CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 196 – NEXT FLOOR

Sylvia’s footsteps echoed softly as she ascended the spiral staircase from the fiftieth floor to the next. The stairs were made of solid black stone, slick with moisture and dimly lit by blue crystals embedded in the walls. Though the tower was built in an ancient architectural style, the magical aura that flowed throughout made everything feel alive, as if the structure itself had a consciousness.

The moment Sylvia stepped onto the fifty-first floor, she immediately sensed something was wrong. The air here was drier but carried the scent of metal like old blood and steel. There were no sounds other than her own footsteps and steady breathing.

THUD!!!

Suddenly, from the upper right side of the room, a massive axe came hurtling toward her like lightning. Its blade was enormous, serrated along the edge, and the length of its handle spoke of immense power behind the throw.

But Sylvia did not panic. With instincts sharpened by countless battles and reflexes as fluid as the wind, her body shifted sideways. Her gown fluttered gently as she swayed gracefully, and the axe crashed into the stone floor behind her.

BOOMMMM!!!

The ground where the axe struck cracked instantly, sending debris and dust into the air. A thin mist and cloud of rubble obscured the entire room, turning everything into a hazy, grey blur.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes but didn’t retreat far. Her glowing red gaze pierced through the cloud of dust. Her breath remained calm, showing no sign of panic, only a terrifying calmness.

Sssrrrrkk!! WHUUMM!!

Another sound followed the rush of something massive cutting through the air. Spears. Two gigantic spears shot out from opposite directions, piercing the dusty haze, aimed straight at her with force enough to punch through steel.

Sylvia twisted her body, tilting her shoulders and pivoting her heel with precise footwork. One spear shot past her face, nearly grazing her cheek, while the other almost pierced her side.

She stepped back once, then spun around. The spears smashed into a pillar behind her, shattering it into rubble.

CRAAAKK!!! DDUUUMMM!!!

The dust thickened. Any ordinary human’s vision would have been completely cut off. But Sylvia remained composed. She looked slightly upward and whispered softly.

"Appraisal."

A small magic circle appeared in front of her eyes, displaying translucent blue text and information. At the center of the screen, one bold word appeared:

[Race: Ogre Berserker – Mutated]

Type: Large Humanoid

Level: 48

"So, you’re the one hiding behind all this," Sylvia muttered.

She raised her left hand, and a dark violet magical formation emerged from her palm. The dust may have obscured normal sight, but not for an undead magic user like her. Her eyes shifted subtly, pupils elongating like a predator’s, adapting to the death aura that shrouded the room.

ZRAAK!!!

Another axe came flying from the left. This time, Sylvia didn’t fully dodge. She ducked low, letting the blade’s gust brush against her hair. The wind whipped through her dark strands, but she remained untouched.

Without a sound, she shifted her footing and darted low across the room toward the source of the attack. In that instant, she activated another skill.

"Death Step Mirage."

Her shadow exploded into five dark silhouettes, each darting off in different directions at terrifying speed. In this mode, Sylvia was truly untouchable. For ten seconds, she became a living illusion, avoiding all physical contact shadows gliding among flashes of death.

The ogre, now partially visible through the mist, tried slashing at the figures with wild strikes, but none of them were the real Sylvia.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!! WHOOSH!!!

The massive axe tore through the air, smashing rubble and causing destruction with every swing.

But from behind it, one shadow coalesced into her true form.

"Eclipse Piercing."

Sylvia’s gentle voice echoed through the fading mist.

In an instant, her body shot forward like a bullet, her hand unleashing sharp claws infused with the death element. This attack didn’t just pierce physical defenses; it dug straight into the enemy’s soul.

CRRRAK!!!

Her dark spear pierced the side of the Ogre, tearing through flesh and armor as if they were nothing more than worn fabric. Thick, dark purple blood spurted out, and a roar of pain shook the room.

"GRUAAAAAAHH!!!"

But it wasn’t enough to bring the creature down. The Mutated Ogre Berserker now entered a full frenzy. A blood-red aura erupted from its body, swirling like wild flames. Its muscles bulged even larger, and its eyes blazed with a fiery crimson glow like the embers of hell.

Sylvia took a step back not out of panic, but calculation.

"Full berserker mode, huh? I should’ve severed its mana flow first."

With a single gesture, she formed a magic circle in the air.

"Entropic Grasp."

From the air, a massive shadowy hand materialized, stretching forth like the hand of death, and gripped the Ogre from the side. As its fingers clenched down, the Ogre’s body seemed to burn from within; its flesh began to blister, and its strength waned drastically.

The attack inflicted corrosive burns both physical and spiritual. Even its raging red aura began to falter.

But the creature still didn’t fall. Its axe rose once heavier but driven by sheer determination.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes, then raised her left hand toward the ceiling.

"Nether Branches."

The floor beneath the Ogre cracked and shattered. From those cracks, black tendrils shot out like demonic roots, wrapping around its legs and arms, restraining its explosive movements. Each time the creature struggled, the dark energy siphoned away its HP bit by bit.

ZRAK! ZRAK!!

The Ogre swung its axe to break free, but Sylvia was already right in front of it. Her pupils now formed spirals, her aura blazing with deadly energy.

"This ends here."

With her right hand, she began chanting a powerful spell.

"Decay Rain."

The ceiling above darkened. The white mist vanished, replaced by swirling black clouds. From them, black rain began to fall slow, but deadly. Each drop that touched the Ogre’s body hissed and sizzled like flesh melting away.

SSSSSZZZTT!! SSSSHHH!!!

The creature screamed in agony, its skin peeled off, its blood evaporated, and its massive body began to dissolve.

Sylvia stood beneath the deadly rain, entirely unaffected. Her Toxic Affinity and Death Borne Tolerance auras shielded her from the harmful effects of the spell.

[HP -10,000]

[HP -10,000]

[HP -10,000]

A string of glowing red numbers appeared above the Ogre’s head, draining its HP bar within seconds.

"GRUAAAHHHH !!!!"

With one final roar that sounded more like a death groan, the Ogre collapsed. Its body burst into a thick black fog, then crumbled into ashes that scattered into the air, leaving behind only a glowing magic crystal and a treasure chest that fell from the small dimension it was connected to.

THUD.

The magic crystal glowed red, marking this enemy as a rare variant.

Sylvia approached, her hair wet from the rain of destruction that was now fading. The room fell silent once more. Only black mist lingered in the air.

She knelt down, picked up the crystal, and transferred it into her inventory.

"Not bad," she murmured, then stood and glanced up at the now-empty ceiling.

Her steps were slow as she moved to the center of the room, eyes fixed on the next path to the door to the fifty-second floor.

But before moving forward, she opened her status panel for a moment.

[Level: 20 → 21]

[HP: Full]

[MP: 76%]

"Still enough for two more floors..." she whispered, tapping her lips lightly with a finger.

A faint smile curved across her otherwise cold face. "If the rest of the upper floors are this strong, this tower might turn out to be quite entertaining."

Then, without a sound, she stepped toward the next staircase. Her gown fluttered gently behind her, and her footsteps echoed through the corridor, as if only she and her shadow remained.

But Sylvia’s journey didn’t end there.

Each new floor greeted her with fresh dangers.

On the 52nd floor, she faced a group of phantom knights attacking in a unified formation. Without hesitation, Sylvia summoned Phantom Bloom, detonating an illusion of deathly flowers that scattered nether petals, melting the spirit knights from within, turning them into mist and long, echoing wails.

On the 53rd floor, magical traps fired from every direction light spears, a floor that turned to sludge, and walls that closed in. Sylvia used Void Steps to shift through empty spaces with elegance, utilizing dimensional gaps to walk past the traps as if stepping over puddles on a lazy afternoon.

Floors 54 to 57 tested her mental and physical endurance. Endless ruins, hallucinatory mist, and illusionary creatures mimicking figures from her past. Sylvia only let out a cold laugh. She activated Deadlock Field, separating reality from illusion, letting everything rot within the boundary of death she created.

On the 58th floor, a massive Blood Serpent ambushed her from beneath the shattered ground. But with Guillotine Blossom, barbed chains exploded in every direction, crushing the serpent’s body and spreading poison through every hallway. Sylvia walked past its corpse without sparing it a glance.

The 59th floor nearly pushed her to the limit. Hordes of undead appeared from every direction ones she did not control led by a sinister necromancer.

But Sylvia was the Zombie Queen, and most of those undead were zombies. She seized control over many of them and turned them against their master.

The necromancer didn’t even have time to scream before his body was torn apart by his own army.

And finally...

Floor 60.

The corridor leading to the boss room felt quiet and different. No traps, no monster sounds, no movement. Just a single straight path leading to a massive gate made of black metal, carved with skulls and ancient symbols glowing faintly with a greenish hue.

Sylvia halted before the gate.

The crystal lights on the wall flickered softly, as if sensing the pressure from whatever lay beyond that door.

Something big was inside.

Very big.

But Sylvia didn’t enter immediately.

She lowered herself gently and sat before the towering gate. The cold stone touched her thighs, but the exhaustion in her mind felt far more real.

Her gown was slightly torn at the edges, stained by blood splatter and scratches from her journey. A few strands of hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. Though her undead body never truly tired, her mind still needed a break.

Sylvia bent one knee, resting her chin on it, letting the silence embrace her.

"Ten more floors to seventy... or maybe this is the final one," she whispered softly, her voice flat yet laced with an emotion difficult to describe.

She didn’t know how many floors there truly were.

Her hand opened her status window. A translucent panel appeared before her.

[Level: 21 → 23]

[HP: Full]

[MP: 63%]

"I’ve cut down too many," she said, her glowing red eyes gazing blankly at the massive door.

"But somehow, the more I go through... the lighter it feels."

Several minutes passed.

No movement. No other breaths in that space but Sylvia’s.

The faint scent of death still clung to her like an invisible cloak but here, it didn’t feel frightening.

It felt... calming.

Sylvia closed her eyes for a moment.

Not to sleep or to forget.

But to feel the weight in her mind slowly lift.

A faint sound of rattling chains came from within the boss room like a long-held breath finally exhaled.

Sylvia opened her eyes again.

Calm and Sharp.

"Alright," she said as she slowly stood, calmly straightening her gown.

"Time to meet the host of the sixtieth floor."

She raised her hand. A dark aura began to gather in her palm, forming layered spell patterns. Thin chains started slithering around her body, quivering gently like living creatures eager to dance in battle.

With one firm step, Sylvia advanced.

Straight toward the door, which slowly opened on its own, inviting the Zombie Queen into the next battlefield.

Naturally behind her, the hundreds of zombies from the 59th floor followed without a word.