[The Player Party has arrived at the 21st Floor of the Tower of Growth!]
[Quest Objective: Kill the 200 Lost Knights from the 21st to the 24th floors — 50 on each floor.]
[Duration: 50 minutes.]
[Good luck, Player!]
Russell and the others arrived at a wasteland battlefield. There were countless soldier weapons and armor scattered through the ground as though it was a battlefield that's been lost in the rivers of ti. There were countless bones of different structures, but not every one of them could understand whose bones... or rather what race those bones belonged.
"Don't tell these bones would restructure themselves again because they're undead?"
Rumia anxiously muttered. It's enough for everyone to hear. They didn't take a single step from their positions after they arrived since the battlefield was endless. Even with Russell's profound vision, he couldn't see the end in every direction that screened in his vision. It's not like the Tower of Growth's every floor had a wall, but Russell had to make sure if there was anything in sight aside from the bones on the ground.
Scrutinizing every possible direction, after so ti, Russell saw sothing from afar. It's a temple made of sandstones.
'Found it.'
Inwardly heaving a sigh of relief, Russell thought. Then he added:
"Uh, there's a temple there."
Everyone looked at him, who was pointing in a certain direction. They didn't know what was North, South, West, or East unless they had soone in their party with navigation skills. Additionally, even though a Sun exist on so floors of the Tower, they weren't certain if it followed a direction similar to when they were on Earth.
So of the other party mbers looked in the direction he pointed at, and then sowhat saw a gigantic temple that seed to have been lost in the sands. It was obscure, not clear as water enough to be thoroughly seen with their naked eye.
"I'll teleport us there. Hold on."
Elizabeth suggested, to which everyone agreed, though so were reluctant because they weren't used to its aftereffects — Mana Vibration.
Soon after, with Elizabeth's teleportation skill, Russell and the others found themselves in front of the said temple. It was a towering, sand temple. It looked like it was used as a fortress in an ancient war of the ancient past that took place in this area.
Everyone's gazes slowly turned above, and what was revealed in each of their pair of eyes was the true asure of how high the temple was. It was around more than a hundred ters even though so low-altitude clouds were screening it.
"No one can convince that this isn't the right place."
Elizabeth chuckled at Anya's words. At that mont, a notification entered their heads, along with the System's voice. Even though it was narrated in their heads, they still checked the System ssage on the holographic screen, which individually appeared in front of them.
[Temple of the Sand God.]
Description:
A temple that was used to offer the Sand God offerings before the Sand God's slumber. Later on, it was used as a strategic fortress due to the war in the ancient past, and after a long period, it was now lost in the sands of ti. Remnants of the warriors of the past reside in the temple.
Anya fell into deep thought after reading the description of the Temple of the Sand God. She was reminded of sothing, but she didn't conclude anything yet until she saw what was inside the temple.
"Gods do sleep, huh?"
Elizabeth whispered.
Russell fell silent, rembering the Goddess of Night.
"I have a lot of questions in my mind right now, especially after the System's Reboot, but I guess I'll put it on hold for now. It's not like they can be easily answered or if answers even exist."
She added. Everyone looked at her with different expressions since she wasn't alone in that regard.
"I might be able to answer them, but let's go right now."
Everyone turned to Samantha, while Russell's eyes constricted after hearing her confident words.
'Just how did she know many things in advance?'
He lampooned inwardly. He had no idea why Samantha beca sowhat different from what she was in the unpublished novel he had written, but it's not like he could complain since so things were already running in different directions. But even so, her change compared to what he knew, especially her knowledge about so things, was sowhat making Russell anxious.
'I'll have to think about it later.'
He thought as he followed suit towards the gigantic, dilapidated door of the sand temple.
***
What appeared in front of them were towering sand pillars. Though it was made of sand, it wasn't ordinary since it's hard as a sturdy rock. There were doors on the walls on either side of the hall, as well as a single, much larger door on the hall's endpoint.
Seeing the interior structure of the sand temple, at least what's presud to be its ground floor, Anya, as well as the other A-1 students — Elizabeth, Freya, Alie, Ary, and so on, before the Ranking of Exchange event during the Ergence Anniversary had their expressions frozen.
It was a familiar interior structure, which they had first seen in the virtual world, and experienced firsthand by Anya.
"H-hey... Do you rember the virtual battleground in Professor Murak's class? You know, the Desert of Luminous Scorpions. It's similar here according to what Leon said when we casually talked about it."
Anya seed shaken. She didn't think that they would see sothing here that was extrely indistinguishable.
Elizabeth nodded at her words. Though Anya's and Leon's respective groups only fought so peculiar scorpions, from what was shown on the holographic screen for the spectators, it was clearly the sa. Though this ti, the enemies were called Lost Knights.
"But according to Professor Murak, the Desert of the Luminous Scorpion was a dungeon, and it's downgraded and restructured using program data to create it for virtual practices. I see... It looks like Professor Murak or the Obelisk Academy itself was putting in the curriculum the virtual maps with subtle or underlying mysteries in hopes we're going to stumble upon it."
Elizabeth frowned, saying those words. She felt like, even though she was a princess, they were being discreetly and mildly used for gathering intelligence.
"It's probably Professor Emmanuel's suggestion. You know he's not the kind of person who would degrade other person's intelligence even though they're kids or what."
Anya responded, feeling in awe of what was in front of them.
After so ti, the doors opened, except for the gigantic one at the end of the hall, cutting off their little conversation. What was revealed were knights in sand armor, holding different kinds of weapons befitting of a person who served under royalty — sword, bow, and staff.
Na: —
Race: Sand People
Family: Sand God's Follower
Rank: E-
— STATS —
Strength: 299
Swift: 299
Fortitude: 299
Intelligence: 299
Magic Power: 299
The enemies were the sa in rank as the lower floors, but the party knew that floors after every 5th floor had monsters with different behavior in consideration of the environntal and other factors... and it was proven quickly this mont. Although the ordinary monsters from the lower floors seed mindless, these ones seed to be another case. With the assumption that there's only one lost knight behind the gigantic door, the remaining forty-nine that appeared ford a battle formation — they didn't attack aimlessly and seed to consider that they were still in a war.
"This will be a frontal battle."
Russell whispered as the party did the sa; they ford the formation they used when fighting the troubleso Zombie Murlocs.
Seemingly getting the feeling of it, Jiho, acting like a king standing in front of the two tankers, raised his sword. With untold respect, it seed the last being behind the closed gigantic door reacted — it untily opened.
"Commander!"
One of the Lost Knights in sand amor shouted with joy. The party, who heard the reverberating voice, had their eyes widened. It was a fluent voice, automatically translated into their heads with the help of the ancient power of the Tower.
"You have co to the wrong place, humans!"
The so-called commander spoke, his voice was deep and exuded valor, raising the morale of the ordinary Lost Knights.
Na: Commander Cargan
Title: [Commander]
Race: Sand People
Family: Sand God's Follower
Rank: E
— STATS —
Strength: 499
Swift: 499
Fortitude: 499
Intelligence: 499
Magic Power: 499
Apart from the fixed range of ranks of the ordinary monsters,
sowhat depends on untold factors, there were exceptions such as this mont, especially from the 21st floor and above.
"Is he a Boss Monster?"
One of the party mbers muttered, finishing reading the information that appeared in front of them.
"No, he's just different. It seems from the 21st floor, the unpredictability rises."
Samantha responded, to which others silently nodded.
Russell, on the other hand, was having various thoughts.
'It seems this one is the addition due to the increase in the difficulty of having two parties' rge.'
He then looked at Jiho, who was breathing calmly. Jiho's expression was a mix of anxiousness and excitent since this would be a battle with honor, at least.
"We will give you an honorable death!"
Commander Cargan spoke, looking pitifully at the intruders of the sand temple.
"We will take you up on your offer."
Jiho valiantly spoke. His tone was sowhat unusual, causing the other party mbers to stare at him, dumbfounded at the acting.
But Russell's thoughts were different.
'He's feeling it.'
He almost wanted to let out a laugh, considering he knew very well the destiny of this man.
Jiho looked behind, receiving permission from the other party mbers except for Celine, Raya, and Yara that would not ddle in any way except in an ergency, to attack.
Raising again his weapon, Jiho scread with determination.
"CHAAARGEEE-!!"
"YOU ARE NO KING-!!"
Commander Cargan's voice reverberated as he raised his sword, and pointed it toward the intruders of the sand temple.
At that mont, the battle between the two parties of fighters ensued; one was being led by a commander, and the other was being led by soone who was finding the answers regarding his past.
***
[The Player Party has successfully cleared the 10th Floor of the Tower of Growth!]
[...rewards...]
[...waiting room...]
Leon's party, with his younger sister, Mira had just finished eliminating the Insane Harpy, Karas.
His deep blue eyes were constricted and turned black due to a certain skill he received upon successfully making a contract, after the System's Reboot, with the Constellation, "Black Dragon of the Undying Star" — Eye of the Black Calamity.
'This is easy for . I'll surpass that Jiho soon!'
He inwardly exclaid. Leon then looked at his younger sister with an unknown expression. Although he was weaker than her, it seed he lost the emotion to care about her growth and solely focused on toppling Jiho.
***
In one of the dormitory rooms in the Rigel Building, a redhead woman with crimson eyes and a man with greyish hair and blue eyes were lying in bed together, both naked.
[The target has completely fallen in your charm.]
[You will now have complete control over the target's will.]
The smile of the redhead woman reached her ears, revealing two white, sharp fangs as she looked at the sleeping man.
"You're mine... and mine alone, Ken."
***
In the master's bedroom of the royal palace of the Queen of Etheria, Eliana von Etherion was sitting on her bed, looking at a portrait, being held with her supple hands, with a poignant expression.
The portrait had three people on it; Eliana herself on the left side; child Elizabeth, around seven years old, on the middle, and her husband, Elizabeth's father on the right side.
"I wish you were here to see our daughter's growth."
Eliana muttered as she hugged the portrait with longing expression.
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