Arthur let out a sigh, massaging his forehead as he attempted to process the events that had unfolded before his eyes. Wariness remained in his eyes. [Mana Sense] spread across a vast area, searching for signs of Umbral’s return.
But there were none.
After spouting incomprehensible words, the child had “merely” established a rift within space itself, using it to escape the Second Floor without experiencing the penalty of death. No one had ever done that before.
Were the Guardians even capable of escaping the laws of the tower, such as Umbral had accomplished?
Arthur wasn’t certain.
Space was a complex and intricate web of lies and truths. Not a single person he knew had comprehended space to such a high degree, although some did have inherent skills relating to the subject.
None could compare to the one Umbral had used. Destroying space itself and linking it to another location that isn’t the Void. It was utterly stupefying.
‘That means he isn’t dead,’ thought the crimson-eyed man, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. ‘He’ll come for revenge eventually… I just have to continue getting stronger, and somehow… uh, learn to combat space itself?’
Arthur was skeptical, but he couldn’t lose hope. He glanced at Eleanor, who seemed to have had the same reaction as him to the situation. The two were silent, gazing in the general direction in which Umbral had disappeared.
“What’s the split now?” Eleanor inquired, letting out a sigh while narrowing her eyes.
“What we previously agreed on,” replied the crimson-eyed man, refusing to allow his effort to go to waste. He needed to achieve first place, and would not settle for anything below that. Also, only one person could monopolize the floor, making it increasingly difficult to settle for an equal split.
However, Eleanor couldn’t agree. Receiving such a low score was practically akin to failing the Trial. How could she maintain her dignity if a mere nobody was capable of monopolizing the rewards for the trial she competed in?
Noticing her troubled gaze, Arthur allowed a mocking smile to blossom on his face. “What’re you thinking about?”
At that moment, Arthur released a burst of Sun Energy while simultaneously activating [Searing Gaze]. He was not certain of being able to defeat Eleanor if they truly fought, but his trait and Blessing were hopefully enough to scare her.
And that they were.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes, stepping back in wariness. Although the gap between her and Arthur felt less vast, she was still drowning in uncertainty. The danger had already subsided… There was no point in fighting yet again.
“All right,” said the red-haired woman, allowing the crimson-eyed man to reap the rewards of their efforts.
Arthur walked over to the corpses of the zombies, retrieving every single flag. Arthur had one flag that belonged to himself. With 48 other flags from his own team–excluding that of Eleanor and himself, he was left with 49 in total.
Then, with 49 flags from the other team–excluding that of Umbral–he was left with 98 flags in total.
[Counting of flags has concluded.]
[Rankings are being displayed.]
[1. Arthur Solace: 98 points]
[2. Eleanor: 1 point]
[3. ######: Null]
[Arthur Solace has achieved the impossible yet again.]
[Unique rewards are being allotted.]
[User has received 30,000 Tokens, Aries Token, Unification Technique..]
[User has completed all possible trials.]
[User will be forcefully ejected into the Residential Area of the Second Floor.]
[Processing Ejection.]
[98%… 99%…]
A warm light enveloped Arthur’s body, after which his body disintegrated into specks of light. The world of the Second Floor crumbled after he and Eleanor vanished, being enveloped by the darkness of the Abyss.
*
A translucent, blue window appeared before all players residing within the tower. News of Arthur’s heaven-shattering achievement spread within seconds, bringing his name to glory in the eyes of the public.
His reputation soared, and many clans considered recruiting him. However, they were unable to locate the enigma. It was as if he’d disappeared, similar to how he did after conquering the First Floor.
*
On the outskirts of the Residential Area of the Second floor, within the lush forests of Jangu, a crimson-eyed man sat in a cottage he’d built himself. At the moment, it was the best place to be to prevent being caught.
With no plans of being recruited by any of the major forces, Arthur planned on establishing his own force. However, in order to make it public, he needed to be at least an Elite Ranker, so that other players would consider him an actual leader.
At the moment, he was merely a snotty player with above-average capabilities.
‘I can imagine the thoughts of the clans who wish to recruit me,’ thought the crimson-eyed man, smiling. ‘They probably think I’m an innocent, naive teenager. They probably see me as a novelty-seeking, impulsive, rising star.’
‘Someone that is akin to a blank slate.’
‘Something they can control.’
Arthur lay on a bed of hay, something he’d eventually grown accustomed to. No longer did he require the luxuries of a lavish lifestyle to find comfort. Feeling the hay beneath his back, Arthur couldn’t help but recall the moment he’d regressed.
‘I can’t get distracted. Let’s check out the rewards.’
Arthur pushed himself up, retrieving the rewards. The tokens were quite handy, but definitely not a necessity. He had received an Aries Token from this floor, and an Aquarius Token from the previous one.
‘You can receive this by achieving first place in the first thirteen floors,’ thought the crimson-eyed man. That was the reason for his stubbornness.
The last reward was the Unification Technique. As Arthur glanced at the system message, he clicked on a certain button. Immediately, a flood of information invaded his mind, causing a searing pain to arise.
Arthur shut his eyes, massaging his temples so as to alleviate the pain–even by a little–but to no avail.
However, the pain did not last long, as within seconds, Arthur regained his composure. The flood of information subsided, and a smile blossomed on Arthur’s face. The Unification Technique was a massive boon. ．
Considering the sheer amount of information stuffed within Arthur’s mind, the technique was incredibly broad, with several uses–perhaps in the future. However, for now, there was only a single ability linked to the technique…
The Unification of Body and Mind.