Chapter 262: Antagonist of Earth (7)

Words : 1651 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Chapter 262: Antagonist of Earth (7) Unfortunately, none of the information online from what I had seen actually referenced this third chain Objective of the Thirty-Second Floor. Well, either that, or... I just didn’t remember. Anyway, it wasn’t important. I could figure it out just fine by myself regardless. Glancing around at the five beacons, I had such a suspicion during the traversal itself, but now that the sandstorm had subsided and everything was clear, it became obvious―Putting it bluntly, each beacon seemed to be positioned as one of the respective five points on a pentagon. Usually, wouldn’t that mean all of the space in between the points was the inside of the shape itself? Naturally, right? Therefore, if someone were to ask me where this supposed Inhumed City of Sand was most likely to be located... ‘Well, it would be buried underneath here. Obviously... But then, what do you want me to do about it?’ Of course, figuring out where the city likely was located is all well and good, but that didn’t mean I knew what to do after that. After all, it wasn’t like I could just dig up the whole desert with my own two hands, even if that was the answer... “Hm...” Contemplating for a while, I turned back to the beacon flame I was positioned by. Scanning the golden goblet up and down, something then occurred to me. ‘...Last time, I destroyed it to clear the Floor...” It wasn’t exactly the same, of course―the object from the Sixth Floor being a metal ankh labelled as a ‘relic’ rather than a beacon. Not to mention, there were five of them. Considering the fact the previous Objective had me go around to turn all of the beacons on, I would be surprised if it now wanted me to go back and destroy them immediately after, making me a bit reluctant to do so. “...” Weighing up the options internally, I absentmindedly put my hand on the goblet, belatedly realising something. ‘Oh...? You can move it...’ Pulling the goblet like a lever, I turned it all the way until it was horizontal, upon which all of the fire contained within proceeded to spill out, falling directly into some of the cracks in the stone bricks of the pyramid and flowing down its side as if it were liquid lava. Upon further examination, it appeared the fire flowed through only certain cracks, perhaps ones designed to function as channels specifically for it, and when I turned my head up, I noticed all four of the other pyramids doing the same, like mirror images. Needless to say, the one side all of the pyramids had the fire flowing down was none other than the one facing inwards―letting it flow directly towards the pentagonal space I identified before. Once it had eventually reached the bottom, the fire naturally made contact with the sand. At that moment, with the base of each of the five pyramids as its origin, the desert itself began to melt. The fire, which I initially thought was nothing special, somehow spread across the vast field of sand as if it was all coated with gasoline, and not only that, but it even melted it down, not like a smith who would work it into glass, but quite literally liquefying all those countless grains into a fluid, aqueous state, and flowing down to someplace imperceptible. Over the following minute or so, I observed the phenomenon which didn’t seem at all how sand should normally behave, watching the land between the five pyramids gradually fall at the same time, flowing away to reveal whatever lay underneath. What that was, exactly―needn’t be explicitly stated. [Floor Cleared] [Obtained Token of Proven Worth (x2)] ❖─────★★★★☆─────❖ [Floor 33] There was not much information available about the Floors in the thirties. I was fortunate enough to have obtained the map for the Oasis on the previous Floor, but that was only because it was so early on. The reality was, none of the Floors beyond 34 or 35 even had their environments or Objectives publicly known. Only the people who have challenged it themselves would know even the slightest thing, and aside from John Pierce himself, I didn’t know a single name who was this high up, although that was due to the fact most Frontliners kept their identities secret. I had heard rumours that ol’ JP climbed the Tower in a party, and that certainly would make the most sense to me, considering his consistent pace, but now that I was this close, I should also begin to think. Will I be able to take them all on at once? However many there turn out to be in reality, it’s not like it was some obscure knowledge that taking on multiple opponents at the same time was incomparable to taking on a single opponent, assuming their strength remains the same. Not only that, but as far as I knew, they were the best of the best. Of course, I held little doubt that I was the individual strongest in contrast with every single Challenger on Earth that there was, at least at this time, but the problem is that it probably wasn’t going to be an even deal. It goes without saying, but unfortunately, it was something I could only really deal with when the time came. The best bet I could hope for was an opportunity to launch a sneak attack from a distance with the White Death, looking for an instant one shot before he had a chance to resist. ‘Well, even if I hope for it, what are the chances something so convenient will present itself...’ There was no question about it――I would certainly need to make sure I was rested fully before the encounter. Until then, I could only smash through each Floor with full steam. The Thirty-Third Floor was not an endless expanse of sand, but rather, a place I would consider to be the complete opposite. ‘Well fuck me...’ Sparking a remembrance of the old Eighth Floor, I stood atop a small, circular platform. However, this time, I wasn’t stuck in the middle of empty air. Rather, I was surrounded by water―a true ocean, that which was sand replaced in its entirety. And that wasn’t all. CRACKLE~!! Alongside dozens of vicious thunderclaps echoing throughout the darkened sky, veiled with dark, slate clouds, there was, naturally, a simultaneous torrential downpour of hard-hitting rain, pelting down on me and the surrounding rough waves like nothing I had ever experienced. ‘It’s not a sandstorm, but I can’t even tell if this is worse or not...’ Fortunately, the Draconic Shadow was durable enough not to worry about it, but I held no doubt that anyone wearing ordinary cloth would have it ripped to shreds in no time. Although, I doubted there was a single soul on the planet who challenged Floors this high up the Tower with no specialised equipment like magically-enhanced armour. ‘―Huh? Wait...’ “...?” Furthermore, in the far distance, a figure was spotted darting around high in the turbulent skies, myriad pink specks dancing all around them and serving a great contrast to the abutting darkness. ‘Who the hell is that guy?? No, girl...?’ It was impossible to discern exactly who it was at this distance, but regardless, I was sure I hadn’t ever heard of someone looking like that before... Enhancing my vision further with divine energy, I realised the person’s clothes were also odd―I recognised them as bearing an eastern theme with a simple combination of red and white, but the exact terminology of what you would call that sort of flowy, graceful dress was lost on me. Regardless, the long, flowing hair of sakura pink that streamed wildly behind them through the tempestuous skies was also blatantly unnatural, a testament to the clashing storm of that pastel colour being related to the stranger’s Awakened abilities. I wasn’t sure how they were doing it, but the person was effectively flying as they hopped and dashed through the air, and not only that, but they seemed to be controlling those countless pink projectiles like miniature blades, swirling them around to hunt monsters swarming in the water beneath her. ‘Hm... The fact they’re challenging it solo is a little concerning. Even though it’s said to be common among Frontliners to keep to themselves...’ This situation was a bit troubling, and not just because she was patently strong. Evidently, if she continued at this pace without pause, I’m sure she would reach John Pierce before, or at the very least, at the same time as me. I had already gathered from our climb through the Tower thus far―should you encounter a competitor trying to clear the same Floor as you, it was extremely rare that only one party would end up succeeding. In the first place, the Tower was not established as a place where fellow Challengers were to be seen as ‘competition’, and this notion would only be reinforced if you considered that even the First Floor itself was a place for all Challengers to gather and “mingle”. Unless there was someone who specifically wanted to prevent others from passing a specific Floor or eliminating a Floor Boss for whatever cause, there was absolutely no reason at all to disrupt another party from clearing the same Floor. ‘The problem is, I don’t need to just kill John Pierce, but also stop everyone else from clearing the Tower too...’ This person was no different. More than anything, if they caught up with John Pierce’s party, there was a certain possibility that they would begin to push to clear Floors together, even if only temporarily. “Haa...” ...At that point, I might really have no choice but to take on all of them at once.

Chapter 262: Antagonist of Earth (7)

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