CHAPTER 269: AN OLD ENEMY?

The creature that materialized in front of him was a mountain of molten rock, with limbs and a head shaped exactly like that of a deer.

Its massive, terrifying body radiated heat, and its blazing, fire-filled eyes locked onto Daniel.

Daniel gave the beast a strange look because he knew it all too well.

Isn’t this Rag’Zar? The same beast he fought and defeated on the first floor? How the hell is it here?

"Well, it’s a Corruption Beast, so it might be from one of the recognized species. Maybe this is just another member of that species," he muttered to himself, which sounded logical enough.

Then he stared at it with a bit of nostalgia. The last time he faced this type, he only barely managed to defeat it—and even then, only because Aron used that Rank A item.

But now? He wanted to see how many seconds—or minutes—it would take to end this.

Without hesitation, Daniel drew The Heavens Honor, the aura radiating from it like it came straight from the depths of hell, making the simulated beast’s eyelids twitch.

The lava stag let out a piercing roar, starting the battle by unleashing [Lava Surge].

Its massive foot slammed down, sending a colossal wave of molten rock and magma surging toward Daniel like a tsunami, scorching the stone floor and filling the air with suffocating heat.

Daniel leaped with agility, channeling Death Energy into The Heavens Honor, the blade flashing like lightning. With a spin, he evaded the molten wave, though the heat burned at his skin and sweat dripped from his forehead.

"This just your warm-up, big deer?" he said with a mocking grin, dashing toward the beast’s leg.

The Heavens Honor, wreathed in a black aura, struck the molten stone with a clean slash, cutting part of the leg. A fountain of magma erupted, forcing Daniel to leap back to avoid burns. The stag bellowed in rage and activated [Burning Antlers].

Its crystalline antlers glowed with a deep red light, launching forward like blazing spears, tearing through the air and scraping sparks off the glass barrier.

Daniel reacted instantly, spinning The Heavens Honor to deflect one antler, but the other slammed into his left arm.

However, nothing happened—there wasn’t even a scratch.

He focused Death Energy into his blade and, with a powerful swing, shattered one of the crystalline antlers. Shards fell like meteorites, clattering against the stone floor, the arena rumbling with the sound.

The stag roared furiously, unleashing [Breath of Death Smoke]. A dense, black, burning fog filled the arena, obscuring Daniel’s vision and filling his lungs with the stench of sulfur.

Of course, it wasn’t just ordinary smoke—it carried a diluted trace of the Law of Death.

Daniel covered his eyes with one hand, but focused his energy, circulating Death Energy through his body to negate the smoke’s effects.

"You’re really trying to compete with me in the Law of Death?!" he shouted with a laugh, slicing through the fog with The Heavens Honor.

With a high leap, he lunged for the stag’s blazing eyes. The beast tried to defend itself with its remaining antler, but Daniel slipped past and drove his blade into one of its sun-like eyes.

Death Energy surged like a dark wave through the beast’s body, and the monster collapsed with a guttural roar. Its body faded into magical light, leaving behind scattered magma and crystal shards on the floor. Daniel stood tall.

"Better than I thought." He expected the fight to end quicker, but this beast was tougher than he imagined.

If Aron hadn’t used that item back on the first floor, we really would’ve been done for.

Guess I should make the most of this. He activated the Death Tablet. Normally, comprehension of Laws required a calm environment.

But it was also possible to deepen one’s understanding while fighting. Since Death Energy was all he could use right now, this was the perfect chance to strengthen his comprehension of the Law of Death.

"One down. Next," he said, glancing at Lana, who was standing outside the arena.

She snapped out of her daze—not just her, but all the spectators were visibly stunned.

"He just casually killed a Lava Stag? Since when is defeating that thing easy?"

"The last time I faced one, I got crushed in under three minutes, but he humiliated it the entire time!"

"Who is this guy? Is he really a newcomer?" the guild members whispered among themselves, their chatter making Simon’s expression darken.

He hadn’t expected this white-haired kid to win so easily.

Looking at the leaderboard only made it worse—Daniel had jumped from being unranked to Rank 170 in just one fight.

The reason? Simple. He had just killed a beast at Hell difficulty, which was clearly displayed on that damn floating screen.

Even Simon didn’t dare attempt that.

At that moment, Daniel’s next opponent appeared. The blue holographic shards reassembled, forming another beast.

A massive scorpion emerged, its body made of sleek black metal that reflected the ceiling’s crystals like a dark mirror.

Its long, arched tail ended in a diamond-shaped red stinger that scattered green sparks with every flick.

Its semi-transparent, bat-like wings, streaked with green corruption veins, vibrated in the air, producing a sound like the whispers of ghosts.

Its jewel-like green eyes glimmered in the darkness, and its armored body made a chilling metallic clang with every step. It stood nearly six meters tall, moving with lethal speed, like a living shadow from the underworld.

"A Winged Phantom Scorpion? Are you kidding me? That’s what he has to fight next?"

"How strong is this guy for the system to simulate a beast like that for him?"

The crowd’s attention zeroed in on the arena. They all knew this Corruption Beast well. This one was a solid mid-Rank B threat.

Among the guild’s Awakened below Rank A, no one had ever managed to defeat this thing—well, except for their young lady, Lana, back when she was Rank B. And... if they counted Simon as part of the guild, he had done it too.

Most of the people who had ever defeated this scorpion were at least Rank A.

But now, this creature had appeared once more, and as the opponent of another Rank B...

Would this guy make history, or would he fall like the rest?