Chapter 1652: Chapter 1652

[Congratulations! You have completed the {43rd Floor Trial}!]

[You have reunited King Oceanus and his family with the reincarnation of their daughter, Naiad, and helped them reconcile with Celes. In doing so, you've earned their favor and forged a powerful alliance between worlds. By decree of the King of Atlantis, you've been granted the highest possible rewards for this Trial.]

[You have received the following Trial Rewards]: [+150,000,000 System Points] [Floor Skipping Ticket (Party)] x1 [+5 Armor Enhancement Ingot (SS Grade)] x3 [+5 Weapon Enhancement Ingot (SS Grade)] x3 [Soul Elixir (SS Grade)] x3 [Atlantis Astral Key (S Grade)] x1 [Class Skill Creation Card (SS Grade)] x2 [Atlantis' Divine Spirit Ocean Tear (SSS Grade)] x1

The following morning arrived, and with it came the departure of everyone from the castle after enjoying one final breakfast with the Royal Family of Atlantis. Maria examined the rewards she had received, visibly surprised.

They were more generous than usual, and among them were two items she hadn't encountered before. Setting aside the obvious teleportation key to Atlantis—which was redundant since she already possessed an artifact for that—Maria focused on the Class Skill Creation Card and the Atlantis' Divine Spirit Ocean Tear.

The Class Skill Creation Card was far more appealing than the standard Random Skill Creation Card. It allowed her to generate a skill tied directly to her class, and given that Maria's class was already at Five-Star Rarity, the potential was extraordinary.

As she prepared to leave with her family, the four rulers trailing behind, Maria held up the Tear and showed it to Oceanus.

"Did you place this in my inventory?" she asked.

"I did," he replied. "That item is very special. Try channeling its power."

"Uh, okay," Maria said, infusing a bit of Mana into the Tear. The jewel merged into her hand and vanished. "What the...?!"

"Excellent. It worked," Oceanus nodded. "With that Tear, you can channel the power of the Divine Throne you left behind on Yggdrasil—the power over waves and seas."

"Wait, really?!" Maria gasped as the energy surged through her. "Wow, it's true!"

She conjured spiraling vortexes of oceanic water from thin air. Even the surrounding seas trembled as her power returned.

"This jewel is amazing! Are there more of them?" Maria asked.

"Unfortunately, that's all I could create," Oceanus said. "I'm glad it's useful. The power of the seas will accompany you wherever you go. It may also strengthen Celes and the girl traveling with you, Alma."

"Got it," Maria nodded. "Thanks again. I didn't even know items existed."

"They do, but only spirits powerful enough can create them from parts of their own bodies," Oceanus explained.

"A part? Which part?" Maria asked.

"My left ear," Oceanus laughed. "Good thing the air covers it. Don't worry—it'll grow back eventually. Anyway, you're leaving, huh? I wish you could stay longer."

As Maria approached the white portal leading to the so-called "Heavenly Staircase"—a stair-like space that formed when transitioning between floors—Oceanus waved gently in farewell.

"Take care!" Thalassa called out. "Celes, remember to visit us once in a while!"

"Yeah, stay safe, lil' bro!" Brontys added with a smile.

"We'll be hoping for the best," said Coraleia.

"Thanks..." Celes replied shyly. "I'll definitely come back, everyone!"

"See you in a few days—or maybe a week or two," Maria said. "I'll send a signal when it's time to prepare for the counterattack against the upper floors."

She stepped into the portal, glimpsing a glowing stairway leading into the cosmos. It teleported her and her entire Party to Floor 42.

A powerful dimensional membrane nearly trapped Maria between realms, but she slipped through by sealing more of her power. It wasn't a concern—she could unseal it at will.

"Ah... what is this place?"

As Maria slowly opened her eyes, she and her family found themselves on Floor 42. The first sight that greeted them as they descended the stairs was...

Ruins of an ancient civilization, eerily reminiscent of Earth. Gigantic skyscrapers were crumbling, and abandoned streets were overrun with strange vegetation—red, purple, black, and occasionally blue, though the latter was rare. Some plants had eyes.

Masses of pulsating flesh, resembling cancerous growths, clung to buildings and walls, releasing a strange red dust. The sky was dark red, the clouds black. The air was cold. Maria sensed that this world had once hosted a great human-like civilization, now lost to calamity.

"What is this place?" Partner asked. "I smell rotten meat everywhere... eugh."

"These ruins are immense," Lucifer said. "Don't these buildings remind you of Azure Star, Alma?"

"Yes, they do..." Alma murmured. "Um, are we on that 'Earth' you mentioned, Maria?"

"No, this isn't Earth," Maria replied. "Surely it can't be... System? Is there no one to introduce us here? Not even a trial quest?"

As if in response, a new quest appeared.

[Welcome to the {42nd Floor: Necroterra}!]

[You and your party have arrived at Necroterra. It's nothing but ruins and strange phenomena, right? Try exploring and find a small refuge where survivors are struggling to live. You may learn more about the world and even unlock the Trial Quest.]

"Well, that works," Maria said, reading the message. "So this world's called Necroterra? That's a strange name."

"Yes," Emeraldine agreed. "It feels lifeless. Everything here seems to decay or mutate into something else. It's terrifying—I can barely sense any lifeforce."

"Does the name 'Necroterra' ring any bells?" Ferleen asked. "It's a world filled with... Ah, there they are."

"Ugh, I hate fighting these guys. They're just small fry, but they never stop coming!" Melianna groaned.

"Huh? What?" Maria looked into the distance. "Hm? This is..."

The groans of zombies echoed through the ruins. A horde of over thirty approached, drawn by the sound of footsteps and voices.

"This is the primary population here—zombies," Ferleen sighed. "It's a good place to farm EXP since they never stop coming, but when a big one shows up, things get messy. We had to flee after finishing the trial quest."

"Human zombies, huh?" Maria mused, rubbing her chin. "Interesting. First time I've seen Undead from another world . They seem different... infected by some kind of virus that decays their bodies but also makes them immortal? I'll need to investigate further."

Maria smiled, sensing a strange connection with the zombies. She stepped forward.

"Stop. Don't fight them," she said, halting her companions from summoning their dream weapons.

"What's wrong, Maria?" Lucifer asked.

Maria advanced as the zombies swarmed her. Everyone watched in horror as they bit her pale skin, covering her completely. Dıscover more novels at novel[f]ire.net

"Mama?! What are you doing?" Nyx cried.

Suddenly, the zombies stopped. They stepped back as Maria's Aura surged, releasing black fog. The Undead reacted instantly.

Once driven by instinct to devour anything that moved, they now stood in formation before Maria, gazing skyward with vacant eyes, obedient to her will.

"I'm a Necromancer. My bond with Death is strong," Maria explained. "Letting them get close allowed me to inspect a few things. First, they're a different kind of Undead, but still count as such. Second, they're weak—easy to tame. And third, I wouldn't call it recruitment. It's more like Undead taming."

"You tamed them?!" Nyx exclaimed. "No way! That's awesome, Mama!"

"I was scared for a moment..." Nia sighed, wiping sweat from her brow.

"And I think I can do much more," Maria said, surveying the surroundings as her black fog-like Aura expanded. "This world is as vast as Azure Star. It might be a parallel world, but that's fine with me."

Maria unsealed her true self from within the shell of her "normal" form. Black tentacles and crimson eyes spread across the skies of Necroterra.

Across all of the skies.

The black fog enveloped the atmosphere for a full minute. Every Undead and survivor looked up as thousands of red eyes appeared, watching from above.