Chapter 85: Twenty-first Floor, The Colonized Planet (4)

The factory was crumbling into ruin.

What had begun as a small blaze in the weapon plant’s shattered furnace had now quickly spread, carried by the wind to the adjacent buildings and structures beyond. The once-muted flames were now devouring everything in their path with ravenous intensity.

At the same time, the color of the sky began to shift, almost imperceptibly at first.

I couldn’t tell if it was lightening or darkening, but one thing was certain: the once-ashen sky was returning to its true hue. It seemed like the world itself was shaking off the heavy shackles of colonization and awakening.

The planet was gradually reclaiming its vitality.

in the recovering sky above, black and white plumes of smoke twisted solemnly together like rising incense smoke, swirling in a grim, ethereal dance.

Except for the cacophony from the collapsing factory, the surroundings were cloaked in a deathly silence.

I breathed in deeply, and a sigh unintentionally escaped my lips,

“Hah...”

The breath seemed to disperse in an instant, vanishing into the emptiness.

This nightmarish factory was undoubtedly the handiwork of those so-called gods.

Why did they establish such a wretched place?

Only a moment later, a detached voice within me answered coldly. The gods were plundering resources from other worlds.

I was all too familiar with this concept. Even on Earth, powerful nations would invade and loot weaker ones, bolstering their own strength at the expense of others. This example was simply a magnified version of that same predatory pattern, just on a planetary scale.

If I failed to ascend to the top of the tower, Earth would share the same fate as this world.

“

Kriee!

Su-Yeok! Amazing! Great job!”

Doppy’s voice pulled me away from my grim thoughts. It was the first time I had heard such words from it. I turned toward it, noting that its expression mirrored my own—a mixture of bitterness and melancholy.

Doppy lost its god too, didn’t it? It ended up here in the Tower of Ordeal.

Seeing the goblin soldiers in this place had likely caused it to feel a deep sense of unease.

I suddenly recalled a memory from our first meeting. If I hadn’t saved it back then, Doppy could have ended up in the same wretched state as those we had just freed. And, like them, Doppy must yearn for the world it lost.

I searched for something to say but found myself at a loss for words. After a long, silent moment, I simply replied, “You did well too, Doppy.”

I reached out and gently patted its smooth, bald head.

The optional challenge on the twenty-first floor had been the most grueling trial I had faced since entering the tower.

Scenes from previous floors played out in my mind; the first floor, where I encountered Doppy; the sixth floor, where I first met my party members; the sixteenth floor, where I had saved an entire world.

Thinking back, I could tell how much I had changed since first setting foot in the tower. I had grown undeniably stronger compared to the person I had been back then, both mentally and physically.

But...

It still wasn’t enough. I had come to that stark realization during this hidden mission.

After acquiring Lung Shark's Dagger and armor, I hadn’t expected to face such a formidable opponent this soon.

Even if it was an optional hidden mission, I almost lost to the Overseer.

I couldn’t afford to be content with my current abilities. I needed to become even stronger.

If I wanted to ascend to the top of the tower and ensure that Earth didn’t suffer the same fate as this place...

If I wanted to prevent the people of Earth—my family, friends, and everyone I cared about from becoming slaves...

I needed to be stronger—not just ten or twenty times stronger—but a thousand times more powerful than I was now.

What’s that?

A faint presence tickled my senses, pulling me abruptly out of my thoughts. It was the group I had liberated from the factory.

Though they were still a fair distance away, I turned to face them.

Roughly three hundred individuals were approaching me. Each one looked emaciated, their expressions bleak and downcast. Although everyone’s physical condition was deplorable, it was their hollow stares that struck me.

Why do they look so despondent?

Before my thoughts could delve deeper, the elderly seraph who had spoken to me at the factory bowed low and addressed me once more.

“Liberator, we cannot thank you enough. It’s because of you that we were able to escape that hellish factory.”

“There’s no need to thank me. But... why does everyone look so troubled? Is something wrong?”

The seraph responded with a mirthless smile, “Even though we have escaped the factory, we’re still as good as dead.”

As good as dead? What could that possibly mean?

The old seraph seemed to sense my confusion and elaborated further, “We are beings who have lost both our gods and home worlds. We were captured and brought to this place. This isn’t our home, and it’s under the dominion of a different god.”

“Then... what will happen now?”

“Once word spreads of the Overseer’s death, another one will be sent to replace it. Once you leave, we will be left wandering about this world, waiting to be hunted down again someday. On top of that, we will be held responsible for the factory’s destruction.”

Ah, so that’s why they seem so resigned.

From their perspective, I had merely bought them a temporary reprieve.

Damn it.

The buildings around us were now almost entirely consumed by flames, crumbling to the ground and signaling that my time here was running out.

Of course, they wouldn’t be able to leave with me, which meant they would eventually lose their lives.

Fuck, is this why it’s an optional hidden mission? Even if I saved them, what does it matter if I can’t secure their future? Was reducing the factory to rubble the only thing the mission cared about?

No, if that were the case, another Overseer wouldn’t be dispatched.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

As I fumed inwardly, the elderly seraph bowed its head once more.

“Please, don’t be troubled, Liberator. We were already set to be enslaved by a god we did not serve. Allowing us to die as free beings is more than we could have ever hoped for. For that alone, we thank you.”

Its deep, sorrowful eyes met mine, and in that instant, an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning.

The portal. Two-Way Portal.

With the new Two-Way Portal skill I had acquired using Mimicry, I could open one here and help them escape this place.

“Wait, there’s a way. I can get you out of here.”

The seraph’s eyes widened at my words, its breath becoming slightly ragged. It had likely resigned itself to fate but now clung to the faint hope I had offered.

However, just as I was about to explain the portal to it, a new question arose in my mind.

Where should I even send them?

***

My initial plan to return each individual to their original world quickly proved impossible. Their home planets had long since fallen and become colonized outposts, plus I had never traveled to any of them.

For a moment, I wondered if I could send them to Earth, but I shelved that thought. Even if it were feasible, I had no idea what would happen, or if I could even return to this floor before the countdown expired.

I would have to consult Ha Hee-Jeong about this later.

In the end, the only viable option I could come up with was to send them to the rest area within the Tower of Ordeal. Before creating the portal, I cautioned them that I was unsure of how much mana the two-way portal would consume.

“Everyone, please prepare yourselves. Oh, and when the portal opens, you’ll have to move through it quickly. I might not be able to maintain it for long.”

“We understand. Thank you.”

Despite having absorbed a significant amount of mana from the enemies I had defeated, a cross-planetary portal was bound to be draining.

The elderly seraph bowed deeply once more, then turned to the group behind it. In a low voice, it relayed my instructions and urged them to move quickly once the portal opened.

Announcing it loudly would have been easier, but the seraph seemed intent on maintaining a semblance of dignity and decorum, even during these dire circumstances.

Maybe I should just shout it out myself?

No, that was unnecessary.

Almost half of them had already received the message. It was better to focus on opening the portal.

I pictured the rest area in my mind and began to conjure the portal. My mana began to drain rapidly, pouring out like water through a sieve.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to sustain it. Hurriedly, I tapped into the reserves stored within the gauntlet and fed that energy into the spell.

Finally, a circular portal roughly three meters in diameter shimmered into existence before me. It glowed with a vivid, lightning-bright golden hue. Comparing it to the Overseer’s ashen-gray portal, I intuited that the color of the portal was influenced by the user’s mana.

Unfortunately, I could barely keep up with the portal’s mana consumption so I desperately shouted, “Hurry! Move through it now!”

Sensing the urgency in my tone, the survivors began to rush toward the portal, each leaving behind words of gratitude as they passed through.

“Liberator, thank you!”

“I hope one day I can repay this kindness. May the Golden Lightning always protect you...”

“Thank you so much. I pray that you may overcome all the trials that lie ahead.”

The majority crossed over in a short span. Now, only the elderly seraph remained. Its eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Liberator, words cannot express the depth of our gratitude. I pray that our divine God watches over you and guides you. Please, stay safe and be well...”

“Thank you. I hope you can relax in the rest area.”

For a brief moment, the image of the Seraphim Queen I had met on the sixth floor resurfaced in my mind. She had mentioned that the seraphim had found their world once more, but this old man didn’t know that yet.

I decided not to mention it to it. Until I could find the planet’s exact location, it would only be a false hope.

One day, perhaps when I grew stronger, I would be able to send it back to the seraphim’s home planet.

The elderly seraph bowed deeply and stepped through the portal.

Yes, I will make it happen. I will send not just the seraphim, but all the others, back to their own worlds someday.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I watched its back disappear into the golden light.

Just then, a cool and gentle breeze swept in from somewhere, brushing past my cheeks and ruffling my hair. It came from the direction of the factory.

Moments later, the factory collapsed completely, crumbling to the ground in a pile of debris.

At that precise moment, a sense of lightness washed over me. As my vision began to blur, I struggled to keep my eyes on the sight of the factory crumbling into dust.

[Optional hidden mission completed. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been recognized as having conquered the twenty-second floor. Achievement points will be calculated.]

***

「Invisible message: Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Colonized Planet, Mortgaged World.’ Achievement points will be calculated.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completely destroyed the slave factory and freed the slaves. Achievement points will be calculated.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has slain the Factory Overseer. All stats increased by 2.」

「Invisible message: Time remaining: 36 minutes 27 seconds. Achievement points will be calculated.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 21,089 achievement points. Total Achievement Points: 87,197. He will now enter the waiting room.」

***

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the Twenty-first Floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Only Path. He will now enter the waiting room.]

[Tower of Ordeal, Twenty-second Floor. Conquest completed by alternate means.]

[Having conquered the twenty-second floor, the size limit for parties has increased from six to eight members. Climbers will enter the twenty-third floor with their parties]

[13 hours 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

Completing the twenty-second floor unlocked something new for our parties. From the increase in the number of party members, I guessed that the trials were about to become significantly more challenging.

That didn’t concern me much, however, given that I was climbing the tower alone.

For now, I sent Doppy off to the showers and checked my status window.

[Kwon Su-Hyeok (Earthling, C-66432)]

Title: Seeker of the Crossroads

Affiliation: None

Patron Deity: First class, Omniscient Thunder Axe (Share percentage: 0.00% (-?.??%) / 100.00%)

Strength: 130.1

Agility: 125.2

Stamina: 133.7

Mana: 116.4

Skills: Lightning Essence lvl 10, Sixth Sense lvl 11, Axemanship lvl 4, Flash Strike lvl 7, Master of Shadows lvl 6, Dragon’s Blood lvl 2, Indomitability lvl 17(+5), Combat Focus lvl 21(+5) ... Natural Healing lvl 8, Pain Resistance lvl 9, Iron Skin lvl 6, Lightning Resistance lvl 5, Fire Resistance lvl 15(+3), Poison Resistance lvl 18(+9), Ice Resistance lvl 5, Two-Way Portal lvl 1.

With all the skills I had acquired over the past twenty floors, my status window had become hauntingly long, sprawling out before me like an endless scroll.

I looked over it carefully, and despite my fatigue, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of immense satisfaction. The twenty-first floor had truly been the most grueling so far, but in return, all my stats and skill levels had increased significantly.

By the way...

One skill in particular skill caught my eye: Two-Way Portal. It now occupied the slot where Mimicry had been on my status window.

I hope the survivors are resting comfortably in the rest area now.

The inhabitants of the rest area must have been quite startled by their sudden arrival.

I decided to check the Community next. Given that I had tackled an optional hidden mission, it was likely that other climbers were already on the twenty-second floor.

And, as expected, the most recent post was from three hours ago. It seemed that while I had been occupied with my extended challenge, the others had already cleared the twenty-first floor and moved on to the twenty-second.

I had wanted to ask Ha Hee-Jeong about the colonized planet and the portals. Having missed the opportunity, I felt a pang of regret until suddenly a message popped up from Ha Hee-Jeong herself.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-third Floor): What the heck, when did you conquer your last floor? You jumped two floors at once. Did you tackle an optional hidden mission?

What? I swear she entered the twenty-second floor three hours ago. Is it really that easy to conquer?

No, the Community had been silent. It wasn’t like other climbers had returned either.

Hmm, well, considering she’s a regressor, she must have some kind of trick up her sleeve.

It wasn’t something I needed to mull over too deeply. Now was the perfect opportunity to ask her the questions I had.