Floor 7 was a wasteland.
Cracked earth. Burning skies. Rivers of lava.
And everywhere... demons.
[Corrupted Imp (Level 22)]
[Demon Hound (Level 23)]
[Lesser Demon Warrior (Level 24)]
All of them bore Malachar's mark—glowing red runes on their bodies.
DING!
[Floor Objective: Survive for 30 minutes]
[Waves of demons will spawn continuously]
[Defeat them all to proceed]
Ethan gritted his teeth.
'A survival challenge. And with Malachar's interference, the demons are stronger than normal.'
The first wave spawned.
Twenty [Corrupted Imps] rushed toward him, shrieking.
Ethan raised his hand.
"Graviton Meteor!"
BOOM!
The meteor obliterated half of them instantly.
The rest kept coming.
"Lightning Bolt! Ice Spear!"
CRACK! FWOOSH!
Two more fell.
DING!
[You have slain "Corrupted Imp (Level 22)" x12]
[+480 Experience Points]
But then the second wave spawned.
[Demon Hounds] this time. Faster. More aggressive.
Ethan activated Void Step.
FWOOSH!
He teleported 50 meters away, creating three afterimages.
The hounds attacked the illusions, buying him precious seconds.
"Wind Blade! Fireball!"
SLASH! BOOM!
More demons fell.
But they kept coming.
Wave after wave.
Ethan's mana was draining fast.
[MP: 85/245]
'I need to conserve mana.'
The third wave spawned.
[Lesser Demon Warriors].
These were different. Armored. Disciplined.
They formed a phalanx, shields raised.
Ethan cursed.
'I can't break through that with normal spells.'
He checked his remaining mana.
[MP: 85/245]
Not enough for another Graviton Meteor.
'I need... wait.'
As if on cue—
DING!
[The Shadow Merchant has appeared]
The hooded figure materialized beside him, completely unbothered by the chaos.
"Ah, the regressor. Struggling, are we?"
"What do you have?" Ethan asked quickly.
The merchant's shop appeared.
[Shadow Merchant's Shop]
[Demon Slayer's Sword (Rare) - 2,000 Credits]
[Major Mana Potion x5 - 500 Credits]
[Demon Ward Talisman - 1,000 Credits]
Ethan had 2,347 credits total.
'I need that sword.'
"Sold," Ethan said, purchasing the Demon Slayer's Sword.
DING!
[Purchase Complete]
A massive blade materialized in his hands, glowing with holy light.
The demons shrieked and backed away.
[Demon Slayer's Sword (Rare): +60 Attack, +40 Strength, +50% damage to demon-type enemies]
Ethan grinned.
"Now we're talking."
He charged forward.
The blade cut through demon flesh like paper.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
[You have slain "Lesser Demon Warrior (Level 24)"]
[You have slain "Demon Hound (Level 23)"]
[You have slain...]
The kills kept stacking.
DING!
[You have reached Level 19!]
[You have reached Level 20!]
Finally, after 30 brutal minutes—
DING!
[Floor 7 Cleared!]
[Malachar's interference has been overcome]
[Bonus Reward: Abyssal Resistance (Passive)]
[Abyssal Resistance: Reduce all demon-type damage by 30%]
Ethan collapsed, panting.
'I... actually did it.'
DING!
[Warning: Malachar is watching you]
[He is impressed]
[A message has been sent]
A dark window appeared.
[MALACHAR: You continue to defy expectations, little regressor. But know this—I have allies in your world. Friends who will soon remember our old bargain. Let us see if you can protect them.]
The window vanished.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
'He's going after my friends. Starting now.'
Ethan rushed through Floor 8 and Floor 9 without stopping.
He needed to get back to his party.
By the time he exited the Tower, he was Level 22.
[Name: Ethan Cross]
[Level: 22]
[HP: 450/450]
[MP: 295/295]
[Strength: 145]
[Agility: 92]
[Intelligence: 118]
[Vitality: 102]
[Combat Power: 872]
But power meant nothing if his friends were in danger.
Ethan pulled up his communicator.
Messages from his party:
Marcus: "Ethan, where are you? We're struggling on Floor 3."
Lily: "Please help! Jin got hurt!"
Sarah: "We need you."
Derek: "Yo, you alive?"
Jin: "..."
Ethan's hands tightened.
'They're still on Floor 3? I've been climbing too fast.'
He teleported back to Tower #237's entrance.
Inside, he found his party on Floor 3, fighting a boss.
[Stone Guardian (Level 10 - Boss)]
They were losing.
Marcus's shield was cracked. Lily was out of mana. Derek was bleeding. Jin could barely stand.
And Sarah...
Sarah was aiming her bow. At the boss.
But her hands were shaking.
Ethan noticed something.
A faint red mark on her neck. Barely visible.
'No... Malachar's already contacted her.'
"Everyone, back!" Ethan shouted.
He raised his hand.
"Graviton Meteor!"
BOOM!
The massive meteor obliterated the Stone Guardian instantly.
DING!
[Boss defeated]
His party stared in shock.
"Ethan?!" Marcus exclaimed. "What the hell was that?!"
"And you're Level 22?!" Derek added. "We're only Level 8!"
Ethan ignored them and walked straight to Sarah.
"Sarah. We need to talk."
Sarah's eyes flickered. "I... I don't know what you're..."
"The mark on your neck," Ethan said quietly. "When did he contact you?"
Sarah's face went pale.
"How... how do you know?"
"Because I've seen this before," Ethan said. "Did you accept his offer?"
Tears welled in Sarah's eyes.
"I... I was scared. We were dying. The boss was too strong. And then... this voice. It promised me power. Strength to protect everyone. I just... I just wanted to help..."
"Did you sign a contract?"
"N-no. Not yet. He said I have three days to decide."
Ethan exhaled in relief.
'There's still time.'
"Listen to me carefully," Ethan said. "Do NOT accept. No matter what he promises. It's a trap."
"But how do you—"
"I know things," Ethan interrupted. "Things about the future. About what happens to people who make deals with demons. Trust me."
Sarah looked into his eyes.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she nodded slowly.
"Okay. I trust you."
The red mark on her neck flickered, then faded completely.
DING!
[Malachar's offer has been rejected]
[Sarah Kane is no longer marked]
Ethan felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
'One saved. Four to go.'
He turned to the others.
"Has anyone else heard strange voices? Offers of power?"
Derek raised his hand. "Yeah. Told it to fuck off."
Jin nodded silently. "Refused."
Lily shook her head. "Nothing."
Marcus hesitated.
"I... I think I heard something. But I thought it was just stress."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
'Marcus is uncertain. That's dangerous.'
"From now on," Ethan said firmly, "if ANYONE hears voices offering power, you tell me immediately. Understood?"
They all nodded.
"Good. Now let's get you all stronger."
Over the next week, Ethan trained his party.
He shared his knowledge of monster patterns, efficient leveling routes, and combat techniques.
Within days, they all reached Level 15.
But Ethan never stopped watching them.
Especially Marcus.
Because in his past life, Marcus had been one of the five who killed him.
And Ethan still didn't know... was he forced? Or did he betray willingly?