As I entered Floor 14, I took one step—

  DOOM.

  A gravity system activated instantly.

  My whole body felt like it was about to be crushed under my own weight. My knees buckled. My spine screamed. Even breathing felt heavy—like the air itself had mass.

  “Gah… grrr…”

  Bella appeared in front of me like she was personally offended by weakness.

  “Look at me,” she snapped. “You’re almost there.”

  She pointed down the hall.

  The exit sat at the end like a joke. It wasn’t far. But under this gravity, it might as well have been across the kingdom.

  I could see bones pressed into the stone floor from previous challengers—white lines crushed into the cracks like warnings.

  The pressure kept increasing.

  And I remembered something.

  Jubeeca’s words from her book:

  When the pressure hits, that’s the time to become a diamond and endure. Keep pushing. That’s the wall.

  I exhaled slowly.

  Then I changed my movement.

  Instead of walking, I lunged.

  I kept my center low, tightened my core, and pushed forward one controlled lunge at a time. Each step felt like dragging a mountain tied to my spine—but it was progress.

  “That’s it,” Bella said. “Keep pushing.”

  My thighs burned. My calves trembled. My lungs dragged air like it was syrup.

  But I didn’t stop.

  When I finally reached the door, I threw my body through it.

  The gravity vanished.

  I staggered forward, legs shaking violently—but I didn’t fall.

  My muscles burned.

  But it wasn’t a bad burn.

  It was a progression.

  Jubeeca always said: When your muscles are burning, that’s growth.

  I wiped sweat from my face. “I’m gonna have to thank her later.”

  Bella’s smile was sharp. “Oh, don’t worry.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “She already has her eyes on you, boy.”

  I didn’t like that answer.

  But I didn’t question it.

  I started climbing again—toward Floor 13.

  The stairs in the Pit always spiraled—always leading up—like the dungeon was mocking me with the same view over and over.

  Tall grass.

  Waist high.

  Too quiet.

  I forced myself upright and caught my breath.

  “Hey, Bella… What's this floor about? There’s no door.”

  Her smile widened.

  “You fight here.”

  “Fight who—”

  A spear burst from the grass.

  I jerked back, but the blade still sliced my cheek.

  Warm blood ran down my face.

  Bella snapped her fingers.

  The sky above the field shifted—like the Pit had swapped modes.

  Red and yellow system-lights flooded the grass.

  HP bars appeared.

  “I’m not introducing you like the coliseum announcer,” Bella said. “But get ready.”

  Humans stepped from the grass.

  Demon hunters.

  They moved first.

  I flipped back—barely in time.

  My heart pounded.

  My Wrath started climbing.

  If I die here… what was the point?

  “Time to go out, Bella!”

  Bella laughed. “Now you’re talking!”

  SOREN — HP: 60%

  WRATH RESERVE: 30% → 60%

  One hunter lunged.

  I moved right, forcing a 1v1.

  I pictured Jubeeca’s punch.

  Clean. Confidence. Cruel.

  PLEASE— I CAN’T DIE HERE— HIT—

  CRACK!

  My fist landed.

  His head snapped sideways.

  I dragged him through the grass and rolled on top of him.

  Wrath climbed.

  WRATH RESERVE: 76% → 83%

  I started pounding.

  “HA! LET’S GO!”

  Then—

  I got hit from my blind side.

  The second hunter slammed me down and started pounding like a zombie.

  I was blocked.

  Barely.

  Wrath ticked up like a clock I couldn’t stop.

  98%… 99%… 100%.

  I smiled through blood.

  “Bella.”

  “Right.”

  WRATH MODE — ENGAGE

  The change hit my right hand first.

  Heat wrapped my knuckles.

  My body thickened.

  My horns curved like a bull’s.

  I shot upward—

  One hunter was already in my hand.

  The other tried to jump.

  I snatched him too.

  Now I had one in each hand.

  Bella floated proudly. “I PRESENT TO YOU MY CONTRACT FORM!”

  Her eyes were hearts.

  I grinned violently. “I actually like it.”

  “You wanna play in the grass?”

  I ran.

  Dragged both of them across the field.

  Their HP dropped fast.

  100 → 72 → 41 → 18 → 0

  100 → 65 → 33 → 9 → 0

  They went limp.

  HP hit zero.

  Their movement stopped completely.

  I let them go.

  A door formed from darkness like the Pit was satisfied.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  FLOOR 12

  Wrath Mode faded.

  The heat drained.

  My body shrank back to normal.

  I expected relief.

  Instead…

  I felt impatient.

  Like anger had proven something.

  Heat hit immediately.

  The floor was a wasteland.

  Small lava pockets glowed across cracked stone.

  No enemies.

  Just a mountain.

  Bella pointed upward.

  “You climb.”

  I swallowed.

  Then—

  Aisha appeared.

  “I am here to retrieve the body of Prince Soren.”

  Bella smirked. “Well isn’t it Aisha.”

  A screen opened.

  Jubeeca appeared.

  She had been expecting a corpse.

  Instead, she saw me standing.

  Her expression changed.

  Bright.

  Hungry.

  “Oh my,” she said. “You evolved.”

  I smiled awkwardly. “It’s all thanks to you.”

  She leaned forward. “Me?”

  I told her about her book. About the motivational quotes she signed. About how I used them.

  She looked pleased.

  Then her tone shifted—business, sharp, final.

  “When you leave the Pit, return to me immediately. We must sign documents.”

  “…Documents?”

  “Yes.”

  She smiled.

  “A blood-bound contract.”

  “We will be married.”

  My brain stopped.

  “Married?! No—”

  “You think you have a say?” she said sweetly.

  Bella leaned toward me. “She’s serious.”

  Jubeeca continued.

  “You are the only one who evolved. All others died. You are suitable.”

  She smiled like she’d chosen a weapon.

  “I will be waiting at the top of the Pit.”

  The transmission ended.

  Aisha stayed.

  The mountain waited.

  We climbed.

  Each step grew hotter.

  The rock burned my palms raw.

  But the heat reminded me of my mother.

  Lady Asura.

  Her blue flames.

  Beautiful.

  Powerful.

  If I survive this… I’ll see her fire again.

  I climbed faster.

  Sweat poured off me.

  My body felt carved down by heat.

  I reached the top and slammed into the door.

  It opened.

  Cool air rushed over me like mercy.

  Corridors again.

  Then—

  “ARRIVAL: GOBLIN HORDE WITH HOOKS.”

  Bella shouted, “Run!”

  I ran.

  Small footsteps followed.

  Then—

  Pain.

  A hook buried into my shoulder.

  “GAAH!”

  “Yank it out!” Bella screamed.

  I ripped it free.

  Throw it backward.

  Goblins screamed.

  “RIGHT!” Bella yelled.

  I turned hard.

  A small goblin slashed my eyebrow.

  I grabbed it.

  Smashed it into the wall.

  Ran.

  Two more hooks buried into my biceps.

  I ripped them out.

  Blood sprayed.

  I sprinted up the spiral stairs.

  The door slammed shut behind me.

  I slid down the wall—

  painting it with my blood.

  Alive.

  The air changed.

  Cool.

  Clean.

  Waves.

  A beach stretched before me.

  A cottage sat on the sand.

  Food laid out.

  Preserved.

  Perfect.

  And in the ocean—

  A door stood upright in shallow water.

  Waiting.

  Bella narrowed her eyes.

  “Boss gate.”

  Aisha’s panel appeared.

  “AREA SAFE. REST RECOMMENDED.”

  My stomach growled.

  I collapsed against the cottage wall.

  I drank water.

  I ate like I hadn’t seen food in years.

  The ocean breathed slowly.

  Peaceful.

  Too peaceful.

  That door in the water didn’t move.

  It didn’t need to.

  It would wait.

  And so would the fight beyond it.

  I closed my eyes.

  Just for a moment.

  Knowing the Pit wasn’t giving me mercy.

  It was giving me time.

  Me and Bella took the rest.

  Honestly?

  We took the whole day.

  We ate, drank, and even stayed overnight in the cottage. I slept in the bed like I belonged on that beach, like the Pit wasn’t waiting to chew me up the second I stepped outside.

  For the first time since falling down here… my body actually stopped shaking.

  But when I tried to tend the wounds on my body, I realized something.

  They weren’t wounded anymore.

  They were scars.

  Already healed.

  Already permanent.

  I ran my fingers across one that crossed my ribs and stared at it for a long time.

  My throat tightened.

  How can I show this to Mom…?

  Bella floated nearby like a bad conscience with wings.

  “Your mom is the least of your worries,” she said lazily. “You still have to deal with Jubeeca when we get outta here.”

  “Yeah…” I muttered.

  I leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling.

  “I’m still confused about what she meant by marriage and the blood-bound contract.”

  Bella smirked.

  “Is she serious about that?”

  I shook my head.

  “Nah. Can’t be.”

  Bella burst out laughing like I had just told the dumbest joke in the world.

  “You are way too naive, my friend.”

  The waves rolled slowly against the beach outside.

  The Pit was quiet.

  Too quiet.

  That night Bella and I actually talked.

  Not fighting.

  Not surviving.

  Just… talking.

  She told me what she really was.

  A vengeful spirit.

  Not some cute guide.

  Not a friendly contract.

  She had been searching for a vessel.

  For a long time.

  “For someone strong enough to carry me,” she said.

  “And I guess… we both found each other.”

  The way she said it wasn’t sweet.

  It wasn’t romantic.

  It sounded like a pact with teeth.

  Far above the dungeon…

  The Coliseum roared.

  Lady Jubeeca was already back at work.

  Another match.

  Another hero begging for a second life.

  But this one was different.

  Because the hero inside the arena had once ruled his entire world.

  Hero Ethan the Berserker.

  CRACK!

  “W-wait—!”

  CRACK CRACK! BAM!

  “GET UP!” Jubeeca roared.

  Her boot smashed into Ethan’s ribs.

  “I’M TAKING MY RAGE OUT ON YOU!”

  CRACK!

  “HOW DARE HE THINK I’M JOKING!”

  The crowd roared.

  The announcer nearly lost his voice.

  “LADIES AND GENTLEDEMONS! LADY JUBEECA IS PUTTING ON ANOTHER SHOW!”

  Ethan’s body rolled across the stone floor.

  His HP plummeted.

  ARENA HUD — LIVE

  LADY JUBEECA HP: ██████████ 100%

  HERO ETHAN HP: ██████???? 60% → 34% → 22%

  Aisha’s voice echoed through the arena.

  “ARENA SKILL ACTIVATED: HERO ETHAN — RAGE MODE.”

  “I WILL NOT FALL HERE!” Ethan roared. “TO THE LIKES OF A DEMON!”

  The announcer nearly exploded with excitement. “WHAT IS THIS?! HERO ETHAN IS STILL STANDING!”

  Ethan rushed forward. He didn't just stab; he poured every ounce of his soul into his spear. “I am the Hero King! I have the blessing of the Goddess!” A blinding pillar of holy light erupted from his lance, a beam meant to purify entire armies. It engulfed Jubeeca completely.

  Inside the light, Jubeeca didn't even raise her arms.

  (Thinking: Did Soren like the cottage? I should have put more silk pillows in the cottage. The linen there is a bit scratchy for a honeymoon...)

  She leaned forward and absentmindedly caught the tip of the holy beam in her mouth. She swallowed the "God-Slaying" energy like a stray hair, her throat glowing for a split second before the light vanished into her stomach.

  [Skill Activated: Hollow Hunger]

  Jubeeca exhaled a tiny, sparkling wisp of white smoke. “Anyway, Ethan, you were saying something about a Goddess? She has terrible taste in Heroes.”

  Ethan stepped back, panting. “NOW RE-EXPLODE!”

  BOOM. BOOM BOOM.

  The stone shattered. Dust exploded into the air. The crowd went feral.

  “HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!” Ethan screamed.

  ARENA HUD — LIVE

  LADY JUBEECA HP: ██████████ 100% → 98%

  (RAGE MODE EXPIRING)

  The smoke cleared.

  Jubeeca stood there.

  Unbothered.

  She didn’t even blink.

  Then she spoke quietly.

  “How dare he act like marrying me is something he can refuse?”

  Her voice dropped.

  Cold.

  Sharp.

  “I’m Lady Jubeeca.”

  Her eyes narrowed.

  “He’s going to learn the difference between a choice…”

  “…and a command.”

  Ethan’s Rage Mode ended.

  He looked at his HP.

  Then at her.

  “…She didn’t even take a dent.”

  The hope in his face died.

  He fell to his knees.

  His voice broke.

  “This can’t be real…”

  “I’m the Hero King Ethan of my world…”

  “How can I lose to a demon?”

  Jubeeca walked toward him.

  Slow.

  Calm.

  Terrifying.

  Her shadow swallowed him.

  “I’m ending this now,” she said.

  “So don’t hold it against me in the afterlife.”

  “I’m on a tight schedule.”

  “Not like th—”

  CRACK!

  Her punch launched him into the arena wall.

  She followed him.

  Stomping.

  Punching.

  Relentless.

  Not because of Ethan.

  Because of Soren.

  “Soren…” she muttered.

  “I will own you.”

  Ethan’s HP hit zero.

  But his body didn’t die.

  The crowd noticed.

  Aisha’s voice returned.

  “ANOMALY DETECTED.”

  “OPPONENT TERMINATION DELAYED.”

  “COUNTDOWN: TEN SECONDS.”

  The announcer screamed.

  “WHAT IS THIS?! THE HERO IS STILL ALIVE!”

  The crowd began chanting.

  “JUBEECA! JUBEECA! JUBEECA!”

  Jubeeca ignored them.

  Her eyes were somewhere else.

  Thinking about Soren.

  The countdown reached zero.

  Ethan’s body crumbled.

  Dust scattered across the arena floor.

  Aisha confirmed it.

  “Match over.”

  “Hero Ethan’s soul has perished.”

  “He will not be reincarnated.”

  Jubeeca turned and left the arena.

  No celebration.

  No victory pose.

  She walked straight through the coliseum halls until she reached a door.

  She knocked twice.

  “Mother,” she called.

  “Come with me.”

  The door opened.

  An older woman stepped out.

  Gentle eyes.

  Calm presence.

  Lady Lucy.

  “My dear?” Lucy asked softly.

  “Right now?”

  “Yes.”

  Jubeeca turned away.

  “To my chambers.”

  “We need to discuss it with my husband.”

  Lucy paused.

  Then followed slowly.

  “…What are you planning?”

  Lucy’s hand hovered near the doorframe like she wanted to stop her.

  “My dear… you can’t just—”

  Jubeeca cut her off.

  “I already did.”

  Lucy froze.

  Jubeeca’s eyes gleamed.

  “A blood contract doesn’t ask permission.”

  Then she leaned closer, whispering like a vow.

  “And when he crawls out of that Pit…”

  “I’ll be the first thing he sees.”