CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64: CLIMBING THE TOWER OF DIVINITY, BONE SPIKES SKILL BOOK

[Tower Wolf (Level 25)]

[Rank: Uncommon (Special Boss)]

[HP: 200,000]

---

Since the [Tower of Divinity] was a limited-time event, every monster inside it was labeled as a [Special Boss].

The first one to appear was a wolf, but not a normal one.

The [Tower Wolf] was massive, standing three meters tall on all fours.

Its brown fur bristled like steel needles, its jaw hanging open to bare razor teeth.

Drool sizzled against the stone floor, and its glowing yellow eyes fixed on Stark like a predator spotting prey.

If an unprepared team walked in here, they’d need minutes of coordination and careful dodging to bring this thing down.

But for Stark...

Fire Meteor! Vines of Fate! Storm of Lightning! Crystal of Death!

He didn’t even give the wolf a chance to move.

His staff lit up, one spell after another tearing through the chamber.

-93,375! -87,300! -74,700! -25,000! -12,500! -12,500!

The numbers rained down as his spells smashed into the beast.

The wolf didn’t even get the chance to howl.

It was dead before it hit the floor, body scattering into fragments of light.

Stark lowered his staff, calm as ever.

He was used to fighting monsters far stronger than this.

Elite-rank, even epic-rank bosses at level 25 were normal to him.

Compared to that, an uncommon-rank boss wasn’t even worth warming up.

The only threats in this tower would be the bosses waiting on the fourth and fifth floors.

He knew it well.

In his previous life, he had reached the fourth floor alongside Max and Seren.

They’d managed to clear that too, but the fifth floor had crushed even the three of them together.

"Still..." Stark grinned. "Every floor is just a boss fight, that means..."

Ding!

[You have gained 2 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 32 Lives!]

It wasn’t much this time. Uncommon-rank bosses weren’t going to hand out crazy amounts.

But Stark wasn’t done yet.

Hand of Avarice!

A spectral hand appeared, digging through the wolf’s remains.

[You have gained 1 Evolution Point!]

[You have gained 27 Lives!]

Three EP in total. Small, yes. But Stark didn’t care.

Even scraps would add up. Especially since he needed an absurd amount now.

He currently required 100 Evolution Points just to push one of his mythical-rank skills into the ancient-rank.

That was insane already, and he had no doubt the price would only keep skyrocketing with every tier.

Anything helped.

Ding!

[You have completed the "First Floor (Uncommon)" of the "Tower of Divinity"]

A panel shimmered before him, announcing his reward.

Ding!

[You have obtained the "Tower Wolf Fur Boots (Uncommon)"]

"Oh?" Stark raised an eyebrow.

---

[Tower Wolf Fur Boots (Uncommon): Physical Resistance +46, Movement Speed +10%. Requirement: Level 20.]

---

Compared to his old [Shadow Fur Boots], these were leagues better.

In fact, his previous boots were so awful that he tossed them away without a second thought and slipped the new ones on immediately.

Still, it was just the first floor. The rewards would only get better the deeper he went.

Ding!

[Do you wish to climb to the "Second Floor (Rare)"?]

"Yes."

His voice was calm, but his eyes held a sharp glint.

Fwish!

His body scattered into particles, then reformed a heartbeat later.

[You have arrived at the "Second Floor" of the "Tower of Divinity."]

[Lives loss rate: 100]

Another chamber. Another boss waiting ahead.

---

[Tower Warrior (Level 25)]

[Rank: Rare (Special Boss)]

[HP: 240,000]

---

This one was different, a humanoid warrior in cracked armor, wielding a rusted greatsword.

Its aura pressed down heavy, but to Stark, it was the same as the wolf.

Fire Meteor! Storm of Lightning! Vines of Fate!

Boom!

The meteor crushed down before the warrior even finished raising its weapon.

Lightning and vines followed, tearing through the chamber until the boss collapsed in less than ten seconds.

The loot followed, but Stark didn’t pause.

He climbed to third floor and met with its boss: the [Obsidian Puppet].

A massive puppet, carved entirely from black stone.

It lumbered forward with heavy steps, the ground cracking beneath it.

But its size made it slower than the others.

Stark’s spells shredded it to pieces without much effort.

From these two bosses, Stark gained a decent amount of EP and Lives.

Ding!

[You have gained 14 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 137 Lives!]

Not only that, he received two new items:

[Tower Sword (Rare)] and [Obsidian Armor (Elite)].

Both useless to him as a mage, but valuable for trade.

He stuffed them in his inventory without even blinking.

None of this mattered. Because now, the warm-up was over.

The fourth floor awaited.

Ding!

[You have arrived at the "Fourth Floor" of the "Tower of Divinity."]

[Lives loss rate: 250]

The moment the message appeared, Stark’s gaze sharpened.

The lives loss rate was only increasing from floor to floor.

Dying repeatedly here could actually put you at risk of permanently dying.

And the boss waiting ahead wasn’t just for show.

---

[Undead Saint (Level 25)]

[Rank: Epic (Special Boss)]

[HP: 150,000]

---

It looked nothing like the earlier monsters.

The [Undead Saint] stood tall at two meters, draped in tattered purple robes.

A scepter made of bones rested in its skeletal hand.

Empty sockets glowed faintly with pale light, locked directly onto Stark.

Despite its relatively low HP, Stark knew better.

Bosses like this weren’t measured by numbers alone.

The saint raised its scepter.

Bone Spikes!

Fwish! BAM!

Jagged bones erupted from the ground, stabbing up all around Stark.

CRACK!

His [Invincible Magic Barrier] absorbed the strike, but the impact left clear cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

Stark shifted his stance, staff glowing.

Fire Meteor!

A burning sphere plummeted from above, screaming toward the saint.

The monster reacted instantly.

Skeletal Barrier!

Hundreds of bones burst from the air, knitting together into a dome around the saint.

BOOM!

The meteor struck, shaking the chamber, but the dome held firm.

The bones cracked, but it didn’t break.

"Hm." Stark narrowed his eyes.

This wasn’t a simple fight.

The [Undead Saint] had turned it into a battle of barriers.

The first one to shatter would lose. But Stark wasn’t worried.

Storm of Lightning! Vines of Fate! Crystal of Death!

Bolt after bolt, strike after strike, his spells hammered the dome relentlessly.

Meanwhile, the saint wasn’t idle.

It thrust its scepter, launching a [Bone Spear] straight at him.

Stark sidestepped, but the follow-up [Bone Spikes] caught him.

CRACK!

[Invincible Magic Barrier: 5,000/25,000]

’One more direct hit and it’s gone.’

The damage was heavy. Too heavy for most players.

But Stark didn’t flinch.

Another Fire Meteor roared down from above, this one finally tipping the balance.

CRAAACK!

The moment it hit, the skeletal dome shattered, exploding into fragments of bone.

The saint froze.

"Now."

Storm of Lightning! Vines of Fate! Crystal of Death!

His spells ripped through the monster, damage numbers flashing endlessly.

-74,700! -87,300! -25,000! -12,500! -12,500!

Over 200,000 damage in an instant.

The [Undead Saint] let out a hollow scream before collapsing, its body crumbling into bone dust.

Stark lowered his staff, exhaling calmly.

’It’s barrier was so tanky it didn’t even need that much HP,’ Stark thought, ’Oh well.’

Ding!

[You have completed the "Fourth Floor (Epic)" of the "Tower of Divinity"]

[You have obtained the "Bone Spikes (Epic)" skill book!]

"Oh?"

He immediately checked it.

[Skill Book: Bone Spikes (Epic): Mage/Priest-type skill book. Requirement: Level 25.]

Stark’s eyes widened, a grin tugging at his lips.

’A new skill. Perfect.’