Mapping the whole area took a few days. Or weeks. Hard to tell.

  More potions in the rooms, but not a single piece of edible food.

  The Eighth Circle looked like a scientist's lab — shelves of potions, books, inscriptions I didn't recognize. I didn't understand the history of the place. Didn't need to.

  I needed to push through.

  Whenever I ran into the Mage, I'd slam into him and he'd kill me with a spell. He wasn't static either — I spotted him all over the floor, always slowly drifting in some direction. Seemingly random.

  I never found him in a room. Never found him sleeping. Though I couldn't rule out that I simply hadn't looked for that yet.

  The mapping ended at the gateway to the Seventh Circle.

  I returned to the Ninth and spread the map out, staring at it.

  'Alright,' I sighed. 'I've been luckier than I realized. The mutt and the goblin both had the same weakness — sleep deprivation. They needed to sleep. I didn't. And they were both alive. The mutt was rotten, but breathing. I felt the goblin's heartbeat when I broke its neck. Warm body. Alive.'

  My eyes narrowed.

  'But this thing is a floating skeleton. That might not apply here. And even if it did...'

  I zoomed out on the map. A massive maze. Over a thousand rooms, just as many doorways, twists, dead ends.

  'This place is too big. Brute forcing it would be inefficient even if I maxed out Dex and Strength with my remaining points — which I can't anyway, I don't have enough.'

  I scratched my chin.

  'That means my only real option is to kill it.'

  I tapped the map, tracing corridors with one finger.

  'And that's more complicated than anything before.'

  'First — the barrier. If I can't cross that one-meter gap, nothing else matters.'

  'But even if I can cross it, there's no guarantee it drops in one hit. I'll need to strike multiple times in a single window. Not just reach it once.'

  The memory of compressed air carving through my chest made my hand curl into a fist.

  'And then there's the counterattacks. Too close and I won't have room to dodge. Standing right in front of it is the worst place I could be.'

  I exhaled slowly.

  'So I need to hit it safely... from a distance that still lets me evade... repeatedly... while breaking that barrier every single time.'

  I stared at the map for a long moment.

  '...What do I do?'

  Another moment passed.

  '...I could pump Strength a bit more. Start throwing rocks. I still have that magic-resistant Black Steel — maybe I could pitch chunks of that at it.'

  I decided to test it.

  [STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 665 >> 465]

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  [Stats] 600 >> 800 STR. 420 INT. 600 DEX. 420 VIGOR. 420 RES.

  I clenched my fist. The linen and metal around it dented.

  'This could work.'

  I pulled out a chunk of raw Black Steel, felt its weight, and threw it at the skeleton the next time we crossed paths. Once with pure force. Once with Hard Swing behind it.

  Both times, it bounced off the barrier.

  The second throw cracked the shield — but it repaired itself instantly, long before I could throw another. I waited for the mage to drift away, collected the chunks, and stood there thinking.

  'Not reliable. I have to hit it myself. Directly.'

  'I need a sword.'

  My eyes dropped to my inventory. The Abyssal Knight set from the mutt sat there like it was mocking me — far above my current level.

  '...Fine. Something else.'

  I scrolled through, remembering the pile of broken weapons I'd looted.

  'There was a greatsword in there.'

  My fingers found the hilt.

  'Long enough to cross that meter.'

  A shattered greatsword. Heavy. Half-dead. But fixable.

  '...That'll do.'

  I rested the broken length across my knee.

  [Gear Maintenance] activated on its own.

  Cracks sealed. The mangled edge rebuilt itself. The blade straightened with a sound like old bones finally waking up.

  Hours later, the greatsword sat solid and whole in my hands.

  'One meter gap. I can reach that now.'

  I marched back into the Eighth Circle.

  The mage appeared quickly — drifting, silent, robes fluttering like dying embers. It noticed me at once. The staff rose.

  'Not this time.'

  I lunged, driving the greatsword forward. The instant the blade hit that invisible ring, sparks erupted—

  —and the sword exploded into fragments.

  'Tch...!!'

  I ditched the hilt, shifted my stance, and cocked my fist back.

  "[Hard Swing]!"

  Mana flooded my arm. The punch screamed through the air—

  Crack—!

  The barrier splintered. Broke. My fist tore through — but before I could land the second strike, the mage had already cast.

  Blackness.

  Respawn.

  I snapped awake and slammed my fist into the stone.

  "Goddamn it all!!"

  'Of course the sword shattered... I can break granite with my fingers. Normal steel can't take that force. FUCK!'

  I glared at the Black Steel in my inventory.

  'If only I could forge a blade out of that. Those chunks didn't even dent when I threw them full force... Maybe they're more impressive than I realized. If only I knew the first thing about smithing...'

  I exhaled and let my arms drop.

  'Stuck with my fists then.'

  I stared at my hands.

  'So how do I get past that barrier? Does it block all physical attacks...?'

  I lay back on the cold floor of the Ninth Circle and stared up into the dark.

  A thought surfaced — random, uninvited. Some half-remembered high school science class from my old world.

  'Air is physical. So are light particles.'

  I thought about how the mage's robes fluttered as it moved. How air flowed past it normally.

  'If the barrier blocked everything, air wouldn't pass through. Its robes wouldn't float. Light wouldn't hit it. But they do.'

  I sat up slightly.

  'Meaning air goes through. Light goes through. Only attacks get blocked.'

  A beat.

  'So it isn't always active.'

  Another beat.

  'He has to activate it. It's not permanent. He chooses when to raise it.'

  Worth testing.

  I grabbed a rock the size of my fingernail, stripped off my armor, and crept into the Eighth Circle in just my underwear. Found the mage with its back turned. Gently tossed the rock just inside the meter radius.

  It landed.

  Only then did the mage turn to look at it.

  'Why not keep it raised at all times...?'

  I gulped.

  That's when it hit me — Hard Swing drains my mana every time I use it.

  What if the barrier works the same way?

  I pushed myself upright, heart suddenly steady.

  'And if it costs mana to raise it... then he can run out.'