Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Steel Tower (7)
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The real plunge began.
The floating sensation pressing on my guts was intense.
Even craning my neck to look down, I couldn't see the bottom.
"You rotten bastard! Trying to take me down with you?!"
Rudel, who had been facing off against Bran, bellowed in rage.
He looked just like a hamster trapped in a toilet paper roll, throwing a hysterical fit.
His flushed face no longer held any trace of his former composure.
"I have no intention of dying."
"You scum!"
It was the moment Bran responded indifferently.
Psssh! A fountain-like blast of frigid air erupted from a crack in the ice.
"Ugh."
Bran grimaced.
He barely dodged it, but it grazed his cheek.
The spot where it touched had gone numb, as if the skin had necrotized.
If it had hit him square in the face, his brain would've frozen solid at that temperature.
"Even a walking corpse putting up a fight."
"Even if I die, I won't forgive you! I'll drag you down with me!"
Rudel growled.
Psssh! Psssh! Psssh!
Blasts of frigid air exploded one after another near Bran.
But aside from the initial surprise attack, none even grazed him.
With his senses enhanced by doping and mana, he could dodge such attacks with his eyes closed.
"Huff... huff...! You little rat...!"
"I'm not the rat here. Your balls have shriveled up so much your magic's fizzling out, right?"
On top of that, Rudel's reserves were starting to show.
He'd been unleashing magic explosively without replenishing, so his mana had to be running low by now.
Besides, mages couldn't cast just because they had mana.
If they took injuries or suffered stress exceeding their mental fortitude, their focus broke, drastically reducing spell power or preventing activation altogether.
And this old man wasn't even a proper mage, so the penalties would be worse.
"Just give up already... Hm?"
Bran, gripping the sword hilt, flinched.
The sword wouldn't come out.
The blade, embedded in the ice wall, had sunk even deeper than before.
To be precise, it wasn't sinking deeper—the ice was growing, swallowing the sword.
Bran frowned.
"...You planned this from the start."
"Heh heh. You can't have it all!"
Rudel burst into mad laughter.
Bran felt an urge to smash every one of his front teeth.
Sly old fox.
He'd clearly figured out how Bran planned to escape.
Bran pulled harder, but the long sword swallowed by the ice didn't budge.
'Shit.'
Bran's face hardened.
Without his sword, he'd be helpless and plummet to his death.
The outline of the lab below was gradually coming into view.
"No choice."
Bran sighed.
It was a trump card he'd saved for the showdown with Silien, but he had no other options.
The moment he envisioned a sturdy tree growing in his mind—
Power of the Great Tree
Strength increased 2x for the duration!
A familiar alert accompanied an immediate change.
Muscles throughout his body began to tense up.
The doping-enhanced strength was fully amplified too.
The blessing from the great tree didn't care if the user was juiced or natural.
Just double.
Whether strength was a million or ten million, double!
"Wait, what are you—"
"Hah!"
Before Rudel could finish,
Bran released one hand from the hilt and smashed the ice wall.
Kaboooom—!!!
A massive crack formed, and the blade slid free.
Rudel's face twisted in horror.
"I-Impossible!"
"See ya."
Bran grinned.
Rudel fired another blast of cold, but it missed.
The accelerating ice cylinder vanished below his feet.
"...You bastard!... Like this!"
The cylinder's echo was lost in the wind.
Anyway, with his sword back, he needed to act.
Twisting his body midair, Bran stabbed the wall with both hands gripping the long sword.
Krreeeech!
His fall halted with the sound of rock splitting.
"Gah!"
It hurt like hell. His arms felt like they might rip off.
If it weren't numeraite-forged, the sword would've snapped long ago.
Flying rock shards and sparks pelted Bran's face.
"Hup!"
So he gripped the hilt even tighter.
This was his only lifeline. The straight line carved into the cliffside stretched dozens of meters now.
His speed was finally starting to slow.
Kaboooom—!!!
A massive boom shook the Steel Tower from afar.
"Whew."
Bran whistled as he glanced down.
Cold mist, dust, and smoke from shattered machinery billowed thickly.
There were people on the 4th floor too—god knows how many survived that.
His mutual plunge had succeeded, but he couldn't exactly celebrate.
"Tough old bird. Tenacious as hell."
No kill message meant Rudel was still alive.
Crack.
Finally stopping his fall, Bran calmly descended the cliffside,
gauging where the fatal drop line might be.
The mutual plunge with Rudel had gone off without a hitch.
It was thanks to exploiting a gimmick from the game perfectly.
The 3rd-floor secret lab floor was sealed solid, except for the central section below, which was wide open.
'This is why proper blueprints matter.'
In lore, it was a flaw from Silien's design oversight.
Traces of a massive lift planned to connect to the surface.
She'd intended to transport completed golems from the secret lab to the ground.
Security and budget issues halted construction, though.
'Crazy bitch.'
But if the player failed to stop the downfall, construction resumed.
Valkeros fell, becoming a beachhead for outer god forces.
Endless magic golem legions from the Steel Tower terrorized the continent.
Couldn't let that happen.
Shaking off the brief thought, Bran looked up.
"Freakin' high."
He'd just landed on underground level 4.
The hole he'd fallen through looked like a white speck.
Spine-chilling height, but he was alive, so whatever.
"Alright then..."
Time to hunt Rudel for real.
The 4th floor wasn't huge, so it shouldn't take long.
Glancing around, Bran let out a hollow chuckle.
"What a mess."
Ice shards littered the area.
Even the outer sea-forged ice wall couldn't withstand the physical force of the fall.
Collateral damage was immense.
Much of the equipment for crafting golem cores lay in ruins.
"Ugh... aaah..."
"Guh. Huff."
Armored guards groaned on the floor.
The massive mass had crushed any chance of evasion.
'Rudel probably didn't get out unscathed either.'
Not that Bran pitied the outer god lackey.
Hoped he suffered before dying.
Ignoring them, Bran headed inward.
Sense Enhancement
Mana consumed to enhance hearing!
Using a skill he'd picked up over the past five days.
Shooo...
He felt mana circulating through his body shift to his ears.
High Agility stat. Effect amplified!
Superior mana quality consumed. Effect amplified!
Surrounding sounds grew louder.
Guards' groans, cracking ice, even screams echoing from beyond the hole far away.
- D-don't fear the Dragonblood! Charge together!
- It's impossible! The golem's armor blocks the axes... Guh.
- N-nooo!
He'd noticed before, but the skill's performance was terrifyingly good.
Fortunately, Kael and Ilak seemed to be handling their missions well.
The desperate screams were all from guards.
He'd worried they might follow him, but it was unfounded.
"Good lads."
Staying true to their tasks required mutual trust.
Reliable comrades were essential for clearing Return Road.
He had to do his part to not fall behind.
Then—
- Hoo... huff...
A ragged breath suddenly brushed his ear.
An old man's timbre. The faintly cracked breathing was familiar.
Bran's eyes narrowed.
"Found you."
Definitely Rudel.
Locking onto the target, Bran advanced.
With the lab map etched in his mind, he wouldn't lose direction.
"F-found him! That's the intruder!"
"Chief Supervisor's orders! Take him do—Guhk!"
Guards popped out occasionally, but they were no threat.
Most were on the 3rd floor; none on 4th to avoid damaging equipment.
Slash! Bran's swing decapitated two at once.
The lone survivor backed against the wall, begging.
"W-wait! You're looking for the Chief Supervisor, right?! I know where he is! So..."
"No need."
Slice! The third head flew.
Sense Enhancement's perks included skipping time-wasting negotiations.
Taking the shortcut.
Creeeak.
Entering a warehouse, Bran clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Disgusting."
Golem core materials storage.
Dozens of shelves filled with jars of human brains.
Not just death row inmates—test subjects' futures, post-processing.
Each jar wickedly labeled with the former owner's name.
'Good thing Kael didn't see this.'
This was the Steel Tower's darkness.
Desperate prayers blocked by outer god veils.
Shaking off the unease, Bran exited and pressed on.
No need for Sense Enhancement now.
Rudel's blood trail on the floor signaled he was close.
"What? You crawled all the way here?"
Turning the corner, Bran's eyes widened.
In the vast plaza-like space, a rectangular prism over ten meters tall loomed center.
Its smooth surface etched densely with countless magic circles.
[Unit 12 destroyed.]
[Unit 31 damaged.]
[Unit 212 destroyed.]
Resonance stones blared mechanical reports of golem statuses.
The Magic Central Control Device.
Pinnacle of magic engineering, controlling and shutting down all Steel Tower golems.
'Never thought I'd see the real thing.'
Bran chuckled dryly.
Even modern eyes saw futuristic vibes.
His and the Chief Supervisor's 4th-floor target.
Awestruck momentarily by its overwhelming presence—
"...You've come."
A cracked voice echoed from somewhere.
Turning toward it, Bran narrowed his eyes.
Rudel, ragged as a beggar, sat leaning against the control device.
"Rudel."
"Heh heh... Look at me... Cough!"
Rudel spat blood-mixed coughs.
As expected, the fall's impact was severe.
Dark red blood poured from his torn side.
'Mages really have low durability. Didn't expect this much.'
Defense mismatched his overwhelming offense.
A proper mage would've fared better.
Silien's higher status had reasons.
Though in Return Road, falls were instant death regardless, so he'd held up well.
"So... cough, cough! Let me make you an offer..."
"Tongues loosen when death nears, huh."
Bran lunged, sword in hand.
Whatever nonsense, unworthy of hearing.
As he closed to under ten steps—
"...Heh. Knew you'd say that."
A cracked smile split Rudel's lips.
The moment Bran sensed killing intent and tried to retreat—
Kabooooom!
A whirlwind of frigid storm exploded at his feet.
"Gaaah!"
Pre-set magic. Couldn't dodge this time.
Thud! Bran hit the ground hard.
As silver frost cleared, his body was frozen solid like a statue.
Rudel cackled on.
"Kekeke... Can't move a muscle, right? My last burst of cold."
"Damn you, sly old tanuki...!"
"Your limbs are done for good. Thanks for the opening."
Rudel staggered to his feet.
A small dagger in his left hand.
Seemed he'd exhausted his energy, as claimed.
"Credit your guts... cough, but victory boils down to experience."
"...!"
"Don't worry. Your friends will follow soon..."
Rudel limped closer.
Intending to finish it himself.
As he raised the dagger before Bran—
"Couldn't agree more."
Bran suddenly spoke.
His clear, cheerful voice made Rudel flinch.
"What matters is how gimped you are."
"...What?"
Rudel's eyes narrowed.
The frost covering Bran's body seemed less extensive.
"You bastard. What trick is—"
Sensing wrongness, he thrust the dagger desperately.
Bran kicked off the ground, rising diagonally to slash upward.
Splurt!
Rudel's dagger arm sprayed blood into the air.
"Gaaaah!"
A agonized scream erupted.
The spinning arm hit the floor.
Frost barely clung to Bran's body, vanishing rapidly.
Crack!
Kicked by Bran, Rudel smashed into the control panel.
"Guhk!"
Clutching his spurting stump, he shrieked.
"Huff. H-how?!"
"Got a secret I didn't tell you either."
He'd anticipated a trap.
Rudel's "Rujot" nickname stemmed from that cunning nature.
Still, Bran was confident entering.
Heart of Harmeno activated! Recovery greatly enhanced while grounded!
Overcame superhuman frostbite! Tenacity of the Weed activated!
Cold resistance growth rate greatly increased!
This wasn't midair like before—it was solid ground.
As long as feet touched earth and it wasn't instant death, he could endure.
And Rudel's near-death spell couldn't one-shot Bran's twisted, defense-maxed body.
"If I can't tank this, all that grind was for nothing."
Physical build plus hyper-regen synergy.
In some ways, surpassing Rudel's ice wall—an ironclad stack of stats.
Furious, Rudel roared.
"How dare you toy with me!"
He raised his remaining arm, but no cold manifested.
Just dying embers scattering in the air.
Bran's high-raised long sword fell like lightning.
Splaaaaash!
The vertical slash cleaved Rudel and the panel below in two.
Eliminated Abyss mid-level executive, Rudel Asberg!