Vermyros's Lair, the final boss of the Sixth Trial Realm.
Four figures lie scattered across the battlefield, their bodies pushed far beyond what they can endure. A thick green haze spreads slowly through the cavern, clinging to the air and seeping into every breath.
***
[Warning!]
[You are under continuous Nethertoxin exposure]
[HP is decreasing continuously]
***
Arven's eyes force themselves open as the system drags him back from the edge of unconsciousness. His gaze then settles on the beast rising from the wreckage.
The realization hits all at once. The explosion hadn't killed the boss. It had only torn away its thick hide, exposing what lay beneath.
The ancient dragon has turned into a green-skinned, venomous flying viper. It struggles to raise, wings beating in uneven bursts before crashing back onto the floor.
"Ah… great. Four days of dragon-slaying. And now I get… whatever that is."
Arven steadies his breathing, but it stutters immediately. The air itself turns against him, thick with a foul, toxic stench that forces its way into his lungs.
"So, the Sixth Realm boss couldn't kill me… and now you're trying to speedrun my execution by contaminating the air itself."
He scans the battlefield, searching for his teammates. He finds them soon enough, scattered where they fell, completely still.
They had lasted four days only because they worked as one. A tanker to take the blows, an ice mage to control the field, an aura master to keep everyone standing, and him as the one who dealt the damage that mattered.
Now Arven is the only one left, his HP below 30%, mana completely drained, and the slow trickle of recovery is nowhere near enough to matter.
This place, Malverra, is supposed to be a trial world for inmates awaiting execution. None of them remembers committing any crime. Even their names are things they chose like starting over in a game.
The goal is simple. Clear seven trials and earn freedom. Fail means death. No instructions were ever given. They were simply thrown into it and expected to survive.
And right now, one of those trials stands right before him. Kill the monster, and the portal to the next trial will awaken. This is the sixth trial, and only one remains after this before freedom is within reach.
But that chance is slipping away. Arven, despite being an assassin capable of overwhelming damage, built himself without balance. Sharp as a blade, fragile as glass.
Without mana, he has nothing left to draw on. Nothing, except one option.
"That's right," he mutters, pulling out a red gemstone from his vest. "I still have this."
He presses the gem into the socket in his short sword's hilt. The moment it locks into place, the system responds.
***
[Blood Skill Gem installed]
[Mana cost for all skills will be replaced with HP consumption]
***
Arven tightens his grip, then closes his eyes. Tension builds through his body as his headband tears apart, hair lifting, face flushing a violent crimson, haze slipping out of his mouth and nostrils.
When his eyes open again, they burn like the eyes of a madman.
***
[Berserker's Rush activated]
[Cost: 200 HP | 1% HP drain per second]
Speed increased by 500%
Damage output increased by 500%
Base HP regeneration reduced to 0
***
Vermyros is still regenerating when Arven moves. He charges low and fast across the cavern floor, reckless and unrestrained.
"Let's hope I can kill that thing before my life runs out."
The first strike lands before the creature can react, then another, and another. Arven keeps moving, circling and cutting from every angle, each blow slamming into its body. Despite the monster's regeneration, its flesh tears away faster than it can mend.
But the beast refuses to fall. It thrashes wildly in blind fury. Arven is caught mid-step and hurled into the cavern wall, the impact shaking his vision apart.
He forces himself up, breath tearing in his chest. And then he sees it; a faint red pulse beneath the creature's chest.
"Is that… the heart?"
"What if I just tear that out…"
The thought settles quickly. He still has one technique left, one he has never used because the cost had always been impossible.
But now, with the Blood Skill Gem in place, he measures what little HP remains. It might be enough. If not, it will be the end.
Arven glances at his friends for a brief moment, then turns back to the monster, his resolve settling in once more.
"I don't have much choice."
He cuts off Berserker's Rush and lifts his sword high, energy gathering along his arms.
***
[Curse of the Underworld activated]
[1,075 HP converted into corrupted blood]
[For 120 seconds, attacks are amplified by corrupted plasma]
***
Vermyros forces itself airborne again. Its neck arches, jaw splitting wide as something violent gathers within.
A blinding surge erupts. Corrosive breath floods the cavern, dense and venomous, devouring everything in its path.
Arven simply runs straight into it. And the moment it reaches him, he swings. His short sword, wrapped in dark red plasma, tears through the torrent, splitting it apart.
He pushes forward, forcing his way through the storm. Once he reaches it, Arven drives the blade forward.
A shockwave of condensed red plasma detonates from the strike, piercing straight through the creature's chest.
ZOOOOM!!!
The force rips through muscle and bone, straight into the pulsing core.
"Damn… you… brat!" Vermyros hisses, wings folding over the wound. "How could something like you…"
Light builds beneath its skin, and then erupts. Arven covers his face, but the explosion throws him away, the shockwave tearing across the cavern.
Silence follows, and then, the portal shifts from red to blue. The gate to the seventh trial realm is finally open.
But the cavern remains thick with poison, and Arven is already on the brink.
***
[HP: 5% and decreasing]
[Vitality: 25% and declining]
***
Not having too much time, Arven forces himself up and drags the big tanker first, pushing him through the portal.
He goes back, grabbing the mage. And the moment Arven throws him through the portal, his vision swims.
[HP: 3%]
He could just jump into the portal now. Instead, he turns back for Leia, the Aura Master and the team leader.
Fighting to steady his breathing, Arven staggers to her side and drops beside her, his hand lifting just enough to tap weakly against her cheek.
"Leia. Hey… wake up."
Leia's eyes flicker open. As she cathces the sight of Vermyros's grotesque remains filling the cavern, a weak laugh slips from her lips.
"You… killed it."
"Yeah, but we can't stay here."
Arven pulls her up, and together they stagger toward the portal.
But they barely make any distance before Leia's strength gives out, her body collapses, pulling him down with her.
***
[HP: 1.2%]
[At 1%, motor functions will be disabled]
***
"Leia, please," Arven says, shaking her. "The portal's right there. I can't carry you like this."
"Then leave me," she whispers. "Go! You deserve it… more than me."
As her eyes fall shut again, something in Arven gives way. His fist keeps slamming the ground as frustration and desperation spill over.
"Ten years of effort… ends because of a failed build."
His thoughts turn inward, tearing into every mistake that led him here.
"I'm just a glass cannon with no fuse…"
"Just a stupid broken carry with no mana and durability."
"And you said I deserve it more than you?"
With a raw shout, Arven forces himself up, hauling her with him, and shoves her toward the portal with everything he has left.
"They need you, Leia."
"Not me…"
Her body stumbles forward without strength, slipping through the blue portal while Arven collapses right behind her.
***
[HP: 1%]
[Motor functions locked]
***
Darkness takes him. And just when Arven expects a prison cell, he actually wakes to a blinding white void with a cloaked figure standing before him, its face obscured by light.
[What irony.]
[Defeating the Great Vermyros, only to die at the doorstep of the portal.]
"Rytir…? Is that you?"
[I am impressed. You are the first to reach the Sixth Trial.]
[The first to kill one of my finest creations.]
[But of course, you are the Loser No. 1.]
"Shut up. Stop calling me that."
[So, what will it be?]
[A. Return to the real world and face your execution.]
[B. Die here as a warrior while your body rots in a vegetative state.]
"How generous. You're giving me options now?"
[C. Return to the First Stage. Under one condition.]
"…You're kidding."
"I've been stuck here for ten years. And you want me to start over?!"
[It's better than die.]
[Do you think God will show mercy for your crimes once you die?]
"Don't talk about God now. You think I care?"
[I am just offering you a choice. Second chances are rare, Arven.]
"…You really enjoy this, don't you?"
[I do.]
"Fine. I'll take it."
"But listen. When I get out of here, you're the first one I'm coming for."
[How unfortunate. I'm afraid this will be our last conversation.]
[I wish you a good luck]
The figure fades, leaving only a flickering screen behind.
"Wait. The condition… You mentioned about one condition earlier."
***
[!]
[HP: 0%]
[Transferring to Initial Stage…]
[Condition: This is the last notification you will ever receive.]
***
Arven's eyes snap open. He inhales sharply and immediately hits his head against something solid.
Thunk!
The place is dark, but feels so familiar to him.
"…No way. He actually sent me back…"
He shifts slightly, realizing he is lying inside a sleeping pod. The glass cover is already slightly open. Arven pushes it aside and sits up, his body feeling whole again.
"Status. Basic stats."
***
[The Loser No. 1]
Lv 1.
EXP: 0
EXP to Level 2: 100 EXP
Class: not verified
Ascension: not verified
HP : 98/98
MP : 43/43
Vitality : 100/100
Fatigue : 0/100
Strength : 23
Agility : 27
Intelligence : 118
Physical Damage Reduction : 0%
Elemental Resistance
Ice : 5%
Fire : 5%
Lightning : 25%
***
Arven stares at the numbers, frowning.
"…118 Intelligence?"
For a level one warrior, that makes no sense. But the confusion fades quickly.
"That's right… Dying resets my physical traits. The EXP is back to zero. But that doesn't mean everything I've experienced is gone."
Slowly, his expression begins to change.
"If that's the case… yeah. I can do it."
"I'll climb back to the Sixth Trial Realm within a year."
"I'll find them again, and we'll finish this shitty trial properly."