Chapter 364: Cult of Specters (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 364: Cult of Specters (1)
Kill the living and offer them to the Great One.
That was...
...the ideology of the 'Cult of Specters', one of the major factions on the 20th floor.
Although they resided on only the 20th floor, it wasn't because their capabilities were limited to this level.
An endless flow of blood and a battlefield spanning the entire floor.
A treasure trove of resources rich in magic crystals.
The advantage of securing both infinite sacrifices and magic crystals simultaneously was the reason they had remained on this floor for so long.
And now.
Inside a barracks piled high with countless corpses stood a monster of hideous appearance.
Red blood trickled down its black lips.
Atop the head of this monster, which had the appearance of an emaciated man, sat a blood-stained crown.
"...Just as you commanded. We have completely destroyed the humans' base."
This was 'Sloth', the leader of the Cult of Specters and one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
A truly renowned entity, even among those in the upper floors.
Yet, there was an existence to whom even such a monster bowed respectfully...
None other than 'Guntaper', one of the Demon Kings of the Demon World.
To be precise, it was an avatar containing Guntaper's soul.
"Hmm. Good work. You've thoroughly ransacked the place."
Guntaper clicked his tongue, surveying the ruined surroundings.
Corpses piled high like mountains.
Hundreds of players had lost their lives without even putting up a proper fight.
"As you requested, we have captured the humans with strong mana separately, but a small number managed to slip through our dragnet and scatter."
Sloth pointed to a prison set up in a corner.
Inside the prison, where blazing red flames stood in place of iron bars, A-rank and higher players were confined.
"Oh? Slipped through the dragnet? How many?"
"About thirty to forty, it seems. Of course, our pursuers are hot on their heels, so we should be able to find them all before the sun sets today."
"To lose that many even with the Blood Knights and the Slaughterer... is such a thing even possible?"
Guntaper's mouth twisted subtly.
Instantly, the surrounding temperature plummeted.
A spine-chilling cold.
"...!"
Shiver.
Sloth's entire body trembled slightly.
Dread, terror, and a terrifying aura transcending all of it weighed heavily on his heart.
"A-Among those humans, there was a candidate for an apostle of 'Eden'. She was a blonde woman who wielded powerful divine power, so even the Blood Knights had no choice but to yield an opening. However, if you give me just a little time... No, even if I have to move personally...!"
"Still busy making excuses, I see. O ruler of Sloth among the Seven Deadly Sins. Why do you think you are trapped on the 20th floor?"
The other Deadly Sins enjoyed their respective positions in the upper floors of the tower.
Yet, only Sloth remained holed up in the middle floors rather than the upper floors, occupying the position of a cult leader.
"T-That is..."
"Because you failed to produce results."
No matter how perfect the process, it is meaningless.
Results. The only thing that truly matters is the result.
"Do not disappoint me this time as well. Whatever else happens, you must capture the Saintess alive."
"I will... keep that in mind."
Sloth bowed his head low.
"Very well. I shall trust you."
Guntaper's avatar melted into the shadows and vanished.
Then.
Grit!
Sloth gnashed his teeth hard enough to break them.
"Gather all the believers. Triple the size of the pursuit party."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
A massive Slaughterer knelt.
"Also, send messengers to the other factions and convey my words."
The other major factions of the 20th floor, 'Red Giant' and 'Great Wing', and the countless minor factions entangled with them.
They all had to be clearly informed.
"What should I convey?"
"I am placing a bounty. To whoever captures the blonde Saintess who wields divine power, I will give thirty percent of the magic crystals mined from this magic crystal mine for the next three years."
The magic crystal mine on the 20th floor possessed one of the largest veins in the entire tower.
Its purity was also exceptionally high, making it a prime location where mid-to-high-grade magic crystals were mined in heaps.
Offering thirty percent of that was a truly staggering proposal.
It meant a faction's power could skyrocket in an instant.
That was how desperately Sloth intended to complete this mission.
"We shall obey the great Cult Leader's command."
The Slaughterer and countless believers began to move.
* * *
[You have entered the 20th floor.]
Hummmm!
Along with a bright light, a new group appeared on the 20th floor.
It was the 'Veteran Corporation' led by Jinhyuk.
"The 20th floor... We've already made it this far."
A sky with two suns. A landscape of arid plains and long, winding canyons.
This was the 20th floor.
Jinhyuk's gaze drifted toward the empty air.
Surely, around this time...
Tring!
[Clear Conditions]
Details: There are approximately 173 factions on the 20th floor.
Among them, there are about 20 factions with over 1,000 members. To clear the 20th floor, you must either rank within the top 3 among all these factions or completely dismantle the largest faction.
A status window containing the clear conditions appeared.
If it's the largest faction, it must be the Cult of Specters.
True to a gathering of fanatics serving a Demon King, their influence was immense.
In particular, their leader was 'Sloth', one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In terms of pure combat power, he was a monster on par with most 'Hero' rank entities.
"We need to stay on our toes. There's too little information known about this place. In the first place, barely anyone has ever made it this far..."
Cheon Yu-seong fidgeted with his hands, his face stiff.
"Even the world-renowned Sword Saint gets scared, huh?"
"S-Scared? Who's scared! I am merely being cautious. Isn't it common sense to prepare thoroughly when entering unfamiliar territory? Especially when it's the 20th floor."
Indeed, even the high-flying veterans who played the Tower of Trials in the past couldn't get past the 20th floor.
Even that leech of a Sword Saint had given up climbing the tower here.
"It is pretty tough here. It's a place where tons of guys like you pop up, after all."
"What do you mean, 'guys like me'?"
Shring!
Cheon Yu-seong's sword was drawn halfway.
I had to choose my words carefully from here on out.
Otherwise, I might end up in more danger than Teresa.
"I mean... there are many outstanding experts of that caliber. Hardworking, talented. You know what I mean, right?"
Clack!
The sword slid back into its sheath.
"More importantly, you talk as if you've cleared this place before. Have you been past the 20th floor?"
A probing question followed.
This guy was always curious about how far up the tower I had climbed.
"I've been a bit further than this."
"I knew it. I suspected as much after seeing what happened in the Empire and the Murim. You've been to the mid-20s or early 30s."
The mid-20s... to the early 30s, huh...
"Well, I guess I went around that far."
Jinhyuk smirked.
"Answer me properly. Is it the late 20s? Or the 30th floor?"
"Who knows? I don't really remember how far I went."
"You're always so evasive...!"
Cheon Yu-seong tried to press further at the evasive answer, but...
Rustle.
The conversation was cut short by the sound of footsteps in the reeds.
Someone was coming.
"Keke! What's this? New tenants?"
Parting the bushes, hobgoblins holding small daggers emerged.
They were a superior species, much larger and far more intelligent than ordinary goblins.
Furthermore, due to their tendency to move in packs, they were quite troublesome to deal with.
Yes.
This was exactly what the 20th floor should be like.
From the entrance to the exit.
Every step and every moment was a continuous battlefield.
"Looks like you just entered the 20th floor, but of all opponents, you had to run into us. Talk about terrible luck."
"Kekeke! Exactly."
"It's commendable that you struggled and crawled all the way here, but you used up all your luck doing so."
"If you hand over everything you have, we might just spare your lives. First, hand over that silver-haired woman and the black-haired woman in the back."
The hobgoblins pointed their daggers at Alice and the Soul-Chasing Shadow.
Of all the people to pick... they had to choose those two.
Amuasedly, it seemed the unlucky ones weren't on our side.
"Oh my. You want me?"
The Soul-Chasing Shadow stepped forward with a bright smile.
"Keke! Walking over on your own feet, how wise."
"Don't be too scared."
"We rarely eat human meat anyway. Just... Gurgle?"
The mocking voice did not last long.
Slash.
Thud...
The hobgoblin's head rolled onto the ground.
A sword so blindingly white it made one's eyes water traced a graceful arc.
"Why are you so surprised? Weren't you the ones who told me to come over?"
The Soul-Chasing Shadow beckoned with her finger.
"Kieek?"
"How dare you repay our mercy of sparing your lives like this?!"
"I'll tear you to shreds!"
The hobgoblins immediately retaliated.
Armed with heavy wooden shields and swords, they targeted the Soul-Chasing Shadow from all directions.
Right then.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Red harpoons sliced through the air from the flank.
"Keeeeek!"
"Aaaargh!"
Skewered in an instant, the hobgoblins tumbled to the ground.
"You filthy, lowly creatures are the ones who don't know your place. Who do you think you are, talking about sparing lives?"
Rumble!
As Alice unleashed her mana, dark clouds gathered beneath the suns.
Mana that defied imagination.
It was the domain of an absolute ruler, one that mere hobgoblins could never dare to covet.
"M-Monsters!"
"Hieeeek!"
"Some terrifying bastards have arrived on the 20th floor! We have to report this to the boss right away!"
But that was wishful thinking.
A red meteor shower began to pour from the sky, completely decimating the surroundings.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crash!
She had absolutely no intention of leaving a single one of these insects alive after they had dared to claim ownership over her.
"Oh dear. I'll be upset if you only pay attention to that lady over there. You must play with me as well."
And the same went for the Soul-Chasing Shadow, who had lived a life of lofty pride.
As the 8th stance of the Soul-Chasing Sword was unleashed, a beautiful trajectory carved through space.
"...!?"
"Kuh... ugh...?"
They couldn't even comprehend how they were being struck.
They were simply being unilaterally slaughtered.
Thus began the scene of carnage.
The blood spilled by the hobgoblins thoroughly drenched the reed field.
"Is there really a need to kill every single one of them?"
Cheon Yu-seong swallowed hard as he watched the Soul-Chasing Shadow run wild so ruthlessly.
Though he didn't say it, he was undoubtedly thinking that he should treat his master with a bit more respect from now on.
"We have to eliminate all of them except for one."
We had to make it crystal clear to everyone that we had arrived.
By now, the shattered raid team of the Olympus Guild would be desperately fleeing from their pursuers.
To rescue them, drawing attention away was an absolute necessity.
And while we're at it, we should also reap whatever benefits we can extract from here.
Well then, shall we slowly begin the conquest of the 20th floor in earnest?
Jinhyuk opened his dimensional subspace inventory.
The reward he had received for clearing the 19th floor.
The means to smoothly conquer the 20th floor lay within.
Hummmm!
Along with a bright light, a small box appeared.