After the second Monster Wave ended.
Everyone finished their individual maintenance and rest, and then set a time to meet again.
Since we had just gone through the massive event of a Monster Wave, they likely wanted to rest more, but according to what I heard from the Statue, the Monster Waves would continue to grow stronger as time passed.
The reason this Monster Wave felt similar to the first one was because my party had cleared up to the 80th Floor of the Tower.
If not for that…
– At this hour, China has virtually abandoned the defense of its capital and surrounding areas.
– It is not just China.
– Every nation in the world has judged that they cannot stop the Monster Wave with their own strength and is currently abandoning their capitals.
– The United States, which was called a Hunter superpower, has also abandoned Washington.
– The photograph of the ‘Washington Monument,’ symbolizing Washington, broken by the hands of monsters, serves as a symbol representing the current era…
“Wow, the situation overseas is no joke.”
Korea might have ended up like that as well.
The nations whose capitals had fallen.
Even though civilian casualties were minimized as much as possible because they had evacuated in advance, the damage from losing a capital was beyond calculation in terms of money.
For countries that weren’t very large, the loss of their capital already decided the fate of the nation’s existence, and even for those with large territories, there were countries where infrastructures completely collapsed because the capital was destroyed.
At least some countries with massive landmasses seemed to accept the fall of their capital as something that just happened.
– Breaking News!
– New Towers are appearing in various places across Earth.
– The currently confirmed locations of the new Towers are California, Shanghai, Saint Petersburg, etc…
– Information is still lacking, but based on the circumstances, it is judged that the Towers are appearing centered around cities with high population density following the capitals among the most populous nations…
“I didn’t know about this.”
New Towers had appeared.
This was something even I hadn’t anticipated.
Perhaps, as time passed, the number of Towers would continue to increase.
Until the places where humans could run completely disappeared.
Given the situation, there were at most two or three opportunities left.
If we couldn’t climb the Tower within that time, we would eventually fail to block the Monster Wave and the world would perish.
“I hope the 100th Floor is the top.”
I didn’t know how many floors were at the top of the Tower.
However, analyzing the monsters that had appeared and their level of strength while climbing the Tower so far.
I estimated it to be roughly 100 floors.
If it was 100 floors, it seemed like we could make it somehow in the remaining time.
If the top was something ridiculous like the 200th Floor, we would have no choice but to watch the world’s destruction helplessly.
“I should clear it quickly before that happens.”
[Production has been completed.]
Production finished at the perfect timing.
I packed all the crafted items and used the authority of ‘Tower Entry.’
My vision brightened.
Since we cleared the 80th Floor, this map was the 81st Floor.
I wondered what kind of map it would be, and it turned out to be a canyon.
A pair of cliffs flanked the left and right, and the blue sky was visible above.
I wondered just how much the map size had grown.
I was at a point where I questioned if this was really the inside of the Tower.
And, naturally.
“Vulcanus.”
“Did you rest well? You worked hard during this Monster Wave.”
The Shadow King arrives!
By the entry authority, the Rankers who were in a party with me were also summoned together.
Since I had informed them of the time in advance, everyone was prepared.
Especially the weapon held by the Sword Saint.
‘Excalibur’ stood out exceptionally even though the Sword Saint hadn’t explicitly bragged about it.
The Rankers were even stealing glances at it.
In particular, Cheon Seung-heon was making it obvious how envious he was while fiddling with his own bow.
Well, by now, Cheon Seung-heon was the only one among them who hadn’t received a single EX-grade piece of equipment from me.
Everyone was ready, so we could have set off immediately, but I decided to hold a ‘presentation ceremony’ before that.
“Cheon Seung-heon.”
“Ah, yes! Could it be!” Cheon Seung-heon approached with sparkling eyes.
He was so moved that he knelt on one knee before me even though I hadn’t said what I was giving him yet.
‘If I hadn’t prepared it, he would have been incredibly disappointed.’
Thinking that, I handed Cheon Seung-heon the item I had just finished producing.
The identity of that item was a bow.
A beautiful-looking bow with a striking bright red riser.
And placed along with it was a pure white Arrow Quiver.
Cheon Seung-heon, who received the bow and bowstring with sparkling eyes, immediately checked the item information and jumped up from his spot in surprise.
[Red Bow]
Type: Bow
Grade: EX
Restrictions: Level 340 or higher, one recognized by Vulcanus
Description: A red bow bestowed upon Hou Yi, an ancient hero, by Emperor Ku among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Emperor Ku imbued this bow with a miraculous power to ward off calamities.
Attack Power: 7,700
Abilities:
1. Hou Yi’s Archery – The efficiency of bow-related skills increases significantly.
2. Clairvoyance – Range increases significantly, and a homing function is added to arrows.
3. Spiritual Power – The miraculous energy dwelling in the arrows inflicts great damage on monsters. The closer the monster’s disposition is to evil, the greater the damage.
4. Ten Suns – Solar energy is imbued into the arrow with every attack, and the solar energy explodes every tenth attack.
5. Essence of the Sun – During battle, the solar energy is strengthened every time an enemy is defeated.
“An EX-grade bow!”
That wasn’t all.
The bow I made for Cheon Seung-heon was a weapon that formed a set, much like the Sword Saint’s Excalibur and Avalon.
The bow and the Arrow Quiver.
The Red Bow and the White Arrow.
And this ‘White Arrow’ was also an EX-grade item that I had poured my soul into creating.
The attack power of the Red Bow was on the lower side compared to Excalibur, but wasn’t a bow inherently a weapon where the arrow’s attack power was added?
Since the arrows of the White Arrow also had separate attack power, the combined attack power of the Red Bow and White Arrow was immense, befitting an EX-grade item.
“Thank you!!”
Cheon Seung-heon embraced me tightly in admiration.
He was usually a person who was very conscious of others’ opinions.
Seeing him react like this, he must have been looking forward to it a lot.
No, he probably had more worries than expectations.
The worry that he might be the only one who wouldn’t receive an EX-grade item and wouldn’t be able to perform properly in the party.
“I will make the armor for you slowly. I made it for the Sword Saint first because she’s a melee fighter, but the rest of you are ranged combatants.”
“Master! What about me!”
“An Assassin shouldn’t be in a situation to get hit in the first place.”
“Armor doesn’t just have defense! Even a small increase in movement speed helps a lot!”
“Then the next armor will be for the Shadow King.”
“Awesome!”
“Th-then me too!”
“The Magician’s Robe also greatly helps combat power by increasing the magical power stat.”
Now that I had provided all the weapons.
I just needed to make the armor from now on.
I collected the items the Rankers were originally wearing after they swapped their gear and turned them into my ‘Soldiers.’
The items the Rankers exchanged were all SSS-Grade or Legendary Grade items, so the soldiers made from them were more than capable of playing their parts.
“If everyone is ready, let’s begin.”
“Yes!”
“Whew!”
The moment Cheon Seung-heon finished his preparations by plucking the string of the Red Bow.
We finally began the Trial of the 81st Floor.
Since every ten floors consisted of a single theme, like the 11th, 21st, and 31st floors, I was nervous about what kind of monsters would appear this time.
Since we had climbed to the 81st Floor, the level of the monsters would be immense.
I waited for a moment, hoping for monsters that were manageable.
[ Starting the Trial of the 81st Floor. ]
[ 81st Floor: Lord of the Sky ]
‘Lord of the Sky?’
The name of the trial appeared.
If it was the Lord of the Sky… was the theme for the 80s ‘Sky’?
Meaning flying monsters would appear in swarms?
That would inevitably be annoying.
Although there were many in my party capable of long-range attacks, once flying monsters appeared, the actions melee combatants could take would be greatly restricted.
Then, a moment later.
“Kikiririririri—.”
The roar of something was heard.
At the same time, I and all my party members raised our heads.
The clear sky visible between the canyons was covered by pure white wing membranes?
“Wyverns?”
Wyverns.
Yes, if it was Wyverns, they seemed like monsters that perfectly fit the trial name ‘Lord of the Sky.’
While I was accepting this.
Among us, only one.
Cheon Seung-heon shook his head at my words and denied the enemy’s identity.
“They are not Wyverns.”
As befitting an Archer class, Cheon Seung-heon had the best eyesight among us.
From his perspective, those monsters.
Unlike Wyverns, which had wings instead of arms, these monsters had four proper limbs and flapped the wings on their backs.
Furthermore, with two pairs of wings, the identity of those monsters was…
“They are ‘Wing Dragons,’ a subspecies of Dragon specialized in flight. They are Dragons.”
They were Dragons.
Even if they were a subspecies, they were respectable true Dragons, unlike imitations like Drakes or Wyverns.
Such Dragons were powerful entities that reigned as Boss Monsters in most Gates.
And those Wing Dragons.
“Just how many are there…?”
Dozens of them appeared.
The existence of those who covered the sky of the canyon with their massive two pairs of wings and descended was incredibly threatening.
Moreover, like the Dragons they were, they opened their mouths wide as soon as they spotted us.
“Boom!”
They fired breaths.
Fortunately, Cheongryong blocked the attacks with a magical Shield created by appropriately combining water and Wind Magic.
“Those bastards…!”
The Wing Dragons were cunning.
They understood that their advantage came from flight and never came down from the sky.
They fired breaths and tore rocks from the cliffs on both sides to drop them.
They only attacked from high up in the sky and did not enter our attack range.
At this, Cheongryong prepared magic.
It was to lower the altitude of the Wing Dragons using wind and rain.
However, Cheon Seung-heon stepped forward, overtaking Cheongryong.
“It’s my turn here.”
Cheon Seung-heon took out the Red Bow I gave him and set an arrow from the White Arrow onto the bowstring.
The arrow was drawn.
Due to the effect of the Red Bow, solar energy blazed at the arrowhead, and the arrow from the White Arrow shone brilliantly.
Soon, as Cheon Seung-heon released the string.
-Swish!
The arrow flew fiercely.
The aim was precise.
However, the opponent was a Wing Dragon.
Even as a subspecies, it was a Dragon with abilities surpassing even a true Dragon when it came to flight.
Because it was such a Wing Dragon, it tried to avoid the arrow’s trajectory by folding its wings and rotating its body, but.
“Thwack!”
“Kikiririririru—!”
The Red Bow possessed a homing function.
The arrow twisted its trajectory at the last moment and pierced the Wing Dragon’s wing membrane.
Solar energy burned hotly from that arrow.
No matter how thick the Wing Dragon’s membrane was, it couldn’t withstand the solar energy and began to char.
And this was only the beginning.
“Rat-tat-tat-tat!”
Cheon Seung-heon used his specialty, ‘Rapid Fire.’
Arrows flew as fast as a machine gun.
The pure white arrows with blazing arrowheads swept through the Wing Dragons.
Arrows that could never be avoided because they included a homing function.
At this, the Wing Dragons flew higher to escape, but.
“Thud, thud, thud!”
The Red Bow was imbued with the ‘increased range’ ability to compensate for Cheon Seung-heon’s weakness.
Unless they raised their altitude significantly, they couldn’t escape Cheon Seung-heon’s arrows.
One by one, the Wing Dragons with pierced membranes began to fall to the ground.
“Attack!”
“Thump!”
“Slash—”
My party and soldiers waiting below finished them off.
It was already great enough just to prevent them from flying by attacking their membranes, but something even greater happened.
“Bang!”
“Kikiruuuu—.”
It was Cheon Seung-heon’s tenth arrow.
Combined with Cheon Seung-heon’s fast rapid fire, the Red Bow’s ability to explode solar energy every tenth attack caused solar explosions to burst out continuously.
Every time that happened, the Wing Dragons caught in the explosions suffered massive damage and plummeted down while vomiting smoke from their mouths.
Red Bow and White Arrow.
It was a weapon perfectly suited for Cheon Seung-heon.
Thus, thanks to Cheon Seung-heon’s great performance.
[ Level Up ]
[ You have overcome the Trial of the 81st Floor ‘Lord of the Sky.’ ]
[ Evaluation Rank: SSS ]
[ ‘Wing Dragon’s Membrane’ is provided as a reward. ]
[ The 81st Floor trial has been cleared, weakening the Tower. ]
We were able to quickly clear the 81st Floor without taking any damage.