Breezing past the 23rd and 24th, it wasn't until the 25th floor that I began to see other Players. I kept my distance and maintained a low profile, observing them from a distance. There were those who fought with reckless abandon, not caring if they took damage or if their opponents fell. Others seemed to be more strategic, using their environment to their advantage and relying on hit-and-run tactics. Still, others were focused entirely on gaining experience, clearing a path for me to easily venture ahead.

"Huh, I didn't realize how much stronger you were compared to the others," the Soultaker remarked. "Still, it doesn't seem that big of a difference."

"Just wait when I finally get to do dungeon resonances," I hissed back. "Then I won't have a need for you anymore."

"... I apologize."

I made my way to the 26th floor portal, checking on the damage the Soultaker had.

[Soultaker damage: 1250714]

Okay, not bad. With a number that high, it was only fitting that the progression seemed a little slow.

With a deep breath, I stepped forward through the portal, bracing myself for the change of theme.

When I gained my bearings, I saw that the theme of the 26th floor was a dried up seabed, vast and expansive, with the occasional rock formation jutting out of the cracked earth. The sky above was a deep shade of blue, untouched by any clouds. The wind whistled through my ears, carrying with it the faint smell of salt and brine.

Up ahead, more Players were locked in battle against disfigured sea creatures and aquatic plants. Despite my excitement, I couldn't help but feel a foreboding sense of dread. Back in the game's world, I had never managed to make it past the 30th floor, and the only reason why I didn't feel so pressured until now was because I had prior knowledge over most of the early game.

I shook the feeling out from my body, taking off on a light jog towards the 27th portal.

"How far are you planning to go?" the Soultaker asked.

"Up to the 30th floor," I replied, keeping my gaze on the portal. "I don't want to push the global limit too far."

Of course, it was also the fact that I had never managed to go beyond the 30th, so I was incredibly hesitant to venture further. I knew that from here on out, the challenges would only become more difficult and the stakes higher. I wasn't entirely sure if my abilities and my equipment would be enough to see me through. Oh well, what's the worst that could happen? I die?

As I reached the portal, a couple of other Players gave me curious glances, as if wondering why someone with stats like mine would be running such a high level floor. I ignored them, more focused on the task at hand. With a deep breath, I stepped through the portal, being greeted with the same environment.

However, this time, there was a dark castle looming in the distance, far across the barren seabed. I unconsciously gripped the Soultaker's hilt tighter.

[You okay, Player? :c You seem a bit nervous now.]

"Yeah," I took a deep breath. "Just uh, getting used to the new environment." That wasn't a complete lie, after all. Despite having experienced this in the virtual realm, it was a different matter entirely when you were actually there, in the flesh.

I pushed on towards the castle, beginning to see other Players busy farming experience. Some of them were around my level, though their stats weren’t quite as comparable. Grimly, I knew that it wouldn't matter towards the 30th floor, not unless they were as strong as I was.

Reaching the castle, I noticed that the Players here were making camp, taking turns to guard the area while others rested. It was a smart move, turning the cleared castle into a temporary base. I wasn't sure if I should do the same or keep pushing forward, but I figured that I could always come back here if I needed to.

I entered the castle, finding more Players inside. They had turned it into a cozy base, with torches lighting up the halls and a makeshift camp set up in the throne room. Some were cooking, others were tending to their wounds, and a few were even trying to find a quiet spot to rest. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and the sounds of chatter.

For a moment, I considered resting here, to take in an atmosphere that I had only ever experienced in virtual games. It was extremely tempting to sit down and purchase some food and drink, maybe even talk to some of the other Players. But then I reminded myself of my purpose: to reach the 30th floor today.

Standing before the 28th floor portal, I took a deep breath, calming my nerves. Every floor up to this point had been relatively tame, since they were cleared of a boss. I knew that from the 28th floor onwards, it would be a literal warzone.

I stepped through the portal, seeing the same barren seabed landscape as before. However, just as I predicted, this floor was in chaos, with Players struggling against the twisted sea creatures.

[Name: Elder Megalodon | Level: 28]

[Health: 3200 | Strength: 1200]

[Speed: 2000 | Magic: 300]

[Name: Kelp Killer | Level: 28]

[Health: 3500 | Strength: 1550]

[Speed: 1400 | Magic: 1130]

They were around the same strength as the monsters from the Grudge dungeon break, albeit slightly stronger. The megalodons were massive, their scales reflecting the sunlight as they thrashed about, trying to dislodge the Players clinging to them. The kelp killers were even bigger, easily towering over their smaller prey. The battle was chaotic, with bodies littering the ground and the sounds of combat filling the air. Even then, I didn't get a system message telling me that I'd earn rewards for killing them. I sighed, gripping the Soultaker and rushing through towards the castle at the end.

Since my Speed far outclassed the monsters, I was easily able to dodge them, though I did kill quite a few if they were in my way. The other Players stared in awe as I quickly bore a straight path to the castle.

[Soultaker damage: +54]

"Hey idiot, why aren't you farming more souls?" the blade complained, trembling as if pouting.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Because I'm on a tight schedule," I replied, cutting a few more monsters with a single strike. "And quit calling me an idiot."

I felt a prick of annoyance, seeing as how my 'Overwhelming Strength!' Achievement was used up when I took out the Soultaker earlier. It would've been incredibly useful against the boss later.

As I reached the end, I noticed the stark contrast between the cozy atmosphere of the 27th floor's castle and this one. Players were just before the castle, fending off stronger versions of the monsters prior as well as new ones that resembled various mutated fish. None of them had entered yet, since the boss hadn't shown up.

I jogged closer to the battlefield, realizing that the Players were unable to push forward because the monsters were relentlessly pouring out from the castle. It was like a never-ending stream of them, flooding out of every entrance like a wave, puns intended.

With a grimace, I reluctantly began to spam my Reap skill in conjunction with my Death's Shadow, immediately almost halving the monster's numbers as I used the Soultaker to cut my way through to the castle.

"Hey, hey! You're wasting all these precious souls!" the Soultaker cried out. "Your Skills aren't giving you anything!"

"It's fine," I grumbled back. "I'll be able to replenish them just by leveling up once. Thank god none of them are Limited Skills."

[Soultaker damage: +104]

[Death's Shadow 1058/1128]

[Reap 1042/1128]

Some of the Players around me began to notice the devastation I was unleashing on the monsters, momentarily giving me shocked looks in the midst of battle. I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as I continued to carve my way through the waves of monsters. The Soultaker seemed satisfied with the number of kills it was getting, though it still couldn't help but complain about the lack of souls.

In mere minutes, I was standing in front of the castle, having eased the pressure of the monster army. Before I could step forward, a blanket of ice burst before me.

"What the–"

I whirled around, finding a man and two women rushing towards me. Wait a minute...

Besides Gigi and Krion, I wasn't familiar with the woman next to them. As they caught up to me, Krion scowled, causing me to mirror his expression.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" he asked, glaring daggers at me. "You can't just start the damn boss yet!"

"Huh? Why not?" I blinked, confused. "Isn't that the goal of the tower?"

"Luquier, we're purposefully prolonging the boss fight until we can get some of Lambda Sector's top Players to gather here for that," Gigi explained in a more friendlier tone. "It can't be soloed, not even by you."

"This is Aurora's brother?" the unfamiliar woman asked incredulously as she stepped forward, nonchalantly blasting back the monsters with a wave of ice. "He's not nearly as strong as she is."

Feeling a prick of irritation, I took a good look at the woman. She was about my height, with long, wavy black hair that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were a vibrant shade of blue that reminded me of the ocean, and her features were delicate yet sharp. She wore a sleek, form-fitting suit of ice-blue armor, with a flowing cloak trailing behind her. Her movements were graceful and confident, like she'd been born to command respect.

[Name: Phoebe Chae | Level: 1657]

[Title: Winterfrost (S)]

[Health: 6670 | Strength: 2005]

[Speed: 2005 | Magic: 6000]

[Risk: 5 | Stat Points: 0]

I was slightly impressed by her Magic stat. I could guess and say that she was a mage-type Player who specialized in ice magic or something along the lines of that.

"Well, that's because you're only seeing what he wants you to see," Gigi replied, giving me a knowing wink. "I'm sure he has some tricks up his sleeve besides needing raw strength."

I liked her. She was super friendly and one of the few people I've met that wasn't weird.

"Yeah, aren't you hiding your–" Gigi elbowed Krion in the side, causing him to choke on his words. Oh, I definitely liked Gigi.

"Hmm, I can tell you're much stronger than your stats show," Phoebe raised an eyebrow, momentarily creating a wall of ice that blocked the monsters from spawning out. "Not that matters whether or not you're hiding them. A lot of top Players have Shrouded their stats for many reasons."

"At any rate, that's the gist of things," Gigi continued, stepping forward and conjuring a trio of ethereal golden turret sentries, which began to whir and fire at the monsters beginning to break free. "We can't start the boss without the top Players who are coming later."

What the heck, that was so cool? Her Title was amazing, and I could feel myself growing more fond of Gigi.

"Well, I can solo it," I replied, much to the shock of the three.

"And how do you suppose you do that?" Krion narrowed his eyes. "You gonna pull what you did in the dungeon break and–"

I pointed the tip of my Soultaker directly at Krion, causing the three to flinch in unison. "Just trust me on this."

"Luquier," Gigi protested. "That's crazy! Even your sister wasn't able to defeat the boss along with the other Players, and that was with Chronia."

"I'm not my sister," I snapped, then sighed. "Sorry. Just... let me try it? Obviously I'll take responsibility for whatever happens, so just try and keep the other Players back."

Gigi hesitated, looking as if she wanted to argue. "Aurora's going to kill me if you end up dying."

I shot a wry look at Krion, who held his tongue wisely. Phoebe, on the other hand, gazed between the two of them before coming back to me.

"Wait, you guys are going to allow this? But the boss literally requires a party to deal with everything it's got!"

"Not if you know what to do," I smiled softly, turning to the castle's entrance. Before the three could say anything else, I pushed off, zipping over the ice wall and through the throngs of monsters, into the castle alone.

Stopping inside, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The castle's interior was dark and gloomy, lit only by flickering torches on the walls. I could already feel the weight of the boss's aura pressing down on me. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, as if the very air itself was alive and angry.

[Soultaker damage: +148]

I dashed down the hallway towards the throne room, slicing through the sea monsters that were coming out of the shadows.

[Uh, not that I'm doubting you or anything, but how exactly do you plan on taking out the boss if the other Players weren't able to do so as a group?]

"I am also curious as to how you plan on doing that," the Soultaker chipped in. "Even with my damage, there's still the issue of multiple opponents."

"Oh, don't worry, I've ran this floor theme countless times to deal with its trait of mob spam."

"Mob... what?"

[He's a no-life masochist who apparently spent a great deal playing video games.]

"That explains a lot, actually," the Soultaker conceded, much to my annoyance.

"Anyway, you guys will see. I've come up with a couple of strategies on how to deal with whatever boss is here," I reached the throne room, keeping the other sea monsters at bay with a couple of Reaps as I pushed the lavishly grand doors open. "I just hope that the boss isn't the–"

[System alert: A Boss has descended.]

My shoulders slumped as the doors behind me closed, sealing off the exit. Ahead, there was a golden-skinned humanoid that wielded a trident. At first glance, it seemed like a freakishly animalistic mermaid, but I knew better.

[Name: Seahorse Tyrant | Level: 28]

[Health: 1000000 | Strength: 2000]

[Speed: 2000 | Magic: 2000]

[Description: Although not as strong as other sea creatures, it makes up for the lack of strength with its ability to divide itself multiple times, creating its own army. Its numbers can easily overwhelm any opponent.]

"Well, that's fucking great," I muttered to myself, gripping the Soultaker tightly as I tensed. "Of course it's the most tedious boss on this floor."

****

[Updating...]

[Skills]

[Death’s Shadow 1058/1128]

[Reap 1014/1128]

[Final Gambit 1128/1128]

[Death Match 629/1128]

[Items]

[Soultaker (1250862)]