Before I knew it, the clock showed 11:00 PM.
“I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Unlike the time on the 20th Floor, there were no issues that caused disagreement, so the coordination process seemed to have gone smoothly.
‘It means it’s all thanks to me.’
I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to force myself to sleep. Honestly, there was no way I could fall asleep.
“I’m worried.”
I had watched many Tower raids in my life, but the raid on the 25th Floor was different from the previous floors in one way. This time, the items provided by the Rocket Store would play a key role in the conquest.
— *Ding!*
A message from Yun Tae-seong arrived on the hologram.
[Preparations are complete. We will begin at exactly 9:00 AM tomorrow.]
— You’ve worked hard. I’ll be praying for your success.
[Thank you. Thanks to the Rocket Store, I feel certain we can succeed this time.]
‘This isn’t going to work.’
I got up and headed toward the Subspace. Since I couldn’t sleep, I figured I might as well check on Mago.
The night in the Subspace was serene. Mago, who had moved her nesting spot to the area around the World Tree, was sleeping soundly in a hollow. A squirrel spirit was huddled up beside her.
“The two of them have become completely close.”
Mago’s small belly rose and fell with every breath she took. I smiled briefly at the cute sight. I gently placed a few Maple Carrots harvested today and some crystals next to the spirit so she could have them as a snack when she woke up in the morning.
As I did, Mago’s head turned slightly toward the crystals.
*Sniff, sniff!*
‘She’s attracted to minerals even while sleeping, even sniffing them. … Is she actually asleep?’
However, Mago soon went back to sleeping soundly. It seemed she had just instinctively checked the scent.
“I should take a walk.”
Visiting at night felt completely different from visiting when the artificial sun was shining brightly. The leaves of the World Tree emitted a faint green glow, and the spirits gathered around it illuminated the surroundings like fireflies.
“So it glows at night.”
It was a sight I hadn’t noticed during the day. With every step, I heard the soft sound of treading on soil. Even that sound felt peaceful in the quiet night.
I walked slowly around the World Tree. As I drew closer, I felt a faint warmth coming from the bark. I reached out and lightly touched the tree. It was warm.
“How strange.”
I looked up and thought to myself. Of course, there was no real sky in the Subspace, but the ceiling was as dark as a night sky.
‘I should head out now.’
I looked toward Mago’s nest, and she was still sleeping soundly. The squirrel spirit was also curled up with its tail wrapped around its belly.
“Sleep well.”
I waved my hand quietly and left the Subspace.
***
The next day, I didn’t open my eyes until it was almost time for the raid. I had heard an alarm in the middle of the night, but I turned it off.
“I guess I really did toss and turn.”
When I rushed out to the living room, Aria was already waiting in front of the hologram.
“Guardian! It’s starting soon!”
“Yeah. Is the expedition ready?”
“Yes, they’ve already broadcast the departure ceremony.”
On the TV screen, a massive crowd of reporters was jostling to interview the expedition team right before their departure.
— *Ding!*
A message from Yun Tae-seong arrived.
[We are entering now.]
The screen changed, and the viewpoint of the expedition team began to show. There were 200 people. Taesan, Black Horn, Blue Dragon, and other major Korean guilds had all gathered.
“The scale is enormous.”
**[Starting the First Challenge of the 25th Floor in the South Korea Branch.]**
Along with a giant system message, the hunters stepped onto the 25th Floor.
***
“Ugh.”
As soon as they entered the 25th Floor, the hunters’ faces twisted. Of course, since they were the top hunters in Korea, it wasn’t out of fear. It was the rotten smell that could be felt even through the screen.
The scenery was also gruesome. A thick gray fog hung everywhere, and the sound of bones clashing could be heard from afar.
“Are those all undead?”
There were swarms of skeletons and zombies stretching to the horizon. There seemed to be hundreds, no, thousands of them.
“Assassin team, please get ready.”
Sim Jae-seong’s command fell. Ten assassins stepped forward. All of them were S-rank or higher experts. They all pulled out small bottles and began to spray them on their bodies.
Carmina’s Scent: Stench of Ghouls. It was an essential item for deceiving the undead.
“I sprayed this for several days during the testing, but I still can’t get used to this smell.”
“If your nose gets used to this smell, your sense of smell is definitely broken. You’d need to go to the doctor.”
The expressions of the assassins on the screen distorted. I could guess how foul the smell was. One assassin who finished preparations cautiously approached the undead swarm. The skeletons passed right by him, completely ignoring him.
“It’s working!” Aria cheered.
I unknowingly clenched my fists.
“All team members, begin infiltration.”
The ten assassins blended into the undead swarm like ghosts. The undead were mistaking them for their own kind.
“It works well enough in the Tower too.”
[We’ve discovered a commander-grade entity. It’s a Draugr.]
A giant undead warrior appeared on the screen. It was a Draugr, an armored undead standing at least 3 meters tall.
[Eliminating it.]
An assassin approached like a shadow and slit the Draugr’s throat. It was an elite monster, but since it specialized in rear-line command, it wasn’t very sturdy, making an assassination entirely possible.
— *Skreeeeek!*
The Draugr screamed and collapsed. At that moment…
*Crumble.*
Dozens of surrounding undead stopped moving all at once and then turned into bone dust.
— How many undead does one Draugr usually command?
[It commands thirty to fifty undead. We estimate there are about fifteen Draugr in total.]
The assassins scattered and went looking for their respective targets. Before long…
— *Skreeek! Screech!*
Screams erupted one after another. Every time the Draugr fell one by one, the number of undead noticeably decreased.
“Total of eleven Draugr eliminated. Reporting that the number of undead has decreased to less than half, so we are returning to the main force.”
The report reached the command center where Yun Tae-seong and Sim Jae-seong were. However, there were still undead moving. These were responding to orders coming from deeper within.
[These are the elite undead directly commanded by the boss. Deploying the main force.]
“It’s finally starting.”
Led by Sim Jae-seong, the S-rank hunters stepped forward. Chu Seong-jun, the guild master of Black Horn, and the aces of the Blue Dragon guild. Their armor and shields were all engraved with a red pattern.
“It’s the War Paint.”
The improved Barbarian War Paint. This was the version that worked even when engraved on defensive gear. As the patterns began to glow ahead of the full-scale battle, the hunters’ movements became noticeably faster.
“The effect is definitely there.”
The warriors charged all at once. The remaining undead swarms rushed toward them, but…
“This is definitely doable.”
Perhaps due to the buff from the War Paint, the warriors were pushing through overwhelmingly.
[We have arrived at the entrance of the Boss Zone. Deploying the Sanctuary.]
A massive curtain of light spread across the screen. The Sanctuary’s Blessing, worth 500,000 coins.
— *Vroooooom.*
As the Sanctuary was activated, the surrounding undead could be seen weakening as they screamed.
[The stats of the undead have dropped significantly!]
“It’s my first time seeing the Sanctuary too.”
Given the price, it wasn’t something easily seen. It seemed they had tested it once, but I hadn’t seen it in person. Soon after, twenty hunters enveloped in light stood at the front. These were the main forces of this expedition, who had received a group blessing from the Paladins.
“Is everything ready?”
— *Kuaaaaaa!*
Thanks to the other expedition members clearing the path, the main force, including Sim Jae-seong, faced two giant shadows. One was a skeleton mage, the boss of this floor—the Lich. The undead mage, draped in a black robe, raised its staff high.
The other was a giant undead warrior—the Chief Draugr summoned by the Lich as a guard. It was a massive creature, standing at 4 meters tall, wielding a giant axe.
[Proceed as planned. The tanker team focuses on the Draugr, and the dealer team focuses on the Lich!]
With Sim Jae-seong’s command, the battle began.
— *Kuaaaak!*
The Chief Draugr swung its axe. It was an impact strong enough to crack the floor. Yun Tae-seong blocked it with his shield but was pushed back several steps.
“That power…”
Meanwhile, as the Lich waved its staff, skeletons surged up from the ground incessantly.
“We would have been in trouble if we hadn’t dealt with the other Draugr first.”
The damage dealers attacked the Lich, but the constantly summoned undead interfered.
[We have to stop the Lich’s summoning!]
But it wasn’t easy. The Lich continued to pour magic from the rear, and the Draugr pressured the tankers with overwhelming strength.
“This is dangerous.”
And now was the timing I had promised Yun Tae-seong.
[Dropping large-scale supplies!]
Dozens of rockets began to fall from the sky.
“They’re here!” Yun Tae-seong shouted.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Rocket Deliveries landed all over the battlefield.
“Everyone, get supplied! Just like the plan!”
The hunters quickly ran to their respective nearby rockets. As the rockets opened, various buffs began to glow alongside recovery potions and mana potions.
“Prioritize returning to the front line after recovering as quickly as possible!” Yun Tae-seong shouted while drinking a potion.
The hunters grabbed the supplies all at once. Vitality returned to their exhausted bodies. Their depleted mana filled up again.
“Maintain the defensive line while the main force gets supplied!”
The tankers stood their ground against the Draugr. Sim Jae-seong shouted.
“Now, the counterattack begins!”
Life returned to the faces of the hunters who had finished their recovery. Added to the blessing of the Rocket Store, the elite dealers who had received undead-specialized blessings attacked all at once.
The Chief Draugr fell to its knees, and Sim Jae-seong stepped in front of the defenseless Lich. He concentrated his mana into his sword.
— *Flash!*
The blue light of the sword pierced through the Lich.
**[First Clear of the 25th Floor in the South Korea Branch!]**
“They did it!” Aria cheered.
I unknowingly clapped my hands.
“They really did it.”
On the screen, the hunters were cheering. Despite their exhausted faces, they were all smiling brightly.
[Owner, we did it!]
A message from Yun Tae-seong arrived.
[It’s all thanks to the Rocket Store. Thank you so much!]
— Congratulations. Everyone worked hard.
[The on-site interviews are starting now. It might be good for you to watch.]
I didn’t need to watch the hologram anymore; I could see it on the TV. The sight of reporters rushing toward the returning expedition members was broadcast immediately. They went to the members assigned to each media outlet and began the interviews.
The camera turned to Chu Seong-jun, the guild master of Black Horn.
[The internal evaluation is that the operation by the assassin team led by Hunter Chu Seong-jun was perfect. What are your thoughts?]
[Yes. If we had broken through the front, there would have been great sacrifices. But we were able to deceive the undead with the Stench of Ghouls, and the tactic of only removing key commanders worked.]
Next was the representative of the warrior party.
[How were the effects of the War Paint?]
[It was amazing. Our combat power clearly went up, and more than anything, seeing the same pattern on everyone boosted our teamwork.]
The camera turned to the young hunters. Of course, Sim Jae-seong was by far the most popular.
[Hunter Sim Jae-seong, what was the secret to the success of this conquest?]
Sim Jae-seong answered while wiping away sweat.
[The support from the Rocket Store was decisive. In particular, it would have been impossible without the Stench of Ghouls and the Sanctuary’s Blessing.]
[Specifically, how did they help?]
[Thanks to the Stench of Ghouls, the assassin team was able to safely eliminate the Draugr. Reducing the number of undead by half was the biggest factor for success. And above all, the Rocket Store’s large-scale supply drop was decisive. It was dropped exactly at the pre-arranged timing, which allowed us to reorganize our ranks and counterattack.]
Afterward, interviews with Association officials continued. I wasn’t particularly interested, so I changed the channel.
“Is there no interview for Yun Tae-seong?”
I kept checking, but Yun Tae-seong was nowhere to be found. Just then, a message arrived.
— *Ding!*
[Owner, I’m sorry to bother you while you’re busy. I have an urgent matter.]
— What is it?
[Following the success of this expedition, we are being flooded with contacts from overseas. Especially regarding the Beast Warrior selection.]
— From overseas?
[Yes. We are receiving inquiries from various countries asking if there are slots for their hunters and how they can participate. How should we respond?]
This was something I hadn’t expected. Foreign hunters wanted to participate in Gray’s selection as well?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.