The tiles beneath their feet lit up in pale light.
Light swirled, spinning into a vortex.
Just before the vortex swallowed them, the angel added something.
"The Special Shop will be open during the trial."
That caught Isaac’s attention, but he had no time to dwell on it.
A white light filled his vision, erasing everything.
When his eyes opened again, he wasn’t standing on the glass tile.
His boots pressed into soft dirt.
Around him, a forest stretched tall and vibrant.
The trees reached high. Their leaves were bright and full. The air was crisp and clean, like it had never been touched by smoke or dust.
Isaac inhaled and almost smiled.
He hadn’t breathed anything so fresh in years.
Above, the canopy was thick, but he didn’t need to see the sky to know the sun was there.
He could feel it.
It was strange, as though the sun insisted on being noticed even when hidden.
Isaac opened his palm, then closed it.
A screen appeared in front of his eyes, clear as day.
[First Objective: Map Completion]
[Each monster drops random pieces of a map. Collect seven different pieces and complete the map.]
[Map Fragments Collected: 0/7]
"First objective. That means there’ll be more later."
It wasn’t complicated. Hunt monsters. Collect map fragments. Complete the set.
But Isaac wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would stay that simple.
This was Hell difficulty.
The monsters wouldn’t be weak, and the map fragments probably wouldn’t all drop easily.
Either the enemies would be powerful, or the drop rate would be frustratingly low. Probably both.
Another message appeared on the screen.
[Ranking Board will open in 1 hour]
Isaac frowned.
"Hmm. So everyone’s rankings will be shown..."
That was a problem.
"Will it show our names too?" he muttered.
If his name appeared next to high results, it would make him a target.
If he revealed too much strength here, others could report back to their cities.
Their lords might decide to deal with him early, before he became a ’threat’.
"It’s not like I want to become an enemy, but the Governor proved that just by existing, I can become an eyesore for others."
A nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
The angel had said the other participants were all from the same sector—Sector 8XA.
He remembered Professor Catherine explaining that term.
Sector 8XA was the stretch of land where all known species lived, bordered by the Mourning Frost Mountains in the east, the Endless Nightmare Desert to the north and west, and the Corrupted Sea in the south.
The land was massive. Too massive.
Even with centuries of exploration, it wasn’t clear how many species called it home.
Still, Professor Catherine had said over four hundred species had been confirmed to exist in Sector 8XA.
That was only what people knew for sure.
"If others think I’m too strong, they won’t just let me be after the trial ends," Isaac said under his breath.
He needed to stay cautious.
"Let’s see this Special Shop the angel mentioned. Maybe there’s something useful for this situation."
At his thought, another screen appeared.
[Opening Special Shop]
1. Two Days Ration: 2 stat points
2. Two Months Ration: 20 stat points
3. Dagger (Unranked): 3 stat points
4. Broadsword (Mortal Grade): 10 stat points
5. Monster-Repelling Incense (2 hours): 50 stat points
6. Radar (Spirit Gra—...) ...
7....
The list kept going.
"We can spend stat points here."
Isaac scrolled through the options slowly.
Stat points were no small thing.
For most species, they were the foundation of survival and strength.
Spending them on food or simple gear could cripple progress.
He remembered what Professor Catherine had taught him about average stat distributions.
A low-rank species Champion at Level 50 usually had around 59 points in each stat from leveling alone.
Add in potions, rank up boosts, class boosts, and equipment, and that might double to about 120 per stat.
For mid-rank species, the average stats were around 269 per stat.
High-rank species were even higher, averaging over 400 per stat.
That gap was massive.
And high-rank species valued every single stat point.
Their stats weren’t equal to others’.
One stat point of theirs could be worth two or three stat points of someone else’s.
They wouldn’t waste that on a shop.
"That is, unless they’ve had steady access to high-quality stat potions from Lord Shop Gacha," Isaac thought aloud. "Then maybe they could afford it. But most wouldn’t. High-rank species will be the most reluctant to use this place. They can’t justify it."
That led to the obvious method.
"The weak will be targeted. The strong would capture a low-rank or mid-rank species and force them to buy items for themselves. That’s probably what’s going to happen."
Isaac exhaled slowly.
"Well, the shop isn’t really a problem for me."
He had something others didn’t.
His harvests.
Every day, he could reap thousands of stat points in Constitution and Mana. Four times a day, in fact.
He had more stored than he’d ever had the chance to spend.
A grin pulled at his lips.
"Finally. I found a way to use the backlog."
He scrolled through the items again, taking his time.
There were dozens, maybe even hundreds. Each item had its own strange description. Most were too situational.
But then he saw one that caught his attention.
[49. Mask of Unknown: 1000 stat points]
He tapped it.
[Mask of Unknown: Your appearance will be obscured for anyone below 5000 Spirit Power Stat. Your name will not appear on the rankings, and you will be allowed to choose a new nickname for yourself.]
Isaac’s eyes narrowed as he read the details twice.
"That solves it."
No one would be able to see his name, his face, or figure.
He could move freely, fight without worry, and rank without drawing attention. The mask was perfect.
"Buy it."
The screen flickered, and a new message appeared.
[1,000 Constitution stat has been deducted.]
Constitution: 1,000 [10,000] → 1,000 [9,000]
[Mask of Unknown acquired.]
A white mask materialized in Isaac’s hand.
It looked plain with smooth surface and no markings, but it carried a faint ancient aura.