The Bloodrose Seed

The vanished halo of light.

In my hand was a red seed.

An honest-to-god S-rank item.

No, it was worth even more than that in reality.

The blood of a B★-rank Pegasus had matched Earth's S-rank items.

The reactions around me made it clear just how incredible this thing was.

"Hah, a Bloodrose seed...! To think I'd lay eyes on one again in my lifetime...!"

"Master! This is insane! lmao! I've only ever seen it in books—first time for real!"

A brief explanation followed.

It was the elixir of elixirs, discovered once every thousand years on Nosferatu.

"What are the flower's effects?"

"Tons! Physical ability boosts, immunity enhancement, lifespan extension, immunity to all poisons, slowed aging, and—"

Practically an invincible cheat key, right?

And since it had become a Tower item, it might even have extra effects.

Guess I'll have to grow it to find out. Is this the only one preserved in the dimensional rift?

Time to check.

Oh. Three more.

Somehow four had been perfectly preserved in the rift before the planet's destruction.

"Master! When we get back, let's hit the store tomorrow for pots! Pots! Including this one, we can grow all four at once!"

"Yeah, we should. But."

I glanced at Kasabla.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bloodrose seed.

Obviously all mine.

But since it came from Nosferatu, I felt a bit awkward about it.

Kasabla smiled and spoke.

"Haha, no need for concern. How could we, who failed to protect our planet, claim ownership? All items of Nosferatu preserved in the rift belong to you, Galaxy Traveler."

The other vampires nodded.

"Obviously it's Earth's."

"We should be the ones repaying you."

That settled it cleanly.

Now I could use Nosferatu's items from the transfers without a worry.

Afterward, the vampires busied themselves with rebuilding civilization.

"Let's chop wood! Gotta build structures first!"

"I'll organize a foraging team for food!"

"There's a river over there for drinking water!"

Starting completely from scratch.

Watching them, Kasabla assured me there'd be no issues.

"It shan't take long. Though all was destroyed, our knowledge remains intact in our minds."

I nodded. Fair point.

Meteor Fall twice.

22% restoration boost.

Clearing Nosferatu's monsters wouldn't take long either.

After Carmina caught up with her family, we prepared to return to Earth.

Vrrr—

The purple dimensional gate reopened.

I gripped Kasabla's hand firmly.

"I'll visit again tomorrow."

"She's a handful of a daughter, but I entrust her to you. She's a picky eater and endlessly lazy if left alone."

"Dad! What are you saying?!"

Even as unfilial punches rained on his back, Kasabla didn't flinch.

Time flew by.

Daily Tower climbs, one per day.

Shattering records each time.

Floor 11: ~360,000 points. Floor 12: ~400,000.

Floor 13: ~440,000. Floor 14: ~500,000.

Difficulty scaling per floor?

Carmina's growth outpaced it.

Steady enhancements. Plus:

She was getting massive stat bonuses from the planet's restoration progress.

The result?

"How dare you! Try to get near Master?! Die! Kyahaha! Ugly boneheads!"

Carmina went berserk.

Literally.

It was scary to watch.

Snap! Slash! Snap! Slash!

Floors 11-15: skeletons. They spawned and got shredded by the red whip, clocking out early.

Pick pick pick. Tap tap tap!

"Master! Loot here! Let's hit the next floor! Next floor! Nex flo!"

Entry charges need to recharge first.

Having confirmed her home planet could return to its former glory.

Maybe that's why she'd been in super high spirits these past few days.

Like a freedom fighter tasting liberation?

"All thanks to Master! Wiping out all those monsters in one shot! Every meteor drop was a thrill!"

Anyway, thanks to her.

We'd climbed to 26th.

Early sprint buffs fading, scores slowing worldwide.

But Korea was reverse-thrashing up the board, claiming a top spot.

First-to-reach milestones per country?

What else? We nailed 'em.

500k, 750k, 1M. 1.25M, 1.5M, 1.75M.

67,500 Tower Coins and 35% all-stats buff for everyone.

To all Korean Awakeners.

Daily achievement pings had people screaming in joy.

This round's 1st place.

No variables, and it looked possible.

I could push harder for scores to seal it.

How? Use it.

Meteor Fall in Tower climbs.

The damage radius showed fine, so no rule against it inside.

Bought the trait too.

Snagged it the moment it hit the Coin Shop.

No guts to test direct impact, but safe from blast waves for sure.

Secure safety, then Meteor Fall in climbs.

Boom! Monsters vaporized.

Overkill scores incoming.

But problem.

Score ceiling per floor.

Floor 5 was 300k.

10s higher, sure.

But nowhere near enough for full Meteor Fall points.

Tower + Meteor? Inefficient now.

Even without ceilings.

Meteor Fall way better for Nosferatu restoration.

Restoration stat buffs.

Plus full restore needed for next ally recruit.

Current status:

Four days of nonstop meteors.

Used cooldown reset tickets from 11-12 extras without mercy.

[Meteor: You know?]

[Monsters: FML.]

Tens of thousands vaporized per drop.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

[Meteor: Tasty spot here.]

[Monsters: Life FML.]

Nosferatu has 12 Towers total.

8 purified so far.

Remaining 4 have huge zones, bigger than before.

Still, max a week?

Restoration nearing end.

Knowledge, mental power, skill levels up.

Meteor max size growing fast.

"Master! How big now?"

"Max diameter ~15 meters?"

"Drop one!"

"...Where?"

This vampire.

Her eyes turned dangerous.

"Saw online some country everyone hates! Boom a building with officials!"

Boom what?

"Internet confiscated for three days. Drain some dopamine."

"Ah...! Aah...! Not that...!"

Why no nukes from big nations? Earth wrecked, sure.

WW3 instant.

"Damage radius, linking to Hitchhiker later, tons of issues."

"..."

Why the disappointed look?

"But there's a spot I wanna test on."

Her eyes lit up.

"Ooh! Where? Where?"

"South Korea."

"Eh, Master's country?"

"Precisely, monster-occupied lands. Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Busan, Jeju Island, etc."

"Ah...! Right! Makes sense! Restoration possible! Huge!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Nukes vs meteors.

Similar, different.

Nukes don't work on monsters.

Goblin shrugging off H-bomb, picking nose? Famous story. Scientists quit en masse.

Like some transcendent force on Earth.

Modern cold/hot weapons? Nope.

What works?

Tower weapons or Awakener skills.

Meteor Fall is a skill.

Conclusion clear.

Territory recovery China failed despite most S-ranks.

I could solo it.

Just needed time.

"Master! I know what this is!"

"What?"

"Only I can reclaim territory. I alone purify Towers."

Stayed up shadows with laptop gaming. Reading webnovels too?

She buzzed excitedly.

"Let's drop now! Master!"

"Not a simple think-and-do issue."

Meteor origins.

Land handling.

Repopulation.

All too big for one guy.

Just drop and ghost?

That's free patriot labor.

I ain't unpatriotic.

But free? Nah.

Need setup for my gains in recovery.

"TLDR: Need force to sort meteor fallout cleanly, rep my interests."

"Got it!"

Perfect spot: Awakener Management Agency.

Carmina's recent stealth recon:

"Cha Minhyuk team leader uncle seems trustworthy! Ah! Hold on!"

Pop.

Into her shadow pocket dimension.

"Ta-da! Report!"

Black tights clinging.

That online order? Eyes nowhere safe.

Loves her infiltration role.

Anyway, Agency head Cha Minhyuk.

Works late, last to leave.

Always exhausted.

Independence fighter lineage.

Specialty: Tormenting self over Korea's scores staring at monitors.

One quirk: Fears Hitchhiker contacting Agency.

Why?

Spy inside.

Not his monologue—obvious.

Recent article proved it.

Korea's 3 S-rank Awakeners: Yuhoyen, Lee Sera, Park Jinwoo.

Presidential-level guards, schedules secret.

Yet ambushed?

Route leaked.

Inside job.

Pulled an item from inventory.

Floor 10 extra reward.

And another recent trait buy.

"Carmina, you said dream magic too, right?"

"Yes! Master! Leveled up and unlocked!"

Prep complete.

"Time to hunt traitors selling out the country."

Bonus: snag a competent ally.

End

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