Levi started to climb one leg after the other. His physique had improved drastically by the regeneration and poison resistance blood art and also, his cultivation had improved compared to the last time, making the ascension almost too easy.
One step, second step, third step. By the time he reached step ten and the platform of the first checkpoint, he wasn't even breathing hard.
The treasures he had taken during his previous visit here were gone, of course. He had already taken the pendant and the demon ring. But that left nineteen more checkpoints above him, each one holding new rewards.
He continued upward toward the second checkpoint, and here the pressure began to increase noticeably. By step fifteen, he could feel the strain starting to build in his muscles. By step eighteen, he was having to actively focus on his breathing technique to maintain the balance needed to proceed.
