A world frozen entirely in white.
A magic mirror that reflected one's own appearance.
The final prison—created by Glacier Formation.
"What… is this…?"
Pendariel was shaken.
For the first time, confusion surfaced on the queen's face.
Within the frozen domain, the number of zombies continued to increase.
Kwang!
One wall shattered—but behind it stood another wall, sealing the path.
And then—
[Ice Jade Myriad Transformation activates Wide-Spread Chaos!]
The second ability of the prison bloomed as illusions spread throughout the space.
"Kiiik!"
"Kuaak!"
The zombies began to turn on one another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crack!
They smashed their teeth against the icy walls.
Some lost all sense of reason and even bared their fangs at the queen.
Everything had slipped beyond Pendariel's control.
In moments, the pristine white ice was stained red with blood.
"Human! How dare you do this!"
Watching its children slaughtered, the queen erupted in rage.
A ferocious, overwhelming aura burst forth.
[Pendariel Lv?? 'Black Death' has manifested!]
It was the same skill that had annihilated Ian Smith's raid party.
Black energy surged forward, crawling toward the walls.
Kukuku!
Everything it touched blackened, decayed, and collapsed.
The prison's purpose—to stall—was obliterated.
This was absolute power.
Pendariel's unique ability, amplified by fury, was on a completely different level.
It was no coincidence that even the Murim avoided provoking the queen.
"Where are you hiding? Come out!"
But—
Even as the ice prison disintegrated, the enemy was nowhere to be seen.
"…?"
Fragments of ice lay scattered across the ground.
Then—
Pendariel's gaze locked onto the center of the barrier.
Something small.
Shining faintly.
A trace of magic remained.
"This…"
The magic stone.
The core used to activate the prison.
"…Bait?"
Had the human used his base and allies as decoys?
Had he lured Pendariel here—only to vanish?
There was only one explanation.
As realization struck, the queen's long-dormant heart began to pound.
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
'Dangerous.'
For the first time—
Pendariel felt fear.
'That man… he is truly…'
It understood now.
'He's trying to destroy everything I cherish.'
Its instincts screamed warnings.
That single human was more dangerous than thousands of players combined.
The 4th floor was a base defense battlefield.
For both humans and zombies.
And now—
The queen had abandoned its colony to hunt Jin-hyuk.
Which meant—
'The base is empty.'
Jin-hyuk sprinted forward.
Thanks to Sword Demon Emperor's Footwork, his stamina never faltered.
Kwakwakwang!
Violent magic erupted in the distance.
The queen was returning at full speed.
'I figured you wouldn't be a fool.'
If Pendariel had continued attacking the stadium, it might have succeeded.
But victory conditions were absolute.
Zombies only won if all player bases on the 4th floor were destroyed.
And hundreds of bases still stood.
Before they could be wiped out—
The queen's own base was under attack.
'Even if you realized it now… it's too late.'
Level.
Skill.
Power.
Speed.
Everything favored Pendariel.
Naturally so.
She was a boss monster that didn't belong on the 4th floor.
'In a direct fight, I would lose.'
But—
Veterans didn't win by brute force.
They won by abusing the rules.
"Phew."
Jin-hyuk exhaled as he reached the queen's colony.
The remaining guards came into view.
'Forty?'
Not even enough to stall him.
Srng.
His twin swords were unsheathed.
[Sword Grave activated!]
Black energy pulsed from the blade in his left hand.
Psss!
Dark red and black flames flared violently.
[Blessing of the Stars activated!]
Starlight enveloped the sword in his right hand.
Woong!
The constellations answered his call.
Two miracles—manifested simultaneously.
"Kuak!"
"Kiiik!"
The zombies rushed forward—
And were erased in a single exchange.
Limbs flew.
Blood rained.
This wasn't combat.
It was extermination.
Jin-hyuk tore through the defenses and advanced deeper.
The air changed.
The stench of blood thickened.
Rotting corpses assaulted his senses.
'Disgusting… no matter how many times I see it.'
Jin-hyuk grimaced.
If hell existed, it would look like this.
A colossal graveyard of flesh and bone.
Kwakwakwang!
"Kiiik!"
More zombies emerged as he advanced—but none survived a single strike.
Where numbers clustered, Daylight erased them in one blast.
Not far now.
Less than a hundred meters to the queen's flag.
'It's time.'
Jin-hyuk felt a disturbance beneath his feet.
A familiar one.
Kwang!
A massive blade erupted from the ground—
But Jin-hyuk had already leapt back.
"I… will… eat…!"
"Taste… good… guts… meat!"
A grotesque giant rose from the earth.
Two heads.
Warped flesh.
Monstrous scissors.
The Watchman.
Also known as—
The Butcher.
Among all special zombies on the 4th floor—
This was the most obnoxious.
No vital points.
Functional even after decapitation.
Wielded two-meter-long scissor blades.
To kill it, you had to reduce it to fragments.
Pendariel was still distant.
Jin-hyuk had about three minutes.
"Choose again. Spicy… or a clean cut?"
"Is… this… real…?"
"We… see… you… first… time…"
The two heads tilted apart, avoiding collision.
"Yeah. But this is my 30th time killing you."
Memories flooded back.
Fire.
Blades.
Even chopsticks.
It once took 180,000 attempts to crush a head.
'Not doing that again.'
"Gibberish… talk…"
"Yum… eat… head… toe!"
Clack! Clack!
The scissors snapped shut.
They could shear iron effortlessly.
But—
This prey was different.
The Butcher aimed for Jin-hyuk's legs—
As he drove his swords into the ground.
Kang!
The scissors were stopped cold.
"Not… move…?"
Mistake one.
These weren't ordinary swords.
Mistake two—
[Lv6 Element of Fire activated!]
Jin-hyuk vaulted over its head.
Wheik!
Twin rays of flame pierced both eyes—
Straight into the brain.
"Kuaaak!"
"Eyes… eyes!"
Blinded.
Next—
The weakest point.
Jin-hyuk traced a runic circle beneath it.
Kwakwakwang!
A pillar of fire erupted from below—
Melting flesh and bone alike.
But he didn't stop.
Named zombies didn't die easily.
Now—
At its weakest—
He struck.
Red lines carved across gray flesh.
"Kua… ack!"
"It… hurts…!"
The Butcher flailed wildly.
Pain-driven. Directionless.
Useless.
"Thank you. One minute—new record."
His 31st attempt.
Puak!
Puak!
The Twin Dragon Swords pierced its spine.
Mandala energy surged.
His vision turned gold.
[Level has risen]
[You have acquired 'Scissors Infused with Spirit']
Nothing remained.
Only the weapon.
'Nothing compares to this.'
The sprint had been worth it.
Stat allocation could wait.
Now—
Only one thing remained.
Pull the flag.
The battle was over.
Then—
Tring!
An unexpected status window appeared.
Jin-hyuk smirked.
"…Now this is interesting."
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.
If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
fic (70+ ahead chapters ) are already up on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789