CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: MAN OF STEEL’S SECOND PHASE, CHURCH SANCTUARY KEY

[Man of Steel has entered its second phase.]

The boss raised its massive steel blades, then slammed them into the ground with such force the entire square shook.

The stone cracked beneath its weight, and the shockwave sent dust rising in a cloud.

Then, without waiting, it launched forward.

Its glowing eyes locked directly on Stark, the one who had dealt the most damage.

It swung its two blades at the same time.

CRASH!

The blades hit Stark’s [Strong Magic Barrier], shattering it instantly into fragments of blue light.

"!!!"

Stark immediately backed away.

The barrier collapsing so fast told him everything he needed to know.

Even after recasting it, the boss would break it in two or three strikes.

That meant one thing: its attacks carried damage over 5,000.

No normal player could tank that. Not without an invincibility or evasion skill.

But Stark didn’t hesitate.

Cataclysmic Fireball! Corrosive Crystal! Lightning Strike!

Fwish! BOOM!

The spells detonated one after another.

-4,080! -700! -3,060!

The boss staggered backward.

Its health bar, even under 90% damage reduction, dropped into the red zone.

It was on the verge of death.

Even with its insane defenses, Stark’s repeated bombardment was simply too much.

His spells were relentless, each one layered on top of the last, with almost no delay.

But this time, the boss wasn’t stunned.

It roared, stepping forward with terrifying speed, and swung again.

BOOM!

The attack ripped through the square, forcing Stark to roll aside as the blade carved a deep gash through the stone.

He barely avoided it.

The pressure from its movements only grew heavier.

"Are you insane?"

A voice came from behind.

Stark glanced for a split second before focusing back on the boss.

It was [Ghost].

The assassin appeared like a shadow, twin daggers gleaming faintly under the broken light of the square.

Based on what Stark had seen and what he knew, her class was one of the strongest assassin classes in [Eternal Soul].

Combined with her skill, her talent had to be SS-Level.

SS-Level, Stark had only seen a few players in his past life with such a thing.

He had no idea if anyone else besides him possessed an SSS-Level talent, but he doubted anyone would openly admit it if they did.

"What do you mean," Stark muttered, his staff glowing again.

Sovereign Vines!

Thick vines burst from the ground, reaching toward the Man of Steel.

CLANG!

The boss sliced them apart instantly, forcing Stark to keep retreating.

Step by step, he gave ground, and the boss advanced closer and closer to the center of the square.

The majority of the players who had been watching were already gone.

Those that stayed only looked from the edges, unwilling to come close.

No one wanted to be caught in that monster’s range.

Demonic Beam!

EvilDemon pointed his scepter, firing a ray of red light.

-3,000!

The damage was decent, but against this boss, it was only a scratch.

"What do you mean," Stark repeated, bracing as the boss’s blades slammed down against his [Strong Magic Barrier] again.

The barrier cracked, then broke, but Stark’s casting speed kept him alive.

"You’re a mage!" Ghost sounded almost exasperated as she darted forward, "You’re supposed to, ugh, never mind."

She didn’t waste more words.

Her body blurred as she lunged at the boss.

Its HP was down to less than 4,000 now, almost gone.

’Fast.’

Stark’s eyes followed her.

As an assassin, she was faster than anyone else here.

And with her invisibility and burst damage, she was dangerous even to players like Stark.

Fwish! Ghost Slash!

She crossed her daggers in an arc, striking toward the Man of Steel’s chest.

CLANG!

But the boss reacted in time, raising one of its huge steel blades to deflect both attacks.

Sparks burst from the impact.

Then, without hesitation, it swung its other blade in a deadly counter, aiming straight at Ghost while she was still mid-air.

"Oh," Ghost muttered, almost casually, "Damn."

One couldn’t forget, the Man of Steel was a Level 17 Epic-Rank Unique Boss.

If anyone besides Stark had been the one to fight it directly, they wouldn’t have lasted more than seconds.

EvilDemon’s beams could only work in intervals, his cooldowns limiting him.

Ghost, on the other hand, had the agility and burst to potentially take it down, but only if she could strike without getting hit.

The fact that the boss actually parried her attack meant it wasn’t going to be easy.

And right now, she couldn’t dodge.

The blade was already descending.

But before it connected—

Cataclysmic Fireball!

FWISH! BOOM!

-4,080!

The fireball slammed into the Man of Steel’s side.

The boss froze mid-motion, its body convulsing as the flames burned through the last of its HP.

With a metallic screech, it collapsed to the ground, its blades crashing beside it.

THUD!

Ghost fell as well, landing hard and rolling before quickly pushing herself up.

She let out a long breath.

She hadn’t died in [Eternal Soul] yet.

But being that close to instant death... it shook her more than she wanted to admit.

Ding!

---

[You have killed "Man of Steel (Level 17 Epic-Rank Unique Boss)"]

[You have gained 75,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 16!]

[You have gained 5 points in all of your attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 10 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 73 Lives!]

---

"Phew."

Since Stark had done the overwhelming majority of the damage, and he wasn’t in a team, he received almost all the experience.

The others who contributed gained some, but his share dwarfed theirs.

And more importantly, the loot was his.

He walked over to the boss’s crumbled remains, kneeling to check the drops.

[Dual Steel Blades (Epic): Warrior-type weapon. +207 Strength. Requirement: 16]

It only had one bonus, but it was massive.

+207 Strength at Epic rank was an insane stat boost.

Though it required Level 16, for a warrior it would be a weapon worth fighting over.

Stark stored it into his inventory. It would sell for a good price.

But he wasn’t done yet.

Hand of Avarice!

The spectral hand extended from his staff, clawing at the corpse.

Ding!

It succeeded. Another drop appeared beside the broken steel body.

Stark walked forward, picking it up.

"Wow..."

What dropped wasn’t an equipment piece. It wasn’t even consumable loot.

It was something much rarer.

---

[Church Sanctuary Key: Allows the user to open the "Church Sanctuary" (Level 25 zone) and access it.]

[Note: It only has one use, meaning that upon death, you won’t be able to enter again unless you find another key.]

---

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Key items like this were special.

Beyond gear, lives, and Evolution Points, monsters could also rarely drop these.

They unlocked zones or triggered unique events, and their drop rate was low.

’Did it drop because of Hand of Avarice’s loot rank increase? Or was it just pure luck?’

Regardless, this was huge.

The Church Sanctuary was one of the most important zones in the ruined city.

Getting early access would give Stark a huge advantage in leveling speed and loot opportunities.

Of course, he wouldn’t go now.

Entering a Level 25 zone while only Level 16 would be suicide.

He’d hold onto it until the right moment.

He carefully stored it in his inventory.

’Probably won’t reach that level until the first event starts... but when I do, this key will be priceless.’

Once done, Stark stood and walked toward the pedestal where the Man of Steel had been standing.

Defeating the boss meant one more thing.

[Ruined City Travel] could now be unlocked.

In his past life, his ruined city only activated it on the second day.

But this time, he was first.

He placed his hand on the pedestal.

Light spread across it, the stone glowing before reshaping into a circular portal.

Ding!

---

[Congratulations, you have activated "Ruined City Travel" in the First Ruined City.]

[You are now able to teleport to other ruined cities as long as their own portal is active.]

[You have gained 5 Prestige Points]

---

"Good," Stark grinned.

It was another step forward.

And just as he turned, he found Ghost standing a short distance away, her gaze fixed directly on him.

There was a curious light in her eyes, mixed with amusement.

"I can see why you’re the strongest now, Oblivion," she said with a faint smile. "It was good to fight with you."

She extended her hand.

Stark met it, gripping firmly.

Starfall quickly joined them, standing right beside Ghost, and she seemed shocked of what they just did.