The More I Invest in My Wives, the Stronger I Become

Chapter 32: Hearts and Bones

Kael’s face had gone pale.

If he failed this time as well, Vael would not hesitate.

Victoria would be dragged into this nightmare next. The thought alone made his stomach twist.

In Kael’s mind, Victoria belonged to him. No one else was allowed to touch her. Not that man.

Not the nameless hunter she had married. No one.

He turned toward the woman hanging from the steel chains.

Maria had woken up.

Tears streaked her dirty face. Her breathing was ragged, and a thick cloth was still stuffed in her mouth.

The moment her eyes met Kael’s, she tried to scream. Only a muffled, broken sound came out.

Her entire body went rigid as he walked closer, a sharp knife in his hand.

Kael stopped in front of her. For a second, something almost like sadness crossed his face.

"I never wanted you to die," he said quietly. "I actually liked you.

I wanted to spend more time with you. But I have a goal I must achieve... and for that, I have to make sacrifices."

He reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"So, Maria. This is the last time you’ll see me. I don’t just want your body.

" His smile turned cold and terrifying. "I want your heart. Your real heart."

Maria was a C-Rank Hunter working under the WHA.

She had money, resources, and a comfortable life.

But greed had pushed her into Kael’s bed.

She had believed that becoming his woman would bring her even greater wealth and status.

She never imagined the kind of monster she had involved herself with.

Kael pulled the cloth from her mouth. She coughed hard, then forced the words out.

"You bastard... release me. If I stay missing too long, the WHA will search.

If they find this place, your whole family will face the consequences—"

Kael laughed.

"I removed the cloth because I wanted to hear that."

In one clean motion, he sliced her throat.

Maria’s eyes widened. Blood poured down her chest. She was dead before her body could even struggle.

Kael worked with practiced efficiency. He cut open her chest, removed the still-warm heart, and carefully placed it into a glass tube filled with the same green liquid used for the insects.

Then he unchained the body, lifted it over his shoulder, and carried it to the disposal room.

When he opened the heavy door, the smell of death hit him at once. Dozens of corpses — men and women — were stacked carelessly inside.

Kael called out to the servants waiting nearby.

"Burn them. I don’t need any of this."

The servants bowed and moved to obey.

Alone again, Kael closed his eyes and allowed himself a small, twisted smile.

If I succeed with this project... I’ll finally be free. Then Victoria and I can leave this country and live in peace.

The smile lingered on his face, full of obsession and longing.

___________________________________________

Far away, inside the Solitary Trial, Daemon stood on the 42nd floor.

His breathing was steady. His movements had become sharper, cleaner. Inferno Blast answered him the moment he called.

Thunderstep no longer left him off-balance. Voidreaper felt like a natural extension of his arm.

So far, nothing on the previous floors had truly pushed him.

That changed the moment he stepped into the heavy darkness of this level.

The air was thin. Almost no light reached this place. Daemon raised Voidreaper and let Inferno energy wrap around the blade.

The orange-red flames pushed the darkness back just enough for him to see.

This was an Undead dungeon.

The first enemies dragged themselves out of the ground.

Gravebone Skeletons.

Dozens of them. Yellowed bones held together by faint black energy.

Rusted weapons hung from their hands. They moved without fear or hesitation.

Daemon didn’t waste time.

Thunderstep carried him into the middle of the group. Voidreaper, still burning, swept in a wide arc.

Flames clung to the bones wherever the blade touched.

He moved in short, efficient bursts — cut the legs, crush the chest core, move to the next.

When several tried to surround him, he released a controlled Inferno Blast downward. Fire exploded across the stone floor, shattering the weaker skeletons completely.

Within moments, only scattered bones and fading black mist remained.

He continued forward.

Crypt Walkers came next.

These were different. They wore broken pieces of ancient armor and still remembered how to fight.

One came at him with a longsword using proper form. Another stayed low with dual blades, waiting for an opening.

Daemon blocked the heavy sword strike, feeling the impact travel up his arm.

At the same moment the dual-blade Walker attacked from his blind side. He dropped his shoulder, let the blades scrape past, and drove an Inferno-coated elbow into its skull.

Fire burst on contact.

Before the swordsman could recover, Daemon stepped in and thrust Voidreaper straight through its chest core.

Both bodies collapsed.

Further ahead, the darkness seemed to watch him.

Corpse Hounds attacked without sound.

Three of them.

Fast, low to the ground, tracking the warmth of his life energy. One pounced from the front while the other two circled.

Daemon activated Wingless Flight for less than two seconds — just enough to rise above the first hound — then dropped with Voidreaper pointed downward.

The burning blade punched through its spine.

He rolled the moment he landed, narrowly avoiding the second hound’s fangs, and answered with a point-blank Inferno Blast that took the remaining two together.

His breathing was heavier now.

Then the temperature dropped even further.

A Soul-Eater Wraith drifted out of the wall itself.

It had no solid body. Physical attacks passed through it uselessly.

The moment it touched Daemon’s arm, he felt his energy begin to drain. A sharp headache followed.

Daemon clicked his tongue and poured more Inferno energy into Voidreaper until the flames turned almost white.

This time when he swung, the fire bit into the wraith’s form. The spirit let out a silent scream and tried to phase away.

Daemon chased it with Thunderstep, refusing to give it distance, and finally cut it down with a heavy vertical slash. Black-green mist scattered and faded.

He stood still for a few seconds, steadying his breath.

That was when the real pressure appeared.

A Grave Knight stepped out of the mist.

It was massive, covered in blackened armor, carrying a huge dark sword.

The necrotic energy rolling off it made the air feel heavier. This was not a normal monster. It was an elite.

The Grave Knight attacked first.

The first swing forced Daemon back three steps.

The second nearly took his head off. Even with Thunderstep, the knight’s battle instincts were sharp.

It predicted his movements and answered with heavy, precise strikes.

When Daemon managed to cut its arm, the undead flesh simply knitted itself back together.

They exchanged dozens of blows.

Daemon’s arms began to ache. Sweat ran down his back.

He landed a deep cut on the knight’s side and followed with Inferno Blast, but the monster only staggered before raising its sword again.

It’s not even the boss...

How strong is the actual dungeon boss going to be?

Daemon gritted his teeth and prepared to push harder.

At that exact moment, another presence appeared.

A Blood Revenant stepped into the fight, its eyes glowing a deep crimson. Intelligent. Watching.

Daemon’s expression tightened. Two elite undead at the same time.

The Grave Knight raised its sword high for a killing blow.

Suddenly a dagger flew from the darkness behind Daemon and struck the Grave Knight square in the side of the helmet.

The monster’s posture broke for half a second — just long enough for Daemon to leap back to safety.

Daemon spun around, eyes wide.

He knew that dagger.

"...What are you doing here?"