Lin Mo spent the next few minutes wandering around the Outpost, familiarizing himself with its layout and the establishments scattered throughout the streets.
The Outpost was far more lively than he had expected.
Players came and went through the streets, some carrying weapons while others wore newly acquired equipment that still looked slightly awkward on them. Groups gathered around NPCs, eagerly accepting quests, while others rushed through the streets with quest items in their hands.
Near one of the buildings, a young player was arguing with an NPC.
"Old man, I already brought you the three bundles of Ironroot Herbs!"
The elderly NPC calmly glanced at him.
"You brought two."
"What?!"
The player immediately looked inside his inventory. His face turned pale.
"...I forgot the third one."
The surrounding players burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA! This guy can't even count to three!"
"Bro, how did you even reach Level 2?"
"Shut up! The third herb was definitely there!"
The old NPC simply turned around and walked away.
"Wait! Old man! Come back! I swear I have it somewhere!"
A short distance away, another group of players was gathered around a female NPC.
"Miss, please! Just give me the quest!"
The NPC shook her head.
"I have already given this quest to another adventurer."
"Then cancel his quest!"
"Why would I cancel his quest?"
"Because I need it more!"
"That's not how quests work!"
The player froze.
"...Oh."
Lin Mo couldn't help but stare.
It seemed that even in a virtual world, some people were still capable of making a fool of themselves.
He continued walking.
A group of beginners soon caught his attention. One of them was holding a small wooden box while running toward the center of the Outpost.
"Quick! Quick! The delivery quest expires in five minutes!"
"You're the one carrying the quest item!"
Lin Mo shook his head.
The Outpost was chaotic.
Yet strangely enough, it felt alive.
Guards patrolled the streets, keeping an eye on both NPCs and players. Every now and then, Lin Mo would see a guard dragging a player away.
"Let me go! I didn't do anything!"
"You were harassing the weaponsmith."
"I was just asking for a discount!"
"You threatened to burn down his shop."
"...That was a joke."
"Explain that to the prison warden."
The guard dragged the protesting player away as nearby players laughed.
Lin Mo watched the scene silently. It was almost identical to the society outside the game.
There were rules.
There were laws.
There were people who followed them—and people who thought those rules didn't apply to them.
Even inside a game, society still found a way to exist. Lin Mo eventually reached the center of the Outpost.
The moment he stepped into the square, his eyes were drawn toward something towering above the surrounding buildings.
A massive steel pillar stood at the heart of the plaza.
It was enormous.
Its dark metallic surface stretched several meters into the sky, engraved with countless mysterious patterns that seemed to shift whenever light passed over them.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary monument. But the moment Lin Mo looked closer, he realized it wasn't.
Names were displayed across its surface.
Hundreds of them.
Thousands, perhaps.
The names of players.
The rankings of the strongest players in the Outpost. At the very top, one name stood out from the rest.
It glowed with a deep crimson light, surrounded by a thin golden outline. The letters seemed almost alive.
As Lin Mo stared at it, he felt a strange sensation crawling across his skin.
Dangerous.
Almost as if the name itself possessed a life of its own.
》Malakai《
Level 17
Lin Mo's eyes narrowed slightly.
Level 17.
The second-ranked player was noticeably less imposing. Even the size and brightness of the displayed name were slightly inferior to the first.
》GrimFang《
Level 15
Two levels separated the top two players. Lin Mo stared at the ranking for a moment.
Either he's a leveling maniac, or he has a powerful group supporting him. Reaching Level 17 this early in the game was already impressive.
But Lin Mo had no intention of concerning himself with the rankings.
Not yet.
He turned around and continued walking.
One step.
Two steps.
Three—
Lin Mo suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed. Something was wrong. His heart had just thumped heavily.
Thump.
He slowly turned his head. His eyes fell back onto the massive steel pillar. For some reason, he suddenly felt drawn toward it.
No.
Not drawn.
Pulled.
It was as if an invisible thread had been tied around his heart, gently tugging him backward.
Lin Mo stared at the pillar.
What is this feeling?
He had never seen it before. He had never touched it before. Yet something inside him was telling him—
To touch it.
Lin Mo stood there for several seconds. Then, almost unconsciously, he turned around. Step by step, he walked back toward the massive steel pillar. The moment he approached it, several players nearby noticed him.
"Hey, isn't that guy going back?"
"Going back where?"
"To the pillar."
"What?"
A few players turned their heads. Lin Mo continued walking. One player immediately burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! Is this guy serious?"
Another player looked confused.
"Wait, what is he doing?"
"Don't tell me he thinks the ranking pillar gives quests."
"Maybe he's trying to activate it?"
"Activate it?"
The first player laughed even harder.
"Bro, that's not how the Mysterious Steel works!"
A nearby player joined the conversation.
"He's probably a complete newbie."
"Definitely. Look at his equipment."
"Maybe he just logged in today."
"Someone tell him before he embarrasses himself."
"Why? This is entertaining."
Another player opened the World Chat.
[World Chat — Mistveil Outpost]
[RandomGuy23]: LOL, there's a newbie trying to touch the Mysterious Steel.
[SwordLover]: What?
[RandomGuy23]: He's literally walking toward it right now.
[MageNoob]: HAHAHAHAHA!
[IronFist]: Someone tell him the ranking can be accessed through the System Menu.
[PrettyElf]: Wait, don't stop him. I want to see what happens.
[OldPlayer]: Nothing will happen. The Mysterious Steel isn't an actual interactive object.
[RandomGuy23]: Exactly. He's probably trying to find a hidden quest or something.
[SwordLover]: Maybe he's one of those players who doesn't read tutorials.
[MageNoob]: He probably skipped the entire beginner guide.
[PrettyElf]: Poor guy. Someone should help him.
[IronFist]: Why help him when we can watch?
[RandomGuy23]: TRUE. 😂
Laughter filled the plaza. Lin Mo heard them. He heard the mocking voices. He heard the laughter.
But he didn't care.
His attention was completely focused on the pillar. Something was calling to him. He raised his hand. His fingers slowly approached the cold metallic surface.
The moment his palm touched it—
BOOM!
Lin Mo's entire body froze.
His eyes widened.
A tremendous force suddenly surged through his mind.
System: Ascendant Pillar Activated.
What?
Before Lin Mo could even process the notification, another system message appeared.
System: Holder of the [???] Identity confirmed.
System: Beginning data assimilation...
Lin Mo's pupils contracted.
Then—
The world disappeared. The noisy plaza. The laughing players.
The NPCs.
The buildings.
Everything vanished.
Lin Mo remained standing in front of the pillar, completely motionless. His hand was still pressed against the steel. To the players watching him, it looked ridiculous.
"Is he praying?"
"What the hell is he doing?"
"HAHAHAHA! He's been standing there for ten seconds!"
"Maybe he's waiting for the pillar to answer him."
"Bro, it's not going to talk!"
"Should we tell him?"
"Nah. Let him cook."
The laughter grew louder. But Lin Mo heard none of it. His mind was drowning. Information flooded into his consciousness like a broken dam.
It wasn't simply knowledge. It wasn't like reading a book.
It felt like—
Living another person's life. A scene flashed before his eyes. A player running through a dense forest.
Another scene.
A hidden cave beneath a waterfall.
A dangerous monster lurking in the shadows.
A quest NPC.
A dungeon.
A treasure chest.
A secret passage.
Lin Mo's mind struggled to process everything.
What is this...?
Then he realized something. These weren't random memories. They were experiences. The experiences of players.
Their discoveries.
Their mistakes.
Their victories.
Their deaths.
Their paths through the game.
He saw locations throughout Mistveil Outpost and its surrounding territories. Places he had just been familiarizing himself with.
But now, he knew them in a completely different way. He knew where beginner quests could be completed efficiently.
He knew which NPCs offered hidden quest chains.
He knew which seemingly useless items could become valuable later. He knew which areas were safe and which areas were dangerous.
Which monsters were easy prey. And which ones were better left alone.
Important quests.
Hidden events.
Leveling locations.
Dungeon entrances.
Rare resource areas.
Everything was being forcibly imprinted into his mind.
Then—
Another experience.
Then another.
Then another.
Lin Mo's mind was thrown from one player's perspective to the next.
Seven different players.
Seven different journeys.
Seven different paths through the world of Ascension Online.
Lin Mo's consciousness trembled. Their experience was different. Their knowledge went deeper. The information came faster, more violently.
For what felt like hours, Lin Mo experienced the game through the eyes of seven different players.
Then—
Silence.
The storm inside his mind finally settled. Lin Mo remained frozen for several seconds. His breathing was heavy. His eyes were closed.
Then—
Snap!
His eyes suddenly opened. Lin Mo immediately pulled his hand away from the Ascendant Pillar. He stared at the massive steel structure before him.
Speechless.
His mind was still trying to digest everything. The surrounding players were still laughing.
"Look! He's finally moving!"
"Did the pillar finally answer his prayers?"
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Maybe he received enlightenment!"
"Hey, newbie! Did the Mysterious Steel tell you the secrets of the universe?"
Lin Mo ignored them. He didn't even spare them a glance. His mind was already racing.
Seven players...
Seven different experiences.
The information he had received was too valuable. It wasn't simply about knowing where monsters spawned. He now possessed knowledge that could save him countless hours of trial and error.
He knew about quests.
Events.
Hidden locations.
Leveling routes.
Potential opportunities.
And he had only activated one pillar.
Lin Mo slowly raised his head. His eyes narrowed.
I wonder...
Does every Outpost have an Ascendant Pillar?
The thought had barely formed when—
Ding!
A familiar system notification rang inside his ears.
System: Unique Quest Updated.
[Unique Quest: Ascendant Legacy]
Quest Description:
Locate and activate 10 Ascendant Pillars scattered throughout the world of Ascension Online.
Progress: 1/10
Rewards: [???]
Lin Mo stared at the notification. His expression slowly changed. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. So that's what you want me to do.
He looked once again at the massive steel pillar. The players around him continued laughing. None of them realized what had just happened.
To them, Lin Mo was nothing more than a clueless newbie who had tried to touch a mysterious monument.
But Lin Mo knew better.
The so-called Mysterious Steel wasn't a mere monument. It was an Ascendant Pillar.
And somehow—
It had recognized him. Lin Mo turned around and walked away. This time, he didn't look back.
But deep inside, a question had already taken root in his mind.
What exactly is the [???] Identity?
And more importantly—
Why was the Ascendant Pillar waiting for him?