Chapter 395: Eighty-Eighth Floor, Quadrant of Decay (1)

[Resist the approaching Forces of Decay.]

“You can cross it? Are you sure?” Ha Hee-Jeong asked with a look of uncertainty, so I nodded without hesitation.

“I am.”

This wasn’t something I would act on blindly. Even before the trial, I had suspected I could cross the barrier, and I had confirmed that suspicion as soon as I laid eyes on it.

The translucent barrier, forged from some strange force, was impervious to any normal attack. With divinity, though, I could pass through it easily.

It even occurred to me that the tower had designed it so that a climber blessed with divine power could act as an intermediary among the species.

Technically, I could break through it by force as well, but that would be an unnecessary waste of energy. It would require too much effort and serve no real purpose.

After all, the enemies would emerge from every portal. Each species fought differently enough that there was no need to mix strategies. Wherever they fell short, I could fill the gap.

“I’ll still have Earth take on the bulk of the waves, just like we planned. But first, I want to check the other races.”

“

Oh.

” Ha Hee-Jeong nodded, immediately grasping my intent.

“All right.”

The murmuring around us had grown louder. Not just from the Kosharks, but from the Turinas, the Subrens, and even our own climbers. All of them were trying to make sense of my sudden decision.

They had probably felt relieved at first, but confusion had followed soon after.

With a faint smile, I approached the wall. As I activated Divine Power, blue-gold light shimmered faintly across me.

Crossing the barrier was like stepping into water. I wasn’t actually wet, but the sensation mimicked it perfectly.

I entered the Turina’s quadrant to the right.

“

Huh

?” someone shouted sharply as I effortlessly passed through the barrier.

The shock spread quickly.

Climbers from all sides rushed toward their own borders, testing to see if they could do the same. However, none of them could pass as they lacked divinity.

Some tried to coat themselves in mana and break through, only to be repelled on contact.

Meanwhile, I crossed another barrier and made my way into the Koshark’s quadrant.

Turen was already approaching, as if he had been expecting me. He looked broader than before.

“So you had it all thought out. I knew I could count on you.”

“You say that, but the look you gave me earlier was pretty skeptical.”

He cleared his throat, “

Ahem

. I didn’t know your reasoning, but I knew you’d have one.”

I laughed quietly. “I’m just messing with you. But seriously, did you get bigger?”

“A warrior must grow not just in skill but in stature.” Turen puffed his chest with theatrical pride.

I gave his chest a light tap. “Sure. Still weaker than me, though.”

He chuckled, shoulders shaking.

It had been nearly forty floors since we last met, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of awkwardness. It felt good.

The comrade I had fought beside was still very much alive—and still very much the same.

Our bond was unexplainable. Even though I had fought alongside the other species, it wasn’t the same. Perhaps it was the lingering memory of Fort Pogoren.

“Anyway—”

The system notification interrupted Turen before he could finish.

[The second wave of enemies is advancing.]

He adjusted his grip on his weapon as the air shifted. “Prepare yourselves for battle!”

Roughly three hundred Koshark warriors shouted in unison.

“

Huah!

”

“Are you joining us?”

“No need. Doesn’t seem like you’ll need the help.”

“Right. Our warriors are strong.”

“If things turn dangerous or if someone’s about to take a serious hit, I’ll step in.”

“So that was your plan all along.”

I nodded.

Turen dipped his head in acknowledgment. “You’ll get bored just standing around. Want a ride?”

We both laughed, the memory of Fort Pogoren still vivid in our minds. Smiling, I climbed onto Turen’s back.

The Forces of Decay began to pour forth.

Turen raised his voice and shouted, “Charge! But prioritize your lives over everything else!”

The familiar rhythm of hooves reverberated through my core. I drew my axe once more, just as I had back then.

Turen led the charge, swinging his crescent-shaped spear with practiced ease. “So, how much stronger are you now? I can’t even tell.”

I gripped my axe, but didn’t use it. It wouldn’t be necessary.

Instead, I watched the battlefield, carefully scanning for potential threats as I replied, “Didn’t you charge me that one time without realizing the difference between us?”

Turen laughed quietly. “After taking that hit, I had some ideas. But now, I can’t sense anything at all...” he trailed off as he drove his weapon into a decaying beast.

It collapsed without resistance.

“How did you get through the barrier?”

“Divinity.”

“Divinity? Are you a god now?”

“Not yet. I’m not entirely sure myself.”

“Impressive.” Turen nodded slowly, a serious expression on his face.

Having seen his share of strange things in the tower, he seemed to understand the implication.

“Still, it left a bad taste in our mouths.”

“What did?”

“The Turina and Subren’s reaction. When we got the 850, they looked so relieved. I know it’s not difficult yet, but still.”

“Come on. You think it was intentional? They were just glad someone else could carry the weight. This trial was never meant to unite us. It was made to pit us against each other.”

Turen nodded slightly, accepting that much, though I could still sense his frustration in the way he turned his head. There wasn’t much I could do about that.

“Then why give us the largest wave?”

“I hadn’t seen you in a while. I wanted to check in on you all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need to know where each of you stands. I’m thinking ahead.”

Turen paused, then nodded, finally understanding. “

Ah

. Thanks.”

He used to be a bit slow in the past, but the tower had changed him. He had grown, and he understood what I meant.

When I had assigned eight hundred and fifty enemies to the Kosharks, it had stirred certain emotions among the other species—assumptions, doubt, and tension. That didn’t mean there would be trouble right away, though.

Even if the Forces of Decay were strong, individually, they weren’t much of a threat to climbers.

The danger came from the sheer volume of them and the increasing pace.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

We had to conserve some of our strength for the apostle. Moreover, we also had to consider how the trial encouraged rivalry. With me here, however, the trial’s complete design had already begun to shift.

I was confident I could prevent the others from falling.

To be honest, there is little meaning for me to fight the Forces of Decay. They are far too weak.

Which was why I had decided to focus on helping the other species survive.

Giving the Kosharks the largest wave wasn’t just for fun or out of nostalgia. I intended to do the same with the other races.

Because if I am going to control the wave distribution later, I need to know exactly how much each group can handle.

Of course, with over six thousand climbers, Earth would naturally bear the greatest burden.

Rather than assigning waves arbitrarily, my goal was to ensure that the weaker races received a manageable share of enemies. If their share of enemies exceeded what they could handle, I could always step in to assist.

The battle was nearing its conclusion.

Eight hundred and fifty enemies.

Though the Kosharks had received over half the enemies, this was still only the second wave, and it remained at a modest level of difficulty.

They held the line without sustaining a single injury, so there was no need for me to intervene.

From my vantage point on Turen’s back, I was able to assess the full extent of the Kosharks’ capabilities. For someone like me, even subtle movements were enough to gauge their overall strength.

They were not quite as capable as Earth’s climbers, but still competent. Their race-wide commitment to the warrior class gave them a somewhat brute-force quality, though. That very trait made them particularly effective at halting the enemy’s advance.

[Earth defeated the second wave first. The next wave will consist of 1,600 enemies.]

[Top-ranked climber ‘Kwon Su-Hyeok,’ please assign the next wave’s enemy count to each quadrant. Each group must receive a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 1,300.]

Once again, Earth had been the fastest to clear the wave, which wasn’t surprising given our six thousand-strong force.

Without hesitation, I replied, “Give the Subrens 1,300. Divide the rest evenly.”

There was no dramatic reaction this time. By now, even Subren and Turina seemed to have understood how the situation was unfolding.

“See you in a bit, then.”

“Yeah.”

After exchanging a quick farewell with Turen, I made my way to the Subren quadrant.

***

“Earth has thirty more people, so let them handle a little more!”

“They’re in first place. Let them decide what they want. Why are you complaining?”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok! Just send them in first. The three of us can figure it out afterward!”

“Damn it. Can you idiots shut up already?”

With the next wave of the Forces of Decay looming, a memory from her previous life suddenly resurfaced in Ha Hee-Jeong’s mind. She could see it vividly, as if it were happening right in front of her. Kwon Su-Hyeok was shouting in frustration, his back turned to the group.

Back then, the eighty-eighth floor had been nothing but conflict. Out of the way in the high ground, subtle power plays and underhanded deals had run rampant.

Not this time.

“Kwon Su-Hyeok! The Subrens are—”

Leaping in the air, Kwon Su-Hyeok responded to Turen’s shout, “I know!”

A streak of radiant blue and gold shimmered across the violet sky.

The Subrens, ghostlike in form, lacked warriors and often faltered in direct combat. Their front line was frequently pushed back by sheer force.

Kwon Su-Hyeok descended above the enemy and summoned a bolt of lightning that tore through the wave. The Subrens finally caught their breath in that moment.

“Thank you!” a Subren shouted in gratitude.

Kwon Su-Hyeok gave them a slight nod before soaring skyward once more.

Earth’s quadrant remained under Ha Hee-Jeong’s complete control, so he turned his attention to the other sectors, monitoring them for any weak spots.

Only then did Ha Hee-Jeong realize that his abilities weren’t limited to raw strength.

Since first assessing the combat strength of each species, Kwon Su-Hyeok had distributed the enemy waves with remarkable precision.

As each round passed, the enemy numbers grew, and other species came close to collapse at certain moments. Yet every time, he stepped in to smother the spark before it ignited into crisis, just like now.

Another bolt of lightning split through the Forces of Decay.

“

Haaaa.

”

Ha Hee-Jeong steadied her breath and resumed directing the Earthling climbers. Their battle was nearly complete.

Another memory surfaced.

In her previous life, the other three races had all perished on the eighty-eighth floor. Now, every group looked set to survive.

She began to wonder if this time, the others would also produce gods. Even if they weren’t challengers and thus couldn’t attain true godhood, it was still within the realm of possibility.

Beyond the ninety-fourth floor, she couldn’t say for certain what lay ahead. Regardless, starting from the ninetieth, the number of surviving climbers had grown critically important.

It was even possible that Kwon Su-Hyeok could have conquered the tower if just a few more Earthling climbers had survived.

Three hundred.

That should be enough.

Of course, that wasn’t a guarantee. Anything past the ninety-fourth was uncharted territory, so it was only a hypothesis.

Still, another thought lingered in her mind. Kwon Su-Hyeok had already distinguished himself on the cooperative floors involving other species.

This time was no different.

If he receives their faith as well...

Across the four towers unfolding in parallel, could Kwon Su-Hyeok perhaps become their god, too?

Odds were slim, but he was a challenger, which was a rarity in and of itself. That made the idea seem less impossible.

Her thoughts carried on longer than she had realized. During that time, Kwon Su-Hyeok had already assigned the next wave.

[Wave 14 begins.]

Ha Hee-Jeong returned to the present. The Earthling climbers were waiting for her command.

Without delay, she ordered, “This time, warriors focus on defense. Archers take the lead in offense! Healers and mages, stay sharp with buffs and shields!”

***

[Resist the Forces of Decay.]

As I cut across the battlefield, a question crossed my mind.

The Forces of Decay were emerging from the purple portal at the center. Then what lay beyond it?

It wasn’t an idle thought as I had experienced something similar before.

Back on the twenty-first floor, The One and Only Path, I had crossed a portal at the end of the road. There I had found a factory.

A facility that manufactured soldiers before I destroyed it.

This could be the same situation. If the true Apostle of Decay was meant to appear, and that apostle happened to be the factory’s overseer, it would explain everything.

The thought caused my brow to furrow. That purple portal was also shielded by a semi-transparent barrier.

Is breaking through the barrier and passing beyond the portal a hidden mission?