Tower of Truth, 29th floor.
The objective of this floor was simple: defend a stronghold.
This was similar to scenarios Mike had played in other RPGs, like defending the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj in “World of Warcraft” or holding the line at Helm’s Deep in a “Lord of the Rings” game.
As for the difficulty, it was, of course, amplified a thousandfold.
If that was all, it wouldn’t be a big problem.
However, as a team instance, one of the conquest requirements was:
In addition to keeping the stronghold intact, all team members must survive.
Afterskin, with no talent and plagued by misfortune, couldn’t conquer this floor even with the protection of three SS-level talent Supreme Being seeds.
Among the first generation of rising powerhouses, Afterskin was originally an incredibly dazzling new star.
One Afterskin was worth ten Calderons on the battlefield.
No matter how strong Calderon was, he still had to charge into battle, and two fists were no match for ten.
Afterskin, in a way, was already a weapon of causality.
Every time on a heated battlefield, when human powerhouses quickly retreated and deployed Afterskin, it would have unexpected effects.
No one knew exactly what happened, but in the end, only Afterskin would return alive.
That was enough.
This tactic had never failed, and it had even killed a demon lord!
However, Afterskin was stuck on the 29th floor, unable to progress, and could only watch his limited lifespan dwindle.
In the end, he was even forced into cryogenic sleep, slumbering for over two hundred years.
It wasn’t until Thor’s emergence that Afterskin was scheduled for thawing.
As soon as Thor cleared the 28th floor, he was awakened, ready to stick close to Thor and conquer the 29th floor together.
Upon entering the 29th floor, Mike didn’t waste any time and immediately started trying to exploit loopholes.
Mike called out softly, “Jeremy!”
“I’m here…”
Jeremy appeared before the three of them reluctantly.
Jeremy didn’t react much to seeing Ace.
But when he saw Afterskin, he was so scared that he hid behind Mike.
“He’s here! The unluckiest person in the Tower of Truth for the past three hundred years!”
Afterskin smiled, already accustomed to the NPCs’ attitude towards him, not even bothering
to retort.
After entering the 29th floor, Ace’s attitude also became more serious, no longer as carefree as before.
Ace glanced at Afterskin coldly.
“Keep your jinx mouth shut during the challenge.”
Jinx mouth?
Mike looked at Afterskin, curious.
Afterskin explained, “Sometimes, the good things I say backfire, and the bad things I say come true. It’s not 100%, Morpheus checked it out back then and said it was nothing to worry about.”
As soon as he finished saying “nothing to worry about,” Afterskin suddenly started coughing violently.
He covered his mouth with his right hand, but bright red blood seeped out from between his fingers.
When the coughing subsided a little, Afterskin wiped the blood with a white handkerchief and said with a bitter smile, “It’s okay… I can still live for another four hours.”
Mike didn’t speak, but his gaze fell on the bloodstained handkerchief.
“Vladimir.”
Seeing the handkerchief in Afterskin’s hand, Vladimir’s heart skipped a beat. What task was his master going to assign him now?
“Go, take this.”
Mike instructed, “Dilute it when you get back and give it to Dracula to nourish his body.” Vladimir shuddered and reluctantly stepped forward, taking the handkerchief.
He even felt a bit of schadenfreude in his heart. Haha, unlucky Dracula!
“If it works well, we can make it into a secret weapon against the blood clan in the future.” After dealing with this little interlude, Mike had a new understanding of Afterskin’s abilities. He had just said “nothing to worry about,” and then he coughed up half his life’s blood. “You better talk less.”
Taking Jeremy with them, they arrived at the stronghold they were supposed to defend.
Mike didn’t rush to activate the stronghold. Instead, he looked at Jeremy. “Are there any loopholes we can exploit on this floor?”
Were they being this straightforward now?
Mike felt that people should be more sincere and less scheming.
“I…”
Jeremy stammered, “I can give you three maps showing the movements of all the monsters.”
This was all he could do within his authority.
Anything more was beyond his power.
“Thank you, you’ve repaid one favor.”
Mike was meticulous with his accounting. “You still owe me nine favors, and a life debt.”
Jeremy: ???
After receiving the maps, each of them took one.
The stronghold they were guarding was under attack from two sides, with monsters spawning from different locations.
Some monsters even had abilities like invisibility and stealth to sneak attack the stronghold. With the maps, the three of them wouldn’t be too passive in defending the stronghold. While leaving someone to guard their base, they could also take the initiative and eliminate the monsters in advance.
If this were a solo instance for Mike, he probably wouldn’t bother defending and would just camp at the monster spawn points.
If he killed all the enemies beforehand, the stronghold wouldn’t be threatened at all!
The best defense was a good offense!
“Generally speaking, the monsters at the beginning won’t be too difficult.”
Afterskin was already sitting in a wheelchair, no one knew when he had gotten it.
“When I challenged this floor with others before, the early stages were quite smooth. It was only in the later stages that we were overwhelmed by powerful monsters and ultimately
failed.”
He recalled, “The longest we lasted was until the last wave of monsters. That boss… was too strong, even if my talent worked, I wouldn’t have been a match for it.”
As Afterskin reminisced, the maps in their hands changed simultaneously.
“Hey, is your map broken?”
“How could a Tower Spirit like me give you a broken map?”
Ace pointed at a large ink blot that had appeared on the map to the south, completely
obscuring the surrounding terrain, as if ink had been spilled on it.
“Why is there such a large ink stain?”
After glancing at the map, Jeremy squatted on the ground, buried his head, and said
tremblingly, “That’s not an ink stain.”
“That’s the aura of the bad guy who escaped from the 28th floor. How did he end up hiding
here?!”
“We’re doomed, we’re going to die this time…”
The power of the Supreme Demon God that had escaped from the 28th floor had split into two.
Most of it remained on the 28th floor and was killed by Mike and Ares yesterday.
A small portion had escaped to the 29th floor, waiting for an opportunity. With the arrival of Mike and Afterskin, the potential Supreme Being and the follower of the
God of Misfortune, the Supreme Demon God’s residual power was awakened.
Afterskin and Ace’s faces darkened simultaneously.
Ace glared at Afterskin and said fiercely, “Stay the hell away from me after this challenge!”
Afterskin was also helpless.
“You think I like teaming up with people?!”
Who would have thought that in this challenge, Afterskin would attract demon creatures
tainted by the Supreme Demon God’s aura in the very first wave?
Both of them had extraordinary vision and immediately recognized that the source of the ink
blot was extremely powerful.
The main body was at least level 995 or above!
Although only a trace of its aura remained here, it was still very troublesome.
A formidable enemy was coming!
The only one who remained calm was Mike.
He wasn’t panicking at all, he even felt like laughing.
Mike patted Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here!”
Mike said confidently, “It’s just a little Supreme Demon God, we can handle him!”
A reassuring prompt popped up before Mike’s eyes.
[A measly incomplete projection of the Supreme Demon God (level 600) is acting all high and
mighty, trying to bully Thor? Not on my watch!]
…
Due to the interference of the Supreme Demon God’s aura, the three of them had to revise
their conquest strategy.
Spreading out the map, they gathered in a circle.
Mike pointed at the stronghold on the map and said, “The original plan was for me and
Afterskin to stay and defend the stronghold, while Ace took the initiative to attack. This would ensure that nothing went wrong.”
Ace’s strength, at the level 300 range, excluding Thor, was undoubtedly top-notch.
Moreover, Ace had a little bug working in his favor.
Even though he had split from old Calderon, Ace possessed the new talent [I Want to Be the
First].
The current Ace could still activate [Near-Death Power Up] through Little Nine.
In other words, he had two talents simultaneously, and he wouldn’t die no matter how
recklessly he acted.
Mike glanced at Afterskin and said helplessly, “Now there’s been a slight mishap. The Supreme Demon God’s aura has begun to awaken, and it’s best to deal with it in advance. We can’t rely on Ace for this. This is no ordinary demon god, I have to handle it myself!”
Supreme Demon God?!
After Thor uttered these three words, everyone present tensed up.
They had thought it was an ordinary demon god, but it turned out to be the final boss.
Even though it was just a trace of aura, an incomplete projection, it was definitely not to be
underestimated!
Afterskin’s face darkened, and he said, “Let’s retreat. Thor’s safety is paramount. We can give
up on this challenge.”
Ace hesitated to speak, not saying anything more.
He knew about Afterskin’s condition.
Although he was currently sitting in a wheelchair, gasping for breath, in a few hours,
Afterskin would be ready to be buried.
This guy, back on the battlefield, had been forced into a desperate situation and made a
gamble with a deity, exchanging something for power.
As a price, if he couldn’t clear the 29th floor within a limited number of attempts, Afterskin
would not only die, but his soul would also belong to the corresponding deity.
The reason Ace knew these inside stories was that old Calderon had once done something.
As everyone knew, Calderon was a very ‘unreasonable’ person.
After becoming an Ultimate Lord, the level 995 Calderon fully utilized his excellent tradition
of bullying the weak, fearing the strong.
Calderon had searched for the deity who had made the gamble with Afterskin in the temple,
intending to beat them to death.
Even if he couldn’t kill them, he would make them voluntarily cancel the deal they had made
back then.
This was very much in line with Calderon’s style. But Calderon ultimately failed.
This challenge was Afterskin’s last chance.
If Afterskin chose to quit now, the moment he left the Tower of Truth, a deity would descend
and take his soul according to the rules.
Actually, Afterskin’s choice was easy to understand.
He was an old-generation powerhouse who had experienced the Blood War and knew far
more secrets than Mike.
Afterskin understood the significance of a Supreme Being to the human race better than Thor.
The human race had been walking a tightrope. One wrong step, and it would be game over.
If Thor were to fall here because of Afterskin, all their previous efforts would be in vain. Afterskin wanted to leave, Ace didn’t object, but Thor clearly had a different opinion. Because Thor was the leader, it was up to him to decide whether to stay or go.
Before Thor could retort, Jeremy timidly spoke up. “Um…”
He sensed the tension in the air and was a little scared.
“We can’t leave now.”
“That bad guy got smarter, he sealed the 29th floor first, and then he appeared.”
Now, even if they didn’t want to get involved in this mess, they had no choice. Afterskin, however, scoffed at Jeremy’s words.
“I have a way to get Thor out alive. It’s no big deal if Ace dies.”
“Alright, stop arguing.”
Mike rolled his eyes and interrupted Afterskin.
“Don’t overthink it, I won’t let anyone die here.”
Ace nodded in agreement.
“I can attest to that. This guy might be a bit greedy, but he’s very responsible when facing
danger.” Ignoring Ace, Mike spoke again. “I have a way to deal with the Supreme Demon God, and I don’t even need to use all my trump cards.”
Pointing at the ink blot on the map, Mike continued, “The problem now is that I need to go
and purify the contamination brought by the Supreme Demon God. Ace will guard the
stronghold, what about you?”
Afterskin thought for a moment and suggested, “Stay here?”
Ace nodded in agreement. “Sure, if your talent can guarantee that you won’t die.”
Due to his gamble with the deity, Afterskin was the biggest aggro magnet on this floor, even more so than the stronghold in front of them.
Wherever Afterskin went, monsters would follow.
“Alright, I understand.”
Afterskin helplessly raised his hands, agreeing to their plan.
“I’ll go with Thor and meet this Supreme Demon God, happy?”
“Happy.”
After reaching a consensus, the three of them had clear roles.
Ace would guard the stronghold alone, a piece of cake.
“Go, push the wheelchair.”
Under Mike’s arrangement, Vladimir commanded Poseidon’s Decoy to push Afterskin’s
wheelchair.
Layers upon layers of protection.
Afterskin explained with a hint of embarrassment, “This… is a smart wheelchair, it can even
fly.”
Mike waved his hand.
“It’s okay, pushing it feels more immersive.”
He wanted to see if, through a Decoy, Vladimir would become even unluckier because of
Afterskin.
The two of them, plus a vampire, set off after confirming their direction.
Along the way, Mike encountered many monsters charging towards them. The monsters on this floor weren’t particularly strong on their own, but after being contaminated by the Supreme Demon God’s aura, their strength had doubled!
Monsters that were originally over level 300 now generally possessed the strength of level 500 or 600!
And these were just the small fry!
Of course, in front of Mike, they were no different from level 1 rats.
“Rumble-”
Thunder and lightning followed them all the way, and monsters dropped dead one after
another. Afterskin, sitting in his wheelchair, couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected of a potential Supreme Being, your lightning power is the strongest I’ve ever seen!” Vladimir, who was on guard beside them, also fell silent, not saying a word.
After spending so much time with Thor, he often felt frustrated because of Thor’s harshness
towards him.
It was easy to subconsciously overlook one thing:
When it came to fighting, Thor’s strength was absolutely overwhelming!
Under the siege of so many demon creatures, Mike strolled leisurely, handling them with
ease.
Even Vladimir or Ace wouldn’t be able to do the same.
Suddenly, a Thunderclap Strike descended from the sky, striking Vladimir squarely,
electrocuting him to a crisp!
“Sorry, sorry, I don’t know what happened, it went astray!”
Mike really didn’t expect this Thunderclap Strike to ricochet and hit Vladimir!
It instantly killed him!
Vladimir had many lives, it was no big deal.
Afterskin shook his head with a wry smile.
“It’s not your fault.”
Clearly, the bad luck of being struck by lightning was transferred from Afterskin to Vladimir.
While Vladimir was still waiting to revive, Afterskin spoke again.
“Thor, do you know about the Supreme Mark?” Mike raised his eyebrows slightly. “I know a little, but not much.”
Mike didn’t say much about the Supreme Mark, but waited quietly for Afterskin to continue.
Afterskin hesitated for a moment and asked, “You… know Shadow Nine, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you should also know Shadow Nine’s true identity.” Afterskin’s expression dimmed, but he quickly recovered and looked at Mike.
“After you become a true Supreme Being, if you give the Supreme Mark to Shadow Nine, he
has a way to resurrect people in the Guardian Shadow, even Nathan.”
Mike frowned, displeased. “What’s the price?”
Let Shadow Nine die?
This price was obviously unacceptable to Mike.
“Price?”
Afterskin was taken aback, as if he didn’t understand what Mike meant.
“If Nathan comes back to life, Shadow Nine won’t die. If Nathan can’t be resurrected, Shadow
Nine definitely won’t die either.”
Huh?
Mike’s mind was a little confused.
What Afterskin was saying was different from what Apollo had said!
A new prompt popped up before Mike’s eyes:
[Don’t listen to what they say, see for yourself.]
[When your talent awakens nine times, the Eye of Truth will become a true all-seeing eye!
Nothing in this world will be a secret to you.]