Ch-144
—
The rankings among the party members were constantly seesawing.
However, in the overall party rankings, there was still a considerable gap from first place.
First place held a score of 480 points.
Even that had only been caught up to this much because, at some point, their rate of score increase had suddenly slowed down.
*Master. This bastard is useless.*
Had the Master simply done his part properly, they would have been almost even—or even higher.
But the Master had dragged down the party’s average score by too large a margin.
It was enough to make one question whether that thing was of any help at all.
But more than the Master, what drew the eye even more was, naturally, the identity of the first-place party.
*Who the hell is that first-place party?*
Their early-game rampage had been downright nonsensical.
They had sprinted forward like mad, leaving more than double the score difference.
And yet, at some sudden point, the rate at which they gained points slowed.
What was even more astonishing was that they still had not been overtaken.
*The White King? Or the Empire?*
If one wanted even the slightest understanding, the possibilities narrowed to those two.
Either the White King or the Empire had mobilized on a massive scale.
But no matter how impressive the two were, the speed they showed early on was simply not something that could be explained.
*The White King’s side cannot match our forces.*
Raktusha was certain.
The White King—an old monster, lord of the northern lands—had lost his fangs.
His former divine might was gone, and he had become a coward whose place was now the back room.
Even the forces that followed him did not come close to matching Raktusha’s own strength.
*Not when I can wield sword-aura thanks to the Black King’s grace.*
And it was not only him.
All of the Black King’s close aides had received powerful blessings and had grown several stages stronger.
If the combat capability of the White King’s main forces only approached the level of the Four Kings…
…then the result was obvious.
Their overwhelming victory.
The Four Pillars—he had confirmed their level through one of them, a subordinate unit under the White King.
That pitiful undead creature that had boldly invaded the southern lands.
*If the remaining main forces are also at the Four Pillars’ level, then there’s nothing more to see.*
Thus, the White King’s forces were unlikely to be the culprits.
*Then the Empire?*
The only remaining possibility was the Empire.
A place built by humans, yet whose true nature was unknown.
It had been confirmed that they possessed countless stored treasures and concealed transcendents.
And even that among the humans, there were those who were *not* quite human.
Especially regarding the “Emperor”—the Black King himself had personally warned them to be cautious.
*Whoever they are…*
Tsk, tsk.
Raktusha clicked his tongue softly and shook his head.
Then he raised his Black-heaven Sword.
*If we meet them, we will simply cut them down.*
Kwaaaaarrrr!
He swung once more toward the massive blood-spawn charging at him.
*
*
The suddenly risen “Tower of Rifts” had become the greatest topic of interest among all Pangaenia’s residents and players alike.
PlayerTalk was also flooded with discussions about it.
– Anyone know which rankers attempted it?
– Maybe Gracia or the Master went in?
– We could monitor the Abyss Labyrinth in real time, but there’s no info on this place. It’s maddening.
Unlike the Abyss Labyrinth, however, once someone entered, they could not exit until the floor was cleared.
Because of this condition, many were hesitant to attempt it.
Thus, no information whatsoever was available.
No one knew who had entered, or what was happening inside.
– Does “Level Limit Release” actually mean breaking through level 10?
– That seems like the strongest theory right now.
– Isn’t level 11 possible only for non-human monsters? Like the Saintess who isn’t human at all?
– Then only the party that clears the floor gets their level limit raised?
– Probably, yeah.
– Isn’t that just advantageous for humans? Monsters don’t have level limits anyway.
– Nah, I think every race has their own set level limit.
All races had level limits.
Humans simply had the lowest—10—and thus transcendence through stars was the only way to grow stronger.
But the number of stars was limited.
There were countless humans who had the qualifications yet remained stuck at level 10.
Unless one shed their humanity and became another race altogether, they could not go beyond level 10.
If what this tower did was to break such a “limit”…
– That’s insane…
– That’s basically the same as giving a free 1-Star transcendence.
– It might not even be level-related. We won’t know until someone clears it.
– God, this is so frustrating. How does this thing even work?
– If you’re so frustrated, why don’t *you* go in lol
– Oh, someone’s starting a raid.
– Looks like the Abyss Labyrinth situation all over again.
– Challengers: Black King, Master?
– Wait, the Black King of the South?
– No way. Is this real?
– But who’s the Master?
– No way it’s *that* Master, right?
– ???
*
*
《‘Lord Solbaren’ Raid has begun.》
《Challengers: “Black King, Master.” Party Score: 500 points》
《Lord Solbaren’s combat power does not decrease.》
《Lord Solbaren’s combat power is 999,999.》
I paused while sweeping through the level-6 region as the message surfaced.
*The score got reversed out of nowhere.*
There had been quite a point gap, yet suddenly the second-place party had gained a massive number of points and shot ahead.
*Did they defeat a region-level boss?*
It seemed they’d beaten the boss, hit exactly 500 points, and then attempted the challenge.
Had I been too slow?
*It takes time to subjugate all blood-spawn.*
The hidden trait—King of Blood-Demons.
The absolute domination over blood-spawn.
This was something I found deeply fascinating.
It was a trait that allowed me to command an entire legion.
And the more I dominated, the stronger they grew.
The more they increased, the more powerful they became, and if certain blood-spawn species were strengthened, the effect grew even further.
By the time I reached the level-6 region, the number of blood-spawn under my command had reached 500.
– Our King!
– Our eternal sovereign!
– Blood!
– Give us more blood!
The problem was that with more numbers came more hungry mouths craving my blood.
*I’m getting anemic…*
One drop per creature meant five hundred drops.
Thankfully, my natural regeneration was high—otherwise, I might have collapsed from blood loss.
But the effort was worth it.
《‘Blood-Spawn Cluster (1)’ has been completed.》
《The leader attribute of ‘Blood-Spawn Cluster (1)’ is ‘Star.’》
《You may sacrifice ‘Blood-Spawn Cluster (1)’ to use ‘Meteor Shower.’》
I had surpassed a mere large horde—I had completed a cluster.
Moreover, I had found a blood-spawn with a special attribute.
*There are blood-spawn species with special attributes, beyond ordinary ones.*
Blood-spawn with special attributes could grant special skills.
I didn’t know exactly what “Meteor Shower” was, but it seemed similar to Meteor.
Meteor was one of the strongest skills obtainable only by a high-tier fire mage upon transcendence.
*Even without using sacrifice skills, this itself is an army.*
At least 500 blood-spawn, all above level 7.
Enough force to turn a small city into rubble.
That was when—
《The Boss of the 6-Level Region has appeared!》
《The Boss of the 6-Level Region has been defeated!》
Kyaaaaaaaa!
The level-6 region boss—a giant mammoth—was killed the moment it appeared.
The blood-spawn devoured its flesh and blood, indulging themselves.
…A bit brutal, admittedly.
Blood-spawn were truly creatures starved for blood.
《Total Party Score has exceeded 500 points.》
《Would you like to challenge ‘Lord Solvaren’?》
《Raid will begin once all party members agree.》
《‘Black King, Master’ are currently challenging.》
Black King, Master.
It seemed certain now that the Master had joined the Black King’s forces.
The question was whether they could defeat Lord Solbaren.
*It won’t be easy.*
I was someone who had cleared this type of dungeon countless times.
Being allowed to challenge with 500 points didn’t mean one should challenge *with exactly 500.*
Otherwise, they would face a boss empowered with every possible buff.
Still—who could say for sure?
If the entirety of the Black King’s forces were as strong as Raktusha, it might be possible.
Time passed.
《‘Lord Solbaren’ Raid has failed.》
《‘Lord Solbaren’s combat power is 999,955.》
…A miserable outcome.
*They only shaved off 44…?*
For a moment, I wondered if I had misread it.
That the Black King’s forces, including Raktusha, had managed to shave off **only 44** combat power?
How was that possible?
Unlike me, other parties had a limit to the total points they could obtain.
They could only clear regions corresponding to their level.
Even in high-level regions, the maximum they could earn was around 200 points per person.
*This… is a boss meant to be defeated by all parties together.*
Only then did I understand.
Lord Solbaren wasn’t designed to be defeated by a single party.
He was a monster created to be chipped away by countless parties climbing the tower.
Even if they could attempt again, it would take time to reorganize.
*…All the better.*
Indeed, this was preferable.
If Lord Solbaren was that strong, then all I needed to do was grow that strong myself and challenge him then.
《You have declined the challenge to ‘Lord Solbaren.’》
《You aim to obtain a higher score.》
*
*
“What kind of monster is that—!”
The Master trembled and shouted.
The Master had been fortunate enough to defeat the region boss, earning 500 points and overtaking first place.
Up to that point, everything had been good.
Very good.
But—
*Was that thing really made to be beaten?*
Lord Solbaren.
He had thought the boss would be nothing special, but even the Black King’s forces had only managed to leave a single scratch.
No—truthfully, their attacks barely registered at all.
*To think it would use invincibility.*
It spammed invincibility skills relentlessly, leaving no openings.
The fact that even a single wound was inflicted was impressive in itself.
In the end, the Black King’s forces decided to disband.
Continuing to fight would only waste time, they believed.
They concluded the key was to raise their score and reduce the duration of its invincibility skills.
*But where… is this place?*
Right after the raid failure—
The Master was transported to another region.
A place called the “Room of Waiters.”
At the same time—
《When 100 challengers gather in the Room of Waiters, the ‘Bonus Game’ will begin.》
《The winner of the game will gain the chance to challenge a region whose level has not yet been cleared.》
《Currently, 23 challengers have gathered in the waiting room.》
Seeing the messages appear before him, the Master grinned.
*Heaven itself favors me.*
Just when he thought it was over, it wasn’t.
Rather, it was a golden opportunity—one where he could potentially earn a higher score than even the Black King’s forces.
What would happen if he, a 2-Star transcendent, challenged a lower-level region?
But there was something strange.
This waiting room should be gathering only those who had completed their region levels.
*It’s going to take a long time to gather 100 people.*
With only 23 so far, it would be quite some time.
Clearing a region and defeating its boss was no easy task, after all.
And yet—
《Currently, 28 challengers have gathered.》
《Currently, 39 challengers have gathered.》
《Currently, 53 challengers have gathered.》
《Currently, 71 challengers have gathered.》
……
《All 100 challengers have gathered!》
《The number of challengers in the waiting room has exceeded 100.》
Suddenly, the number of challengers in the waiting room was skyrocketing at a ridiculous pace.
The Master furrowed his brows.
Before him, black silhouettes were being generated in a disorderly cascade.
Far from being only 100—just from what he could see, the number easily surpassed 200.
*What is this?*
Master—
“What, what the? A clear? Just like that, out of nowhere?”
“We were barely managing to run away…”
“The region boss disappeared the moment it appeared?”
“Where even is this place?”
The people who had been summoned into the waiting room.
Most of them were players who had cleared a low-level region and had been forcibly brought here afterward.
But because the regions had been cleared so abruptly, many had no idea what was going on.
*People in the waiting room cannot see each other’s appearances.*
The Master stroked his chin.
The number of people in the waiting room was increasing like madness.
Past 200… past 300… perhaps even far beyond that.
