Announcement (2)

After explaining about the protective barrier, Number One continued:

"Everyone, please listen carefully. The following information will be very important. This world can be considered a game, but it's a game where you play with your life, so be cautious. All you need to do is think the word 'status' in your mind, and a status window will appear. That will be where you can see your own strength."

Upon hearing this, Julius immediately tried it out. A blue status window appeared in front of him:

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Name: Julius Kang

Level: 0

Exp: 0/1000

Age: 22/93

STR: 77

DEF: 25

HP: 1036/1036

Mana: 100/100

Max speed: 24 km/h

Bag: 0/10

Equipment: 1/10 Rings

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He stared at the status board, stunned for a moment, shocked by his lifespan. But another issue puzzled him, that is the Rings section. He didn't think he owned equipment.

He accessed the detailed information and was dumbfounded for a few seconds by the ring's stats:

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The Black Hole – Level 9

Magic: Absorb matter

Effect: Converts any matter into exp without needing to eat and eliminates the sensation of hunger and thirst. 

Usage limit: 10 exp/day.

Consumption: Each 1 exp consumed requires 10 Mana

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Julius rubbed his eyes, feeling like he must have read it wrong. Suddenly, he felt the ring was incredibly useless.

But after double-checking, the information remained unchanged. He cursed:

"Damn it, this ring is too lousy. Moreover, I can't even take it off. Why am I so unlucky? First, I got swarmed by mosquitoes upon arrival, and now I'm stuck with a useless piece of equipment. Eating and drinking are just a little difficult, but that's just the beginning."

In reality, he wasn't unlucky at all. On the contrary, he was extremely fortunate. He just didn't yet understand how this world operated.

After seeing that nearly everyone had checked their status window, Number One continued:

"So, you've all seen your status windows, right? Those status boards are the precise measurements of your current abilities. You can see that the number after 'age' indicates your maximum lifespan. Since some people might die early, I have extended everyone's lifespan by ten years.

In your bag, there's a space that can hold up to ten items. Additionally, each item cannot weigh more than 50 kg, and the space cannot store living creatures.

Regarding equipment, these are items you can pick up to increase your strength. Killing any creature may drop equipment, but killing humans will not yield such drops. The level of equipment ranges from 0 to 9, with higher-level equipment being stronger. When you hold an item, accessing your status will allow you to check the equipment's stats.

Other types of equipment can be freely removed or used, but rings are fixed. There are two methods to remove a ring: permanently give up the right to use rings on that finger, or be killed, causing the ring to drop. Additionally, if you have a higher-level ring, it can devour the old one and take its place.

You can gain exp through eating, doing heavy labor, or physical training. You can earn up to 1 exp per day through physical training, but there is no limit to how much you can gain from eating.

In this world, the rules are somewhat different. When you eat, the food is completely digested in your body, so there is no waste excretion. The same applies to drinking water. However, if you eat poisonous food, something that normal human bodies can't digest, or pathogens, it can cause illness or death as usual. A bit of knowledge for you: humans eating human flesh can easily lead to infectious diseases, so if you consume it, you won't live many more years.

One last thing, leveling up increases your lifespan. Reaching level nine grants you a lifespan as vast as the heavens and the earth. As long as the universe exists, so will you. Remember, this means an infinite lifespan, not immortality."

At this moment, everyone was attentively memorizing this crucial information, as it related to their future development.

However, hearing about the possibility of an infinite lifespan sparked a different reaction. Everyone's eyes gleamed with greed. The opportunity to enjoy countless years lay before them, making it impossible not to be tempted.

Meanwhile, Julius looked up at the sky and laughed maniacally:

"Ha ha ha ha, what a great start. With such an advantageous beginning, if I don't become an emperor, I'd truly be a failure. My dream... it's time to risk everything for the great cause. The eternal emperor is not an impossibility."

Now that he understood the purpose of the ring on his hand, although it didn't have combat capabilities, it could accelerate his leveling up. This was a tremendous advantage for him, and he was secretly glad he had been wise enough not to discard this treasure.

However, the prerequisite was that he had to survive for a hundred days to have the opportunity to level up. After all, surviving in this strange place teeming with dangerous creatures was a significant challenge. He thought to himself:

"To survive, I need to gather more people. But the current situation is chaotic, and without any laws, I must be cautious. I need to vet the initial members thoroughly because I need trustworthy individuals."

At this moment, Number One continued:

"This world has ten main areas: Primeval Forest, Immortal Fire Mountains, Desert of Death, Poison Abyss, Thunder Abyss, Wind Abyss, Great Void, Glacial Forest, Deadly Jungle, and The Great Sea. You are currently on the outskirts of the Primeval Forest.

Each area has a Lord Ring, each held by a Lord of that area. There is a special reward for the one who gathers all ten Lord Rings: that one will become the god of the Endless World, an immortal being with the highest authority on this planet, able to do anything they wish within the Endless World."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes gleamed with greed. This was an opportunity to become an eternal overlord. Immortality, unparalleled power, and everything in the world would be yours. It was impossible not to be tempted.

Julius was no exception, but instead of going mad with ambition, he felt extremely intrigued. He laughed and said:

"Ha ha ha, a battle of eternal emperors. Live or die, it doesn't matter now. I must join this competition. God, thank you very much."