You actually did it

Ares eyed the Hellfire Demon, hardly disguising his scorn. 

"Only five million HP? That's not exactly intimidating," he muttered. At his current level, one Whirlwind Slash could dish out close to 8.7 million damage. 

Provoked by Ares's dismissive tone, the Demon's flames flared higher, crackling with renewed fury. With a swish of its thick tail, it smashed a nearby boulder to rubble, then drove its foreclaws into the ground. A rolling wave of heat surged across the cavern as it charged straight at Ares.

Each thunderous stomp left deep imprints in the earth, lava spraying in every direction. Scorching air blades sheared through the cavern, warping the very atmosphere. In a split second, the towering monster was nearly on top of Ares, shrouded by a raging inferno.

Yet Ares stood unmoving—his demeanor calm, but the energy around him skyrocketed in an instant.

Right before impact, his unruffled voice broke the tension: "Whirlwind Slash."

He spun like a black whirlwind, sword in hand, unleashing an explosive force that formed a visible vortex, ripping through the air and crashing into the Hellfire Demon.

"-8,697,000!"

That staggering number flared overhead, glaring red in the dim Inferno Cavern. The entire grotto quaked from the sheer power of the strike, loose rocks raining down from above as though the place might collapse at any moment.

As for the Hellfire Demon's colossal body, it just blinked out in a flicker of fading embers, leaving behind a softly glowing golden sphere that slowly hovered in the air.

Stepping forward, Ares scooped the brilliant purple-and-gold orb into his backpack. 

The moment he opened his bag, he spotted an armguard gleaming with a peculiar luster:

[Flamebreath Aegis Armguard (S-Rank)] 

STR +30, AGI +30 

Special Effect: Flamebreath Immunity – Reduces Fire-based damage by 50%.

Ares's eyes lit up. It was an extreme piece of gear, but absolutely devastating against fire-type bosses. Though the raw stats weren't game-changing, he had nothing better at the moment, so he equipped it without hesitation.

A surge of strange energy flooded from the armguard, spreading through him in an instant. He felt the surrounding heat intensities melt away into harmless warmth, as if the flames could no longer touch him.

Next, he turned his sights on the golden treasure chest nearby. The Hellfire Demon had guarded it—surely it must contain something important.

He reached out and picked it up. With a flash, the chest transformed into a locked quest item in his inventory:

[Mysterious Golden Chest (Quest Item)]: The treasure the Flame Valley master has been desperately searching for. Whatever is inside can only be accessed by completing the corresponding quest.

Clutching the chest, Ares rushed back to where he'd first met the master of Flame Valley.

The old man's hands trembled with excitement the moment he saw the chest, and he stepped forward, tears catching in his voice. "You... you actually did it!"

Muttering so quietly it almost sounded like chanting, the old man reverently ran his palms over the chest before carefully opening it. A gentle glow poured forth, revealing a crystal-clear eyeball nestled inside.

Instead of using it himself, the old man placed the glassy eye into Ares's right socket with a simple wave of his hand. Then he turned toward Ares, gratitude shining from his face. "Young warrior, you've done me a great favor. The treasure I promised you… is this."

"Ding! Congratulations—You have completed the Flame Valley Master's request, earning a new skill: Eye of Insight."

[Eye of Insight]: Active skill. Grants the ability to perceive the true nature of all things. Lasts 10 seconds, cooldown 30 minutes.

Curious, Ares activated his brand-new ability, turning his gaze on the elderly man. 

Sure enough, hidden info began to surface on the master's stat panel: once a Guardian of the human race, he single-handedly slew an actual dragon. In his current state, however, his mind was wildly unstable, and a large portion of his memories were missing.

Ares couldn't help but gasp. He never would've guessed this frail figure had ever managed to kill a real dragon.

Just then, another system prompt chimed:

[Congratulations on completing the hidden quest: Find the Master of Flame Valley. You have gained the one-time item "Purifying Elixir."]

[Purifying Elixir]: Single-use item. Cleanses all poisons and negative effects.

Ares looked at the tiny red vial in his hand and wryly pursed his lips. "I swear, it looks just like tomato sauce."

…

With the quest finished, the mysterious old man disappeared, and Ares soon found himself back near the entrance to Flame Valley. This rocky area had the highest density of mobs, and their steady respawn rate made for efficient grinding.

"Whirlwind Slash!"

Again, Fire-Scaled Lizards and Molten Minotaurs crumbled under the kind of damage they were never meant to face. After five straight hours of this high-octane leveling, Ares finally hit Level 30.

Name: Ares 

Level: 30 

Class: Warrior 

HP: 4,490 

MP: 6,100 

ATK: 297 

DEF: 334 

"Yes! I can finally do my class change!"

But no sooner had he pulled out the Mysterious Job Transfer Tome than the system flared another notification:

"Ding! You have reached the required level. Your SSS-grade talent has advanced!"

"Congratulations! You have obtained an EX-grade talent—'Invincible'!"

[Invincible]: 

1) Your leveling speed is reduced by 92.89%. 

2) Your damage and any support skill effects are multiplied by the square of your current level.

Ares blinked, rubbing his eyes just to be sure. "Damage squared by my level? You've gotta be kidding!"

At Level 30, his Whirlwind Slash had already been hitting for nine million. Now, multiplied by 30 squared, it skyrocketed to a mind-blowing nine trillion!

"Guess I'll never have to worry about how much HP a boss has," he muttered, exhilaration flooding his chest. Even better, the prior penalty that multiplied his skill costs by a hundred times was gone—he could cast freely with his 6,100 MP.

"Only problem is… how do I keep leveling with that 98.89% penalty?"

Once the initial excitement died down, Ares started wondering what his next move would be.