Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 322: Seventy-Eighth Floor, Tribal War (2)

[Navigate the conflict between both factions and survive. Time remaining: 228 hours 23 minutes.]

By evening, we found five more Ancient Fires. That brought our total to thirty-eight, and the search was progressing without a hitch.

Just like I had anticipated, the enemy still hadn’t made any signs of movement. They were likely scrambling to prepare for war as we spoke.

Sometime tomorrow or the day after.

In truth, I was hoping they would arrive all at once, as it would make revealing myself much simpler.

I didn’t claim to know much about gods, but personally, I believed that the more frequently a god appeared, the less divine they seemed. That was precisely why I thought a single descent onto the battlefield would be ideal.

Fighting over and over again is inefficient anyway.

Summoning lightning across the field consumed far more mana than one would expect. That was why I had held back to a reasonable degree last time. Of course, that restrained display had seemed overwhelming to the others.

Regardless of my concerns, the enemy would no doubt come fully prepared. Every member of the tribe that attacked us last time had returned alive. Naturally, rumors about me would have spread like wildfire.

As rumors tended to go, my feats were probably exaggerated. This time, I intended to live up to every word.

I had also run through several scenarios involving the ancient weapons Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned, though whether things would unfold like I imagined remained to be seen.

“Aaaah.” Stretching with a yawn, I let go of my idle thoughts.

As always, standing watch was mind-numbingly dull.

After searching for most of the day, I was now stuck and looking out across the plains beyond the forest. Having eaten dinner and taken a two-hour nap, I wasn’t fatigued.

With nothing else to do, I guessed that I would spend most of my time maintaining a vigilant watch beyond the forest. Having a powerful fighter stationed on the front lines would both reassure the other climbers and make it easier for us to respond to any attacks.

Aoshi and Doppy agreed to continue the search with our party members. I turned my gaze toward the wasteland.

There is something unsettling about it.

The plains stretching around Euros’s Flower Forest were nothing but a string of arid zones. Then again, perhaps “string” wasn’t the most fitting word.

Some territories resembled deserts, heaped with mounds of sand, while others appeared to be desolate badlands. The sun had baked the earth dry, splitting it open and leaving deep, jagged cracks.

Though not entirely devoid of grass or trees, the vegetation was all shriveled and lifeless.

One kilometer outside the forest, we had established a defensive line that extended north and south. At regular intervals, we would set up small outposts to keep watch, ever alert for enemies that could appear without warning.

Whooong—

Above the night sky, an airship hummed as it soared by. We had deployed after I joined the larger group of climbers.

Even now, I am glad we brought it.

It had impressive firepower, and its elevated vantage point granted obvious advantages in combat. More than anything, though, it served as a roving reconnaissance vessel—something incredibly useful in situations like this.

I had ridden it earlier and taken in the scenery from above. There was a certain somber beauty to this world.

Creepy plains up front, and behind them, there is the faintly glowing Euros’s Flower Forest.

Beep-beep! Beep-beep!

The signal device strapped to my waist, the one distributed to all climbers on watch, had begun to ring. This specific pattern of beeps meant that there was a disturbance somewhere along the defensive line.

Where, though?

Unfortunately, these cheap signalers we had bought in bulk couldn’t pinpoint a precise location.

Narrowing my eyes, I slowly turned my head. If protocol was being followed, a signal flare would be launched soon enough.

“What was that?”

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“Hey, the alarm’s going off. Get up!”

The surroundings quickly grew chaotic. Climbers not on guard rubbed the sleep from their eyes and stood.

I still hadn’t spotted a beam of light piercing the sky yet, meaning the issue wasn’t nearby.

After about twenty seconds of waiting, a flare shot upward from the northernmost watchtower. The light drew closer with each successive flare, relayed tower to tower through the watchtower relay system.

“To the north!”

The others finally spotted the light, and the climbers nearby began gathering around me.

“Su-Hyeok, what should we do?”

We had developed a rather straightforward contingency plan. If the enemy appeared, a single light beam would shoot into the sky. The number of beams would increase depending on the threat’s intensity. Though only one had appeared so far, that count could rise at any moment.

Of course, we couldn’t abandon every outpost since there was always the risk that it was a diversion.

Everything depended on the commander’s judgment. That was why I was stationed here.

As long as we activate the portal at the central base, reinforcements can arrive immediately.

I had been positioned just ahead of the central base. Although only one signal had gone up, I didn’t have to sit and wait.

After all, I wasn’t just another climber. “Wait here. I’ll go check it out myself.”

Without waiting for a response, I kicked off the ground.

Doppy wasn’t here, nor was Yoonie. I didn’t have to consider anyone else’s capabilities.

The landscape flew by in a blur as the chilly night wind cut across my cheek. As I accelerated, my thoughts turned to the ambush.

They showed up in less than a day.

It was much sooner than expected, alarmingly so.

Our enemy was constructed of numerous tribes.

Did they really move this quickly?

My thoughts grew tangled.

Maybe it is just a nearby tribe that arrived ahead of the rest?

I couldn’t be sure. The trial had changed our expectations, but both Ha Hee-Jeong and I had accounted for that possibility.

It wasn’t necessarily just a matter of timing. The rules had likely been shifted fundamentally.

Nothing is set in stone.

We had been collecting the Ancient Fire for days. Maybe the enemy’s response time was simply faster than we had assumed.

Or perhaps only their vanguard had arrived.

Ha Hee-Jeong is out on a search with Aoshi. Hendrick is in command right now.

Hendrick was currently in charge of our base’s operations. There was no need to wait on anyone.

If I arrived at the scene first and opened a portal, that would be enough. Ha Hee-Jeong could return at any moment using her Necklace of Accord

By the time I finished that train of thought, the location of the first flare had come into view.

Identifying it was easy. The plains beyond the outpost were shrouded in dust, kicked up by the enemy’s advance, making visibility poor.

First, to the outpost.

At this point, the watchtower was releasing three beams of light into the sky. The climbers stationed there were frantically preparing for combat as airships began to converge overhead.

One of the high-ranking climbers, likely the commander of that outpost, hurried toward me. “Su-Hyeok!”

“What happened?”

“A portal suddenly opened, and the enemy began pouring out.”

“A portal?”

What the hell?

I had never heard of them using portals before.

“Yes. It’ll be faster if you see for yourself.” Despite the confusion, the climber nodded and called over a passing mage, “Merhen, clear the sand with a gust.”

“Okay!”

The mage recognized me and immediately began chanting. From the tips of his fingers, a fierce wind surged forth.

Mana rippled powerfully, and he was clearly a high-ranking caster. The wind swept outward and scattered the dust in its path.

For just a split second before the next wave of dust could rise, I caught a glimpse of it.

Hmm.

Roughly four kilometers beyond the outpost, across the plains, a dense mass of people was gathered in the space where the dust had just cleared. Their torches were raised high, pushing back the darkness.

There were far too many of them. It wasn’t the kind of number that could appear without warning. The climbers certainly hadn’t let their guard down either.

As unbelievable as it seemed, they had indeed used a portal.

Two black pillars, and a murky shadow between them.

I had never seen such a thing before, but it was undoubtedly a portal.

Ha Hee-Jeong had strangely never mentioned anything like this.

Still, now wasn’t the time to stand around pondering it. By now, the command base would have seen the pillar of light as well.

As planned, it was time to summon Hendrick and the other climbers.

Actually, before that...

I signaled the climbers in front of me to retreat, then activated the Necklace of Accord to call Ha Hee-Jeong.

***

Though the summons had come without warning, Ha Hee-Jeong appeared almost immediately. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

Without exchanging so much as a greeting, she scanned the battlefield, then quietly chanted something.

The wind rose stronger and harsher than before, and it swept across the wasteland, driving away the dust.

Unlike earlier, the wind didn’t relent, keeping the cloud of dirt from reforming and giving us a clear view of the enemy.

Ha Hee-Jeong’s small eyes widened in astonishment. “That wasn’t there in my previous life.”

Our gazes met.

“Shit. The message wasn’t just that simple. We intervened, and we have to deal with the consequences.”

Or perhaps the enemy had simply hidden some secrets well during Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life.

I left the rest unsaid.

More people were pouring out from the open portal. Some of the mech suits were among them.

They were the ones kicking up the dust. With visibility restored, I took a closer look to assess their strength.

They are definitely powerful.

I had seen some of the ancient weapons before, namely the beam swords and laser rifles, since a few tribes we had allied with had them.

However, these were different. Something about them exuded a peculiar energy.

It was divinity.

Do powerful beings simply have divinity on higher floors?

Now, it seemed like every enemy was showing up infused with divine energy.

Well, not just any enemy. These weren’t random creatures; they were essentially the bosses for this set of ten floors.

I did feel certain about one thing, though: the me from ten floors ago wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.

Strangely, I felt confident about my odds now. If twenty of them charged me at once, things could get tricky, but only slightly. If I took out a few now, that could be easily avoided.

I had to admit that they were stronger than I had expected—significantly so.

Are they apostles?

It was impossible to say. Even a mechanical fortress had turned out to be an apostle.

Whether or not gods existed in this world didn’t matter. Even in worlds that had abandoned faith, divinity found a way to manifest.

It was the same in Euros’s Flower Forest.

I believed that there was likely a god that embodied flora, one that had once protected the ancient civilizations.

Anyway, this world harbored far more secrets than what had been revealed to us.

While Ha Hee-Jeong continued analyzing the battlefield, I opened a portal leading to the central base.

Perhaps Hendrick had been waiting at the designated spot, because he leaped out immediately. As a seasoned climber, he didn’t waste time with questions. He simply assessed the situation.

One after another, climbers poured through the portal behind him. I turned my gaze toward the far side of the field.

So they intended to launch a surprise attack using portals. Not a chance.

They probably hadn’t considered the possibility that we had portals, too. We hadn’t considered it either, after all.

Just as planned, the climbers began taking positions along the line and prepared for battle.

After assessing the battlefield, Hendrick turned to me. “Doesn’t seem like they’ve finished gathering either. Should we strike first?”

It wasn’t a bad idea. If we could seize that portal before they gathered their full strength, it would give us a significant advantage.

That wasn’t what I wanted, though.

Ideally, we would wait until both sides had fully assembled, until their forces and ours were all in place.

After all, I intended to fight this war alone. That way, the climbers could witness divinity firsthand.

“No. Let’s wait a little longer,” I replied with a grin.

***

[Navigate the conflict between both factions and survive. Time remaining: 227 hours 46 minutes.]

Thirty minutes was all it took for both sides to establish their formation. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

By now, the dust had settled completely.

All climbers—except those required to maintain the outpost—were already positioned on the battlefield. The same likely held true for the enemy.

Something amusing happened out of nowhere. A group of climbers from the other faction suddenly came running toward us, although there weren’t a lot of them.

Thinking back to Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, it made sense.

Even if we sent up signals, we couldn’t cover the entire forest.

A few climbers had inevitably ended up on the opposing faction’s side. Fortunately, the enemy didn’t harm them after they fled. Whether that was due to cultural norms or sheer confidence, I wasn’t sure.

Regardless, it was a relief.

Although I had remained hidden up to that point, the moment they began their escape, I prepared to step forward and reveal myself if necessary.

That said, no envoys had approached.

Honestly, I thought there would be some sort of negotiation.

Our sudden appearance seemed to have rattled them.

That was fine. Talking would have led to the same conclusion anyway.

The battlefield had fallen into a tense silence. I could see the unease etched into the faces of the climbers standing in formation. The way their throats bobbed made it obvious they were swallowing hard.

“Haaaaa.” I exhaled quietly.

Another change had occurred. The number of ancient war machines had doubled from twenty to forty. This battle was going to be more grueling than expected.

Still, our plan remained the same.

To minimize casualties for the sake of the future, I would shoulder the burden alone. Ha Hee-Jeong and I had discussed it earlier in the day.

Unless it reached the point where I could no longer hold the line, the climbers would not intervene.

In many ways, I felt sorry for them. I was robbing them of valuable combat experience, but this wasn’t just another battle—the fate of the entire world rested on our shoulders.

Time to move.

We couldn’t remain in this standstill forever.

Slowly and deliberately, I began drawing in mana.

I stood suspended in midair. Sparks of lightning danced at my fingertips.

The moment I released Shadow Veil, the world became awash in radiant gold and brilliant blue.