[Assist the employer in reclaiming the fortress. Time remaining: 44 hours 37 minutes.] Nobody will be waking up on my watch, asshole. I activated Flash Strike instantly. Even though Kyuntriachae had regained his memories, boosting his presence manyfold, I still couldn’t fully trust his combat abilities. Regardless of the reason—whether it was carelessness or something more sinister—he had already fallen prey to the necromancer once before. Allowing that egg to hatch in this situation would be a grave mistake. If it did, I would have to face both the necromancer and the beast simultaneously. There was no way a monster that emerged in a boss room would be weak. If things went poorly, I could end up fighting three against one if Kyuntriachae fell under the necromancer’s control once again. Of course, I could manage, but I couldn’t guarantee Doppy’s safety. This ticked me off, since I wanted to fight the beast to hone my skills, but then I remembered I could always summon it later during combat training. Regardless, I wasn’t about to stand idly by like some villain in a children’s cartoon, waiting for my enemy to transform. Like a streak of lightning, I shot across the laboratory. Expanding and contracting, the obsidian egg pulsed, swelling as if on the verge of bursting. I channeled my lightning-infused Aura into my axe, raising the axe above me before brutally swinging it down. Just as the egg reached the peak of its expansion, my blade tore through its thick membrane. A visceral sensation traveled up my arms. Flesh ripped apart, and bone shattered beneath my strike. I released Flash Strike. Dark crimson fluid erupted violently from the sundered egg, splattering across the floor in a viscous flood. The severed remains of a creature, its life cut short before it could even draw breath, collapsed onto the ground. The necromancer stood frozen, momentarily unable to comprehend what had just happened. Both the necromancer and Kyuntriachae reacted in unison. “W-what?!” Then, the necromancer’s shock belatedly turned to rage. “You… You dare?!” Even though one enemy remained, I had deactivated Flash Strike for training purposes. I had never fought a true spellcaster one-on-one before—well, never fought them after giving them time to cast spells. With my focus on refining both my combat tactics and endurance, this was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to waste. Now that Doppy’s safety had been ensured, fighting a necromancer was something I needed to experience firsthand. “Ho-how did you do that?!” I didn’t bother replying. Instead, I lunged forward. My axe hung to my side like the grim reaper’s scythe, with Ghost Step and Wind’s Route boosting my speed. The necromancer, caught off guard, hastily extended his hand, and black magic crackled along his fingertips—a silent incantation. Yet, the spell lacked lethality. Silent casting always came with a price, and in this case, it sacrificed raw power for speed. “Watch out!” Kyuntriachae warned. I twisted sharply, my torso dipping just as the dark energy grazed past my left ear. Even though it hadn’t made direct contact with my skin, it still burned, and a sharp stinging sensation shot through my head. Finally, the fifty-fifth floor was starting to meet my expectations. With the gap between us closing, the necromancer quickly opened his mouth to cast another spell. In an instant, he vanished only to reappear across the room. I planted my left foot, bent my knee, then launched forward once again. The laboratory didn’t have enough space for him to maneuver much. Before he could separate very far from me, I was already closing in. The necromancer uttered another spell. A suffocating weight pressed down on my limbs, revealing it had been a curse of slowness. I tightened my grip on the axe and pushed against the unnatural heaviness. Then, black flames shot toward me in a serpent-like fashion, weaving unpredictably to throw me off. Dodging entirely would be difficult. I swung my lightning-infused axe and split the approaching fire in two. The clusters of flame brushed past my sides, their acrid stench clawing at my nose. Even a glancing touch had been enough to corrode my armor, and the leather on my shoulder quickly rotted away. I had anticipated as much, but confirmed that I would have to maintain my distance. I retaliated with a bolt of lightning, but the necromancer instantly dissolved into black mist, evading my attack just as he had before. His formless shadow darted across the lab, launching spell after spell. I adjusted my rhythm and weaved between attacks, finding this fight to be excellent practice for battling spellcasters. The necromancer chuckled. “Heh. Pathetic. You wasted your trump card on a mere beast!” Hmm. You aren’t quite right. I saw no need to correct his misconception, however. Instead, I assessed the situation. While I had managed to evade most of his attacks, I couldn’t completely avoid his curse spells. They were stacking, making my body feel increasingly sluggish. One thing that left me confused was the fact that I hadn’t seen him raise any undead. Perhaps there aren’t enough corpses nearby? Despite the slain beast, the necromancer had yet to summon the classic undead horde. Or maybe, simply keeping me pinned down was already consuming too much of his mana. Either way, by now, I had adapted to fighting a necromancer. It was about time to end this. I shifted my weight and prepared to surge forward. Then, Kyuntriachae suddenly shouted, “I shall bind him. Finish him off! ————!” Perhaps he thought I was struggling. I couldn’t help but wonder why it had taken him so long to help me. Still, I wasn’t about to turn down an advantage. I propelled myself forward. The necromancer tried to cast another spell, but Kyuntriachae was faster. A shimmering rectangular prism materialized, trapping the necromancer. The black mist thrashed violently against the arcane walls, unable to escape. The barrier trembled, and I realized it wouldn’t hold for long. Striking like a thunderclap, my lightning-infused axe tore through the writhing darkness. A piercing, ear-splitting scream echoed. The shadowy mass convulsed violently, battering the confines of the magical prison, until it finally dispersed. Ugh. It still feels like I can hear the scream echoing in my ears. As the lingering debuffs on my body dissipated, a tense silence settled over the room. Then, Kyuntriachae cautiously remarked, “You. You’re not just some ordinary top-tier mercenary, are you?” “Haha,” I chuckled awkwardly, but his sharp eyes remained locked on me. “You just displayed a speed and power that exceeds that of the Emperor’s royal guards. And yet, you’re a nobody? Are you sure you’re not just pretending to be a mercenary—” I cut him off firmly. “I’m not.” Thankfully, Kyuntriachae seemed to take the hint that I didn’t want to continue the conversation. He didn’t push further, instead falling into quiet contemplation, as if piecing together a scenario in his head. Well, whatever. He can speculate all he wants. “Su-Yeok! Good work! Do you need a healing spell?” I patted Doppy’s head while scanning the wreckage of the research lab. The shattered furniture and scorch marks painted a vivid picture of the battle that had just unfolded. So this is what the floors will be like. I had expected something far worse. Not that the challenge itself had been easy, but I didn’t think that it had played out as originally intended. If I had followed the usual flow—without the Core of Decay—I would’ve ended up fighting not just the beast and the necromancer, but maybe even Kyuntriachae. On top of that, the living armors and beasts we had taken down earlier would have revived and flooded the upper floors. Taking out the beast before it could hatch and immediately putting pressure on the necromancer had been the right call. In the end, I had only needed to face one enemy instead of countless. Just then, Kyuntriachae finally finished processing his thoughts. “Thank you. I owe you a great deal.” He hesitated before adding, “And… I’m sorry. I almost got you killed in the process.” “No need. I’m a mercenary. I just did the job I was hired for.” Despite my response, he still seemed weighed down by shame, with guilt written all over his face. Now that his memories had returned, he likely remembered what he had done, including his attempt to approach the Core of Decay. Kyuntriachae cleared his throat. “Ahem. Anyway, the necromancer isn’t truly dead yet. We need to find his Life Vessel. His body may have been destroyed, but that just means he’s weakened for the time being. He can still escape.” Seo Ho-Su had explained it to me before. “Ah, the Life Vessel. I’ve heard of those.” “This is his research lab, so it has to be hidden somewhere nearby,” Kyuntriachae muttered before closing his eyes and murmuring an incantation. A wave of mana swept through the room, probing its surroundings. Not even a second later, he let out a frustrated sigh, his expression darkening. “He hid it well.” “We have plenty of time. Let’s just search for it.” After all, Yoonie was with me. Forty-four hours remained on the floor’s timer, which was more than enough to find the Life Vessel. “Alright.” Kyuntriachae nodded, then began rummaging through the lab. I turned my attention to a desk nearby, but as I did, I glanced in his direction. Although I had pieced together most of the situation, I wanted to hear it directly from him. “So… what exactly happened? I took the necromancer down, sure, but it seemed like you knew him.” Kyuntriachae, who had been sifting through a bookshelf, flinched slightly. After a brief silence, he let out a small sigh and explained, “Around a hundred years ago, I returned to my castle for the same reason I told you before.” “And on my way here, I met a necromancer. Back then, he wasn’t a lich yet. He was just a man, one who actually respected the demon race. He had been on the run from the kingdom’s enforcers and had nowhere to go. I thought it was fate, so I offered him shelter.” “I see. That’s when things went wrong.” Kyuntriachae nodded gravely. “We drank together, and I let my guard down. I fell asleep, never suspecting a thing. And during that time, he cursed me.” He clenched his teeth momentarily before letting out a heavy breath. “He altered my memories and locked them in place with a spell.” For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a bitter laugh, he continued, “And that’s how I became his bait. He used me to lure in strong mercenaries and adventurers, people like you, to use as test subjects.” Then, he quietly added, “I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “No need to apologize. It’s over now.” Kyuntriachae exhaled deeply, then muttered, “I’ll sell this fortress if I have to, and repay you many times over for what you’ve done.” I shook my head again. “You don’t have to pay me at all. Just consider it a good deed. Focus on recovering physically and mentally.” It wasn’t like I would actually receive any payment anyway. Besides, this way, I got to look generous—he could even offer me something valuable in return. More importantly, I didn’t want him wasting time later trying to track me down just to hand over payment. Time was precious for a three hundred eighty-two year old demon, after all. Kyuntriachae turned to me, his expression filled with emotion. “You… You…” “That’s enough. A simple ‘thank you’ is fine.” The sentimentality was starting to overwhelm me, so I deliberately shifted my attention to the necromancer’s desk. As I rummaged through the drawers, Yoonie suddenly cried out sharply, “Su-Hyeok! There! That’s it!” I turned to see her pointing at an old, tattered book. “The book is the Life Vessel?” I flipped open the book and chuckled dryly. The pages had been hollowed out, revealing a hidden compartment. Within it, a small, pulsing blue orb radiated an eerie glow. This felt like a cheap trick to hide emergency funds. The fact that I hadn’t sensed it earlier meant the book itself had been enchanted to block magical detection. Across the room, Kyuntriachae was still sifting through bookshelves. “W-What?! Where?!” Kyuntriachae rushed over, his face lighting up in excitement. “I never expected to find it this quickly. Hand it over. I’ll destroy it immediately.” He held out his hand. I didn’t move. I wasn’t going to destroy the Life Vessel just yet. I still had something to do first. “No. We’ll destroy it later.” Kyuntriachae’s eyes narrowed. A moment ago, he was full of gratitude. Now, he eyed me suspiciously. It was almost amusing. Though given what he had endured for a century, I could understand. He had lived like a puppet for almost a quarter of his life. “Remember the Core of Decay on the first floor? I want it to absorb more corruption before we break this.” “Can’t we just destroy the Life Vessel first?” “Well, wouldn’t the necromancer’s death erase all the corruption in the fortress?” “That’s not how it works.” “Haha. You never know.” Of course, that was just an excuse. If we destroyed the Life Vessel, the trial would end, and I would be sent back to the waiting room. Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly explain that to him. Kyuntriachae continued to eye me with suspicion but didn’t press further. In the end, I was his savior. “Hmph, do as you wish.” “Let’s check for anything important and then head down to the first floor.” [Assist the employer in reclaiming the fortress. Time remaining: 37 hours 25 minutes.] The purification process was taking longer than I had anticipated. In the six hours that had passed, I had eaten a meal, courtesy of my mimic, and spent some time exchanging meaningless small talk with Kyuntriachae. A part of me had hoped that would be long enough, but the orb continued to steadily absorb the purplish-black mist. Last I had checked, up to the fifth floor had been fully purified. Maybe one or two more hours will be enough? Fortunately, the Life Vessel remained quiet. Kyuntriachae had placed a protective barrier around it. Well, the necromancer had regained consciousness, so maybe he was just waiting for a chance to escape. The sudden tremor jolted me to my feet. Kyuntriachae reacted just as swiftly. At that moment, the flow of magical energy around the Core of Decay grew erratic, and something beneath the first floor, below the fortress itself, began to stir. A deep, heavy pounding echoed from below, shaking the floor beneath us. “There’s something down there. I didn’t see any stairs leading underground, though. How do we get down?” “The fortress didn’t have a basement.” “What? Wait, so the necromancer—” A blood-curdling scream erupted from below, “Kieeeek—!” I immediately locked eyes with Kyuntriachae. “The floor. Can you break it?” “Let me try! Step back!” I quickly retreated as Kyuntriachae chanted. A deafening explosion rocked the ground. Fragments of shattered stone and brick flew in all directions, sending a thick cloud of gray dust flying. From within that haze, a surge of dark purple mist began pouring out from the depths below. The horrific wailing continued. Whatever was down there, it was alive. Without hesitation, I plunged through the opening and pushed past the swirling mist. The scent of decay assaulted my senses. A black, viscous sludge coated the underground room, and the damp air was thick with rot. At the center of the room stood a small altar, upon which rested a single skull that glowed with an eerie blue light. What the hell is this? A hidden enemy? As I hesitated, Yoonie urgently shouted, “Su-Hyeok! It’s a Life Vessel!” A Life Vessel? But I already found one? 「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok slew the high-tier monster before it emerged, completing the hidden mission ‘Before It Could Even Hatch.’ Strength and Agility increased by 3.」 「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has discovered the lich’s second, secret Life Vessel, completing the hidden mission ‘There’s Another One?!’ All stats increased by 2.」