A blue aura enveloped Alex.
Space twisted around him, folding inward like rippling water. For a brief moment the world disappeared, leaving only the sensation of weightlessness.
Then the light vanished.
Alex landed on solid ground.
But the familiar city of the fifth floor was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he stood in a vast, impossible place.
The floor beneath him was made entirely of aged brick, each stone worn smooth as though countless battles had been fought upon it. Massive pillars rose from the ground around him—colossal structures that stretched upward into a sky that had no end. Their tops vanished into the distant darkness above.
The space felt ancient.
Heavy.
Like a battlefield forgotten by time itself.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"So this is it…"
A faint blue window appeared before him.
[Location: Valor's End]
Valor's End.
Every person who cleared the fourth floor was brought here.
Unlike the other floors, the fifth floor did not allow preparation. The moment someone passed the fourth floor trial, they were dragged here and forced into the next challenge.
No one knew why the system worked this way.
Only one thing was certain.
This place decided who could truly become an Adventurer.
The system issued each challenger a quest based on their class, abilities, and stats. But that didn't make it easy.
Far from it.
Most people remained stuck on the fourth floor for years, building their strength, gathering equipment, and preparing for the moment they would face Valor's End.
Although if you fail you can teleport back to the 4th floor but you have to start aging and you might be given a different quest from your first time.
Only those who cleared the fifth floor earned the right to call themselves Adventurers.
Alex exhaled slowly.
Then the system chimed.
[Quest: Kill 5 Trolls and 1 Troll Lord]
Alex stared at the notification.
Then sighed.
"…Of course."
In his previous life, the system had given him a different mission.
Kill fifty trolls.
Now, it wanted him to kill a Troll Lord.
Alex rolled his shoulders slightly.
"Not that I'm complaining."
The air around him suddenly rippled.
Figures began materializing.
One after another.
Six massive silhouettes formed from glowing particles.
Five trolls.
Each one stood over three meters tall, their bodies covered in rough green skin and thick muscles. They carried different weapons—axes, maces, and crude blades designed to crush bones.
And behind them…
The final figure appeared.
The Troll Lord.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
The creature looked similar to the troll lord he had fought in the past, but this one was different.
Older.
Harder.
Its body was covered in scars—deep marks left by countless battles. In its massive hands rested a brutal-looking broad sword, its blade chipped but deadly.
The creature stood silently, observing.
Watching.
Alex extended his hand.
Black light flickered.
His scythe appeared from the system inventory.
The trolls had just begun to register their surroundings when Alex moved.
He shot forward like a bullet.
The closest troll was still looking around in confusion when it saw him rushing straight at it.
Its eyes widened.
With a furious roar, the creature raised its heavy mace and brought it down in a crushing overhead strike.
Too slow.
Swish.
Alex's scythe flashed.
The blade sliced through the mace's handle like paper.
The weapon split cleanly in half.
The troll froze.
Its expression turned dazed as it stared at the broken weapon in its hands.
Alex was already moving.
He leapt into the air.
The scythe came down in a brutal arc.
THUD.
The troll's head separated from its body.
The corpse collapsed.
The other trolls finally reacted.
Roars erupted as they turned toward Alex.
Five left.
Alex shifted his stance, preparing to activate Lunar Arc to scatter them—
But before he could move…
ROOOOOAAAR!!
The Troll Lord unleashed a thunderous roar.
The sound crashed through the battlefield like a shockwave.
Alex's vision blurred for a split second.
Damn—
The roar carried a strange force that rattled his mind.
By the time Alex recovered, the battlefield had changed.
The trolls were no longer charging recklessly.
They had formed a loose circle around him.
Alex frowned.
"So you can command them."
The Troll Lord watched silently from the back.
The trolls began moving slowly, tightening the circle.
Alex didn't wait.
He dashed toward a troll.
The troll roared and swung its axe.
CLANG!
Alex's scythe intercepted the strike, sparks exploding as the weapons collided.
The force pushed Alex backward slightly.
Before he could counterattack—
Something whistled through the air.
A throwing mace.
Alex twisted his body at the last second, raising his forearm.
BOOM.
The weapon smashed into him.
Pain exploded through his arm as the impact sent him skidding across the brick floor.
Alex rolled to his feet.
His arm throbbed.
"…They're coordinating."
His gaze flicked toward the Troll Lord.
So you're the brain.
The trolls began advancing again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Alex clicked his tongue.
"Troublesome."
He inhaled deeply.
Then rushed forward again.
This time he didn't aim to kill instantly.
His scythe began moving in swift crescent arcs.
Lunar Arc.
Silver-blue light slashed across the battlefield.
The targeted troll roared as multiple cuts opened across its chest and arms.
Alex darted around it, carving deeper wounds with every movement.
The creature staggered.
Now.
Alex jumped high into the air, raising his scythe for the finishing strike—
But another troll was already moving.
Its club shot upward toward him.
Alex's eyes sharpened.
Instead of retreating—
He stepped on the incoming weapon.
Using it as a foothold.
His body launched higher into the air.
The trolls froze for a split second.
Alex's hand slipped into his inventory.
A dagger appeared.
Memories flashed in his mind.
The time he had overcharged a dagger with mana until it exploded.
Alex focused.
Mana surged into the blade.
Cracks immediately spread across the dagger's surface.
Careful…
Too much and it would explode in his hand.
The injured troll looked up.
Alex threw the dagger.
It spun through the air.
The blade pierced directly into the troll's eye.
For a single second—
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOM!
The troll's head exploded.
Green flesh and bone fragments scattered across the battlefield.
The remaining trolls froze.
They hadn't expected that.
Alex landed on the ground.
And immediately rushed forward again.
The battle turned chaotic.
The trolls adapted quickly.
They attacked from multiple angles, forcing Alex to constantly dodge and reposition.
A club slammed into the ground where he had been standing a moment earlier, shattering bricks.
Another axe grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.
Alex ducked beneath a horizontal swing and drove his scythe into a troll's knee.
The creature collapsed with a roar.
The battlefield gradually filled with broken stone, blood, and massive corpses.
Minutes later—
Only one enemy remained.
The Troll Lord.
Alex stood in the center of the battlefield, breathing slightly heavier.
Cuts covered his arms.
Blood dripped from his side.
But his eyes were calm.
He looked up at the towering creature and grinned.
In a mocking tone, he said:
"Your minions are dead."
He twirled the scythe once before resting it on his shoulder.
"Your turn."
The Troll Lord stared at him.
Then—
To Alex's surprise—
It spoke.
But not in the language of Earth.
It spoke the ancient tongue used inside the Tower.
"Welcome, Adventurer… to Valor's End."
Alex froze.
The troll's deep voice echoed through the endless pillars.
"This is both the battlefield of the gods… and my burial ground."
For a moment Alex simply stared.
Then he said slowly:
"…Who are you?"
The Troll Lord sat down heavily on the ground.
"I am a king who lost his kingdom."
"That is all I can tell you."
Alex's expression turned serious.
That phrasing…
Inside the Tower, beings below a certain rank were forbidden from speaking about higher existences.
If the troll said that was all it could say…
Then the truth was far bigger.
Alex kept his scythe ready.
"What are you doing here?"
The Troll Lord raised both hands.
"I am not here to fight you."
"I am here to ask for your help."
Alex frowned.
"You want my help… but I doubt you will tell me why?"
The troll nodded.
"You are too weak."
"If you knew now… it would only bring you harm."
Alex fell silent.
Then asked:
"When will I be strong enough?"
The troll thought for a long time.
Finally it said:
"When you become a Saint."
Alex's eyes widened.
"…A Saint?"
That was a level far beyond anything he had imagined for this moment.
If Saint was the minimum requirement…
Then the mission was something almost impossible.
Alex had never heard of this person even in his past life and it looks like the troll is being possessed by a higher being.
Which meant this moment had never happened before.
"Why me?" Alex asked.
The troll smiled faintly.
"Two reasons."
"First… I noticed something interesting about your power."
Alex frowned.
The troll continued.
"I'm talking about that shadow-like energy inside your body."
Alex's heart skipped.
It can sense it?
"You know Shadow Energy?" Alex asked carefully.
The troll nodded.
"Of course."
"I created it."
Alex's mind froze.
What?
A thousand questions appeared in his head—
But before he could ask them—
The troll's body began dissolving into white sparks.
The will sustaining it was fading.
"There is a second reason," the troll continued.
"It concerns your regression."
Alex's blood ran cold.
His scythe lifted slightly.
How does he know…?
"If he knows… does that mean others know too?"
The troll spoke calmly.
"Do not worry."
"There are only two beings in the Tower who know about your regression."
The light around his body grew brighter.
"Before I leave… I will give you a gift."
Alex was still trying to process everything when the troll continued.
"It seems you have partially awakened your eyes."
"But you do not yet know how to use them."
Alex slowly nodded.
"Go to the Misty Canyons."
"Train there."
"It will help you awaken your eyes."
Alex frowned.
He had never heard of such a place.
Even in his past life.
He was about to ask—
But the troll's body dissolved completely.
The last sparks of light drifted away.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Alex stood there, stunned.
Then golden light enveloped him.
The system chimed.
[DING]
[You have cleared the 5th Floor]
[Teleporting to the 5th Floor City]
The world blurred.
And the battlefield of Valor's End vanished.