Chapter 124: Thirty-Second Floor, Sky Whale Protector (1)

“No, my friends are very particular about cleanliness. All the dust they are blowing around will make the cabin quite uncomfortable. I’ll tell them to finish quickly, so please wait just a little longer."

Something about the way Roxanne had just acted seemed different. Her tone had been unusually firm, almost commanding, plus she had spoken more rapidly. That didn’t match with how she had interacted with me up to this point. Then again, I couldn’t say I knew her well.

Still, it left me curious. I had already reassured her it didn’t bother me, but she still insisted. “I really don’t mind if there is any dust—”

“No,

we

mind. Also, the elves that are cleaning right now are ridiculously meticulous, so the cabin is probably in chaos right now. Just give it a little more time.” Roxanne turned and headed toward the ship’s interior. Her steps were brisk, almost urgent.

What kind of cleaning are they doing for her to prevent me from entering? Does she have an ulterior motive?

Her behavior struck me as suspicious, but I quickly dismissed the worry. Whatever the elves were doing inside didn’t really concern me. Plus, it wasn’t like I had any other choice.

I needed to cooperate with the elves to conquer this floor, and their goal—to save the sky whales—aligned perfectly with mine.

Fine, it is none of my business.

Additionally, they didn’t have a reason to harm me, and frankly, I doubted they were capable of doing that. Maybe she really was just dealing with an overzealous cleaning crew.

I redirected my attention to the sky whales trailing the airship, staring at them as I pondered the impending threats.

What will the hunters’ and kingdom’s primary method of attack be?

Immediately, the harpoon guns utilized by my former hunting party came to mind. If a medium-sized expedition had access to multiple, even smaller groups would likely have at least one.

As for the kingdom’s forces, they would likely target the commandeered airship before the whales. That meant we should expect artillery fire, maybe even cannonballs, once we neared a city. Thinking about the worst case as well, it wasn’t out of the question that they would send combat airships to chase us down.

An idea struck mid-thought.

Since the elves can locate the sky whales by communicating with wind spirits, what stops them from detecting enemies with the same method?

Following that train of thought, if any enemies appeared within a certain range, I could activate Shadow Veil to evade them.

Based on how the system notification had mentioned “guide as many sky whales as possible,” it seemed like the number of surviving whales would affect my score, much like the twenty-ninth floor’s trial.

Seven days and seven sky whales. Hmm, that seems almost deliberate.

If I could successfully evade every potential fight, there was no need to risk any harm coming to the whales by being unnecessarily arrogant.

Just then, Doppy tugged on my arm. “

Kriee!

Su-Yeok!”

“What’s wrong?”

Doppy gestured behind me with a sharp nod. Following its gaze, I saw Roxanne approaching. I had been so absorbed in thought I hadn’t noticed her return.

Drawing closer, Roxanne spoke in her usual calm tone, “They say it’ll take about ten more minutes.”

“That’s quicker than I expected.”

“I pushed them a bit...” she admitted awkwardly, trailing off with a sheepish smile.

Something about her seemed different. Her lips appeared a little more flushed than before.

“Did you put on lipstick or something?”

“Sorry?” Roxanne blinked in surprise, instinctively brushing her fingertips against her lips.

“No, it’s just... they look a bit redder.”

“Hmm, maybe it’s because I am feeling so joyful. Saving the sky whales lets blood circulate well, you know. But let’s not get distracted...” A teasing smirk appeared on her lips. “I didn’t expect you to be bold enough to study my lips so closely.”

“Wha-no, that’s not—”

She cut me off with a laugh. “Relax, I’m joking. You’re more innocent than I thought.”

Her amusement only deepened my embarrassment, and she clapped her hands, laughing even louder. I recalled how Alexei had teased me recently, causing me to wonder why people seemed to enjoy messing with me as of late.

Before long, an elf emerged from the ship and called out to us, “Miss Roxanne! Cleaning’s finished!”

“Looks like it’s done. Let’s go in.”

I followed her into the airship and was instantly struck by a powerful fragrance. The scent didn’t strike me as artificial like a perfume, but instead distinctly floral.

Catching my reaction, Roxanne grinned. “Smells nice, doesn’t it?”

“It’s pleasant, although... a bit much. Also, is it made from flowers?”

“Yes, it is created from powdered Lorren flower petals.”

“I’m not much of a flower person, but doesn’t this go against elven principles? Aren’t you all about protecting nature?”

Using powdered petals seemed odd for loyal naturalists like the elves.

Roxanne chuckled softly, her eyes glimmering with amusement. “Lorren flowers naturally shed their petals. We only gather what’s already fallen.”

“Ah, I see. But still... isn’t it a little too overpowering?”

The fragrance was lovely at first but quickly grew annoying as we ventured deeper into the ship. It was so strong that it pricked my nose, nearly to the point of discomfort.

Did I upset her earlier by pushing them to hurry? Is this some kind of passive-aggressive payback?

There had to be a compelling reason they were filling the air with such an overwhelming floral fragrance.

Roxanne shook her head gently. “We needed to use this much because of the dreadful, musty smell that filled the entire cabin. Besides, it’s more of a deodorizer than an air freshener, so it’ll dissipate soon enough.”

I nodded slightly, wondering what it had smelled like before. Now that she mentioned it, I caught faint traces of a metallic tang beneath the strong floral scent. It almost smelled like blood—or maybe something else entirely.

Did the crew leave a dead rat out to rot somewhere?

Regardless, knowing the smell wouldn’t linger for long filled me with a sense of relief.

“You can rest here. I’ll be in the adjacent room. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks.”

Moving toward the cabin, I stopped when I recalled my earlier question. “Oh, Roxanne. Can the wind spirits detect humans?”

“Of course. We can track anything within a range of about three kilometers without much trouble.”

“Three kilometers? That’s it? Didn’t you cover the entire mountain range while tracking the sky whales?”

“That’s because we attached spirits directly to the sky whales.”

Ah, that made sense. They had attached one to my ring, after all.

Still, the effective range seemed shorter than I had assumed.

Is my idea still feasible?

Enemies could spot the airship with the naked eye from that distance. That would mean, if they did, I would have to activate Shadow Veil after detection.

Still, having the spirits was better than nothing. With the airship’s impressive speed, we could potentially slip away before they could encircle us completely.

“Can you let me know immediately when the spirits detect an enemy? We may be able to avoid a fight entirely.”

“Hmm? Do you have a specific plan in mind?”

“I’ll show you when the time comes. For now, thank you for everything.”

“Well then, I’ll save my curiosity for the surprise later. Rest well, Captain Kwon.”

After parting ways with Roxanne, I sank onto the cabin’s bed. Since there was only one, I had no choice but to share it with Doppy. Thankfully, the bed was spacious enough to make it manageable.

A faint, throbbing headache started to set in.

Have I been using my brain too much on this floor? Wait, maybe it is from the deodorizer.

Either way, the elves’ spirits would warn us of any incoming enemies. For now, it was time to close my eyes and get some rest.

***

[Safely guide as many sky whales as possible to the eastern plains of Regium. Time remaining: 132 hours 17 minutes.]

Contrary to my earlier worries, no enemies appeared during the first day of travel. We had taken care to skirt around any cities we could, and not enough time had passed for a pursuit team to have caught up to us.

Thanks to that, Doppy and I enjoyed a peaceful day aboard the airship.

Flying through the sky, my thoughts drifted to the Night Witches from Planet Soborn.

Maybe I should have asked Erendil for a broomstick back then.

While Kashatum's Sky Shoes let me step on air, being able to truly fly would have been nice.

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t checked the shop lately. It had just about everything imaginable, so maybe it sold broomsticks.

Hmm... I will have to look in the next waiting room. Or maybe I can take this airship with me after this floor ends.

The idea struck me out of nowhere, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before. If my mimic could swallow a massive dragon carcass, surely an airship wouldn’t be an issue.

Having it on hand would undoubtedly come in handy on future floors. I imagined carrying a collection of mages on the airship, letting them bombard hordes of enemies below or use it as a mobile base.

Of course, there was still one major issue; I had no idea how to pilot it.

As I mulled over the idea, a sudden shout rang out from one of the elves, “Nine o’clock, incoming!”

From the tone of their voice, I could tell that enemies had finally appeared, so I glanced to the airship’s left and spotted a plume of dust rising on the horizon.

Finally...

After a day of calm, it was about time they showed up. Twenty or so strange vehicles charged toward us, kicking up clouds of dust. I focused my gaze, spotting cannons mounted on their frames, likely similar to the harpoon guns I had seen before.

The elves scrambled into action.

“Miss Roxanne!”

“I see them! Move quickly! Load the cannons and synchronize with the spirits!”

Before the hunters could close the distance further, I activated Shadow Veil. In the blink of an eye, a shroud enveloped the airship and the seven sky whales trailing us.

The results were impressive. Even in the bright daylight, the veil worked flawlessly. While I had mostly used it on land before, its effect in the sky exceeded my expectations.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Through Shadow Veil’s monochrome haze, I watched the hunters’ confused movements. Their vehicles slowed, some swerving left and right aimlessly.

The elves and the sky whales were equally surprised by the sudden transformation. Although the whales hesitated, stirring slightly, they soon resumed following the baiting incense.

As silence settled, all eyes turned to me.

“Thi-this is unbelievable. Another deity’s power?” Roxanne was so stunned that she had even begun to stutter. However, she quickly composed herself before looking directly at me. “Just who... exactly are you?”

“I’m Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes. You’re wielding two divine powers that don’t belong to either of this world’s gods.”

When I didn’t respond, she bit her lip.

“I could accept the first one. You said you’re connected to a god from another world, so I thought maybe another deity could be emerging without our knowledge. But this... this defies reason.”

A question began to form in my mind as I listened to her words.

How can they tell I am using divine power? Even Comet, an apostle to a goddess, didn’t. Is the elves’ deep connection with nature granting them this unique perception?

Lost in thought, I barely noticed Roxanne lowering her gaze to the ground. It seemed she had resigned herself to not receiving an answer.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s more that I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. Just as I have my circumstances, I’m sure you have yours, Captain Kwon.” She nodded slightly before turning her attention to the hunters.

They, having lost their target, were now aimlessly firing harpoons into the empty sky.

There was no need to worry. We had already moved far enough ahead that the harpoons were harmlessly flying off into the distance.

When I looked back at Roxanne, she was smiling awkwardly. “Still, since you’re blessed by a god whose divine power relates to the wind, you love nature, right?”

Her sudden question caught me off guard. For a moment, I wasn’t sure how to respond.

Love nature?

If I had to choose, I supposed I leaned that way. Though the thought briefly puzzled me, I composed myself.

There was really only one answer I could give at this point. “I’d say so, yes.”

“That’s a relief.” Roxanne’s smile brightened, although it was once again odd and almost unsettling.

An awkward silence followed. Using Shadow Veil seemed to have created a rift between us, a distance that hadn’t existed before.

Roxanne, perhaps uncomfortable with the silence, smoothly shifted the conversation. “Judging by the fact that you asked to be informed of approaching enemies, I take it this concealment veil can’t be maintained indefinitely?”

“You are right, it can’t be sustained for long. Once the hunters move far enough away, I’ll have to remove it.”

“Let me know when you do. I’ll check the surroundings again to ensure no threats remain.” Roxanne turned away, though the other elves continued to glance at me.

Their gazes were difficult to read as they were neither clearly hostile nor particularly friendly. However, they were undeniably uncomfortable.

I wasn’t sure why things had taken a turn for the worse. The same elves who had been so optimistic when they first saw my ring now seemed wary after witnessing Shadow Veil.

Roxanne’s suspicious behavior the previous day gave me an idea.

Do elves not like shadows?

Ugh... whatever. I just need to complete the hidden mission.

I turned my attention to the view outside the airship.

***

[Safely guide as many sky whales as possible to the eastern plains of Regium. Time remaining: 102 hours 36 minutes.]

Hunters had appeared twice during the last day and a bit, but they posed little trouble. Each time, I just utilized Shadow Veil and we were in the clear.

Occasionally, stray harpoons had come dangerously close to the whales, but the elves quickly handled them with the wind spirits’ power.

Of course, the tower wouldn’t let me complete this trial smoothly forever. Dusk had just arrived when the kingdom’s pursuit force finally arrived.

Six airships appeared in the eastern sky. Unlike the vessel we had commandeered, these six were heavily armed, bristling with weapons.

Panicked, I activated Shadow Veil, but Roxanne's despairing tone caught my attention. “Dear gods... Six battle airships?”

“What’s the problem? They can’t see us, so we can just flee, right?”

“No, that won’t work. They may not be able to see us, but they can still pinpoint our location.”

“Excuse me?”

“Those are royal airships. They’re equipped with tracking devices.”