Chapter 360: Eighty-Fourth Floor, Sea of Lava(1)

[4 hours 46 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

Two bright—one crimson, the other a deep, burnished gold—flames danced in the air. Ha Hee-Jeong and Gehenna’s blaze illuminated the space as they merged midair.

The sweltering heat spread through the training room, raising the temperature until the air itself felt like it could ignite. Each breath scorched my lungs.

The combined flame slammed into the wall.

Thud!

A thunderous explosion tore through the air, and the heat wave from the blast kicked up a violent sandstorm.

I raised my hand to summon my mana. My wind spirit blocked the surge of hot air, though the sheer pressure of the gusts was still palpable.

The wind settled after a few seconds.

A genuine exclamation of awe slipped from my lips. “Wow.”

Its destructive power was astounding. Half the training room had been blown apart.

Ha Hee-Jeong and Gehenna turned to me with satisfied expressions.

“Not bad, right?”

I nodded instinctively in response to the question. “Yeah. That’s more than just ‘not bad.’ Did you see the wall?”

“It’s all thanks to our perfect coordination,” Gehenna murmured proudly while standing beside Ha Hee-Jeong.

It had already been well over an hour and a half since we had left Natalie’s dimension and begun training. I called in Gehenna to prepare for the prophesied future, and the results far exceeded expectations.

It wasn’t just that one explosion. Something far more significant had occurred.

Ha Hee-Jeong could now control an electric blaze, a flame infused with lightning that Gehenna conjured using my divinity.

I am sure they were all surprised.

Ha Hee-Jeong had brought up the idea first. She had wanted to see if she could control the electric blaze herself.

Gehenna had released control over it shortly after, but none of us had expected Ha Hee-Jeong would actually succeed. Even if Gehenna hadn’t fought for control over her power, freely wielding someone else’s was almost impossible.

Ha Hee-Jeong speculated that it could be due to the fact that she had absorbed Fire Essence, along with Gehenna’s fire containing my divine imprint.

It was a reasonable theory.

After all, I absorbed the Lightning Spirit King into Lightning Essence by accident.

There was definitely something special about the Essences sold in the tower, and my divinity was clearly favorable toward Ha Hee-Jeong.

In any case, it wasn’t a bad thing. Even if it required Gehenna as a medium, it meant Ha Hee-Jeong could wield my divinity.

We were certain that the enemies we would face in the future would either be a god or an extremely powerful apostle. Only those two categories of enemies posed a real threat to me, which made this news all the more welcome.

Anything else would be implausible.

I was already capable of easily defeating low-level apostles, and I had taken down a few powerful apostles myself.

To face enemies like that, divine power was essential. Pure mana alone wasn’t enough to inflict meaningful damage.

Now, I no longer had to worry that Ha Hee-Jeong’s attacks wouldn’t be effective against stronger enemies. It also opened up new tactical possibilities.

Combat formations.

Gehenna had reached a high level in both close combat and sorcery, but she wasn’t adept at using both simultaneously. According to her, it was because she hadn’t faced an opponent strong enough for her to require both.

I had already suspected as much.

I could feel it when I fought her.

Despite her strength, she wasn’t utilizing it to its fullest. She lacked real combat experience.

It made sense. Where she came from, Gehenna had a legion of yokai at her command and had only faced groups of mortals.

Fortunately, her instincts in battle were excellent. Even in training, she improved rapidly. It had only been a short time, but her growth rate was terrifying.

Part of that was likely because The Immortal of Ideals rarely granted divinity to others. Unlike me, who shared it with Gehenna whenever I could, he had barely offered her anything.

She still struggles with multitasking, though.

With the addition of Ha Hee-Jeong, that was no longer an issue, though. Gehenna preferred close combat anyway, and honestly, Ha Hee-Jeong was better than either of us in terms of mana control.

Anyway, her new combat style had taken shape.

I could already see it clearly. Gehenna would manifest the flames, and Ha Hee-Jeong would control it from a distance.

Meanwhile, Gehenna and I will pressure the enemy in close quarters.

Once the enemy began to wear down, Gehenna would fall back and join Ha Hee-Jeong. Together, they would unleash that combined flame attack we had just developed and overwhelm the enemy. To top it off, I would gather my divine power and mana for the final blow.

It felt like a solid plan.

Well, it is all theory for now.

Regardless, we were all skilled enough. As long as we coordinated well, we could easily use this formation in an actual battle.

Of course, every fight contained countless variables, so we couldn’t let our guard down.

However, I wasn’t worried. Even if this plan didn’t work, I had insurance. It was an item I had bought from the shop for a hefty 1.5 million points.

An updated message pulled me from my thoughts.

[The training room has been damaged beyond acceptable levels. Exiting to the waiting room for recovery is recommended.]

I turned to the two of them. “Let’s head out for now. It’s too messed up.”

If it were just a bit of damage, we could have kept training. Unfortunately, we had unleashed a whole different level of pain on the room.

The three of us definitely had enough power to ruin a city or two in mere moments.

After an hour of joint training, not a single part of the room remained intact. The walls and ceiling were one thing, but the floor was the real problem. There wasn’t a single flat surface left to stand on.

Sure, that could allow us to train on uneven terrain, but we were far past needing that.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“I agree. It’s far too chaotic here.”

The two nodded in agreement, and we exited to the waiting room before immediately returning to the training room. Only a second had passed, but the training room had already been fully restored.

Ha Hee-Jeong turned to me and asked, “So, what are we doing this time?”

“Let’s build off what we started earlier. I’ve got a clear picture in mind.”

“What is it?”

I explained the scenario I had envisioned to Ha Hee-Jeong and Gehenna, “You stay at a distance and use Gehenna’s flame, while Gehenna and I fight up close. Then, when the time’s right, she joins you and you two unleash that combined attack we just tried.”

Both of them responded positively.

“And you’ll finish it off?”

“Yeah.”

We dove straight into training.

We didn’t bother summoning an opponent. After all, I could already defeat anyone I had fought before. Bringing them in wouldn’t serve any purpose as they would just be punching bags.

Besides, at our level, sparring under hypothetical combat conditions was more than enough. Syncing our movements mattered more.

I drew upon my divinity. “Alright, let’s try again.”

***

[Welcome to the eighty-fourth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Sea of Lava.]

[The Sea of Lava in the world of the Chusen Tribe is showing abnormal phenomena.]

[Investigate the Sea of Lava, identify the source of the problem, and resolve it. Time remaining: 119 hours 59 minutes.]

Before the teleportation ended, I could already feel the searing heat brushing against my cheek—before the system message updated, even.

Am I in fire?

That was my initial thought, especially after sensing the heat of the flames just moments ago.

However, as I read through the newly refreshed message, it became clear that wasn’t the case.

The Sea of Lava.

I couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like. Summoning my mana, I called upon the wind spirit to sweep the heat away.

At that moment, my vision brightened, and a scorched, obsidian-colored stretch of hardened lava unfolded before me. It expanded in every direction, looking as if molten rock had once flowed across the land and solidified.

Veins of molten red lava still ran like liquid fire or splattered bursts of lava in every direction. From various spots, ash-colored smoke curled into the sky, tinting the heavens the same lifeless gray.

Under that somber sky, something similar to volcanic ash drifted gently through the air.

I turned to look behind me.

At the far edge of the sky, just past the gray clouds, a faint tinge of blue could be seen.

What is out there, beyond that horizon?

I projected mana in that direction. Unlike the ant nest, there wasn’t a barrier stopping me from leaving this place.

The odds of a hidden mission being located that way are...

Probably not very high.

Though I wasn’t locked in, the tower had explicitly instructed me to investigate the Sea of Lava.

The lava clearly lay ahead, and the area behind me was likely just a separate, unrelated zone.

From within the lava field, I saw figures approaching. There were six of them, most likely the ones assigned to guide me.

Let me set the other area aside for now.

Unless I reached a dead end during my investigation, it was irrelevant for the moment.

Still, I couldn’t completely dismiss it. I sent the wind spirit to scout the rear, just to observe, but nothing more. Even if it didn’t lead to a hidden mission, there could be a concealed treasure or something of value.

I turned my gaze back to the approaching group.

They are big.

Each one stood well over two meters tall, with a formidable build to match. Interestingly, they were completely hairless. They hadn’t shaved, but were seemingly incapable of growing hair to begin with.

They were dressed simply with only loose shorts that left their physiques fully exposed. Their grayish skin resembled stone more than flesh, with cracked streaks across their skin. I almost wanted to call them stonemen. I had encountered a similar race once before, but they were distinct from these.

So this is the Chusen Tribe?

As they drew near, the group raised their hands and waved.

“

Ah!

Over here!”

The man in front quickened his pace.

Since I had no idea how this scenario was structured, I stood still and watched.

The man had a warm, open face. He looked like someone who would get along with just about anyone. A naturally sociable type, perhaps.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Remtal. I can’t believe I get to greet such a great explorer in person.”

“Hello.”

Great explorer, huh.

Considering I was supposed to investigate the Sea of Lava, the title wasn’t too far-fetched.

I didn’t mind it. In the past, I had often been introduced as nothing more than a mercenary. Now they were calling me great, which was a definite upgrade.

Remtal gave me a cautious glance. “My apologies. I seem to have forgotten your name. How should I address you?”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok,” I answered immediately.

“

Ah!

Of course, I remember now. I’m so sorry, that was disrespectful of me.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not bothered.”

“Thank you. You’re very gracious.” He bowed his head politely, and I offered him a modest smile in return.

I genuinely wasn’t offended. However the tower chose to set up these trials was however the tower chose to do things. It couldn’t be helped. In fact, this was far better than being stuck with some cringeworthy title like “Nameless.”

Since Remtal seemed unsure of what to say next, I took the initiative. “Let’s get going. Time is of the essence.”

“

Ah!

Yes, let’s move!”

The group turned to lead the way. They positioned themselves around me, so I walked in the center, flanked by the others like an escort.

The thought of being escorted made me chuckle a little, but I couldn’t deny that it felt kind of nice.

Have I ever been escorted during a floor before? Hmm.

Probably not.

Perhaps that was why I found it amusingly pleasant.

Just as I had suspected, Remtal struck up a conversation as soon as we began walking.

“You must find it unbearably hot, right? Most outsiders can’t handle the heat when they come to our lands.”

“

Haha

, I’m managing fine.”

“

Oh

, you don’t have to pretend.”

“I mean it.”

Remtal glanced at me playfully, so I responded with a steady, sincere expression.

I really was fine. My wind spirit was regulating the ambient temperature for me. Moreover, my equipment had some special features that kept me comfortable in extreme environments. All I needed was minimal protection for any exposed skin.

Not wanting to get caught up in idle chatter, I changed the subject. “I didn’t receive the full details of the request. Would you mind explaining the current situation?”

The tower had only described it as an abnormal phenomenon. If there were any monsters involved, it would have told me to eliminate them.

The Sea of Lava was unfamiliar terrain, so I had little basis for speculation.

Remtal’s expression turned solemn as he answered, “

Ah

, I see. To put it simply, there’s been a serious issue with the Sea of Lava.”

“What kind of issue?”

“The sea level keeps rising. At this rate, our tribe... no, the entire world will face destruction.”