CHAPTER 67: INTO THE 9TH FLOOR PART IV - REWARDS

I shifted again — behind him now, raining rapid precision strikes down his spine.

[Burn Stack: 12]

[Burn Stack: 13]

[Burn Stack: 14]

I leapt into the air, spun — and drove my flaming fist down directly onto his nape.

[Burn Stack: 15 Reached]

[Target: Defense and Healing -30%]

"—It’s over."

My body ignited — not from flame, but from sheer mana backlash, burning my skin from the inside out.

I unleashed every last drop, every residual flame — through my core, down my arms, out my fist.

"Die—!!"

I punched.

A final, blazing strike engulfed the Juggernaut’s entire upper body in a column of fire.

The pressure cratered the ground beneath him, and the runes across his form overloaded, flickering violently.

He staggered. Once. Twice. And then, he dropped to his knees.

Smoke rising.

He collapsed forward with a massive thud.

Silence.

Ash drifted on the scorched wind.

I stood over his smoldering body, trembling — barely on my feet, blood running down my arms, my vision flickering.

But I was alive. And he wasn’t.

"...You almost had me," I whispered. "But not today."

My knees buckled.

And as I sank to the ground, the system chimed.

-

[SYSTEM UPDATE — FLOOR COMPLETE]

[You have Cleared the 9th Floor of the Labyrinth.]

[You are the First to Clear the 9th Floor.]

[You are the Fastest to Clear the 9th Floor: 57 minutes, 44 seconds]

[Awarding Bonus Experience...]

[Skill Mastery Enhanced: Emberfang Style (+EXP Bonus)]

[Fusion Adaption Progress: Crimson Recast - 43%]

-

[Reward Granted: "Ogreheart Core" (Epic Material)]

A condensed mana-heart extracted from an apex Howlback. Sought after by rune-crafters and enchantment specialists.

[Reward Granted: "Runebreaker Gauntlets" (Epic, Bound)]

Heavy brawler-type gauntlets that weaken enemy mana circuits on impact. +10 Penetration. +10 Resistance. Burn stacks gain +5% application speed.

[Reward Granted: "Beastslayer’s Crest"]

Title: Increases damage by 10% against all dungeon-type beast-class enemies.

-

I barely had time to breathe when the air shifted again.

The sky in the Labyrinth dimmed—a pulse of red light rolled through the horizon like a heartbeat.

Then came the voice:

[WORLD SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

[The Boss Floor of the Labyrinth is Unlocked.]

[Opening in: 24:00:00]

[Entry Allowed: All Vassals qualified up to Floor 9.]

[Warning: This floor will scale dynamically based on the combined strength of all entrants.][Prepare accordingly.]

-

Astral Community – Global Thread Log

@CrimsonNet [MOD-PINNED]

BOSS FLOOR UNLOCKED. WORLDWIDE.

Vassals with Floor 9 clearance — you have one hour. Prepare your soul.

-

@JzOfficial

He did it again. Blank cleared 9. Floor. Solo. And now the Boss Floor is opening a whole cycle early.

Bro. Seriously. Who ARE you?

@AstraiaV

"...I won’t lose to you."

[liked by 17,394 users]

@ChronoSeer42

The system never lied. Blank just triggered another early boss unlock. That means...

The boss is gonna scale to HIM.

💀 Good luck to anyone thinking of tagging along.

@ShadowGuildsman

Oi. Guild leaders are already scrambling.

-

[All rewards have been transferred to your inventory.]

[Updating Floor Access...]

[You may now enter Floor 10.]

[Fast Travel Unlocked: Floor 1 ↔ Floor 9]

-

[System Alert – First Clear Recognition]

Your achievement shall be recorded in the Hall of Firsts.

A name is required for the inscription. This name will be eternal, visible to all challengers who follow. Choose wisely.

Please input the name to be etched into the Hall of Firsts:

(....)

And as usual, I entered the name "Blank"

[The name ’Blank’ has been registered.]

[Labyrinth – 9th Floor: Cleared]

[Cleared By: Blank ]

[Completion Time: 49 Minutes, 16 Seconds]

[You are being returned to Earth.]

[Please stand by.]

-

[You have cleared Floor 8.]

[Returning to Earth...]

[Cooldown started.]

[Time until reentry: 49 minutes, 16 seconds]

-

[Transference Complete.]

[You have Returned to Earth.]

The golden light dissipated.

The familiar warm air of Davao hit me like a blanket—humid, heavy, and real. The Crimson Rift behind me pulsed faintly, its crimson coils still humming with unspoken tension. Yet, I didn’t linger.

I didn’t want to draw attention.

I lowered my hood, shifted the Faceless Mask to cloak my identity, and slipped silently through the thinning crowd. There were still Vassals camped around the rift, setting up for the incoming boss floor, most of them talking in frantic tones—guessing, theorizing, fearing.

Their voices barely reached me.

My limbs ached, my mana was empty, and every step pulsed with the echo of the fight I just survived. But I was calm.

Because I had won.

-

I arrived at the penthouse quietly.

The sound of a sizzling pan greeted me even before I opened the door.

Noel turned from the kitchen island the moment I entered. His eyes widened in relief and exasperation at once.

"There you are," he said, setting down a plate. "You look like death."

I smirked weakly, slumping into the couch.

"Feel like it too."

Noel walked over, tossing me a cold bottle of water. "So? Did you do it?"

I took a long swig before answering.

"Yeah. Ninth’s clear."

He paused, then burst out laughing. "You maniac."

I exhaled and leaned back. "It wasn’t just ogres. These things—they coordinated, evolved. One of them, the leader... almost had me."

Noel’s amusement faded as he sat down across from me, concern in his voice.

"You alright?"

I nodded, slow. "Used everything I had. Emberfang almost tore my own arms off. But I won."

He leaned back, letting it sink in. "You know everyone’s losing it online, right? Boss floor’s opening early. They all know it’s because of you."

I chuckled. "Yeah. Figured."

He paused, then asked quietly, "You ready for that one too?"

I didn’t answer immediately. I closed my eyes, felt the heat still radiating from my bones, and whispered:

"I’m always ready."

-

Noel leaned forward, brows furrowed. "Wait—thought the announcement said the boss floor was opening in an hour?"

He opened his system interface, eyes darting. "But... the timer says 24 hours now?"

I nodded, wiping the sweat off my face with a towel as I tossed my jacket aside.

"That’s right. The system only said one hour as a global notice. But for actual entry—the real countdown is a full day."

Noel looked at me like I just rewrote gravity. "Huh? Why? The last few floor bosses opened almost immediately after the floor clears. Why the change now?"

I leaned back into the couch and let my arms hang loose, muscles still sore.

"Because this isn’t just any floor."