[100% Drop Rate (SSS-Level Talent): Whether it is slaying monsters, opening treasure chests or anything related to drop rates, you will always get 100% of the drops, no matter what.]
Leon stared at the panel for several long seconds.
He hadn't expected this. Not even a little.
In his previous life, S-Level Talents were already considered monsters. Anyone who awakened one immediately became a figure of interest. Guilds fought over them. Powerful factions offered protection, resources, and authority just to keep them on their side.
SS-Level Talents were even rarer. Leon had personally only met a few people with them. They were walking disasters.
Some commanded tens of thousands of subordinates. Others ruled entire cities, not because they wanted to, but because no one could oppose them. Their strength alone shaped the rules around them.
And yet… This was SSS-Level. Leon had never even heard of such a thing.
In his fifteen years inside [Eternal Ascension], the highest rank ever mentioned was SS. No one had ever publicly awakened something beyond that.
And now, here he was. Holding one.
"In my past life…" Leon muttered quietly, his eyes still locked on the panel, "I awakened the S-Level Talent [Magical Swordsman]."
That talent alone had pushed him far above average players.
[Magical Swordsman] allowed him to wield magic while maintaining full combat efficiency with swords. He didn't suffer the usual drawbacks of split growth.
His spells didn't weaken his physical strikes, and his swordsmanship didn't interfere with spellcasting. It was powerful.
That was why he had said earlier that he wouldn't mind getting the same talent again. He knew exactly how strong it was and how far it could take him.
But even that… Even with an S-Level Talent… It hadn't been enough.
When you were surrounded by hundreds of enemies with comparable strength, talent alone stopped mattering. Numbers crushed everything. Strategy failed. Luck ran out.
Leon exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to get carried away.
'That thing at the start…' he thought, recalling the presence that appeared in the void, 'It knew I transmigrated.'
There was no doubt about it.
The way it paused. The way it looked directly at him. The words it used.
And now, instead of the same talent, he had received something completely different. Something absurd.
This wasn't coincidence. But whatever the reason was, Leon didn't have the luxury of questioning it right now.
This talent… It was terrifying. Guaranteed drops. Always.
In [Eternal Ascension], drop rates were everything. Weapons, equipment, materials, skill books, consumables, almost all progression relied on drops.
Players spent years grinding for specific items, killing the same monsters thousands of times, hoping for a single piece of loot.
Leon had done that.
He had wasted countless days chasing rare drops, only to walk away empty-handed more often than not.
And now? Every monster kill. Every chest. Every drop-related event. Guaranteed.
Leon had spent nearly fifteen years inside [Eternal Ascension], and never once had he heard of a Talent this broken. Even the strongest SS-Level Talents had conditions, limitations, or trade-offs. This had none.
Combined with his experience, his knowledge of future events, monsters, routes, and systems…
He held an advantage so massive it was almost unfair.
Around him, the other players were finishing reading their own Talent descriptions. The village quickly filled with noise.
"God damn it, can I get a redraw?"
"Hah! A-Rank Talent, baby!"
"Seriously? I got a D-Rank one… wanna team up?"
There was excitement. Disappointment. Panic. Leon ignored all of it.
Ding!
[You can now check your status panel.]
[From now on, no more help will be given to you, good luck.]
Leon's expression sharpened slightly.
This was the last direct guidance they would receive for a long time. After this, the system would only intervene mechanically.
It would watch. Always. But it would not help.
'Alright,' Leon thought, 'let's check it.'
Fwoosh!
His mind stirred as a familiar sensation washed over him. A translucent screen appeared before his eyes, clear and structured.
---
[Name: Leon Rykard]
[Level: 1]
[Constitution: 5]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Spirit: 5]
[Skills: None]
[Combat Power: 40]
---
Leon nodded.
"Same as before," he muttered. "Good."
Five points in each attribute. That was the standard.
Most average humans had five across the board. Even trained athletes only exceeded that by one or two points depending on their specialization. In the early game, those differences barely mattered.
Everyone started equal. Or at least, that was how it looked.
As for [Combat Power], that number mattered more than anything else.
Every attribute point added two points to combat power. Equipment, buffs, consumables, and skills increased it further. In the simplest terms, higher [Combat Power] meant higher survivability.
In [Eternal Ascension], everything revolved around it.
"My [Combat Power] is 48!"
"Damn, mine's only 44…"
The moment players checked their panels, voices erupted again.
Leon glanced around. Just as he remembered, everyone's combat power hovered around the same range.
And right on cue—
Fwish!
A weapon materialized in everyone's hands. Leon looked down at the machete that appeared in his grip.
[Novice Machete (Common): +2 Attack.]
In [Eternal Ascension], there was no fixed class system. Everyone started neutral. No warriors, no mages, no rogues by default.
If you wanted to become a mage, you learned a spell and picked up a staff.
If you wanted to be a warrior, you trained your body and used weapons.
Most players chose their path based on their Talent, since it made the most sense to build around what gave them the biggest advantage.
In his past life, Leon had naturally become a hybrid because [Magical Swordsman] allowed it.
This time… He didn't know yet.
Leon glanced at the [Novice Machete] and let out a quiet sigh.
A few minutes passed as players explored the [Novice Village].
It was small, simple, and empty. Wooden houses lined dirt roads. There were no NPCs. Only players.
Leon knew better than to waste time wandering.
The entire village was surrounded by a faint, glowing barrier. Most players gathered near it, touching it, testing it, chatting casually.
Leon, however, stepped away. He had been counting.
Nine minutes and thirty seconds had passed since they first appeared in the village.
"I wouldn't stay near that thing," Leon said loudly, turning toward the group closest to it. "You should move."
They looked at him like he was crazy.
Still, something about his tone made them hesitate. A few backed away. Others followed.
Leon moved toward a more open area, tightening his grip on the machete.
Five… four… three…
"Wait, the barrier's moving!"
"Oh shit!"
Two… one…
Boom!
The ground shook violently as the barrier shattered into fragments of light and vanished.
And immediately, monsters poured in.
[Wild Boar], [Demonized Rat] and [Small Goblin].
Dozens rushed into the village from all directions.
Panic exploded. Some players froze. Others screamed. A few reacted.
Swash!
A goblin's head flew off. Another player sliced a rat clean in half.
For a moment, it seemed manageable.
Then—
Fwoosh!
A wild boar charged forward, its tusks piercing straight through a player's torso. The body was lifted off the ground before collapsing lifelessly.
Another goblin leapt forward, swinging its crude machete and severing a player's head in one clean strike.
"H-Holy shit!"
"Argh—!"
People recoiled in horror. Some backed away in terror. Others dropped their weapons. A few vomited on the spot.
"Don't be scared!" Leon shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "You can kill them with a single swing!"
"He's right!" a man in a leather jacket added, slashing down two monsters in quick succession. "They're weak! Don't freeze up!"
Seeing others succeed snapped them out of it. Players raised their machetes and rushed forward.
Leon moved too. Calm. Focused.
He ran toward a small goblin trying to ambush a distracted group and swung once.
The blade flashed. The goblin's head fell.
Ding!
[You have killed "Small Goblin"]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, item has been automatically placed in your storage space.]
"Oh?" Leon muttered.
A white light emerged from the goblin's corpse, splitting into two masses, one large, one small, before flowing directly into him.
Leon didn't even check his storage. Not yet.
There were still monsters alive. And he intended to kill as many as possible.