Chapter 118: Thirty-First Floor, Whale Hunt (1)

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 167 hours 59 minutes.]

The tower’s notification only mentioned one mountain, but what lay before me was closer to a mountain range—an immense one at that. Jagged peaks stretched endlessly from the farthest reaches of one side of my vision to the distant edge of the other, appearing like an elaborate carving chiseled by a god’s hand.

The tower translated things quite literally, which meant that the people of this world did refer to this expansive range as simply a "mountain."

Faint, mist-like clouds drifted swiftly between the peaks and weaved through the hills.

I replayed the tower’s message in my mind. As always, my individual challenge floors were different from other climbers. Nothing appeared similar to what Ha Hee-Jeong had described, and I knew for certain that she hadn’t mentioned airships or sky whales.

I wonder what they look like.

Trying to act unbothered, I brushed it off as just one of the tower’s quirks, but a hint of curiosity began to stir within me.

Well, I will find that out soon enough. However, why does there seem to be a disconnect between the floor’s title and the initial description?

Individually, both of them made sense, but something still gnawed at me. The floor’s title was “Whale Hunt”, and hunting, after all, implied capture and extermination. The more in-depth description didn’t use the word “hunt,” however. Instead, it instructed me to “drive away” the whales. That distinction suggested there were two paths before me.

Either kill the sky whales or spare them and help them relocate.

The hunting party would obviously favor the first option, but I suspected sparing the whales would lead to a hidden mission. Considering how obvious it was, though, every climber would make that distinction immediately, just as I had.

Saving and relocating the whales is going to be way harder, isn’t it?

A couple of factors hinted at the difficulty of this trial. First, the previous few floors had all been a walk in the park, and there was no way the tower would stay that way forever. Second, this trial had a time limit of a week, which was suspicious enough as is.

Regardless, it was pointless to speculate until I could gather more information. That wouldn’t be too hard, thankfully, since I could speak to the hunting party.

The hunting party had encamped temporarily about halfway up a mountain. It was a hub of bustling activity, with everyone moving purposefully through the base. From what I could see, each hunter was equipped not only with a melee weapon but also peculiar firearms slung across their shoulders.

The hunters' appearance struck me as unusual. On top of that, strange, car-like machines were scattered across the base which looked like nothing I had ever seen.

Is this a steampunk-inspired

[1]

world?

Because of that, I found it odd to see soldiers still carrying swords or axes[2].

Just as I approached someone to ask for information, a figure in the distance came sprinting toward me, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Captain! Captain!”

The urgency in his voice was palpable. He skidded to a stop before me while gasping for air, and I could tell something serious had occurred. This wasn’t a casual report, but something requiring immediate attention.

“What’s going on?”

“One of the scouting teams has been ambushed by the damn whale guardians! Those fucking elves!”

Whale guardians? Elves?

Another puzzle piece fell into place.

So it isn’t the whales I have to fight.

Although I had initially assumed the whales would be my primary opponents, this new bit of information revealed that the so-called guardians would be more of an issue. Grasping my axe, I prepared to act. “Where did it happen?”

“Near the twelfth peak, but... it’s too late. We sent scouts to investigate, but all they found were bodies.”

“Did the elves flee?”

“Yes, as always. Those fuckers left the symbol of the Sky Sea carved onto the corpses’ foreheads, too.”

“The Sky Sea’s symbol?”

“The emblem of the god they worship—the Drifting Sky Sea.”

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The hunter, confused, looked at me disbelievingly, as though he couldn’t understand why I would ask something so obvious.

This fucking tower...

It left so much unsaid, even while appointing me as the hunting captain.

I quickly redirected the conversation. “What did you do with the fallen?”

“The team is recovering them now and preparing for the funeral.”

“Good work.”

“But captain, this is becoming routine. Morale among the troops has dropped. What are your orders?”

His deferential tone carried a hint of expectation. Based on how comfortably he sought my judgment, he was likely no common soldier and probably held a significant rank.

Still, I needed a moment to think. Repeated ambushes against the scouting teams meant action was necessary.

“For now, double the size of each scouting team.”

“That will cut into the men’s rest time, but since there’s no better option, I’ll handle it.”

Another soldier approached, addressing the man next to me, “Vice-captain! The funeral preparations are complete. We’re just awaiting your confirmation.”

So, I had been right, and in fact, he was my vice-captain.

The vice-captain nodded. “Well done. Captain, I’ll go ahead and see to it. Collecting and preparing the bodies will take some time. I suggest heading to the central barracks in about thirty minutes.”

“All right. Good work.”

He saluted and left. I remained behind, still trying to piece together this world’s dynamics and the current situation.

Initially, I had thought I could question any random hunter for information, but the way the vice-captain gazed at me came to mind. Although it hadn’t been overt, I had sensed a feeling of distrust from him.

My relationship with the hunting party didn’t seem to be entirely amicable.

Hmm... If possible, I should conduct my investigation independently.

I didn’t want to leave the encampment immediately since the tower wouldn’t have sent me here without reason. There had to be something. Perhaps there was a hunting directive, an official report, or some other critical document.

Following that train of thought, I decided to target the barracks first. If that location didn’t hold the information I needed, questioning the hunting party would be my last resort.

I hope it doesn’t come to that since it will probably be awkward.

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 167 hours 42 minutes.]

Fortunately, I discovered the hunting log written by the captain, well, the captain whom I had replaced, in the barracks. It provided valuable insight into the current situation.

The log revealed that the captain wasn’t originally meant to lead the hunting party. Instead, I had been catapulted last-minute into the position, appointed from the kingdom’s regular forces. Adding to the tension, the hunting party had been deployed to the site well in advance, while I only arrived much later.

Because of this, there appears to be a struggle for power in the hunting party.

The arrangement seemed designed to allow the captain to claim credit for the hunting party’s achievements. Naturally, that wouldn’t sit well with the hunters.

As for hunting the sky whales, the log suggested it wasn’t particularly challenging, and that they could be brought down with relative ease using harpoon guns.

Yet, despite my arrival about a week ago, the hunting party had made little progress.

The reason? The elves—guardians of the whales—had been persistently sabotaging the hunts.

- Fucking Sky Sea. Endless Furnace, please grant your protection to the hunting party.

This brief log hinted at the existence of at least two deities in this world. The elves worshiped the Drifting Sky Sea, while humans revered a god called the Endless Furnace. Judging by its name, the Endless Furnace embodied blacksmithing or mechanical craftsmanship.

Given the presence of airships, firearms, and vehicles, that assumption makes sense.

The sky whales appeared to be sacred for believers of the Drifting Sky Sea, likely similar to the veneration of cows in India.

Even if I wanted to spare the whales and drive them away, the real obstacle is the elves.

Fanatically devoted to their beliefs, the elves were said to be unyielding. Although they were recognized as legitimate inhabitants of this world, their reverence for the sky whales seemed to blind them to reason. The logbook noted that as soon as the hunting party was deployed, elite elf warriors had swarmed upon this mountain.

Where do I even start?

Attempting to negotiate with the elves didn’t seem ideal. The chances of them listening to me were slim. Also, the hunting party, already grieving their fallen comrades, would undoubtedly react poorly to such an approach.

Even if the elves were willing to talk...

I had no viable solution to relocate the whales since I lacked information about this world. The tower’s message had mentioned that excessive development had displaced the whales, leaving them without a habitat. Sending them to a rest area seemed unlikely to satisfy the elves, who would definitely oppose such an idea.

There are three possible approaches.

The first option was to abandon the potential hidden mission by simply eliminating the elves and whales. Given that I was still uncertain that saving the whales would even be a hidden mission, this was the most straightforward solution.

The second option was to secretly teleport the whales to a rest area. The floor’s description simply stated, “Drive away the sky whales,” and removing them from the area technically met that requirement. While more troublesome, this approach seemed more likely to complete a hidden mission.

And finally, I can try convincing the elves...

The third option seemed the least possible. If the elves were still willing to compromise, the tower wouldn’t have assigned this setting as the thirty-first floor. Still, I would need to meet the elves before ruling it out entirely.

A hunter entered the barracks, interrupting my contemplation.

“Captain, the funeral preparations are complete.”

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 167 hours 14 minutes.]

Despite being in another world, the funeral for the fallen scouts strongly resembled the tradition of cremation on Earth. The hunters had constructed a massive forge-like structure, similar to a blacksmith’s furnace, before interring the bodies inside.

As the flames consumed the hunters’ remains, a long, low wail echoed across the distant sky.

“Woooooooh—”

The sound was deep and resonant, the kind of haunting cry you would expect from a horror film.

“It’s a sky whale!”

The hunters leaped to their feet at once, and the vice-captain quickly took charge.

As if reading from a manual, he shouted, “Teams one through five, grab the harpoon guns immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Teams six and seven, prepare the whale baiting incense! Teams eight, nine, and ten, secure the perimeter and stay on the alert for elves!”

The hunters moved with practiced efficiency, following the orders without hesitation.

Hmm... I can’t help but feel like an outsider here.

Perhaps it was inevitable, given my position as an “irresponsible and inexperienced” captain.

Instead of joining the rush, I turned toward the wail coming from my seven o’clock. Amidst the mist-shrouded peaks, I caught a glimpse of an enormous silhouette.

Instantly, my earlier plan to use a portal vanished.

I completely underestimated their size...

Until now, the largest portal I had created was about three meters wide. There was no way a whale the size of a building would fit through that.

Meanwhile, the hunters had gathered large metallic components and were rushing to assemble some machines.

“Teams six and seven, disperse the baiting incense into the air! All units, assemble the harpoon guns!”

“Harpoon guns assembled!”

Are those really harpoon “guns”?

The harpoons themselves were as large as a person, so of course the mechanisms designed to launch them were even bigger. If anything, I wouldn’t call them harpoon guns, but harpoon cannons.

I stared, awed at their size and the hunter’s efficiency, watching as the devices were swiftly assembled amidst the clinking of metal. Within thirty seconds, ten harpoon launchers stood ready, looking like short-barreled artillery.

“Power up the harpoon guns!”

“Powering up!”

The hunters responded in unison as they pulled levers beside the launchers. A loud engine roar filled the air, signaling the readiness of the weapons.

“Woooooooh—”

The massive whale emerged from the mist, rippling through the air as though it were swimming in an invisible ocean. The sight was so otherworldly and majestic that I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

At that moment, I understood why the elves held these creatures sacred. Unfortunately, although I was marveling at the beautiful creatures, the hunters remained focused and resolute.

“Target coordinates: 783-456-234! Firing in fifteen seconds!”

“Coordinates confirmed! Firing in fifteen seconds!”

Creak-

The harpoon launchers creaked as the hunters adjusted their aim. With only seconds left before the launch, a tense silence fell over the hunting party.

I haven’t even decided whether I want to kill or spare the whales...

I felt a growing sense of unease as the situation spiraled out of my control. Stopping the hunters now wasn’t an option. As the “unqualified” captain, I wasn’t sure they would obey me anyway, and going against the hunting party could lead to far worse consequences.

Besides, without the harpoon cannons, capturing the whales seemed almost impossible.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silence.

“Elves incoming!”

The shout came from a scout stationed at the edge of the camp. All eyes turned to the second-in-command, who hesitated for only a moment before barking out new orders, “Damn it! All units, cease harpoon fire! Grab your weapons and move to defend the perimeter!”

1. Steampunk is a subgenre of sci-fi or speculative fiction that blends technology and design inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machinery. ☜

2. It’s because steampunk usually focuses on advanced, retro-futuristic technology powered by steam and industrial machinery ☜