Slash! Slash!

Agras' twin swords cut through the air, missing Stark by inches as he weaved away.

Each strike shook the ground, spraying sparks off the stone floor.

While dodging, Stark's eyes flicked to his EP panel.

[Current Evolution Points: 106.]

With over a hundred points, he could evolve another one of his mythical-ranked skills into ancient rank.

'I said I'd evolve [Curse Flower] next,' Stark thought, his staff spinning in hand as he sidestepped another brutal slash. 'But that won't help me much right now.'

[Curse Flower] was powerful. But in this situation, it wasn't the right choice.

He already knew what skill he needed to evolve.

Ding!

[Do you wish to consume 100 Evolution Points to evolve "Storm of Lightning"?]

Stark smirked.

Some might wonder why he didn't evolve [Vines of Fate] or [Crystals of Death].

But the answer was simple.

[Vines of Fate] could be sliced apart by Agras' twin blades.

And the [Crystals of Death] could be deflected too.

The poison from the crystals was dangerous, sure, but not reliable against this monster.

Lightning, however… it would definitely be useful.

It was also one of the only two skills along with [Piercing Skeletal Spikes] that hit.

Stark had launched all his spells at once toward Agras to be able to see which one could hit.

He pressed confirm.

And...

Ding!

[You have evolved "Storm of Lightning" (Mythical) to "Torrent of Lightning" (Ancient).]

[Current Evolution Points: 6.]

---

[Torrent of Lightning (Ancient): Releases a torrent of lightning that will strike every enemy within radius three times. Each strike deals 1,200% → 1,500% of spirit and has a chance to apply "Stun". 16 (8)-seconds cooldown.]

---

Stark's eyes widened slightly.

The power boost wasn't just a number.

Not only did the damage multiplier increase, but the spell now hit three times per cast.

That alone was huge.

[Blazing Meteor] was still one of his strongest spells.

It might even seem like to others that it was at the same level as lightning, but in truth, it couldn't compare.

The reason was simple: skill progression.

[Fireball] was the weakest spell in a mage's arsenal.

They obtained it as their first very skill along with [Magic Barrier].

[Blazing Meteor] was simply a higher evolution of that, which naturally made it powerful.

Meanwhile, [Lightning Strike] was something Stark had obtained at level 13, before evolving it to [Torrent of Lightning] now.

It was inherently stronger.

The damage might have been higher with [Blazing Meteor], but not anymore.

It didn't seem noticeable right now, but that difference would only widen with time.

When level 100 skill books appeared, the gap between skills would become undeniable.

But Stark didn't waste any more time thinking about it.

Agras was already rushing him again, swords flashing.

Crack!

The [Unbreakable Magic Barrier] shook under each impact.

Cracks spread across its surface.

Sparks and red flame splintered outward.

But Stark kept calm, reading the description of his new spell even as his shield trembled.

And then—

"Here we go," Agras growled, clashing his swords together, crimson sparks bursting.

His eyes glowed with killing intent. "THIS BATTLE IS OVER!"

Demonic Fire!

Stark instantly recognized it, 'That's the same skill the [Demonic Wyvern Claw Dagger] have.'

---

[Demonic Fire (Active): Imbues your weapon with demonic flame, tripling damage for a short time.]

---

But Agras wasn't finished.

He also stacked [Demonic Buff] on top of it.

His speed doubled. His strength spiked.

FWISH!

He blurred forward, his blades glowing a violent red.

Dual Crimson Slash!

The X-shaped strike tore through the arena, carving deep gouges into the stone.

This time, Stark's barrier couldn't hold.

BOOOOM!

The impact shattered it instantly.

The glowing shield cracked and burst apart, leaving Stark fully exposed.

The demons watching from the benches erupted in cheers.

"Kill him, leader!"

"It's over!"

"No one survives against our king!"

But Stark ignored them. Their voices didn't matter.

Demonic Strike!

Agras lunged again, swinging with crushing force.

CLANG!

Stark raised his [Divine Staff], catching the attack head-on.

The impact rattled his arms, his bones aching from the force, but the staff didn't break.

And in that same moment—

Torrent of Lightning!

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Bolts of blue lightning erupted around them, crackling violently as the spell activated.

Unlike the old version, the lightning didn't just strike once.

The first bolt struck Agras in the back, making his body jolt.

'It seems like it's easier to avoid them,' Stark's eyes narrowed, 'But... they can come from anywhere.'

In fact, it was Stark that decided from which direction they came from!

Before Agras could react, the second bolt slammed into his chest.

And then the third streaked down, blasting his shoulders.

-320,760! -320,760! -320,760!

Almost one million HP shredded in a single cast.

But that wasn't all.

Zap!

["Demonic Ruins Leader, Agras" has been stunned.]

The arena fell silent.

Agras froze in place, his blades still raised mid-swing, his crimson aura flickering.

His face twisted in confusion.

"Huh? What… is this?"

Piercing Skeletal Spikes!

Stark didn't wait. Spikes erupted from the ground, spearing into the frozen demon's body.

-72,000! -72,000! -72,000!

HP bar plummeting, Agras was brought down to just 500,000 left.

The demon leader's roar shook the walls.

"STOP HIM!" he bellowed.

The so-called fairness of the battle was gone.

Agras didn't care anymore.

Dozens of demons leapt from the benches, their crimson bodies slamming into the arena floor.

'Well, the answer as to how [Ghost] and the others failed is here.'

They surrounded Stark on all sides.

But not all of them moved.

Many still sat frozen in fear, staring at Stark as if he was something unnatural.

Some knew they couldn't win. Others simply didn't dare.

It didn't matter. Stark grinned. His staff glowed brightly.

'More lives for me.'

"I SAID STOP HIM!" Agras screamed, rage cracking his voice.

The demons flinched, then charged as ordered.

Bind of Silk!

Threads of white burst outward from Stark's staff, wrapping the entire arena in a web.

Dozens of demons screamed as they were bound.

Even Agras, still stunned, was caught.

'Around sixty demons in total,' Stark counted quickly. 'But only fifty trapped. Must be the limit of the current skill level.'

The remaining ten tried to rush him, but Stark didn't care.

Vines of Fate! Crystals of Death! Blazing Meteor!

Three spells exploded outward.

Vines whipped and slammed the demons, crushing them.

Crystals tore through the stunned Agras, leaving poison behind.

And above, the massive meteor formed, flames dripping off its body as it descended.

Agras looked up at it, exhaling slowly.

His expression shifted, almost calm.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Good battle, I guess."

BOOOOOOM!

The meteor smashed down, crushing him beneath its weight.

-427,680!

Agras' HP hit zero instantly.

The explosion consumed several of the bound demons as well, killing them outright.

The rest screamed as vines and crystals finished the job.

When the dust cleared, the arena floor was filled with nothing but corpses.

Not a single demon was left alive.

Stark wasted no time. He raised his staff, chanting softly.

Curse Flower!

Dark buds bloomed across every corpse, draining lives.

Even Agras' towering body had one sprout from his chest.

On the benches, the surviving demons panicked.

"Holy shit…"

"The leader is dead!"

"Maybe we should've helped him—"

"Don't be stupid. We'd just die too."

Their voices filled the silence, but as Stark lifted his gaze toward them, they froze.

For a moment, no one moved. Then slowly, one by one, they fled the arena.

They didn't dare stay.

Stark could've chased them. But he didn't.

His focus was on the loot and the system messages flashing in front of him.

Ding!

[You have killed "Demonic Ruins Leader, Agras (Level 40 Special Boss NPC)"]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.