Rob continued his journey toward the edge of the safe zone, his movements deliberate and cautious. The Reaper's Broken Ring had proven to be a game-changer, allowing him to hunt goblins efficiently and collect coins while reaping their souls. Each encounter left him more confident in the ring's power, but also more aware of its insatiable hunger for mana and souls.

  As he reached the edge of the forest, Rob paused to check his coin count. The holographic interface displayed:

  [Coins: 532]

  "Damn," Rob muttered under his breath. "This ring is hungry. I need to find more targets soon."

  Just as he was about to move, a rustling sound came from the bushes to his left. Rob tensed, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of the blade he had taken from the last applicant he'd encountered. A figure emerged from the foliage—a smug-looking man wielding a red blade that glowed faintly with an ominous aura.

  The man smirked, his eyes narrowing as he sized Rob up. "Well, well, look who we have here. A puppy got lost in the woods. How adorable."

  Rob's heart raced, but he forced himself to stay calm. He had never planned for direct confrontations with other applicants; his strategy had always been to avoid them. But now, with no other choice, he had to think fast.

  The man took a step closer, his smirk widening. "Here's the deal, kid. Hand over your coins, and I'll let you live. I'm a generous and merciful man, after all."

  Rob's mind raced. He needed to buy time. Acting increasingly nervous, he stammered, "H-how do I do that?"

  The man chuckled, clearly enjoying Rob's apparent fear. "Just drag the coins from the shop interface and drop them outside the panel. Easy, right?"

  Rob nodded, his left hand subtly moving behind his back. He activated a spell, his fingers glowing faintly as he prepared:

  [Summon Spell: Paralyze]

  Effect: Immobilizes opponents.

  Duration: 3 minutes.

  Mana Cost: 8.

  "O-okay," Rob said, his voice trembling. He dragged the coins from his shop interface, holding them in his left hand. "H-here you go. Please... let me go."

  The man's smile widened as he reached out to take the coins. The moment his hand touched Rob's, the Paralyze spell activated. A surge of energy traveled through the man's body, locking his muscles in place. His eyes widened in shock, but he couldn't move or speak.

  Rob's nervous demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. He laughed—a low, almost evil chuckle. "Fool."

  With swift precision, Rob grabbed the man's red blade and stabbed him in the shoulder, careful not to deliver a fatal blow. The man's eyes filled with fear as Rob leaned in closer. "You should've been more careful."

  Rob then activated the Soul Reap skill. The light green lines shot out from the ring, latching onto the man. His body began to wither, his life force draining away. Within seconds, he crumpled into a dry husk, his soul absorbed by the ring.

  The ring glowed brightly, and a notification appeared in Rob's vision:

  [Reaper's Broken Ring]

  Hidden Requirements Met:

  250/250 Mana Stored.

  25/25 Souls Reaped.

  Dark Essence Detected from the User.

  [Ring Evolution Underway. Please Wait...]

  Rob watched in awe as the ring transformed. Its jagged design smoothed out, becoming more intricate and menacing. The dark aura around it intensified, and the glow shifted from faint green to an ominous black. When the transformation was complete, Rob inspected the new item:

  [Grim Reaper's Ring]

  Rank: Unique

  MAG ATK: +198

  Mana Pool: +120

  Enchantments:

  Skill: Soul Reap (Active): Drains the targets HP by 50 HP per second within a 20m radius. Successful extraction stores the soul in the ring. Failed extraction inflicts Soul Disorientation, reducing the targets stats by 30% for 5 minutes and causing Nausea (disoriented vision) for 1 minute.

  Duration: Proportionate to the user's mana.

  Cooldown: None.

  Mana Cost: 2 Mana/sec.

  Skill: Soul Dungeon (Passive): Stores extracted souls for later use.

  Skill: Conversion (Active): Converts stored souls into mana. Mana conversion depends on the HP the souls had before being reaped.

  Cooldown: 30 seconds.

  Skill: A Soul For A Soul (Active): Releases stored souls to hunt enemies and reap their souls. If an enslaved soul returns with another soul, it is released.

  Mana Cost: 5 mana per minute.

  Duration: Proportionate to the user's mana.

  Cooldown: None.

  Rob stared at the ring, his mind racing with possibilities. The Grim Reaper's Ring was no longer just a tool—it was a weapon of immense power. But with that power came responsibility. The ring was growing stronger, and Rob could feel its influence creeping into his mind.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "This changes everything," Rob muttered, slipping the ring back onto his finger. "But I need to be careful. This thing... it's dangerous."

  Rob glanced at the corpse of the applicant he had just defeated and noticed a small pile of coins scattered nearby. He smirked and crouched down to collect them. "Don't mind if I do," he muttered, scooping up the coins.

  [+365 Coins]

  Rob raised an eyebrow, surprised by the amount. "How did he have less coins than me? Oh well," he chuckled, "Nevermind."

  As he stood up, a global notification flashed across his vision:

  [The Zone is Now Closing.]

  Rob cursed under his breath. "Fuck, fuck!" He glanced at the mini-map, his heart racing as he saw the red danger zone slowly creeping toward his location. He needed to move—fast.

  Thinking quickly, Rob cast a spell:

  [Summon: Camouflage]

  Effect: Blends the user's body with the surroundings. Deactivates on the first attack.

  Duration: 3 minutes.

  Mana Cost: 15.

  His body shimmered briefly before blending seamlessly into the environment. With the spell active, Rob sprinted across the grassy plains, his eyes darting between the mini-map and the terrain ahead. The zone was closing in, but he had a head start.

  After what felt like an eternity, Rob finally reached the edge of the safe zone, panting heavily. The red danger zone was still some distance behind him, but it was closing fast. He took a moment to catch his breath and assess his surroundings.

  To his left, a mountain cliff loomed, its jagged edges offering a perfect vantage point for sniping. To his right, the grassy plains stretched out, dotted with patches of trees and a river in the distance. Near the river, a massive Minotaur field boss roamed, its hulking form casting a long shadow over the landscape.

  Rob smirked. "This is the perfect hunting spot."

  He knew that as the zone closed in, other applicants would be forced to move toward the safe zone, making them easy targets. But first, he needed to get to higher ground. The cliff was his best option, but climbing it would be a challenge.

  Rob glanced at his mana pool, which was now dangerously low. Thanks to the Grim Reaper's Ring, his mana capacity had increased, but he still needed to replenish it. He activated the ring's Conversion skill, converting some of the stored souls into mana.

  The ring glowed faintly, and Rob winced as faint screams echoed in his mind. The process was unsettling, but it was necessary. His mana pool refilled, and he quickly prepared another spell:

  [Summon: Low Gravity (1.62 m/s2)]

  Effect: Changes the target's gravity to that of the moon's gravity.

  Duration: 3 minutes.

  Mana Cost: 20.

  "Damn," Rob muttered, looking at his mana pool. "This is going to be tight."

  With the spell active, Rob felt his body grow lighter, as if he were floating. He took a running start and launched himself toward the cliff wall. The first jump carried him higher than he expected, but he misjudged the distance and fell back down. The second attempt was better, but he still couldn't reach the top.

  After several tries, Rob finally managed to grab the edge of the cliff on his sixth attempt. He pulled himself up, his arms trembling from the effort. "That... was harder than I thought," he panted, lying on the ground for a moment to catch his breath.

  As he stood up, he glanced to his left. The red danger zone was closing in, its ominous glow creeping closer with every passing second. Rob quickly positioned himself at the edge of the cliff, his eyes scanning the terrain below.

  From this vantage point, he could see everything—the grassy plains, the river, the Minotaur field boss.

  Rob crouched at the edge of the cliff, his eyes scanning the approaching applicants below. The mid-phase of the battle royale was in full swing, and the remaining participants were no longer easy prey. Most had upgraded their gear, and some, like Kai Nakamura, were already dominating the kill feeds. If Rob wanted to survive—and thrive—he needed to level the playing field.

  "I need a one-shot kill," Rob muttered to himself. "Something that can take them out before they even know I'm here."

  He opened the shop interface, scrolling through the weapons section. Filtering for Mage-specific items, he bypassed the common-rank gear and focused on the rare-rank options. Wands, staffs, and other traditional mage weapons filled the list, but Rob's eyes widened as he scrolled further down.

  "Rifles? For mages?" he whispered, his curiosity piqued. He tapped on one of the items, and its stats appeared:

  [Battlemage Rifle - Type 2 Prototype]

  Rank: Rare

  Mag ATK: +120

  Basic Spell Range: +120 meters

  Enchantments:

  Scope: Built-in with a Zoom spell to see far distances.

  Mana Cost: 3.

  Duration: 10 minutes.

  Acceleration: Basic spells are accelerated to a speed of 300 ft/sec, increasing penetration by 20%.

  Mana Cost: 1 per shot.

  Rifling: Basic spells are modified inside the barrel to roll, increasing penetration by 33%.

  Mana Cost: 1 per shot.

  Made by: Ciano

  Cost: 450 Coins

  Rob's eyes lit up. "This is perfect." The rifle was exactly what he needed—a long-range weapon that could deal significant damage while keeping him out of harm's way. The mana costs were manageable, and the added penetration would make his spells even deadlier.

  He glanced at his coin count: 897 Coins. It was enough to buy the rifle and still have some left over for another rare-rank item. Rob's mind raced as he considered his options. If he was going to snipe from the cliff, he needed something to help him stay hidden.

  Scrolling through the armor section, he filtered for rare-rank robes and quickly found one that caught his eye:

  [Shadowweave Robe]

  Rank: Rare

  Mag Defense: +45

  Physical Defense: +20

  Mana Regen: +3/sec

  Enchantments:

  Camouflage Enhancement: Increases the effectiveness of camouflage spells by 50%.

  Silent Movement: Reduces noise generated by movement by 70%.

  Cost: 400 Coins

  Rob grinned. "This is it." The robe would complement his Camouflage spell perfectly, making him nearly invisible while he sniped from the cliff. Combined with the Battlemage Rifle, he would be a ghost—unseen and deadly.

  Without hesitation, Rob purchased both items. The Battlemage Rifle materialized in his hands, its sleek design and glowing runes exuding an air of advanced craftsmanship. The Shadowweave Robe appeared next, its dark fabric shimmering faintly as he equipped it.

  Rob quickly tested the rifle's Scope enchantment, activating the Zoom spell. The world around him blurred as his vision focused on a distant tree, magnifying it as if it were right in front of him. "This is insane," he muttered, a grin spreading across his face.

  He then cast the Camouflage spell again, this time enhanced by the robe's enchantments. His body blended seamlessly into the cliffside, his movements nearly silent as he adjusted his position.

  With the rifle in hand and the robe on his back, Rob felt a surge of confidence. He was no longer just a participant in the battle royale—he was a predator. And from his perch on the cliff, he had the perfect vantage point to pick off his prey.

  As the red danger zone continued to close in, Rob took a deep breath and steadied his aim. The approaching applicants had no idea what was coming.

  "Let the hunt begin," he whispered, his finger hovering over the trigger.