Lucien found himself in the Hall of Columns, standing right at the Respawn Altar. Before him stood a sealed door that began to groan open as he arrived.
He watched patiently as the door creaked apart. Light seeped into the hall—first in thin fragments, then a blazing torrent that flooded the space, illuminating a great quarter of it. The sudden brightness forced Lucien to shield his face.
When his eyes adjusted, he stared outside at the lush, blooming world beyond the Hall of Columns. Lucien drew a deep breath and stepped forward.
[You have entered Mist of The Forgotten]
[Your Map has been updated]
’Oh? Map! Right, there should be such a thing too.’
He pulled up the HUD display, and a large image materialized before his eyes.
In Evo, player maps updated based on places they had visited or learned about. Players could share locations with each other, expanding their maps. When someone unlocked a new area and shared it worldwide, other players could save it and update their own maps.
Another gift of the map system was fast travel between Respawn Altars they had once anchored to. Players didn’t even need to stay anchored to use them.
But right now, Lucien couldn’t enjoy any of these perks. He had no friends to share locations with, no other respawn points except his own and the one that had led him to the dungeon—and he wasn’t even even systemically anchored to that one.
He just happened to respawn there because it was the nearest discovered Respawn Altar around the area he died
’It’s fine. I’ll survive this.’
For now, his map would do. To the north lay Evelaine’s Hollow, marked with Level 80-100—the area’s difficulty range and likely monster levels he’d face there.
To his left, the eastern wing, stretched Ossyn Woods with its Level 40-80 marking.
The other locations remained locked, their details hidden until he explored them himself.
He studied the map, thinking. What he really wanted was to march straight to Evelaine’s Hollow and face the Godzilla. But the more he considered that battle, the more impossible it seemed.
So he decided against it... for now. He needed to grow stronger first—that had been his original plan anyway, before it somehow changed. Maybe if he fused with more creatures and reached at least level 50, then he could challenge the beast.
It was still a wild idea, but he’d have a better shot than at level -1. He couldn’t wait until level 120 to dive into such an exciting experience. So he’d take the gamble.
"I don’t have all night. Let’s get to work."
Lucien headed east, emerging from the chasm that had led him away from the dungeon. On both sides of the chasm stood clean, smooth legs carved into the dungeon wall. He had come out from between them. These legs extended upward, sculpted into the body of an entire mountain—the upper body of a woman. The figure was carved bare except for a tunic covering her upper thighs.
Lucien wiped blood from his nostril and walked away.
’Let’s never look at that again.’
Minutes later, he reached Ossyn Woods. The light here was pale compared to the Mist of the Forgotten. Tall, ghostly trees stretched endlessly upward, their tops vanishing into grey clouds.
The moment Lucien entered, dread crept up his spine.
[Predator’s Instinct is sensing bloodlust]
[Predator’s Instinct is sensing bloodlust]
Lucien pulled up his hood. Instead of using the Whitesteel Shroud’s helm, he chose the White Crown.
A white wolf mask with narrow eye slits covered his face. At once, where his player name usually displayed "Player Cien, Level -1," it changed to "???"
Another gift—no one could tell if he was a player or NPC.
Lucien summoned the Nightfang short swords, gripping one in each hand. Flames consumed the cold steel, dancing like hungry spirits along the blades.
His heightened senses, sharpened by fusing with White Steel, picked up movement throughout the narrow woods. Creatures were closing in, surrounding him.
But he didn’t wait. He rushed forward, his image blurring before vanishing entirely.
The monsters—twisted, decayed white wood creatures with gnarled limbs and jagged teeth—froze in confusion.
A moment of silence. Then one burst into flames from behind.
[You have dealt 533 damage]
[You have dealt critical damage from behind]
[You have dealt an additional 789 damage]
[You have dealt damage while in stealth]
[You have dealt additional 80 damage]
[You have dealt flame damage which is fatal to the nature of the target]
[Palebranch Wight will receive 50 damage per 3 seconds]
Lucien gripped his short sword in reverse and drove it down into the monster’s back. With his other blade, he lunged forward, piercing its wooden hide before tearing upward.
[Palebranch Wight has entered bleed state]
Flames consumed the creature again. It thrashed wildly, screaming like the tormented soul of a lost warrior.
Lucien pulled back and leaped deeper into the forest, running. The pack gave chase immediately.
Within seconds, the monster died, and Lucien received the level-ups he’d been waiting for.
[You have slain Palebranch Wight Lv. 55]
[You have gained 1,830 Fusion Points]
[You have Leveled Up]
[You have gained +3 General Attribute Points]
[You have gained +5 Class Attribute Points]
[You have Leveled Up]
[You have gained +3 General Attribute Points]
[You have gained +5 Class Attribute Points]
[You have Leveled Up]
[You have gained +3 General Attribute Points]
[You have gained +5 Class Attribute Points]
[You have Leveled Up]
[You have gained +3 General Attribute Points]
[You have gained +5 Class Attribute Points]