[FLOOR 1, Kill the monsters to clear the floor.]

Mark stared at it blankly. Then he looked around cautiously. The room was empty, still the same polished stone floor without a single piece of furniture or decoration.

"Well," Mark muttered, "let's see which monsters I would face."

He had barely finished speaking when the air rippled. Within ten seconds, five creatures materialized out of thin space.

They looked like monstrous black hounds, each the size of a small bus, their eyes glowing red as they opened their flaming jaws. Twin plumes of fire spilled out with every breath, and the air temperature instantly spiked.

Ark's voice rang in Mark's consciousness.

[Scan complete. Realm: 9th-circle. Variant Fire Hellhounds.]

"Perfect warm-up," Mark murmured.

He summoned his adamantine assault rifle with a flick of his wrist from his inventory. The moment the metallic weight settled into his hand, he aimed directly at the pack.

*Woof*

The hellhounds barked and charged at him with frightening speed, smashing the stone floor with their paws on the way.

But Mark calmly squeezed the trigger.

Fifty rounds of adamantine bullets left the muzzle in less than three seconds. The hellhounds' bodies ruptured with each impact. One's head exploded outright. Another was torn open through the ribs. A third lost half its torso before collapsing.

The fight lasted fewer seconds than the time it took for the monsters to appear.

When the final bullet left the chamber, all five hellhounds were already dissolving into black mist.

Mark lowered the rifle and exhaled lightly.

"Alright then. Floor one cleared. Let's see how many more floors this founder of ours cooked up."

He stepped forward, ready for whatever the next floor would bring.

*

The holographic screen flickered once, and glowing letters rippled across its surface.

[Level 1 cleared. Please proceed upstairs to Floor 2.]

A new staircase unfolded from the ground, as if the stone itself were shifting to accommodate his path. Mark raised a brow at that. Every single movement in this tower felt too smooth, too responsive, almost like someone had built it using a modern gaming engine rather than ancient runic formations.

"Alright then… Floor 2," Mark muttered, patting the side of his assault rifle before climbing.

As soon as he stepped onto the next platform, the surroundings shimmered and rearranged themselves. The flat arena remained, but a layer of frost spread out beneath his feet. The air temperature plummeted a bit.

Then the monsters materialized.

Three wolves, each one enormous, towering above him. Their claws were thick and sharp like sculpted glacier shards, and cold steam rose from their mouths as they snarled. All three bore the unmistakable aura of 10-circle demigod realm beasts this time.

Ark scanned them instantly.

[Frostfang Direwolves, Realm: Demigod. Attribute: Ice]

One of the wolves wasted no time in attacking. Its chest swelled, and in the next moment, a concentrated torrent of pale-blue frost exploded outward. The icy breath engulfed the entire chamber, freezing the floor, the walls, and even the air itself gave birth to an icicle shower. Everything turned white, everything except Mark.

The frost washed over him harmlessly, breaking into harmless motes of glittering snowflakes the moment it touched his body.

"Yeah," Mark murmured with a dry chuckle, "you're not freezing someone blessed by the Blizzard Pegasus. Nice attempt though."

The wolves didn't wait. They lunged as one, massive paws crunching against the frozen ground, jaws snapping with a force strong enough to shatter steel.

Mark didn't bother dodging this time.

He simply lifted the assault rifle, aimed in their general direction, and squeezed the trigger.

Fifty adamantine rounds tore through the air once again, like lightning.

But unlike the small hellhounds earlier, these beasts were larger, much larger, and his shots struck at scattered angles.

Instead of killing them outright, the bullets ripped through their flesh and embedded deep into their bodies. The effect was immediate: Adamantine's overwhelming density dragged their bodies down, and the internal damage caused their limbs to momentarily stiffen.

The wolves staggered, howling in pain and anger.

One collapsed onto its front legs, its movement jerky.

Another shook violently, trying to expel the foreign metal but failing.

The third attempted another ice breath, but the instability inside its body disrupted the technique halfway.

Mark tapped the magazine release calmly, which clattered to the frozen floor.

He slid in another fresh one without a single wasted movement on the wounded beasts that couldn't move.

"Round two," he murmured, raising the rifle again.

The second storm of bullets roared through the chamber.

This time, none of them were left alive.

Mark lowered the rifle, exhaled once, and let the magazine drop again. "Okay… Floor 2. Not bad."

A familiar ding echoed overhead as another holographic screen glowed into existence.

[Level 2 cleared. Please proceed upstairs.]

Mark glanced up the next staircase as it unfurled smoothly from the frozen ground. The sight actually made him grin.

"Alright, Founder," he muttered under his breath, "let's see what other game levels you've left behind."

With rifle in hand and steady steps, he walked toward Floor 3.

He took a steady breath and climbed, rifle slung casually at his side.

Floor 3 materialized around him with a howl.

This time, seven Frost Wolf Queens appeared, all of them towering beasts with icy manes and regal but violent auras. Each one bore the strength of a demigod. The moment they emerged, all seven drew in breath. Their chests expanded, in order to release Ice breath all together, just like on the previous floor where only one did it.

Mark didn't bother to say anything this time. The moment the icy glow ignited in their throats, he activated his skill.

"Gravity Dome, 5000G."

At once, a ripple spread out from him. Their legs buckled instantly as the gravity dome was activated, before their bodies flattening as if an invisible mountain pressed down on them. Ice breath dispersed harmlessly into muffled coughs as their lungs were crushed tight.

Mark then raised his assault rifle.

He emptied a full magazine, fifty adamantine rounds, straight into the pinned wolves. The bullets tore through fur, muscle, and skull, embedding inside their bodies. The beasts convulsed helplessly under the dome.

He didn't stop.

A second magazine followed, then a third. When the final wolf's struggling ceased, all seven dissolved into pale frost flakes.

The holographic screen appeared overhead.

[Floor 3 cleared. Proceed upstairs.]

Mark exhaled, rotated his shoulders, and began climbing again.

Floor 4 greeted him with a thunderous roar.

The chamber was smaller this time, or maybe the creature inside simply felt too large.

It was a giant cyclops, towering at least fifty feet, standing in the center. Its single eye glared with eerie blue light, and a massive club rested in its hands. This one was in the 11th circle.

The cyclops spotted him and charged immediately, the entire floor trembling with each step.

Mark didn't bother moving and unleashed the same skill.

"Gravity Dome, 20000g."

The giant collapsed instantly, legs snapping under the pressure. Its body hit the ground with a boom that shook loose frost from the ceiling. The beast roared and thrashed, but the multiplied weight glued it to the floor.

Mark raised the rifle, walked closer, and pointed directly at the cyclops's massive face.

He fired.

The first bullet cracked the creature's skull. The next few punched through the eye. By the time the magazine was empty, the cyclops was nothing but melting mist. One magazine, fifty rounds, was all it took.

The screen blinked again.

[Floor 4 cleared.]

Floor 5 was less generous.

Three cyclopes now stood waiting for him. They roared together, shaking the ground until pebbles danced at Mark's feet. All were identical, same height, same weapons, and same blazing single eye. The chamber was larger than before, allowing them to spread out and coordinate.

Mark stepped forward calmly.

"Gravity Dome."

All three slammed down at once, their roars muffled as their chests compressed under the weight. Their clubs dropped from their hands, rolling away like fallen tree trunks.

This time, Mark walked among them with unhurried steps, raising his rifle and emptying magazines one by one. Three cyclopes. Three magazines.

He didn't even break a sweat.

[Floor 5 cleared.]

And then came Floor 6.

The moment he ascended, a heavy pressure filled the chamber. Seven cyclopes, each one fiercer than the previous batch, stood towering before him. Their eyes glowed brighter, their clubs crackled faintly with energy, and their roar was loud enough to shake Mark's bones.

He sighed.

"Of course. Seven now."

They charged simultaneously, each swing strong enough to tear mountains apart. But before their clubs even fell, Mark expanded the Gravity Dome again.