Ethan continued climbing.
Floor 7. Floor 8. Floor 9.
By the time he reached Floor 10, he was Level 20.
But then, something changed.
DING!
[Special Event: Floor 10 Boss]
[The Demon God Malachar has taken interest in this floor]
[Boss difficulty increased significantly]
Ethan's heart sank.
'He's interfering?'
The boss room doors opened.
Inside was a massive demon—a towering figure with black wings, burning red eyes, and claws that dripped with dark energy.
[Corrupted Demon General (Level 30 - Enhanced Boss)]
[HP: 10,000/10,000]
Level 30. Ten levels higher than Ethan.
This was impossible.
The demon spoke, its voice echoing.
"Ethan Cross. Malachar sends his regards."
It charged.
Ethan barely dodged the first strike.
"Meteor Strike!"
BOOM!
The meteor crashed down, but the demon shrugged it off.
DING!
[Corrupted Demon General HP: 9,500/10,000]
Only 500 damage?!
Ethan activated Gravity Well, trying to slow it down.
The demon resisted, breaking free effortlessly.
This was bad.
Ethan used every skill he had. Lightning Bolt. Ice Spear. Shadow Step.
Nothing worked.
The demon's claw slashed across his chest.
DING!
[HP: 120/450]
Ethan fell to one knee, blood pouring from the wound.
'I'm going to die...'
But then—
DING!
[Hidden Quest Triggered: Survive without Malachar's power]
[Reward: ???]
[Special assistance granted]
A voice echoed in his mind. Not Malachar's.
Someone else's.
[Use this.]
A new skill appeared in his list.
[Void Collapse (Rank B) - Temporary]
[Void Collapse: Erase a target from existence. Can only be used once.]
Ethan didn't hesitate.
"Void Collapse!"
Black energy erupted from his hand, consuming the demon entirely.
The creature didn't even have time to scream.
It simply... ceased to exist.
DING!
[You have slain "Corrupted Demon General (Level 30 - Enhanced Boss)"]
[+2000 Experience Points]
[You have reached Level 22!]
[Floor 10 Cleared!]
[Hidden Quest Complete!]
[Reward: Permanent Skill - Abyssal Authority (Rank A)]
Ethan collapsed, breathing heavily.
An A-Rank skill?!
DING!
[Abyssal Authority (Rank A): Command the power of the Abyss itself. Gravity, darkness, and void magic are significantly enhanced. You do not need contracts to wield forbidden power.]
Ethan read it twice. Holy shit. This was exactly what he needed. Power that didn't come with conditions. No fine print.
But who had given it to him?
Before he could think further—
DING!
[Malachar is watching you]
[He is displeased]
[Beware]
Ethan grinned despite the pain.
"Let him be displeased. I don't need him anymore."
He stood up, his wounds slowly healing from a health potion.
The Tower still had 90 floors left.
And Ethan Cross was just getting started.