Chapter 396: Eighty-Eighth Floor, Quadrant of Decay (2)

[Resist the Forces of Decay.]

What began as a suspicion soon solidified into certainty.

It wasn’t just a gut feeling. Even when I considered all other possibilities, that was the only hidden mission I could think of.

The emergence of the true Apostle of Decay definitely wouldn’t be a hidden mission, considering how explicit the tower was about it. Although perhaps I was misinterpreting things.

I wondered whether aiding the other species allowed me to use divinity to pass the barrier, or whether it was because the tower wanted me to enter the portal.

The similarities to the twenty-first floor supported that theory.

Back then, I hadn’t even known about the portal, and it wasn’t sealed off like this one. Still, the trials were similar—fending off the waves of enemies emerging from the portal.

A factory created those armies.

Moreover, they were typically operated by gods. Given the names of our enemies—the Forces of Decay and the Apostle of Decay—they were clearly associated with a god.

One in particular came to mind.

Glorious Decay.

That god ruled over the world in which I had obtained the Essence of Decay.

Whether that name was a ruse or their real title, I couldn’t say. Regardless, they had a conflict with Kalain.

Fifty-fourth floor.

From the moment the Essence of Decay had appeared, a series of repeating elements kept resurfacing from the eightieth floor onward.

The idea that this trial was connected to those events grew increasingly convincing.

Of course, I couldn’t be entirely sure. Even Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t known about the hidden mission on this floor. She hadn’t considered the possibility of crossing the barrier. It was something only I had discovered by seeing it firsthand.

Looking back, I realized I had concluded this rather late. It was something I should have suspected from the beginning, but I had been too absorbed in the trial itself.

I had focused too much on distributing our enemies among the different climbers and anticipating the apostle’s appearance.

At this point, I was almost convinced that a hidden mission lay beyond the portal. Most likely, just like on the twenty-first floor, I would have to destroy a factory.

If that is true, it won’t be easy.

The factory I had previously destroyed had been a low-tier, unimportant one. This time, I would likely face more enemies and a much stronger overseer—the Apostle of Decay, if I had to guess.

Still, I wasn’t particularly concerned. As I had mentioned before, an apostle was incomparable to a god.

Even so, I couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

Angelina, Omniscient Thunder Axe’s apostle and half-teacher of mine, had defeated a fifth-class god. Well, I had killed one, too.

Victory was never guaranteed, though.

Regardless, I didn’t fear this potential hidden mission. If the apostle truly was that powerful, the tower wouldn’t have placed them on the eighty-eighth floor to begin with.

I did care about how the hidden mission would unfold, however.

Will it only send me through the portal? Or will the other climbers join me?

The latter seemed more likely to me. If the portal did indeed hide a factory, the trial would stop the moment I stepped through it.

Even still, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that multiple factories were supplying the Force of Decay. If so, the climbers could fall.

I considered all this while continuing to assist the other races. We had just finished repelling another wave.

Regardless of what lay ahead, I needed to confirm it for myself. Not before talking it through, though.

I immediately made my way toward Ha Hee-Jeong. She looked puzzled by my sudden approach.

“What’s going on?”

“I think there is a hidden mission beyond the portal. I want to check.”

“

Huh

?” She blinked, startled. “You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?”

It was a simple shift in perspective, but a valid one. Ha Hee-Jeong had been busy commanding the Earth quadrant, and perhaps her experience as a regressor had constrained her thinking.

After all, those who had lived through something before often struggled to see it from a new angle.

“Remember the factory on the twenty-first floor?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m thinking if there’s a hidden mission here, it’s something similar.”

“No, I agree. It has to be a factory.” She nodded, then continued, “You sure you’ll be okay? Wait, no. If you’re going, then there won’t be a problem. We will follow you matter what. Our party has entered one of those before, but the other species... I’m not sure how they’ll react.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced toward the surrounding quadrants. “I don’t think it’s just going to be you. I’m guessing it’ll send everyone together.”

“Yeah.”

She shrugged slightly. “The other species may not like that.”

“I’ll ask. I don’t think they’ll refuse.”

“Right. They did make it to the eighty-eighth floor, after all.” Even so, she nodded with a hint of uncertainty.

It likely stemmed from her experiences during her previous climb. She had always harbored a subtle sense of distrust toward the other species—and perhaps with good reason.

Still, she kept it subtle enough to avoid issues.

“If you’re going to ask, do it now. We’ve got seven minutes of buffer time.”

“There’s a buffer?”

“Yeah. Until now, we’ve been assigning enemy waves right away, so it hasn’t come up. But if you don’t respond within two minutes, a countdown starts.”

Ah, the wave assignment.

In her previous life, it had been the source of constant conflict. Of course, there would be a time limit. Delaying the assignments indefinitely would only intensify the tension between races.

“Go ahead. I’ll explain things to our climbers.”

“Got it.”

Once I crossed the portal, I had no idea how the trial would change. That was why I needed to confirm it first.

Even if it was a hidden mission, handling it on my own wasn’t my style. If any of the other species objected, I would persuade them.

Then again, considering that the tower rewarded ambition, I doubted they would say no.

Hmm.

Unlike earlier, when I was solely focused on wave assignments, I now had the full attention of the other species.

I quickly passed through the barrier and approached the Subrens.

After a brief explanation, their leader simply shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s a hidden mission, it’s not like we’re all going to die.”

“I haven’t confirmed anything yet. And at worst, it’ll just be an apostle. I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”

At that, the Subren let out a dry laugh. “At worst, an apostle,

huh.

That’s both comforting and a little absurd.”

“Then I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Sure. You’re here. What could go wrong?”

I wasn’t particularly close with the Subren leader, but perhaps my efforts so far had earned some degree of trust.

“All right. I’ll get going. Let the others know.”

“Got it. Everyone, gather up!”

As their leader issued the call, a new message appeared.

[Please assign the next wave’s enemy count to each quadrant. Time remaining: 4 minutes 59 seconds.]

[If the timer expires, Earth’s quadrant will fail. The right to assign the wave will transfer to Koshark’s quadrant.]

Moving quickly, I headed for the Turinas. Like the Subrens, they also agreed without hesitation.

I made my way to the Kosharks next. Judging by their stance, they had overheard my explanation to the Turinas and Subrens. Every single one of them was already fully prepared.

They gripped their weapons tightly, pawing the ground with their hooves and digging shallow ruts into the earth.

“We’ve heard that you want to enter the portal.”

“If this really is the hidden mission, there’s a chance I’ll be the only one who can make it through. I can’t say anything for certain.”

“We’re in favor of going in. Sitting around, defending, doesn’t suit our temperament anyway.” Turen grinned sharply, radiating confidence.

When I met his eyes and returned the smile, he gave a slight nod toward the portal. “We’re all ready. No need for more talk, so just get in there and see what’s what.”

I nodded firmly and turned around.

[Please assign the next wave’s enemy count to each quadrant. Time remaining: 3 minutes 25 seconds.]

The conversations had taken roughly two minutes, not leaving me much time to execute my plan. If things didn’t go as expected, I would have to immediately return to distribute the enemy forces.

I stepped through the central barrier. Compared to the quadrant walls, it required more divine energy to pass through.

Shadow Veil first.

There was no reason to let myself be ambushed the moment I entered the portal. Cloaked in darkness, I threw myself into the portal.

An unfamiliar sensation settled over me. It was unpleasant, too, fitting for a god tied to decay. It was taking longer than usual to pass through the portal.

What is this?

Suddenly, I felt an unfamiliar divine presence. It wasn’t an attack. Instead, a voice echoed in my mind.

I offer you a choice. Turn back quietly and complete the original trial.

The voice pounded directly into my skull, insidious and invasive.

I could tell the speaker was a god. Whether it was Glorious Decay or not, though, I couldn’t be sure yet.

“Are you Glorious Decay?”

A moment passed before the voice replied in the same manner, ‘

If you go back now, I’ll overlook the matter of the Essence of Decay.’

I laughed dryly and mockingly. They had just confirmed they were Glorious Decay.

“Thought so. From the way you’re talking, you are worried I’ll destroy your factory,” I replied mockingly.

Immediately, the divine presence grew sharper, practically bristling. ‘

Know your place.

’

I wasn’t afraid. The god who had appeared in Euros’s forest had acted just the same.

They couldn’t harm me directly. Even initiating this conversation would have cost them. Most likely, the extended portal transit was also their doing.

“What’s your connection to Kalain?”

Even though I had asked about Kalain, I didn’t expect an answer. It was more of a roundabout way of saying no.

The voice grew cold. ‘

How long do you think the tower will continue to protect you? If you value your life, make your choice carefully.

’

To be fair, they were right—I didn’t have much time before I left the tower.

Still, the threat didn’t faze me. More than anything, I was stunned. Didn’t the gods observe the trials?

If they knew anything about what I have done so far, they wouldn’t dare make this kind of offer.

They possessed an enormous ego. Perhaps they genuinely believed I would grovel if they barked at me. Alternatively, the loss of the factory could hurt them more than I thought.

Either way, it felt pitiful. A god acting this petty? I had lost all illusions about them long ago.

“I’ll think about it, but don’t get your hopes up,” I remarked, deliberately smug, but they didn’t reply.

The divine presence vanished in an instant, probably storming off in anger.

“What a petty bastard. Calling themself a god.”

I didn’t know whether the tower’s grace had run out or not, but either way, I made sure to say it loud enough to be heard.

A smug sense of satisfaction rose in my chest, and a grin crept onto my lips. At the same moment, my surroundings brightened.

As expected, the other side of the portal housed a factory.

A world dyed in violet stretched out before me, filled with monstrous structures far larger and more grotesque than anything I had seen before. Hundreds of thousands of decayed beasts stood directly in front of the portal, lined up in perfect formation.

The difference in numbers between each row suggested they were prepared for future waves.

Beyond them, I sensed more divine energy.

Replicas of the Apostles of Decay.

Their individual strengths varied, which meant they were produced in tiers as well.

At the same time, a message appeared.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Beyond the Portal.’ He will now be presented with a choice.]

[Return and complete the eighty-eighth floor, or break the barrier and destroy the colony’s factory alongside the other climbers.]

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be a branching hidden mission.

That didn’t matter, though.

My lips curled into a grin. As I already had everyone’s approval, it was an obvious choice.

With both my presence and divinity hidden by Shadow Veil, the beasts hadn’t noticed me.

I immediately returned to the eighty-eighth floor. This time, I teleported instantly.

The trial’s message reappeared.

[Please assign the next wave’s enemy count to each quadrant. Time remaining: 1 minute 20 seconds.]

Word seemed to have spread quickly, because all four species of climbers were already waiting in formation, fully armed.

Floating above the central portal, I looked around at the four races and imbued my throat with mana. “Just defending was getting a little tedious. Shall we get going?”

The Kosharks responded explosively, shouting with thunderous energy.

“

Woo! Woo!

”