[You have slain “Warden of Shadow – Floor 6 Boss” and gained 350,000,000 experience points!]
Ding!
[You have leveled up to level 374: +5 Points to all Stats, +4 Free Points, +1 Skill Point.]
[Experience: (167,334,821/265,000,000)]
“Alright.”
Alex activated [Extraction], and a wave of dark energy surged from the fallen Warden of Shadows, swirling ominously before condensing into a single object in his hand.
A system notification appeared before him.
[You have extracted “Warden’s Dagger of Endless Shadows” (Mythical)!]
[Description: A concentrated core of pure shadow energy, containing the essence of the Warden of Shadows.]
[Stat Gains: +10,000 Strength, +10,000 Agility]
[Unique Skill: Eternal Night Veil; Create a 200-meter radius of impenetrable darkness for 30 seconds. Within the veil, all shadow-based attacks deal 50% more damage.]
“Oh?”
Alex was quite surprised as it resembled his [Demonized Whispers of Shadows], though a bit more powerful.
But even then.
“Aurelia,” he called out to the assassin girl, who immediately rushed back at him, “Give me your dagger.”
“Oh…?!” Aurelia’s eyes widened, the last time Alex asked her that, it ended in a massive boost of power, “O-Okay!”
She didn’t hesitate for a single second, and so of course, Alex did what had to be done.
“Synthesis,” he whispered.
The [Warden’s Dagger of Endless Shadows] and [Free Control Daggers] began merging together before their eyes, and after a few seconds.
Ding!
[Warden’s Dagger of Endless Shadows (Mythical) + Free Control Daggers (Divine) = Shadow Control Daggers (Divine+)]
[Description: Grants +50,000 Strength and +40,000 Agility to the wielder.]
[Unique Skills: Shadow Strike, Perfect Control, Eternal Night Veil]
“Here,” Alex’s eyes widened as he saw the immense strength and agility gain, but he wanted Aurelia to be strong, so he still gave it back to her.
That dagger had also gained the [Shadow Strike] perk and combined the other two ones, meaning that it became an incredibly powerful weapon.
“T-Thank you so much!” Aurelia instinctively hugged Alex as she was extremely grateful, but quickly recovered her composure, “Ahem… that’s a good weapon.”
“No problem.”
With that done, Alex checked out the other panel that appeared before him.
Ding!
[You have defeated the floor six boss.]
[Floor Bosses Defeated: 6/10]
[4 Remain.]
“Let’s go,” Alex grinned.
“W-Wait, we’re going up?!” it was Alice this time that grabbed Alex’s shoulder to stop him, “I know that thing was a mythical-ranked boss and also the floor boss, but I don’t think we can defeat anything stronger…”
“…”
Alex looked at her, then at Aurelia, who aggressively nodded at what Alice had said.
“I know that already,” he sighed, “I just want to activate the teleport point on the seventh floor. That way, when we’re stronger, we can come back without having to fight our way up again.”
Alphox had told him that to participate in the [Dragon Bloodline Trial], being able to defeat level 800 monsters alone and with ease was the minimum.
Which meant that if Alex wanted to increase his chances, he would have to instead at least reach the level to fight monsters and other races at level 1000.
He didn’t know the contents of the [Dragon Bloodline Trial], but it didn’t mean he didn’t have to be careful.
“Alphox, any ideas?” he asked, as the primordial dragon should know.
“Wouldn’t be fun to tell you, just know that you’re about to fight many people,” he heard a laugh inside of his head, and then nothing.
“Oh well.”
The group then made their way to the [Wastelands of Shadows Exit Pillar], a towering structure glowing faintly with dark energy.
Alex and the others entered the center of the pillar, and in a flash of light, they were transported to the next floor.
[Floor 7: Obsidian Cradle]
The [Obsidian Cradle] was nothing like the plains, jungles, or wastelands they had encountered on the lower floors.
It was an immense cavern, its ceiling stretching hundreds of meters above, studded with glowing crystals that cast an eerie purple light.
The floor was an uneven expanse of obsidian, cracked and glowing faintly with magma that pulsed.
Shadows flickered unnaturally, moving even where there was no light to cast them.
Towering pillars of black stone twisted upward in the distance too.
“This is… different,” Aurelia said, her voice low as her eyes darted across the alien landscape.
She tightened her grip on her new dagger, its dark blade almost blending into the environment.
“No kidding,” Alex muttered, scanning the area.
His intuition warned him of countless hostile presences hiding within the darkness.
Alice shivered, not from the cold but from the oppressive atmosphere.
“Can we leave already?”
“Wait, it’s always good to see what’s there!”
But before they could move further, a deafening roar echoed through the cavern.
The ground trembled violently as a massive creature emerged from behind a jagged pillar.
It was a [Magma-Rend Behemoth – Level 750], a towering beast with obsidian-like scales glowing with molten cracks.
Lava dripped from its mouth, sizzling as it hit the ground, and its eyes burned like twin suns.
The creature’s massive frame was over 20 meters tall, and its sheer presence made the air feel heavier.
It let out another roar, and the temperature around them spiked as the magma coursing through its body began to glow brighter.
“Hell no,” Alex said with the most neutral of expressions.
The beast charged at them with surprising speed for its size, its massive claws leaving trails of molten rock in their wake.
Alex didn’t waste a second.
He grabbed Alice and Aurelia’s hands, activating his [World Map] and teleporting them just as the beast’s claws slammed into the ground where they had been standing.
In a flash of light, the group reappeared in the familiar safety of the [Fox Tribe Village].
The stark contrast between the oppressive cavern and the peaceful village was almost disorienting.
“That thing was insane,” Alice said, still catching her breath. “I don’t think we’re ready for whatever that was.”
At this point, this relatively small and calm village was their safe haven, even Aurelia immediately rushing toward Alera’s house to greet her.
But on the other hand, Alex stayed behind, staring at the ground.
Too many things were happening, and he needed to think about what to do little by little if he wanted to make the right choices.
First, he had to gather the items for the [Dragon Bloodline Trial].
Then, he needed to prepare for the higher floors of the [Tower of Destiny].
And finally, he had to deal with [Mike Thunder] before Daniel made his move.
“At this point, killing him in real life is the only solution left,” Alex muttered, his eyes briefly shifting to Aurelia’s smiling face.
Yet even with all of that, there was one more thing in Alex’s mind: another [World Event] was coming.
It would take place in [Star City], and the name of that event was the [Golden Star Festival].
This wasn’t a battle-focused event. No forced fights. Just a chance to enjoy yourself.
A small break after everything that happened, basically.
A break from all the chaos.
But for Alex, there was only one reason it mattered:
[Kars, The Wandering Merchant], would return. And with him, the rare [Fate Gift Boxes].
That was something he couldn’t miss.
But until then, he could rest just a little… right?