“What should I write on the message board at the 80th square?” Mike pondered in front of the message board, considering how to boast appropriately.
[Thor: I came, I saw, I conquered.]
Still thrilling with his boast-and-dash approach, Mike quickly moved on to the 81st square.
[The miners here are not in good shape; provoking them could lead to a pointless fight.]
Inside the mine, a group of bedraggled miners were resting. Each bore injuries, their bandages darkened with grime, some missing limbs, others leaning on crutches. It was a grim sight.
As Mike entered the mine, he immediately caught the attention of the miners, many of whom looked at him warily. An older middle-aged man, clearly the leader of the group, stepped forward. Given the high casualty rate among miners, those who survived long enough often gained immense respect and naturally assumed leadership roles.
“Stranger, you’re not welcome here. Move forward or leave,” the leader said, echoing the sentiment of all the miners present.
“Relax, we’re friends with a common goal,” Mike responded, pulling out a hard hat. “I saved one of your companions, and he gave this to me as a gift.”
“How do we know you didn’t kill him and take his mining hat?” a young miner blurted out impulsively, his youthful face marking him as the youngest there.
The leader turned and roared at the young miner, “Shut your mouth, you little brat! Speak out of turn again, and I’ll smash that mouth of yours—I swear I will! Damn it!”
In the depths of the mine, there were no weaklings. Unnecessarily offending these men was not something the leader wanted to see. If this unnecessary conflict could be resolved, all the better.
“Sorry, as you can see, our people are a bit on edge. We all don’t want anything bad to happen, right?” the leader said, while the others behind him gripped their weapons tighter.
Ignoring the tension, Mike continued, “The miner I saved also told me about the marks you would leave. I followed them here.”
As Mike explained the meaning of the marks, the miners relaxed, as if an invisible alarm had been deactivated.
“You’ve proven your friendship with the miners, and I apologize for the earlier hostility. I hope you understand, given that anything can happen here,” the leader said, and after a few more exchanges with Mike, it was revealed that their group had started with over a thousand people. By now, most were either dead or too injured to continue.
Hearing this, Mike generously offered, “I’ll leave the same marks as I move forward. If you rest up, you can follow.”
“Your kindness is like that of Mother Earth caring for her children. I can’t express how grateful I am,” the leader said, hesitating before adding, “It might be too much to ask, but… do you have any water?”
“Yes, let me see. I still have about 10 gallons of water. How much do you need?”
At the mention of water, a hopeful glow appeared on all the miners’ faces.
“We have 32 people here. If you could spare just 32 drops of water…”
The leader looked embarrassed as he pulled out a bag of ore, the most valuable thing he could offer in exchange.
“As a trade, this is the essence we’ve mined. We’ve discarded most of the ore and kept only the most valuable part.”
“Deal!” Mike agreed quickly to exchange 32 drops of water for a bag of valuable ore. As he took the ore, he was surprised by its weight—a sign of its quality.
After parting with the miners, Mike continued on his way. Under the leader’s direction, each miner received a drop of water. As soon as they had the water, they drank eagerly.
Miraculously, a miner tore off his bandage, tears in his eyes, “I can see again!”
Someone on a stretcher exclaimed, “I can feel my body! Damn, it hurts, someone knock me out.”
“My arm, my arm!” a young man with a severed arm watched in disbelief as his limb regenerated, dancing with joy. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Similar recoveries happened all around. Everyone’s injuries healed rapidly, as if by a miracle—all thanks to the thirty-two drops of water Mike left behind.
Tears welled up in the leader’s eyes as he choked out, “The rumors are true! Water, the source of life!”
…
Tower of Truth, third level, 90th square.
After experiencing the electrifying embrace of Mike’s Thunderclap Strike, the boss was so moved that he decided to give a standing ovation — by turning himself into a pile of ash right at Mike’s feet.
“Time for another fun message,” Mike mused as he approached the message board.
Very few who reach a 90% Exploration Rate. Many S and SS-tier talents get stuck at boss levels, ending their runs with regret.
Not everyone leaves a message. For instance, the third supreme being—[Apollo]. Mike had heard that humanity had three supreme beings: [Morpheus], [Ares], and [Apollo], each with their own roles. [Morpheus] stayed on Earth, [Ares] fought in the Abyssal Plane, and [Apollo] guarded and attempted to clear the Tower of Truth. This information was openly available, known even to ten-year-olds on Earth.
Yet, Apollo was the most mysterious, with the least information available. Mike had passed eight message boards and seen no sign of Apollo.
“This one… also no message from Apollo.”
Mike opened the message board,
[Morpheus: 100% Exploration Rate, so plain and boring!]
[Ares: You haven’t achieved a 100% exploration clearance. Remember my name, I was the first!]
[Maxen Stoneheart: I’m so strong! I made it to the 90th square!]
[…]
Seeing a message from someone like Maxen Stoneheart among the supreme beings felt out of place, like seeing a snotty child in diapers at a professional NBA game.
At this point, boasting on the message board seemed less significant, but Mike didn’t want to miss any opportunity to… cough… leave something for posterity.
[Thor: Next, witness a miracle!]
Closing the message board, Mike checked the time.
“1:01. With this pace, after I clear this, I can head straight to the seventh level!”
Levels three through six are interconnected; achieving a 100% Exploration Rate on the third level allows skipping directly to the seventh.
Guided by the Eye of Truth, Mike avoided lethal traps and negative buffs, progressing smoothly. The final ten squares weren’t as challenging as he expected; the difficulty didn’t spike exponentially but was surprisingly mild.
“Just ahead is the 100th square!”
[Exploration Rate: 98%]
Seeing the prompt, Mike frowned, realizing things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
“There are 100 squares in total, each advance adds 1% to the Exploration Rate.
That means at the 100th square, the Exploration Rate isn’t 100%, but 99%!”
Like lightning illuminating the night, Mike grasped the truth.
“When I entered this level, the Eye of Truth hinted at it.
To achieve a 100% Exploration Rate, reach 99% and then add 1%—that’s what it meant!”
Eye of Truth: [Yes, that’s exactly what I meant!]
Mike looked ahead at the dark entrance, ominous and foreboding.
The final step!
The 100th square, Exploration Rate at 99%!
