Chapter 56: Branch Tower (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Branch Tower (2)
The scenery shifted.
I looked around. An endless prairie stretched out in every direction. Checking my GPS device, I saw my current location was a grassland area east of Ulaanbaatar.
Ah... I missed the mark by more than I thought.
It looked like I’d have to travel about 100 kilometers further west to enter the Branch Tower’s range. I stopped time to recharge the warp device, then warped again toward Ulaanbaatar.
[Would you like to enter the second Branch Tower?]
A message finally popped up, signaling I had entered the tower’s range.
Well then, shall we?
“Enter.”
Without wasting any time, I stepped inside. The scenery shifted once more.
[You have entered the 1st floor of the second Branch Tower.]
Out of habit, I stopped time first to survey my surroundings. It was a fairly spacious, moderately dim area. Weapons like swords, spears, and maces were scattered on the floor in front of me. Standing on the opposite side was... a single Goblin. It held a sword and a shield in its hands.
‘...?’
That was it. I didn't see any other monsters.
‘Is it a trap?’
For now, I resumed time.
Kieee—!
The Goblin spotted me and let out a repulsive shriek as it approached. It had been quite a while since I’d set foot on a 1st floor... How long had it been since I last saw a common Goblin?
But was this really all? I couldn't afford to be careless, so I fired a Light Bullet from a distance—just in case it was the type of trap that exploded upon contact, like the Explosive Undead on the 3rd floor.
Pop!
The Light Bullet streaked through the air, leaving a trail of light before blowing the Goblin’s head to bits. The headless creature crumpled to the floor.
I tilted my head in confusion.
[You have successfully cleared the 1st floor.]
[Please proceed to the 2nd floor when you are ready.]
“...Hmm.”
Was I overthinking this? Then again, I wasn't exactly clearing Nightmare difficulty right now. I knew that intellectually, but I kept doubting things out of habit.
Well, it was only the 1st floor.
[Would you like to proceed to the 2nd floor?]
The message appeared as soon as I thought about moving up. I continued the raid immediately.
The scenery was identical to the previous floor: a spacious, dim area with weapons on the floor. The only difference was that the enemy before me had changed from a Goblin to something else.
‘...An Orc?’
It was a monster I was seeing for the first time, but it was an Orc by any definition. It had the same green skin as a Goblin but was much larger—about the size of a Knight Goblin from the 1st floor. It brandished a heavy mace.
Snort—!
Exhaling a rough breath from its nostrils, the Orc stomped toward me. I fired another Light Bullet. Three streaks of light converged, blowing the Orc’s head apart.
[You have successfully cleared the 2nd floor.]
[Please proceed to the 3rd floor when you are ready.]
Mm... I think I get the gist of it. I really was overthinking things. Gimmicks? Traps? There didn't seem to be any. It was a straightforward system: defeat the enemy in front of you to clear the floor.
Of course, the enemies would get stronger as I climbed, but so far...
“This is easy.”
After doing nothing but Nightmare raids, this normal difficulty felt a bit awkward. I moved straight to the 3rd floor.
[You have entered the 3rd floor.]
The enemy on the 3rd floor was a Lizardman—a human-sized, bipedal lizard wielding a spear.
Boom!
As expected, a Light Bullet to the head finished it. Done.
[You have entered the 4th floor.]
The enemy on the 4th floor was a Werewolf. It was slightly larger than the Lizardman.
Grrr—!
The moment I entered, the Werewolf lunged. I met it with a punch to the head.
Splat. Done.
[You have entered the 5th floor.]
By the time I reached the 5th floor, a familiar monster appeared: a Minotaur. The boss of our Nightmare 2nd floor.
Moooo—!
I welcomed the beast as it charged with a thunderous roar by throwing another punch.
Crash!
With its head shattered, the Minotaur flew back and slammed into the wall.
‘If the 5th floor is at the level of a Minotaur...’
Assuming a Minotaur is roughly around Level 20, would the final boss on the 10th floor be around Level 40 or 50? Making small predictions, I moved on to the 6th floor.
[You have entered the 6th floor.]
The monster on the 6th floor was... what was that? A Troll? An Ogre? Either way, it was a green-skinned monster far larger than a Goblin or an Orc.
Grooo—
I started with a Light Bullet. I aimed for the head and let it burst, causing the Troll to let out a pained cry. Its head didn't explode, though. Instead, the wound began to bubble and seethe as it started to regenerate.
Ah, so it was a Troll, not an Ogre. I followed up with a Flame Strike.
K-boom!
Five fireballs streaked forward, blowing the Troll apart. The body, reduced to unrecognizable ash, could no longer regenerate.
[You have entered the 7th floor.]
The enemy on the 7th floor wasn't a single monster.
Flap-flap-flap-flap!
Dozens... no, hundreds of large bats with glowing red eyes swarmed toward me. Judging by their protruding fangs, they looked like Vampire Bats.
I deployed Scorching Zone.
Whoosh!
The bats that entered the Scorching Zone were incinerated like moths diving into a campfire. It took only a moment for all hundreds of them to burn to a crisp.
“Whoa.”
Experiencing the true satisfaction of Scorching Zone for the first time, I let out a small exclamation. There was no better skill for dealing with enemies that relied on sheer numbers.
[You have entered the 8th floor.]
Next, the 8th floor.
‘Huh?’
The field had changed. The space was the same, but it was flooded with water up to chest height. The monster that appeared was... a mermaid? No, it looked more like a snake. Regardless, a grotesque, human-faced snake-like monster was swimming beneath the surface, cutting through the water.
Sssss—
Suddenly, the creature poked its head out and opened its maw toward me. A flash of light began to gather in its mouth. It looked like it was preparing a skill, so I fired my magic first.
Sorry for interrupting your hard work, but mine is instant-cast.
K-boom!
The human-faced snake’s body was torn to shreds by the Flame Strike.
[You have entered the 9th floor.]
The layout of the 9th floor had changed somewhat. I was in the center, surrounded on three sides by mysterious beings in black robes. They held objects resembling crystal balls in their hands.
‘Humans?’
Their skin was too pale for that, and their fingernails were as long as a witch's. Well, monster or human, they were enemies all the same.
Hummm—
As the figures muttered something, the crystal balls began to glow. It was a clear signal of an attack, so once again, I didn't give them an opening and cast Flame Strike. I split the five fireballs—one, one, and three—and sent them toward each target.
K-boom!
The one hit by three fireballs was blown apart. However, the ones hit by only one were perfectly fine. A barrier-like shield had manifested around the two remaining figures.
‘They tanked it?’
Since I had no intention of giving my enemies time to do anything, I went all out the moment my attack was blocked. I fired a Destruction Ray at one, poured all my remaining instant-cast magic skills at the other, and then summoned Phli.
‘Crush them.’
The one hit by the Destruction Ray was naturally obliterated, and the other’s barrier began to crack. Phli charged in, shattered the barrier completely, and crunched down on the figure’s body.
[You have successfully cleared the 9th floor.]
Now, only the final 10th floor remained. After fully recovering my Willpower and waiting for my skill cooldowns to reset, I entered the final floor.
[You have entered the 10th floor.]
I looked at the enemy standing before me. It was a Black Knight in pitch-black armor, roughly the same size as me. For a moment, I was reminded of the Black Knight I met in the 2nd Floor Hidden Route, but... naturally, it wasn't on that level.
My Sixth Sense was telling me it wasn't stronger than me, but it was still quite formidable. I immediately launched a Flame Strike. Five fireballs streaked toward the Black Knight, but...
Boom!
The Black Knight dodged all the fireballs with agile movements and lunged at me. Phli stepped in first, using its body to knock back the charging knight.
Roar—!
I watched the Black Knight as it began to clash with Phli. It was roughly on par with a Stage 5 Fallen. Its strength seemed to be around the mid-Level 50s. After a brief, evenly matched struggle, the Black Knight managed to plunge its blade into Phli’s neck.
At that moment, I stepped in for a surprise attack. I sent the Black Knight flying with a punch, then reached out toward the airborne foe.
‘End of the line.’
A fully charged Destruction Ray struck the Black Knight directly. The knight vanished without a trace.
[You have successfully cleared the 10th floor.]
The message appeared. I let out a hollow laugh. The 10th-floor boss was fairly strong, but... I guess this was the extent of a Branch Tower. An honest, fair fight against an enemy without any underhanded tricks or schemes.
Ah, I wish every climb was like this.
[The second Branch Tower has been cleared to the final floor.]
[You have acquired ownership of the second Branch Tower.]
Another message followed. Ownership of the tower? What’s this?
[Upon acquiring ownership of a Branch Tower, you can activate or deactivate the Mana Vein of said tower.]
I tilted my head. So... the person who clears the Branch Tower can turn the Mana Vein on and off at will?
‘I’d rather have a Skill Stone than something like this.’
Still, it seemed there was a reward for the clearer after all, even if it wasn't very useful. But this was absurd. This meant China was hiding this fact while trying to squeeze even more out of Mongolia. As if having the clearer hold ownership of the Mana Vein wasn't enough.
“Okay.”
You guys don't get to do anything.
I decided I might as well clear all the remaining Branch Towers myself.
* * *
“...These are our government’s demands, and they are non-negotiable.”
As the interpreter spoke, Mongolian Prime Minister Orgyl struggled to maintain his composure. The Chinese Ambassador’s attitude was the height of arrogance; he toyed with his fingernails while the interpreter spoke, as if to say this was a mere notification and the Prime Minister should just listen.
A Branch Tower had appeared in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. In a situation where Chinese assistance was indispensable to resolve the crisis, China had come forward with utterly preposterous demands.
The sale of stakes and guaranteed exclusive mining rights for several of Mongolia’s major mines, including Tavan Tolgoi; infrastructure operation rights and export priority; a share of the Mana Vein after the tower was cleared; and even the issue of Inner Mongolia, which was nothing short of a sensitive nerve...
They were seriously pushing conditions that, under normal circumstances, wouldn't even have made it to the table.
“It is time to make a decision, Mr. Prime Minister,” the Ambassador said.
“Do you truly believe we can accept such nonsensical demands?”
At the Prime Minister’s words, a faint, mocking smile touched the corner of the Chinese Ambassador’s mouth. “I should think you have no other choice, don't you?”
“...”
“Our Climber is risking his life to clear this Branch Tower, Your Excellency. The world’s top Climber, no less. I hope you recognize that China is taking a corresponding risk. And wouldn't the formation of a Mana Vein after the tower is cleared be a great benefit to Mongolia as well? I suggest you calculate carefully rather than dismissing this as an unreasonable request.”
The Chinese Ambassador continued, “There isn't much time left. You wouldn't want to turn Ulaanbaatar into a land of death, would you?”
Mongolia was the one in a hurry. With less than a week remaining on the Branch Tower’s timer, time was absolutely scarce, making this a completely one-sided negotiation. If they refused the demands and China truly washed its hands of the matter, Ulaanbaatar would become a land of death. This was no metaphor.
The area would become uninhabitable, and all the infrastructure concentrated in the capital—servers, communications, energy, administrative networks—would be destroyed. Furthermore, the countless displaced people currently fleeing the capital and those who failed to escape the range would all become The Fallen. They would die from the Tower’s Curse.
It was a shock that would paralyze the entire nation. Mongolia’s national power would be set back by at least a century. Although China was facing international condemnation, in the end, other nations were merely bystanders. Was anyone else stepping up to resolve the Branch Tower?
Orgyl suppressed his rage and judged the situation rationally. That was the duty of a Prime Minister.
“...Give us one more day. I will decide by then—”
Just then, the Prime Minister’s secretary burst into the meeting room in a panic. He leaned in and whispered urgently into Orgyl’s ear.
“What is the meaning of...” The Chinese Ambassador frowned at the rude interruption.
As he listened to the whisper, Orgyl’s eyes widened, and he shouted in surprise. “...Is that true?!”
“Yes, the message just appeared.”
Following close behind, a Chinese aide also rushed in and whispered to the Ambassador.
“What...?!”
Both the Prime Minister and the Ambassador stared at each other in stunned silence. The sight of the Ambassador’s dumbfounded face, stripped of all its previous composure, was so comical that Prime Minister Orgyl couldn't help but burst into laughter.
“Pfft... Hahaha!”
As he roared with laughter, even slapping his knee, the Ambassador could only stare back with a look of utter, sour disbelief.