Stark left the vast chamber he had spawned in, carrying both his newly gained lives and the [Demon's Nest Skull Key].

That item alone was enough to excite him.

Unlike the random keys scattered around this floor, this one had a clear use: it could open any door with a skull symbol carved on it.

'If Grace were here with me, her [Luck Boost] would make this even better,' Stark thought, lips curling into a grin.

'With her [Goddess of Luck] talent, the rewards would've been perfect. Oh well.'

He shook his head.

Grace wasn't here right now, but she was alive again, and that was already a big deal.

Her talent was starting to manifest properly now.

If he timed it right in the future, he could use that luck boost when it mattered most, like opening rare chests, doors, or even facing certain bosses.

For now, though, Stark just pressed on.

The ruins were huge, filled with twisting corridors, half-broken pillars, and the constant echo of movement deeper inside.

"Here he is!"

"So it's true, a human has come."

"Kill him! His lives will be useful!"

The voices came from the shadows, followed by demons rushing at him.

Stark didn't even blink.

He raised his staff, his barrier glowing faintly in the dim light of the corridor.

The demons charged. The spells flew.

And in a matter of seconds, they were nothing but corpses scattered across the cracked stone.

At first, they kept coming. But then something strange happened.

"Hell no," one of the demons muttered, eyes widening before he bolted down the hall.

"...?"

Stark blinked, watching as another demon, then another, actually turned tail and ran the other way.

It wasn't fear in the sense of beasts, it was closer to instinct.

They weren't brainless monsters.

They were NPCs with intelligence, capable of recognizing an overwhelming threat.

Their general, Molder, had already fallen to Stark's spells.

If even he couldn't win, then what chance did the rest of them have?

'Guess even demons know when they're outmatched.'

He smirked slightly and kept walking, ignoring the fleeing ones.

If they didn't dare fight, there was no point wasting his time.

The corridors grew quieter, eerily so, until suddenly—

Slash! Slash!

His barrier shuddered, cracks spreading slightly.

Stark whipped around, eyes narrowing.

Two cloaked figures stepped out from the shadows.

---

[Ruins Demon Assassin (Level 37)]

[Rank: Epic]

[HP: 600,000]

---

Assassins. They weren't like the common soldiers or even elites.

These ones were made to kill quickly and cleanly.

Stark's gaze dropped to his barrier.

[Unbreakable Magic Barrier: 37,780/100,000]

It was already worn down from the constant battles on this floor.

He couldn't recast it until it shattered completely, and the cooldown wouldn't even start until then.

But honestly? It didn't matter.

Almost nothing here had the strength to break it before he broke them.

The two assassins studied him quietly, no words spoken.

Their blades gleamed faintly in the gloom.

Then—

Demonic Hiding!

In a puff of crimson smoke, they vanished.

"...Predictable," Stark muttered.

Bind of Silk!

Threads of shimmering silk burst out in all directions, locking onto their movement.

The two assassins appeared again mid-stride, bound tightly in place.

"Next time you try to kill someone," Stark said, shrugging as if this were nothing, "make sure you actually hit them first."

Blazing Meteor! Piercing Skeletal Spikes!

The spells tore through their bodies before they could even react, leaving nothing behind but bloodstains and smoke.

"God damn it..."

"It's just one human, how?!"

"This doesn't even make sense!"

Their voices echoed faintly before disappearing with them.

Unfortunately, no equipment dropped.

Without killing NPCs permanently, Stark couldn't loot their gear.

He didn't mind.

He'd kill players and NPCs if he needed to, but he knew when it was pointless.

Ding!

[You have gained 7,755 Lives!]

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 35!]

[You have gained 5 points in all of your attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]

"Good."

The stat boost and lives were enough.

He pressed forward again. On the way, Stark came across several more doors.

Some were etched with strange symbols, others with glowing runes. But no skull marks.

His [Skull Key] couldn't be used on them.

Keys on this floor were rare, and after an hour of exploring, this was the only one he'd managed to find.

Then—

'Hah?'

He stopped. At the end of a corridor that should've been a dead end stood a door.

Its surface was old and weathered, and carved deep into its stone was a skull.

"...Finally."

Stark pulled the [Demon's Nest Skull Key] from his inventory and studied it.

Most players would've hesitated here. A skull door almost screamed "trap."

It could lead to a monster, a cursed chamber, or worse.

But Stark wasn't like other players.

He'd already beaten everything this floor had thrown at him.

He wanted to see what lay beyond. He stepped forward and pressed the key into the lock.

Click!

The door creaked open, revealing... another corridor.

"...Figures."

He knew what that meant. If it wasn't treasure, it was a trap.

He was about to step through when—

"FOUND YOU!"

The roar shook the air.

Stark turned sharply and saw him and saw... Molder, the demon general he had killed earlier.

NPCs respawned after an hour.

Stark had taken soon of his lives, but it wasn't enough to kill him permanently. And now he was back.

"I was supposed to only lose 75 Lives!" Molder bellowed, spear slamming into the ground hard enough to send cracks spreading across the stone, "Yet I lost ninety more! How?!"

"..."

Stark simply stared, face unreadable.

Molder snarled, pointing his spear straight at him.

"I'll take those lives back with interest! I won't fall for your tricks again!"

Bind of Silk!

Bam!

The silk lashed out, but Molder smashed the ground, destroying the silk instantly before it could reach him.

His eyes glowed crimson, aura spilling wildly from his body.

"DIE!"

Spear Rush!

He shot forward like lightning, spear thrusting with killing intent.

But—

Fwish!

Stark sidestepped calmly.

"IDIOT, NOW I'M GOING TO— Huh?"

Molder's momentum carried him forward, straight into the skull corridor.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the trap activated.

CRASH!

Hundreds of spikes erupted from every surface of the corridor, piercing straight through Molder's body.

His roar cut off, replaced with gurgling agony before his form collapsed and vanished into smoke.

"..."

Stark exhaled lightly.

Because he hadn't contributed to the trap's damage, he gained nothing from the kill.

Still, it was fine. The spikes retracted, leaving the corridor clear.

Traps like this only triggered once. Now it was safe.

Stark stepped forward, his pace steady.

Minutes later, the corridor opened into another vast chamber.

"...!"

He actually stopped this time.

His grip on his staff tightened.

This place was almost identical to the chamber he had first spawned in when he entered the fourth floor.

But at the far end stood something different.

A massive demonic gate carved with skulls and symbols.

Its surface pulsed faintly with crimson energy.

That gate led down to the final floor of the [Demonic Ruins].

But before Stark could approach—

FWISH! BOOM!

The ground shook violently as a massive figure dropped from above, landing directly between him and the gate.

The air rippled with its presence. The heat, the weight, the killing intent pressed against Stark's skin.

He grinned.

"I never could fight you in my past life," he said quietly, heart pounding faster, "But this time... it's different."

Before him stood the [Demonic Wyvern].

The boss that had stopped almost every player in his past life.

The wall that had barred him from reaching the fifth floor.

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