The corridor stretched before me, a seemingly endless expanse of cold stone and flickering torches. The air hung heavy with the metallic tang of blood, a grim reminder of my recent handiwork.

'Charming decor,' I thought, my gaze sweeping over the walls, adorned with murals depicting scenes of conquest and subjugation.

There was even a banner that depicted a giant man in red armor pointing forward in the reverse of how uncle Sam would say "We Need You" in those old war posters.

His hand was in the opposite spot and extended in an accusing point.

At the bottom, the reverse uncle Sam had the words "SUBMIT" where the iconic phrase would be.

'Yes, reverse uncle Sam wants to enslave YOU! Subtle.'

I continued my exploration, my senses on high alert, my hand still instinctively carving a groove into the stone as I passed.

Up ahead, I spotted two guards lounging against the wall, their postures relaxed, their attention focused on a game of dice they were playing on a makeshift board. They were positioned in front of a massive metal door, its surface etched with intricate runes that pulsed with a faint, sickly green light.

'Careless,' I thought, my lips twisting into a predatory grin. 'Or maybe just bored.'

I moved silently, my footsteps barely disturbing the dust on the floor. My enhanced senses, honed by countless loops of death and rebirth, picked up the clink of the dice, the rustle of their armor, the soft murmur of their voices.

Silent Walking (Body/Subterfuge) is now level 36!

Weak Stealth (Body/Subterfuge) is now level 28!

I was almost upon them before they even registered my presence.

Then, as if sensing a shift in the air, their heads snapped up, their eyes widening with alarm. They scrambled to their feet, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons.

Too late.

I was already moving, a blur of motion honed by countless hours of practice. I slipped past one guard's swing, my body twisting, my footwork precise. The other guard, his sword flashing, lunged at me, his attack a desperate, last-ditch effort to defend himself.

I met his attack head-on, my hand shooting out, my palm slapping against the flat of his blade. The force of the blow reverberated through my arm, but I held firm, channeling the impact, redirecting the sword with a subtle twist of my wrist.

The blade plunged into the chest of the first guard, the sound of metal piercing flesh an even further sickening counterpoint to the clang of steel on armored metal.

Barehanded Parry (Combat/Body/Dexterity) is now level 31!

Counter (Combat/Body/Mind) is now level 27!

Weapon redirection: Sword(Movement/Combat/Dexterity/Mind) is now level 1!

The remaining guard, his eyes wide with shock and horror, hesitated for a heartbeat, his weapon clattering to the floor. It was all the time I needed.

My fist slammed into his helmet, the metal crumpling beneath the force of the blow. He dropped like a puppet with severed strings, his body collapsing into a lifeless heap.

I turned towards the massive metal door, my gaze drawn to the inscription etched above the archway:

Second Confinement Layer Personnel Only

A wave of cold dread washed over me, a primal instinct screaming at me to turn back, to run, to get as far away from that door as possible.

I didn't need Divine Identification to tell me what lay beyond. The air itself seemed to crackle with a malevolent energy, a silent promise of pain and death that made my skin crawl.

'Not yet,' I thought, my hand trembling as I reached for the door handle. 'Not ready.'

I stepped back, my heart pounding against my ribs, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I'd come a long way, but I wasn't invincible. Not even close.

And whatever awaited me in the second confinement layer definitely wasn't something I was prepared to face.

I turned away from the imposing metal door, my senses still tingling with a residue of primal fear. Whatever lurked beyond that threshold, it was beyond my current capabilities.

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 3/500

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 4/500

The notifications, chiming in my mind, were a welcome distraction from the lingering dread.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

'Four down,' I thought, my grip tightening on Jin's discarded sword. 'Four hundred and ninety-six to go.'

But those two kills had been… too easy. I needed a challenge, a way to push myself, to hone my skills against opponents who could actually test my limits.

I continued my exploration, my footsteps echoing in the silent corridors. The air grew colder, the flickering torches casting long, distorted shadows that danced at the edge of my vision.

Up ahead, I heard voices, the low murmur of conversation punctuated by the clink of metal on metal. I rounded a corner and found a group of three guards huddled around a makeshift table, their armor gleaming under the dim light of a single oil lamp. They were engrossed in a game of poker, their faces illuminated by a mix of greed and boredom.

"Next summoning's in a few days," one of them grumbled, tossing a handful of coins onto the table. "Hope we get something good this time. Tired of babysitting weak freaks."

"Yeah," another guard agreed, shuffling the deck of cards with practiced ease. "Say, has anyone seen Knight Ringdun the Invincible lately?"

"Ringdun?" The third guard snorted. "You mean the Son of Count Hod? Now that I think about it, he gave all of us different names for himself, didn't he?"

"I think he had some weird skill that made his lies consistent or something," the first guard said, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "I don't think he was a spy or nothin', but he was kinda bonkers, man."

'Compulsive Liar,' I thought, the title flashing in my mind. So, Dodon's information wasn't just glitching. He was a genuine, certifiable liar. And apparently, he'd been spreading his bullshit around the entire facility.

Silent Walking (Body/Subterfuge) is now level 39!

Weak Stealth (Body/Subterfuge) is now level 31!

Eavesdropping (Mind/Subterfuge/Perception) Is now level 2!

I'd heard enough.

I surged forward, my movements a blur of speed and lethal grace. The guards, caught off guard by my sudden appearance, barely had time to react.

My foot slammed into the first guard's knee, the sickening crunch of bone echoing through the corridor. He crumpled to the floor, his face contorting in pain. I followed through with a brutal stomp, my heel driving into the side of his helmet, crushing the metal inward with a sickening crunch.

I pivoted on my heel, my body a whirlwind of motion. My right leg whipped around, connecting with the second guard's jaw in a bone-shattering roundhouse kick. His head snapped back, his neck twisting at an unnatural angle. He dropped to the floor, his eyes wide and lifeless.

The third guard, his face pale with terror, scrambled to his feet, his sword clanging against the stone floor as he fumbled to draw it. He swung the blade in a wild arc, his movements clumsy, desperate.

I sidestepped the blow with ease, my hand shooting out to deflect the blade, guiding it away from my body with a subtle twist of my wrist.

Before he could recover, I struck. My palms slammed into his chest, just below his throat, the force of the impact reverberating through his armor, snapping his spine with a sickening crack.

He crumpled to the floor, his body twitching, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Three more down.

'Let's try this again,' I thought, my gaze sweeping the corridor, searching for my next target.

I had a long way to go, a lot of scores to settle. And I was just getting started.

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 5/500

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 6/500

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 7/500

Martial Arts (1 Evol)(Body/Combat/Mind/Movement) is now level 25!

Barehanded Parry (Combat/Body/Dexterity) is now level 33!

Counter (Combat/Body/Mind) is now level 29!

Weapon redirection: Sword(Movement/Combat/Dexterity/Mind) is now level 2!

Evasion (1 Evol)(Movement/Body/Combat/Mind/Dexterity) is now level 20!

—

The corridor stretched before me, a silent tomb illuminated by flickering torches and the faint, ethereal glow of the runes etched into the walls. The air hung heavy with the metallic tang of blood that was here long before my growing tally of kills started.

The smell of ozone was constant. I still had no idea where it came from.

‘Twelve down,' I thought, my grip tightening on the hilt of the sword I'd taken from one of my fallen enemies. 'Four hundred and Eighty-Eight to go.'

I moved with a predatory grace, my senses honed to a razor's edge, my body a weapon forged in the crucible of countless deaths. The guards, scattered throughout the facility, were my prey, their predictable routines and blind obedience my advantage.

I found two guards stationed outside a storage room, their attention focused on a game of 'who can argue about something trivial louder'. I slipped past them, my footsteps silent, my presence a whisper in the shadows. As they argued over a disputed dice throw, I struck, my stolen blade moved with a silver blur that silenced their bickering forever.

CRITICAL SUCCESS! NO-SKILL BONUS! DOUBLE KILL! DOUBLE DECAPITATION! SILENT KILL BONUS!

Swordsmanship(Body/Combat/Movement) Is now level 18!

I left their bodies where they fell, a nice show for the next unsuspecting patrol to discover.

Further down the corridor, I encountered a lone guard patrolling a narrow passageway. He was humming a tuneless melody, his gaze fixed on the floor, his mind a million miles away. I dropped from the ceiling, my descent silent, my landing precise. Before he could even register my presence, I'd disarmed him, his sword clattering harmlessly to the floor.

"Boo," I whispered, my voice a chilling whisper in his ear.

His eyes widened in terror, his breath catching in his throat as he reached for his sword.

"Don't worry," I said, my voice laced with mock reassurance. "It'll be quick."

A sickening snap and I left him slumped against the wall, his eyes staring vacantly into the darkness.

I stalked through the facility like a phantom, my presence a whisper of death, my actions brutally efficient. I used the environment to my advantage, exploiting blind corners and shadows while turning their own arrogance and complacency against them.

Each act of calculated violence and death brought me closer to my goal, to breaking this empire that would so callously kidnap people and them break them into working for them to take over more worlds.

But with each victory, a growing unease gnawed at my soul.

'How many?' I wondered as I looked behind me, my gaze fixed on the bloodstains that marked my path. 'How many lives will it take before this nightmare ends?'

The answer, whispered out of my lips, was a chilling one:

"As many as it takes."

Favored Enemy Killed: Empire (Weakest) 51/500