The sun was setting, and all I could hear in the background were screams and the clashing of swords. I had tried everything, given it my all, but in the end, I achieved nothing—only the deaths of my comrades and the people who followed me into battle. Now, here I am, a sword embedded in my chest, with the Demon King grinning in my face.

God, how I wish I could punch that fucking ugly face. “Oh, look at you,” he sneered. “Did you really think you had a chance against me? Although you’ve got a pretty good punch, you’re far too dumb to even consider standing against me. But let me give you a hand. You’re strong for a human. You can reverse all your mistakes—just become my slave, and you can overrun this pitiful shithole your people call home. I can even bring your lover back, the one I so carelessly ripped apart. Look at her, lying there.”

I spat in his face, and he twisted the blade in my chest. I took that as a definite no he said, “this is going to be painful.” I knew what I did was unwise—many would call it foolish—but I only regretted not taking that bastard with me.

The Demon King began casting a dark spell over my comrades, lying on the ground. It was something I had never seen before. They started to move, transforming into grotesque monstrosities. “So, a farewell gift,” he said. “Your comrades will have their last goodbyes.”

As the Demon King departed, the voices of my comrades echoed in my head, filled with cries and screams of pain, accusing me of their deaths and the torture they endured because of me. As my my comerads begun to attack me everything began to blur and the battle grew quieter. I couldn't accept this ending. I wouldn’t die like this. I cried out, “Please, if anyone can hear me, help me! I won’t let that Demon King walk another step in this realm. I won’t let it happen! Please, let me save them!”

As I shouted these words, everything went silent. I couldn’t see or hear, and I wanted to speak but nothing came out. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t; I could only think. Is this death? If so, it’s very boring.

A powerful voice echoed in my mind, “Oh ho, who do we have here?”

“I’m Varek, the strongest knight and protector of good,” I proclaimed proudly.

“For a protector, you seem rather weak,” the voice said. “You can’t even move or see, can you?”

Although the voice’s words stung, I was curious. “Where am I, and who are you?”

“I am the Spirit King of the 99th Floor, the mightiest of beings, and handsome to boot.”

“I can’t really see that,” I replied.

“Oh, you’re right. Let me give you an interesting gift for the amusement your existence gives me—and, of course, so you can admire my looks.”

The being, who I would later learn was the mighty Spirit Neifil, began a powerful chant, generating an enormous amount of energy that I could feel even in my current state. In an instant, all the energy disappeared. I was blinded by a burst of light. When I could see again, everything felt different—like the rocks themselves were pulsing with energy, as if they were living beings.

“I’ve granted you the power to see the spirit lights,” Neifil said. “It will help you perceive your surroundings better.”

“Spirit lights?” I asked. “What are they?”

“Oh, don’t you know anything, little fella? Spirit lights are in everything that lives. It’s the energy of the world. Most beings can only feel it, but with spirit eyes, you can see its flow around the earth, the pulsating of the universe, and so on. I think you get the gist.” Neifil’s boredom cut the explanation short.

“Where am I, oh great spirit?”

“Ah, at least you know how to address me. Call me Neifil.”

He looked rather interesting a figure so full of spirit lights he seemed like a sun with a silhouette shining through, yet still unrecognizable. “You are now on the 99th Floor of the dungeon, my realm and prison, little skeleton.”

“The 99th Floor of the dungeon?! Why are you calling me a skeleton?”

“Hahaha, don’t you even know your own being?” Neifil laughed.

In a rush of panic, I stumbled toward what I thought was a mirror. There, I saw the spirit lights forming the silhouette of a skeleton. “What happened to me?” I screamed in confusion.

Neifil laughed at the sight of me screaming. "Hahaha, little skeleton or was it Varek? I can’t tell you what happened, but I will tell you what you are at the moment. As I was patrolling my domain, I sensed a soul in my room after thousands of years a soul on the 99th floor, and what I saw was the most interesting thing I’ve seen in my life: a soul inside a monster’s body. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but the cries of your soul were clearly there," Neifil explained.

“What do you mean, ‘cries of my soul’?” I asked Neifil, curiosity piqued.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“The cries are what you hear right now, little Varek. Haven’t you noticed that you can only hear my voice and not the surroundings?” As Neifil spoke, I became aware of the previously unnoticed silence. Indeed, I could only hear Neifil.

“Is it because I’m a skeleton?” I asked.

“Yes, it is. You don’t possess the ability to hear, see, smell, taste, or have any sensory organs in fact. Even normal skeletons use spirit mana to see, but you cannot,” Neifil said with a laugh.

Although her words felt insulting, I was intrigued about how I could hear her.

“It’s your soul crying" she replied. "I’m communicating with you through my soul. Although it's a bit awkward to let it out like that.

Though I don’t know how it’s possible or what exactly she said, it’s amazing. Even the ten-circle mages of our continent couldn’t do this,”

I realized how powerful Neifil must be, especially if she was really on the 99th floor.

“Oh, I see you’ve started noticing my strength and my wonderful face!” Neifil said,

“Although I see how strong you are, I can’t really see you with all that spirit light.”

Neifil’s spirit seemed briefly devastated. “You couldn’t see me the whole time? Do you know how many cool poses I struck to show you my excellence?” Her spirit felt sad for a moment but quickly recovered, though her words still implied a hint of sadness.

“Oh, how could you not tell me sooner? You have to compensate me, don’t you?” Neifil said with a feigned act of sadness. I knew I should not humor her but I didn’t want to get on the bad side of such a powerful being.

“What could a humble person like me do to help such a grand entity?” I asked, hoping to lighten her mood. However, Neifil’s mood didn’t change; instead, I heard a small, sinister chuckle.

“So, as I mentioned earlier, I am a prisoner here because of my family. They jailed me here after what they deemed problematic actions against the world, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Now that I’m stuck here, I’ve been bored to death. No mortal has ever reached this realm, and I doubt anyone will anytime soon. But now that you’re here with your interesting body, I might have a chance to escape,” Neifil explained.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Every living being has a soul—that’s the law of the world—except one anomaly: monsters. They are creatures not created by the Eight God Kings and are born through spirit light." Neifil explained.

But how does that relate to your escape?” I replied a bit confused.

“Well, I’m trapped here by a barrier that was calibrated to not let a soul pass. If my theory is correct, you, as an anomaly, are not considered a living being with a soul or a monster, so you should be able to pass through.”

“So, how about we make a deal? I will give you the gift of regaining your senses, and you help me escape by letting my soul enter you're body?” Neifil proposed. I accepted reluctantly because I didn’t have much choice.

“First, I’ll teach you how to use spirit mana. You should learn quickly with your spirit eyes,” Neifil instructed. I followed her instructions, concentrating on the spirit light in the air and connecting it with my spirit eyes. As I controlled the spirit light, it turned into spirit mana, allowing me to see clearly.

When I looked around, I saw a rather girlish room. It was a very pink space with many teddy bears, plush toys, a bed with a rose blanket, and so on. As I gazed at Neifil, she reminded me of my past lover, Maye, except Neifil had black hair with red stripes and wore a beautiful dress like those worn by nobles in the Southern Kingdom, Dranek. These memories filled me with a mix of nostalgia and pain, ones I would rather forget. But now is not the time of reminiscing I am on a mission.

I knelt before Neifil and asked her to make me strong so I could defeat the Demon King Waru that killed me.

Neifil, surprised, said, “You got killed by one of the Eight Kings, huh? You must have been quite a big shot or an ant with bad luck.

But I will grant your wish because it aligns with my own goals. I don’t think you would last a second on the 98th floor without me, and escaping the 99th floor barrier with you will set my soul free but not my body to do that we have to kill the ruler of the 100th floor, who created the barrier with my family.”

“Can I count on you to help me so I can help you?” Neifil asked. I was filled with happiness at her words. Finally, I could see a path to avenging my death and taking revenge on the Demon King.

"So this is going to be painful, but we have to train these rickety bones before attempting to cross the barrier. Be prepared for the most pain you’ll ever feel in your life, little Varek," Neifil said with a sadistic grin.