Chapter 66
Chapter 66
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Rakia Bells #2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Rakia Serbel."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
The woman sitting there arrogantly turned her head at the words.
"Why~?"
"Report. What's the situation on the lower floors?"
"Whaaat~? Nothing different."
The scenery from the 63rd floor downward hadn't changed much.
Of course, the backgrounds of the floors sometimes shifted even in real time, but what Rakia Serbel meant...
Was something akin to the overall atmosphere.
"The flow hasn't changed much."
"Not even the slightest movements?"
"It could be enough to make an issue of... maybe? But since when did we care so much about the lower floors~?"
Rakia Serbel sneered as she scanned the people in the room.
They were all big shots in their own right, but now their asses were too heavy to move properly.
It meant they had grasped too much in their hands.
"Your words cut deep."
"Oh~? I didn't mean it that way."
"We can't ignore the tower's situation forever. Just as we reached this position with the help of other Hunters, we must assist the next generation of Hunters who will lead."
"How noble of you."
Rakia Serbel's teasing showed no signs of stopping.
Anyone who had witnessed their actions so far would easily understand what she was getting at with her barbs.
"Hey, enough already..."
A Hunter seated nearby tried to rein her in, his discomfort evident.
"What? Did I say something wrong? Or how about a spar after all this time?"
"Unnecessary combat is forbidden within the tower."
"Aw, too bad~."
"So, no suspicious movements yet, and what about 'that Hunter'?"
"Oh~ Kim Do-yoon?"
"Yeah."
They had already gathered basic info on the Hunter in question.
They had underlings loyal to them, and since someone had just cleared the same themed stage as Do-yoon...
Getting info from a nearby ally was no big deal.
"He's worth watching~."
"Rakia Serbel, you mean he's skilled enough for even you to acknowledge?"
"Nah. Too early for that right now. I meant potential."
Shattering everyone's expectations, Rakia Serbel spoke up.
"Huh? I was talking about his face? With all these ugly mugs around, seeing a normal Hunter for once was refreshing~."
"..."
"Still playing around."
"His raw power wasn't bad either, of course."
"You didn't pick a fight, did you..."
"Am I crazy? Not crazy enough to ignore penalties~. I just tested his mana. Hunters at that point are still clumsy at hiding their power."
As she said that, she recalled her first meeting with Do-yoon.
"The next themed stage will be noisy."
"High praise."
"I don't make up lies."
She dared to assess him as such.
Among the Hunters crossing the lower sections right now, he showed the greatest potential.
And the day his presence fully emerged, Hunter society—inside and outside the tower—would buzz.
"We'll see."
Rakia Serbel grinned, promising a future encounter.
'Fun.'
How much further would he have grown by the time they met again?
Leaving Rakia Serbel behind, the upper council began their meeting on the tower in earnest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Entering the boss room.
"I'll go first."
"Okay."
Two entered, but only one emerged.
It was due to the tower's spatial distortion effect.
Only one person could enter a boss room.
Even if they entered together, the two would face their boss monsters in separate spaces.
'Dizzying.'
Feeling disoriented by the phenomenon that defied his common sense, Do-yoon surveyed the boss room.
-Saaah...
The overall landscape was no different from before.
Damp floor, dense forest.
A dark green zone where dryads could pop out from anywhere at any time.
"Kieee...!"
Hearing the dryads' cries welcoming him from afar.
-Shing.
Do-yoon drew the Goblin Warlord's curved sword and advanced into the zone.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Activating 'Memory of the Progenitor'.
Combat training was sufficient up to here.
Before the real fight, he summoned two of Eira's chains.
"Eira."
"Hmph."
But the response to his call was far from normal.
"Eira?"
"I hate you. You only play with that sister."
"What."
Do-yoon was genuinely shocked by Eira's first-ever rejection.
The ever-cheerful, affectionate Eira was gone.
Only a prickly Eira, sharp with jealousy, remained.
"I wanted to spend more time with you, you know."
"Liar. How does that mean more time with me? You had fun with her, Oppa."
"Fun? What fun."
"That sister kept looking at you weird! And then, if Eira becomes useless, you'll throw me away..."
"Eira."
"Y-Yeah...?"
"You're way better than her."
"L-Liar..."
"You really think so?"
Eira hesitated for a long while before answering.
Deep down, she knew.
Who Do-yoon prioritized in his actions.
But she couldn't see the situation positively.
Her heart wouldn't allow it.
To her, any Hunter besides Do-yoon was just an intruder trying to wedge between her bond with him.
'She didn't even call me...!'
She had even postponed Eira's skills under the pretext of physical and technical training.
It was her first time not advancing through the tower with Do-yoon—
So Eira was quite shocked and had no choice but to stay within him.
Do-yoon tapped his chest, addressing the presence inside.
"You know, right? You're the most important to me."
"I'm... the most important?"
"Yeah."
"The most in the world?"
"Yeah, the most."
"R-Really...?"
Her choked-up voice made his heart ache for no reason.
But that was all part of Eira's plan.
A scheme to instinctively evoke pity and amplify her presence in his heart.
Anyone watching would sigh and shake their head, but Eira was utterly satisfied.
-Clang!
The two chains coiled around his left arm scraped vigorously across the ground.
Sensing her mood had lifted, Do-yoon immediately headed toward the center of the boss room.
"Kieek! Kieeek!"
"Kuweeek!"
Facing the rotten wood spirits welcoming the intruder, he launched himself forward.
-Thud!
One step into the heart of the enemy lines.
"Eira."
And one call targeted every dryad in attack range.
"Yeah!"
Responding to Do-yoon, Eira shot her chains toward the targets.
Up to here, it would've been the same as their usual combat style.
'My position.'
Thanks to his 7th-floor experience, he had learned a lesson.
While Eira's chains were active now.
This moment, when his body couldn't be protected, was the most dangerous.
'Do-yoon. Those red chains you wield are certainly useful abilities, but you're too exposed as the caster.'
Past Do-yoon had looked at Rakia Bells with puzzlement.
'Exposed?'
'Yes. Especially in tower battles, a Hunter must never stay in one spot too long. You have to keep moving to safer positions, maintaining a distance where you can move effectively.'
Back to the present.
Following that feedback, he adjusted the chains' power appropriately while constantly shifting his footing.
He couldn't let himself be pulled.
One chain wrapped around a dryad's neck.
"Gurk!"
But its body, firmly rooted in the ground, yanked Do-yoon toward it instead.
-Whoosh.
Do-yoon decided to use that force, kicking off the ground and leaping into the air.
The chain guided him to a safe landing spot like an extension of his senses.
And then.
-Slash!
Slicing two dryads clean through, Do-yoon exhaled the breath he'd held.
"Hoo...!"
Their damp forest home had become Do-yoon's hunting ground before he knew it.
'Nice.'
He felt his synergy with Eira improving.
No, it actually had improved.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Warning! A boss monster has appeared on the stage!
As he sliced through a few more dryads, the status window popped up.
'It's here.'
Do-yoon turned toward the direction pulsing with massive energy.
A colossal tree stood there.
-Kiiii...!
"Tch."
A sharp pain stabbed into his head.
His stance wobbled from the sensation of a blade prodding his brain.
"Oppa!"
Eira, monitoring his condition, cleared out the surrounding dryads on her own.
"I'm fine."
He actually wasn't.
Do-yoon's eyes shifted to the next status window.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Attempting resonance with the target. Failed.
'Then why try?'
Sometimes, it annoyingly attempted resonance on its own, against his will.
This was one of those times.
"Grraaah!!"
The twisted tree, awakening from deep slumber, fixed its gaze on Do-yoon.
The area was shrouded in shadow by its enormous size.
Twisted Tree Spirit - Niederroot
Tree branches intertwined, forming a single shape.
It was a horrific visage mimicking a human face.
"Ugly bastard."
Suddenly, he thought of the ugly goblin living well somewhere.
The curved sword he'd received from it was still serving him well.
A mix of regret for not saying proper goodbyes, but now he focused on the battle ahead.
-Crack! Crunch!
The roots announcing their awakening.
-Rumble!!
The ground shook from its immense power.
Among the boss mobs he'd faced so far, this one seemed the largest.
'Can I do it?'
His hands trembled slightly, but not from fear.
A mix of strange anticipation and thrill.
Thoughts of how far his improved self could go consumed Do-yoon.
"Here I go."
Aiming the Goblin Warlord's curved sword, he muttered.
"This'll be fun, fun!"
Eira echoed his excitement gleefully.
"Groooar!!"
The 8th floor's master, the boss monster, finally began its assault in earnest.
Its body of rotten wood charged at Do-yoon.
Thinking of the black-haired barbarian woman somewhere enduring the same trial.
Do-yoon launched himself forward.