75. The Unpleasant Valley

Elenoir said nothing more and quietly left the room. Left alone again, I tried to resume my meditation, but I couldn't focus at all, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I just went to sleep like a normal person.

The next morning, after a quick cleanup and packing, a crowd of dark elves gathered to see me off as I prepared to leave. Word must have spread in the meantime.

"You're leaving too soon, aren't you? You should stay at least ten years; it'll be a shame to go."

"Hey, ten years is a ridiculously long time for a human."

"Is it? Then maybe just five years... I haven't even talked to you much."

Even though I was now Elenoir's fiancé, not a single dark elf questioned the fact that I was leaving. It had only been a day since I'd taken the position through the duel, but they didn't seem to care. Maybe they knew from the start it was all just an excuse. Or perhaps they thought I'd come back. Considering the nature of Floor 8, that wouldn't be a problem. The camp quest continues on Floor 8, which is set in the future timeline of Floor 7. According to the community, the quest NPCs appear identically, so I'd end up meeting these guys again eventually.

Among those seeing me off were, of course, Rizmel and the other scouts.

"Hey, human, take this."

It was a black cloak with a faint purple sheen. No stats, but it came with a unique skill called Stealth. Stealth is a common skill for thief classes—it muffles footsteps and presence. Not amazing, but valuable enough to be on an item.

"It's a cloak that hides your presence. I'm giving it so you don't do anything too reckless. Don't get the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrong idea."

I had no idea what there was to misunderstand, but this was Rizmel's usual tsundere routine.

"Thanks, I'll put it to good use."

She accepted my straightforward thanks, her face flushing slightly as she whipped her head away.

Rizmel wasn't the only one handing me something.

"Hey, human kid, take this too."

A scout I'd briefly helped handed me a familiar-looking shoulder armor. One of the top rewards from the dark elf quests. Huh, wasn't this supposed to be hard to get?

"You were temporarily one of the scout team, right? You and Rizmel did amazing work."

I thanked him sincerely and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠took it. The other dark elves each gave me something too—practical stuff like high-performance potions or stat-boosting elixirs, and even snacks or lunchboxes.

"It's hastily made, so it looks kinda messy, but use it. It'll come in handy."

Erwen the blacksmith even gave me wrist guards that generated a short-duration magic shield.

In essence, I was getting all the rewards from perfectly completing the Floor 7 camp quest in one go.

The crowning touch came, predictably, from Elenoir.

What Elenoir handed me wasn't just a farewell gift—it was recompense for breaking off her engagement. In other words, the reward for this epic quest.

It was a pendant with a simple design. Pendant items are rare, so whatever its performance, I figured it'd be satisfying. But when she explained it, it wasn't just good—it was broken-tier.

The difficulty far exceeded Floor 7 standards, and so did the reward. And this quest continues beyond Floor 7, so it wasn't even the final reward.

"So, you're off to challenge that 'trial' now?"

"Yeah. Did I mention it?"

"Of course I know. We talked about it plenty."

Elenoir's eyes burned like starlight—intense curiosity toward the unknown world. Come to think of it, she'd once said she wanted to travel other worlds with me someday. If there hadn't been the scheduled conflict with the high elves, she might've even asked to come along. But as an NPC, that could never happen.

"I wish you success in completing the trial and fulfilling your wish at the end of your journey."

Elenoir knew my goal was visiting my mother's grave. She understood my resolve.

"And when your journey ends, if you have nowhere else to go... you can always return to my side."

"Return?"

"What, it's not a weird way to put it. You're my fiancé— the spot beside me is always yours."

In this mere Tower of Trials server, that was impossible. Still, her words touched me deeply.

With the quest completion system message, I gave my final goodbyes.

"Thanks for everything."

The dark elves responded to my farewell with smiles and waves. Elenoir did too. Her gently waving hand, her bright smile—everything was exactly the same, scripted to perfection.

"Farewell."

"Farewell."

"Farewell."

Dozens of dark elves mouthed the words in unison, chillingly identical down to the lip movements.

"What the fuck... cut the shit, this isn't funny."

Just like the shepherd girl on Floor 2, and all those soulless tin-can NPCs on other floors.

"What's wrong? Do you have other business?"

Only Elenoir responded to my flustered words. The other dark elves just tilted their heads in eerie unison, like creaking machines. Even the angle was identical. Their synchronized movements looked like factory robots.

"Is something bothering you?"

Elenoir was the only one acting differently, but her tone and expression were worlds apart from before. Even her presence felt off—no trace of that intense aura. She still reacted like a person, acted like one, but she no longer seemed human. Just something awkwardly mimicking one—

"No, it's nothing."

—a primal revulsion surged through my body.

Seeing my reaction, the dark elves—who'd doted on me like a cute human—reached out dozens of hands in synchronized concern.

I bolted from the village, heading straight for the Floor 7 labyrinth section.

The camp quest wasn't over yet—it continues on Floor 8. I'd considered this might happen eventually, but I never dreamed it'd be now. Weren't the NPCs supposed to appear identically on Floor 8? So why this? Please don't tell me they'd be like this when I meet them again.

"What the actual fuck..."

Clutching my confused mind, I pressed toward the boss room with trembling steps.

The Floor 7 labyrinth is narrow, no treasure chests or anything. I reached the boss room quickly.

No time to ponder what happened. Honestly, I didn't have the mental fortitude for it anymore. I just wanted to rush to Floor 8 and check the NPCs' status. For that, I needed to calm down. No wasting time.

-Creak.

The door opened to torches flaring to life, illuminating the interior. Far ahead loomed the Floor 7 boss.

A massive harpy-like male boss flapping its wings, surrounded by swarming giant hornets.

Floor 7's boss is a flying enemy—the natural counter to melee warriors. Its specs aren't exceptional, but it rarely gives openings, and as HP drops, it eats the floating hornets to heal. Its vicious patterns mock close-range fighters, making it essential to bring ranged DPS like mages or archers.

But I'd long surpassed Floor 7 specs, and any patience for dragging this out had evaporated.

I pulled a large iron orb from my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inventory, downed the stat-boosting elixir I'd just received, and activated the pendant's effect from Elenoir.

-Rumble!

Mana light enveloped my body as explosive power surged forth.

The pendant stores mana and unleashes Mana Reinforcement on command. It ignores my Intelligence stat with fixed enhancement values and other limits, but it's still Mana Reinforcement—the power rivaled Unyielding or better.

-Kiruruk!

The boss flapped toward me for attack. It was probably fast, but compared to Mana-Reinforced Mercedes, it looked stationary.

I activated every buff skill I had. Lightning crackled as I crushed the iron orb in my hand.

-Boom!

The full-force throw hit true, obliterating the boss's left chest entirely. Chunks of wing and flesh scattered as it plummeted.