Audi's eyes fluttered open. His body ached, exhaustion weighing on every limb. The st thing he remembered was the battlefield—the t Orz Zombie, the devastating blow, and then… Hel.

  But now, he was somewhere else.

  The fire raged around him, lig the walls and ceiling with blue and white fmes, yet the heat never reached him. Instead, a bone-chilling cold seeped into his skin, making his breath e out in visible mist. He pushed himself up, fusioling in.

  "Why am I here?"

  Across the room, Hel sat on a throne of scorched bohe flickering cold fire refleg in her unblinking gaze.

  "You survived," she said, her voice as calm as ever. "Good."

  Audi steadied himself, his instincts on high alert. "Where is this pce?"

  "My home," she answered simply. "A house that burns, yet urns to ash."

  His fingers curled into fists. "You said you'd assist me. Is this part of that?"

  Hel stood, her t form casting an imposing shadow against the cold fmes. "I hold the Sed Cursed Tablet." She lifted aoablet, dark etgs glowing faintly. "But if you want it, you'll have to prove yourself."

  She stepped fripping her massive Greatsword. "If you're able to beat me, I assist you on Floor 80 and above. But know this—the ablet lies between Floor 80 and Floor 1, where The Ten Pgues stand guard, ensuring the Zombie King is never released into this Tower."

  Audi's eyes narrowed. "Ten Pgues? What are they?"

  Hel smirked. "I will expin that… if you also defeat me."

  She paused, then added, "But before that, let me tell you something important—something about what it means to be undead in this world."

  Hel tapped the hilt of her swainst the ground, and the cold fmes pulsed. "Before the Tower of Greatness, there were no skills, no jobs. The gods never intended for the dead to wield power."

  Audi ched his fists. "Then how did they gain them?"

  "The gods grahem out of y," Hel said. "There are different tiers. Tier 1 jobs are basian, Mage, and Archer. Tier 2 jobs are stronger, like Knight or Wizard. Tier 3 jobs go beyond that, reserved for powerful warriors or leaders. But Tier 4…" She exhaled, her expression unreadable. "That's something even rarer. Only gods grant a Tier 4 job, and it is given only to one in a million."

  Her gaze locked onto him. "And you… you have one, don't you?"

  Audi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Job Acquired: Deathbound Asdant."

  Hel's eyes widened slightly, the first genuiion she had shown. "A one-in-a-million css…" she muttered. "That expins why you carry the aura of the dead despite being human."

  She straightened, gripping her on tighter. "Tier 4 csses are beyond the authority of kings and queens. Even in the Greatower, only gods bestow such power. They are not limited to the undead either—living beings receive them… but only if the gods deem them worthy."

  Audi processed her words, but ohing stood out. "Then what about you? What's your css?"

  Hel's smirk returhough there was something bitter in it. "I'm just a rge zombie, a mere Gravekeeper. My current tier is Tier 2 for the Zombie Css. I was once more, but that time has long passed."

  She rested her Greatsword on her shoulder. "Zombies are only one kind. There are also Vampires, Werewolves, Humans, Demi-Angels, and Demi-Demons. Before the war began, all of them lived together on Floor 40 of the Greatower—including the undead from the ive Floor."

  She pointed her sword at him. "But that world is gone. And if you want to uhe truth behind it… fight me!"

  But before she made her first move, she added o thing.

  "Even if your job is Tier 4, if your skills and level are too low, you're still just a Tier 1 in terms of power."

  Audi frowned. "Level?"

  Hel tapped her chest, pointing toward a bone neckce hanging from his own neck. "Check your Bone Neckce—the numbers inscribed on it represent your level, based on how many floors you've quered."

  Audi lifted the neckce. There were 10 small numbers etched into the bone.

  Hel tinued, "You've only quered 10 floors of the Greatower, meaning your level is 10. However, in the ive Floor, for every floor you clear, you gain two additional levels instead of one."

  Audi's grip tightened. So quering the ive Floor could make him level up faster?

  Hel's smirk widened as she raised her Greatsword. "But first, let's see if you even survive me."

  Audi lifted the neckce, examining the numbers etched into the bone. He frowned as he ted them.

  "Wait... so I'm 8 floors into the Greatower and I've cleared 100 floors in the ive Tower... That means—"

  Hel nodded. "That's why your total is 10. The 8 floors from the Greative you 8 levels, and the 100 floors from the ive Tive you 2 levels per floor, totaling 200 levels. But the rule is simple: only the first 10% of yative Floor levels t toward your total level."

  Audi ched his fist. "So I've quered more than most, but my actual level is still just 10?"

  Hel smirked. "That's right. No shortcuts. No skipping ahead. Even if you clear a hundred more floors in the ive Tower, it won't ge the fact that yrowth is restricted."

  The realization hit Audi hard. He wasn't as strong as he thought—his job, his potential, none of it mattered if his fuals were weak.

  Hel pointed her bde at him. "So what will you do, Deathbound Asdant?"

  Audi took a deep breath, steadying himself.

  "...I'll fight."

  The cold fmes fred, and the battle began.