"You good, bro?" Tommy noticed my behavior as he caught up to me. I was in shock at what I saw.

[Infinite Immortal (S)]

[Prerequisite: Reckless Immortal]

[Acquired by obtaining the Soultaker, slaying a Demon Lord or Angelic Commander, & obtaining more than 25 million Stat Points.]

[Effect: Allows user to revive for free once a day & able to sacrifice half of Risk points to continue reviving under same conditions as Reckless Immortal. Also allows user to sacrifice equivalent Risk points to refresh cooldowns & usage of abilities. Items associated with the Infinite Immortal able to be evolved using Soultaker damage. Permanent.]

[Available Items: Cloak of the Guide (20000000) | Ring of Echoed Whispers (35000000)]

[??? That's way too strong???]

I had to agree with Sephera. This Title was way too broken. I mean, I could revive for free every day? And I could keep reviving by sacrificing my Risk points? Not to mention I could potentially use my abilities without limit. That was just insane. I didn't even know what to say to Tommy.

On top of that, I had received an enormous amount of Stat Points. Points that could go into Risk and gain me more. Wait, no, because if I needed to revive more than once, it'd cut that number down quickly. But if I juiced up my other Stats, I wouldn't need to, right? Hold on...

I was in my own world as I quickly used a large portion of my Stat Points, my heart beating excitedly in my chest.

[Health: 10750000 | Strength: 2300000]

[Speed: 1250000 | Magic: 1100000]

[Risk: 1300000 | Stat Points: 10000650]

[Soultaker: 5125700]

The Soultaker's moan was cut short as I put it in my Inventory right after giving it four million points. As much as I wanted to check out what evolving the cloak and ring would do, that would have to wait. Satisfied, I grinned to myself, suddenly realizing that Tommy could see my new stats as well.

"Luquier... holy fuck." Tommy gasped, staring at my new stats. "You're fucking insane. You're literally immortal and unstoppable at this point."

He had a point. With my upgraded Title and ridiculous numbers, I truly felt invincible.

"Wait, why didn't you use up all your Stat Points?" Tommy pointed out. "You still have ten million left."

"Well," I scratched the back of my head. "Some of my abilities require me to sacrifice half of my Risk points to use them." I left it at that, not wanting to explain what I truly planned to do. Thankfully, Tommy seemed content with that answer, nodding with awe.

"You know... I've only heard rumors about the strongest Player in the world... but I think I'm looking at him right now." He shook his head with a grin. "I actually think you might get there very soon."

[Don't forget 'most masochistic' :P]

At least Sephera was back in a joking mood. I didn't have the heart to rebuke her, choosing to Shroud my stats instead.

As the Players all around us began to gather themselves and head towards the exit, Tommy and I could sense a heavy weight souring the victory I achieved. It was a given, considering we had lost a quarter of the Players who thought this dungeon break would be easy. Translating that to hard numbers, it meant that we had lost nearly 90 Players in that last battle.

"Well, that was fun while it lasted," Tommy sighed. "I guess we should head out too."

I knew that I should've been a bit more sensitive to the atmosphere, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel a little... off. Tommy and I made our way out of the dungeon, side by side, the air thick with a mixture of relief, defeat, and the stench of blood. As we emerged into the bright light of day, the sight that greeted us was no less disheartening. Dozens of Players were gathered in front of the dungeon portal, their expressions ranging from anger to despair.

The death toll of the dungeon seemed to weigh heavily on the survivors, and the air was thick with tension as they muttered amongst themselves. The usual chatter and laughter were replaced by whispers of frustration and disbelief. Some Players were already forming small groups, discussing strategies and plans for the next dungeon break, while others looked on, unsure of what to do next.

The GPA officials were already taking control of the situation, guiding Players to nearby medical tents, leading clean-up parties into the cleared dungeon, or taking statements from the survivors.

"You coming to the med tent with me?" Tommy asked. I shook my head.

"Nah, go on without me. I need to check out something."

"So soon? We just cleared one hell of a dungeon. Er, excuse the wording."

"I'll catch up with you," I assured Tommy, holding my fist out. He bumped it against mine, giving me a reassuring smile before he headed off to the med tent. With a heavy sigh, I turned away from the chaotic scene and began to make my way through the crowd of Players.

[Hey, Player...]

"Yeah, I know," I muttered, sensing two very strong presences following me. "Just need to find a quiet place."

Casually strolling into an empty alleyway, I turned back, seeing Rhys and Vella standing there.

"What's up?" I asked, finally deciding to break the silence.

"So, I know we might have seemed initially dismissive of you–"

"Do you think you would reconsider your options about joining Fable?" Vella interrupted Rhys, stepping forward.

"Agh, no fair! I thought we would ask him at the same time!"

"Seeing your strength first hand in that dungeon... I want to be the first to inform you that you have an automatic approval should you ever decide to join Fable," Vella continued, ignoring Rhys. "I am aware that you are still pursuing Helianthus, but in the event it doesn't work out, Fable is always ready to accept you."

"Thanks," I said, trying to hide my pleasure. "I appreciate that."

"Hey, wait, you also have a place in Primal! I'll vouch for you and everything!" Rhys suddenly cut in. "If you're not interested in Fable, then you should join Primal. We'd love to have you there."

I glanced at Vella, who raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything. I couldn't help but feel flattered by their interest in me. "Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it. I'll think about it. I've got some stuff going on right now, but I'll keep your offers in mind."

Rhys shrugged. "No worries, man. Take your time."

Watching as they left the alleyway, I couldn't help but notice how at ease they seemed despite surviving such a brutal dungeon like that. Not that I was any different. Losing so many Players, misinterpreting the dungeon description, fighting for our very lives... now I get what Tessa meant about Players not being in the most stable of minds. Faced with death every time we entered a floor or dungeon and having our world turn into a game really does a number on a person's psyche.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Sighing to myself, I decided to check on my other rewards before joining with Tommy at the medical tents. Neutralize was a damn good Skill, and with my new Title, I could basically render any annoying boss useless. Speaking of which...

[System alert: Would you like to use Risk points to refresh Death Match skill?]

[Time remaining: 760 days | Points required: 18240]

Damn. Looks like a point was equal to an hour. Honestly, that wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't equivalent to a minute or second.

I went ahead and refreshed the duration, a bit saddened to use my Risk points. Hopefully that would change soon. Next up was my newest Achievement.

[Achievement: Demon Slayer.]

[Acquired by directly defeating one of the seven Demon Lords.]

[Description: A testament to your strength, grants you immunity to all Evil attributes. Also doubles user damage when using Evil attributes.]

I tutted my tongue in disappointment. By no means was it terrible, considering the description hinted that only seven Players could achieve this, plus the bonus damage, but my Divinity passive already halved Evil attributes. It also granted me immunity against Holy attributes with a 10% reduction from all other sources. Oh, well. It was good to cover all bases.

Last up, the core I got as a reward. An S-grade with a flimsy description, it wasn't any different from the Grudge or Hullado core. I glanced at the blood red gem in my hands, recalling what Chronia had said.

[System alert: Would you like to use Stat Points to convert Awakened Demon Lord Skalyt core into a skill?]

[Points required: 1000000]

[:o That's quite a lot.]

I agreed. Holy fuck, what a steep cost. I swapped cores, confirming that the Grudge core also needed the same amount. Hesitantly, I checked the Hullado core, shocked that it only needed 100. Based on the pattern, I assumed that each letter grade required a value multiple of ten.

I shivered, clearing the screens and heading back to where Tommy was. No wonder Enigma was so selective. Apart from needing to be strong enough to handle yourself, you also needed to maximize your stat distribution accordingly.

[What are you planning to do with the leftover Stat Points?]

I chuckled softly to myself. "I'm gonna exploit the fuck out of the system."

[??? I... don't like the sound of that... what do you mean by that?]

"Infinite farming," I waved back to some of the Players who noticed me, their praises and thanks falling on deaf ears. "At this point, I have a feeling that my leveling will slow down immensely. So, instead of going for raw numbers, maybe I'll go for effects instead."

[._. I'm lost...]

"You'll see," I smiled softly as I spotted Tommy in one of the tents. "Even if it doesn't work, I'm planning to go to the PvP arenas anyway. I'm gonna be pretty busy in the next couple of days."

[Wouldn't that be considered bullying, going into PvP arenas with those stats?]

"Hey, you've heard the conditions for getting an invite to Helianthus, right? I just soloed the dungeon boss, but that might not be enough. Going undefeated in the arena would skyrocket my reputation."

[I assume you'll go easy on them, then?]

I avoided answering Sephera as I met up with Tommy, who had just finished getting checked out by one of the medics.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned. "You don't look so good."

Physically, he was fine, but the clenched jaw and hardened look in his eyes told me something else.

"I'm good, bro," Tommy said, his voice strained. I decided not to push it.

I pulled up a chair and sat next to him in silence. Around us, the earlier chaos was slowly being contained, the shock of the dungeon gradually fading away. The GPA parties that had entered the dungeon came out empty-handed, confirming that no other monster cores were dropped. Figures, since the majority of the mobs were human. Most of the demons Skalyt had summoned were reabsorbed by her, basically resulting in a few demonic cores and the boss core.

"What are you planning to do after this?" Tommy broke the silence, keeping his gaze ahead.

"Er, just going to rest a bit before checking out the PvP arena. Might register just to try it out. You?" I replied casually. It wasn't the entire truth, but Tommy didn't seem like he had the energy to hear about my shenanigans.

"I think I'll go grind in the tower floors for a bit," Tommy said. "Afterwards, might go for some drinks and food if you're down."

I nodded. "Fine by me. I'll see you later then."

It didn't feel that great, leaving my best friend like that when he was clearly going through something, but I wasn't very good at using the right words to comfort someone. However, just like me, Tommy also preferred to relieve stress by keeping busy, so heading into the tower to grind would be the best thing for him.

----------------------------------------

Back at my apartment, I fiddled with the Grudge core and Skalyt core, debating on which one to choose.

I had stopped by the PvP arena and officially registered, letting whoever was in charge schedule my match based on my Shrouded stats. Obviously I didn't set them that low, but I didn't want to not have any matches for me. So, I reluctantly based them off of Aurora's stats.

[You've been silent for a while. Are you going to choose or what?]

"How many times are you going to ask that? I told you, I'm still thinking!" I snapped, glancing at the two cores again. "It's just... they both have pros and cons."

[The Soultaker is trembling.]

Right. The sadist sword was also getting on my nerves. With a growl, I took it out from my Inventory.

"-Grudge! Choose the Grudge dungeon, sir!"

Sir? Well, at least it wasn't name-calling me, though it felt like its opinion of me changed when I drastically increased its damage. I brought up the purple gem closer to my face.

"Well, I was leaning towards that too..."

[I'd argue the Skalyt dungeon.]

"And why's that?" I switched my gaze towards the red gem.

[Well, you're immune to all Evil attributes now, right? No sweat, you'll easily clear it :D]

"Hey, don't listen to that useless Admin," the Soultaker's runes glowed bright blue. "Go for the Grudge dungeon again! I can auto Reap and you can just use your clone to kill the big bad after. Plus you're immune in there too!"

[Who's useless?! >:( ]

I ignored their bickering as I weighed my options. For the steep price of a million Stat Points, I honestly could run both. The only problem was, they'd be much higher in levels. And... that was it. The Soultaker and Sephera were right, I was practically immune to all types of damage in both situations. But, that wasn't my top priority.

"Alright, I've decided," I declared, hopping off my bed. "I'll run the Grudge dungeon resonance."

The Soultaker seemed pleased. "Good choice. You'll make short work of it. Don't worry about the other one."

"Oh, I'll run the Skalyt one tomorrow."

[Wait... are you planning to solo these? Just how much stronger are you planning to be?]

"For what I'm planning to do, of course I'm going to solo," I said, putting the cores away and picking up the Soultaker. "As for how much stronger I plan to be.... be as honest as the system allows you, Sephera. At my current strength, will I be able to clear the level 50 dungeon break?"

[...No. You won't.]

A heavy silence fell as I gripped the Soultaker in my hands. I swung it around a couple of times, feeling its strength course through me.

"That's why I'm doing this," I finally broke the silence. "On my pride as a gamer, I'm going to beat this game."

[That... is simultaneously the coolest and lamest thing you've ever said.]

I scowled as I put away my sword, moving to leave my apartment.

[So, what's the plan? Dump all the points into Risk so you can gain a lot back?]

"Not exactly," I smiled thinly, activating Grim Mantle. "I'm planning to exploit a certain Achievement."

[??? Which one? :o]

"Do you remember a certain Achievement that gave me something good every time I died?"

****

[Updating… Displaying full information.]

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1390]

[Title: Infinite Immortal (S)]

[Health: 10750000 | Strength: 2300000]

[Speed: 1250000 | Magic: 1100000]

[Risk: 1281760 | Stat Points: 10000650]

[Experience: 17%]

[Skills]

[Divinity (Passive)]

[Holy Element 1390/1390]

[Death’s Shadow 1390/1390]

[Reap 1390/1390]

[Final Gambit 1390/1390]

[Death Match 0/1390]

[Grim Mantle (Passive)]

[Duplicate (1x) 1390/1390]

[Tough Skin (Passive)]

[Flooded Kingdom (1x) 1390/1390]

[Lightning Bolt 1390/1390]

[Rainfall 1390/1390]

[Neutralize (1x) 1390/1390]

[Achievements]

[Even Death Can't Stop Me!]

[Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.]

[Untouchable.]

[New Beginnings.]

[Bullying the Weak!]

[Overwhelming Strength!]

[At Long Last, Victory!]

[Demon Slayer.]

[Items]

[Silver Serpent]

[Soultaker (5125700)]

[Warp Cube (x1)]

[Grudge of the Fallen core (x1)]

[Cloak of the Guide]

[Ring of Echoed Whispers]

[Orc King Hullado core (x1)]

[Awakened Demon Lord Skalyt core (x1)]