Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Second Return
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‘Tch, this is exactly why I should've taken out the ranged users first...’
It happened then.
A summoner about 5 meters away diagonally started casting magic at me. Under normal circumstances, I would've dodged right away, but I was worn out from the back-to-back fights.
Because of that, my body reacted a bit too slowly.
The problem was that the spell they fired wasn't a projectile—it was an instant-cast type.
Before I could even respond.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ A beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky and struck me. “Kuh!”
I reflexively used Warp, but I couldn't completely avoid the damage.
“......”
The clothes I was wearing had a hole burned through them. Blood streamed from the skin pierced by the beam just below the hole.
The no-hit challenge had failed.
“Ha, these bastards are starting to piss me off.”
I retaliated against the mage who used the instant spell with a high-altitude dive.
A little pissed off, I started warping straight at every summoner in sight.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Summmoners rained down from the sky without respite.
“Run! We have to get out of his line of sight!”
After killing about 20 in a row like that, a sharp pain stabbed through my head. Instinctively, I realized I shouldn't use Warp anymore.
‘Probably hit the limit of my mental power... I’ll have to stop attacking for now and focus purely on evasion.’
That was when a system window popped up in front of me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 1st Floor Administrator, Demon Fellios, strongly requests the deactivation of Summoner Kim Joo-hyuk's abilities. — Demon Fellios Tower System? Are you kidding me right now? Why are you just watching while he's blatantly using his abilities? ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The Tower System partially consents. Even if Summoner Kim Joo-hyuk's abilities originate from himself, their power is far too overwhelming. A 5-minute cooldown will be imposed on Summoner Kim Joo-hyuk's ability usage for the time being. ‘5 minutes? Has this bastard lost its mind?’
There were still over 200 enemies left. Even with Warp, it was this bad—adding a cooldown was basically telling me to go die.
“Tower System, you fucking bitch! Reset the cooldown right now!”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The Tower System says it's been lenient so far and asks why it should comply with that request. “You... you're gonna regret that decision?”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The Tower System hears Summoner Kim Joo-hyuk's words and snorts derisively. “Haha, fuck your mother.”
No use talking.
‘Warp terminated. Returning to Earth.’
I desperately wished to return to Earth.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ending activities on Planet#010009 and returning. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Hoo.”
In an instant, my surroundings shifted, and I was back in the familiar space with the two planets.
The deafening noise that had torn at my ears and the overwhelming stench of blood vanished like a lie, and my body, heated from the thrill of battle, slowly cooled.
Only then did it finally sink in.
The fact that I'd run away.
“......”
Silence. In that stillness, the settlement window appeared.
⚔ SETTLEMENT ⚔ [Planet#010009 Activity Settlement]
Basic Settlement: 10% of total points used in Tower World (65,902pt)
Acquired: 6,590 Dimension Crystals (DC)
Achievement Settlement:
[Angel's Sexual Curiosity Target]: 500 DC [Angel's Attachment Doll]: 1,000 DC [Pioneer]: 3,000 DC [Triple Chance]: 5,000 DC [Sex Emperor]: 50,000 DC [Authority, Reversal]: 30,000 DC Hunting Achievements:
[Summoner Kills 100 ~ 500]: 1,500 DC [Goblin Slayer]: 100 DC [Orc Slayer]: 300 DC [Wolf Pack Leader]: 300 DC [Wyvern Tamer]: 500 DC Final Acquired: 99,150 Dimension Crystals (DC)
“Oh...? What the hell. Why so much?”
It was more than I'd imagined. I'd figured maybe 10,000 at best, but this was nine times that.
Scrolling through, I saw most of it came from Sex Emperor, the Authority: Reversal from the Forgotten Altar, and such—huge DC payouts.
But that was it. The surprise faded quickly, silence returned, and something inside me snapped.
“Fuck...”
Once the curse started, it poured out uncontrollably.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
I spewed double curses into the empty air.
“Fellios, you fucking bitch! Tower System, you motherless cunt!”
Rage boiled up to the top of my head. They'd stabbed me right in the back. Hard.
The administrator had openly tried to kill me, and the supposedly neutral Tower System sided with Fellios.
If I hadn't had the ‘Return’ option, I'd be torn to shreds into hundreds of pieces by now. Just thinking about it was horrifying.
“Hooo...”
After spewing curses like a madman for a while, I felt my heated head cool down.
‘Calm down. Cursing won't fix shit.’
I took deep breaths and sorted out the situation.
First off.
One: Demon Fellios intends to kill me.
She judged my abilities and perks as ‘abilities,’ then directly requested Tower System intervention.
Reasons she holds a grudge? Too many to count. But the key point is, she came at me first.
Two: The Tower System is more likely on the administrator's side than the summoners’.
That damn machine lump used vague phrasing like ‘partial consent,’ but in the end, slapped me with a fatal 5-minute cooldown penalty.
‘If Fellios is a fucking bitch, the Tower System is just a slightly less fucked bitch. That's the difference.’
Conclusion was clear. I'd get revenge on both.
But the biggest problem remained.
How?
With a 5-minute cooldown on Warp, going back to the ongoing raid Tower was suicide.
Holding off hundreds of buffed summoners without Warp was near impossible. And as I experienced, every one of their attacks packed lethal power.
That beam from the sky—if it'd hit my head instead of my arm, I'd be dead right there.
‘Straight-up confrontation is out.’
First thing that came to mind was the Authority: Reversal from the Forgotten Altar.
『Authority: Reversal』 Effect: Can reverse anything. Restriction 1: Usable once per month. Restriction 2: Number and range of targets affected by user's mana and mental power. ⟨ Reversal ⟩
I'd completely forgotten about it.
Well, less forgotten and more like the quest hit suddenly, and I got dragged into fights without a moment to think.
‘What if I could use this properly?’
The ideal scenario: Reverse the 395% stat and skill power buff Fellios gave the summoners into a debuff.
If possible, it'd flip the entire battle.
“Fellios's face would've been priceless, that double bitch.”
But that was the limit. Coldly analyzing, even recalling Authority: Reversal, I probably couldn't use it right.
I recalled my state before returning.
Mental power nearly maxed out from intense raid fights and reckless Warp use.
Trying Reversal then might collapse my mind before it even activated.
‘Even if it worked, it might not cover all enemies on the battlefield—or worst case, fail to activate at all.’
The 1st Floor admin, Demon Fellios's buff to push me to death. Reversing that concept would demand insane resources.
‘Hold off on Authority: Reversal for now.’
It's an awesome power, but too many hurdles to use right away. Needed another way.
‘Annoying as hell, but gotta admit it. With what I've got from the Tower now, taking on Fellios and the Tower System at once is tough.’
My gaze naturally drifted to one of the two planets floating in the room's center.
🌍 PLANET#000549 ⚔ • Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ • Variant zombies appear over time. • Survivors have a low chance of ‘Awakening’ upon killing zombies. • Current Status: Zombie virus spread via alien meteor, most humans zombified. Few survivors built bases, fighting zombies, but no hope in sight. • Warp to right after zombie virus outbreak. [Profile Rank: ‘Newbie’]
[3 Perks Available]
• Immunity: Zombie virus immunity • Fundamentals: Reality-based stats granted • Ability Gamble: Random powerful starting ability granted