[Player! Ohmygod, I'm so glad you're okay!! :((( ]

  "Yeah... I'm fine, Sephera," I muttered back in response to her blue message that appeared in my vision. I was a bit surprised to see that she was so worried about me, but I guess when you're an Admin stuck alone in a tower, you tend to cling to anyone you can get.

  I had exited the dungeon with more questions than I had answers, and a fuck ton of Stat Points. Not quite believing what had just happened to me, I sat down on the floor of the simulation room to recap the events. The Soultaker hummed quietly next to me, as if also deep in thought.

  What sucked was that besides the boost in Stat Points and a little bit more insight on to what the hell was happening, I didn't gain a lot of other rewards from clearing the dungeon. Heck, I didn't even get a monster core as a reward, so I couldn't enter the Village dungeon anymore. Oh well, at least I had the Grudge core still. I just hoped nothing weird like that would occur again.

  [Er... what happened?]

  "A lot. And I've got a lot of questions that I hope you can answer," I replied to Sephera, still in shock. "But first, what's with this Ascension thing?"

  [!!! How do you know about that?!]

  "Devil King."

  [Oh... that makes sense. Well, you were supposed to learn about that mechanic upon reaching the 50th floor, but seeing as it's not censored for you, that must mean you're at a point where the system thinks you can handle it.]

  "Handle it?" I echoed Sephera's words, feeling my heart rate spike. "What's so special about Ascension that I need to be 'ready' for it?"

  [...What do you think is the maximum number your stats can reach?]

  I blinked, caught off-guard by her question. "I dunno. There's no limit?"

  [Technically, there is. The maximum for any stat is 999 billion. However, once you reach that cap, you can choose to Ascend. Ascension basically starts you off at 0, but at the first level.]

  "Holy shit," I breathed out, understanding what she meant. "Bathalt had an Ascension level of 2. That means–"

  [Yes, exactly. It's like hitting the reset button on your stats, but with the added benefit of keeping your progress. In the best way I can explain it, it's like taking an endgame character and playing through a game again. Except... unless you've also hit Ascension, you can't harm others who have hit Ascension.]

  "Wait, what?" I suddenly felt like I had missed something crucial. "So, if I were to have fought Bathalt while he was at level 2 Ascension–"

  [You wouldn't even scratch him. That's how the system deals with the outrageous power scaling. Beyond the 50th level, your stats and personal level aren't the major keys anymore. It's your Ascension level. If you reach just level 3 of Ascension, everyone with level 2 or below cannot, and I mean with absolute certainty, harm you. It's like playing a game on easy mode until you decide to go hardcore.]

  "What the hell? What kinda system and balancing is this? And why would we learn of this so late in the game?" I grumbled, feeling a hint of annoyance. "Whoever designed the Matches seriously needs a lesson on game development."

  [Luquier... I don't know what that Devil King told you, but your world wasn't meant to understand why the Matches are the way they are.]

  I took a deep breath and explained everything that Bathalt and I had talked about. The Soultaker chimed in every now and then, mostly just to agree or correct me, but for the most part, Sephera didn't reply until I had finished speaking.

  [...I see. So, you've entered into a pact with the Devil King.]

  "I wouldn't call it a pact," I quickly clarified, feeling the weight of her words. "More like an agreement."

  Sephera's message remained silent for a moment before popping up again.

  [An agreement with the Devil King... I hope for your sake it doesn't come back to bite you.]

  "Don't worry. I'm not that naive," I assured Sephera, though I couldn't ignore the doubt that had started to creep into my voice. The idea of making a deal with a being like Bathalt was unsettling, but I had little choice if I wanted to keep playing.

  Sephera sent a sad face emoji, which did little to ease my anxiety.

  Later in my apartment, I scrutinized the rest of my stats, trying to figure out the best option. 300 million extra points, and I wanted to put them into my stats. The only problem was, some of my items and abilities required Risk and Stat Points to use them, so I couldn't haphazardly throw everything into Risk or other areas.

  After a bit of contemplation, I decided to invest another 50 million into Risk. It was a gamble, but the additional stats could potentially be a game-changer. I'd be gaining 50 million more Stat Points every time I leveled up, which would allow me to grow much faster. The increased specter strength and pain sensitivity weren't ideal, but I figured I could handle it for now. The 10% mental fortitude from both my Divinity and Grim Mantle along with a 76.1% from my achievement? Not to mention the achievement halved the pain sensitivity, so at that point, a papercut would just feel like a knife wound. Nothing too bad.

  I gazed over my other abilities that required excess points. Starting from my Title, that could be used for extra lives should I find myself in a pinch. The downside was it'd halve my Risk with every resurrection, but I figured I could cheat it a bit by using my pendant to move the bulk of the points around. That, coupled with the fact it would also allow me to reset any and all cooldowns using Risk points was pretty sweet.

  Next, my achievements. Besides resetting cooldowns, the only one that actually required extra points was 'At Long Last, Victory!'. Halving Risk points again wasn't the most ideal tradeoff, but nothing my pendant trick wouldn't cover. I didn't know the exact limits of the achievement just yet, but I was planning on testing it out right after I figured out my redistribution first.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Lastly, my items. An S-grade monster core needed 1 million Stat Points to enable dungeon resonances, but at this point, it was basically just spare change. For my ring, it was a lot less points; Levius only needed 100000 and Skalyt, 150000. I hadn't tested out the rates for my Realmwalker yet, so I was going to have to see how much Risk was drained when I used its Shifting trait. If it took more than what the Unyielding trait could do for me, then I wouldn't bother with it.

  I took out my Soultaker and laid it on my bed, the blue runes on the blade glowing softly. It had come a long way from when it was first a scythe, to now being a semi-irritating sentient sword. Admittedly, it proved itself useful on many occasions, with its damage redirection, auto Reaping undead enemies, and now its item upgrades.

  "What are you planning to do?" the sword spoke up, interrupting my thoughts. It sounded more curious than usual.

  "I have a faint outline of what to do, and it involves upgrading the pendant and using my achievement to simulate the next floors," I murmured, glancing at the cost for upgrade. Jesus Christ. 30 million to upgrade it, but it was still in line with the amount for the ring and the cloak. "That, or I could also go back into the Grudge dungeon."

  [I'm very concerned for your mental health...]

  "Fuck it." I went ahead with the upgrade, tapping the Soultaker on the Pendant of Offerings and watching as a blue mist emitted from the blade to the necklace. The process was surprisingly simple, and the only thing that changed was the glow around the gem in the center of the necklace, turning from a dull blue to a more vibrant shade. Excited, I checked out the stats of the upgraded item.

  [Name: Pendant of Balance]

  [Traits: Bound | Sacrifice | Consume | Worship | Grace]

  [Description: An upgraded necklace of the one who watches over lives.]

  [Grace: Allows user to distribute Stat Points to others.]

  Oh? The only thing new was just the Grace trait, but it seemed like it was a pretty powerful one. I wasn't exactly sure how it'd be useful, considering that I was laser focused on getting stronger. But, it might come in handy with the approach of the 50th floor. Maybe I'd use it to boost the people around me.

  As I was pondering the potential uses of the new item, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it, seeing an incoming message from Celine. Before I even had a chance to read it, my phone rang.

  "What?" I grumbled as I answered her call.

  "Immortal, are you currently free?" Celine's voice was rushed and a hint of urgency laced her words.

  "Uh... yeah, I guess. What's up?" I replied, not hiding the wariness in my voice. Her tone was definitely not the usual playful banter we had.

  "There's a new food place that opened up near the shopping tower I just finished at."

  I remained quiet for a moment.

  "...That's what you called me for? I thought it was something important," I said, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

  "It is. It's called 'The Abyssal Bistro', and apparently, it's got dishes from all over the world that are to die for," Celine said, the excitement clear in her voice. "I know it's out of the blue, but I thought we could check it out together. Plus, I don't... have anyone else I could ask to go with me."

  I sighed. "Well, I guess I could check it out-" my stomach rumbled, interrupting me. I realized I hadn't eaten at all today. Alright, I would eat, then get back to figuring out my stat distribution later. "Actually, yeah, let's go."

  In a few minutes, I flew over to where Celine was waiting. She was dressed in a simple deep carmine dress, looking like she had just come from work. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. "You actually came!"

  "I- yeah, why is that so surprising?" I responded, trying to sound as casual as possible.

  "Well, if I don't personally come to you, I have a feeling you wouldn't," Celine replied, walking towards the restaurant. "That, and the fact that you're somewhat infamous among our peers for living in the tower floors and dungeons."

  [She has a point xD, you're planning on grinding later, right?]

  I couldn't argue with Sephera's message or refute Celine's observation. The truth was, I had become pretty detached from the outside world. The only thing that seemed to matter was getting stronger for the upcoming floors and understanding the mysteries of the Matches.

  The Abyssal Bistro was a peculiar place, nestled between a bookstore and a clothing shop. The entrance was a gaping maw, complete with teeth that gleamed in the dim street light. The windows had crimson curtains drawn, but the tantalizing smells of exotic spices wafted out, hinting at the delicacies that lay within.

  Celine pushed open the heavy oak door, and I followed her into the warm embrace of the restaurant. It was surprisingly cozy inside, with candles flickering on wooden tables and a roaring fireplace in the corner. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting scenes from the Last Stand game, and the waitstaff was dressed in costumes that resembled the various races and monsters from the game.

  "Take care, Immortal. These are real humans, not monsters," Celine said to me. I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

  "Yeah, I know that," I scowled, much to Sephera's amusement.

  The host, a man dressed in a well-tailored suit that seemed to be made of shadows itself, approached us with a smile. "Welcome to the Abyssal Bistro," he greeted with a bow. "Your table is ready."

  [System alert: An overwhelming presence is aware of your existence.]

  [!!!]

  I stiffened, staring at the floating screen, while Celine looked at me questioningly. "Is everything okay?" she asked, clearly noticing my sudden tension.

  "No, yeah, just... getting used to the interior," I replied, composing myself. I had done a quick scan in the restaurant, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Most people in here were regular civilians, with a couple of Players here and there. No 'overwhelming' presence that I could see. Feeling it, however, was a completely different story.

  "Sephera, are you able to sense anything out of the ordinary?" I quietly muttered to myself as I followed Celine and the host.

  [I'm... not sure. I can say for certain whatever this presence is, it's not hostile. So, put away the sadist sword e.e]

  I reluctantly stowed the Soultaker in my Inventory, secretly glad that neither Celine nor the host had noticed I drew it out. The presence was definitely powerful, but knowing it wasn't actively hostile helped ease my nerves somewhat.

  The host led us to a cozy booth near the fireplace, and Celine slid in first. I sat opposite her, taking in the details of the place. The walls were adorned with faux vines and crystals, and the tables had a polished wooden finish with the same blue flame torches from the game. It was all a bit much, but the smell of food was intoxicating.

  "So, what do you think?" Celine asked, her magenta eyes beginning to shine with excitement. "I know you're not into this kind of thing, but I had to bring you here."

  "What do you mean? I'm always down for some good food," I fired back, opening the menu. I was still on high alert from the presence, but I managed to keep my attention on the conversation. "Besides, are you just trying to return the favor from when I first took you shopping?"

  Celine shrugged nonchalantly. "If that's what you want it to be, sure. But, I also wanted to ask what you've been doing to get even stronger from this morning. Frankly speaking, I want in on whatever it is."

  ****

  [Updating…]

  [Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1848]

  [Title: Infinite Immortal (S)]

  [Health: 75,750,000 | Strength: 77,300,000]

  [Speed: 76,250,000 | Magic: 76,100,000]

  [Risk: 52,000,000 | Stat Points: 221,704,355]

  [Experience: 94%]