Ch-145
—
The Challengers summoned into the waiting room could be identified only as shadowy silhouettes.
‘This isn’t the number you’d expect from clearing a single area. Many more areas must be getting cleared simultaneously.’
But the puzzlement still remained.
Everyone should have entered areas appropriate for their own level.
The number of challengers distributed across each area differed, and even among those of the same level, exterior factors would make for differences.
For every single area to be cleared at the exact same time—such a thing was impossible.
“It seems we’re all in similar situations. Could each of you tell us which level of area you were in? I think we need to sort out the situation.”
Thus, the Master acted.
He needed to at least determine the cause first.
At that, the people around him began to open their mouths one by one.
“I was in a Level 7 area!”
“I was in Level 8.”
“Level 5 for me.”
As expected, the distribution of levels was mixed.
The highest was Level 12 including the Master, but excluding him, it seemed Level 8 was the highest.
‘They’re being cleared one by one from the lowest areas upward. Is this just a difference in difficulty?’
Judging from how the areas weren’t all jumbled together, that was possible.
Well, the lower the level, the lower the difficulty—of course.
Clearing them in order was only natural.
However—
“Suddenly a blizzard hit, and the area was cleared.”
“Same for me!”
“Large Bloodspawn appeared and abducted the smaller Bloodspawn.”
“‘That man’… that man commanded the Bloodspawn and killed the area boss.”
Something was wrong.
He was being told that areas of all levels had been cleared in two distinct ways.
A blizzard, or a mysterious man leading Bloodspawn.
But unless he could use some kind of clone technique, one could only operate within the areas corresponding to one’s own level.
It was then—
《Due to the excessive number of challengers in waiting rooms, the game has been altered.》
《The ‘O/X Quiz Show’ will now begin.》
《Benefits will be given to challengers who answer the most questions correctly.》
《Further communication between challengers is now prohibited.》
《First question.》
《A ‘bug user’ currently exists within the tower. O/X》
A sudden quiz.
But this wasn’t strange.
Dungeons or towers varied entirely depending on their masters.
This particular nature simply belonged to the ruler of the Rift Tower.
‘There is a bug user.’
And the Master was convinced.
Judging from all the previous conversations, someone was ignoring the level restrictions of the areas.
A truly bug-like playstyle.
Soon, O and X rose in midair.
The Master pretended to hesitate, then moved toward O.
《Second question.》
《If a ‘bug user’ exists, I will absolutely kill the ‘bug user.’ O/X》
The second question followed.
The Master frowned.
‘This is supposed to be a quiz?’
This was no longer a quiz.
*
*
《The entire area freezes.》
《Progress 100%》
《Level 9 area boss has appeared.》
《Level 9 area boss has been slain.》
《You have obtained a total of 120 SP.》
《You have obtained a total of 75h Fragments of the Golden Scale.》
《A path to the next area has opened.》
《Total party score: 850 points》
《1st – Randolph (580)》
《2nd – Serengeti (100)》
《3rd – Balte (80)》
《4th – Rommel (60)》
《5th – Andrew (30)》
《Ranked 1st out of all 13,788 parties.》
《The total score of the 2nd-ranked party is 580 points.》
《The total score of the 3rd-ranked party is 520 points.》
After deciding to earn points, I shot straight to the Level 10 area.
By clearing up to the Level 10 area without rest, we’d reached a combined party score of 850.
《Would you like to challenge ‘Lord Solbaren’?》
《Solbaren’s combat power will decrease by 35% according to your total score.》
And as the total score increased, Solbaren’s combat power weakened.
Roughly 1% per 10 points.
In theory, if we reached 1,500 points, Solbaren’s combat power would drop to 0%.
‘If things go well, 0% might actually be possible.’
Just from clearing all the Level 9 areas, I’d obtained 580 points.
If I reached Level 10 or above, gathering close to a thousand points wouldn’t be impossible.
‘My current stats alone put me at roughly Level 13.’
Thanks to the Unique-grade sword *Winter*, which raised all stats by 10, in pure stats alone I had a near Level-13 level of insane amplification.
Of course, compared to those who leveled properly at similar levels or those who had transcended, there were areas where I might fall short—but even so, I didn’t think I’d lose easily.
I had as much strength as those who had gained transcendence through transcendence.
‘The One Who Kindles Darkness’ needs no explanation.
‘The Bloodspawn’s Second Swarm has been completed.’
A number great enough to be called a legion had crossed the warp with me.
Over a thousand Bloodspawn.
Even necromancers found it hard to command legions of that size.
Unless you were on the level of a Demon King, how could you possibly command thousands of undead?
“What—what is this?”
“Bloodspawn? They look a little different!”
“Run!”
There were indeed quite a number of people in the Level 10 area.
As soon as the challengers saw the horde of Bloodspawn that crossed the warp, they panicked and fled.
Except for two.
Whoosh! Whish-whish-whish!
A man clad in red armor and helmet, swinging his spear like a madman.
He didn’t even glance at the Bloodspawn legion.
‘That’s… Balte.’
I recognized him instantly.
There was no one besides Balte who’d be wielding a spear in full Berserker set.
The one I’d brought from the Mountain of the Trainee.
But Balte was fighting someone.
“As expected of the ‘bug user’s party member. To be this strong in a Level 10 area.”
The man easily avoided Balte’s spear thrusts, voicing admiration.
I’d never seen him before, but the problem was his level.
《Lv.12》
Why was a Level 12 transcender in a Level 10 area?
Skin as hard as rock.
He was a member of the To’in tribe—the southern continent’s people.
Their iron-hard skin allowed their warriors to fight barehanded, subjugating foes with swift movements.
While dodging Balte’s spear, he looked toward me.
“Hm? Don’t tell me—you’re the ‘bug user’? Lucky me.”
The To’in man wore a relaxed smile.
Even seeing the Bloodspawn legion, he was completely unbothered.
As if he believed he could handle all this alone.
“Spear-user. I’ve lost interest in you. I’ll finish this in one blow.”
The To’in warrior clenched his fist and unleashed a strike.
That was the beginning.
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
As rapid successive blows exploded, the air detonated.
Balte’s armor crumpled, and he staggered backward.
“Oh? You endured that?”
But Balte didn’t fall even after receiving the flurry of blows.
His armor instantly regenerated.
And then, at an unforeseen moment—
Chajajajajak!
Balte launched a counterattack.
His spear technique grew fiercer by the second.
Each consecutive thrust became smoother and more forceful, pressing the To’in warrior.
When the tenth consecutive strike landed—
‘Rampage.’
An explosive frenzy unfolded, as if he were attacking with dozens, hundreds of spears.
Every one of those countless spears was real.
The spear-user’s ultimate technique—Rampage!—which inflicted lethal wounds with even the slightest graze.
“Mmph…! More troublesome than expected!”
The To’in warrior grimaced.
Not enough to kill him—but unbearably troublesome.
Boom! KWAANG!
Even after Rampage ended, he struck Balte multiple times, yet Balte did not fall.
Only then did the To’in warrior realize something was wrong.
His expression twisted in shock.
“Don’t tell me—you’re unconscious?”
…Indeed.
Balte had long been unconscious.
He had trained for ages in the ‘Unconscious Domain’ at the Mountain of the Trainee, and he was far stronger unconscious than conscious.
Hence his perfect compatibility with the Berserker set.
Balte would not stop until either he died or his opponent did.
‘If I leave him like this, it’ll be dangerous.’
A 2-level difference was enormous.
Especially once you crossed Level 10—the gap was unmistakably vast.
Just as I was about to intervene—
“‘Bug user’!”
“The ‘bug user’ is over there!”
Voices echoed from all directions.
I frowned and turned my head—an enormous group of people was rushing in.
Challengers of various levels.
Among them were several Level 12 powerhouses.
And among them, I spotted a familiar face.
“THAT BASTARD stole all our points! He’s definitely Solbaren’s spy, trying to stop us from climbing the tower!”
The Master.
The one who had barely escaped with his life from the Empire Auction.
He had transformed into a pig to avoid the Reaper Cult’s suspicion.
Yet now he had appeared out of nowhere in the Level 10 area of the Rift Tower—condemning me.
Well then.
…How was he even here?
‘The master of the Rift Tower.’
The only one suspicious enough was the Rift Tower’s master.
When I removed the constraints with the Heart of the Eternal Lord, he’d frowned.
He must have disliked seeing me walk a path different from the one he’d prepared.
So he’d sent people from cleared areas to where I was.
‘He recognizes me as a bug.’
In any case, it was now clear how the Rift Tower’s master perceived me.
Unlike when I obtained mysteries in the Tower of Mysteries, he didn’t understand my methods at all.
He instead viewed me as an enemy and attempted to forcibly eliminate me.
‘Their state isn’t normal either.’
An inexplicable hostility burned in the challengers’ eyes.
They rushed at me with blazing fury.
It wasn’t hostility one could explain by “he stole our points.”
What to do?
The answer was already decided.
《Hidden Trait ‘The One Who Kindles Darkness’ activates.》
《A wide area is engulfed in ‘Darkness (Lv.4)’.》
《‘Eyes of the Dreadful Omen (Lv.10)’ opens.》
*
*
The man visible in the distance.
The one among the Bloodspawn.
He was the bug user.
A hindrance that had to be eliminated at all costs.
‘The Bloodspawn themselves aren’t much. Our combat power is superior.’
The Master quickly made a judgment.
The Bloodspawn he could see were numerous, but that was all.
Their levels were, at best, around Level 7 to 8.
Meanwhile, they had four Level 12 transcenders on their side.
If all of them rushed in, even a bug user would find it hard to survive.
‘Something about him feels familiar…’
The bug user’s face, far away—there was something familiar about it.
As if he’d met him not long ago.
But then, the bug user’s form began to change.
At the same time, the Master frowned with all his might.
‘That form—!’
His body wouldn’t move.
Even his thoughts froze.
But soon, the Master’s reaction grew even more violent.
“Y-you, you—!!”
He couldn’t help but tremble in horror.
Rage surged up on its own.
Naturally so.
The golden goat’s face faintly illuminated within the darkness.
Though the color differed from the black mask he had worn back then, there was no mistaking it.
That bastard was unmistakably one of the Reaper Cult—the one he had seen at the Imperial Auction.
One of those damned cultists who had turned him into a pig and humiliated him.
‘So he *was* climbing the tower in the Empire as well!’
A feeling like electricity raced down his cervical spine.
The identity of the bug user—the identity of the 1st-ranked party—was the Empire’s Reaper Cult.
That man was clearly climbing the Rift Tower as a representative of the Reaper Cult.
‘I could never forget the disgrace of that day.’
In excitement over the Imperial Special Auction, he had hastily sold off every relic he could.
He entered the Empire carrying heaps of gold—but all he received in return was humiliation.
They had gathered sinners, “suspected players,” and conducted an experiment on them.
The Master had figured out the rough nature of the powder in the jar and was reminded of the trauma from his childhood.
‘That day… I became a pig.’
No—he became something not even human, but a beast.
When he transformed into a pig and squealed, the Imperial nobles burst into laughter.
The Reaper Cultists were no different.
Those mocking eyes.
