Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: 20th Floor (1)
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[You have entered the 20th floor (EXTREME).]
Finally, the 20th floor.
This floor held special meaning for hunters.
It was the gateway to A-rank on Hard difficulty.
Others probably felt a surge of emotions upon entering this place.
But I was different.
My mind was entirely consumed with thoughts of the hidden piece.
According to the info from the mage gallery, the 20th floor's hidden piece was straightforward.
After defeating the boss, plant a Seed of Purification right there.
A single tree would grow. It looked and functioned similarly to a treant.
The tree bore special fruits that permanently boosted stats by a whopping 20 points.
“Pfft, at this point, that's not gonna cut it for me.”
I had the World Tree's seed.
The name alone set it apart. A genuine World Tree.
It was surely incomparable to some run-of-the-mill Seed of Purification that lesser folks on Hard used.
“Come to think of it, this thing has paid off big time already….”
It had endlessly purified the vicious poison of the 10th floor block.
On the 18th floor, it resonated with the pendant to open a path.
Thanks to it, I learned about the dark elves' origins.
I wasn't a researcher, so I didn't really care….
But it did have one tiny side effect: turning my home into a jungle.
An item this overpowered couldn't possibly end with just some stat-boosting fruits.
Whatever it was, something far more incredible had to be waiting.
If it really turned out to be just a few fruits….
I'd be pissed.
I might even pulverize the planted World Tree back to dust.
The elves' last hope?
Something that could purify the world?
Who cares.
If it's that precious, cough up compensation worth the price.
“Focus, focus.”
Now wasn't the time to worry about rewards.
Today was boss battle day.
I recalled how every boss fight so far had brought unexpected trouble.
On Extreme difficulty, no one could predict what might happen.
One thing was certain.
A seriously annoying enemy would show up this time too.
I lightly tapped the top of my head.
The small sand clone that had nested in my hair, my Alpha Unit, wriggled and poked its head out.
I had to keep this one safe.
Losing days of painstaking training data would be heartbreaking.
The Alpha Unit had a big role to play later.
“Saving it too long might just backfire, though….”
Still, deploying it in a boss fight felt risky.
I left the Alpha Unit perched on my head and focused ahead.
“Alright, let's get started.”
I prepared for battle in earnest.
I activated my familiar Desertification skill.
The jungle transformed in an instant into my domain of sand.
Next, I summoned nearly twenty sand clones.
Sand figures in my likeness lined up across the desert.
Normally, controlling this many clones at once would be impossible.
Try it, and I'd overload my brain like in the 15th floor boss fight and collapse.
But things were different now.
I had the legendary robe I'd snatched from that mana-shaving punk.
“Grant Artificial Mana Core.”
At my command, mana circuits etched into the clones' bodies.
Now they could think and move on their own.
Unlike my always-on Alpha Unit, a good chunk of learned data evaporated with each summon.
Still, some stuck around.
About ten percent accumulated steadily, percentage-wise.
At least they no longer tripped over their own feet.
“Alright, let's go.”
The clones scattered, and the surrounding foliage shook violently.
Soon, countless enemies emerged.
Dark elves wielding sharp swords and bows.
And the horrific monsters from the 19th floor, twisted fusions of those guys and treants.
Their numbers were overwhelming.
It was like the jungle was vomiting them out.
Shwick-!
An arrow flew from somewhere, aiming for my head.
But I didn't even flinch.
No need to.
Thwack-!
A sand barrier rose automatically, deflecting the arrow.
Perfect automated defense system.
I smirked in satisfaction and issued attack orders to the clones.
“Charge forward.”
No sooner had I spoken than the sand clones surged toward the enemy lines.
Twenty clones clashed against dozens of foes.
The sound of weapons clanging echoed everywhere.
I stepped back and surveyed the battlefield.
I handled any enemies the clones missed with sand bullets.
With my support from the rear, our numerical disadvantage gradually evened out.
But then.
The enemies we'd clearly defeated began to twitch one by one.
They stood back up, reattaching burst limbs without a care.
A perfect undead army.
“What the hell is this?”
I panicked and heightened my mana sight.
I saw mana paths connecting from the fallen enemies' bodies.
Paths leading underground, like tree roots.
Roots all linked to a single entity deep in the jungle.
“They're drawing life force from the boss…. This is trouble.”
At this rate, we'd never finish them off, no matter how many we killed.
This must be the Extreme difficulty difference.
An infinite horde assault, leagues beyond Hard.
Waging an attrition war against an unkillable zombie legion was foolish.
I quickly thought of another approach.
“No need to fight these guys one by one, right?”
I recalled all the scattered sand clones.
Then, I gathered all that sand into one spot and began shaping a massive form.
In seconds, a 5-meter-tall giant sand clone towered before me.
I didn't stop there.
“Sand Wall.”
A massive sand wall, as tall as the giant clone, erupted from the ground.
I climbed onto the giant clone's hand.
Its other hand pushed the huge wall like a shield.
All preparations complete.
“Smash through everything all the way to the core.”
The giant lumbered forward at my command.
Kuuuung!
The ground shook with every step.
I steadied myself on the giant's hand as it swayed.
When it broke into a run, fierce winds whipped up.
My long hair flew wildly, stabbing at my eyes.
But I soon regretted my choice.
“Oh…. Right. I have a fear of heights….”
Five meters was way higher than I'd thought.
Dizziness hit the moment I looked down.
Extreme terror gripped me.
Even one meter made my legs shake.
“C-Crazy….”
I screamed and clutched the giant's finger tight.
That wasn't enough for peace of mind.
I turned my feet to sand, rooting them straight into the giant's palm.
But it was no use.
This was psychological.
No matter how secure my body felt, the insane fear wouldn't fade.
Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I didn't look down.
In a trembling voice, almost a wail, I issued the command.
“Just—just charge straight ahead! Ram everything!”
With my scream, the giant charged at full speed.
Kwaaaaang!
The massive sand shield pulverized everything in its path.
Trees snapped, enemies flew aside.
Screams rose from foes who couldn't dodge underfoot.
I just kept my eyes shut, praying this horrific ride would end.
How long did we run?
The giant's heavy footsteps finally halted.
The maddening jolts vanished, and I let out a sigh of relief.
I cautiously cracked one eye open.
And gasped at the sight before me.
The deepest heart of the jungle.
A colossal tree stood there.
A sky-piercing behemoth.
Its trunk twisted black, black sap oozing like pus from cracks in the bark.
Its warped branches stretched in all directions, hunting for prey.
I knew it instantly.
This was the tree from the 19th floor ruins' murals—the corrupted World Tree.
Awestruck by its grotesque form for a moment.
The tree began to move.
Its massive body writhed, then dozens of black tendrils shot out.
The tendrils stabbed into the giant sand clone I rode like straws.
As if trying to suck out life force.
But this was sand.
Absorption? Not happening.
The World Tree quickly changed tactics.
The giant clone's body wrapped in tendrils in a flash.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the sturdy sand form.
Its strength dwarfed the 15th floor slimes.
My clone was caught helplessly.
I hurriedly prepared my next move from atop the ensnared clone's head.
I dismantled the sand wall used as a shield.
Massive sand grains swirled and gathered around me.
I thrust my right arm forward.
With my arm as the axis, all the sand fused into a gigantic stake.
The exact technique that finished the 15th floor boss.
But this time, on a whole new scale.
“Go.”
The huge sand stake plunged down from above, defying no gravity.
Whiiiiiish-!
A deafening tear through the air shook the battlefield.
The stake pierced the corrupted World Tree dead center.
Kwajajajak!
The colossal tree split in half like mere firewood, pathetically.
Black sap sprayed like fountains in all directions.
Drained of life, the tree broke into two massive chunks and toppled sideways.
“Now it's not a World Tree—just a slightly big tree.”
I slid down the giant's arm like a playground slide to the ground.
I stared at the enormous crater I'd made.
The sand stake hadn't stopped at cleaving the tree—it had burrowed deep into the earth below.
And at the crater's deepest point.
A massive, pulsating core like a black-red heart throbbed there.
That was when.
From the split World Tree's cross-sections, black roots began writhing and extending.
They crawled toward each other, trying to merge back into one.
“Damn, it's persistently filthy.”
I clicked my tongue and snapped my fingers.
A condensed sand bullet pierced the core's center precisely.
Pop!
The core shattered explosively.
At that instant, the World Tree's regeneration halted.
Now it was truly over.
I carefully maneuvered the large orb.
The World Tree seed that had climbed the tower with me so far.
Without hesitation, I planted it where the core had been.
This was the hidden piece that pierced through the entire 10th floor block.
A brilliant green light bloomed where I planted the seed, and a tiny sprout emerged.
At the same moment, a miracle occurred.
The World Tree's remains crumbled into black dust in an instant.
Simultaneously, the distant dark elves and fusions turned to ash and vanished.
“Whoa!”
The sprout began growing at an unbelievable speed.
Clusters of stems burst from the ground.
I backed away a few steps from the ferocious momentum.
In moments, it grew into a colossal new World Tree.
Pure, clear mana poured from the tree, spreading out and purifying the corrupted land around it.
Then, the pendant around my neck began to glow.
[The Withered Leaves of the World Tree resonate with the newly reborn World Tree.]
[The Withered Leaves of the World Tree evolve into the Revived Leaves of the World Tree.]
[The item's grade rises from 'Rare' to 'Epic.']
Item grade upgrade.
But this world gave me no time to celebrate.
Green mana flowed from the pendant.
The mana tore through space, creating a portal.
Presences of strangers emanated from beyond the portal.
Soon, a group of people stepped out from within.
“Elves?”
They were utterly unlike any dark elves I'd seen.
Snow-white skin and silver hair.
Pure elves, without a trace of corruption.
I muttered inwardly at the sight.
‘Showing up only after the fight's over? Typical pointy-ears….’
The elves stared at the scene before them, seemingly lost for words.
They glanced back and forth between the newly born colossal World Tree and me standing proudly beneath it.
It was time to claim my reward.