"System, show me the prices for E rank cores."
A blue screen instantly appeared before my eyes.
## [CORE SHOP]
* **[NEUTRAL (E-, E, E+)]** — 50, 100, 150
* **[NECRO (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[FIRE (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[WIND (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[WATER (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[ICE (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[EARTH (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
* **[LIGHTNING (E-, E, E+)]** — 100, 200, 300
I stared at the prices for a few seconds before sighing deeply.
"They’re expensive..." I muttered. "If I only buy cores from the system shop, my points will disappear sooner or later. I’ll definitely need to use real money too."
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
"Should I rank myself up first?"
I took out an F+ rank core from my inventory and absorbed it.
But unlike before, I only felt a small amount of energy enter my body, restoring a little mana before disappearing completely.
That was it.
My brows immediately furrowed.
"What’s happening, System?" I asked with a bewildered expression.
The system responded calmly.
[Host, now that you possess a True Core, you also require True Core energy to rank up.]
My expression instantly darkened.
"And where exactly am I supposed to find that?" I asked irritably. "Don’t tell me to buy it from the shop, because I already know it’ll cost a fortune."
[Host, if you do not possess a True Core of the required rank, you may temporarily substitute it with a large quantity of higher-ranked False Cores such as E-, E, or E+ rank cores.]
That explanation eased my mood slightly.
At least E-rank cores were something I could still obtain through hunting or the system shop.
"How many cores do I need to rank up?" I asked cautiously.
The system answered almost cheerfully.
[Host requires 10,000 E- rank cores, 5,000 E rank cores, or 1,000 E+ rank cores to advance.]
Silence filled the room.
"...This is robbery."
I nearly coughed blood after hearing those numbers.
"Just for E- rank cores alone, I would need around 500,000 system points. And if I used real money instead..."
I quickly calculated the amount in my head.
"...100,000 silver coins. That’s basically 100 gold coins."
My lips twitched.
"This is absurd."
The system lazily replied,
[Host, everyone born with a True Core faces this problem. However, nearly 99% of such individuals possess powerful family backgrounds that support them until they reach S-rank.]
I shook my head helplessly.
Forget it.
I would deal with ranking up later.
Right now, the monster tide was far more important.
"System, show me durable masks that won’t break during battle."
Another screen instantly appeared.
## [VOID MASK SHOP]
### [Bone Mask (F)] — 150P
A white skeletal mask capable of hiding facial expressions while slightly distorting the user’s voice.
### [Shadow Veil Mask (F+)] — 400P
A black mask infused with shadow energy. Makes the user’s presence harder to sense.
### [Faceless Monarch Mask (E-)] — 1200P
A pitch-black mask with no features. Those who stare at it for too long experience instinctive fear.
### [Abyss Raven Mask (E)] — 2500P
A dark metallic mask shaped like a raven. Grants intimidation and weak mental resistance against fear effects.
My eyes instantly stopped on one particular mask.
The floating image displayed a completely black mask covered in faint silver cracks spreading across its surface like shattered space itself.
No eyes.
No mouth.
No expression.
Just endless darkness.
A strange chill slowly crawled down my spine.
"This one..." I muttered softly.
For some reason, it felt as though the mask itself was staring back at me.
Without hesitating further, I purchased it.
The surrounding space suddenly distorted.
A moment later, the faceless black mask floated toward me before attaching itself directly onto my face.
"Ugh!"
I instinctively tried to pull it off, but the mask didn’t move even slightly.
After several failed attempts, I finally gave up and carefully observed my surroundings through the mask.
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
In fact, my vision felt strangely clear.
Then I focused on my eyes.
The next moment, my breathing stopped.
I could see mana.
Not just dense mana currents—
Every single mana particle floating through the air was visible to me with terrifying clarity.
But that wasn’t the strangest part.
The space in front of me suddenly began feeling... thin.
Like paper.
My head instantly exploded with pain.
"UGHH!!"
A violent headache struck me so hard that I nearly collapsed.
Panicking, I immediately tried to desummon the mask.
The moment the command left my mind, the mask vanished from my face.
"Huff... huff..."
I gasped heavily for air while clutching my head.
"What the hell was that...?"
For the first time in a while, even the system sounded worried.
[Host, please use the mask’s abilities with caution. This artifact originally existed above Divine Grade.]
My eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Above Divine Grade?! But it’s only E- rank!"
[Yes, Host. The artifact is heavily shattered and damaged beyond repair. Its current strength has fallen to E- rank.]
The system’s voice carried a hint of sadness.
[Additionally, Host, the mask is now attached directly to your soul. You may summon or dismiss it with a single thought.]
"...Okay," I muttered while rubbing my aching forehead. "Then tell me its abilities."
A new screen appeared before me.
## [FACELESS MONARCH MASK (E-) — DAMAGED]
### Effects:
* Immune to aura suppression regardless of enemy level.* Host’s stats, system, past, future, fate, and existence cannot be investigated or perceived.
After reading the description, I fell silent.
Even while heavily damaged, this artifact is absurdly overpowered.
Then just how terrifying had it been at its peak?
I slowly calmed myself before activating my Ruler Eyes to check the progress of my undead army.
But the moment my vision switched to Vargan’s perspective, my expression froze.
Trees.
Rocks.
Bananas.
Everything was flying through the air from both sides.
On one side stood my undead gorillas.
On the other side were normal gorilla monsters.
"...What the hell is going on over there?"
### Ten Minutes Earlier
While I was busy browsing the system shop, Vargan had been silently observing the undead army at work.
The undead gorillas were smashing boulders apart, uprooting trees, and carrying everything toward the Death Realm.
However, one gorilla slightly larger than the others sat calmly nearby while eating bananas with a thoughtful expression, as though reflecting on its entire life.
Vargan tilted his head.
Was that yellow thing tasty?
Soon, several other gorillas approached the banana pile, but the larger gorilla aggressively pushed all of them away as though the bananas belonged exclusively to him.
A few minutes later, the leader of the Deathfang Wolves quietly sneaked over and stole an entire banana branch without being noticed.
Everything remained peaceful for exactly three seconds.
Then the gorilla touched the empty spot beside him.
His expression instantly changed.
"ROARRR!!"
The undead gorilla flew into a furious rage after discovering his bananas were missing.
When he turned toward the Deathfang Wolves, the wolf leader immediately pointed toward a nearby group of normal gorillas that were casually eating bananas while watching everyone work.
The undead gorilla leader froze.
Then his eyes turned bloodshot.
"ROARR!!"
Without hesitation, he ordered all the undead gorillas to attack.
And just like that...
A full-scale throwing battle began.
Trees, rocks, branches, and even bananas started flying everywhere.
Vargan silently watched the chaos unfold.
However, he quickly noticed something important.
Every time either side grabbed a banana, they immediately stopped fighting long enough to eat it first.
Meanwhile, the Vine Serpents completely ignored the conflict.
They continued smashing rocks with their heads and wrapping around trees to pull them out from the ground like hardworking laborers.
But on the other side, another strange scene appeared.
A Vine Serpent had wrapped itself tightly around a massive tree while three Deathfang Wolves pulled from one side and another three pulled from the opposite side.
Their leader sat nearby, calmly observing everything.
It looked as though he was seriously wondering which direction the tree would fall.
Vargan silently nodded to himself.
"Vine Serpents are the hardest workers," he thought proudly. "Master should definitely get more Vine Serpent laborers."
He became excited imagining Luke praising him and patting his head.
The corners of his mouth even twitched slightly as though he were secretly grinning.
At that exact moment, the Deathfang Wolf leader suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He cautiously looked toward Vargan, the big dog and froze after seeing the giant wolf staring at him.
The wolf leader instantly panicked.
But after noticing Vargan tail is not moving, he finally relaxed.
### Present Time
My eye twitched after witnessing the entire situation.
Then I watched the undead gorilla leader casually lift a massive ten-foot boulder before hurling it toward the enemy gorillas.
The sheer physical strength behind the attack shocked even me.
"Finish this quickly," I commanded through our mental connection.
The moment my order reached them, every undead instantly froze.
Then the slaughter began.
Vargan activated his passive ability completely.
His body blurred repeatedly across the battlefield like a dark flash.
Every time he appeared, another E- rank monster either died instantly or suffered heavy injuries.
"Elite monsters really are built differently..." I muttered softly.
Then I slowly turned my gaze back toward the village in the distance.
Because the monster tide had finally arrived—