Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Best Defense is Offense - 2
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📰 Best Post Title: Galju's shining? Upvote city, let's go! Author: Blade of Ruin Instant death curse path found <<< this fool was straight-up dog chow lololol where does he even flex in front of Lord Lucius's maxed-out Curse Meteor? Lmaoooo — equip1234 Lmaoooo upvote lmao — Wallbloodinvincible Lol who stole my upvote button? — MapleSyrup🔸 Can't resist upvoting lol — SoloJerk Lord's mega-rock cock tasted so good♡ — Mnil We fed 'em! Housed 'em! Made quests easy! Took in the beastkin! Fuck, he did EVERYTHING!!!!!! — Angbyokgodi Fr, heard the gimmick and my balls shriveled up in fear, but the second Galju teamed with Bunny and flew up to normalize it, my ass clenched lol scary af — MouthShutLowKick This guy's just gay lololol — Angbyokgodi Yeah actually lol — MouthShutLowKick Fuck — ClimbingTok Lmaoooooooo — MagicStick10inch Fr???? Legendary skill Meteor for real???? Holy shit if this is facts, Tower Lord gotta strip the robe and do the submission omang dance???? ↳ Reply doyo: Nah nah Bunny warp ride up and drop rock ↳ Reply MagicStick10inch: Rocks ain't freebies from ancestors ↳ Reply doyo: Didn't you know? Lord did it? ↳ Reply MagicStick10inch: Earth magic don't work like that tho? How big? ↳ Reply doyo: Like over 20 meters easy ↳ Reply MagicStick10inch: If facts then fr Lord Lucius is a madlad even w/o Meteor lmao ↳ Reply doyo: Why? Warp ride and it works no? ↳ Reply MagicStick10inch: That'd work? Bitch gather steam in midair and fill a cup first 📰 Best Post Title: Virgin tower bug finally got a gf lol Author: KALSONG Conclusion: Dating that Dogkin Tribe NPC I mentioned yesterday Holding hands in front of the inn and my heart's about to explode lolol I was shaking like a leaf, then she goes "I like it too" while brushing me with her tail fuuuck sex sex Dogkin best lolol Full boner instinct on from there lolol holy shit born again as a man for the first time lolol First round I fumbled like an idiot but she's older and led naturally... heuuung older sis best — WannaEatOilSnake Lmaololol — Gold§Rush🔹 Insane lolol 41 y/o lolol — popapo01 Ultimate milf lover lolol — FurLover🔹 'Dog' upvote ↳ Reply MouthShutLowKick: Upvote lololol ↳ Reply TosiltosilPungnyangi: Upvote lolol ↳ Reply MagicStick10inch: Gupchup lololol — Blade of Ruin Thanks to Lord who made her lose it, upvote lololol ↳ Reply KALSONG: Oh, Dogkin gf says it's all thanks to the Lord too lololol ↳ Reply Blade of Ruin: Worship... time? ↳ Reply KALSONG: Stripping naked dogeza right nowwww ↳ Reply Blade of Ruin: Ahahahaha ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Deep in the forest.
Towering trees shed their leaves like massive snowflakes.
And in the center of it all.
A burly old man in armor stood atop a boulder. His helmet and shield were neatly arranged beside him. He'd been chuckling to himself for a while now.
Tower Climbing Gallery Your current floor: 21F 'World Tree Roots' "Heh. Fufufu."
The old man smirked faintly at the translucent window before him. Raw, unfiltered energy. That's what emanated from the 'Gallery' in front of him.
"That lord... what a remarkable man."
Everyone was laughing.
No one spoke of death.
The usual despair and sorrow that came with new floors were absent. Everyone was chattering about each other's exploits, laughing their heads off.
Crude and rough,
but alive with the scent of people living.
All thanks to the new floor master.
"..."
How long had it been since such hope filled the air?
No.
'Has it ever even happened once?'
His lips curved up again naturally.
"Ahem, ahem—."
He cleared his throat awkwardly, covering his mouth with one hand. At his age, giggling at the youngsters' antics felt unseemly.
'Eyes are getting dimmer too.'
So he closed the chat tab. Then he opened the special tab for guild news. There was a letter from his vice leader—his proud son.
📧 [Guild] Private Message Title: Father, are you staying healthy? Author: Knight of Justice *Visible only to Guild Master 52F clear is going smoothly. Plowing through the curse-filled trap forest with the wise Lord. Not threat-free, but everyone's at ease. "Good."
The shield of all.
The holy knight in armor's lifelong wish.
For everyone to come home safe.
The old man read his son's letter with a warm smile. It was full of praise for the 'Lord's' character and tales of the bustling city vibe.
P.S.: Tell Mother not to worry. This place is truly peaceful and abundant. Someday, I'd love for all my sisters to come here too.
"Good, Aslan."
"Our cute lion sent a letter?"
"Eurie?"
The old man looked ahead.
Standing there was his long orange-haired elf priestess wife. Behind her, hundreds of elf girls lay on the ground with hands clasped in prayer.
Like a funeral scene.
Elf girls filling the clearing.
Falling leaves upon them...
At a glance, eerie,
but it had its reasons.
The old man asked worriedly.
"Eurie, no more sunbathing? They say even hours tire them out with no food lately."
"No choice. No Blessing of the Earth, so sunlight's all we have to recharge."
"Then hurry and get more. I'll guard the tree children."
"No, Han."
Eurie stroked his cheek bitterly.
"My love, I think we're at our limit too. Even High Priestess has made up her mind."
"To what?"
"We must climb the 'Tower' too."
"..."
The old man gripped her hand sadly, gazing at the leaf-falling forest.
"Even the evergreen heart of the forest... withering before the curse..."
Fall of parting had come for the elves too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Groooooowww—!
KABOOOOOM—!
Poof!
Rock drop warp combo.
We retreated a kilometer in an instant, but the destruction's aftermath vibrated through us. Ground heaving, roar of devastation from afar.
And the snake statue destruction alerts appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Statue collapsed. Curse lifted. Statue collapsed. Curse lifted. Statue collapsed. Curse lifted. ... ... ... Because we'd been slamming them down every spare moment for two days?
Now, even seeing a rock drop,
didn't scare me like before.
'Feels more beautiful now, even want it to slam prettier.'
Explosion!
With the shock,
art of heat and pressure devouring all.
'Beautiful every time.'
"..."
"..."
Niva and I held hands, admiring it. The mushroom cloud near the horizon felt mystical.
Essence of destruction.
Beauty equalizing all.
Heart-pounding.
"..."
"..."
Sunglasses on.
Absorbed in it, Niva blurted,
"Vibration's nice today, but sound's weak."
"Made the pillar tip blunt and wide. Like an arrowhead."
"Hmm, maybe sharper wedge shape would've been better."
"..."
'Yeah, lacked that sharp pierce. Tried widening impact, but shock dispersed maybe.'
I looked at Niva.
"Think so?"
"Yeah, back then it was clean: Thud! Fwoosh! Boom! But this was just cylinder-like Grooo! Boom! Basic."
"Hmm."
"Next time, carve wedge and channel 'Annihilation' in the pillar groove? Should pierce surface better for max effect."
"Uuum... Annihilation too, time's tight, scary."
"Don't chicken out, try next time!"
Niva giggled, swinging our hands. Her swaying golden hair mirrored her excitement. Cheeks faintly flushed.
No idea why,
but today's Niva was brutally honest.
"..."
'First time seeing her this bubbly.'
Honestly, thrilled.
For her smile,
wanted more firepower.
'Overwhelming power to smash everything before me...'
I smirked back.
"Yes, next time for sure. Bigger boom."
"Yeah. Total annihilation. Nothing left. One more shot?"
"Mana cap's ten a day. All spent."
"Aww, bummer."
"Then... a few more strong ones?"
"!"
Niva beamed lazily. Pure childlike smile.
"Lied about can't? You liar. Bad lord."
"Sorry. Lord duties need mana reserve."
"Liar!"
"Haha, sorry."
"Hehe."
We laughed hand-in-hand again. This 'game' of smashing everything together... somehow blew away past worries too.
'Just wanna drop rocks and have fun forever.'
Inadvertently.
Such thoughts—
But reality calls.
A woman's voice stopped us from behind.
"Th-that's a problem. Pioneering can't keep up. Max speed now. Please reconsider."
"!"
"!"
Hardhat on.
Pale-faced Sword Empress shook her head approaching. Pickaxe in hand, not sword. Niva startled, hid behind me releasing hand.
I felt sheepish too. To Sword Empress,
"That so? Call it here today?"
"Yes, everyone's pushing hard. Hundred Swords Society and Holy Knights filling craters, clearing debris full tilt."
"Hm..."
We looked back at our path. Hundreds of climbers and construction gear bustling.
-Party lead, this side cleared—!
-Then bury this crater together.
-Rock coming through! Move it, dangerous!
-Any spare shovels over there?
Bustling busy site.
Dogkin special carts loaded with rock drop boulders, mages clearing fallen trees.
"Bushes too thick. One, two, three—Fire Wall push!"
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three—!"
-Fire Wall—!
Whoosh—!
Fierce flames dried moisture, advancing. Parched branches lost spring, easy to clear.
Fire mage party lead yelled at water/wind party.
"Hey! Fire brigade! Extinguish! Gotta redo zone 4!"
"Talk first before you idiots start fires every time! We your cleanup crew? Tower alumni pass?"
"What'd you say—!?"
Mages grabbing collars, holy knights intervening.
"Heeey! Bros, chill."
"No fighting, talk it out!"
Amid chaos, Hundred Swords Society members with pickaxes and shovels mopped up remnant monsters.
-Kyaaak—!
"Whoa skeletons! Wraiths, wraith monsters!"
"Kid, don't shovel head—snap neck raw to kill!"
I scratched my cheek.
"..."
'Gimmick clears advancing good, but paving roads turned it into a construction site.'
Of course, roads for supplying climbers to 52F zone. And side goal for main quest.
📜 MAIN QUEST 📜 Save the Land of Ruin, Midgard.
Progress: 4.9%
'Two days scorched 15km ahead... only 0.2% up.'
Just how big is 50F zone—Midgard?
'Plus fog hides exact position.'
Anyway.
Keep pushing straight, safe arrival. Climbers can do follow-up quests safely via this road.
'Goal: Watermill Village, Holy Site Gades Vanea.'
I nodded.
"Pioneering ends here today. Sword Empress, supervising on-site still?"
"Yes, camped ready. Swap with Aslan at dawn tomorrow."
"Got it. Back to city then."
Bowed to hardhat-fixed Sword Empress. Grabbed Niva's hand, warped to manor office. There, Niva fidgeted,
"I-I'll step out a sec."
"!"
Didn't pry.
Acted oblivious.
"Sure, go ahead."
"U-uh..."
Door quietly opened, closed. I sat in quiet office, sorting quarterly plans and road maps.
"..."
'Fall harvest done, food overflow as always. Climbers incoming, no need to discard excess.'
Fog forest road straightening nicely.
'This pace, seize Watermill Village safe.'
*
Niva sighed in the bathroom. Not needing it really, just needed to calm alone.
She muttered,
"Potion effect insane."
Pulled out sub-potion Hati gave from sub-space.
One drop before leaving.
Just tested one drop in her tea.
Today's vibe totally different.
Sweet,
heart-fluttering—.
"..."
'Laughed a ton.'
And...
Warmer than usual.
Truly honest feelings?
Imagined cat eyes grinning slyly.
-Nyahaha, see ma'am.
Niva felt a bit defeated.
"...Tch."
Tomorrow too.
Try it?
*
Explosions continued,
roads cleared smoothly.
Four days straight ahead.
We reached the watermill village. Creek babbling, lone waterwheel creaking.
Squeak
Squeak
"..."
Of course.
A ruin, all villagers gone.