CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65: SHARP BONE SPIKES, DIVINE DUAL WIELDER LEGENDARY-RANK BOSS

Ding!

[You have learned the skill "Bone Spikes"!]

Stark blinked.

Skills and equipment could sometimes be used by several classes at the same time, much like this one.

For Stark, though, it was an advantage as it would allow his skills to increase!

He grinned faintly.

An epic-rank skill meant he could evolve it at least once.

Without hesitation, he pulled up the description.

---

[Bone Spikes (Epic): Summon 5 skeletal spikes from the ground to pierce an opponent. Each spike deals 1,000 damage and has a small chance to cause "bleeding". 30 (15)-seconds cooldown.]

---

"Good," Stark muttered. His lips curled upward.

Even as it was, the damage potential was insane.

If all five spikes hit, it meant 50,000 damage at once.

He wanted to evolve it immediately, his fingers twitching in anticipation.

But first—

He turned his attention back to the [Undead Saint]’s corpse.

Ding!

[You have gained 7 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 50 Lives!]

Hand of Avarice!

[You have gained 4 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 6 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 47 Lives!]

[You have gained 49 Lives!]

"Damn."

The corners of his mouth pulled higher.

[Hand of Avarice] had triggered its double effect again, stacking more points than he expected.

Evolution Points, especially, were priceless.

And when he checked his total, his eyes sharpened.

Sixty. Exactly sixty.

That meant he could evolve [Bone Spikes] twice right here.

Push it straight past legendary and into mythical.

The temptation was there, pressing hard.

But he exhaled and shook his head, "No. Just once."

[Do you wish to consume 10 Evolution Points to evolve "Bone Spikes"?]

"Yes."

Ding!

[You have evolved "Bone Spikes" (Epic) to "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary).]

[Current Evolution Points: 50.]

---

[Sharp Bone Spikes (Legendary): Summon 5 → 10 skeletal spikes from the ground to pierce an opponent. Each spike deals 1,000 → 1,500 damage and has a small chance to cause "bleeding". 30 → 25 (12.5)-seconds cooldown.]

---

"Amazing."

He could already see it, ten spikes lancing out, shredding anything in their path.

If all of them landed, that was 150,000 damage in an instant.

More than any skill in his current arsenal.

The deeper you went into [Eternal Soul], the greater the rewards became.

Skills that once seemed strong were nothing compared to what waited deeper in the game.

But even then, he didn’t evolve it further. Not yet.

Because evolving it to mythical now would cost 2,500 Lives to extract into reality.

He didn’t have that. Couldn’t afford it.

Legendary was manageable, it would only cost 1,000.

And Stark needed it in the real world.

[Do you wish to use 1,000 Lives to extract your "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary) skill to the real world?]

"Yeah."

Ding!

[You have extracted "Sharp Bone Spikes" (Legendary) to the real world.]

That was another layer of security.

Another weapon ready for when the [First Calamity] arrived.

A week remained, but Stark refused to take chances.

In his past life, the calamity had swept everything away.

He’d be alone this time, after all, and there was the presence of the mythical-rank monster that caused the most damage in his past life.

He’d save his equipment extractions for later, right before it happened.

For now, though—

Ding!

[Do you wish to climb to the "Fifth Floor (Legendary)"?]

Stark didn’t hesitate. He nodded once.

Fwish!

His body scattered into fragments of light, reassembling at the top.

The final floor was here.

Ding!

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

[Lives loss rate: 500]

This one hit even harder than the last, as the lives loss rate doubled.

This amount could actually kill some players, which was why almost no one dared attempt it.

Max, Seren and himself tried togethe once in his past life.

All three had failed, each paying the price in lives.

But this time was different. Stark was here again, but alone, and stronger.

He stepped forward.

A voice cut through the silence. Deep. Measured.

"It seems... someone has come."

Stark’s eyes narrowed. Ahead, a figure stood waiting.

The final boss of the tower. His first legendary-ranked opponent in this life.

---

[Divine Dual Wielder (Level 25)]

[Rank: Legendary (Special Boss)]

[HP: 500,000]

---

The numbers were monstrous.

Its health pool alone dwarfed anything he had fought so far.

The aura rolling off its body was heavier, sharper, dangerous.

The boss stood tall, about 1.9 meters, encased in gleaming golden armor.

In its right hand, a sword of divine steel burned with radiance.

In its left, a staff pulsed with sacred power.

It was a dual wielder in the truest sense, capable of seamlessly shifting between physical and magical combat.

The further you went inside of [Eternal Soul], the more impressive the bosses would become.

Especially those at the upper-ranks, they were simply overwhelming.

Still, Stark spun his staff in hand, settling into stance.

"You do not seem... eager to speak," the boss rumbled.

Its voice was low, almost bored. "Then you will... die."

"Sure."

He answered flatly, then immediately used his new skill.

Sharp Bone Spikes!

Fwish! Fwish!

Ten skeletal spikes erupted from the ground, each razor-tipped and gleaming pale.

Slash! Crash!

The [Divine Dual Wielder] moved fast.

It dodged half of the spikes, parried two more with its sword, but three still struck home.

-15,000! -15,000! -15,000!

Stark’s eyes narrowed.

So that was the catch with this skill: hitting wasn’t guaranteed.

Its strength was balanced by accuracy, if the enemy was too fast, half if not all of the damage potential could be wasted.

Still. It had landed.

The boss reacted immediately.

Divine Strike!

It closed the gap with terrifying speed, sword descending in a gleaming arc.

Invincible Magic Barrier!

BAM!

The impact rattled the shield, shaving away nearly a fifth of its durability in one blow.

Before Stark could breathe, the staff in the boss’s other hand pulsed with golden light.

Divine Flames!

A wave of fire exploded outward, golden flames licking across the chamber and crashing against Stark’s barrier.

"Interesting..."

This boss could use both of its weapons extremely well and in sync.

It didn’t seem to have any kind of effect or mechanic either, its strength relied on its health and power.

Which meant he simply had to overwhelm it first.

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

His spells streaked forward in rapid succession.

-74,700! -93,375! Blocked! Blocked!

The lightning stunned it briefly, and the meteor slammed into its chest, but the vines and crystal shattered against the divine blade.

The battle raged. For over a minute, Stark poured everything he had.

Spells, timing, precision.

The boss answered with steel and magic, its sword carving through attacks, its staff igniting the air with flame and fury.

His barrier cracked under the pressure, blows hammering it again and again.

Still, he endured.

Storm of Lightning! Sharp Bone Spikes!

Fwish!

-74,700! -105,000!

This time, seven out of the ten spikes actually landed, dealing massive damage.

But at that moment, the boss’s health plummeted, dropping under 100,000.

And that was when its tone shifted.

"Good... try," it growled, voice sharper now. "But... take this."

Its body blazed with light.

Divine Fury!

FWISH!

A golden glow surrounded the boss’ figure, and its eyes burned as it lunged at Stark.

SLASH!

The sword came down in a blur. Stark’s barrier shattered instantly.

The second strike followed at once, too fast to dodge.

Stark raised his staff instinctively, still calm.

BAM!

The clash rattled his arms to the bone, but he held.

And then—

Crack!

Stark’s gaze dropped as he noticed a thin line run down the length of his weapon.

Ding!

[Your "Soul Staff" is on the verge of breaking.]

"Damn."