Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 326: Seventy-Eighth Floor, Tribal War (6)

[Navigate the conflict between both factions and survive. Time remaining: 227 hours 17 minutes.]

The cheers filling the battlefield didn’t fade, even after I had vanished.

After whispering something to Hendrick, Ha Hee-Jeong slipped an arm around me and guided me toward the tent.

Completely drained of strength, I couldn’t utter a single word until I was lying down. Even moving the conjured Shadow Veil was a struggle.

The recoil hits harder than I expected.

This had been the first time I had suffered from mana depletion mid-combat, and it was far worse than training-induced mana depletion. Thanks to my performance, my divine energy was rapidly surging back to its previous levels, but my mana hadn’t recovered yet.

My mana wasn’t the only thing I had burned through, however; I had pushed my stamina to the limit, too. I would need at least a few hours to recover.

Without saying a word, Ha Hee-Jeong pulled a chair over and sat beside me.

Her gentle hand brushed my bangs aside. “You okay?”

“Not... really,” I answered, sounding half-dead.

She let out a quiet chuckle.

A brief silence followed, but she broke it by asking, “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“For what?” I asked, although I knew what she meant.

She caught on to my hinting and gave my shoulder a light tap. “That lightning earlier. You were insane.”

“What, didn’t it look kind of cool?”

My shameless reply made her laugh under her breath.

“Yeah. You looked badass.”

“Right?”

I laughed, and so did she.

“You’ve barely messaged me since your training got intense, but you’ve clearly made progress.”

“Told you, right? Still, I feel like I’m dying.”

“Please. If you had energy left after all that, that would’ve been even crazier. You looked like some kind of lightning god out there.”

The way she was looking at me was different from usual. There was something deeper in them. I couldn’t fully read her expression, but I could sense pride and a faint tinge of wistfulness.

Is she recalling her previous life?

Maybe. Back then, this place had apparently been nothing short of hell.

I steered the conversation elsewhere. “Anyway, the seventy-eighth floor won’t wrap up quickly, right? I want to check out that ruin where they found some Ancient Fire.”

Ha Hee-Jeong shrugged slightly. “Hard to say. Things have changed a lot from my previous life. If the floor were about to collapse, we would have gotten a message by now, so probably not.” She mulled it over for a moment before adding, “Hmm, or maybe something’s going to happen at that ruin. Like what you saw in your future.”

“Doubt it. I ran into a god earlier.”

“What?”

She was visibly shocked. Of course, she wouldn’t have known. Everything that happened during Flash Strike’s activation would appear as a blur to the outside world.

“When?”

“During the battle.”

I shared the encounter, which didn’t take long.

Her response matched mine exactly. “Motherfucker.”

“Right?”

“Like, ‘I’d prefer if you stopped here,’ seriously? What a total psycho. If he didn’t want us to fight, maybe he shouldn’t be trying to kill us.” She didn’t stop there, clearly on a roll. “Ugh. Who does he think he is, telling people what to do? Just because he’s a god?”

“I know, right? He really got on my nerves.”

Honestly, at this point, I didn’t mind. It felt good, having someone get angry on my behalf. I grinned and spoke with a hint of pride.

“So I told him to fuck off. Even flipped him off on the way out. Not bad, huh?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Nice. That’s what I’m talking about. I feel good just hearing it.”

“He did try to threaten me on the way out, but whatever. I’ll just get stronger.”

“Exactly. I’ll be right there with you. If he shows up again and acts like that, we’ll teach him a lesson.”

Her firm expression was both comforting and reassuring. Having someone on my side really was a nice feeling.

We were still smiling at each other when movement outside the tent caught our attention. Ha Hee-Jeong seemed to have sensed it too, because she leaned back slightly so that she wasn’t bent toward me.

“Just our party members and Alexei. Looks like they are concerned.”

“Ah, this isn’t really how I want them to see me.” I wasn’t sure if it was to keep my pride.

I couldn’t quite pin down the reason, but I didn’t want my party to see me so worn down. They trusted me and depended on me. I didn’t want to shake that.

Ha Hee-Jeong disagreed, “What are you talking about? This is exactly what they should see.”

“Huh?”

“People think you’re some kind of god, you know. They need to see this side of you, too, to realize how hard you fight, and appreciate you even more.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely.” She gave my shoulder a firm pat.

It was probably her way of telling me to stop being stubborn.

“Ah, don’t hit me. I’m fragile right now.”

Ignoring my protests, she reached toward the tent’s entrance. With a whisper of magic, the flap opened to reveal my teammates and Alexei. Every one of them had concern written all over their faces, and some even looked a bit stunned.

It didn’t surprise me. They had rarely seen me in this condition.

Ha Hee-Jeong waved them in. “Come on in.”

***

[Navigate the conflict between both factions and survive. Time remaining: 224 hours 31 minutes.]

The climbers swiftly cleaned up the battlefield.

While Ha Hee-Jeong stayed behind to care for me, helping me through my mana depletion, Hendrick stepped in to negotiate with the tribal alliance.

Having witnessed my feats firsthand, the tribespeople backed down without resistance. The chieftains even gave a formal promise that they wouldn’t attack Euros’s Flower Forest again.

The leader of the alliance, who had discovered both the Ancient Fire and the ancient weapons, reportedly fell to his knees in tears. They seemed to genuinely believe that I was a god, just as I had hoped.

Worked out nicely.

Soon after, the alliance dispersed, and the people returned through their portal.

In the end, only the portal and the leader remained. We intended to check the ancient ruin they had found, and it was apparently located near the space where the god had pulled his trick. I was curious about what lay hidden there, what it looked like, and what it contained.

Maybe it is even stashing some treasure.

The rest of my party returned to their search after confirming I was stable.

There was still work to be done on the seventy-eighth floor.

According to the tribal leader, sixty fragments of Ancient Fire were hidden throughout the Flower Forest. None had been planted in set locations, so their exact coordinates were unknown.

Though we had the tribes’ word, we couldn’t take any chances. We had to find them all.

Ha Hee-Jeong speculated that one reason the floor hadn’t concluded yet was precisely because some fragments remained.

Throughout the entire process, I focused entirely on recovering.

Ha Hee-Jeong and Doppy stayed by my side.

Recovery is going smoothly.

Seo Ha-Rin and Doppy used their priestly knowledge to assist me. Priestly incantations couldn’t instantly restore mana depletion, but they were still better than nothing. At the very least, they sped up my natural recovery.

That was when I sensed two presences approaching: Aoshi and Ferel.

What is this about?

It seemed odd. Aoshi had been here from the beginning, but Ferel wasn’t supposed to be.

How has she gotten here?

Come to think of it, Aoshi should have been off searching for Ancient Fire with the others by now.

I puzzledly glanced at Ha Hee-Jeong, but she merely shrugged. Well, I would just have to ask them directly.

A beat later, Doppy picked up on the approaching duo. “Su-Yeok! It’s Aoshi and Ferel!”

“Yeah, let them in.”

Doppy stepped forward and unlatched the tent flap.

Aoshi had likely sensed his movement, but Ferel hadn’t. Startled by the sudden opening, the girl gasped and drew in a sharp breath.

Unfazed, Doppy carried on casually. “Good to see you! Su-Yeok says you can come in.”

“Thanks. Hello.” Aoshi scratched the back of his head and stepped inside, slightly awkward.

Ferel, no longer flustered, followed after him. “Hello!”

“Hey.”

By then, I was well enough to sit up, so I raised a hand in greeting.

After glancing briefly at Ferel, I turned to Aoshi. “What happened?”

“She said she came looking for me by following the trail of the flowers.”

“That has gotta be a long journey.”

“Heh.” Aoshi grinned mischievously, suggesting that he was keeping something to himself.

He nudged the girl gently with his shoulder. “But before anything else, we should probably say thank you.”

The two of them bowed deeply in unison, their torsos nearly forming right angles.

“Thank you for protecting the Flower Forest.”

I responded with a faint smile. “I didn’t do it to earn your gratitude. I made that choice because I saw what was happening there.”

“Still, we truly appreciate it. Sincerely.”

I waved them off, but neither of them moved.

Their sincerity was clear enough, but I still addressed them firmly, “It’s fine. You can get up now. You’re making me uncomfortable.”

Glancing at Ha Hee-Jeong, I signaled her to step in, and she gently helped them back up.

“So, how did you get here?”

Aoshi grinned again, then gestured to Ferel. “Go on. You tell him.”

She nodded, visibly thrilled. That excitement alone was enough for me to guess the reason.

I gave her my blood last time.

“I conducted research using your blood, uncle. And—”

“Did you just say ‘uncle’?” Ha Hee-Jeong interrupted, her elegant brow arching ever so slightly in clear disapproval.

She didn’t bother to hide her displeasure.

To be fair, I wasn’t quite at the age where “uncle” was appropriate. I had let it slide because she was a kid, but Ha Hee-Jeong clearly had other ideas. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Ferel blinked. “Sorry?”

“‘Uncle’? He’s only twenty-four.”

“O-oh. right.” She lowered her head, now looking a little sheepish.

Oddly, Aoshi did nothing but chuckle, although on second thought, his reaction was somewhat to be expected.

Every time Aoshi talked about Ferel, he would mention her lack of manners. Maybe he thought Ha Hee-Jeong was the right person to correct that behavior.

Still, her words hadn’t soured the mood.

There had always been something unshakable about Ha Hee-Jeong’s presence. Even back on Earth, she could call someone out without making the air feel tense. It always came across as natural, like water flowing downstream.

It amazed me every time, and today was no different.

Ha Hee-Jeong shrugged lightly. “Go on. Finish your story.”

“Ah, yes. So, I tested your blood and, um, it was a huge success!”

“A success?”

I had formed some suspicions the moment I saw her, but hearing it confirmed was still a surprise, given the short amount of time that had passed. The potency of my blood had likely played a role, but even so, her speed was remarkable.

Ferel had to be talented, perhaps even on par with Aoshi.

“Yes! We have confirmed that it can effectively detoxify the pollen. But to continue our research, we’ll need a bit more of your blood.”

“That’s fantastic news, but like I said last time, we’ll be leaving soon. Will that be a problem?”

“Well, now that we know the treatment works, I think we’ll be able to produce a cure soon. Just a little more blood should be enough.”

“Hmm, if it’s just a little, maybe. But you don’t know exactly how much, do you?”

She looked down again. “No.”

I wasn’t an expert in medical research, but even I could tell that “a little” wouldn’t cut it. She had probably said that to be considerate, but the more they had, the better.

The research was a good thing, but our current situation made it a bit frustrating. I wanted to give more, but I had my limits. At the end of the day, I was human. If I lost too much blood, I would die.

Also, I didn’t have the luxury of time to safely donate more.

Then, a thought occurred to me. The reason my blood had worked was likely due to Poison Resistance, and that wasn’t exactly a rare skill. If I couldn’t provide enough, maybe I could ask the other climbers for help.

“Wait a sec. I’m not the only one with blood like this. We can try collecting it from others, too.”

Her face lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

***

[Navigate the conflict between both factions and survive. Time remaining: 208 hours 21 minutes.]

A full day passed, enough time for me to recover from mana depletion.

By the next morning, I was back in top form, like nothing had ever happened. Now that I was fully restored, Ha Hee-Jeong and I made our way to the ancient ruins.

Unfortunately, the trip yielded nothing.

The ruins had vanished. That weirdo had probably erased it all the moment his plan fell apart. With his scheme in shambles, he had likely withdrawn his remnant divinity as well.

The seventy-eighth floor still hadn’t concluded, so we shifted our full focus to recovering the remaining Ancient Fires. It was the only logical reason the trial hadn’t ended.

In the meantime, we gathered more blood from climbers to support the research.

According to Aoshi, we had gathered enough. The antidote should be ready for production soon.

Moreover, thanks to his contributions, we finally managed to track down the final fragment—the sixtieth Ancient Flame. The moment Ha Hee-Jeong stopped its detonation and sealed it inside a mimic, a series of notifications appeared.

[All Ancient Fires have been recovered. The threat to Euros’s Flower Forest has been eliminated.]

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the seventy-eighth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Tribal War. Achievement points will be calculated upon the completion of the seventy-ninth floor.]

[Climbers will now begin the seventy-ninth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Euros’s Forest.]