CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: CITY UNDERGROUND MAZE, TRAPS AND UNDERGROUND DWELLERS

Stark extended his hand, and a faint shimmer appeared in front of the gate.

A panel blinked into existence, glowing with a lock symbol.

[You need the "City Underground Maze Key" to enter this zone.]

If a player didn’t have the required key, then no matter how strong they were, the gate would stay sealed forever.

This wasn’t the kind of place you could brute force your way into.

But Stark had the key!

Fwish! Ding!

["City Underground Maze Key" detected, do you wish to use it?]

[Yes] [No]

"Yes."

Ding!

A holographic key materialized in front of him, golden and transparent.

It rotated slowly before sliding itself into the lock that hovered over the panel.

Click!

The sound echoed sharply.

The lock turned on its own, and in the next moment the entire panel shattered like glass.

The massive stone gate before him shuddered, glowing with faint runes that spread across its surface like fire.

Dust fell, cracks lit up, and then—

Creak!

The gate began to open.

What lay beyond was not light, nor the usual faint mist of other zones.

It was pure blackness, an oppressive darkness that felt alive.

It was thicker, heavier than any zone Stark had ever stepped into in his new life.

Though... Stark was used to much worse!

’Alright, this is preparation for the actual strongest zone,’ Stark grinned.

Another panel appeared.

[The gate will remain open for 60 seconds. After that, it will close.]

That was the rule.

Whoever used the key had one minute to step inside.

But there was a catch: during those 60 seconds, the gate stayed open for anyone else nearby too.

It meant other players could sneak in if they were fast enough.

Stark glanced around. The ruined square was dead silent.

No footsteps, no glowing names in the distance. Nobody was here but him.

"Good. All mine."

Without another thought, Stark stepped into the veil of darkness.

Fwish!

The world dissolved around him.

Ding!

[You have entered "City Underground Maze."]

[Lives loss rate: 200]

"Hah..." Stark’s eyebrows rose. "Two hundred?"

That was more than double the loss rate of the outside world.

And even higher than any part of the Ruined City itself he had seen.

If this place drained so much just for existing here, he couldn’t imagine what the [Church Sanctuary] would be like.

Fwish!

He found himself standing in a square stone chamber with no ceiling, just dim torches lighting the walls.

Ahead of him was another gate, this one already open, leading deeper inside.

Stark stepped through, staff in hand.

Maze zones were special.

They always looked enormous, with twisting walls and endless paths.

But if you knew the exact way forward, you could reach the boss in minutes.

It was both huge and tiny at the same time, depending on knowledge.

The problem was, Stark didn’t know the route. Not yet.

He’d have to explore the old-fashioned way.

He entered the first corridor.

Stone walls towered on either side, stretching too high to climb.

Paths split into three directions, left, right, straight.

He didn’t hesitate. "Left."

That was the rule in mazes. Always choose one side and stick to it. It might take longer, but you’d eventually map the whole thing.

Of course, this wasn’t a normal maze. There were monsters. And traps.

And indeed, after only five minutes since he entered the maze...

Click.

His foot pressed down on something hidden. A pressure plate.

Stark’s eyes narrowed instantly.

Powerful Magic Barrier!

The translucent shield wrapped around him just as the wall ahead swung open.

A massive spiked panel shot out like a battering ram.

BOOM!

-10,000!

The barrier’s durability dropped in half, but Stark was untouched.

"Too slow."

The spikes retracted, scraping loudly before vanishing back into the wall.

If that trap had hit an average player, it would have been an instant kill.

But Stark’s legendary-rank skill had carried him through it easily.

Even [Ghost] and [EvilDemon], some of the strongest in [Eternal Soul] only currently had a skill at epic-rank max.

Stark was the only one with the [Infinite Evolution] talent that allowed him to have so many legendary-rank skills, and even a mythical-rank one!

He would make sure to use it the best he could!

He kept moving, traps springing one after another.

Arrows fired from tiny slits.

Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!

Spikes shot from the ground.

CRACK!

Another wall swung.

Every time, his barrier tanked the damage. Even when it was reduced to a thin shell, it didn’t shatter.

For the next twenty minutes, he carved his way deeper into the maze.

He didn’t bother dodging traps, he let them slam into his barrier and shrugged them off.

His focus was forward, and eventually, he found what he was looking for.

---

[Underground Dweller (Level 23)]

[Rank: Elite]

[HP: 130,000]

---

"Hah. Finally."

Clinging to the walls ahead were humanoid monsters, gray-skinned with elongated limbs.

Each had four spider-like legs sprouting from their backs, anchoring them to the stone.

Their glowing white eyes locked onto Stark, and their huge mouths opened wide, rows of jagged teeth inside.

’Disgusting... but perfect XP.’ Stark smirked. ’About time monsters showed up. Thought I’d be walking forever.’

This zone was supposed to be brutal.

He expected at least two level-ups from clearing it, maybe more if the boss gave good rewards.

The first group of five Underground Dwellers shifted, their legs scraping against the walls.

Then, in perfect unison, they all hissed and stared at him with their glowing white eyes.

"Not so fast."

Stark raised his staff.

Storm of Lightning!

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Bolts of blue lightning burst across the tunnel, arcing through every monster clinging to the walls.

-35,640! -35,640! -35,640!

Their HP bars dipped, but not enough to kill them. They were tough.

But then—

["Underground Dweller" has been stunned!]

Two of the five froze, their limbs convulsing. Their grips slipped, and they fell.

SPLASH!

They slammed into the stone ground with sickening cracks. Both died instantly from the impact.

"Nice."

The other three shrieked in alarm.

They scrambled down the walls, spider legs scraping, before leaping straight at Stark.

’Too late.’

Plague Crystals! Sovereign Vines! Cataclysmic Fireball!

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

His three spells collided mid-air.

Poisonous shards exploded, vines whipped out, and finally the blazing fireball detonated against the nearest monster.

-15,000! -6,000! -6,000! -37,275! -44,500!

The closest Dweller screamed, its body igniting. It crashed onto the stone, its HP gone.

SPLASH!

Two remained, both bleeding from half-health.

Slash!

Their spider-legs lashed out like blades, striking his barrier.

Clang!

-1,500!

The barrier didn’t even flicker.

"...."

"...."

The monsters hesitated, realizing they couldn’t break through.

Their glowing eyes darted between Stark and each other.

Storm of Lightning!

Zap!

The stun hit again, locking them in place.

"Goodbye."

Stark followed up instantly, chaining another spell and killing them both.

Silence filled the tunnel once again.

’The area you fight in matters too,’ Stark thought, ’This is what makes [Eternal Soul] so special, no single fight is the same in different places.’

For example, if the [Underground Dwellers] were actually smart, they could have all jumped Stark and surrounded him, giving them a better fighting chance.

Regardless, Stark looked at the notifications before him with a grin.

Ding!