Chapter 353: Eighty-Third Floor, The Void (3)

[Stop the monsters from the Void. Time remaining: 46 hours 7 minutes.]

For three full seconds, no one moved.

Though the moment was definitely brief, it felt stretched to Doppy, drawn out into something long and full. A rush of emotion welled up inside him.

Although the warning lights were flashing red, alarms wailed around them, paradoxically, the world felt quiet. Amid that silence, the fear, uncertainty, and doubt he had been carrying finally gave way, replaced by a swell of relief and reassurance.

Kwon Su-Hyeok finally broke the stillness. With a faint, confident smile, he walked toward Doppy. Despite the blaring siren, his echoing footsteps rang out, sharp and unshaken.

Though it didn’t suit the dire situation, Doppy couldn’t help but think how striking that smile looked.

“There you are. Good job, you did well,” Kwon Su-Hyeok praised calmly as he reached out to gently pat Doppy’s head.

The first words out of Kwon Su-Hyeok’s mouth had been praise. A quiet laugh escaped Doppy before he realized it. Receiving acknowledgment from Kwon Su-Hyeok was more pleasant than he had initially expected. It felt good to know he had been of use.

Even so, Doppy still felt a lingering sense of concern.

Countless monsters were still attacking the exterior of the base. After all, he had seen well over a million before heading into the spire. Tremors continued to reverberate beyond the walls. Despite Kwon Su-Hyeok’s presence, Doppy couldn’t help but worry.

“W-what about outside? Is it really okay for you to be here?”

“Don’t worry. Everything’s already in place,” Kwon Su-Hyeok replied casually, and he meant it.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He had completed all necessary preparations before arriving.

As soon as he realized that disappearing for a while wouldn’t be such a bad idea, a plan began to form. Rather than simply lying low, he figured it would be better to lend Doppy a hand, even if only briefly, in discovering the hidden mission.

Nothing he had seen made him feel concerned.

He had amplified the lightning strikes raining from the sky, increasing both their count and power, and stationed his wind spirit as a scout. If anything went wrong, the spirit would alert him. If so, he just needed to return through a portal.

My wind spirit hasn’t sent a signal.

The three figures standing before Doppy remained frozen while he and Kwon Su-Hyeok spoke. They weren’t waiting—they had simply been overwhelmed by his presence. The moment they met Kwon Su-Hyeok’s gaze as he stood by the shattered blast door, their bodies seized up.

He had partly done that deliberately, but most of their fear came from the indelible impression he had left on them.

The three recalled what had happened earlier.

This man had descended from the sky just as the monster herding operation began. He had somehow summoned lightning from clear skies and launched furious bolts of electricity with every swing of his axe.

Contrary to their expectations, the outer perimeter of the base remained intact, all because of him.

H-he is insane! When did he get here?!

Of course, they instinctively wanted to flee the moment they saw him. Unfortunately for them, their legs didn’t listen. The instant their eyes met his, it felt as if their very will had been stripped away.

Even so, the man who appeared to be their leader was the first to snap out of it. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he turned and bolted.

He didn’t look back. A beat later, the other two followed him.

There wasn’t even time to close the already-broken door. Only one thought dominated their minds.

We have to get out of here, now!

Though the monster herding phase hadn’t ended yet, they couldn’t afford to care.

They had already completed the initial task. Remaining here would mean death. The dimensional gate had to have already been opened as a precaution when the alarm triggered.

All they could hope to do was reach it and cross. Once through, they needed to shut it so the monster couldn’t follow.

That was the plan, at least, until an unfamiliar voice reached the leading man's ears.

“What difference does running make?”

He felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine.

“

Hiiik!

”

With a strangled cry, the man at the rear tumbled across the floor. It took less than half a second before the other two suffered the same fate.

Kwon Su-Hyeok loomed over the three collapsed men and leaned in. “So, what exactly are you doing here?”

***

Time was not on my side, so I used Flash Strike during the interrogation. Thanks to that, I was able to extract everything I needed in a matter of moments.

In the unnatural, suspended stillness, the terrified men confessed everything without needing further coercion.

“

Hmm.

”

Long story short, my guess had been only half correct.

Unlike my suspicions, they hadn’t been kidnapping monster eggs or offspring for research.

However, they had been summoning monsters intentionally.

They had come to the Void for one purpose: resource extraction. Their own world had nearly exhausted its supply.

Imagine if Earth ran out of oil, and without any alternative energy, resorted to invading another planet.

I was honestly a little taken aback. Judging from the soldiers’ equipment, the barriers, and their buildings, I knew they possessed advanced technology. What I hadn’t expected, however, was for them to be able to cross dimensions on their own, and without divine assistance.

They even possessed knowledge of life forms from other dimensions.

It wasn’t until I used Flash Strike that they started calling me a real god.

Whether they were flattering me or not, they admitted that they had originally assumed I was just another alien species.

Apparently, dimensional travel wasn’t common knowledge, and only the upper echelon had access to such information. That technology had only recently been developed, causing the information to still be tightly controlled.

For a moment, I considered whether this break in would lessen the faith I would gain, but it didn’t really concern me.

Even if they realize I am not actually a god, it doesn’t significantly reduce the flow of divinity.

Faith, trust, and even simple gratitude were enough to generate divine energy. The floors I had climbed so far were proof of that.

Anyway, they had summoned the monsters because their habitat was rich in resources.

They told me that, over the three years their species had explored the Void, they had identified energy waves emitted by monster queens. The Void was divided into zones, each ruled by a queen, and whenever a new queen appeared, the others would try to eliminate her.

They had used that energy signature to lure the monsters together.

Their main force is supposed to seize the habitat during this chaos.

I didn’t know how advanced their technology truly was, but they claimed they could construct a base in just two days.

Coincidentally, that matched the exact amount of time I had been given.

It wasn’t particularly important, but the key point was that the soldiers stationed here were nothing more than expendable shields.

Their commanding officers would be the only ones escaping. The moment the outer wall was breached, barriers and walls would rise around the spire.

That would buy them time and allow them to flee through the dimensional gate.

Immediately after, the bomb hidden within the spire would detonate and reduce everything to ashes.

It was a cruel and calculated plan, designed not only to thin the monster population but also to erase any witnesses.

The main issue was that it wasn’t the first time they had done this.

This base had also been inhabited by monsters, but they had sacrificed many lives to build it.

Motherfuckers.

It was chilling to think about. If I hadn’t gone searching for information, I would have continued fighting off wave after wave of monsters, only to be caught in the explosion of the forward base.

The trial itself had been framed around defending against monsters, which made it all the more dangerous. There was even a chance that the trial would be deemed a failure if the base exploded prematurely.

Or maybe the bomb is set to go off the moment the trial ends.

The scheme was elaborate but wasn’t overly complex. At its core, it was driven by sheer selfishness. To speed up their resource extraction, they used their own kind as sacrificial pawns and then discarded them.

If a god were involved, things could have been more tangled. Apparently, though, religion had long since disappeared from their world.

In the end, it became increasingly likely that this trial existed solely to allow me to gather as much mana as possible.

After knocking the men unconscious, I made my way deeper into the base.

Flash Strike was still activated. I didn’t know what was happening outside, and I hadn’t yet decided what to do.

What should I do?

The underlying situation wasn’t complicated, but my thoughts were anything but simple.

The lives of many now rested on the decision I would make. If I shut down the device that drew in the monsters, the main force attacking the nesting ground would be left exposed.

This conundrum, and every consequence that arose from it, stemmed from the failure of their leader.

Forcing the soldiers to pay the price with their lives was unjust. That said, staying here to eliminate the monsters wasn’t exactly ideal either.

I don’t like cleaning up other people’s messes, and the monsters aren’t to blame.

Yes, I was killing them as part of the trial, but in truth, they were victims too. Even if they lacked intelligence, they were simply defending their territory from invaders.

Worse, they had been deliberately provoked into it.

It wasn’t the kind of dilemma that resulted in a simple conclusion. No matter the choice, there was no clear right answer.

Regardless, the tower’s directive was unambiguous. I had to stop the monsters advancing toward the forward base. That much was non-negotiable.

In the end, I only have two real options.

Either close my eyes and hold off the monsters as ordered, or take a risk and forcibly return these people to their own world. After that, I could safely shut down the replicated queen’s signal.

Unfortunately, even the latter wasn’t without complications. They possessed advanced technology, and even if I sent them back now, they would surely return.

Although I couldn’t solve every one of this world’s problems, I didn’t desire to turn my back on the ones before me.

I still lacked a viable solution, though.

To neutralize their technology, I will have to bring their entire world to the brink of collapse.

Meanwhile, I still had to hold off the monsters, but I didn’t have the luxury of time. The best course was to threaten their leader, making it clear they were never to set foot in the Void again.

Would desperate people with no resources really retreat so easily?

Even if they abandoned the Void, they could shift their invasion elsewhere and end up provoking even greater calamity.

I don’t know anymore.

Just like I had said, I couldn’t resolve everything.

I should just send them back.

The moment my thoughts settled, I tore open the door in front of me. Beyond it lay a vast room, filled with dozens of individuals.

Since Flash Strike remained active, no one moved. I swept my gaze across the room, spotting three distinct devices at the center.

Left is the dimensional gate. Center, the bomb. Right, the machine mimicking the queen’s signal.

However, I couldn’t feel any energy waves.

It was strange. I knew what to expect, but something about it eluded my perception.

Well, let me stick to the plan for now.

First, I would return the main force attacking the nesting ground. Then, I would send the rest of them back.

Once they cross the dimensional gate, I won’t be able to receive the spirit’s messages anymore, but that doesn’t mean I am out of options.

I could leave Doppy behind to manage things. The signal beacon I purchased from the tower worked, no matter the distance. I would just have to activate Two-Way Portal when the time came.

“Doppy, head up to the wall. I’ll keep the barrier up. If anything happens, trigger the beacon.”

“Got it!”

Once I confirmed Doppy had moved out, I cloaked the dimensional gate in lightning. That should prevent anyone from fleeing or making a move once Flash Strike ended.

Immediately afterward, I seized the collar of the man who seemed to be in charge and deactivated Flash Strike.

Boom!

The door I had ripped free moments earlier clattered across the floor with a deafening crash. The startled occupants turned sharply toward the sound.

“

Gah!

What the hell?!”

The middle-aged man I held let out a scream, and the rest of the room’s attention zeroed in on me.

“H-he’s—!”

“That alien from outside...!”

Clearly, they were fully aware of what was happening beyond these walls. Since they knew the full story, there was no point in dragging this conversation out.

I pressed my axe to the man’s throat and threatened, “I can’t stand the noise. Screaming, shouting, any of it. Think about how I got in here. If anyone shrieks or runs their mouth, their head comes off.”

The room fell silent as if struck mute by the threat.

“Open the dimensional gate leading to the main force attacking the habitat.”

Nobody responded, and the room fell deathly silent.

I gave the man in my grasp a nudge with a tilt of my head. “What are you waiting for? I said open it.”

“

U-uh-

it’s already open.”

“

Oh

.”

It turned out that they had already activated it, ready to bolt at any moment.

I released him and stepped toward the gate. The lightning I had wrapped around it still crackled violently. I poured in more mana, amplifying its power further and causing sparks to leap off it in sharp bursts.

“You see that lightning? Get too close, and you’ll be fried. So don’t even think about approaching. If you’ve got energy to spare, use it out there to hold back the monsters.”

With those parting words, I stepped into the gate. The sensation was similar to a portal, but not quite the same. Unlike Two-Way Portal’s portals, which were instantaneous, this felt like something was pulling me through a world of black and white, seemingly drawn toward an unseen destination.

What awaited me on the other side wasn’t what I had expected, however.

The surrounding area was void of living beings.

There had definitely been people here before—their corpses and shattered weapons littered the battlefield. From the looks of it, they had been overwhelmed by the monsters.

What happened?

Puzzled, I turned to glance to the side.

There, I saw a massive dimensional gate. It was different from the one I had used. The surrounding terrain had been violently dug out.

It didn’t take me long to realize that the monsters had passed through that gate and had already moved elsewhere.

At that moment, the notification window refreshed.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has uncovered a secret that pertains to the existence of the Void, commencing the hidden mission ‘The Queen’s Trap.’ His trial has changed.」

「Invisible message: The second-class god ‘Mother of All Queens’ is displeased.」