The very first thing Stark did after killing the demons was to use [Curse Flower] on them.

Of course, doing that in the middle of a fight wasn't the smartest option.

Especially with an NPC boss still alive and staring right at him.

But Stark didn't have a choice.

If he didn't cast [Curse Flower] within ten seconds of their deaths, the bodies would vanish.

Once the corpses disappeared, his skill became useless.

So it was better to act right now than lose the chance.

Dozens of dark buds sprouted from the fallen demons, their stems pushing out of lifeless chests.

The flowers pulsed faintly as they began to feed.

"What the…" Molder's crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the bodies around him. "What the hell is that supposed to be?"

The general didn't wait for an answer.

He swung his spear in a sharp vertical arc, slicing clean through several flowers in one motion.

[Curse Flower: 0/1,000 HP]

"Damn."

The notification confirmed it: the destroyed flowers had no chance of blooming.

Ding!

[Your "Curse Flower" has been destroyed, no lives will be extracted from it.]

"Hm."

Stark stayed calm, though he clicked his tongue internally.

The [Curse Flower] worked in a simple way: it was all or nothing.

Either it survived long enough to bloom and extract lives, or it was destroyed early and gave him nothing.

"The hell are these things…" Molder muttered again.

He didn't know what the flowers were for.

But destroying them was the only logical choice.

Stark wasn't about to let that continue though.

Blazing Meteor!

He hurled another fireball from above, the spell screaming down like a burning comet.

Boom!

The chamber shook violently as the meteor smashed into the stone floor, flames scattering.

Molder rolled aside in time, avoiding the blast, but Stark wasn't aiming to kill him with that spell.

What mattered was distraction.

"You really want to die, don't you?" Molder roared, crimson aura flaring from his body as veins pulsed in his eyes.

Fwish!

The boss exploded forward, closing the distance in a blink.

His movements were vicious, sharp, faster than any monster Stark had fought before.

But that was exactly what Stark wanted: for Molder to focus all his rage on him and leave the flowers alone.

Almost half of the cursed buds had been destroyed already.

Wasting any more would be bad.

Slash!

Molder swung his spear down with brutal strength, but Stark sidestepped effortlessly.

His barrier gleamed faintly, untouched.

'A mage that dodges? And he's not even afraid of close-range combat?'

Molder's expression darkened.

Among demons, mages were rare.

Their race valued physical might above all else, and those who trained in magic were usually fragile, relying on distance to survive.

But Stark… this human was different.

He was calm, fluid, and unshaken even while dancing around a spear at arm's reach.

Molder's mind raced.

Even their leader never fought like this.

'He's strong,' Molder admitted silently, 'but not on the leader's level. If I push him long enough, he'll fall.'

That confidence kept him pressing forward, spear striking relentlessly.

Crystal of Death!

Stark fired a sharp shard mid-dodge, the crystal slicing through the air toward Molder's chest.

Clash!

The boss smacked it away with his spear, his motion smooth, practiced.

Slash! Slash!

He followed up immediately, his strikes sometimes glancing against Stark's [Unbreakable Magic Barrier].

Each hit sent faint ripples across the shimmering wall of protection.

Molder's strikes landed heavy, each dealing between 5,000 and 8,000 damage.

For most players, one blow would've been fatal.

For Stark, though, it would take at least fifteen clean hits to even break the barrier, assuming he just stood there and took them.

But Stark wasn't just standing still.

He weaved through the spear's arcs.

Sometimes blocking with his staff, sometimes letting the barrier absorb the impact.

His movements were efficient and precise.

Still, Molder wasn't finished.

A full minute passed as the duel dragged on, the chamber echoing with the clash of magic and steel.

Sparks flew, spells burst, stone cracked beneath the pressure of their fight.

And eventually—

"Your attempts are futile, human!" Molder bellowed, his crimson aura burning brighter. "Even if you defeat me, the wyvern waits at the end! You cannot beat it!"

"Whatever."

Stark's reply was flat, emotionless.

Spear Assault!

Molder roared and channeled his power into his weapon.

The crimson spear blurred as he unleashed a rapid barrage of thrusts, each one heavy enough to skewer a normal mage instantly.

But this was his mistake.

Molder thought Stark would dodge, giving him the perfect setup for a finishing [Demonic Strike].

Instead, Stark did the opposite.

He rushed straight into the storm of blows.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The spear slammed into the barrier again and again, but Stark tanked the hits deliberately.

"Huh—?!"

The shock in Molder's eyes lasted only a heartbeat.

Bind of Silk!

Threads erupted instantly, wrapping around his arms, legs, and torso before he could even react.

His crimson spear slipped in his grip as the ancient-ranked binding coiled around him tighter and tighter.

"F-Fuck…" Molder strained against the silk, muscles bulging, but it was useless.

At this level, no ordinary NPC could break free from Stark's binding skill.

"Looks like it's over." Molder's jaw clenched as he glared at Stark.

"At least you're smart enough to know you can't win," Stark shrugged.

Blazing Meteor! Piercing Skeletal Spikes! Vines of Fate!

One by one, his spells rained down.

Molder's health bar sank lower and lower with every strike.

"Heh…" The demon coughed blood, his crimson eyes still burning with defiance. "Kill me if you want… but the entire demon race will be on your back now. You'll regret stepping into our nest."

"Sure."

Stark's expression remained unreadable as he prepared the final blow.

"The wyvern… and our leader… will—"

Blazing Meteor!

Boom!

The flaming boulder silenced Molder's words, crashing down with violent force.

His HP hit zero, and the general's body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Curse Flower!

Dark stems pushed from the corpse immediately, the buds blooming faintly as they began extracting his lives.

Ding!

---

[You have killed x29 "Demonic Nest Demon Soldier (Level 37)"]

[You have killed "Demon Nest General, Molder (Level 38 Legendary-Rank Boss NPC)"]

[You have gained 527,000 experience points!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 33 + Level 34!]

[You have gained 10 points in all of your attributes, and 10 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 19 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 2250 Lives!]

---

"Damn…"

Stark's eyes widened slightly.

The experience alone was staggering.

It made sense though.

He had only been level 32, yet he'd taken down nearly thirty level 37 demons and a level 38 legendary boss.

That difference was enormous, and the system rewarded him accordingly.

Not only had he leveled twice, he'd earned Evolution Points and thousands of lives in the process.

Ding!

[Your "Curse Flower" has taken 1,530 Lives from demons.]

Stark exhaled.

The number was lower than it could've been, since Molder had destroyed several flowers earlier, but it was still a solid gain.

And more importantly, the entire chamber was clear now.

He glanced at the battlefield.

The corpses had faded, the cursed flowers gone after giving their reward.

Silence filled the chamber once again, broken only by the faint crackle of crimson torches.

And then, he noticed it.

On the ground near Molder's corpse lay something small but glowing faintly.

A key.

Stark bent down and picked it up, the system confirming it instantly.

---

[Demon's Nest Skull Key: Opens one door with the "Skull" symbol inside of the "Fourth Floor"]

[Note: it has only one use.]

---

'Good.'

He pocketed it, his expression hardening.

The path ahead was still brutal.

The [Demonic Wyvern] was waiting, the monster that had ended his run of the zone in his past life.

And the reason so few ever reached the fifth floor.

But this time would be different.

This time, Stark had the power, the knowledge, and the skills to surpass the wall that had once stopped him.

If he could defeat the wyvern, he'd be one step closer to reaching the bottom of the ruins.

One step closer to completing Olikar's quest.

And one step closer to facing the leader of the demons himself.

Stark's grip on his staff tightened.

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