Cleaning up Remnants
Cleaning up Remnants
In the grand throne hall where darkness lay heavy.
Eneaura was reclining diagonally on the throne.
Between her thin, pale fingers, she held a flat, wide dish-shaped wine cup.
She tilted her head back gently, slowly savoring the red liquor in the cup.
A sweet yet slightly fishy aroma lingered on the tip of her tongue, pleasantly warming her languid mood.
That was when.
Through the high open window, a pink trajectory cut through the night air and flew in.
It was Imi—her second tail—who had been defeated and returned to her original form.
The pink tail that crossed the empty air slid smoothly beneath Eneaura's waist, then naturally seeped in and fused into one, as if finding its rightful place.
Now, two pink tails swayed gently behind her back as if in a pleasant mood.
Simultaneously with the tail's merging, all the fragments of memories Imi had experienced in the forest poured into Eneaura's mind like a waterfall.
The crimson flames that swallowed the dense forest.
The man who split through her overwhelming blaze, lunged out, and swung his dagger with ferocious speed.
And even up to that moment of fatal counterattack, when he unleashed a dazzling golden Aura so brilliant it stung the eyes.
Eneaura, who had read through every single process of the battle and the traces of some location that had been captured in Imi's final sight, slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
Deep elation and greed began to swirl in her languid crimson pupils.
"I've found it."
A seductive and low voice flowed out between Eneaura's red lips.
"The place where the Yeouiju is."
She set aside the wine cup she was holding to one side of the throne, pulling the corners of her lips up long.
The face of that insolent and wondrous human man she had seen in the memories clearly came into focus.
"That aside, human. To think you even defeated my second tail."
Eneaura slowly rose from her seat.
Her gaze was fixed on the gigantic Tower soaring distantly beyond the firmly closed doors of the hall.
Like a predator with its prey before its eyes, her white fangs glinted coldly.
She stared fixedly at the Tower and gave a fishy smile.
"You'll make a delicious offering."
Her whisper, thick with bloodlust, rode along the cold marble floor and made the entire hall shiver ominously.
Right before my eyes, the pink tail whizzed away into the void.
I looked down at the empty floor and took a light breath.
Right then, a familiar notification sound rang in my ear.
-Ding!
[23rd Floor Clear Condition: Second Tail]
[Details: Imi, the second tail of Eneaura, has broken the village's barrier and launched a surprise attack. Halt her actions and defeat her in battle.]
[Success Condition: Victory in battle against Imi.]
[Failure Condition: Climber death.]
-Ding!
[You have cleared the 23rd Floor.]
System windows announcing the complete conclusion of the battle with Imi appeared one after another.
It was content that unfailingly popped up every time I broke through a floor.
Subsequently, another window covered my vision.
[The 23rd Floor contribution rankings have been updated.]
[Please enter the name to register in the rankings.]
I looked at the input window floating in the air and thought for a moment.
If it were like before, I would have written in 'Barcode' without a shred of hesitation.
But hadn't I cheerfully revealed everything a few days ago in front of the cameras the entire world was watching, that I was Barcode and SW?
'There's no need to deliberately remain anonymous anymore, right?'
I grinned and confidently entered my real name.
['Kim Si-woo' registration complete.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[You obtain 'Vitality-Infused Blood'.]
Along with the level-up notification, a cool glass bottle was gripped over my right hand.
Inside the transparent palm-sized glass bottle, red blood was sloshing—the exact same color as the very flames Imi had just been emitting from her entire body and madly burning with.
What kind of item is this used for? Right as I was about to check the item information out of curiosity, even before I could read the explanation, a blue system window abruptly rose up and covered my vision.
-Ding!
[Would you like to move to the next floor?]
I paused and checked my physical condition first.
I had just fought an intense battle with Imi.
Normally, my limbs should be trembling, my breath should be up to my chin, and I should be collapsed on the floor.
But my body was as light as a feather.
The effect of 'Grace of the Sun' activated thanks to the sun floating in the sky was truly tremendous.
My Stamina that had hit rock bottom and the Aura in my core were recovering at insane speed, so I was maintaining top condition like a person who had just woken up from a good, long sleep.
I couldn't feel any sense of fatigue whatsoever.
I lightly clenched and unclenched my fist, judging that there was no issue.
I immediately pressed the accept button to move to the next floor.
[Entering the 24th Floor.]
-Ding!
[24th Floor Clear Condition: Remnant Disposal and Treatment]
[Details: Remnants who invaded alongside Imi remain. Dispose of them and treat the injured beastmen.]
[Success Conditions]
[1. Remnant Disposal (1/4)]
[2. Beastman Treatment.]
[Failure Condition: Climber death.]
The moment I read the success conditions that appeared in the system window, I quickly organized the situation in my head.
Before coming here, the eagle beastman who was flying in the sky had urgently reported that intruders had invaded from all four directions—east, west, south, and north.
Seeing that the number for the remnant disposal item was (1/4), it seemed Imi, whom I had just taken down, was one of them.
If that's the case, it means there are still enemies left in three directions.
I turned my head towards Romanike, who was looking around him with a dazed expression behind me.
"Romanike-ssi. Which direction is this among east, west, south, and north?"
At my sudden question, Romanike paused for a moment, examined the charred black terrain of the forest, and then answered in a heavy voice.
"...This is the east."
If it's the east... I decided my next action without delay and spoke to Romanike.
"I will head north, so Romanike-ssi, please assist in the south. And let's meet in the west once we're done."
At my suggestion, Romanike nodded with a stiff face.
He, too, knew better than anyone that there was no time to waste.
He raised a thick finger and pointed to one side of the forest.
"Understood. For the north, just keep heading straight towards that tall tree standing upright alone over there."
When I looked at the place he pointed to, one giant tree pillar that rose particularly tall and thick compared to the surrounding trees caught my eye.
I imprinted the target in my mind and gave him a chin nod as greeting.
"See you in a bit."
The moment I finished speaking, I kicked off the ground powerfully.
As I stepped out towards the sky, a soft yet firm layer of air stably supported the soles of my feet.
As if stepping up an invisible staircase into the sky, I stepped on the air and shot fiercely towards the north.
Huge Geumgangmok trees were broken and scattered everywhere, and the once-damp dirt floor was stained with the red blood shed by the beastmen and the dark purplish poison energy spewed by the invaders.
"Do not fall back! We cannot let a single one pass inside!"
A lion beastman, covered in blood, let out a beast-like roar.
A deep slash wound gaped hideously from his shoulder down to his waist, but he gritted his teeth and re-adjusted his grip on his broken spear.
However, despite his shouts, the tide of battle was turning overwhelmingly against the beastmen.
The intruders were a small elite force of merely ten or so.
But every single one of them was clad from head to toe in the same gloomy, foul dark purplish smoke as the old beastman I faced on the 22nd Floor.
Even when the sharp arrows and spear tips launched by the beastman defense force merely touched that smoke, their ends corroded black and crumbled away powerlessly.
In contrast, the intruders' attacks were merciless.
"Kyaaak!"
A leopard beastman had his abdomen slashed by a curved sword swung by an intruder and tumbled across the ground.
The wound itself wasn't deep.
But as the dark purplish poison on the sword spread through his blood vessels, the leopard beastman screamed in agony as his veins bulged blackly all over his body.
"It's cursed poison! Don't let it touch you!"
The defense captain warned urgently, but the intruders didn't miss that opening and narrowed the distance with snake-like, sticky movements.
"Foolish beast bastards. You should just quietly offer up your necks."
The one who seemed to be the leader among the intruders let out a fishy snort and raised his hand.
The dark purplish poison condensed at his fingertips compressed into the form of a massive sphere, then flew fiercely towards the defense line where the beastmen were clustered.
"Evade it!!"
But the beastmen, already poisoned and their legs stiffened, had no way to avoid it.
They tried to raise shields to block, but the poison sphere pierced right through the shields and was about to cruelly swallow the beastmen.
It was right at that desperate, critical moment when despair-filled eyes sensed death and were about to squeeze shut.
The lion beastman's pupils inadvertently turned towards the sky.
Something small, glinting between the dense tree branches, caught his sight.
At first, he simply thought it was sunlight shining on the forest.
But that glint instantly began to grow larger with ferocious momentum, shining so brilliantly one couldn't open their eyes.
"Wh-what in the world is that?!"
At the lion beastman's mutter, the other beastmen who looked up at the sky also doubted their own eyes.
Something drawing a golden trajectory like a shooting star falling from the sky.
-Sweeeek!
A terrifying, ear-piercing sonic boom shook the entire forest.
Overwhelmed by that sheer speed, even the poison sphere that had been flying in shattered apart in the void, pushed back by the air resistance.
The intruders, also panicked, raised their heads.
What was reflected in their eyes was a human approaching from the sky towards their very center at terrifying speed.
There wasn't even a chance to dodge.
The figure layered thickly with golden Aura slammed down right into the dead center of the enemy line where the intruders were gathered—literally like a meteorite.
-Kwaaaaaaang!!
An incredible roar as if the world was collapsing erupted.
The lion beastman instinctively covered his ears and flattened himself prone on the ground.
The explosive shockwave spread in all directions and even shook the surrounding giant Geumgangmok trees from their roots as if they were about to be ripped out whole.
The dirt floor within a radius of dozens of meters caved in deeply as if from an earthquake, creating a massive crater.
The thickly rising dust cloud blanketed the sky, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
The lion beastman dryly swallowed and barely rose to his feet on his trembling legs.
He poked his head slightly over his shield and waited for the dust to settle.
The dirt dust gradually cleared, revealing the figure of the one standing at the center of the crater.
It was the human he had seen before in the village.
Just as the defense force members were staring at him in a daze, he dusted off the dirt and spoke plainly.
"This is the north, right? But where are the intruders?"
At the human's indifferent and calm question, the lion beastman, as if dumbfounded, lifted a trembling finger with his mouth gaping open in a dumb expression.
Where the tip of his stubby finger pointed was beneath the human's feet.
A dozen or so intruders, swept up in the impact caused when the human landed, their whole bodies cruelly crushed and bones broken, unconscious and embedded into the floor.
Those who had driven the defense force to despair just moments ago were now scattered around like nothing more than corpses on the dirt floor from a single strike.
"Ri... right there...."
Hearing the lion beastman's trembling answer, the human casually glanced down beneath his own feet, then scratched the back of his head as if a little embarrassed.
-Ding!
[1. Remnant Disposal (2/4)]