July 22 — Wednesday
Deaths: 75
Day Repeats: 38
Floor 3 had never seemed so peaceful to Noah. Not because the place had changed. The dead forest was still the same.
The twisted trees still stretched toward a dark sky, black roots covered the ground, and shadows moved between the trunks, waiting for any chance to attack.
The difference was him, or more precisely, his summons.
Legs advanced like an unstoppable beast among the trees, destroying everything in its path. Its enormous body tore through the forest as if nothing could stop it, while its hundreds of legs struck the ground with enough force to make the earth tremble.
At its side, Fang moved with an entirely different kind of speed. The shadow cobra slithered between the trees, disappearing and reappearing in quick movements, catching enemies before they could even react.
Noah walked behind them with his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t running or fighting, simply watching.
Every now and then, a creature would emerge from the darkness, but before it could get close, one of his summons had already taken care of it.
[Summon: Legs — Level 12.]
[Summon: Fang — Level 15.]
[Summon: Legs — Level 13.]
[Summon: Fang — Level 16.]
The notifications appeared one after another.
Shadows, wolves, flying creatures, and even monsters Noah had never seen before fell beneath their attacks.
At one point, a group of winged creatures swooped down from the treetops, trying to attack from the sky.
Noah looked up.
Before, he would have had to find a way to reach enemies like those. Now he simply waited. Fang raised its head and opened its jaws. A burst of darkness shot out, knocking several creatures out of the air.
The remaining ones tried to escape, but Legs rose partway up, striking the air with its enormous body and catching some of them before they could get away.
Noah smiled.
‘This is so different.’
He kept walking as he mentally reviewed his options. His goal was still to find the hidden area on Floor 3.
Noah closed his eyes for a moment and used [Resonance.] The ability activated, and a strange sensation ran through his entire body.
He could feel tiny vibrations in the surroundings, the irregularities in the floor, the creatures’ movements, and the places where the energy seemed to gather.
But Floor 3 was enormous. Far too enormous.
‘It’s not enough. I can cover a fairly wide area, but this place is too vast. If I want to find something hidden, it could take hours.’
He kept walking as he thought of a solution.
Then he heard a sound. A deep crack. It wasn’t coming from in front of him, but from his right.
Noah turned his head. About four meters away, the ground began to split. The black earth slowly rose as enormous chunks of rock shot off to the sides.
A gigantic figure emerged from beneath the ground. A body made entirely of stone: a golem. Noah watched as the creature finished climbing out of the earth.
[Recognition] activated automatically. He didn’t need any more information; that monster was strong.
“So you’re one of those enemies,” Noah murmured. “Legs.”
The enormous centipede obeyed. Its body vanished among the trees and raced forward at a speed that seemed impossible for something its size.
It passed over Noah like a gigantic shadow, and in the next instant, it was already circling the golem.
Its legs closed around the stone body as its fangs sank deep into the rock.
The golem responded by striking the ground. A shock wave shook the entire forest. Noah stepped back as he watched the battle between two giant monsters.
Legs moved around its enemy’s body, searching for weak points and gradually destroying parts of its stone armor.
The golem, on the other hand, struck with brutal force. Each of its attacks destroyed entire trees.
The struggle continued for several minutes until, at last, Legs’ speed and endurance won out.
The centipede managed to wrap itself completely around the golem and squeezed with all its strength until cracks began spreading across its entire body.
Finally, the stone head shattered. The enormous body fell to the ground.
[Summon: Legs — Level 14.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Noah — Level increased.]
Noah’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I leveled up?”
He stared at the system screen for a few seconds. Then he let out a small laugh as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Wow, I gained almost an entire level just by watching my summons do everything.”
He approached the golem’s body. He didn’t need to do anything for the floating taming prompt to appear over the corpse.
[Would you like to tame this monster?]
“Of course.”
Black flames engulfed the enormous stone body.
[Taming complete.]
[Assign a name to your summon.]
Noah looked at the enormous golem, thinking for a few seconds.
“Big Guy.”
The flames vanished. When he summoned it again, the golem appeared in front of him.
[Summon: Big Guy — Level 15.]
Noah looked at his three monsters standing around him: Legs, Fang, and Big Guy. A smile slowly appeared on his face.
‘This will be incredibly useful.’
But then a question came to mind.
“Wait,” he said, looking at the system. “What happens to them if I die?”
The screen appeared before he had finished asking.
[Summons retain their levels as long as they are alive when their summoner dies.]
“And what if they die?”
[If a summon dies, it will disappear permanently. All progress, levels, and abilities gained will be lost.]
“So I can’t revive them.”
[Correct.]
He subtly rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re pretty useful when you’re not on your period.”
[The system appreciates the user finally recognizing its capabilities.]
Noah looked ahead. There was still something he had to take care of: King Arteal.
◇◆◇
The boss room door appeared in front of him. Noah slowly pushed it open. That enormous, ruined throne was still inside the room.
And seated on it was King Arteal. The dark figure raised its gaze. Its orange eyes met Noah’s. For a moment, neither of them moved.
Noah remembered the last time, remembered how he had been defeated, but now things were different. Thanks to his summons, he had been able to level up much faster.
Even so…
‘I don’t know if I’m on his level yet,’ he thought, tightening his grip on the dagger. ‘But I have to try.’
Arteal slowly stood up. The shadow king took his banner and planted it on the ground.
Noah stepped forward. Black flames appeared. Legs, Fang, and Big Guy, the three enormous creatures, appeared behind him.
“You three take care of the other monsters,” Noah said. “I’m going after him.”
Arteal responded by raising his banner. The ground began to tremble. Shadows emerged around the hall: shadow knights, beasts, all the creatures of Floor 3.
The throne room became a battlefield once more, and Noah was the first to move.
His body vanished.
[Swift Step.]
The first clash was immediate. The crimson dagger struck Arteal’s banner. The impact made the entire hall vibrate. Noah’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
He had expected to break it, but it didn’t happen. The banner held, and more importantly… the force behind Arteal’s blow was still greater. They separated and clashed again.
The battle began to sweep across the entire room.
Noah used the ruined pillars to change direction, leapt over broken walls, and used every part of the setting for support to increase his speed.
Arteal simply advanced.
Each of his blows shattered stone. Every movement forced Noah to react.
At one point, they broke through the second floor of the throne room while, below them, his summons fought the army of shadows.
The chaos was absolute.
Legs crushed enemies while Fang attacked from the shadows and Big Guy destroyed entire groups with its enormous stone arms.
But Noah could only focus on one person.
Arteal.
The two enemies clashed again and again. Slashes, blows, quick movements; both took damage, both kept advancing.
Noah was breathing heavily.
‘I need an advantage.’
Then he remembered his ability.
[Devourer’s Hunger.]
‘If I can eat a piece of his flesh, I’ll gain all his resistances. I just need one piece.’
He used a wall to propel himself forward, and his body shot toward Arteal in a vertical slash. Part of Arteal’s armor burst apart. Time seemed to stop for an instant.
He saw the opening.
He saw the space between the armor plates.
‘I can do this.’
For the first time, the king stepped back, but Noah didn’t stop either. The battle continued. Faster, more violent, until at last they both moved away from each other.
Arteal planted his banner in the ground. An aura of sky blue mixed with purple began to cover his body. The energy expanded throughout the room. The roar that came from him made the walls tremble.
It was as if a giant beast had awakened. Noah got into position.
‘He still had more abilities.’
The shadows began to move. A huge three-headed creature appeared from the left: a cerberus. From the right, a much larger silhouette descended from the darkness: a black dragon.
Noah’s eyes widened. For the first time in a long while, he felt real pressure. The imposing presence of both monsters froze him for a moment.
[Status: Fear.]
‘Huh? What is this?’
Then Arteal struck the ground with his banner. Crimson energy covered his summons. The beasts bared their teeth as saliva dripped from their jaws.
Noah understood immediately.
“So they can power up too…”
He had no time to be surprised. He ran straight toward Arteal.
“Legs! Fang!”
His summons changed direction.
“Take care of them!”
Both creatures obeyed, but the difference was immediate. The cerberus and the black dragon were monsters on another level.
Legs tried to wrap itself around the cerberus, but all three heads attacked at once. Fang tried to coil around it, but the dragon easily broke through its defenses.
Both summons were hurled into the stone walls. The impact destroyed part of the room as rocks exploded in every direction.
Noah gritted his teeth.
‘I still need them.’
He couldn’t let them die. His goal hadn’t changed; he had to obtain a piece of flesh. Resistance to Arteal.
He faced the king again. The two fought amid the chaos. Noah dodged attacks as the ground crumbled beneath his feet.
Arteal attacked with brutal force, but this time Noah found an opening, an unarmored spot. His dagger sliced through it in a flash.
A fragment fell.
[Swift Step.]
Noah vanished and caught the piece before it hit the ground. He looked at it and sighed.
‘How delicious,’ he thought with an ironic smile. ‘Rotten meat is my favorite food.’
And he swallowed it, forcing himself to ignore the smell and taste. The pain came immediately, but it didn’t matter.
Noah stretched out his hand.
“Come back.”
The three summons returned before they could die. Noah fell far away, clutching his stomach. The pain was unbearable. He clenched his teeth and pressed against his navel.
Then the message appeared.
[Devourer’s Hunger activated successfully.]
[All resistances acquired: King Arteal.]
He slowly raised his gaze. Arteal stood in front of him, with the cerberus, the black dragon, and his entire army of shadows.
Noah smiled, covered in sweat and fear.
“I admit it…” He struggled to his feet. “You’re stronger than I thought.”
Arteal didn’t respond; he simply vanished. The next instant came an impact. Noah was hurled against a wall.
The stone shattered around him.
He spat blood.
The king had driven his fist into Noah’s stomach. Before he could get up, Arteal was already on top of him.
The fight continued.
But even with the new resistances, the king was still terrifying. Noah fought, this time alone, until a blow sent him flying through the air. Then came a set of sharp teeth like a saw.
One of the cerberus’s heads opened its jaws inches from him. Noah tried to react, but it was too late.
The fangs closed around his arm, crushing it. The pain came before the sound.
“AAAAAH!”
He screamed.
Blood began to fall as the creature shook its head from side to side like a dog. Each tug tore at the flesh and dislocated the bones in his arm and shoulder.
Noah tried to free himself by stabbing its gums, but the other two heads were already on him. One bit his leg and the other his torso.
Fear took hold. It wasn’t like before. It wasn’t just pain. It was desperation. He knew exactly what was happening.
“No! No, not again! Please!”
His voice came out broken. He tried to move. He tried to escape. But all three heads pulled at once. His body was dragged in opposite directions.
The pain became unbearable.
Noah screamed.
He screamed with all the strength he had. His eyes filled with tears. True fear.
He didn’t want to die.
He knew he would return from death, that a few seconds later he would be safe and unharmed, but the pain and fear wouldn’t disappear. [Return] didn’t have a passive ability that shut off his emotions.
Still crying out as he tried to break free, the heads tore his body apart and separated it into three different pieces, bathing Arteal in the blood and organs of his prey.
The color drained from Noah’s eyes, and his consciousness faded. And the last thought that crossed his mind was a simple question.
‘How long will this last?’
[You Died.]
◇◆◇
“Noah.”
The voice came from far away.
“Noah.”
He opened his eyes. His body reacted before his mind did. He wrapped his arms around himself. His hands gripped his arms tightly.
He was trembling. He couldn’t stop it. His breathing was irregular, and his eyes were wide open.
Pure terror.
As if he could still feel the fangs piercing him.
“Noah.”
Rick was standing in front of him, but Noah could barely hear him. He tried to calm down. He tried to tell himself it was over.
That he was alive.
That he had come back.
But his body wouldn’t obey. He was still trembling. He was still shivering. If he had been alone, he probably would have hyperventilated.
Rick placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you listening to me?”
Noah closed his eyes for a few seconds. He wasn’t close to Rick, but the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, one that could keep him still, helped him in some strange way.
“I’m getting tired of hearing you say that over and over again…” he said softly, with a slight, melancholy smile.