Stark quickly dealt with the [Sanctuary Archer], ending its life before it could even think about firing another arrow.

He moved closer to the [Heart of Sanctuary], placing himself right beside it.

That way, he could defend it directly with his [Invincible Magic Barrier].

One thing was clear, only four or five hits like the last one, and the heart would shatter.

If that happened, the challenge would end.

Stark would die, and all his efforts here would be wasted.

Failure wasn't an option.

His eyes swept over the ten different passages surrounding him.

Each one was dark and silent for a breath, then another monster would lurch out.

Stark relied on his own awareness, but he also trusted the [Ghost Wolf] to howl or growl whenever something slipped through his vision.

Minutes passed in this cycle.

Monsters surged out of the tunnels, and Stark cut them down: bosses, ranged units, and whatever else tried to crawl out.

His cooldowns stayed short, his damage remained overwhelming, and because the monsters came in small waves, he was never truly cornered.

A ranged monster would sometimes take a shot at the heart.

When that happened, Stark simply stepped in, letting his barrier tank the hit before shattering his target with another spell.

Basically… this challenge was a breeze for him.

But suddenly, out of nowhere... there was silence.

Stark had just finished eliminating a final monster, but this time… nothing came.

He frowned.

"Did I win?" he muttered under his breath.

The quiet stretched for several heartbeats.

He hadn't been counting the time, but it definitely felt like the challenge had lasted a while.

If it weren't for his insane damage and cooldown reduction, no one else could have handled this.

Maybe some teams could brute force it by throwing bodies at the waves, but a single player? Impossible.

Challenges in [Eternal Soul] were meant to test players, sure.

But this one felt wrong, abnormal. Almost unfair.

Why create something like this, then make it only available for one week?

The logic escaped him. But honestly? He didn't care.

If he cleared it, that was all that mattered.

But then—

[The Final Assault is coming, Heir of Oblivion.]

BAM!

A deafening shockwave rippled through the entire sanctuary.

The floor vibrated violently, cracks forming across the stone.

Stark clenched his teeth as a thunderous rumble echoed from all sides.

Hoooowllll!

The [Ghost Wolf] let out a furious howl, then another, and another.

Stark's eyes narrowed.

Every single one of the ten passages lit up at once.

Monsters poured out. Not one tunnel. Not two. All of them.

He counted quickly, epic-rank bosses, a cluster of ranged attackers, and in the middle of them all, something bigger.

His grin spread.

"Hah… I guess that must be it."

The final wave was here.

---

[Heart Roddent (Level 25)]

[Rank: Epic (Boss)]

[HP: 250,000]

---

[Silver Shot Archer (Level 25)]

[Rank: Epic (Boss)]

[HP: 200,000]

---

[Sanctuary Sentinel (Level 25)]

[Rank: Legendary (Special Boss)]

[HP: 450,000]

---

Stark didn't hesitate. His eyes flicked between his targets, his instincts kicking in.

Storm of Lightning! Vines of Fate! Storm of Lightning! Crystals of Death! Sharp Bone Spikes!

His barrage of skills exploded across the battlefield, ripping into the ranged monsters first.

The air filled with electricity, sharp bones erupted from the floor, and green vines lashed out, hitting anything unlucky enough to be nearby.

Most of the ranged units dropped instantly.

Even a few melee monsters got shredded in the chaos.

But one of them survived.

Silver Shot!

The epic boss drew back its bow.

A glowing silver arrow materialized on the string, humming with lethal energy.

It loosed the arrow straight toward the heart.

"Not happening."

Stark darted forward, throwing himself between the arrow and the [Heart of Sanctuary].

CRACK!

His barrier shattered instantly.

Splinters of light rained down, but the heart remained untouched.

'Good enough.'

The cooldowns on his main skills ticked down quickly, and once they were ready, he unleashed another wave of destruction.

The [Silver Shot Archer] was hit, its HP plummeting under the barrage.

Seconds later, it crumpled into particles.

Next was the [Heart Roddent].

It lunged forward, gnashing teeth, but Stark's spells ripped through its body.

In under twenty seconds, it too vanished.

After less than a minute, only small fry monsters remained, oh, and the real problem.

The [Sanctuary Sentinel].

It was tall, armored, with a long rapier in its hand.

Its steps were heavy, precise, and it ignored Stark entirely, heading straight for the heart.

Of course. That was its role.

Stark didn't waste mana worrying. He had no shortage of it.

That was another advantage no one else had, his mana recovery was absurd.

His skills cost mana, yes, but the rate at which it regenerated made the consumption meaningless.

Still, he knew this wouldn't last forever.

If he ever picked up a truly broken spell with an insane cost, even his regen wouldn't cover it.

But right now? He could go all out.

Sharp Bone Spikes!

Jagged bones erupted from the ground, intercepting the sentinel's rapier with a loud CLANG.

Sparks flew. The force made the monster stagger for just a moment.

That was all Stark needed.

Fire Meteor! Vines of Fate! Storm of Lightning!

-163,125! -124,500! -130,500!

The damage numbers floated into the air. Stark smirked.

This thing might be legendary rank, but compared to the [Divine Dual Wielder] in the [Tower of Divinity]? It was trash.

That boss had been brutal. This one? It didn't even compare.

Besides, ever since Stark claimed the dual wielder's staff, his damage had skyrocketed.

Even legendary bosses couldn't keep up!

The sentinel staggered back, body crackling under the force of his spells.

It tried lunging again, rapier stabbing forward, but Stark's [Crystal of Death] finished the job.

Its HP dropped to zero. Particles scattered into the air.

The other monsters didn't last much longer.

Stark cleaned them up with quick bursts of magic, and within thirty seconds… silence.

Complete silence.

Ding!

[You have completed the "Sanctuary" challenge.]

"Perfect."

Stark exhaled, grinning.

All around him, the bodies of monsters faded away, dissolving into light.

No loot. No EP. No Lives. They didn't count as "real kills."

Which also meant [Hand of Avarice] was useless here.

That stung a little. But it didn't matter.

A challenge like this had to give something big. Something worth it.

Fwiiishhh—

The [Heart of Sanctuary] itself began to glow.

A deep crimson light pulsed from it, flooding the chamber.

Slowly, the heart lifted into the air, rising off its pedestal.

Stark's grin widened.

"That must be it."

Of course. The challenge had been to protect the heart.

So naturally… the heart itself was the reward.

It hovered for a moment, rotating, letting Stark admire it.

Then, without warning, it shot forward. Straight into his chest.

A surge of warmth spread through his body.

His heartbeat aligned with the pulsing power of the item.

He stiffened, then relaxed.

Items that bound themselves directly into a player's body were rare. Very rare.

And when they did… it meant he could use it anywhere.

No equipping, no inventory management.

The item was simply part of him now.

This was pretty much the same way the [Eyes of Oblivion] that granted Stark his [Class] and [Talent] worked.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you have obtained the "Heart of Sanctuary" (Ancient-Rank Special Item)]

Stark froze.

"…Ancient rank Special Item?" His eyes went wide. "Holy—"

That put it above mythical-rank, beyond normal classifications. Something truly unique.

It was safe to say that this item was the only one of its kind!

The system showed the description.

---

[Heart of Sanctuary (Ancient-Rank Special Item): Contains the holy power of the "Sanctuary", allowing the user to bless a piece of equipment of theirs with it.]

[Once used, only upon killing a certain amount of monsters will the usage reset.]

[The monsters cannot be much weaker than the user.]

[The "Blessing" is limited to once per equipment, but the "Heart of Sanctuary" can be used infinitely as long as it is charged.]

---

"Incredible."

Stark's pulse quickened.

This item could "bless" his equipment, permanently boosting it.

It was stronger than he had hoped for.

The only catch was that its cooldown wasn't time-based.

Instead, he had to kill a certain number of monsters before it recharged.

He didn't know how many, but with his damage output? It wouldn't matter.

Compared to something like the [Revenant Bell], this was on another level.

He didn't even have to wear it, it was part of him now.

Stark smirked, eyes gleaming.

He clenched his fist, feeling the holy energy thrum through his veins.

"Well then…" His grin widened. "Let's try it out."

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