Even though it was my third time back inside the dungeon, the depressing atmosphere and eerie mountain felt strangely familiar and comforting. I guess it spoke a lot about my current mental state and the time I've spent in these hellish lands.

A white system message flashed before us, dictating the same objective with a three hour time limit. The unearthly howls sounded right on time and the undead mobs began to descend from the top of the mountain.

Celine casually buffed me, sitting down at the base of the mountain. I summoned Levius using 100,000 Risk points, cut him off with a nod towards Celine, and summoned my clone.

The two of us charged up the mountain to tackle the mobs head-on, casting an empowered Flooded Kingdom to root them in place. From there, my clone kept tabs on the monsters, making sure they remained frozen while I casted Final Gambit to blow myself up.

[Dear god...] Sephera simply sent, apparently at a loss for words.

After I revived, I was blown away by how much I had grown from a single kill. Almost 7 billion Stat Points and a hundred levels up. I couldn't help but smile, eager to see how much more I could gain after killing the Grudge boss. For now, I'd have to grind my deaths.

Down below at the mountain base, Celine seemed to have gotten along with Levius, nonchalantly engaging in conversation while I blew myself up. I guess she trusted me enough to know what I was doing.

With each explosion, I felt the surge of power and the cold embrace of death, only to be jolted back to life with the same pain I had grown accustomed to. It was oddly satisfying, like popping bubble wrap, except the bubbles were my own life force. The pain grew with each death, but the reward was too tempting to stop. Besides, the pain was instantaneous, so I didn't have to bear with it for long. I could only imagine how it'd feel if I actually did withstand a full 2,880,000% increase. I'd probably go insane, and that was with all my passive reductions.

At one point, I started speeding up my self-explosions, my achievement passive beginning to reduce more and more of the pain sensitivity. The grind was mind-numbingly tedious, but the rush of power was something I hadn't felt since... well, forever. Each time I respawned, I felt stronger, more alive despite not gaining anything except death tolls.

After about an hour or so, there were only a few mobs left, so I decided to fly back down to the base while my clone kept them frozen. The moment I landed, Celine and Levius glanced at me, as if they had become used to it.

"How many was that?" Celine asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice.

"A little over... I'm at 1054 deaths now," I replied, slightly out of breath. The pain was getting intense, even with the 125.4% reduction total from my Skill passives and achievement.

I learned the hard way that mental fortitude and pain sensitivity were two very different things. It basically meant I was still feeling all halved damage, but my mental willpower sort of ignored it. The best way I could describe it was if my leg fell asleep and I pinched it with all my might. I wouldn't feel it at the time, but the moment the feeling came back, oh boy, would it be painful.

After the initial shock of the pain, I grew accustomed to it. It was like my body was playing a sadistic game of peekaboo with pain. Each time I died, the agony washed over me, only to be pushed back as I revived. But as I grew stronger, I felt the pain less and less until it was just a mild discomfort.

"That's..." Celine stared at me in astonishment. "That's just... insane. How can you stand it?"

[He's a-]

"I have passives and achievements that help me deal with the pain, so I'm not actually feeling the entire brunt of damage," I quickly explained to Celine, not wanting her to think I was a complete masochist. Or have Sephera say it again. "But it's definitely intense."

Levius nodded solemnly. "Indeed, such a playstyle is quite... unorthodox, yet effective for gaining power quickly. It is no wonder I was slain by you, then enslaved."

"Can you not phrase it like that?" I asked Levius with a scowl. "It makes me sound like a depraved villain."

[But, you are :D] Sephera chimed in. [A villain to those poor, unsuspecting pixels.]

"Are you not a bunch of pixels, too?" I snapped at Sephera's blue message, momentarily forgetting that I was the only one who could see or read them. Celine gave me a quizzical look while Levius looked hurt.

"In your perspective, I can see why, but I feel very much alive and animate, Immortal," the floor 30 boss responded dejectedly.

"Er, no, that's not what I- never mind. Sorry, Levius," I muttered, hyper aware of how ridiculous this whole conversation sounded to anyone else. I tried to ignore Sephera’s indignant messages spamming my vision.

"So, what's the plan now?" Celine cut in, saving me from any further awkwardness.

"Well, all that's left for me to do is kill the remaining frozen mobs and one-shot the boss. Besides that, how much have you leveled up?" I asked Celine, curious about her growth from piggybacking off my hard work.

"Thanks to you, I jumped an entire 1000 levels ahead," Celine calmly replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She was sitting cross-legged on the mountain base, her hands folded in her lap, looking rather serene despite the chaos I had wreaked earlier. Her buffs had helped me maintain my sanity and further reduced the pain, so I was grateful toward her for that.

"Damn, must be nice," I grumbled, checking out my own stats. I only jumped 100 levels, which was better than nothing. The grind was real, but it was worth it for the Stat Points. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Do you need me to hang back?" Celine tonelessly asked as she got up. I wasn't sure if she was bored and wanted some action, or if she was sounding unenthusiastic on purpose to not be involved. Either way, I didn't really need her assistance, since I'd be able to take care of it with just my clone and I.

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"Nah, you're good," I waved her off. "This'll be fast."

Celine seemed to struggle with herself, then sat back down. Knowing how she liked to be prepared and in the thick of things, I could tell she wasn't used to doing nothing. But in this case, it was more helpful to me if she didn't directly involve herself.

Levius stood guard over Celine as I flew back up to where my clone was, looking bored as he taunted the frozen undead. I nodded at him before blowing myself up with the last of the fodder mobs.

Finally, the mountain rumbled, signaling the descent of the Grudge of the Fallen boss. The first time it seemed to react to my presence, and the last time it spoke to me fearfully. I wondered what it would do this time.

The amalgamation spewed forth from the top of the mountain, roaring with the gaping hole in the center of its disfigured mass of flesh. I smiled faintly, almost feeling a sort of familiarity with the boss I had slain twice prior. I suppose that was how Levius felt whenever I came back to challenge him over and over again.

[Player, you're smiling like a sadist...] Sephera's message popped up in front of me, breaking my concentration. I chuckled despite myself, focusing on the boss ahead.

The plan was pretty much the same this time around, which involved getting my clone to the 25% Health threshold to boost his stats beyond baseline, have him trigger the second phase of the boss fight, blow himself up, and finally allow me to swoop for the final kill. The boss's movements were almost predictable at this point, and the thrill of the fight had been replaced with the excitement of seeing how quickly I could farm these points.

[Name: Grudge of the Fallen | Level: 1956]

[Health: 20,500,000 (???) | Strength: 15,500,000]

[Speed: 1,150,000 | Magic: 3,500,000]

Yeah, it was still nothing compared to me, but Celine was definitely on the weaker side when it came down to match-ups. The scaling was ridiculous, overshadowed only by my own growth. No wonder the original game's predecessor barely had any players.

As the crimson mass of flesh finished forming, I couldn't help but briefly question my experience with the virtual Last Stand. The scaling in the game was by no means balanced either, giving me the sense that whoever created the system behind this world had a sadistic streak similar to the game's designers. But then again, I was also a living testament to the game's harsh learning curve.

My clone and I calmly watched the Grudge settle its gaze on us. I didn't have to wait long before it registered our strength, beginning to quake in fear. I warmed up my body as my clone prepared himself to take damage. Yeah, the strategy was a little unsavory, but it was effective. Better than people actually dying to bypass the boss's Linked trait.

"You..." the Grudge rumbled as it took a step back, trembling in fear. "You... have the... scent of... the abyss... on you."

I frowned as I digested its words. By abyss, did it mean that woman I met earlier? Izu? I couldn’t be sure, but I decided to play along. "Is that a problem?"

The mass of twisted flesh seemed to cower at the sound of my voice. "Your existence... familiar... with other influences too..."

"Sir, I think it's referring to my master's presence within you along with that woman you met earlier," the Soultaker, which I had lent to my clone, trembled slightly as it clarified for me. "It doesn't seem to be unreasonable right now, just terrified. Tread cautiously."

I grunted, understanding what the sword meant. In the previous encounter, I didn't get far talking to it, having it get triggered simply because its anger overpowered its fear of me. This time, I had to be more diplomatic, taking advantage of its subordination.

"Look, I know we have a... complicated history," I began, choosing my words carefully. "Er, I guess you and whoever this apparently powerful being my abilities stem from, but regardless, I'm not here to cause trouble."

The Grudge paused, its massive eyes swiveling to stare at me. It was eerie, like a giant sentient blob of anger and spite. The words 'please don't kill me' practically radiated from its aura. I felt kind of bad, since I needed to kill it for me and Celine to clear the dungeon, but that was how the world worked now.

"You... remind me... of our master..." the Grudge rumbled, its voice a mix of fear and curiosity.

Oof. I had to be even more careful now. The boss had been angered after it decided to enact its revenge on someone who resembled its master, so I had to find a way to avoid that outcome. This was my chance to get more information about the origins of my abilities.

"Your... master?" I echoed, playing along. "Can you tell me more about them?"

The Grudge's tentacles quivered slightly. "Master... was strong. Like you. But different. Not... human."

'Obviously' was what I wanted to reply with, but I bit my tongue. I already knew this being was unimaginably powerful, deeply connected with death, and seemed to have a lot of subordinates. I needed the Grudge to tell me something else, something that the Soultaker or other beings haven't told me yet.

"What was your master like?" I prodded gently, watching the creature's reaction.

The Grudge paused, its tentacles retracting slightly as it considered my question. "Master... was darkness and light. Destructive, yet... compassionate. Could feel the pain of the world. Felt... regret."

[Regret...?] Sephera's message popped up in front of me. [I've never heard of divine beings feeling anything other than anger or pride.]

"Anything else?" I pressed the creature, eager to learn more.

The Grudge took a moment before speaking again. "Master said... the world was a game. Players chosen to change fate. That is all we can remember."

I tutted, feeling a bit disappointed. That was all the creature knew about its master? It was a bit anticlimactic, but I supposed I had to start somewhere.

"Alright, I understand," I said with a nod. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

The Grudge blinked in confusion at my gratitude. Then, as if it had remembered its namesake, it roared with anger and defiance, sending out its beams. I simply turned to my clone as the attack washed over us harmlessly. Down below, Celine had a raised eyebrow, expressing visible shock at my lax attitude towards the boss that had once terrorized us.

"Ready?" I asked my clone, who grimaced.

"I am, but first, I had an idea," he replied, causing me to gaze at him curiously. He flashed me a grin.

"Well, with our ring, we can just summon him back anytime, right? So we can just ask him questions after this. But also, instead of using the Soultaker to kill him after I blow myself up, why don't we use our Reap and potentially gain a skill from it?"

"Interesting..." I murmured. Whoever came up with the saying 'two heads were better than one' knew what they were talking about. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

****

[Updating…]

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1954]

[Title: Infinite Immortal (S)]

[Health: 175,750,000 | Strength: 107,300,000]

[Speed: 106,250,000 | Magic: 106,100,000]

[Risk: 72,000,000 | Stat Points: 7,642,604,355]

[Achievements]

[Even Death Can't Stop Me!]

[Number of Deaths: 1054 | Mental Reduction: 105.4%]

[Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.]

[Stat Increase: 720,000%]