Chapter 506 – Ascending the Tower (2)

-Ziiing!

Accompanying a spine-chilling noise from the heavens, countless magic circles materialized around them.
Easily mistaken as a common trap in the tower, but its potency cannot be dismissed at the elevated level of the twelfth floor.
Just yesterday, three had met their bloody demise.

-Thunk.

Lee Se-Young ventured through the intricate traps.
Her coat, eerily similar to the fluttering wings of a raven, and the black hammer clutched in her grasp gleamed ominously.

‘Halt.’
【 Affirmative. 】

The vibrant world shifted to a dull grey, and the movements of the stars attempting to precede Se-Young, along with the hunter’s motion, abruptly ceased.

Temporal intervention. Halt.
A dark shadow bloomed over Se-Young’s form, her body enveloped as if armored in the bark of a tree.

-Clang!

The magic circles splintered wherever the massive war hammer swung.
Surveying the invisible surroundings, Se-Young meticulously neutralized each trap.

4 seconds. 5 seconds.

Se-Young’s mind and body, reinforced through [Woodenization], could draw out Baekyang’s power in an even more intricate manner.

-Clatter!

Consequently, she was capable of exhibiting a prowess on the frontlines surpassing even some S-class hunters.
She swings the colossal hammer, nearly 2 meters in length, pulverizing the magic circles.

-Thud.

Once all the traps were shattered, she lightly placed the hammer on the ground, and time resumed its flow.

“It’s done.”

Behind Se-Young, a multitude of hunters blinked, dumbstruck.

“That… Crow.”
“Insane, what just transpired?”
“Unfathomable, no matter how many times I witness it.”

The instant all disparaging remarks about her were abruptly silenced.

-Clap Clap.

A startled Hae-nul clapped and spoke whimsically, alleviating the tension in the surroundings.

“Perfect Young is unstoppable.”
“What?”
“A fusion of Perfect and Se-Young. Thoughts?”
“Terrible.”
“Tsk. What about a cool Hunter name?”
“Does that sound cool to you?”
“Yep. So cool.”
“Sigh.”

Se-Young’s sigh filled the erstwhile stiff atmosphere with soft chuckles.
Hae-nul was not only a skilled hunter but also a commendable leader and mood-maker.

Hae-nul contemplated, clutching Se-Young’s shoulder.

‘However.’

It was passed off as a joke, but this growth is staggering.
She navigated the darkness with that beautiful face, and I feared she’d suffer severely. Becoming the leader of the Crows was no accident.

‘How… did she dominate those denizens of the darkness? She wasn’t a crow, she was just a madwoman. This one.’

“What are you staring at?”

At Se-Young’s sharp retort, Hae-nul lowered her gaze.

“No, nothing~! Se-Young, you’re amazing~!”
“Oh, jeez…”

Lee Se-Young, who subdued the lunatics that caused headaches even in the Hunter Association.
Hae-nul, who initially assumed it was merely a favorable divergence and good fortune, revised her thoughts.

Se-Young’s current form could without a doubt be classified as S-grade.

The fact that the manpower loss from the 8th to the 12th floors was less than 1% was astounding. This was a feat that could barely be accomplished by someone of the caliber of Mugung or a hunter. Moreover, this wasn’t just any tower—it was a tower crafted for King Mokryeong’s trials.

They were on the threshold of its highest floor.

“Let’s proceed again.”

Unflinchingly, Se-Young resumed command.

Regardless of the number of participants in a tower or dungeon assault, the roles and structure that the hunters needed to fulfill remained constant.

A ‘Guide’ who discerned traps and found the path. A ‘Pioneer’ who directly eliminated traps and paved the way forward. ‘Supporters’ in charge of supplies, assistance, and backup. ‘Combatants’ who ensured the above three were not attacked while fulfilling their roles.

Though the terminology for these roles varied across countries and guilds, and they could be divided into five categories depending on the classification, this was the industry standard. Any competent hunter should be able to perform all these roles, but the presence of specialized personnel significantly increased the success rate of the assault.

Naturally, there were numerous guides here and guilds that had formed parties to forge ahead.

‘Fast,’ Se-Young mused as she progressed through the floors.

‘So fast it’s alarming.’

There were no monsters in sight, only a relentless sequence of bothersome traps. She wondered what could possibly be happening in the upper levels.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

It was a statement that could potentially exacerbate anxiety, but most had already harbored such sentiments.

*Thud.*

Her heart pounded. A disconcerting shadow loomed, hinting at some inexplicable entity they were likely to encounter as they moved forward. Her mouth, parched and uneasy, twitched as the surrounding tension gradually escalated.

A dungeon attack was a test of mental fortitude. It was a statement that featured in every bestseller about hunters, but this was King Mokryeong’s Tower. The power of an entity that once dominated the world was encapsulated within this place.

*Squish!*

At that moment, an artifact resembling a long strip of baby fat embedded itself at Se-Young’s feet.

“Halt.”

At Se-Young’s command, the march of all the hunters came to a stop.

A dire message from a preceding guild. Se-Young narrowed her eyes and picked it up.

“This isn’t good.”

The paper, tinged only with blood, was devoid of any written message.

A blank letter in a dungeon could only signify one thing.

[Don’t hesitate, flee until safety is ensured.]

Several guild leaders who saw the letter in Se-Young’s hand raised their voices.

“Prepare to retreat, just in case.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A mundane kick triggers an explosion of a magic circle. The relentless magic fired from behind is unable to inflict any harm, regardless of where it lands.

8th floor.

_Kick!_

9th floor.

_Boom!_

10th floor.

In tackling the tower, splitting roles and careful planning is essential, primarily to preserve as many survivors as possible. However, if one’s own power is sufficient, there is no need to meticulously understand each trap.

_Thud!_

“Ma, Master….”

_Thud!_

“Ah!”

Ebony, startled by the unavoidable shockwave, clings to my waist and gazes up at me.

“Is, is everything alright?”

A voice simmering in apprehension, yet laced with a touch of concern.

Lately, I find her increasingly endearing. Perhaps the result of our frequent dream dialogues? It feels akin to nurturing a child within the folds of a skirt.

_Crash!_

As I deflect the ceiling-fired sparks with my hand, I smooth over the bulging part of my Black Dragon robe where Ebony’s head is nestled.

“Breathe deeply and stay still. Follow me, inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.”
“Like this?”
“Exactly. You always struggle with your breathing.”

While a slow teaching pace would be ideal, urgency dictates otherwise. Above all, she will learn a considerable amount just from experiencing these traps firsthand.

Like a baby kangaroo peeking out of its mother’s pouch to observe a still-frightening world, Ebony, emerging from my Black Dragon robe, is learning about the world by observing the surrounding traps.

The power of the crown is escalating. Approximately around the 13th floor, it has evolved into a force that is difficult for even me to ignore, pulsating in a viscous, unpleasant manner.

‘Inevitably, this must be the trial.’

The magic power, incomparable to dreams, and the power of the crown I utilized. No, it is swelling to a degree that it could be regarded as my ideal. Even for a tower possessing the power of a king, can creating such an entity be possible?

In a different dimension, it is a literal risk factor.

If Lee Se-Young and Star were to enter there… Just the thought makes my head spin with dreadful complications.

_Crash!_

This time, an unavoidable level of magic coils around my ankle. A searing laser ascends to pierce my head. I extend my hand towards it.

_Sizzle!_

Flesh is ripped apart. The reverberation from the upper floors still rings in my ears. As I stand enveloped in magic, I grimace at the sight of fallen hunters on the floor.

11th floor.

I take Ebony into my arms.

“Master?”
“Hold on tight.”
“What? Wait- Masteerrr!?”

As my body propels forward, spreading a cute, uncharacteristic noise of Ebony, she clings onto me tightly, flustered, and reaches out to grasp here and there, her hand landing on a somewhat embarrassing spot.

“Master, Ma… Master, ah, ah… ah!”

Ebony starts to pound on my chest and tear at it.

His eyes spun wildly, a thin dribble of saliva falling from his slightly parted lips.

“Hold on.”

“Ah, sir… Ah!”

A situation that might elicit a nervous chuckle, but the gravity was palpable. I needed to hasten.

* * * * * * * * * *

An endless room, blanketed in an unbroken field of white.

– Squeak, squeak, squeak.

Every surface, from ceiling to floor, was so starkly white that it invoked a sense of claustrophobia. In this rectangular expanse, the only discernible hue was the faint shadow cast on the distant horizon.

The cracks in the white, distant space flickered ominously, a colossal amount of mana focused in one place, a concentration so immense it could form an entire world.

The residual mana of deceased hunters and monsters. The life force of the Danjeon, left behind in dreams. A form embodying all the monsters that had grown and multiplied, inflating in size and strength, now assembled into one.

The calamities they had previously defined paled in comparison, mere child’s play before this formless beast, its surroundings twisted by warped space, even light unable to escape its grasp.

The floor was flat, except for a single raised mound, as if a sphere’s head had been sliced off, blood wrung out by twisting the protrusion.

– Squeak, squeak?

A chilling sound was the only noise that escaped from the space. The laws of the world twisted and distorted in this place.

The Tower of Dimensions and Time.

The power of two beings, toppled by the primordial king, had combined and been transported from another place, manifesting as another world’s catastrophe.

A woman stood before the spatial rift, reciting prayers. The floor of this pure white space was embedded with the bodies of fallen hunters, being absorbed as if sinking into a marsh.

The woman murmured, a strange light radiating from her.

Her hands were stained with the rich, dark blood of the fallen hunters.

“I call upon thee. Respond, I implore. Become a white trial-“

Her hands trembled, her eyes tightly shut.

“Allow us to establish our humanity, to step beyond this artificial tower.”

A pale hand, resembling a tree, stretched out from the rift. Its surface appeared a jumbled mix of the green of foliage and a deep, ominous black. The rough, bark-like skin on the hand encircled the woman’s head.

With a sense of finality, the woman whispered.

“Your servant beholds you-“

But her whisper did not reach –

“Crack?!”

– Crunch.

The woman’s crushed head hit the floor, blood and flesh seeping into the white expanse. The spatial rift returned. Atop the grand throne of the Tree King, a man sat, a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips.

– Squeak, squeak.

“…Heh.”

A single eye, filled with madness.

Sharp fangs adorned the fractured tree, its uneven, hefty body, and the branches that shrouded the corners of its mouth.
Beneath the sorrowfully drooped brows, wrinkles were etched. Upon those wrinkles, rough bark clung, and black blood began to seep.

“Is this my chance?”

The man’s hand shook futilely, murmuring to himself. Swaying like the relentless pendulum of an unfaltering clock. It never ceased.
His gaunt arms and legs were twisted outward.
Atop the threadbare rags he wore, the only object untouched was a necklace, crafted from colored paper.

The crown atop his head was already once broken, the mistletoe he held in his hand quivered.

– Koo-goo-goo-goo.

The gate of trials swung open, and through the crack, women and hunters trespassed.

– Ki-yeeek?

The women, their eyes filled with anxiety and worry, soon froze in astonishment.

The man remained silent.
The sight of women who had once perished right before his eyes was a circumstance he’d already braced himself for.

The sovereign of the trees.
Such was his name.