“Floor of Breakthrough. That is the type for the 54th Floor.”
The Vanguard quickly identified the floor type and relayed it to the expedition. There were various types of floors, but each had such distinct characteristics that any Ranker could identify them unless they were a type that only appeared in the very late stages.
“The Floor of Breakthrough… there might be some variables.”
This 54th Floor was a Floor of Breakthrough. It was a type famous for having the most variables. Although enough variables had occurred on previous floors, they were at a manageable level—with the exception of the 51st Floor, where logout had been temporarily blocked.
First off, they knew the type, and the elite knights of the Empire and the Bingija who were former Rankers were moving together. With that much strength, they possessed the power to crush small variables with sheer force.
However, that logic did not apply to the Floor of Breakthrough.
“A Floor of Breakthrough is a floor where you must break through a continuous series of instance dungeons. The average number of dungeons known to be cleared is roughly twenty, but even that is not certain information.”
“Then wouldn’t it be rather easy? It seems much smoother than the previous Infinite Floor.”
“If you only consider the difficulty level, it might be, or it might not be.”
“It might not be?”
“Because there are too many variables.”
Listening to the explanation so far, it didn’t seem like there would be any difficulty. If the Empire’s most elite forces and the Bingija who were former Rankers united, why wouldn’t they be able to break through a mere twenty or so instance dungeons?
However, the Floor of Breakthrough was a type famous for having the most variables. The reason for that was…
“The Floor of Breakthrough has no return gate.”
It was named the Floor of Breakthrough for a reason. There was no retreat on a Floor of Breakthrough, and unlike other floors, once you entered, you could not go back out. The Bingija could log out, but the knights of the Empire could not leave again.
“We didn’t plan on coming out until the conquest was finished anyway, so that doesn’t matter.”
“That is not all.”
If it were only that, it wouldn’t have been called a variable.
“Everyone who enters the floor will be scattered to different locations.”
“Scattered?”
“Yes. You must break through nearly twenty instance dungeons without knowing who you will be grouped with or how.”
It started the moment they entered. They couldn’t plan the composition of their forces, and they couldn’t prepare for variables accordingly.
They had to be scattered and begin their breakthrough in different spaces the moment they went in, so what could they possibly plan and prepare?
“That… there really will be many variables.”
“That’s right. No casualties occurred on the 52nd Floor and 53rd Floor alongside the Empire, but this Floor of Breakthrough is different. We must inform the troops and give them sufficient warning.”
Until now, they had been together and had planned ahead, so even if they were injured, they weren’t driven to the brink of death. But on the Floor of Breakthrough, all of that was useless. What would happen if skill users with poor compatibility were grouped together, or if only weak knights were grouped without a single leader?
Of course, even the weakest knight in the expedition was an elite knight whose name was known elsewhere, so they were reliable, but the place they were going was the space of the Abyss. It was by no means an easy space, even for elite knights.
Furthermore, hadn’t it been said that each group had to break through an average of twenty dungeons? It was not only possible for casualties to occur, but it was also difficult to estimate how much damage there would be.
“Then bringing more troops might be an alternative.”
“That is the only alternative, but they must at least be at a level where they won’t be a hindrance and their minds won’t be consumed by the Magyeong.”
“That is obvious.”
A situation where they were scattered and didn’t know what combination they would start the breakthrough with. In such a situation, the best countermeasure would be to increase the number of people. However, they couldn’t just increase it with anyone.
If they increased the numbers with ordinary soldiers, they would be seized by the strange mental pressure of the Abyss space, and even if they were knights, they would only be a hindrance if their martial arts were weak.
“What are the conditions for a successful conquest?”
As expected of veterans who had already succeeded in conquering floors twice, the Empire asked a fairly skillful question, and the Bingija who was continuing the explanation answered.
“First, each group must break through all the given dungeons with their respective members. Then, a space will appear where those who succeeded in the breakthrough can gather. If you defeat the floor’s leader-class monster there, the conquest is a success. If no one succeeds in the breakthrough within the time limit, or if the leader-class monster is not defeated, it is a failure.”
It was a simple and clear rule. If they succeeded in breaking through to the end, it was a success. If they failed, it was a failure.
“When does the floor’s leader-class monster appear? It wouldn’t be right after the breakthrough, would it?”
“No. The floor will wait until everyone who succeeded has gathered. The entrances that failed to break through will close, and the entrances still in progress will remain open, while the entrances that succeeded will be destroyed. The Boss Monster… I mean, the leader-class monster, appears after all entrances are either closed or destroyed.”
“Until all entrances are destroyed or closed… that’s quite cruel.”
A closed entrance meant that the breakthrough had failed. And a failed breakthrough meant that the members of that dungeon had been annihilated.
“I understand for now. We will prepare with that in mind.”
The expedition for the 54th Floor of the Abyss, the so-called Demon Realm Expedition, was made up of slightly more troops than before. The expedition, completed in such a way, advanced toward the Gate without a moment’s delay.
They would definitely win. They would surely overcome this and even place Jijoncheonma beneath their feet. This was not something that could be dismissed as mere competitive spirit.
Antipus’s trait was Dominion. To dominate or to fall. As it was an extreme trait, its effects were equally certain. It had now become no different from his identity.
‘If I cannot achieve even a minor victory, I will grow further and further away from dominion.’
No one should exist above a ruler. Antipus was confident. He was confident that he would eventually surpass both the great Sword Saint Vitalianus and the mysterious Ruler of the West Sea.
‘But hadn’t he been blocked by a wall before that?’ A solid wall that had stubbornly refused to fall since the days of the game. A man whose very name was incredibly arrogant: Jijoncheonma.
At first, he didn’t know the meaning of the name. He hadn’t even cared. He thought the man would soon be placed under his feet and forgotten as always.
But even after one year, two years, and three years passed, Jijoncheonma was naturally positioned above his head. At that point, he couldn’t help but be curious.
‘What did that unintelligible name mean?’
He remembered feeling quite a thrill the day he first learned the meaning of Jijoncheonma. To call oneself the ‘Devil of the Heavens.’
‘Was that not an arrogant confidence that seemed to reveal he already lived in a different world, as if he were different from everyone else?’
He hated to admit it, but it was a name that suited him perfectly. Though others might see it differently, in Antipus’s eyes, he was a devil that had to be surpassed. Because he was like a devil residing in those high heavens.
Therefore, Antipus worked tirelessly. To reach the heavens. To climb up there and dominate even the devil of the heavens.
‘…Definitely.’
So, he resolved to succeed in the breakthrough before him, even on this Floor of Breakthrough. He could feel his confidence gradually waning, and since that was a feeling never permitted to a ruler, he had to take even a small victory against Jijoncheonma to regain his confidence.
“Entering!”
With such a firm resolution, he entered the 54th Floor of the Abyss.
[You have entered Abyss – Floor 54.]
The Floor of Breakthrough.
[Moving immediately to the designated area.]
It was a floor where luck was an important factor. Who you teamed up with and how. Strategies and speed would clearly differ depending on who was with you in the place you landed.
His darkened vision gradually recovered, and Antipus immediately snapped his eyes open. What entered his sight were a total of seven people. A faint smile touched Antipus’s lips as he quickly checked their faces.
‘I’m lucky.’
He had to admit it. He was lucky. Two knights clad in armor. The other five were all from a Bingija background. Furthermore, one of them was…
“Sirbert.”
“…Antipus?”
The highest-ranking power among the Bingija. It was the Master of Telekinesis, Sirbert. The level of the two knights was also quite good, and since more than half were Bingija, they would be able to move quickly according to Antipus’s will.
He didn’t know about other parties, but just the fact that Antipus and Sirbert were together meant that their military force was excessively concentrated. Antipus’s smile grew deeper.
‘This time, for sure…’
He had a good feeling. Luck was on his side from the start. This time, he could beat Jijoncheonma. He had that kind of feeling.
“A total of eight people, with two knights and six awakened. Among them, both you and I, Antipus, are here… For now, succeeding in the breakthrough to the common space is practically guaranteed.”
“That’s true, but do not let your guard down.”
“Of course.”
As Sirbert said that, the other Bingija as well as the two knights let out a subtle sigh of relief. The knights had also confirmed the skills of Antipus and Sirbert on the Infinite Floor.
What would it mean to have two such strong individuals in the party they belonged to? It meant their probability of survival would rise dramatically.
“I’ll take the lead.”
After sharing their abilities and roughly deciding their positions, Antipus’s party immediately stood before the dungeon’s Gate. The shape of the blackly flickering Gate was the same as the Space of Suffering Gate, but its size was much smaller, about the height of a person.
“Breaking through the dungeon is a given, but I have a separate goal.”
In front of that Gate, Antipus spoke while looking back at his party members, including Sirbert.
“Breaking through as quickly and perfectly as possible. That is my only goal.”
At the same time, he turned his back and began to enter the Gate.
“Follow along as best you can.”
It was the party that started the Floor of Breakthrough first.
***
[You have entered Abyss – Floor 54.]
I closed my eyes at the familiar sensation. It had been two months since I last entered the Abyss space. Airlights did not participate in this conquest either.
After completing the First Circle, her determination to join the conquest using the portal was strong.
What I handed to Airlights was the Tetradia Basic Magic Education Book. I had looked through that book thoroughly, and the explanations were well-done, so she should be able to do well enough on her own. In my time, there were no such books, so I just ignorantly hammered a Circle into my heart.
[Moving immediately to the designated area.]
Anyway, it was time to focus. The Floor of Breakthrough was a floor with many variables. The beginning of those massive variables was right now—the variables caused by the randomly formed parties and their members.
Feeling the texture of the staff in his hand, Hio slowly opened his eyes. A room that was entirely black, from the floor to the walls and the ceiling. In the middle stood a Gate about his height. What the Bingija called an instance dungeon.
He would have to break through about twenty of those Gates to enter the common space where the Boss Monster was located. After confirming that, Hio turned his head to the side. Who would have come here with him? That was the most important thing.
It would all be random anyway, but if there was one thing he hoped for, it was that strong people like Vitalianus or Antipus wouldn’t come. The reason for that was confidence. The ‘Violence is Not Allowed!’ penalty, which was Hio’s greatest weakness, did not apply to Abyss Monsters.
If there were many enemies, he could face them with magic along with Nkingki. If the enemies were a few strong ones, he could summon the Thunder Emperor and Blue Flame, and if things really didn’t work out, even Celestial to face them.
So, he hoped strong people like Vitalianus would be spread out evenly to lead the others. That was his wish, and it was his honest sincerity.
It was really sincere, but…
“…Is there really no one?”
Just as Hio had wished, there was no one around. Even so, wasn’t it too much for there to really be no one?
“…For real?”
‘Was he really supposed to break through the Floor of Breakthrough alone? Surely all the gods had fallen asleep starting with Liphyue, so why was his prayer suddenly working now of all times?’
– Didn’t it turn out just as you wished? Why are you getting angry? Hehehe.
‘I’m lonely. Still, at least one person could have come to keep me company.’
– I’ll do it, so don’t worry.
“I said I don’t want that!”
It couldn’t be helped. It was Furnel’s voice, which he was sick of hearing every day, but he might as well listen to that. Since there were fewer people on this side, the power of other parties would have been reinforced, so he would have to take comfort in that.
“Sigh…”
Just as Hio was about to turn around dejectedly and enter the Gate…
Flash!
A brilliant burst of light surged. The shape that appeared as the surging light gradually subsided was clearly a human figure.
“Oh…!”
Someone who had entered late had been assigned to Hio’s party.
“I knew it! No matter how you look at it, one person was too much, right?”
No matter how randomly people were assigned, telling someone to break through twenty dungeons alone… if it weren’t for Hio, wouldn’t that just be telling them to die?
Two people, including himself, was fine. It was good for small talk and just right. The light gradually faded, and the human figure was completed. The height was significantly shorter than Hio’s, the build was slender, and the color of the hair that was revealed was red. In short…
“Claire?”
It was Claire. At the same time, Claire snapped her eyes open. Those red pupils turned toward Hio, and she hesitated as if flustered. Regardless, Hio approached Claire and grabbed both of her hands firmly.
It was because of his great joy. No matter what anyone said, Claire was the first connection he had made in this world and a precious person who had made him feel attached to it. An connection with someone he had lived with under the same roof for two years, like family.
So, Hio welcomed Claire with a bright smile.
“It’s the bedwetter!”
“…Eh?”
Claire, who had been feeling unnecessarily awkward after making eye contact, immediately turned red at Hio’s next words and swung her fist.
“You had an accident at the training ground a few days ago, didn’t you?”
“Ah! What are you talking about! You stupid Hio!”
It was definitely a punch that was much spicier than before.