The air was thick with decay. The once-familiar st of the dungeon floors had ged, repced by an overwhelming stench of death and corruption. Audi's steps echoed through the ruined corridors, his grip tightening around his on as he sed his surroundings. A sense of unease prickled at the back of his mind.

  Then, they appeared.

  A grotesque, undead version of the onon rodent monster scurried from the shadows, its fur patchy and rotting.

  Zombie Ratata.

  From the crevices of the dungeon walls, a decayed, getinous entity oozed forward, its form flickering with dark energy.

  Zombie Slime.

  And then, the snarling figures emerged—twisted remnants of goblins, their flesh hanging from their boheir lifeless eyes gleaming with an insatiable hunger.

  Zombie Goblins.

  These creatures weren't mere strays. They exuded a dangerous aura, ohat rivaled the might of a Gate 4 Boss.

  Audi's eyes narrowed. "A Ratata... but undead? A Slime... but undead? And... Zombie Goblins?"

  His heart pounded, but he didn't falter.

  "Summon!"

  The air crackled as a deep violet glow erupted from the ground. From the void, three figures emerged, t and exuding an aura of newfound strength.

  But something was different—his summons had evolved.

  [Evolved Zombie Summons – First Job]

  Swordsman Zombie – A battle-hardened undead, wielding a rusted yet deadly sword, its movements sharper and more refiank Zombie – A hulking mass of rotting flesh, heavy armor that ked with every step. Ice Mage Zombie – A skeletal figure draped in tattered robes, its bony hands pulsing with chilling magic.

  Audi smirked. "Alright... let's see who's hungry now."

  The Battle Begins

  With a flick of his wrist, Audi sent his summons forward. The Swordsman Zombie lunged, its rusted bde slig through the first Zombie Goblin, sending its decayed limbs flying. The Tank Zombie took the front, blog an ining horde with ah-shaking stomp. The Ice Mage Zombie raised its hands, sending a barrage of jagged ice shards toward the encroag Zombie Slime, freezing it in pce before shattering it with an eerie explosion.

  Audi moved swiftly, cutting through the remaining enemies with precision. But just as he struck down another Zombie Ratata, a voice echoed in his mind.

  "Don't let yuard down."

  He froze. Jazz's words surfaced in his memory. The st time they entered an undead-ied floor, it had been a prelude to something much worse.

  The ground trembled. The rotten stench thied. The st Zombie Goblin, surrounded by Audi's summons, suddenly let out a pierg shriek—

  A call for something greater.

  From the darkness, a monstrous figure emerged.

  A Giant Orz Zombie Boss.

  With a single, devastating swipe, it obliterated Audi's summons. Eveank Zombie fell in one mighty blow. Audi barely had time to react before the creature lu him. He quickly encased himself in Ice Armor, but the force of the impact shattered it instantly, sending him sprawling. Pain shot through his body, and his vision blurred.

  Unsciousness crept in—but before darkness fully cimed him, he saw something.

  A shadow standing over him.

  Memories flickered. He recalled the time his brother, Ford, had saved him from a Gobliermination Boss.

  But this wasn't Ford.

  A massive Greatsword cleaved through the Orz Zombie, slig the abomination in half. A t figure loomed over the battlefield, twice the size of the fallen boss.

  Hel, The Gravedigger.

  The ground shuddered beh his weight as the undead monstrosity faced this new challenger. Hel's bde gleamed uhe eerie dungeon light, ready to carve through the abyss once more.

  The Cursed Tablet

  As the st of the creatures fell, a suffog presence halted Audi in his tracks. Before him stood Hel, Gatekeeper of the ive Floors, the st survivor of the Zombie Extermination—ohe greatest warrior of the Zombie King. Her pierg gaze assessed him with a mix of curiosity and unease.

  "Did you read the Cursed Tablet?" she asked, her voice calm yet firm. "If you deciphered it, that means you uand the nguage of the undead… Something is wrong with you."

  Stepping closer, she whispered, "You bear the aura of the dead, yet you are human. That expins why the King of Floor 1 stirs. He believes the Zombie King has returned. If he senses you, he will know something is wrong."

  Hel tinued, her tone more measured. "The Zombie King oold me a human would e here—one who carries his essence. He told me to assist you."

  Her hand reached into her cloak, revealing aoablet covered in dark etgs. "I have the Sed Cursed Tablet from ive Floor 90, but 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."

  The weight of it all pressed down on Audi's mind. His thoughts swirled as exhaustion took hold, his vision dimming. Hel's voice faded into the background, but ohing remained clear—he had stepped into something far greater than he had ever imagined.

  His body ached, his energy drained, but one overp thought lingered in his mind.

  "I'm... starving."

  With that final realization, darkness cimed him, and he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.