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Alex stood before him, grinning smugly despite having died over a hundred times in the past hours.

"Alright," Arceus growled, his tone sharp enough to cut through steel. "You want to prove yourself worthy? Then you will complete a task.

Only then will I even consider you as my disciple."

Alex\'s eyes lit up with excitement. "Name it! I\'m ready for anything."

If he somehow managed to be the student of a [Grand Mage], then it could mean unlocking more spells and power.

Basically, he couldn\'t afford to disappoint.

He could come back infinitely, but if Arceus felt like it, the Grand Mage could potentially just curse Alex or deal [Soul Damage] to him.

Arceus sneered. "Oh, I don\'t think you understand the gravity of what you\'re asking.

To study under me is to hold the secrets of the cosmos in your hands.

The task I\'m about to give you has killed lesser beings than you before they even attempted it."

"Sounds fun," Alex replied without hesitation, though cautious, "But remember that I\'m immortal," he shrugged.

Arceus arched an eyebrow, his golden eyes narrowing, "Are you immortal against Soul Attacks?"

The moment he uttered these two words, Alex\'s smile faded.

"As I thought," Arceus laughed, "You probably never met any monsters until now that could do that, did you?"

"..."

"Well get ready," the Grand Mage tapped his two hands together, and a few panels appeared in front of Alex.

Ding!

[New Quest has been given by a Grand Mage!]

"You will retrieve the Heart of Calamity from the Cave of Oblivion."

Ding!

[You have triggered the SSS-Level Grand Mage Hidden Quest, "Become Arceus\' Student"!]

[Objective: Bring the "Heart of Calamity" Artifact to Arceus.]

[Time Limit: 1 Week.]

[Reward: Arceus Student Title.]

[Punishment in case of failure: ???]

Alex didn\'t even want to find out what the punishment was.

"Observe the other panel now," Arceus pointed at the panel right next to the quest one.

It was like some sort of screen, showing an ominous black rift surrounded by swirling storms of fire and shadow.

It pulsed with malevolent energy, sending shivers down Alex\'s spine.

"And," Arceus continued, his voice colder than ever, "you must retrieve it within seven days."

Alex scratched his chin. "Seven days, huh? What happens if I\'m late?"

"If you don\'t acquire the artifact I want within next week, then don\'t even bother coming back here, as I\'ll start using [Soul Attacks] if you do," Arceus shrugged.

But that wasn\'t normal.

In fact, what Arceus was saying didn\'t make sense.

"Why don\'t you use them right now if I annoy you? You can do it easily and no one would know," Alex risked.

"..." Arceus didn\'t reply, "What I think does not matter to you, just do what I want you to do."

"Cool, cool," Alex said nonchalantly, moving on quickly, "Anything else I should know?"

Arceus\' patience was clearly thinning again.

"Yes. Should you succeed, do not touch the Heart directly. Use this." He flicked his wrist, summoning a small crystal vial with intricate carvings.

It floated over to Alex, who grabbed it and examined it closely.

[Artifact Container (Artifact Item)]

"And if I do touch it?"

"You\'ll likely implode, your existence erased across all dimensions," Arceus said, a hint of amusement creeping into his tone. "But feel free to test that theory if you\'re curious."

Alex gave him a thumbs up. "Got it. Don\'t touch the heart. Easy enough."

With a flourish of his staff, Arceus opened a swirling golden portal.

The air around it crackled ominously, a stark contrast to the serene light of the chamber.

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"Enter. And remember," Arceus said, his voice dropping into a menacing growl, "Failure is not an option."

Alex grinned and gave a salute, "I\'ll be back before you even realize it, teacher!"

As he stepped through the portal, Arceus muttered under his breath, "Or not. Either outcome suits me."

...

As Alex emerged from the portal, he took in the sight before him.

"Oh, I\'m back here."

The sky was a dull, sickly gray, and the landscape was barren, riddled with jagged rocks and ash-covered ground.

An eerie wind howled faintly, carrying with it the faint stench of decay.

Doesn\'t this remind you of somewhere?

Exactly! It was the area where [Undead Land] was located!

Which meant that [Undead Land] should be pretty close from here.

But Alex didn\'t care about that for now.

In the distance, the entrance to the Cave of Oblivion loomed like a gaping maw, its dark void pulsating with an ominous red glow.

Ding!

[Location Discovered: Cave of Oblivion]

[Tier 6 Area - Recommended Level: 400]

"..."

"Scared?" Alphox laughed from within Alex, "You can always come back to get stronger!"

Still, he wasn\'t going to back down.

"No, I\'ll test out my skills right now and see the difference."

"Not scared of the soul attacks?"

"Why would I, by the looks of it, Arceus was wrong."

Only monsters that were minimum level 500 could actually deal soul damage, meaning that even the boss of this area shouldn\'t be able to kill him.

He adjusted his gear, tightened his gloves, and started walking toward the cave.

As he reached the entrance, he unsheathed his weapon and summoned all of his undead army for good measure.

[+80 Skeletons, +13 Grand Skeletons, +4 Bony Knights, +3 Spectral Wraiths]

All of his undead emerged from the ground, seemingly happy to see this place.

"Alright, guys," Alex said to his army, "We go inside, and try our best!"

The undead didn\'t respond as they couldn\'t, but they nodded excitedly, and one of the Spectral Wraith even bumped into Alex\'s shoulder.

Strangely enough, these undead beings seemed more human than some of the alive players.

"Alright..."

Then, Alex entered the cave.

...

Inside the cave, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Crimson veins of energy pulsed along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced like malevolent spirits.

The faint echoes of dripping water mixed with guttural growls from deeper within.

Ding!

[Quest Reminder: Retrieve the Heart of Calamity]

[Warning: All monsters within this cave are hostile.]

But that wasn\'t all that appeared before him, because right as he completely stepped through the entrance, a crimson panel appeared in front of him.

[You have entered an area cursed by the "Heart of Calamity"!]

[Your spawn point has been set here.]

"Huh?" Alex turned around, and saw that the entrance to the cave suddenly closed in on him.

[You cannot escape anymore.]

"..."

"Feeling confident now?" Alphox kept laughing, "This is hilarious!"

"Very funny."

Alex turned back, sighing.

He should have expected such a thing, but he just wanted to test his luck against level 400 monsters.

And right as he took his first step, he suddenly sensed danger.

[Warning!]

Panels appeared in front of him, warning him about some unseen danger.

It didn\'t take long for him to realize what this was about.

From the darkness ahead, a low growl reverberated through the cave.

Two glowing red eyes appeared, followed by a hulking form.

The creature stepped into the dim light, revealing itself.

[Shadow Dire Wolf - Level 400 - Elite Monster]