The Lich raised its staff.
A dull boom echoed through the cathedral, shaking the bones beneath my feet. Magic swirled through the air like smoke. The ground split open with a sick crunch, and a dozen skeletons clawed their way out, swords and spears in hand, eyes glowing with faint red light.
Phase one.
I moved before they did.
Sliding forward, I ducked under the first spear thrust and shattered a skull with a single blow from my bracer-clad fist. The Mad Fang Bracers hummed as their passive triggered—sharp mana spikes tore through bone like paper. I rolled through the next one, grabbed its ribcage, and ripped it apart.
The skeletons were fast. But I was faster.
Their blades clanged against the floor behind me as I weaved through them. One got a lucky swing across my shoulder, but my armor caught most of it. I spun, lashed out, and kicked its head clean off.
The Lich raised its staff again, and this time, the air behind it shimmered.
A second wave formed—more skeletons, but now with a mage cloaked in shadow robes standing behind them. It began chanting immediately, symbols glowing around its hands.
Phase two.
I darted left, away from the line of fire.
The mage launched a volley of dark bolts. I counted the timing—two seconds between casts, half-second charge-up.
'Easy'
I baited the skeletons into charging, then used them as cover. The bolts tore through them instead. One exploded in a cloud of bone shards. Another screamed as it got caught in the crossfire and disintegrated.
I closed the distance to the mage in five steps, but it saw me too late.
My bracers flared. I punched through its barrier, then through its chest. The mage collapsed in a heap of robes and bone dust.
Just skeletons left now. I swept through them like a blade through grass.
The cathedral was quiet for a moment, and the Lich hissed.
Its eyes blazed brighter. The ground around it cracked, glowing lines spreading like veins. It lifted both arms, and the temperature dropped instantly.
'Here comes the phase three. Its ultimate.'
I didn't wait. I dashed behind a fallen pillar, mana shielding up, body low.
The Lich let out a soundless scream, and an iicy wave exploded outward like a tidal wave of death—jagged frost tearing through the air, freezing anything it touched. But right before it could hit—
[Blank Protocol — Active Trigger: Erasure Pulse]
A low hum pulsed from within me, and then the world snapped.
The magic vanished.
The ice stopped midair—cracking, then disintegrating like ash in the wind. Enchantments flickered out. The Lich's magic, its aura, even the shadows clinging to the cathedral walls—all gone.
The Lich reeled, eyes flaring wide. It hadn't expected that. Couldn't understand it. That was the moment I needed.
I broke from cover, sprinting full-speed across the frozen floor. Mana surged into my core as I activated my second skill—
[Skill Triggered: Emberfang Style]
Fire flared across my arms, wrapping around my fists like molten chain. Each step I took left scorched footprints.
The Lich raised its staff again, trying to call on more magic, but it is too late.
I closed the gap in an instant and drove my first strike straight into its chest.
Burn stack: 1
Its ribcage cracked from the force. Black smoke hissed from the wound.
It swung the staff at me. I ducked under, twisted, and landed a second hit to its side.
Burn stack: 2
The fire crawled across its robes, melting through voidsilk and bone alike.
It screamed, swiping at me with a clawed hand. I caught the wrist and shattered it with a third blow.
Burn stack: 3
Every strike made the fire burn hotter, stronger, feeding off the curse-forged body it once thought immortal.
I slammed my fist into its sternum, again and again.
Burn stack: 4. Burn stack: 5. Burn stack: 6...
The fire now engulfed the Lich, turning its screams into a raspy echo of pain. But I didn't stop.
Because I saw it—the glint of a crystal pulsing inside its chest, hidden behind the bones. Its core.
With a final step in, I raised my burning fist and drove it forward, right into that core.
Burn stack: 9
The fire exploded.
The Lich convulsed, eyes flaring one last time before they burst like dying stars. The core cracked, then shattered. Flames erupted from inside its chest, pouring out in every direction.
The Lich collapsed, its body crumbling to ash.
The system chimed.
[Boss Defeated – The Lich of the Fifth Vein has been destroyed.]
[Quest Complete.]
[You have cleared the 5th Floor of the Labyrinth.]
-
[You are the First to Clear the 5th Floor.]
[You are the Fastest to Clear the 5th Floor: 27 minutes, 49 seconds]
[Rewarding Bonus Experience…]
-
[Rewards Calculated.]
You have received: Concealing Mask – "Veil of the Hollow" ↳ A mask woven with ancient concealment runes.
You have received: Lich's Core (Sealed) ↳ A crystallized core of concentrated death mana. Can be embedded into weapons or armor to increase magic amplification or grant necrotic effects.
You have received: Magic Stone (High-Grade) ↳ Tradable in the Rift Market. Estimated Conversion: ₱10,500,000 PHP
Another message followed, bright and pulsing.
[Skill Proficiency Reached – Emberfang Style (Level 2 → Level 4)] ↳ Your repeated and high-impact usage of Emberfang Style against a high-level enemy has accelerated skill growth. ↳ Current Level: 4 ↳ Effect: Each strike now applies enhanced Burn. Max Burn Stacks increased from 5 → 10. ↳ Each stack now deals 1.5x base fire damage per tick. ↳ At 10 stacks, target receives 30% reduced healing and defense for 3 seconds.
-
The text faded, leaving the ruins glowing softly. Smoke still curled from the Lich's remains, the air humming with leftover energy.
I knelt and picked up the Lich's Core. It was warm—too warm—and pulsed faintly in my palm. I could already feel the mana inside it, coiled and dangerous.
'This would be useful later. Especially once I found the right weapon.'
[All rewards have been transferred to your inventory.]
[Updating Floor Access...]
[You may now enter Floor 6.]
[Fast Travel Unlocked: Floor 1 ↔ Floor 5]
-
I stood in the ashes of the Lich, breathing slowly as the notifications scrolled through my vision, line after line of rewards and system updates.
On Earth, the moment the system announcement hit, chaos followed.
The Fifth Floor. Solo cleared. By one name.
Blank.