Demon Castle, Seventy-Fifth Floor.
As far as the eye could see, this vast wasteland was shrouded by a dark gray sky. Countless white bones and rusted weapons were scattered across the ground, and the air was thick with the stench of decay and death.
In the distance, a fortress built from piled skulls stood imposing and majestic, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.
"Without even realizing it, I've already reached the seventy-fifth floor."
Natsuki Subaru stood tall on the wasteland, his black clothes whipping in the slight breeze.
Behind him was a massive, dark Shadow Legion.
Three thousand Shadow Soldiers were arranged in a neat phalanx, with giant-sword-wielding Shadow Knights at the forefront, Shadow Mages coalescing dark energy in the middle, and agile Shadow Assassins at the rear.
The entire Shadow Legion radiated a suffocating, murderous aura. They stood arrayed in silence, their intangible might more chilling than any battle cry.
Every Shadow Soldier remained absolutely still, waiting like a statue for the Shadow Monarch's command.
Opposite them, an army of tens of thousands of skeletons was arrayed in a more chaotic but astonishingly numerous formation.
Eerie blue soul-fire flickered in the eyes of these skeleton warriors as their decaying bone claws tightly gripped rusted weapons.
The front ranks consisted of ordinary skeleton soldiers with rusty iron swords and battered shields.
In the middle were skeleton knights mounted on skeletal warhorses, and at the rear stood dozens of giant skeleton golems pieced together from multiple skeletons.
These behemoths were five meters tall, forcibly assembled from hundreds of skeletons, and emanated a thick aura of death.
"Bring it on. You'll all just become experience points for me."
Natsuki Subaru muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with fervent battle intent.
Ever since stepping into the Demon Castle, he had fought his way through seventy-five consecutive floors.
Every battle had rapidly increased his power.
The Natsuki Subaru of today had already reached Level 88. His four main stats—Strength, Agility, Spirit, and Stamina—had all improved across the board, making him a completely different person from when he first entered the Demon Castle.
Of course, Natsuki Subaru wasn't the only one growing; the entire Shadow Legion was constantly getting stronger as well.
Through continuous combat, the Shadow Soldiers' average level had risen by 15.
Igris, in particular, the commander of the Shadow Knights, had already reached Level 40. He radiated a terrifying killing intent, his power comparable to some of the floor bosses.
"Monarch's Domain!"
Natsuki Subaru activated the skill. A wave of shadow energy swiftly spread out from him, covering a thousand-meter diameter.
Within this domain, a red light flared in the eyes of all the Shadow Soldiers, their stats instantly increasing by 50%. The murderous atmosphere they projected was enough to make the opposing skeleton army falter.
"Crush them!"
Natsuki Subaru issued a concise command to the Shadow Legion in his mind.
"BOOM!"
Over three thousand Shadow Soldiers charged forward simultaneously in ranks, their heavy footsteps making the very earth tremble.
The vanguard of Shadow Knights, led by Knight Commander Igris, pierced into the center of the skeleton army like a sharp sword.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!"
Every swing of Igris's greatsword cut through the air, instantly shattering the skeleton soldiers in his path into fragments.
The Shadow Knights behind him formed a wedge formation, their heavy swords cleaving down in perfect unison. The sound of cracking bones was incessant.
"BANG!"
A giant skeleton knight swung a bone club toward the Shadow Knight formation.
Igris met it head-on. His greatsword collided violently with the bone club, creating a deafening crash.
"Hiss!"
In the next second, Igris put immense force into his greatsword, splitting the bone club and the skeleton golem clean in two.
At the same time, the Shadow Mages began to chant their spells.
"VWOOM..."
Dark energy gathered in their hands, forming into volleys of shadow arrows that shot toward the skeleton army.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The shadow arrows rained down, each one precisely shattering a skeleton's skull.
Swarms of skeleton warriors fell like grass being mown, the eerie blue soul-fire in their eyes extinguishing one after another.
The Shadow Assassins, meanwhile, moved like ghosts across the battlefield.
"Swish!"
A Shadow Assassin suddenly emerged from the shadows, its dagger accurately plunging into a skeleton mage's eye socket, extinguishing its soul-fire before the assassin swiftly melted back into the darkness.
Another Shadow Assassin kicked a skeleton soldier's skull to pieces, then performed a side flip, its dagger tracing a graceful arc that sliced another skeleton soldier in two at the waist.
"The Shadow Soldiers are even stronger than I imagined!"
Natsuki Subaru observed the state of the battle and nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he joined the fray himself, wielding Kasaka's Venom Fang as he weaved through the battlefield like a phantom.
"Tch!"
The dagger accurately pierced a skeleton knight's eye socket, and its soul-fire was instantly extinguished.
"Ruler's Authority!"
With a thought, Kasaka's Venom Fang flew from Natsuki Subaru's hand, carving several fatal trajectories through the air.
Skeletons in its path shattered, sending bone fragments flying everywhere.
Natsuki Subaru moved ceaselessly through the skeleton army. He sidestepped a skeleton warrior's bone sword and swung a backhand slash.
"BANG!"
The skeleton warrior's sternum shattered on impact.
"Too weak."
Natsuki Subaru snorted coldly and executed a leg sweep.
"BAM!"
The three skeleton soldiers blocking his path were sent flying at the same time.
The battle had turned into a complete rout.
Boosted by Natsuki Subaru's Monarch's Domain skill, the Shadow Soldiers' strength completely overwhelmed the skeleton army.
The Shadow Knights' heavy swords could easily cleave through the hardest bones, the Shadow Mages' spells decimated swaths of skeleton warriors, and the Shadow Assassins precisely eliminated every skeleton mage.
"There... that must be this floor's boss."
Just then, Natsuki Subaru noticed a skeleton throne in the distance.
A skeleton mage in a black robe sat upon it, holding a staff inlaid with a black gemstone.
Above it, large orange letters displayed: [Ferryman of the Dead, Metus].
"Hmm? Just an orange-level boss?" Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't look as tough to deal with as the Flame God of Greed was."
With that thought, Natsuki Subaru flickered several times in succession, instantly appearing above the throne.
"What's this? It's a total landslide," Natsuki Subaru said, looking down at the skeleton mage with a hint of mockery in his tone. "Are you scared because my minions are too strong? Look at your army. There's barely anything left."
The skeleton mage on the throne looked up, the soul-fire in its eye sockets flickering violently as if it wanted to say something, but it could only produce the clattering sound of bones.
"You didn't expect it to turn out like this, did you?" Natsuki Subaru continued, slowly raising Kasaka's Venom Fang. "Can the undead feel fear? Seeing you tremble like that... you're really quite pitiful."
The skeleton mage suddenly raised its staff, seemingly about to cast a spell.
But Natsuki Subaru's speed was simply too fast.
"Too slow."
The next second, he leaped down like a bolt of lightning, Kasaka's Venom Fang tracing a cold glint of light through the air.
"HISS!"
The sharp blade cut through bone with a crisp sound.
Natsuki Subaru landed lightly and sheathed Kasaka's Venom Fang.
Behind him, the Ferryman of the Dead, Metus, along with its skeleton throne, had been neatly sliced into two.
The soul-fire in the skeleton mage's eyes gradually faded, and the gemstone on its staff lost its light.
At the same time, a series of system notifications chimed clearly in Natsuki Subaru's mind:
[Notification: You have eliminated the Ferryman of the Dead, Metus.]
[Notification: Level Up.......]
[Notification: Level Up.......]
[Notification: Obtained equipment: Necromancer's Necklace.]
[Notification: Obtained special item: Cursed Random Box.]
[Notification: Obtained item: Permit to the Next Floor....]
[Notification: Obtained material: Springwater of the Echoing Forest....]
[Notification: Igris has leveled up to Level 45.]
[Notification: Shadow Soldiers' average level increased by 3.]
[Notification: Monarch's Domain has leveled up to LV2....]
"This haul is unexpectedly bountiful," Natsuki Subaru said with a satisfied nod as he carefully read the long list of reward notifications on the system interface.
"Two level-ups in a row, reaching Level 90."
"It seems this Ferryman of the Dead gave a considerable amount of experience."
"But the higher the floor, the more experience is needed to level up. It probably won't be this easy next time."
"Necromancer's Necklace, an accessory."
Natsuki Subaru first picked up the newly acquired Necromancer's Necklace and examined it closely.
It was an exquisitely crafted silver necklace, its chain formed by countless tiny, intricately linked rings that gleamed with a faint metallic luster.
The pendant was a miniature skull, carved with lifelike detail. Two small rubies were set in its eye sockets, faintly emitting dim energy fluctuations in the low light, as if they were alive and gently pulsing.
"Accessories are relatively rare in the system, especially necklaces. Let me see what the stats on this are..."
[Equipment: Necromancer's Necklace]
[Effect: Spirit +20, Magic Power increased by 15%, enhances perception of undead creatures]
[Description: A necklace condensed from the soul essence of an undead lord. It contains the power of death and shadow, allowing the wearer to sense the presence of undead creatures]
"A direct 20-point boost to Spirit is a pretty good bonus," Natsuki Subaru analyzed inwardly as he studied the necklace in his hand.
"Although the 15% increase in magic power isn't that useful to me, the ability to sense the undead should be very handy in the Demon Castle."
Saying this, Natsuki Subaru put the Necromancer's Necklace, which emanated a dark energy, around his neck. With a faint flash of light, the necklace vanished from his neck.
It hadn't actually disappeared but was automatically stored in his equipment slot by the system.
"I'll equip it and see what effect it has, how much of a boost this necklace can really provide."
The moment the cool necklace touched his skin, a refreshing and pure energy instantly flowed through his entire body. Natsuki Subaru felt his mind become unusually clear.
His thoughts moved noticeably faster, his spiritual power became more condensed and focused, and even his perception of his surroundings grew much sharper.
"A pretty decent piece of equipment," Natsuki Subaru said, carefully sensing the changes in his body, his voice tinged with pleasant surprise.
"The boost this necklace gives to spiritual power is even more significant than I expected, and my perception has also been enhanced."
"Next up..."
Then, Natsuki Subaru's gaze shifted to the black box in his inventory that gave off an ominous aura.
"Cursed Random Box?"
"This is the first time I've gotten a Cursed Random Box. The ones I got from quests before were all Blessed Random Boxes."
Natsuki Subaru muttered to himself.
"I have a feeling nothing good will come out of a cursed box... The name says it all. With the word 'cursed,' it probably won't drop any normal items. It might even have some kind of negative effect."
After a moment's hesitation, Natsuki Subaru finally made up his mind:
"But since I got it, I can't just leave it unopened."
"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, I can't avoid it. Might as well open it and see."
With that thought, Natsuki Subaru willed it, and in the next moment, he opened the Cursed Random Box.
"I hope I get something useful. Please don't be some crappy cursed item... I really don't want to get hit with a debuff right now."
As he watched, the Cursed Random Box instantly emitted a thick black light. The light flowed through the air as if it were alive, finally coalescing into a strangely shaped black key.
"Just as I thought. It's a key,"
Natsuki Subaru said in a low voice, picking up the key and examining it carefully in his palm.
An intricate emblem was carved into the key's bow, resembling an open eye. This eye seemed to be watching the keyholder, giving one an eerie feeling.
[Item: Mysterious Key]
[Quality: ???]
[Description: A cursed key that seems to correspond to an important lock somewhere. The key contains an ancient curse; some information will be revealed when the necessary conditions are met. Current Status: Locked]
"Details unknown... When and where am I supposed to use this?" Natsuki Subaru wondered aloud, looking at the vague prompt on the system panel.
"'When the necessary conditions are met'... What are these conditions? Or does it require a specific time or place? These cryptic system hints are the most troublesome."
Natsuki Subaru shook his head and put the strange key away.
"Whatever, I'll deal with it later. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually."
Next, Natsuki Subaru checked his skill interface, a look of delight spreading across his face.
"My Monarch's Domain skill leveled up."
"This skill is extremely important in legion battles."
"The upgraded effects should be quite good."
[Monarch's Domain LV2: Range of 1500 meters in diameter, all stats of Shadow Soldiers within the domain are increased by 60%, morale is perpetually high, and low-tier fear effects are ignored]
"The domain's range also expanded from 1000 meters to 1500 meters, and the stat boost for Shadow Soldiers increased from 50% to 60%."
Natsuki Subaru nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the upgraded Monarch's Domain.
_____
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