The Hidden Mission Appears

A line of hostages approached in single file.

Ping Lei, who had been leading the way, spotted me and his face crumpled into a deep scowl.

“Lost again.”

Wow. So he really had been planning to beat me this time?

The kid was positively overflowing with motivation.

“A newborn puppy doesn’t know how terrifying a tiger can be.”

“Where did you learn that one?”

“Jiyoung taught this one.”

She really was picking up everything.

“Master, I swear I didn’t teach Nyx phrases like that…”

“I know. You must have just said it nearby and she overheard.”

This much was still within acceptable limits.

The current Nyx was essentially a blank slate. She wasn’t familiar with modern culture yet, which meant she could be dyed in any color we wanted. If someone with a truly filthy mouth had been on the team?

Just imagining it sent a shiver down my spine.

Once Karla and Ping Lei escorted the hostages all the way to base camp, a semi-transparent message floated into view.

The chief culprit responsible for raising the difficulty of the nineteenth floor another notch. The irregular raids conducted by the black mages.

“That’s exactly why I stationed Jiyoung here.”

“It would be fine if the black mages attacked at set times, but…”

These black mages struck the base camp completely at random. One thing was certain, though.

“They only attack when the number of people guarding the base camp is low.”

“Truly a despicable bunch.”

“From the perspective of someone trying to clear the mission, it’s infuriating as hell.”

That was only because every member of our team already surpassed the Iron rank in combat ability. Originally, even dealing with the chimeras was extremely tricky. Unless you crushed their windpipes completely, their self-regeneration would restore them in moments, and the monsters would return to the battlefield.

“Oh, right. Jiyoung, take this.”

I pulled out the Guardian Stone I had stored in the Pocket of Desire.

“A safe zone?”

“Use it if you think you can’t handle the enemy’s assault.”

My goal was to rescue everyone. If the black mages’ offensive grew too fierce, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee the safety of the people we had already saved.

Jiyoung accepted the Guardian Stone with a determined expression.

“I’ll hold out as long as I can.”

She renewed her resolve once more.

“I trust your judgment.”

“Leave it to me.”

Reliable as always. When the future Wall of Lamentation spoke with that much confidence, it carried real weight.

There were twelve altars in total. After we cleared two, two more locations activated immediately.

Two again. The only minor issue was that the longer timers meant the altars were now farther from base camp.

“Still, if the difficulty is the same as before, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“The more hostages we rescue, the heavier the altars’ defenses become.”

It was a form of dynamic difficulty adjustment. The more hostages we saved, the more the mission’s difficulty spiked vertically.

“In that case, we should aim for perfection.”

I summoned Mors, my exclusive merchant.

“You called, honored… g-guest?”

“Call me that again and you might just die.”

“Hic! I will engrave it in my heart, yes!”

“Anyway, give me a flare.”

“Is it acceptable to lose one rescued individual, yes?”

“Of course I’m buying it with CP.”

I narrowed my eyes. This tactless bastard. I was aiming for a perfect rescue of every single hostage, and he had the nerve to say that?

Mors cleared his throat awkwardly after receiving my sharp glare.

“Most people clear the nineteenth floor that way, yes.”

“I have no intention of buying items at the cost of mission points unless absolutely necessary.”

“One flare costs three hundred CP, yes.”

“That’s ridiculously expensive.”

Currency that could only be used inside the Tower of Babel. At the current exchange rate, one CP was worth about ten dollars—slightly over ten thousand won—but its value would skyrocket as time passed. Even if I brought flares from Earth, they wouldn’t work inside the Tower.

“Nine hundred CP for three flares…”

“Thank you for your patronage, honored… customer.”

“That’s your first warning.”

“Hic.”

Mors sold me the flares and tried to scurry away.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Have you not finished your business with me? Hehe.”

“We still have other team members. Stay here.”

“Aigoo, are you not overworking this poor gnome?”

“What overworking? I told you to stay put.”

“You are going to make me work, yes?”

“That part is correct.”

I had already burned nine hundred CP. Since I had summoned him anyway, I might as well make full use of the little merchant.

The operation to rescue the hostages and clear the altars proceeded without a hitch.

The altars’ defenses grew even more solid. I could break through alone, but it would have been too much for Karla and Ping Lei. The original difficulty required five people working together. Since we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had plenty of time, we combined into a single team to assault the altars.

“Damn it. I could handle it by myself.”

Ping Lei muttered in frustration.

Yeah, right. If he rushed in recklessly and died, I’d be the one stuck dealing with the aftermath.

“Ping Lei, take one more step forward and you’re dead.”

“Karla. Don’t swing that scythe so aggressively.”

“Focusing on the enemy in front of you is good, but you still need to maintain a wider field of vision.”

“Ping Lei, fall back.”

Even while fighting on the front line, I continued issuing orders to the two of them.

“Your eyes that survey the battlefield are truly broad, my partner.”

Nyx sounded impressed.

Was this really that surprising? In my previous life I had experienced far worse chaotic battles countless times. I had fought in massive engagements involving tens of thousands of combatants until I grew sick of them.

I knew both of their physical abilities and their strengths and weaknesses perfectly. Of course I was going to make full use of that knowledge.

As we cleared the altars through team play, their coordination improved even without my constant instructions.

“Woman! That side!”

The moment Ping Lei shouted, Karla swung her scythe without even looking back. The chimera’s body was sliced cleanly in two.

Karla possessed overwhelming instantaneous firepower, while Ping Lei could respond across multiple directions and boasted superior stamina. The two of them naturally began to coordinate in a way that maximized each other’s strengths.

“Is this the picture you have been drawing all this time?”

“More or less.”

I curled one corner of my lip upward.

“Grrrrraaaah!”

I snatched the charging chimera by the throat and snapped its neck with Monstrous Strength. Once the heart or neck was broken, even their vaunted regenerative ability became useless.

I immediately used Devour on the chimera’s essence held in my right hand.

It was the same skill I had obtained in my previous life. A satisfied smile spread across my face.

Mutation by itself was a perfect gambling skill. In the best case, it could grant wound recovery on par with a troll’s. In the worst case, arms or legs might sprout from an open wound. However, if I added that essence to it…

“What are you thinking about now?”

“Nothing at all.”

“Then why don’t you wipe that suspicious smile off your face first?”

Other people couldn’t read my thoughts from my expression. Maybe it was because I had spent so much time with Nyx, but it felt like she could peer directly into my head.

I had been able to extract the Ice Spear skill from the black mage essence. Come to think of it, those black mages mixed dark mana with ice magic, didn’t they? I had simply brushed it off in my previous life, but now things were different.

I layered the Authority of Greed over the ice spear I had created. Dark-red energy spread across the transparent ice surface like veins, then—

Vwoooong!

It dyed the Ice Spear in its own color.

So that was it.

“You knew and didn’t tell me.”

These Constellations really couldn’t be underestimated. They showed favor while simultaneously testing me. If I had realized the proper use of the blessing any later, Baal’s interest would have cooled.

Damn it. The soup is too salty.

Both Baal and the Evil of the Heavens were pouring out gifts even at the cost of their own divinity, yet the Constellation who had reacted the most violently—Ares—hadn’t given me a single reward. Did he really think I would accept his offer of Guardianship?

“Did you ever intend to accept any Constellation as your Guardian in the first place?”

“That’s something I’ll have to think about.”

In truth, I had no intention of taking any Constellation as a sponsor. But if I said that out loud inside the Tower of Babel, the sponsorships might dry up completely. Then again, a mad Constellation like Baal would probably find that entertaining and keep watching anyway.

The number of hostages kept rising steadily. The once-empty base camp quickly filled with people. Thanks to that, Jiyoung became busier than anyone.

Whoooosh—bang!

Scarlet smoke billowed into the air. It was one of the flares I had bought from Mors.

“I’m leaving this place to you.”

I ordered the rest of the team to continue clearing altars and immediately raced back toward base camp. Using Cloud Flow Steps and full-speed sprint at the same time made the trip quick.

“Not a single one of you is getting through!”

Her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice burned with venom. It resembled the figure that remained in my memories from my previous life.

While Jiyoung held the line, I launched a surprise attack on the black mages positioned behind their formation.

“How dare you! Where did you come from?!”

“Let’s use him as a sacrifice too.”

“O evil god, we worship you!”

The black mages unleashed every curse they knew. They seemed to be trying to bind my feet. Why didn’t they just use cold magic instead?

There was no need to use Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts against these guys. I tore the black mages’ bodies apart effortlessly using the Blood Claw Technique and the power of Polar Night.

“Master!”

“Focus on defense.”

“Understood!”

The barrier Jiyoung had spread across a wide area consumed a great deal of mana and mental strength the larger it became, yet she endured remarkably well. Her Vibration Barrier maintained its position without the slightest tremor, while I continued hammering the rear of the raiding party.

There were a few close calls, but we cleared up to the eleventh altar without a single casualty.

Now only the final altar remained.

“A hidden mission?!”

Ping Lei shouted in shock.

“Well? Do you regret waiting for the nineteenth floor now?”

“Not at all. I never imagined an opportunity like this would appear, Team Leader.”

Ping Lei’s attitude had softened considerably. I wasn’t sure whether the combination of whip and carrot had been effective, but the result seemed positive.

“We no longer need to worry about defense.”

“Does that mean I can join the assault team?”

“Yeah. You worked hard.”

“Nice!”

Jiyoung clenched her fist. It seemed the stress of being solely responsible for base camp defense had built up quite a bit.

“We have two hours remaining. We’ll proceed exactly as we have until now.”

“Exactly as we have until now…”

Karla’s voice trailed off.

“What else? A frontal assault.”

I answered without the slightest hesitation.