[Church Sanctuary Devout (Level 25)]

[Rank: Legendary]

[HP: 300,000]

---

"Hm."

These were normal monsters, not bosses, yet they were legendary-rank.

Their HP alone was absurd,three hundred thousand for basic mobs.

That was higher than some bosses Stark had fought before.

Which only raised the question: what the hell was waiting deeper inside this sanctuary?

The [Church Sanctuary Devouts] stood tall in their white robes, faceless masks covering their heads.

Each clutched a long staff pulsing with faint light.

But the moment their hollow gazes locked onto Stark—

["Church Sanctuary Devouts" have entered a "Berserk" state.]

Their masks lit up with eerie radiance.

The staffs flared to life. The quiet, disciplined figures instantly twisted into something rabid, desperate.

It was just like the [Corrupted Fate Believers] back in the [Abandoned Temple of Fate].

They didn't hesitate, didn't measure him, didn't test his strength.

His very presence was enough to send them into madness.

"Of course," Stark muttered, gripping his staff.

Light Orb! Light Orb! Light Orb!

Five orbs burst out at once, glowing spheres that tore through the air toward him.

Invincible Magic Barrier!

BOOM!

The explosion shook the church floor, stone cracks spreading beneath his boots as his barrier shattered instantly.

They had destroyed it as if it were made of glass.

Already the devouts were readying another barrage, their staves vibrating with light.

But Stark was faster.

In a mage duel, speed and damage were everything.

Whoever cast quicker, or harder, won.

Storm of Lightning! Fire Meteor! Vines of Fate! Crystals of Death! Sharp Bone Strikes!

He chained all five spells at once.

Zap! BOOM! Slam!

-130,500! -163,125! -124,500!

Three of his spells were enough.

The devouts died before the last two even landed.

Their bodies crumbled like burned parchment, leaving behind only ashes and fragments of robes.

The [Crystals of Death] and [Sharp Bone Strikes] fizzled into nothing, striking empty air.

Stark lowered his staff, blinking in surprise.

Then a grin spread across his lips.

His raw damage output was staggering.

The [Divine Staff]'s +410 Spirit increase was monstrous when stacked with his x15 damage boost.

What had once taken small effort now felt effortless.

Stark could clearly feel the difference between his old gear and what he wielded now.

'In the future, I'll get ones with thousands of Spirit.'

Of course, monsters would scale with him, higher levels, higher ranks, higher defenses.

The world wouldn't stay this easy, not that it was to begin with.

But still, the thought lit a fire inside him.

Ding!

[You have gained 129 Lives!]

Hand of Avarice!

Ding!

[You have gained 102 Lives!]

A spectral claw ripped through the air, dragging the essence from their corpses.

Alongside it, a staff dropped to the ground with a dull clatter.

---

[Church Devout Staff (Epic): Mage-type weapon. +278 Spirit, +27 Agility. Requirement: Level 25]

[Light Orb (Active Skill): Launches a light orb that explodes on impact, dealing 30,000 damage. 20-seconds cooldown.]

---

A decent staff. Not enough to make him swap because of the spirit increase, but still good.

The active skill alone would make it valuable for other mages.

He stored it away in his inventory.

Then he pressed forward.

The [Church Sanctuary] was massive, a cathedral stretched endlessly by whatever twisted dimension contained it.

Every hall he entered split into another chamber, then another.

He cut through wave after wave of devouts.

Dozens appeared, always berserk, always aggressive, yet none survived.

His spells reduced them to nothingness.

For Stark, it was slaughter. And still the church stretched on.

Thirty minutes of running, spellcasting, and relentless combat later, Stark finally spotted it: a massive gate at the far end of the church.

The doors were sealed by a glowing lock of black aura.

No keyhole, no chain, just raw, oppressive energy.

Ding!

[Only someone that is worthy may access the "Sanctuary" and face its true challenge.]

"Hm…" Stark muttered, eyeing the lock, "Worthy."

Stark was about to wonder how he could be "worthy", he was about to think it through when—

Slash! Slash!

Two blades darted for his chest.

Instinct made him whip his staff up in time, blocking the daggers with a clang of metal.

The impact rattled his arms.

"Goddamn it," Stark hissed, leaping back. "Force of habit"

Blocking melee attacks with his staff wasn't smart.

But he didn't have a choice.

A tall figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the flickering light.

Cloaked in darkness, wearing the same mask as the devouts, but far larger.

Over two and a half meters tall, its presence was suffocating.

---

[Church Assassin (Level 25)]

[Rank: Legendary (Special Boss)]

[HP: 450,000]

---

This was how he would be judged "worthy."

But for that to happen, he needed to defeat that thing.

The assassin tilted its masked head, and then—

["Church Assassin" has entered a "Berserk" state.]

Its mask flared violently. Darkness pooled around its blades.

Sharp Bone Spikes!

Jagged spikes erupted from beneath its feet, but the assassin blurred.

One moment it was there, the next it vanished.

"Invisibility, Stark's muttered calmly, spinning his staff, "Figures."

He had no detection skills to find it, but it didn't matter.

Some of his spells didn't need precision.

Storm of Lightning!

Zap!

-130,500!

The assassin reappeared mid-swing, its dagger inches from Stark's face.

The lightning tore through it, forcing the monster back.

Invisible or not, once you attacked, or got hit, you were revealed.

That was the same rule that governed his [Ghost Wolf]'s [Night Walk].

Attack or take damage, and the cloak vanished.

"You're not hiding again," Stark said coldly, leveling his staff.

Fire Meteor! Crystal of Death! Vines of Fate!

-163,125! -131,250! Blocked!

The meteor crushed its shoulder and the crystal pierced through its torso.

Desperate, the assassin swung its dagger to cut the vines.

Its HP plummeted, barely forty thousand left!

'If that's not worthy,' Stark thought, glancing at the locked gate, 'I don't know what is.'

The assassin shrieked, rushing him with frightening speed.

Its blades cut arcs of darkness through the air.

Each strike slammed into Stark's [Invincible Magic Barrier], the force enough to deal 5,000 to 8,000 damage each.

To normal players, that would be death in two hits, Stark included.

But he wouldn't allow it to do that.

Slash!

His barrier shattered, fragments scattering like glass.

Then the assassin raised its dagger, preparing a finishing skill—

Believer Strike!

But Stark had already moved.

Sharp Bone Spikes!

Ten jagged spikes erupted in a circle behind the assassin, impaling it from every angle.

-225,000!

The monster froze, its body skewered in mid-air.

Then it collapsed, dropping its weapons with a metallic clatter.

Ding!

[You have gained 10 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 104 Lives!]

Hand of Avarice!

A spectral claw gripped the corpse, dragging out another item.

Stark stepped forward, retrieving both the [Church Assassin Dual Daggers (Legendary)] and the [Church Assassin Cloak (Epic)] that dropped thanks to the double-effect.

Both slid into his inventory without hesitation.

Then Stark turned back to the gate. The black aura rippled.

It seemed as though something happened when he defeated the assassin.

Ding!

[You have been recognized as worthy, Heir of Oblivion.]

[You may now proceed and challenge the "Sanctuary".]

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