost Runes, and other elemental runes, Luca seamlessly shifted from meleebatant to a long-range spellcaster.


    With no survivors left in Pure River Town, he had no need to hold back. He could unleash his full power without worrying about coteral damage.


    Most of the monsters didn''t even see Luca before being obliterated by a barrage of Fire Serpentscrashing into them.


    -13,500! -14,200! -14,400!


    Explosions echoed across the town as deformed creatures caught in the magic rune sts were turned into ash instantly.


    Damage numbers filled the air like smoke, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.


    Buildings, already in a state of disrepair, crumbled further under Luca''s relentless onught, reduced to rubble.


    [Ding! You have in "lv28 Flying Skull Demon (Common)," gaining 32,300 EXP!]


    [Ding! You have in "lv33 One-Eyed Undead Ghoul (Common)," gaining 47,500 EXP!]


    [Ding! You have in "lv35 Human-Faced Spider Spirit (Rare)," gaining 181,000 EXP!]


    ...


    Wave after wave of experience flooded into Luca, causing his experience bar to rise rapidly.


    Before long, Luca leveled up again, his body glowing with the light of progress.


    [Ding! Your level has increased to 32. You have gained 30 free attribute points!]


    He immediately allocated the points into his spirit stat. Then, with a swift motion, he pulled his spear from the decaying body of a monster, shaking off the ck blood that clung to it. ncing back at Luna and the rest of the group, he assessed their situation.


    Given theirrge numbers, they were attracting far more monsters than Luca was.


    Luna was leading the charge at the front, and with her high-tier strength, she was utterly dominating the battlefield.


    It almost seemed like Luna could single-handedly wipe out all the monsters in the town herself.


    There was no denying that Luna had earned her reputation as Southwind City''s greatest talent.


    Her swordsmanship alone was leagues beyond what ordinary people could achieve.


    However, it would still take some time for them to catch up to him.


    Luca turned his gaze back toward the square shrouded in ck mist. Without hesitation, he resumed his advance, moving closer to the mysterious center of Pure River Town.


    Though still some distance from the square, Luca could already feel a chilling sensation creeping through him.


    "This ck mist is strange… almost like it''s part of a formation," Luca muttered, frowning as he observed the fog from afar.


    Could this have been set up by the professionals who came here before?


    But that didn''t make sense—wasn''t there already a sealing formation surrounding the area outside? And this didn''t seem like a sealing formation at all…


    When Luca had first arrived in Pure River Town, he had taken a quick nce at therge-scale formation outside. It was a high-tier sealing mage''s work, clearly intended to contain the monsters within the town. So, what was the purpose of this formation shrouding the square?


    Unsure of the answer, Luca decided not to overthink it for now. He would figure it out when he got closer.


    Meanwhile, on the other side of Pure River Town.


    Luna and herrge force continued to push toward the square.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Colorful bursts of magic exploded among the Abyssal Crawlers, sending severed limbs and ckened flesh flying in all directions. The already foul-smelling streets were now so putrid they could nearly make someone pass out.


    Teams of soldiers and professionals systematically cleared the deformed monsters that filled the town.


    Luna''s graceful form moved swiftly among the dense hordes of monsters. Her rapier seemed delicate, but each strike unleashed sharp waves of sword energy that cut down everything in its path.


    Any creature touched by her sword energy, no matter its rank, was instantly cleaved in two. The cuts were so clean and precise that even the monsters'' internal organs were sliced perfectly in half.


    "Miss Luna, aren''t we at Pure River Town''s square yet?" Pierce, who was trailing behind Luna, panted heavily, drenched in sweat. His noble attire looked as if he had just pulled it out of a river.


    At that moment, Pierce felt like his legs no longer belonged to him. As the lord of Serpent City and a member of the Shana family, he was used to being chauffeured everywhere by carriage—walking this much was utterly foreign to him.


    In fact, Pierce was a professional himself, and a high-tier one at that. But his ss was a Secret Mage, which meant his physical capabilities were barely different from an ordinary person''s. Keeping up with Luna was proving to be a real challenge for him.


    "Lord Pierce, I think you could stand to lose a bit of weight.


    At this rate, you''ll probably keel over from a heart attack before you even reach Superss," Luna said casually as she swung her rapier again, its pale white energy slicing through an elite monster covered in eyeballs, cutting it cleanly in two.She spoke without much emotion, but her words were clearly directed at her old acquaintance.


    Luna and Pierce had known each other for a long time. In fact, they had once been ssmates. Despite their current roles, they weren''t far apart in age.


    Few people knew that, back in the day, Southwind City had produced two geniuses. They had just chosen different paths. One was Luna, who hadpleted the 18th floor of the trial assessment at the age of 21.


    The other was this massive man who looked like he weighed at least 500 pounds—Pierce.


    At 22, Pierce had independently developed a high-tier secret spell. His talents in both secret magic and formations were unmatched, even across the entire Clinton Empire. In fact, the formation used to seal off Pure River Town and prevent the monsters from escaping was one of his creations.


    Pierce shook his head and sighed, "Losing weight is impossible. Do you know how hard I worked to get this fat? If I lose it, all those meals would''ve been for nothing!"


    Luna didn''t even try to make sense of his logic. She had long grown used to Pierce''s entricity.


    Just then, Pierce suddenly nced toward the center of Pure River Town, his eyes widening in surprise. "That kid''s moving fast. He''s already reached the square!"


    Luna blinked and followed his gaze. Sure enough, she spotted Luca, leaping nimbly across rooftops, far ahead of their group.


    In his hands, various magic runes cycled one after another—icences, fire serpents, earth spikes, vines, and more—all being unleashed like there was no cost.


    He was cutting through the dense waves of Abyssal Crawlers, carving out a path straight toward the center of Pure River Town, leaving their main force far behind.


    Pierce watched in amazement, clicking his tongue. "I''d always heard people say Demonic Rune Mages were unbeatable among their peers, but I thought it was just talk. Turns out, they weren''t exaggerating."


    Although Luna''s speed had been slowed by the need to guide Pierce and the rest of their group, Luca''s progress was undeniably impressive—especially considering he was doing it alone.


    However, Luna noticed something wasn''t right.


    Frowning, she said, "This kid… he''s heading for the square, isn''t he?"


    By now, Luca had reached the heart of Pure River Town. Beyond himy the square—where their mission objective was located. But it didn''t seem like Luca had any intention of stopping.


    Pierce, stunned, remarked, "This kid''s got guts. He''s really charging into the trap alone. Is he that unafraid of dying?"


    Luna''s expression darkened, and she spoke in a firm tone, "We need to pick up the pace. Forget about waiting for the others."


    The central square of Pure River Town was shrouded by a mysterious formation, and Luna had no idea whaty within. She had brought Pierce along specifically to help break the formation, but now Luca was too far ahead. If he encountered danger inside, there would be no way for the others to assist him.


    Before Pierce could respond, Luna grabbed him by the cor and dashed across the rooftops, carrying him along at high speed.


    Pierce''s face turned pale, and in a voice full of panic, he cried, "Slow down! He''s not an idiot—he wouldn''t just rush into the formation!"


    But his words were cut short as he caught something out of the corner of his eye. His small eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Holy crap! He really went in?!" Pierce eximed, stunned.


    Just moments ago, he had seen Luca pause in front of the ck mist for a couple of seconds before stepping straight into it.


    Now, Pierce didn''t know what to say. Were young people really this fearless nowadays?


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the center of Pure River Town''s square...


    "A Demon-Sealing Formation? How is there a Demon-Sealing Formationhere?" Luca muttered, frowning as he navigated the ck mist.


    The moment he came into contact with the mist, he recognized the formation.


    A Demon-Sealing Formationwas a high-tier secret spell specifically designed to seal nodes and buy time. In his previous life, nearly all high-tier professionals knew this technique, as it could provide invaluable time in critical situations.


    What puzzled Luca was that this formation should still be a hidden secret, locked away in the notebooks of old mages.


    In the future, after the game''s arrival, the technique had been rediscovered and spread widely.


    But now, at this point in time, a Demon-Sealing Formationhad already been deployed.


    And this wasn''t just a standard version—it had been modified. The sealing effect had been weakened, which exined why the monsters had been able to escape the square. Luca needed to examine the changes in more detail to understand the exact modifications.


    One thing was clear: the events in Pure River Town were not a natural urrence. Someone had orchestrated this.


    But what were they trying to achieve by harnessing the power of the node?


    Roar...


    As Luca pondered the mystery, a chorus of snarls suddenly echoed through the air.


    Deformed, four-limbed monsters twisted their grotesque bodies as they charged at him, ws bared and mouths wide. There were easily over a hundred of them swarming toward him.


    Luca had no time to dwell on the mystery—he had to deal with the immediate threat. The monsters in the square were far more powerful than those outside. Some of them were already reaching level 40, which meant he couldn''t afford to take them lightly.


    Taking a deep breath, Luca''s gaze turned sharp, cold determination filling his eyes.


    Suddenly, a soft green glow surrounded him, and his pupils began to shift, taking on a faint cyan hue.


    At the center of Luca''s chest, intricate green magic runesbegan to spread, quickly expanding across his body. Behind him, they formed the shape of a towering, magnificent tree.


    Its branches were lush and vibrant, with what seemed like faint stars glimmering among the leaves. It was so lifelike that the tree appeared as though it were about to burst forth into reality. A powerful surge of life energy radiated from it.


    Superss Magic Rune — Heavenly Star Crystal Tree!


    Heavenly Star Awakening!