Sefa wrapped the wound on his left arm. The slash from the previous clash wasn't something he could ignore, but his focus was needed elsewhere.

"This feeling… they're coming. And this time, they're more prepared."

Before anyone could speak, all five doors burst open with a thunderous roar. The stench of rotting flesh filled the air. The monsters that charged out were completely different from the first wave.

Eyes pitch black, skin a sickly green-gray. Some were bloated, others emaciated. But they all shared one trait—they had been tampered with. They weren't natural. They carried venom.

[In Sefa's Vision]

[Unit Type: Toxic Ravager – LVL 7][Unit Type: Acid Spewer – LVL 9][Unit Type: Corrupted Beastling – LVL 10]

Only Sefa could see this information. The others were still fighting purely on instinct. Each one headed to a different door. No coordination. It was as if they weren't fighting together, but against each other.

Sefa shouted, but his voice either wasn't heard—or was ignored.

"No! Don't split up! They're coming in groups!"

A scream echoed through the arena.

One of the warriors to the left had gotten too close to an acid-spewing monster. His armor melted, and his skin burned as he screamed. He dropped to his knees, eyes wide in shock. Foam spilled from his mouth.

He died within seconds.

Four remained.

Another had been cornered in a narrow corridor during the attack. He tried to fight in the tight space, but three beasts surrounded him. He managed to take one down with his blade, but the remaining two climbed up to his neck.

Sefa saw it happen—but couldn't get there in time.

"Don't... don't stay alone…"

But the warning came too late.

Three remained.

One of them panicked and ran straight toward Sefa.

"These… these things are different! Help me!"

But he approached from the wrong angle. Sefa noticed a creature charging at them and managed to deflect it in time. However, the panicked fighter wasn't focused enough. He fell.

Poisoned spikes pierced his back. His vision went dark. His heart stopped in seconds.

Two remained.

That's when Sefa realized—he was alone in the middle of the battle.

There was still one more… far away. He had retreated. He was running.

"You… you left us…"

But Sefa couldn't afford to focus on him. The creatures in front of him were closing in fast.

One of them spat a stream of acidic saliva. Sefa jumped back, and the nearby pillar melted. The right shoulder of his armor was now unusable.

"Stat difference… and their numbers are growing. There were three just now. Now there are five."

New Data Appeared in Sefa's Vision:

[Wave 2 – Status: Active][Enemies Remaining: 16][Environmental Hazard: Persistent Corrosive Air][Tactic Suggestion: Split and Eliminate by Priority Threat]

Only he could see this.

As he moved around, he analyzed the creatures attacking in unfamiliar formations. Some were tank-like—durable but slow. Others were thin, quick, and deadly.

He devised a plan. Chose his steps.

"First the spewers. Getting close without eliminating long-range threats is suicide."

He ran. Dropped low to the ground. Planted his left hand for balance and hurled a one-shot spear forward. One of the monsters took it straight through the eye.

Then he turned his blade to cut the second. The poison clouded the air, but he held his breath, trusting his trained instincts.

Three monsters lunged at him at once. This time, he didn't let them surround him. He rolled left, vaulted over the slower one, and landed behind it. In one swift strike, he decapitated it.

[+EXP Gained – STR +1][AGI +1]

Only he saw it. Only he felt the surge in power.

But each breath burned in his chest. Even the air was an enemy on this floor. Fighting against time itself was exhausting.

Finally, the arena began to fall silent.

Sefa dropped to his knees. His shoulder burned. A gash cut across his abdomen. The ground was covered in blood and acid. The statue still stood—but a crack had formed.

"I… managed to protect it… but…"

His eyes drifted to the corpses.

"We started with five. Now I'm the only one left."

The silence felt unnatural—almost as if the floor itself had created it. There was no sense of victory. Only fatigue. Only the stench of death.

Sefa leaned his back against the statue. Closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. And at that moment, the system voice returned.

[Wave 2 Completed.][Remaining Survivor: 1][Caution: Final Evaluation Pending.]

The silence that followed the second wave was heavy. Not peaceful—just the kind that echoed loss. Sefa leaned his back against the ancient statue, his breathing uneven. Acid fumes lingered in the air, mixing with blood and ash.

He looked down at his trembling hands.

> "I'm the only one left..."

Then his eyes turned to the statue. A deep crack ran diagonally across its base. Some of its engravings were melting under corrosive air. The protective energy it emitted earlier was weaker now—its glow flickering.

> [Statue Status: Damaged – 82% Integrity Remaining]

Sefa wiped the sweat off his forehead.

He opened his inventory.

Took out a crimson potion.

It shimmered slightly.

> "Healing potion... Not enough to fix everything, but I need to stay standing."

He drank it all in one breath. The pain in his shoulder dulled. The cut on his abdomen itched—then started to close slightly. Still, exhaustion gripped him like chains.

He stood up slowly.

> "Third wave... If the pattern holds, they'll be stronger. Maybe even intelligent."

He took a step forward, then paused—thinking.

His eyes scanned the five gates once more.

> "They're coming from all sides. If I fight at the center, I'm vulnerable."

He studied the terrain. Broken pillars. Cracked tiles. Partial cover at best.

Then, he nodded to himself.

> "I'll draw them into the choke point. Control the engagement. Prioritize threats."

He moved quickly—placing a few leftover traps from earlier. Sharpened metal shards. Pressure mines.

Then he positioned himself behind a crumbled stone block—just enough to cover half his body.

Silence again.

But not for long.

BOOM.

All five gates burst open. Not gradually—this time with coordinated force.

A roar followed.

This wave... was different.

> [Unit Type: Blighted Brute – LVL 12]

[Unit Type: Venom Phantom – LVL 14]

[Unit Type: Plague Howler – LVL 13]

[Wave 3 – Active | Enemies Detected: 18]

[Environmental Hazard: Toxic Fog – Moderate]

[Statue Status: Damaged – 79% Integrity Remaining]

Sefa gritted his teeth.

> "Eighteen... No reinforcements. Just me."

He drew his sword. Crouched. Waited.

The first one stepped in. Massive. Muscles twisted unnaturally. Its breath reeked of rot.

Sefa threw a trap. Sharp blades erupted, tearing into its legs. It howled.

He rolled forward, slicing across its gut—then leapt back before the toxic blood could touch him.

> [+EXP Gained – DEX +1]

Another one came. Faster. Shadows clinging to its limbs. It disappeared—

—then reappeared behind him.

Sefa reacted on instinct, parrying just in time. Sparks flew. Poison dripped on his armor, sizzling.

He pivoted, kicked it away, then thrust his blade into its chest. It screeched and dissolved into mist.

> [+EXP Gained – INT +1]

More came. A group of four. Howlers.

They screamed—causing a ringing in Sefa's ears. He winced but held firm.

He threw a smoke bomb. Vision blurred.

They entered the cloud.

He didn't.

He moved around it—waiting.

When they emerged disoriented, he struck one from the side.

Another leapt—but hit a trap mid-air.

The third one landed a hit—gashing Sefa's side.

> "Tch—!"

He stabbed it in the throat, twisting hard.

Blood and venom splashed his hands.

The last one tried to flee.

He didn't allow it.

A thrown dagger between the eyes ended it.

> [Enemies Remaining: 11]

[Statue Status: 74% Integrity Remaining]

More were pouring in.

Sefa's breath grew heavier.

His arm burned.

The fog was eating into his stamina.

But his focus didn't break.

> "No retreat."

He kept moving. Step, strike, retreat, trap. Over and over.

A dance of survival. A rhythm of death.

Five enemies down.

Six.

Seven.

Each kill cost him blood. Sweat. Pain.

But he stood.

> [Enemies Remaining: 1]

[Statue Status: 70% Integrity Remaining]

The final monster approached. A hulking brute with armor-like skin.

Its eyes glowed red.

Sefa waited.

Waited—

—then ran straight at it.

The creature roared.

Sefa slid under it, slashing at its knee.

It fell to one leg.

He climbed its back—stabbed at the neck.

It shook him off—he hit the ground hard.

Groaning, he rose.

The beast charged.

Sefa sidestepped at the last second and drove his blade into its heart.

It collapsed.

Silence returned.

Sefa dropped to one knee.

> "...It's over."

[Wave 3 Completed.]

[Remaining Survivor: 1]

[Caution: Final Trial Approaching.]

Sefa looked around. The battlefield was broken. Bloody. Silent.

The statue still stood. Barely.

> [Statue Status: 68% Integrity Remaining]

He closed his eyes.

And waited for what came next.