Chapter 264: Antagonist of Earth (9)

Words : 1659 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Chapter 264: Antagonist of Earth (9) A singular Floor stood between me and that which John Pierce had declared his record. That was, if the current Floor was excluded. This pink Frontliner being thrown into the mix was indeed an unforeseen complication, but it was also true that it wasn’t necessarily an obstacle to completing my objective. See, there were countless rumours about the Tower that circulated around the globe, both heard in whispers among friends, thrown around in online discourse, and, naturally, in discussions between “experts” and mainstream media outlets too. Out of everything people discussed, what was the most hotly-debated―or perhaps simply the most rumoured topic? Well, naturally, it was what laid at the top. The reward for clearing the Augury Tower as a whole. People seemed to think the answer was a wish. Or, even if not that, exactly, the idea was the same――Should you clear the Tower, your dreams will come true. At least, that was the common consensus, even if there was absolutely no proof or evidence of that being true at all. Merely, it was wishful thinking. A delusion, something humans were exceptionally skilled at fabricating. Needless to say, I knew the truth. That there was no reward, and in fact, clearing the Tower only served to endanger the world quite critically. There were, obviously, those who thought the same, but it’s not like they knew anything more than anyone else. Doomers, paranoia, pessimists, et cetera, were all simply people who knew nothing but were convinced that they had figured out the truth. This was true on both sides. The important thing was that most people believed ‘something good’ would happen once the Tower was cleared. Naturally. After all, if they didn’t think that, they wouldn’t try so hard and put their lives on the line to clear it, would they? Thanks to that, although there was nothing immediate to gain by hurting or obstructing others who endeavoured to clear the Tower, there surely existed those who did so purely out of the belief that they were putting themselves at an advantage. Because humans were greedy. My point was, if this unfamiliar Frontliner was someone who was aiming for this ‘Illusory Wish’, as it were, then perhaps they also could be subject to greed. And if that were the case, wouldn’t it be possible to manipulate them into fighting John Pierce with me? Or even just by themselves. “...” I didn’t want to kill an innocent if I could help it. The problem was, greed can cause people to make stupid decisions. Assuming they were greedy enough to fight John Pierce, they would probably try to fight me for attempting to stop them, too. Of course, there did exist methods to circumvent that, but that wasn’t it. In the first place, those who were greedy, stupid or reckless likely wouldn’t have a problem standing up to fight for what they wanted, whether that was the smart decision or not. I could deal with those sorts no problem. The primary concern was other Frontliners vying for the prize. After all, those who already considered themselves strong were unlikely to back down at a single threat or warning either. For all of them, regardless of their strength or their origin. You could only show them directly what the consequences of their persistence would be. ‘Let’s hope you’re not like that then, shall we?’ ❖─────★★★★☆─────❖ [Floor 34] Opening her eyes within distorted space, a uniquely-dressed young woman appeared on a blackened beach of dark slate. Immediately moving her eyes to scan the surroundings, it was then noted that a wide river of molten lava sat to one side, bubbling powerfully such that it was reminiscent of a hot stew. Turning her gaze elsewhere, the rest of the environment seemed to fare not much better. Pure crimson skies containing nothing like a sun or a moon or a veil of distant stars to admire, and further down, only bleak, craggy lands of and granite, with occasional peaking mountains were spread out, the origin of various phenomena being elucidated. With but a single glance, one could tell it was a perilous region. However, as was always the case in this tricky Tower, there was another stipulation. [Objective: Locate the Petrified City of Ash] “...” Her elegant clothes a yet plain mix of red and white, the elite Frontliner could certainly not be said to be dressed fitting for the current environment, but regardless of how it affected her on the inside, she was sure not to show it peeking through that composed expression. From within the baggy sleeve of her priestess garb, she produced a folded fan―manipulating it, all of a sudden, a gentle breeze blew through the otherwise scorching air of the surrounding area, bringing with it a stream of pink petals to fly through the air, a matching colour to the long, flowing hair that was collected in a neat ponytail behind her. A portion of the petals convening around her frankly dainty, pale hand, soon dissipated just as swiftly, leaving a singular glass vial in their wake, its contents a stark deep blue. Bringing the vial to her lips, she consumed the liquid without pause or hesitation. Immediately thereafter, magical energy swelled within her, refreshing her form and filling what would have otherwise been an empty tank. Placing the vial somewhere within her sleeve, the maiden then had but one path forward. Wooosh~ A wave of sakura petals washed over her, and in the blink of an eye, her figure had vanished. Not five minutes could pass before the air on that exact spot distorted again. ❖─────★★★★☆─────❖ Arriving on the Thirty-Fourth Floor, there honestly wasn’t much to say. It was hot. But was that even surprising? Needless to say, that aspect wasn’t a problem for me, and the environment itself didn’t appear to be all that dangerous so long as you made sure not to step in any of the flowing rivers of molten lava. Receiving the Objective to travel to this supposed ‘City of Ash’, I found it immediately to be reminiscent of the last Objective from the desert Floors. There was nothing like an underwater city on the last Floor, so I wondered if this was just some random quest the Tower was sending us on for no particular reason. In the end, I suppose it was just because of the worlds these Floors were drawn from. Either way, having realised that the other Frontliner was nowhere to be seen, I thought she must have already been on her way towards the target location, meaning I shouldn’t waste my time dawdling about. She could effectively fly, for one, and secondly, I didn’t even know where this City of Ash was supposed to be. It’s not like there was even the most basic information about this Floor to begin with, so something like a map for the Objective was completely out of the question. Beginning my trek, I decided it would probably be smart to get to higher ground for a better view of the locale, so I started on my way towards the tallest mountain I could see. The whole land was full of fire and brimstone, and there seemed to be various demonic-looking monsters dotted around the place as one might expect, as well as simpler creatures living in the rock and soil that probably only aimed to go about their days, but overall, it was... shockingly peaceful? ‘I mean, you’d expect a place like this to be full to the brim of lava monsters and evil demons and stuff, right...?’ Somehow, however, although there were undeniably elements of it every now and then, it was nothing at all like what I would expect, particularly for a Floor this high up. I also didn’t think it was because that pink woman was out there drawing all the attention. ‘No, it can’t be this easy... It must be cooking something behind the scenes.’ Whatever the case, I was sure I would discover what was wrong... or perhaps, rather, what it was hiding from me, soon enough, after the first Objective was complete. “Well, it’ll probably just be another Floor Boss or something...” Muttering absentmindedly to myself, I continued scaling the mountain of black rock and lava. It wasn’t particularly tough, especially with a lacking amount of hostile creatures dissimilar to many of the earlier Floors, but the steep and rugged environment certainly dragged things out a bit. Turning my head to each side while I climbed, I tried scanning around the region for the Frontliner from before, but was unable to notice anything unusual or otherwise representative of her ability I had witnessed on the previous Floor. ‘Hm. Maybe she really did return to recover somewhere...’ Pushing that aside, I concluded that it probably didn’t matter anyway. I originally wanted to hide and wait for her to clear the Floors until we reached John Pierce, then I would be able to judge how to go about things from there with the initiative, but at this point, even if she discovered that I was also on the same Floor, I doubted anything would come of it. Upon reaching near the top of the mountain, which was honestly more apt to call a ‘protrusion of land’, I had finally gained enough height to see over some of the surrounding hills and mounds of scoria, and lying in a particular direction, I noticed a field of ashen sculptures. Sharpening my eyes and enhancing my vision, it was clear that those sculptures were, in actuality, people turned into stone. “...Oh. Nevermind.” In the midst of that field, coated with cinders and slag, a giant gargoyle was present, its rough flesh as if made out of condensed shale or coal. ‘She’s right there.’ Rending that monster with a thousand cuts, the sakura maiden was also revealed.

Chapter 264: Antagonist of Earth (9)

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