Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 319: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Euros’s Flower Forest (7)

Chapter 319: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Euros’s Flower Forest (7)

[Survive. Time remaining: 46 hours 56 minutes.]

Standing a few steps ahead of me with his back to the primeval forest, the boy turned to face me.

“Spaces like this one are slowly spreading from the forest’s center.”

At some point, he had removed his mask. The way he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath was undeniably striking. The boy’s chest rose in a smooth, steady swell.

I took off my gas mask as well and drew in the air. It was crisp and immaculate. I couldn’t recall ever breathing anything this pure.

The boy opened his eyes and offered a faint, peaceful smile. “The forest doesn’t intend to kill humans. Its purpose is to restore life. The soil and water outside are still polluted.”

“So that’s why no one’s allowed in. By the forest, and by your people.”

“Yes. It’s still healing.”

Ha Hee-Jeong had warned me not to drink the water outside of the forest due to contamination. That was also why the inhabitants of this world lived on the forest’s edge. Anything that would be consumed—food, water, etc.—had to be gathered from Euros’s Flower Forest.

From what I had gathered, Ha Hee-Jeong had been right that the cause of the collapse, the Ancient Fire, had been something akin to nuclear bombs.

Whether the contamination is radiation or something else, I can’t say.

Regardless, one way or another, it had poisoned the world.

Euros’s Flower Forest had become the final breath of a dying land. It was basically a sanctuary desperately trying to preserve and purify what remained of nature.

I now knew what I needed to do.

I can’t let them release the Ancient Fire.

The pollen that emanated from the forest wasn’t simply a deterrent. It didn’t feel like it was meant just to keep people away.

Of course, that could still be part of it, but more than that, it felt like a natural byproduct of the forest’s purification process that expelled toxins from tainted soil and water. The fact that the center’s pollen concentration was higher only reinforced that theory.

I can’t blame the forest for that.

Strictly speaking, it was a self-purifying system.

People believed that the pollen spreading from the forest was the reason their lands were contaminated, but that wasn’t true. Without the forest, even things required for basic survival, like eating and drinking, wouldn’t have become impossible.

Also, setting fire to the forest that was healing the world would be the true path to extinction. We couldn’t allow anyone to attack it.

“I feel like I can hear things when I’m here,” the boy murmured, pulling me from my thoughts.

Aoshi stood still with his eyes shut, his arms outstretched toward the center.

A gentle breeze swept through the space.

“What kind of things?”

“Not actual words. It’s more like the feelings of the flowers, maybe?” His face now had a soft, refreshing smile.

“What kind of feelings?”

“Love and resentment toward humans.”

“Do the others know about this, too?”

“No. Only Ferel and Madam Jacob. Madam Jacob thinks I hear the voice of the gods. But I think it’s just the flowers.”

Now I understood why Jacob had told me that I would understand once I reached the center. She believed that Aoshi was communing with something divine.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to believe.

Aoshi claimed it wasn’t a god, but maybe the god was using the flowers to speak to him.

Plants are living beings too. It wouldn’t be strange for a god of vegetation to exist.

“Actually, I don’t usually feel anything that strong. Most of the time, there’s no voice at all. Just a warm sensation.”

“I can understand the resentment, but what about the love?”

“It’s love for all living things. Nature doesn’t reject anything.” As he said that, he knelt down and breathed in the scent of the flowers. “Really, whether it’s love or hatred, that is just my interpretation. They’re not intense emotions. More like faint affection or passive hostility.”

“That’s fascinating.”

“I think it’s similar to what Ryun experiences.”

We had spoken about Ryun on our way here and how he could sense the forest’s emotions.

Back then, the boy had grown quiet. After hearing his explanation, I realized that it had surprised him, perhaps even reassured him. Until then, he had likely felt alone as the only one who heard anything.

He gave me a soft smile and stood up. “So, what will you do? I’m going to protect the forest. You’ll help me, right?”

His confident tone drew out a quiet laugh from me.

“Yeah. I’ll help.”

The boy smiled in return.

There was something gently comforting about the moment. Maybe it was his natural warmth, or maybe the forest itself was acknowledging my words and responding in kind.

We spent about ten more minutes walking through the domain hidden beneath the forest. This untouched corner of the world held a strange kind of power. It felt like it was cleansing both my body and soul.

After a short while, I decided it was enough. It was time to bring Ha Hee-Jeong here. I came to a stop and turned to Aoshi.

“Don’t be startled.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to summon a friend.”

I activated the Necklace of Accord and sent a signal to Ha Hee-Jeong, like we had agreed on. Now that I knew it would be safe to meet up, there was no reason to hesitate.

Even if we hadn’t made plans, I would have called her anyway, since I wanted her to see this place for herself. It had this presence that made one’s spirit feel clean.

Before long, Ha Hee-Jeong returned my signal. I had figured it would take her a little while since it was still the deep hours of early dawn, so the somewhat timely response surprised me. Moreover, she would need to inform her party members first before coming here.

It wasn’t long before the necklace responded again, though. In the blink of an eye, Ha Hee-Jeong appeared before me, almost soundlessly.

I welcomed her with a smile. “You made it.”

She had likely just woken up, as her eyelids looked slightly heavy. Given how her day had gone, I couldn’t blame her for being tired.

“Yeah, sorry. I was a little late. Had to check in with the night watch.” She rubbed one eye mid-sentence, then froze. “Wh-what is this place?”

I grinned. “It’s the space beneath the flower forest.”

Just as I had hoped, her expression lit up with pure awe—the moment was intensely satisfying

“Whoa. This is amazing. Look at the mana density. This is wild.”

“Why is that the first thing you notice? Take a breath and soak in the natural environment. You can even take off the gas mask.”

Just like a typical mage, she had instinctively begun analyzing her surroundings instead of admiring them.

No sense of romance in this one. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Ha Hee-Jeong removed her gas mask, and her shoulder-length hair swayed slightly as she moved. With the landscape behind her, it looked like a scene from a film.

Doppy waved enthusiastically from nearby. “Hee-Jeong! It’s good to see you!”

“Hey. How’ve you been?”

“Wonderful, of course!”

As their brief exchange ended, the boy next to us gave a shy, tentative greeting. “Hello.”

“Hi. Who’s this?”

Ha Hee-Jeong turned toward me with a questioning look.

“There’s a secret tribe that lives inside the forest. He’s probably the next chieftain. Am I right? Just a guess.”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct. My name is Aoshi.”

“I’m Hee-Jeong. Nice to meet you.”

“Y-yes... Likewise.”

A brief silence followed, and a faint blush crept across the boy’s cheeks.

I couldn’t help but be a little amused.

Weren’t he and Ferel practically starry-eyed just moments ago? Well, Ha Hee-Jeong is very pretty.

His reaction wasn’t all that surprising. When I first arrived in the village, I had noticed that there weren’t many young adults. That alone would have made for a rare and unfamiliar stimulus.

I cast a meaningful glance at the boy and mouthed Ferel’s name. He flinched and quickly turned his head away.

Ha Hee-Jeong, ever perceptive, seemed to have caught on and gave me a sly, amused grin. “Anyway, fill me in. What’s the plan? Are we going ahead as is?”

“Yeah,” I replied as I nodded. “It’s not that complicated. We just have to stop that bomb.”

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 46 hours 20 minutes.]

Ha Hee-Jeong used the necklace to return to her party. From what she had shared, things were progressing smoothly.

Apparently, the post I had shared in the Community was doing its job. The part about someone on one of my individual challenge floors triggering a disaster by attacking the forest had been especially effective.

By utter chance, Ha Hee-Jeong had located an Ancient Fire soon after. Using my excuse, she had convinced her party that it needed to be stopped.

After that, they began rallying climbers equipped with gas masks. Since they didn’t have flares, they sent up a burst of magical energy into the sky to create a visible beacon.

They had already gathered several thousand climbers, all searching for Ancient Fire.

Of course, that had led to a few clashes with tribal residents along the way, but that was a risk we had anticipated.

There had been plenty of developments, but that was the gist of what Ha Hee-Jeong had shared.

Just before dawn broke, we chose to return to the village. It took only a moment, thanks to Two-Way Portal.

Aoshi looked genuinely stunned. He stared at me as if he had seen a ghost. Jacob, too, reacted similarly. They asked how we had returned so quickly.

When I gave them a rough explanation of the portal, their amazement only deepened.

Regardless, the conversation with Jacob ended on a positive note. I told her I saw the forest’s center and decided to protect Euros’s Flower Forest. She didn’t have much of an outward reaction, but I could sense the quiet relief behind her eyes.

Some villagers even asked if they could join the search effort. Given the urgency, I welcomed the help.

Portals allow for instantaneous travel, anyway.

Once Ha Hee-Jeong summoned me via the necklace, I could open a portal from there, and the rest would be simple.

They only requested one other thing: to keep Aoshi close.

It wasn’t a bad suggestion. The forest was protective of him, and he was more than capable in his own right.

Besides, Cole also uses a bow.

If the two spent time together, maybe they would be able to learn from one another and grow in the process.

Before rejoining the rest of the party, I went with Aoshi to stop by the girl. As we had discussed earlier, I was here to offer my blood.

However, Ferel didn’t seem all that interested in that. The moment she heard a brief explanation, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the boy. He looked a little flustered at first, but soon returned the embrace and gently patted her back.

“Don’t die.”

“I won’t.”

“If it gets dangerous, you come straight back.”

He didn’t respond.

“Promise me.”

“I’ll try.”

They spent a few quiet moments in that embrace.

Then, with her head still resting against his chest, the girl finally looked up. “No. I’m coming with you. Just a moment, I’ll go get ready.”

Aoshi’s eyes welled with tears as he tried to hold her back. “Ferel.”

She paused, then acceded. “All right.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It reminded me—albeit in a slightly different way—of the moments Ha Hee-Jeong and I shared in the previous waiting room.

I stepped aside to give them a bit of privacy.

A few minutes later, the boy and girl returned hand in hand.

“I heard you’re going to give us some of your blood.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best!”

Her demeanor was entirely different now. There was a warmth to her tone, and she had addressed me as a friend. It seemed her perspective had shifted after speaking with Jacob and Aoshi.

I held out my arm, and as she drew blood, she leaned in and whispered, “They say you’re incredibly strong.”

I simply smiled in return. Then, she glanced over at the boy sitting a short distance away.

“Please take care of Aoshi.”

Her endearingness made me chuckle.

I nodded with quiet certainty. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he comes back in one piece.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“Got it.”

Forty-five hours remained.

We were still within the seventy-seventh floor’s time frame, but it was time to begin preparing for the forty-eight floor’s battles.