Ethan ignored the pile of gear for a moment, his focus narrowing on the notification window.
"Three points," he whispered. "The boss gave me two, adding to the one I had left. It's enough for a double jump."
The potential was staggering. In his past life, Greedy Grasp was a legendary utility skill, even though it was capped at Bronze rank. Anyone lucky enough to learn it was immediately fast-tracked into high-ranking guild positions. The logic was simple: after a grueling raid, Greedy Grasp offered a second roll on the boss’s loot table. It was the ultimate force multiplier.
But Ethan’s version was about to break the game.
Greedy Grasp explicitly listed "Tradeable Lifespan" as loot. If it worked on Lifespan, would it work on Evolution Points? EP were technically dropped from the boss. If he could double his EP gains, his growth wouldn't just be linear—it would be exponential.
"Only one way to find out."
He focused his intent on the skill icon.
[System: You have consumed 1 Evolution Point. (Remaining: 2)]
[Skill Evolved: Greedy Grasp (Bronze → Silver)]
Class: Assassin
Effect: Can be used on monster corpses. 40% chance (up from 20%) to extract an additional loot reward.
The probability had doubled in a single step. Ethan didn't hesitate; he poured the rest of his points into the skill.
[System: You have consumed 2 Evolution Points. (Remaining: 0)]
[Skill Evolved: Greedy Grasp (Silver → Gold)]
Class: Assassin
Effect: Can be used on monster corpses. 70% chance (up from 40%) to extract an additional loot reward.
A seventy-percent success rate. In the original Godsfall, reaching Gold-rank for a skill required legendary materials and months of grinding. Ethan had done it in minutes.
"If I push it one more time, it’ll be a guaranteed proc," he muttered, his pulse hammering against his ribs. Through his Primordial Talent, Infinite Evolution, he was turning a niche utility skill into a god-tier asset.
Still cloaked in the shadows of Shade, Ethan approached the massive, twitching remains of The Broodnest. A dozen Spiderlings skittered nearby, oblivious to the predator in their midst.
Ethan reached out. "Greedy Grasp."
A spectral, golden hand erupted from the earth, plunging into the boss's carcass with a phantom grip.
[Skill Check: Greedy Grasp — SUCCESS!]
[Loot Obtained: 2 Evolution Points]
[Loot Obtained: 46 Days of Tradeable Lifespan]
Beneath the carcass, three new items materialized out of thin air, adding to the original pile.
"It works," Ethan grinned. "Seventy percent was enough. To hell with those gacha-game odds—this is real power."
The additional 2 EP and 46 days of Lifespan were the real prizes. The physical gear was almost an afterthought. Of the six items dropped, four were for classes other than Assassin.
"Garbage for now," he mused, glancing at the heavy armor and staves. "I'll dump them in town later, though I doubt anyone has the Lifespan to afford them yet."
He picked up the one item he could use: a jagged, green-tinted blade.
[Corroded Dagger (Bronze)]
Attack Power: +35
Agility: +4
Requirement: Level 1
He swapped out his Worn Iron Blade immediately. Between his Level 2 attribute bonus and this new weapon, his base Attack Power surged from 25 to 50. A clean double. While his total damage output was largely driven by the Veil-Breaker Strike from his Shadow Veil skill, doubling his base stats was a massive leap.
"Time to clean up the trash," he whispered. "I need more points."
He flickered out of the shadows for a split second, his new dagger carving a clean arc through a Spiderling's soft underbelly. Before the others could even screech, he was gone, melded back into the darkness. With infinite stealth, he wasn't just a player; he was a ghost.
Reality: Azura — The Daxia Realm
Inside a lecture hall at Rivenhaven Normal University, the mundane drone of a mid-day class was shattered by a collective gasp.
"What the hell? Wade? Wake up!"
A student was frantically waving his hand through his roommate’s torso. Wade had fallen asleep at his desk, but his body had become a shimmering, translucent ghost. He was there, yet not there.
The professor, a balding man with a thick accent, stopped mid-sentence. "Students, stay back! What is this nonsense?" He tried to grab the boy’s shoulder, but his hand passed through as if through mist.
Panic rippled through the room.
"Evie, look at Marcus’s row," Sophie whispered, clutching her friend’s arm. "It’s happening to him too."
Evie Quinn stood up, her long white dress catching the light. She was striking, possessing the kind of delicate beauty that drew a constant trail of admirers—a fact she used to navigate the world with effortless entitlement. She stood on her tiptoes, peering over the crowd at the ethereal boy slumped over his desk.
She sat back down and pulled out her phone. Her social feeds were exploding.
"It's everywhere," Evie murmured, scrolling through images of people in bedrooms, subways, and offices, all turned into phantoms the moment they fell asleep. "Nobody knows why. They’re calling it the 'Spirit State.'"
The professor shouted over the din. "Class is dismissed! I must contact the administration immediately. Everyone, stay calm!"
As the hall descended into chaos, Evie and Sophie remained in their seats.
"I need to call my parents," Sophie said, her voice trembling. "Evie, you should call your brother. What if something happened to him?"
Evie’s expression went cold. "I’m not calling him."
"Sophie sighed. "Evie, the world is ending. Is this really the time for a grudge?"
"Grudge? He thinks he can control my life," Evie sneered. "I’m done with him unless he crawls back and begs for my forgiveness."
Ethan would have laughed if he’d seen her. In his past life, he had done exactly that—rushed to her school, apologized for things he didn't do, and protected her like a saint. He had ushered her into Godsfall and handed her the world on a silver platter.
In return, she had gouged out his eyes.
But this time, there would be no phone call. No rescue. To Ethan, his sister had ceased to exist the moment he felt the cold steel of her betrayal in his previous life.
The Forsaken Realm: Shellcroft Forest
While the world above panicked, the first wave of players in Godsfall was waking up.
Most were paralyzed by fear, but a few understood the stakes. To log out, a player had to reach Level 3. In a game where experience was sparse and monsters were lethal, that was a tall order. A squad led by a player named 'Victor' had already claimed the top spots on the Shellcroft leaderboard, hitting Level 2 as a coordinated unit.
Ethan, however, was in a league of his own.
He moved through the trees like a localized storm. Twelve Spiderlings and five Crawlers later, a familiar chime rang out.
[System: Evolution Point Gained.]
"There it is," Ethan said, opening his interface. He had accumulated 3 EP from the mobs and his previous Greedy Grasp procs. "Time for Platinum."
[System: You have consumed 3 Evolution Points. (Remaining: 0)]
[Skill Evolved: Greedy Grasp (Gold → Platinum)]
Effect: 110% chance to extract an additional loot reward.
In Godsfall, percentages weren't capped at 100. A 110% chance meant one extra drop was guaranteed, with a 10% chance for a third drop.
He tested it on the fresh corpse of a Crawler.
[Skill Check: Greedy Grasp — CRITICAL SUCCESS!]
[Loot Obtained: 1 Evolution Point]
[Loot Obtained: 1 Evolution Point]
[Loot Obtained: 3 Days Lifespan]
[Loot Obtained: 3 Days Lifespan]
"Triple loot," Ethan exhaled. "Absolute insanity."
He noted the cost for the next evolution: 5 points. The scale wasn't linear; it was getting steeper. He checked his reserves: 146 days of Tradeable Lifespan. It was a fortune for a newbie, but a pittance compared to what he needed. To manifest his gear into the real world, he would need at least 900 days—nearly two and a half years—and he had to hit Level 10.
A sudden rustle in the undergrowth caught his attention. He melted back into the shadows, creeping toward the sound.
His eyes widened.
[Blitz Stalker (Lv. 2)]
Rank: Bronze Boss
It was a nightmare of evolution: a six-legged, humanoid horror with no eyes and a maw of rotting teeth. It moved with a twitchy, unnatural speed—easily twice as fast as any starter player.
For any other Level 2 player, stumbling upon this thing meant a swift trip back to the respawn altar. For Ethan, it was simply his next meal.