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Chapter 421: Tier-10 Advancement Task, The Hardest Advancement Task
Alex stood still, feeling the lingering echo of power ripple through his body.
The surge of energy from evolving his [Undead Lord] talent had only just begun to settle.
It was now S-Rank.
With it, the maximum limit of his summoned skeletons had expanded dramatically.
A full thousand skeletons now stood under his control if he so wished, each one responding to his will like extensions of his own thoughts.
That alone would've been worth celebrating, but there was more, much more.
Two new undead summon types had unlocked as part of the talent evolution.
With these new units added to his arsenal, Alex felt something shift deep within him.
He didn't feel untouchable, not exactly, but the sense of direction and capability was stronger than ever before.
It was like standing at the edge of a battlefield, and finally having a complete arsenal.
The [Undead King] had returned to his own realm, vanishing as quietly as he had appeared after the display of his talent was completed.
His role was fulfilled, his knowledge passed on.
Now, Alex stood alone once more.
With that, all of Alex's immediate goals had been completed, except for one.
The final and most dangerous among them.
[Conquer the "Tower of Nightmares" and acquire the "Token of Nightmares."]
That objective had loomed in the back of his mind for weeks, and now it was the last obstacle in his way before the inevitable.
It was the final piece he needed in order to unlock the [Door of Destiny], the last token of the five.
But before heading into that nightmare tower, there was one last thing he had to face.
One final detail he had pushed off until now, the final tier advancement.
[Tier-10 Advancement Task]
[Do you want to check it?]
Alex stared at the panel hovering in front of him.
His fingers twitched slightly, breath calm, but eyes sharp.
He hadn't looked at this yet, intentionally saving it for last.
Every other advancement task had brought hell with it, and this one, this one was supposed to be the hardest.
"Yeah," he muttered under his breath, "Let's do this."
He accepted.
A crisp chime echoed through the space around him, sharp and clear like a blade being drawn.
[SSS-Rating detected for previous task and dual class. Difficulty adjusted accordingly.]
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[You have received the hardest possible advancement task anyone can receive in Universal Descent.]
His pulse skipped as his gaze narrowed.
He didn't flinch, though. Not even as the air grew heavier around him.
He had expected this, he had prepared for this.
And yet, the moment was still heavier than he imagined.
Panels appeared before him.
[This advancement task is divided into four parts.]
His brow lifted. That was new.
"Huh."
Until now, his previous advancement tasks had either come as one brutal challenge or, at most, one fused challenge between two tiers.
But this, this was something else entirely.
That alone made his thoughts spiral for a moment, remembering just how close to death he'd come during the battle with the Hatred Demon.
That task had nearly torn his body apart, fractured his soul, and made him realize how fragile even his monstrous strength could be.
So what could be worse than that?
The panels updated again, one by one, each line more menacing than the last.
[Hardest Advancement Task:]
[1. Enter and conquer the "Tower of Nightmares."]
The first task aligned perfectly with his final goal.
That was at least reassuring. It meant he could tackle two major objectives at once.
Still, the fact that this tower was only the first part of the hardest task made it clear, this would be worse than anything he'd ever seen.
His fingers curled slightly, bracing himself for the rest.
[2. Open and survive inside the "Door of Destiny."]
Alex's breath caught for a moment.
He had expected the door to be involved somehow, but that word "survive" threw everything off balance.
He had assumed the Door of Destiny would grant him knowledge, power, or perhaps even a revelation.
But now the implications were far more sinister.
"Why the hell is survive even mentioned?" he whispered, his eyes narrowing.
He shook his head, forcing the thought away.
"I'll worry about that when I get there," he muttered, "Focus on what's next."
[3. Participate in the "Chosen Games."]
"Expected," he murmured.
He had known this would be part of the task from the start.
But if that was the third task, then what could possibly come after?
His eyes scanned the final line.
[4. Survive the "Chosen Games."]
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.
Of course it wasn't enough to simply join them. He had to live through them.
And the weight of that task sank into his bones like lead.
Because no matter how strong he'd become, no matter the blessings, talents, or skills, he could not forget what waited on that battlefield.
The [God of Darkness], [Lich], the [God of Death].
They would be there, waiting, watching, ready to annihilate as well.
It was no wonder the system labeled this the hardest advancement task in the entire game.
The [Chosen Games] were the final path, the last convergence of the strongest beings across all worlds.
And in that arena, only one group would emerge alive.
Alex felt a chill travel down his spine.
He clenched his fists and forced the fear out of his lungs.
More panels appeared.
[Penalty: Nothing, because if you lose, you will die. There is nothing worse than that.]
He gave a hollow chuckle.
"Fair enough."
[Reward: The answers you seek.]
His brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes locked onto the words as if searching for deeper meaning.
What answers? Which ones?
There were too many things he didn't understand about this world, about himself, about the war that loomed ahead.
And yet, he didn't want to get distracted.
No. Not now. Surviving came first.
A new line appeared.
[Good luck with that, human.]
The system's voice echoed through his mind, its tone almost casual.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"You're really gonna answer everything if I survive?"
[Sure :)]
[But... we do not expect you to survive.]
That made his breath hitch.
"…What?" he muttered, stunned for a moment.
And then came the final blow:
[In fact, we give you a 0.0000000001% chance of survival. Still, we believe in you… a little? Enjoy!]
Before he could even react, the panels vanished, and something strange filled the space around him.
Laughter. It was powerful, not cruel, not mocking, but entirely neutral.
An ancient sound. It didn't come from above or below.
It came from everywhere. A deep, knowing, almost amused sound that seeped into his bones.
The laughter of the system itself, an entity so vast and far beyond his comprehension that it couldn't even be called malicious or kind.
It simply was.
And for thirty long seconds, that laughter echoed around him until finally, it faded.
Silence returned to the ruined square of [Level 3 Demon City], where Alex stood alone.
He didn't move, didn't speak for several moments.
Then, finally, he exhaled.
"I don't care," he said quietly, "I'll still try."
The odds meant nothing to him.
He wasn't doing this because he thought he could win. He was doing it because he had to.
Every instinct in his body warned him he would die, that he wouldn't survive even with all his strength, but he refused to bend to that fear.
Opening his [World Map], he scanned through the familiar locations until his eyes landed on [Dragon City], the closest teleport point to the [Tower of Nightmares].
Without hesitation, he tapped it.
A soft glow surrounded him as the spell began to activate, and Alex's expression hardened.
He had no more time to waste. His final objective was waiting, and with it, the first part of a trial that would decide everything.
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