"An event?" Emilia tilted her head slightly. "I guess it is a game. I should have expected it," she said, smiling faintly.
Leon, on the other hand, was genuinely surprised. In his past life, he had never experienced an event in [Hub City].
Back then, it had taken him nearly a full week just to escape the [Novice Village] phase.
By the time he reached the [Lower Domain], whatever had happened here was already long over.
So this was something he had completely missed.
Events, by nature, were extremely rare. They didn’t happen often, and most players could go months without encountering even one.
But when they did occur, they were almost always worth it. The rewards were usually far above what normal grinding could provide.
That alone explained a lot. Now he understood why [Hub City] was so crowded.
Normally, most players preferred to stay in the wild. Some even went as far as establishing their own [Strongholds] in different domains to secure a safer place to rest and regroup.
Anyone could create a [Stronghold], as long as they found a [Stronghold Token].
But those were so rare that most people never even saw one in their lifetime. Because of that, players usually chose to join an existing stronghold instead of creating their own.
Most strongholds were tied directly to guilds.
For example, Eleonore’s guild had possessed its own stronghold in the [Higher Domain] before she died.
As for the [Eternal Domain]... that was on an entirely different level.
The strongest and largest strongholds existed there. Some were so massive they resembled full-fledged kingdoms, capable of housing millions of people at once.
Would Leon ever aim for something like that? Absolutely not.
But even so, he still wanted something. A place where he and his companions could rest safely in each domain. Somewhere stable.
Still, that wasn’t his priority right now.
What mattered was that all these people gathering here had a reason.
They were here for the event.
"Are we participating?" Emilia asked, her expression slightly tense as she glanced around. "There are so many people... and some of them feel really strong."
Leon chuckled.
"Trust yourself more," he said with a grin. "You’re stronger than, like, ninety-five percent of them."
Emilia immediately frowned.
"That still means five percent can beat me," she replied, clearly offended. "I need to rise above ninety-nine point nine percent. That’s the only way I’ll have a real chance at getting my revenge."
"Hah."
Leon didn’t argue. He understood that mindset better than anyone.
As they talked, the two of them reached the central square of [Hub City]. It was wide and open, designed to accommodate large crowds, and right now, it was packed.
Players stood in groups, some chatting excitedly, others arguing, and some simply waiting.
"I heard there was an event coming, so I rushed here as fast as I could."
"Events in [Hub City] are mostly for level ten to fifteen players. If you’re above that, it’s pointless."
"Goddamn it... I just reached level sixteen. I didn’t know that."
Voices overlapped, filling the square with noise and energy.
The atmosphere was lively. Players moved constantly through the streets, filling every corner of the city with motion.
"Should we wait?" Emilia asked. "We don’t even know when the event starts."
Leon didn’t answer right away. He already knew.
If the system panel itself warned players that an event would happen "soon," that usually meant within a day. At most.
"I want to check something in [Hub City] first," Leon said after a moment. "If it’s not done by then, we can head out for a bit and come back later."
"Sure!"
Emilia nodded without hesitation.
She could probably move ahead on her own if she wanted to. She was strong enough for that. But staying with Leon made her feel safer.
Especially with everything else going on.
The elves from her world would kill her on sight if they recognized her. On top of that, there were player killers lurking around, like the ones who had already attacked them earlier.
Taking unnecessary risks right now wasn’t worth it.
"Elves live for a long time," Emilia said suddenly. "But in [Eternal Ascension], we only get one life too. I wonder if there’s a way to get more lives..."
"There is," Leon replied calmly. "But it’s rare. Extremely rare."
That would require a [Resurrection Stone].
And the place he was heading to right now was directly related to that very thing.
Because no matter how strong he became, if he was ambushed or faced someone far beyond him, death would still be the end.
’I can’t let what happened in my past life happen again,’ Leon thought.
They moved deeper into [Hub City], far past the areas most players gathered in. The further they went, the quieter it became.
Eventually, there were almost no players around. Most people had no reason to come this far.
The streets here were broken and abandoned. Buildings stood half-destroyed, their walls cracked, roofs caved in, and interiors stripped bare. There was nothing to loot, nothing to gain.
That was exactly why this area was ignored.
After a few minutes of walking through the ruined district, Leon stopped. He stood in front of a shop.
At first glance, it looked just as destroyed as everything else. Its walls were damaged, and parts of the structure had collapsed. It blended in almost perfectly with the surroundings.
But there was one difference. A small sign hung above the entrance.
[Open]
"Bingo," Leon grinned as he walked forward and pushed the door open.
Emilia followed him inside, looking around with a confused expression.
"Where are we?"
"An alchemist," Leon replied simply.
Inside the shop, furnaces lined the walls. Strange tools and containers were scattered everywhere. Bottles, powders, crystals, and ingredients filled the shelves.
It was clear that this place was used to refine potions, pills, and other items.
"New customers... after so long?" a voice spoke.
Merek, the alchemist, stepped forward.
"I honestly thought no one else would ever come here."
He was a humanoid figure of average height, with blue skin and long ears. A monocle rested over one eye, and when he smiled, a row of sharp teeth was visible.
He wasn’t a player from another world. He was what most called a "Native." Others simply called them NPCs.
But unlike mindless entities, Merek had his own intelligence. His own will.
He could attack. He could be killed.
The main difference between him and players was that he wasn’t allowed to leave this shop.
He followed the will of the [Heavenly One], bound to this place for now.
"I want you to help me," Leon said calmly. "I want—"
"It doesn’t work like that, young man," Merek interrupted, wagging a clawed finger with a wide grin. "If you want something from me, you’ll need to prove yourself first."
’Here we go,’ Leon thought.
At that moment, a system panel appeared before both Leon and Emilia.
Ding!
[You have triggered the S-Level Secret Quest: "Alchemist’s Materials"]
[Time Limit: None.]
"I want you to bring me some materials from the nearby [Undead Temple]," Merek said. "If you bring everything I need... I might have something for you. Though I should warn you, very few ever manage to do it."
Leon already knew what the reward was. The [Resurrection Stone].
There was no way he was letting this chance slip by. Another panel appeared.
Ding!
[0/25 Undead Core, 0/50 Corrupted Bones, 0/1 Undead King Heart]
Those were the required materials. If they gathered all of them, each of them would be able to resurrect once.
Leon had always planned to make sure Emilia got one as well. She was just as much in danger as he was.
"Amazing," Emilia said, staring at the panel with wide eyes. "You really do know everything, Leon."
Leon shrugged.
"We should focus on gathering the materials first."
"Their drop rates are quite low," Merek added arrogantly. "Most who accept my quest never return. I assume they either die... or realize how impossible it truly is~"
"Give me a few hours," Leon said calmly as he turned toward the door. "I’ll be back."
Merek laughed.
"Hah. You’ll understand how difficult it is soon enough, human."