Damian walked behind the Spirit of Death without hesitation.
The waterfall had long vanished behind them, as if it never existed in the first place. What remained was a corridor that didn't feel carved—it felt assigned.
A black alley stretched endlessly forward.
No texture. No sky. No wind.
Just pressure.
Then—
Light flickered on.
And off.
And on again.
Each pulse briefly illuminating the truth of the passage:
Souls.
Thousands upon thousands of them.
Moving through structured lanes like rivers of data, some drifting upward into glowing rails that disappeared into higher planes, others sinking into darker streams that vanished into nothing.
The entire space was alive with motion—but not life.
Damian didn't react.
The Spirit of Death spoke quietly ahead of him.
"This is the Soul Passage."
Damian's eyes followed a drifting soul for half a second.
Then looked away.
They walked between two long rivers.
One shimmered pale gold.
The other was deep black-blue, almost ink-like, carrying heavier, slower souls that seemed to resist moving forward.
Above them, structured pathways of light connected into vast systems, like a celestial bureaucracy built from existence itself.
Eventually, they arrived at a giant desk.
It was not just furniture—it was authority made physical.
Behind it sat a woman.
Seemingly ordinary at first glance.
Neatly composed.
Still.
But the moment Damian entered her range, the air changed.
Pressure filled the space—not violent, but absolute. Like reality had briefly checked itself to confirm it was allowed to continue.
She opened her eyes.
And everything subtly yielded.
Her gaze moved to the Spirit of Death.
"What do I owe the visit, Spirit of Death?"
The Spirit of Death lowered his head slightly.
"I am here to guide my master to you."
Her eyes shifted.
Slowly.
To Damian.
"…The Child of the Fallen."
Damian stepped forward without emotion.
He raised his hand.
"The Book of Secrets and Knowledge—release."
The book manifested instantly.
Black stars pulsed violently across its surface.
And then—
300,000 souls appeared in his palm.
Compressed. Layered. Screaming without sound.
Damian's voice was flat.
"I want to exchange these souls for the soul of a girl called Isabell."
The woman stared at him.
Not at the offer.
At him.
As if trying to understand why something like him would value something like that.
"…Very well."
She snapped her fingers.
A single soul drifted forward.
Light, fragile, untainted.
Isabell.
She collected the 300,000 souls without effort.
And placed Isabell's soul into Damian's possession.
Damian looked at it for a moment.
Then stored it inside the Book of Secrets and Knowledge.
A pulse echoed through it.
TASK 1 COMPLETE
Damian exhaled once.
Then spoke.
"Spirit of Death, take me to the other regions of the underworld and explain the territories to me."
"As you wish, master."
A portal tore open in front of them.
They stepped through.
They emerged outside a massive library.
The structure stretched endlessly upward, shelves forming impossible spirals into unseen heights.
The Spirit of Death spoke.
"You have five places in the underworld."
"The Soul Passage."
"Hell."
"Purgatory."
"The Underworld Library."
"And the Colosseum."
Damian tilted his head slightly.
"So you took me to the library first."
The Spirit of Death replied calmly.
"I can't help you find the ingredients you need. But I can prepare you for it."
Damian turned.
And opened the library doors.
Inside was vast.
Endless shelves of sealed knowledge.
And in the center—
A girl sitting on a chair reading.
She didn't look up immediately.
But when she did—
"What's the reason for your visit, Child of the Fallen?"
Damian answered simply.
"Information."
She closed her book.
"You can browse the second floor."
He walked.
Upstairs, the atmosphere changed.
Denser.
Older.
Like knowledge itself had weight here.
Damian moved through the aisles until—
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Achlys:
The book you're looking for is on the third board, second shelf.
Damian said nothing.
But he turned.
And walked exactly there.
He stopped.
Looked at the shelf.
Ran his fingers along the books.
Then paused on one.
"Underworld Artifacts and Equipment."
The Book of Secrets and Knowledge reacted instantly.
It absorbed the contents violently.
A black star formed.
+1 BLACK STAR
It opened to page 7.
Information flooded in.
The Equipment of the Underworld:
Sword of Hades — Leviathan Dagger of Apocalypse — Gluttony Black Pillar — Starlight And others…
Damian's eyes narrowed slightly.
He saw it.
Black Pillar — Starlight
Location: Colosseum
"Only the worthy may wield this pillar."
Damian suddenly laughed.
Not joy.
Not amusement.
Something sharper.
"Of course I have to fight for it."
He closed the book.
And placed it back.
A presence appeared beside him.
Sophie materialized.
Her expression was serious.
"If you're heading to the Colosseum, you should know what type of monsters you'll be up against."
The Book of Secrets and Knowledge reacted again.
It absorbed more knowledge from surrounding texts.
More black stars formed across its surface.
Damian's perception expanded instantly.
He saw it all.
Ancient dragons.
Drakes.
Abyssal entities.
Demons.
Creatures that existed beyond normal classification.
Sophie's voice lowered slightly.
"…It's not a place for survival."
"It's a place for testing existence itself."
Damian stood still.
Looking at the knowledge now embedded in his mind.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only direction.
The Book of Secrets and Knowledge pulsed again—
More black stars formed.
And somewhere far beyond the library…
The Colosseum answered.
Ready.