Leon’s current [Combat Power] had already reached a point where it was far beyond what most enemies around his level could possibly handle.
For the majority of players who first entered the [Higher Domain], having sowhere between 100,000 and 150,000 combat power was considered normal.
That range represented the expected strength of soone who had successfully cleared the [Advanced Divine Temple] and moved on to the next stage of the world.
The system behind the [Higher Domains] actually used that kind of strength to distribute players across the different regions.
For example, a player who had barely managed to complete the F-Rank assessnt in the [Advanced Divine Temple] would not be sent to one of the top areas.
Instead, they would be transported sowhere much further down the list, such as [Higher Domain #98].
On the other hand, the first ten [Higher Domains] were reserved for the strongest and most promising players.
Those areas were far more dangerous.
Not only were the monsters stronger, but the players who appeared there were also much more capable than average.
Anyone who managed to enter one of those domains had already proven that they possessed talent, skill, or potential far beyond the norm.
However, sothing important needed to be clarified.
Even though Leon currently stood inside [Higher Domain #1], that did not an it was automatically the hardest area in existence.
As ntioned before, the first ten domains were all designed to be roughly equal in overall difficulty.
Each of them simply offered different types of environnts, opportunities, and threats.
So had stronger monsters but better rewards, while others had special locations or rare events that could only appear there.
In other words, they were balanced differently rather than being strictly ranked in difficulty.
But regardless of those details, the monsters currently standing in front of Leon were not particularly threatening.
The group of [Vine Abominations] slowly crawled across the ground, their bodies made entirely of twisting vines that moved like living creatures.
Leon calmly raised his staff.
Powerful Fireball!
A sphere of blazing flas instantly ford at the tip of the weapon before shooting forward.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded the mont it struck the monsters.
The explosion scorched the surrounding ground, burning through the vines and destroying the creatures almost instantly.
The four monsters barely had ti to react before their bodies collapsed into charred fragnts.
Leon looked around after the explosion faded.
"...Damn."
The difference between him and the other players nearby was extrely obvious.
All across the [Vine Plains], other players were fighting similar monsters, but most of them were locked in intense battles, trading blows and carefully managing their abilities just to survive.
anwhile, Leon had eliminated four monsters in a single attack.
Ding!
[You have killed x4 "Vine Abomination" and gained 24,000 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered...]
The notifications appeared imdiately.
Leon opened his status panel and glanced at his level.
[Level: 50 (24,000/180,000)]
’Good... looks like it’s the sa.’
He had been slightly worried about sothing.
Because of the bonuses from his [Celestial] title and several other advantages he possessed, Leon wanted to confirm whether the amount of experience required to level up had changed.
Fortunately, it seed the progression remained normal.
From level 50 until level 75, the experience requirent for each level would increase by 20,000 compared to the previous one.
This ant that leveling up would slowly beco more and more difficult as ti passed.
And once he completed his fourth assessnt inside the [Expert Divine Temple], the difficulty would rise even further.
Still, Leon wasn’t too concerned about that for now.
Instead, he opened his [Storage Space] to examine the items he had just obtained.
[Vine Abomination Essence x4: Consuming will increase Constitution by 12.]
[Vine Armor x4 (Uncommon): 2,300 Defense, 1,800 Constitution, 1,000 Agility. Has the ability to harm the opponent if cos in contact. Requirent: Level 54.]
"Nice."
As monsters grew stronger, the amount of attribute points granted by their essences also increased.
Without wasting ti, Leon consud the four essences.
Nom!
The energy spread through his body imdiately.
His constitution increased by forty-eight points in total.
After that, he turned his attention toward the four pieces of armor.
Enhancing equipnt by fusing identical items together was always worth attempting.
Beep!
[Enhancent failed.]
Leon didn’t react much. Failures were normal.
He tried again.
Ding!
[Enhancent successful.]
[Vine Armor 2 (Uncommon): 2,800 Defense, 2,200 Constitution, 1,400 Agility. Has the ability to harm the opponent if cos in contact. Requirent: Level 54.]
Leon glanced at the updated stats for a mont.
"Still not better than my [Elental Dragon Armor 2]."
His current armor remained superior.
Still, the extra item could eventually be sold or used later if needed.
After finishing his small inventory managent session, Leon stretched slightly.
It actually felt good to return to a simple routine of hunting monsters and leveling up after everything that had happened earlier.
The upcoming event inside [Divine Academy City] would begin in about two hours.
That ant Leon had roughly that amount of ti to grow stronger before returning.
Which was more than enough for him to make progress.
’I guess I can head deeper.’
There was no real point in staying in the outer sections of the [Vine Plains].
The monsters here were only around level fifty.
Considering his current combat power, Leon could comfortably fight enemies as high as level sixty-five or even seventy without too much trouble.
Fwoosh!
With that decision made, Leon rushed forward across the plains.
As he moved deeper into the region, he quickly noticed how massive the area actually was.
And eventually... he t level-sixty monsters.
’Damn.’
The environnt itself also began changing the further he went.
The vines covering the land beca thicker and more aggressive, twisting around rocks and ruins like massive living snakes.
So of them had grown solid enough to resemble wood, while others were covered in sharp thorns that glistened under the faint sunlight.
Eventually, Leon arrived at another group of monsters.
He imdiately activated his appraisal.
---
[Carnivorous Plant]
[Level: 63]
[Exclusive Talent: Player Devour (B-Level)]
[Combat Power: 300,000]
[Details: Plants that get stronger after each player they devour, created by the "Will of Nature"]
---
Leon glanced at the information calmly.
The fact that their combat power had nearly doubled compared to the earlier monsters didn’t bother him too much.
Instead, sothing else caught his attention.
Once again, the description ntioned the sa mysterious entity: the [Will of Nature].
This force seed responsible for creating many of the monsters roaming this region.
Interestingly, it did not appear to be the sa entity as the [Goddess of Nature].
Whether they were connected sohow remained unclear.
But Leon quickly noticed sothing else.
In the center of the group stood a larger plant monster.
[Carnivorous Plant (Mutated)]
[Level: 63]
[Combat Power: 330,000]
[Details: A carnivorous plant that has absorbed so many players it has mutated.]
---
Leon smiled slightly, "First mutated one in a while."
He lifted his staff.
"Let’s see."
Even though the creature’s combat power was high, Leon didn’t appear worried.
Powerful Fireball!
The flaming sphere shot forward.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed the group instantly.
Most of the carnivorous plants were burned to ashes without resistance.
But one monster remained.
The mutated plant had sohow survived.
A barrier of thorns had appeared around its body, protecting it from the worst of the explosion.
The creature imdiately lunged forward.
Its massive mouth opened wide as it tried to swallow Leon whole.
Leon reacted instantly.
’If I get eaten, I’ll die instantly... and [Life Vessel] won’t save .’
The ability allowed him to revive after death on the spot.
But if he revived inside the monster’s stomach and died again imdiately, the effect would beco useless.
Situations like that were rare. But they were still dangerous.
Fwoosh!
Leon dodged to the side just as the giant mouth snapped shut.
Then he swung his sword.
SLASH!
The blade sliced straight through the monster’s mouth, cutting it in half with ease.
The plant reacted by launching several thick vines toward him.
Leon moved faster.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Every vine was cut apart before it could reach him.
Then he raised his staff again.
Powerful Fireball!
The final blast hit the creature directly.
BOOM!
The mutated monster collapsed.
Normally, a group of players would be required to defeat sothing like that.
Leon had done it alone.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 "Carnivorous Plant" and gained 300,000 experience points.]
[You have killed "Carnivorous Plant (Mutated)" and gained 450,000 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered...]
Leon blinked slightly, "Oh shit."
Since he was still only level fifty, defeating monsters more than ten levels higher than himself provided enormous amounts of experience.
And then the next notification appeared.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 51 Level 52 Level 53!]
[Due to "Heaven’s Blessing", you have gained 1,200 points in all attributes and 1,200 free points to distribute.]
Leon smiled.
"Heh."
He could literally feel the increase in strength flowing through his body.
And he had no intention of slowing down.
If he wanted to achieve everything he had planned inside the [Higher Domains]... then this level of growth was only the beginning.
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