CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: LEGENDARY-RANK DIVINE STAFF, CLEARING THE TOWER OF DIVINITY

’Well,’ Stark thought, eyes flicking down to the crack along his staff, ’I guess I should have expected that.’

The [Divine Dual Wielder] had been hammering him relentlessly.

It was a miracle the staff had lasted this long.

Thankfully, it wasn’t fully broken yet.

That meant he could still channel his spells through it.

But one more solid strike and it would shatter for good, and that was something he couldn’t allow to happen.

He didn’t even have a backup staff in his inventory.

Fwish!

The boss lunged.

Divine Strike! Golden Ray!

Sword in one hand, staff in the other.

Its blade came screaming down at him while, at the same time, a golden beam shot toward his chest.

Stark moved on instinct.

He twisted aside from the blade, feeling the wind cut past his cheek.

The ray, though—

Invincible Magic Barrier!

BOOM!

The shield burst into existence just in time.

The ray splashed across it harmlessly, but the shockwave rattled Stark’s bones.

Then he quickly retaliated.

Storm of Lightning! Sharp Bone Strikes!

Zap!

-74,700!

The lightning smashed down from above, tearing through the boss’s frame.

Its health bar dipped, the first real sign that victory was within reach.

But the spikes—

Clang! Clang! Shatter!

The [Divine Dual Wielder]’s sword blurred, cutting every single one down before they could touch its armor.

Its voice rumbled, low and heavy.

"You... are outmatched..."

Slash! Slash! Crack!

The next flurry shattered Stark’s barrier completely.

He ducked under the killing blow by a hair’s breadth.

He answered with raw firepower.

Fire Meteor! Vines of Fate! Crystal of Death!

Fwoosh! Crack! Shatter!

But the golden blade swept through the vines like grass and batted the crystal aside.

It also cut the [Fire Meteor] in half!

The fight had reached a deadlock.

Stark couldn’t land the finishing strike, and the boss couldn’t quite kill him either.

But the boss wasn’t blind. It had seen the fissure running down Stark’s staff.

Its eyes locked onto it like a predator.

Each swing angled lower, aiming for his weapon rather than his life.

"Damn it." Stark gritted his teeth.

If the staff broke now, he was finished.

He had to focus on dodging, weaving, keeping just enough distance to avoid a clean hit.

Minutes passed like this.

Two long, punishing minutes of constant defense.

His arms burned, his barrier strained, and still he endured.

But then—

Grab!

The boss caught his arm, iron grip locking him in place.

BAM!

A brutal kick smashed into his chest, throwing him to the ground.

"Goodbye."

The [Divine Dual Wielder]’s golden sword shifted, turning dark.

Shadows crawled along its edge.

DARK STRIKE!

The blade rose high, hungry to cleave him apart.

But surprisingly, even as he saw this attack, Stark didn’t look scared at all!

He raised his staff.

Storm of Lightning!

Zap!

The clash was instantaneous. The sword fell. The lightning struck.

Slash Zap!

Smoke filled the air. One of them should be dead.

But when the light cleared—

Immune! -74,700!

Stark stood, alive. Not even scratched.

The boss froze, eyes widening in disbelief.

"How is this..."

It looked down. Around Stark’s neck, a necklace glowed faintly.

The [Dark Necklace], its passive ability deflecting dark-elemental attacks.

"Oh..." the boss muttered, voice almost resigned. "It is my loss."

Its knees buckled. The lightning had struck true, draining the last of its health.

The [Divine Dual Wielder] collapsed, its golden armor clattering against the floor.

Ding!

---

[You have completed the "Fifth Floor (Legendary)" of the "Tower of Divinity".]

[You have obtained the "Divine Sword (Legendary)" and "Divine Staff (Legendary)".]

---

"Two rewards? I guess they do reward those capable enough to clear it."

And one of them was a staff. Relief washed over him.

His cracked weapon would no longer be a problem.

But right as he was about to check it... at the same time, a sudden global announcement rang.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

---

[Player "Oblivion" is the first to complete the five floors of the "Tower of Divinity".]

[You have gained 25 Prestige Points!]

---

The announcement echoed across the world.

"Oblivion again? When will this guy stop?"

"I mean, we saw him enter the tower, so this was expected."

"Sure, but less than ten minutes? He cleared all five floors in one attempt!"

Many players speculated, but Stark couldn’t hear them, and he didn’t care much.

All he cared about were the rewards for doing this.

[You have gained 14 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 135 Lives!]

Not bad. But he wasn’t finished.

Hand of Avarice!

The spectral claw ripped through the boss’s body, dragging more rewards from its corpse.

Ding!

[You have gained 12 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 119 Lives!]

In addition to that, another item dropped thanks to the hand of avarice: the [Divine Armor (Legendary)].

Stark’s eyes widened.

Armor, sword, staff, an entire legendary set!

He laid the items out before him, one by one, and inspected them.

---

[Divine Armor (Legendary): Warrior-type armor. +630 Physical Resistance, +630 Magical Resistance. Requirement: Level 25]

[Divine Protection (Passive Skill): grants the user a 90% damage reduction to light-based attacks]

---

[Divine Sword (Legendary): Warrior-type weapon. +700 Strength, Attack Speed +20%. Requirement: Level 25.]

---

These were two warrior-type weapons that Stark would have surely loved to have in his past life.

But since he was a mage... he only really cared about the last one.

---

[Divine Staff (Legendary): Mage-type weapon. +410 Spirit, +130 Magical Resistance, Casting Speed +12%. Requirement: Level 25.]

---

’Incredible.’

The staff alone doubled his power.

The [Spirit] gain was more than all his current [Spirit] combined.

His damage output would skyrocket.

He hadn’t really known if he could beat the mythical-rank boss of the [First Calamity] by himself, but with this staff, perhaps he had a chance.

He glanced at his [Soul Staff].

The fissure was wider now, one strike away from breaking.

It was half-broken, no way he could sell it to anyone, or even give it to Grace.

It had served him well, but its time was over.

He sighed, then dismissed it from his inventory.

"Thanks for the work."

Change was constant in [Eternal Soul]. Both in the world, but the players as well.

He lifted the [Divine Staff]. Power radiated from it, filling him to the core.

He felt his spells surge instantly, damage almost doubling on the spot.

"Perfect," Stark whispered, a grin spreading across his face.

But with that done, he had actually managed to clear the entirety of the [Tower of Divinity].

He acquired all the rewards too, completing the event, essentially.

A shimmering portal appeared in the center of the chamber, pulsing gently. The exit.

But before he stepped forward—

Ding!

A panel appeared unexpectedly.

[The place you seek is currently available in the "Ruined City".]

Stark froze. His eyes narrowed.

It didn’t take him more than a split second to realize what this was about.

’The [Church Sanctuary].’

But the question was who sent this panel?

It wasn’t the system. [Eternal Soul] never communicated outside its mechanics.

Which meant something, or someone, else was watching.

Still, it didn’t matter. He had his answer.

Time was moving forward, and so was he.

Fwish!

The portal swallowed him.

Light faded, and he reappeared in the outside world.

The square was full of players, hundreds gathering, forming teams, trading information.

Noise buzzed everywhere.

But when Stark walked forward, the noise dimmed.

None dared block his path. Everyone knew the name [Oblivion] now.

He stopped in the middle of the crowd. Dozens of eyes locked on him.

And in that moment, a thought struck him.

’My inventory’s almost full. Perfect opportunity to free some space.’

His lips curved upward.

Three weeks had passed since launch.

Most players had more Lives now, more resources.

Which meant they could afford better gear. And he had plenty to sell.

So, Stark sat down right there, in full view of the masses.

One by one, he pulled items from his inventory, laying them out in neat rows on the ground.

Then he activated his [Stall] function.

Ding!

A panel floated above him, announcing to everyone nearby that he was selling!