[Welcome back to the eighth floor: Citadel of Dusk.]
Alex materialized atop one of the many looming towers of the citadel, his sharp gaze sweeping across the fog-shrouded battlefield below.
Alice and Aurelia had spawned elsewhere, their locations marked on his minimap.
This time, though, Alex and the girls were ready for the [Assassin of Dusk] and his sneak attacks.
The trio stood ready, unmoving, scanning their surroundings for any sign of the assassin.
Five tense minutes passed, yet there was no attack.
‘Maybe he realized that we would counter-attack…’ Alex thought, ‘That thing’s smart.’
Peering over the edge of the tower, Alex surveyed the chaos below.
Hundreds of monsters clamored at the citadel walls, their efforts futile against the unyielding stone.
Inside, the structure teemed with more creatures, though they were less concentrated compared to the horde outside.
His map indicated Alice was in the citadel, while Aurelia was perched on another tower nearby.
The tension didn’t faze Alex.
With a confident smirk, he activated his most powerful summoning skill.
“All Elements Fox Summons,” he whispered.
Ten brilliant foxes materialized in flashes of vibrant energy.
Each pair radiated the essence of its element: fiery red flames, flowing blue waters, crackling yellow lightning, serene golden light, and shadowy black darkness.
Their forms were sleek yet formidable, eyes glowing with untamed power.
Standing tall beside Alex, they awaited his command, their ethereal tails flicking with anticipation.
“Stick close to me. Kill anything that gets too close,” Alex instructed.
The foxes acknowledged with a chorus of low growls and soft roars.
With his cooldown reduction, he could summon them four times a day, making them invaluable for combat.
He admired their strength, each fox boasted 200 million health and possessed enough power to rival monsters far beyond their tier.
His fox summons were insanely strong, so he would rather use them up than the undead.
The undead at this point couldn’t even do anything in fights, and it became annoying to have to use them.
‘I want them to evolve, but it just takes forever…’ Alex thought, ‘I should probably go somewhere where monsters spawn and have them take care of them.’
Alex vaulted from the tower, landing gracefully on the rooftops of the citadel.
His agility, enhanced by his latest upgrades, allowed him to traverse the terrain effortlessly.
He navigated the labyrinthine rooftops for a few minutes before spotting Aurelia perched on a ledge, her dual daggers gleaming.
“Found you,” Alex called. “Let’s move.”
Aurelia nodded, her movements fluid and silent as they headed deeper into the citadel to locate Alice.
The corridors were dark and eerily silent, broken only by the occasional distant roar of monsters.
Finally, they found Alice inside a crumbling hall.
She was surrounded by ten monstrous creatures, each emanating a menacing aura of power.
Without hesitation, Alex gave the order. “Foxes, go!”
But before the summons reached the fray, Alice demonstrated why she was a force to be reckoned with.
She loosed a [Space Arrow] from her bow, the shimmering projectile distorting the air as it tore through one monster, disintegrating it instantly.
Not pausing, she followed up with three [Blood Arrows], each finding its mark and killing another foe.
The remaining eight monsters roared in defiance as the fox summons arrived.
The fire foxes charged first, their bodies wreathed in flames.
They unleashed torrents of fire, engulfing two monsters in a blazing inferno that reduced them to ash.
Meanwhile, the water foxes darted in, their attacks precise and fluid as tendrils of water constricted another pair of monsters, crushing them with relentless force.
The electric foxes crackled with energy, bolts of lightning arcing from their bodies to strike down two more foes.
The light foxes focused on a single towering beast, their combined radiance piercing its defenses and leaving it vulnerable.
Finally, the dark foxes enveloped the last monster in shadows, disorienting it before finishing it with swift, deadly strikes.
Each of them had their own abilities.
Ding!
[You have slain “Voidbound Reaver” and gained 400,000,000 experience points!]
[You have slain “Eclipse Beast” and gained 500,000,000 experience points!]
More notifications poured in as Alex tallied his rewards.
[+2.4 billion experience points.]
The influx of experience caused an immediate surge in his levels.
[You have reached level 389, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
[You have reached level 390…]
.
.
[You have reached level 396…]
Alice and Aurelia leveled up as well, their progress evident in the glow of newfound power surrounding them.
“This floor is perfect for grinding,” Alex remarked, “but going up will be even more rewarding.”
Floor 10 was the boss fight, meaning that it would be directly a giant challenge where he fought the boss.
But if he could go to the ninth floor, it would be perfect to grind it to reach even higher levels.
For now, they continued clearing the eighth floor, hunting down monsters to further hone their skills.
“We need to be cautious of the [Assassin of Dusk],” Alex warned.
“Who’s that?” Aurelia asked, tilting her head.
Realizing the girls couldn’t see the name like he could, Alex explained.
“[Assassin of Dusk] is the boss of this floor and what killed us before. It’s sneaky and unpredictable, so stay alert.”
The group pressed on, carving their way through the citadel.
The structure’s immense size made navigation challenging, but Alex’s map provided enough guidance to keep them on track.
After another half-hour of intense battles, Alex reached a significant milestone.
[You have reached level 397…]
[You have reached level 398…]
[You have reached level 400, gaining 4 stat points for every attribute and 5 free points to assign.]
A wave of notifications followed.
[You have reached level 400, thus becoming a tier 6 player!]
[Your experience is locked until you complete your advancement task.]
[Two classes detected: Unparalleled Mage, Assassin of Wrath…]
[SSS-Rating detected for previous task and dual class. Difficulty adjusted accordingly.]
Alex paused, reading the notification carefully.
It had been a while since his last advancement task, though he was sure that his level up speed would go up significantly from now on.
He could already defeat level 800-900 monsters with ease, so it wasn’t a problem. Continue your journey on empire
But of course, the task would be adjusted to his level and power, thus, the difficulty would still be present.
Ding.
[You will receive the hardest Tier 6 advancement task.]
“Here we go,” he sighed.
The girls were also waiting, eager to see what he would get as they were confident Alex could defeat everything.
And yet…
Ding!
[Tier 6 Advancement Task: Conquer the “Tower of Destiny,” meaning that you need to kill the floor 10 boss.]
[Your rating will depend on your performance and how fast you clear it.]
[A single death will result in failure, thus F-Rating, and a debuff.]
Alex’s grin disappeared.
“Damn.”
The advancement tasks would become harsher as time went on, but it also meant the rewards would be increased by a lot.
Alex couldn’t afford to die now, and he planned to conquer the tower and complete his task.
[Leaving the “Tower of Destiny” will result in an F-Rating.]
“No backing out now,” he said, his voice filled with determination.
[As this advancement task is too broad, you are allowed to have other people with you.]
“Makes sense,” he nodded, it meant that the girls couldn’t fight with him, “I’ll show this tower who’s the strongest.