Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Steel Tower (7)

#45

Full-scale falling began.

The floating sensation that pulls the organs is intense.

Even if he sticks his head out and looks down the floor was not visible.

“This ill-natured guy! Let’s die together is it!”

Rudel who was facing Bran burst into a roar.

Exactly like a hamster confined in a toilet paper roll and throwing a hysteria.

On the face that turned red the previous leisure could no longer be found.

“I have no intention of dying.”

“Guy!”

It was the moment Bran answered indifferently.

Puhak! A cold wave like a fountain surged from the gap of the ice crack.

“Ugh.”

Bran frowned.

He barely avoided but it grazed his cheek.

Whether the skin necrosed there was no sensation in the touched place.

If it hit the face squarely it was a temperature that would have frozen the brain as is.

“A living corpse struggling.”

“Even if I die I cannot forgive you! I’ll take you together!”

Rudel growled.

Puhak! Puhak! Puhak!

Cold waves burst one after another near Bran.

However except for the first surprise attack none even grazed.

Since he enhanced senses with mana along with doping this kind of attack could be avoided even with eyes closed.

“Huff··· huff···! Mouse-like guy···!”

“Rather than me you are the mouse. Because the balls shrunk magic doesn’t come out well either?”

Furthermore Rudel was gradually revealing his bottom.

He poured magic explosively but did not replenish so it was gradually time for mana to run short.

Furthermore mages cannot use magic just because they have mana.

If concentration is disturbed in ways such as getting injured, or receiving stress exceeding the Mental Power value the power of magic decreases significantly or does not manifest.

Furthermore since this old man was not a normal mage the penalty would be more.

“Just give up··· mm?”

Bran who gripped the sword hilt flinched.

The sword was not drawn.

The blade stabbed into the ice barrier had entered deeper than earlier.

Precisely not that it was stabbed deeper, but the ice was gradually growing and swallowing the sword.

Bran frowned.

“···Did you aim for this from the beginning.”

“Hehe. You shouldn’t try to take everything!”

Rudel burst into mad laughter.

The impulse to break all the front teeth raised its head.

Cunning old man.

It was clear he noticed how Bran was trying to evade the situation.

He tried pulling by giving strength once more, but the longsword swallowed by the ice did not even budge.

‘Fucked.’

Bran’s face hardened.

If there is no sword he had no choice but to fall and die.

Gradually the outline of the laboratory was revealing below.

“No choice.”

Bran sighed.

It was a means left to use in the final battle with Silien but there was no way other than this.

It was the moment he drew the shape of a tree growing robustly in his head.

『Activated skill “Power of the Giant Tree”. During the duration the Strength value doubles!』

Along with a familiar notification an immediate change occurred.

The muscles of the entire body begin to tighten.

Even the Strength improved by doping receives the effect as is.

The blessing originating from the great tree does not care whether the user is a drug user or natural.

Just double.

Whether the Strength value is a million or ten million double!

“Wait, what are you doing···”

“Haaap!”

Even before Rudel could say something.

Bran who removed one hand from the sword hilt drove down on the ice barrier as is.

Boooom-!!!

At the same time as a giant crack occurred the blade was drawn with a whoosh.

Rudel’s face contorted with astonishment.

“I-impossible!”

“Goodbye.”

Bran smiled.

Rudel shot a cold wave again but it did not reach him.

The ice cylinder whose falling accelerated disappeared under the feet.

“···Guy!··· like this!”

The resentful voice was buried in the wind and not heard.

Anyway since he recovered the sword he had to take measures.

Twisting his body in the air Bran stabbed the longsword into the wall with both hands.

Kagagagagak-!

Along with the sound of rock splitting a brake was applied to Bran’s falling.

“Kraak!”

Damn painful. It feels like the arms will fall off.

If not a sword made of Numerite it would have broken long ago.

Flying rocks and sparks were hitting Bran’s face.

“Hueup!”

So Bran gripped the sword hilt even stronger.

This is the only lifeline. The length of the straight line engraved on the rock wall was now reaching dozens of meters.

Around the time the speed was gradually beginning to decrease.

Boooom-!!!

A roar that shook the Steel Tower burst from a distance.

“Huu.”

Lowering his gaze Bran whistled.

Cold and dirt dust, smoke that burst from machines shattering was thickly blooming.

He knows there are people on the 4th floor too but like that he wonders how many survived.

Although the joint suicide succeeded he could not just be glad.

“Old man. Your lifespan is also tough.”

Because no defeat message rising meant Rudel was still alive.

Crunch.

Finally stopping the fall Bran calmly began descending the rock wall.

While gauging where the last line to avoid falling to death would be.

****

The joint suicide with Rudel was successful.

Thanks to the operation utilizing a gimmick that exists in the game working beautifully.

Originally the floor of the 3rd floor secret laboratory is tightly blocked, but only the underside of the central area was wide open.

‘This is why blueprints have to be made properly.’

In the setting it was a space that occurred due to Silien’s design miss.

A trace of trying to install a super-large lift leading to the ground.

Originally she intended to finish all processes in the secret laboratory and then transport the completed golems to the ground.

In the end construction was stopped due to security and budget issues.

‘Crazy woman.’

However if the player fails to stop the destruction construction resumes.

Valkeros that is finally occupied falls into a forward base of the Outer God forces.

The magic golem legion that endlessly pours from the Steel Tower drives the entire continent into fear.

That kind of appearance cannot be seen.

Finishing the short thought Bran looked up.

“Damn high.”

He was right after landing on underground 4th floor.

The hole that fell together had turned into a white dot.

It was a height that made the spine chill, but anyway since he lived it didn’t matter much.

“Then, now···.”

Now it was time to properly hunt Rudel.

Since the 4th floor is not that wide it would not take long.

Looking around Bran let out a hollow laugh.

“A mess.”

Ice fragments were sprawled all around.

Even the ice barrier forged with the chill of the Outer Sea could not endure the physical force from falling.

The surrounding damage was also enormous.

A considerable number of facilities used to produce golem cores were destroyed.

“Uuu··· uaaa···.”

“Gak. Hueeuk.”

Guards in armor were groaning while collapsed.

Because an originally giant mass poured it seemed they could not avoid the disaster.

‘With this much even Rudel would not be intact.’

Anyway since they are snitches of the Abyss he did not particularly feel pitiful.

He hoped they suffered as much as possible and died.

Bran ignored them and moved his steps inside.

『Activated skill "Sense Enhancement". Consume mana to enhance hearing!』

While utilizing the skill newly learned during the past five days.

Tsaaaaa···!

It was felt that the mana circulating inside the body moved to the ears.

『Agility value is high. Effect is amplified!』

『The quality of consumed mana is very excellent. Effect is amplified!』

Following the surrounding sounds began to be heard loudly.

The guards’ groans, the sound of ice cracking of course, even the screams ringing out from beyond the hole far away.

- D-don’t be scared just because the opponent is a dragonblood! Charge together!

- Impossible! The golem’s armor cannot block the axe··· kheuk.

- I-I hateeeet!

He felt it last time too but the performance was so good it was scary.

Fortunately Kale and Ilark seemed to be performing their missions well.

The screams tinged with desperation were all the guards’.

He worried what if they follow him but it seemed unnecessary worry.

“Truly okay guys.”

Being able to be faithful to each mission was a matter possible because there is trust in each other.

A reliable companion is an essential existence to clear Return Road.

To not lose to those two he had to do his share.

Then.

- Huu··· huuuk···.

Suddenly a rough breathing sound brushed Bran’s ear.

It was an old man’s tone. The faintly cracking breath was familiar to the ear.

Bran’s eyes narrowed thinly.

“Found it.”

It was definitely Rudel.

Fixing the target Bran began advancing again.

Since the map of the laboratory was already installed in his head there was no matter of confusing the direction.

“F-found! That guy is the intruder!”

“It is the general manager’s order! Unconditionally··· kuek!”

Guards popped out in the middle but it had no particular meaning.

Most were deployed on the 3rd floor, and on the 4th floor golems were not placed because they might damage the facilities.

Slash! When Bran swung the sword the heads of two guards flew at the same time.

The one who survived alone appealed for mercy while backing against the wall.

“W-wait! You’re looking for the general manager right?! I know where he is! So···”

“It’s fine.”

Slice! The third head flew.

That there is no need to waste time while negotiating was also an advantage of Sense Enhancement.

Since going anyway he should go the shortcut.

Creak.

Entering some warehouse Bran clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Terrible.”

It was a warehouse storing golem core materials.

Dozens of display stands were all filled with glass bottles containing people’s brains.

Not only death row inmates but the future of people captured as experimental subjects and the stage that finished “processing”.

Viciously the names of the people who were the owners of the brains were written on each bottle.

‘Fortunate Kale didn’t see.’

This is exactly the darkness of the Steel Tower.

Earnest prayers are covered by the Outer God’s Veil and do not reach.

Leaving the uneasy feeling behind Bran who came out of the warehouse continued moving his steps.

Now Sense Enhancement was not needed either.

The blood stains of Rudel stretched on the floor were informing that he almost arrived.

“What. Crawled this far?”

Turning the corner Bran’s eyes widened round.

In the middle of a space wide like a square a rectangular parallelepiped reaching dozens of meters in height was surging.

On the smooth surface countless magic circles were densely engraved.

[Number 12 destroyed.]

[Number 31 damaged.]

[Number 212 destroyed.]

From the resonance stones installed around mechanical sounds informing the status of golems were ringing out one after another.

That name Magic Central Control Device.

The crystal of magic engineering that can control all golems produced in the Steel Tower, and shut them down.

‘To think I would actually see this.’

Bran let out a hollow laugh.

Even from a modern person’s perspective a futuristic atmosphere overflows.

The existence he set as the goal of the 4th floor along with the general manager.

Just as he was briefly dumbfounded at the overwhelming majesty of the control device.

“······You came.”

A cracked voice was heard from somewhere.

Turning in the direction the sound was made Bran narrowed his eyes.

Rudel who became a beggar appearance was sitting while leaning his back on the central control device.

“Rudel.”

“Hehe··· the appearance is indescribable··· cough!”

Rudel spat out a cough mixed with blood water.

As expected the impact when falling seemed considerable.

Dark red fresh blood was flowing from the torn side.

‘Definitely because a mage durability is weak. I didn’t know it would be this much.’

Defense power contrasting with overwhelming attack power.

If a proper mage it would not have been this much.

There was all reason Silien is treated as a much higher line.

Of course in Return Road falling to death was an instant death judgment without asking so with this much it seemed he endured well.

“So··· cough, cough! I’ll make one proposal to you···.”

“Since it’s time to die your tongue got long.”

Bran leaped while gripping the sword.

Whatever he chatters it is nonsense not worth listening.

Around the time the distance between Bran who rushed in an instant and him did not remain even ten steps.

“······He. I knew you would be like that.”

A smile like a crack rose at the corner of Rudel’s mouth.

It was the moment Bran who sensed killing intent was about to retreat.

Boooom-!

A storm of surging chill caused an explosion under his feet.

“Kraaak!”

It was pre-installed magic. This time he could not avoid.

Bang! Bran fell while supporting the floor.

The moment the silver chill subsided the entire body frozen like a statue revealed itself.

Rudel continued while chuckling.

“Keke··· you can’t move the body at all right? It is chill created with the last strength.”

“Damn, raccoon-like old man···!”

“Probably the limbs will not be usable again. Thank you so much for letting your guard down.”

Rudel raised his body while staggering.

In his left hand one small dagger was gripped.

At least the fact that he consumed all strength did not seem a lie.

“I acknowledge your wit··· cough, but what divides victory and defeat in the end is experience.”

“······!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll send your friends following soon too···.”

Rudel approached while limping.

It seemed he intended to end it with his own hand.

It was the moment he who stopped in front of Bran raised the dagger.

“I also agree with that.”

Suddenly Bran opened his mouth.

At the clear voice unlike earlier Rudel flinched.

“In the end the important thing is how cunning you are.”

“···What?”

Rudel’s eyes narrowed.

Somehow the area of the frost covering the body seemed to have decreased more than earlier.

“Guy. What trick are you···!”

Just as he who felt something was wrong was about to thrust the dagger urgently.

Kicking the ground and raising his body Bran raised the sword diagonally and cut.

Slaaash!

Rudel’s arm gripping the dagger surged into the air while spraying blood.

“Kraaaak!”

A desperate scream burst out.

The rotating arm fell to the floor.

Almost no frost remained on Bran’s body.

Even the remaining chill was disappearing at a fast speed.

Crunch!

Rudel who was kicked by Bran collided with the instrument panel of the central control device.

“Kuek!”

Gripping the arm where blood was gushing he shouted as if screaming.

“Huff. H-how?!”

“I also have a secret I didn’t tell you.”

He roughly expected there would be a trap.

The biggest reason Rudel is called Rudel is because of that unique cunning personality.

Nevertheless Bran had the conviction that he could enter.

Translucent notification windows were rising one after another before his eyes.

『Heart of Harmeno activates! Recovery ability greatly increases while standing on the ground!』

『You overcame frostbite that surpassed the body’s limit! Weed’s Tenacity activates!』

『The growth speed of resistance to cold damage greatly increases!』

Because here was not the air like earlier but underground.

As long as the feet are touching the ground if not instant death he could endure.

And, the magic of the dying Rudel cannot instantly kill Bran who twisted his entire body and raised defense.

“If I can’t even endure this kind of attack there is no reward for that damn hardship.”

This is the synergy of the physical build and super regeneration.

In a specific aspect it was an iron fortress of steadily accumulated stats that surpasses Rudel’s ice barrier.

From the mouth of the enraged Rudel a roar burst out.

“H-how dare you toy with me!”

He raised the remaining one arm but the chill did not manifest.

Only residual smoke that would remain when blowing a candle scattered in the air.

Bran’s longsword raised high fell like lightning.

Slaaaaaash!

The vertical line drawn from above to below simultaneously cut Rudel and the instrument panel below him in half.

『You defeated Rudel Asberg the lower executive of the Abyss!』