"...The weather’s fucking great."
After some quick preparations, I entered the fiftieth floor of the Tower of Trials again.
I felt considerably lighter.
Just realizing that it was okay to die changed my mindset.
The admin told me not to take my life lightly, but...
Well, I was never the type to live knowing how precious life was in the first place.
I might develop disabilities, aftereffects, or something like PTSD, but I did not know yet.
Maybe that would happen if I died dozens of times on the same floor.
Having lived through an even more brutal reality, I was surprisingly unfazed by psychological shocks.
Squeeze...!
I must have dropped the sword, but it was still in the safehouse.
I gripped the steel sword tightly and looked down at its blade.
It was exactly as I had been using it. Come to think of it, my phone must have gone into that thing’s mouth too, yet it had come back as well.
Maybe anything I consumed myself or that got destroyed was gone for good, while anything I lost in the Tower—or lost because I died—was restored.
The Magic Stones weren’t restored, after all.
If there was one thing bothering me now—
[09:58:13]
"Ten fucking hours is a long time."
It was simply the fact that there was still so much time left before I met that monster again.
*
Shhk—!!
"Whew."
First event cleared.
My previous life... No, would it even be right to call it a life?
The several hours I spent struggling through my first run definitely seemed to have helped. It felt like my proficiency with the sword had improved even further.
They said your body was restored when you died and came back to life, and it did feel like all the fatigue that had built up in me had vanished.
My body felt lighter than I could have imagined.
That does not mean everything I built up disappears, though.
It would have been hell if I had returned to the body I had when I first entered the Tower, but thankfully, that was not the case.
Put bluntly, if you worked yourself to death and actually died and came back, you could keep growing stronger without ever feeling tired.
There has to be some lunatic who does that, right?
Maybe that was why the admin had told me not to take my life lightly.
I did not have any thoughts that extreme yet.
Because dying and waking up again was a far shittier sensation than I had imagined.
The pain right after revival was worse than expected, too.
[05:57:46]
The next one was becoming an elf, right?
This time, maybe I would catch a hunter and make him draw a picture of what I looked like.
There was still far too much time left before I encountered Behemoth.
I also wanted to know exactly how the Tower’s effects were applied.
*
Step—
[03:32:12]
The second event: [Form of the Hunted].
Drawing on my memories from the first run, I caught the guy who had been acting like my little brother.
I had sent the rest of them off to heaven.
"Big brother?"
Even at the friendly voice calling me big brother like last time, I could not turn my gaze away.
[You have left the designated area.]
[Time limit remaining until return: 56]
"..."
"Big brother? What’s wrong?"
A simple question.
Where did the elf hunters come in from, and where did they leave through?
How exactly was this world structured?
I had been following the hunter out of the forest to answer those questions, but the warning message appeared before we even made it outside.
I did not want to think about what would happen when that timer ran out.
I did not need to think about it to know.
Swish—
[You have left the designated area—]
When I took a step back, the warning message disappeared.
This must have been the boundary.
When I checked [Real-Time Mapping], my position was marked at the edge of the forest.
"Big brother!"
"...It’s nothing. I just remembered something I need to do."
"Something you need to do?"
"Well, shouldn’t you stay here and act like an elf?"
"But earlier, you smacked me on the head and said we had to get out—"
"Want another hit?"
"No, big brother!"
When I raised my fist, the hunter hurriedly shook his head.
I heard all sorts of things from him about this forest’s ecosystem and the world beyond it, but nothing particularly suspicious came up.
The hunter bombarded me with proper nouns I had never heard in my life.
He looked surprised that I did not know them, but I made a convenient excuse that I did not know because I was an elf.
It feels less like a virtual world created by the Tower and more like I entered a world that actually exists.
That was the closest way to describe the fiftieth floor of the Tower of Trials.
"Big brother, it’s about time for me to get going..."
"Yeah, go. From now on, make an honest living."
"Yes, sir! You be careful too, big brother...!!"
[03:30:52]
I snickered as I watched him head back, bowing repeatedly.
It was not like we could have stayed together much longer anyway.
Even if we had gotten out of the forest, something would have happened soon enough.
Because my appearance will be changing soon.
I looked the same to myself, but to the hunter, I was an elf.
Once this event ended, I would return to my original appearance.
So I had made him do all sorts of things—describe my appearance, draw me—but he had no artistic talent.
And because he was not much of a talker, he could not describe me properly either.
I was wondering if there might be a better way...
Swish—
"No matter how I look at it, I really am an elf."
The me captured by the camera was a perfect elf.
I blinked at the elf in my photo gallery.
I could not feel much of a difference from normal, but an elf was definitely an elf. No wonder they were called a race of beauty.
Does that mean a camera counts as an impartial observer?
Or was it because the hunter had taken the picture?
I did not know which it was, but at least my curiosity had been satisfied.
"I should post this in the gallery later."
How would they react if I pretended to be an elf after the fact?
I did not know whether they would believe me, but it sounded fun.
[03:26:48]
I had finished all the events I could clear in advance. Now it was time to prepare to face Behemoth.
*
Fwoosh—
[02:24:45]
"Ugh..."
About five minutes after the third event began.
I deliberately went out to the edge of the forest and looked up at the wall of fire.
Is this the closest I can get?
Even though I was still some distance from the outskirts, the heat was so intense I could not get any closer.
I could feel the clothes I had soaked beforehand, along with the mask covering my face, drying rapidly.
Crack...!!
Rumble...!
The grass and flowers on the ground burned.
Trees collapsed helplessly, crushing the earth beneath them.
The wall had not even reached us yet, but merely approaching it was drastically changing the surrounding ecosystem.
Swish—
"Water Ball."
I threw one of the Magic Stones I had bought before entering the Tower.
"..."
The Magic Stone transformed into a sphere of water before I knew it, then evaporated again and vanished into the air.
It did so absurdly easily, without even reaching the wall.
"Water Rain...!"
This time, I gripped a Mid-Grade Magic Stone and threw it as hard as I could, putting all my strength into it.
I even shouted the unnecessary chant with force as I hurled it at full power.
Fssssssss...
The rain that had begun to fall before the wall immediately turned to steam.
It rose like hazy smoke. Not a single drop of water reached the ground.
It really is the Flame of the Apocalypse.
Nothing could stop those flames.
Unless it was someone on the level of a true archmage, ordinary magic would never be able to stop that fire.
It was such overwhelming flame that anything near it would catch fire.
Ordinary living creatures would never be able to pass through it.
There was nowhere to run. Once it began burning, there was no getting outside the forest.
Grin.
"Okay."
Just wait, Behemoth.
I would prepare for you one thing at a time, slowly and methodically.
*
"Kwoooooo—!!"
Rumble...!!
"Now that’s one hell of a booming voice."
With a hollow laugh at the familiar yet unfamiliar roar, I began walking.
[00:38:52]
About ten minutes until the Forest Master event began.
The mapping did not show the escape route or Behemoth’s location, but it would be set in the center anyway.
There was a chance it might be somewhere different every time, but either way, it did not matter much.
Considering the cave was blocked, it must be designed to open when the event begins.
Before the first event started.
As soon as I entered the forest again, I checked the escape route, but the cave had been sealed by a rock wall.
I considered somehow smashing it apart through sheer stubbornness, but I figured the inside would be the same, so I gave up.
Behemoth had not been nearby then, either.
Step—
"Whew."
Crack...!
Hidden behind a tree, I watched Behemoth in front of the distant cave pull up a tree.
Maybe because it had not pulled out enough trees yet, it was still fairly close to the cave.
If I sprinted as soon as the event started, I might be able to clear it.
...No, I could probably escape for sure.
It was only about thirty meters away.
Thinking of how narrowly I had failed in my last run, I could definitely make it this time.
Not that I have any intention of succeeding.
[Tower of Tr$als]
-#@`#!th run, 5%th floor, noti&: Temporary [Real-Time Mapping] activated.
I casually checked the Wiki, just as I had before.
Everything had been normal through the third event.
It had been normal, but then a bug occurred in the final event.
It’s appearing the same way.
Once could be dismissed as a coincidence, but not twice.
Either Behemoth itself was an anomaly, or, like the fiftieth floor of the Tower of Fate, something was currently bugged here.
If I kill that thing—if I bring it down—something will change. I had no certainty, but it was worth trying at least once.
It also felt pretty damn foul to have been eaten by that bastard.
Coins are unlimited, anyway.
If it really did not work out, I could just clear it normally later.
Right now, I felt like I had to land at least one hit on it, if only because I was pissed off.
Swish—
[Warning]
-Combat with Behemoth impossible. Survival probability: 0%.
-If escape is not achieved within the time limit, the escape route will be permanently sealed.
-If escape is not achieved within the time limit, [Mark of the Prey] will be reapplied.
-If escape is not achieved within the time limit, [Flame of the Apocalypse] will be reactivated.
That was why I had gone to personally check out the wall of fire.
This life... No, this run, I had entered intending to die from the start.
To learn more information. To check various things.
Well, if I get lucky, I might finish it in one shot.
But I was not expecting much.
Nothing ever goes well when I expect it to.
Click—!
Got a commemorative photo.
After taking a picture of the burly Behemoth uprooting a tree, I snickered and shoved my phone into my pocket.
"Just wait a little longer."
I was going to give you one hell of a hot experience.
*
Rumble...!!
[Survive]
[00:00:01]
I gave a hollow laugh as I looked at the words floating in the air.
So that’s how it works?
It told me to survive, so I survived for ten hours, but for some reason, time had stopped.
It was fixed at one second and would not tick down.
I thought I might clear it by fulfilling the condition of “survive,” but it seemed I still had to leave through the escape route.
Rumble...!!!
"Kwoooooo!!!"
Behemoth’s roar sounded from the center of the forest in the distance.
I did not know whether it was celebrating victory or meant something else, but it was not pleasant to hear.
Ding—!
[Warning]
-The escape route will be permanently sealed.
-[Mark of the Prey] will be reapplied.
-[Flame of the Apocalypse] will be reactivated.
The Wiki’s warning message changed.
I smiled faintly at that trinity, which seemed to be telling me to quietly accept my death.
I know I’m going to die, Wiki.
Something like pale pink mist seeped out from my body.
Watching the wall of fire behind me begin moving again, I got to my feet.
Blink. Blink.
I’ll come find you soon, so wait for me.
Behemoth was still blinking at the center of the forest.
Whether my pheromones had not reached it, or whether it simply assumed I would go there anyway, it did not move an inch.
"Kwoooooo!!!"
It only kept roaring over and over, loud enough to shake the forest.
Step—
"Whew...!"
I had one goal.
From this moment on, I was heading straight for Behemoth.
*
Rustle—
Stepping on the grass that wilted helplessly beneath my feet, I headed for the center of the forest.
"Huh..."
The escape route had collapsed.
I gave a hollow laugh at the sight of Behemoth sitting in front of it, guarding the spot.
About a hundred meters, maybe?
It had gotten quite far away in just a few dozen minutes.
If I truly intended to escape, rushing in right after the event began seemed like the surest way.
Not that I intend to escape.
Fwoooosh!!
Feeling the overwhelming heat at my back, I took another step.
Now walls of fire were visible not just behind me, but on every side.
Even estimating roughly, the circle’s diameter had to be around three hundred meters.
Honestly, I was not sure exactly how large that was, but I knew one thing: the circle was ridiculously small.
Blink. Blink.
The number of living creatures blinking on the mapping was low enough to count on both hands.
Hop! Hop!
"Kwoooo!!"
Crunch—!!
One more had just been killed.
Rustle—
"Good to see you, asshole."
"...!"
Walking over ground where every tree had been uprooted, I offered a quiet greeting.
I snickered as Behemoth’s eyes widened into circles and its mouth opened as though it were smiling.
I did not know whether it was the effect of [Mark of the Prey], or whether it had been waiting for me from the beginning, but it looked like it was welcoming me.
"You’ve been waiting, huh?"
Gripping my steel sword tightly, I slowly approached it.
As I felt the wall of fire behind me drawing closer, I gave it the broadest smile I could, imitating its expression.
Even if I swing this, it probably won’t leave so much as a scratch.
My strength and skill were nowhere near enough. I could not even begin to imagine how thick that hide was.
The same would go for Magic Stones. I had thrown a few at it last run, and throwing more now would not make a difference.
So there was nothing I could do with my own strength—
Fwoooooosh—!!!
"Then how about we have some hot fun?"
I would come back even if I died, so let’s dance through hell together.
A little fire play like this? I was used to it to death.
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