Online Game: I Have A 100\% Drop Rate - Chapter 294: The Price of Power, All Leaving the Colosseum

The cracks covering Leon’s body intensified further, glowing brighter and brighter until it almost looked as though his entire body was splitting apart from the inside.

For a terrifying moment, the others genuinely thought he was about to explode.

But slowly, after several more agonizing minutes, the glowing cracks finally began to diminish in intensity as the strange energy seeped deeper into Leon’s body instead of continuing to spread outward.

Eventually, the screaming stopped. Then the shaking stopped as well.

And finally, Leon slowly pushed himself back onto his feet while holding his forehead.

“…Fuck me,” he groaned while taking a deep breath, still looking dizzy even though the worst seemed to have passed.

The others stared at him in silence.

Leon himself still felt slightly disoriented, because the power that erupted through his soul the moment he received that reward had been so overwhelming that he genuinely thought he was about to die right there.

If the pressure had increased even slightly more, Leon was almost certain his soul would have shattered completely.

And if that happened, no revival ability, artifact, or title would have been able to save him.

That was the true price required for obtaining power capable of surpassing the natural laws of [Eternal Ascension].

Because from this moment onward, every single attribute point Leon possessed would now correspond to three points of combat power instead of two.

No matter what happened in the future, no matter how strong another player became, Leon’s combat power would naturally grow far faster than theirs as long as their attributes remained equal.

And perhaps someday, he might even push that limit further.

’I get it now,’ Leon thought while slowly calming his breathing. ’That’s what they meant from the beginning when they spoke about breaking the shackles placed on the soul.’

The purpose of the [River of Souls] had never been to simply test endurance.

It was meant to force players to push past the invisible limitations imposed upon them by the system itself.

Most people failed long before reaching such a point. But Leon had somehow managed to break through.

“Well,” Leon finally said while looking toward the others again, “I guess it all worked out.”

“Sure did,” Violet smiled faintly even if traces of concern still remained in her expression. “Though for a few seconds there, it genuinely looked like you were dying.”

“That was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced,” Leon admitted with a shrug. “Hopefully none of you ever go through that.”

Overall though, despite the pain, Leon was more than satisfied. His combat power had now reached roughly 4.3 million.

That amount of strength was completely absurd for someone at his current level.

At this point, most monsters, NPCs, or players below level 90 would stand absolutely no chance against him in a direct confrontation.

Leon knew there were still countless terrifying entities waiting in the [Higher Domains], but at least for now, he had finally gained enough strength to survive properly.

Above level 90 though, things would once again become dangerous.

Combat power increased exponentially the higher someone climbed from this point.

A level 90 monster might possess five million combat power, while a level 91 creature could potentially possess six million or more.

That massive difference between levels was precisely why advancing in [Eternal Ascension] became so horrifying later on.

Even talented players sometimes remained stuck on a single level for months because overcoming the difference in strength became nearly impossible.

Leon knew that reality better than anyone.

In his previous life, he had experienced firsthand just how brutal progression became later on, especially once he began encountering the true elites of the different races.

There were simply too many powerful beings in [Eternal Ascension].

Humans, demons, dragons, celestials, ancient races that most people had never even heard of.

The deeper someone advanced into the higher domains, the more terrifying the opponents became.

So while Leon’s current combat power was absurd, he didn’t fool himself into believing he was invincible.

Not even close. Against true level 100 entities, he would still lose badly.

Fwoosh!

Several panels suddenly appeared before the five players.

Ding!

[You may now leave the “Colosseum of Ascension” and return to the “Expert Divine Temple.”]

[Returning to this place again will require completion of the third “God-Rank Assessment.”]

[You may refuse this challenge, though the rewards awaiting those who succeed are beyond imagination.]

The moment those words appeared, all five of them fell silent.

After everything they had just gone through inside the [Forsaken City], most players would probably swear never to approach another God-Rank Assessment ever again.

And yet…

“Well…” Godrick rubbed the back of his head while grinning. “The amount of power we could get from another one would be insane. I just need to prepare better next time.”

“…I need stronger inventions,” Oasis nodded seriously.

“My arrows still aren’t sharp enough,” Alicar chuckled quietly. “I think I can push much further next time.”

Even they themselves looked slightly surprised by how quickly their opinions changed.

Earlier, all of them had basically considered the assessment suicidal.

Now though, after witnessing the rewards firsthand, their motivation had exploded.

Of course, many players throughout history probably refused the third God-Rank Assessment entirely.

That was the rational decision. But power had a terrifying way of changing people.

Fwoosh!

A portal slowly appeared near the altar standing in the center of the [Colosseum of Ascension], its surface swirling with light while faint energy leaked outward from within it.

That was their exit. And just like that, all the panels disappeared, leaving only the five of them standing there in silence.

“Well…” Godrick finally said while walking toward the portal. “It was nice meeting all of you… and thanks for the help, human.”

Then without hesitation, the massive demon stepped through the portal and vanished.

“I’ll head out too,” Alicar said while adjusting the bow resting on his back. “I left my companions behind before entering the assessment, so hopefully they haven’t gotten themselves killed yet after all these years.”

“I-I usually stay alone,” Oasis admitted shyly, “but now that my talent became stronger, I want to gather as many materials as possible and keep creating new inventions. I hope we meet again someday, Leon… Violet…”

And with that, she stepped through the portal as well.

Soon afterward, only Leon and Violet remained inside the massive colosseum.

“So this is it,” Violet sighed softly while glancing toward the portal. “We leave this place, then I return to my world while you… probably go do something insane again.”

“Who knows,” Leon shrugged casually. “Maybe we’ll meet again eventually.”

“I’d actually like that,” Violet smiled gently while looking directly at him. “You are one of the most unique individuals I’ve ever met.”

Surprisingly, she extended her hand toward him to shake it, “See you, Leon.”

Fwoosh!

And just like that, Violet stepped through the portal as well, leaving Leon alone inside the enormous [Colosseum of Ascension].

Leon realized that none of them actually ever said what their talents were.

Even with everything they went through, there were some things that needed to be kept hidden, so Leon didn’t blame them.

He didn’t reveal anything much about him either after all.

“Alright,” Leon muttered while focusing back on his [Storage Space], “Time to do what needs to be done now.”