[Entering the 15th floor of the Mythical Tower: The City Swept by Calamity.]
"Whoa... ugh."
The name wasn't just for show.
The city was utterly devastated.
All that remained were shattered building ruins and heaps of charred ashes.
"Looks like a nuke went off."
"Is this what happens when a nuke hits?"
"Yeah. It wipes out everything in the area."
Kancho's eyes sparkled.
"Cool. I'll make one someday."
I'd meant to warn him about the brutal destruction, but his focus was elsewhere.
"What's this footprint?!"
I rushed over to Momo's shout.
A footprint bigger than most cars.
It was just like the one we'd seen in Frostheim last time.
No, this one seemed even larger?
Either way, it had to be from the black dragon Drakan.
"So this place got hit by Drakan."
Judging by the spread of the debris, it must've been a pretty big city.
To end up like this... it really drove home how dangerous Drakan was.
I glanced at the goblin Renya with a mix of awe and respect.
How do you even beat something like that until it runs scared?
"First off, I'll start a campfire!"
Momo must've been starving.
She dashed off to one side, stacking up firewood.
She was building it so huge, it looked like she planned to grill all the lobsters at once.
"Hmm."
Camella let out a low hum, staring at a spot.
Jinhyuk activated his spiritual sight and turned his gaze there.
Things that had been invisible started to appear.
Thousands of souls wandering around the city's outskirts.
Most of them glowed with a deep, murky red.
"They're full of resentment. Crushed by an unstoppable disaster."
"We should soothe them. Can't leave them drifting forever."
Camella smiled.
Our master really is kind-hearted.
"I agree. It's been a while since I did a ritual. I'll calm them with a appeasement rite and guide them with a passage rite. Hey, chubby."
Her voice wouldn't reach that far.
And Momo was busy grilling lobsters anyway.
Camella took a deep breath.
"Chubbyyy!"
I stared at Camella.
She'd started out with this calm, serene lake vibe, but she'd changed a lot since coming here.
Was it little devil Kancho's influence?
"Why are you calling?!"
At least it got through this time.
Momo jumped up, her face smudged with soot.
"Bring some lobsters over."
"But these are for me!"
"We don't need a lot. Just enough to set the table for the souls who met unjust ends."
"Okay!"
Momo bent down and scooped lobsters into a bundle.
She ran over and dumped them out in a pile.
"I said just a little."
"It's for the souls, so more is better! I can eat pork instead!"
Camella smiled and patted chubby's cheek.
Everyone here is so good-hearted.
On top of that, Momo pulled out heaps of fresh fruits and meats from her infinite storage.
When did she stock all this?
Before long, a lavish ritual table was set.
She's got skillful hands, that one.
Her table-setting skills are top-notch.
"What a splendid spread."
Camella smiled and waved her hand lightly.
Her outfit changed in an instant.
Flowing and ethereal, like a fairy's gown.
"Camella, you look amazing!"
Momo stared in awe, wide-eyed.
The scattered group started gathering one by one.
Ding!
The bell's sound echoed through the dark space.
Camella began dancing to the haunting resonance.
"Souls, let go of your anger. Find peace. Rage only consumes your spirit—calm yourselves."
She spoke to the souls in rhythm with the melody.
With spiritual sight, I could see it.
The souls were responding.
As the dance and echoes continued, the red aura slowly faded.
Soon, a pure white light settled in.
"I'll draw the path, so follow it. That will be your new resting place."
The wandering souls gathered together.
They swirled in a vortex above Camella's head.
"Strange energy."
The others seemed to sense it vaguely too.
No one told them, but they all looked up in the same direction.
"Master, what's it like up ahead?"
"It's breathtaking. Like thousands of stars swirling in a storm."
Seira smiled.
My words were clumsy, but she seemed to picture it anyway.
Ding!
[The wandering souls have found their path through the shaman's rite!]
[The souls flow along the way!]
"Wow."
It was a sight so beautiful, it drew a gasp.
This went on for a while.
Camella stopped dancing and tilted her head.
For some reason, one soul lingered, circling around.
"You have something to say. Go ahead."
The soul descended to the ground.
It shimmered, then took on a human shape.
[This is the soul of a warrior who fought the black dragon Drakan to the end!]
[The soul wishes to share its memories!]
I nodded, and a wave of light enveloped our group.
A peaceful afternoon under warm sunlight.
The calamity arrived without warning.
A massive shadow blanketed the sky.
The city plunged into chaos at breakneck speed.
As if waiting for it, the black dragon launched its attack.
"They fought back."
The city didn't go down cowering in fear.
Warriors, mages, and archers desperately held off Drakan to buy time for people to escape.
Watching the brutal battle, Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
We have to take that thing down?
Once again, I looked at Renya with respect.
"Something's off."
"Huh?"
"When I beat it, it wasn't that big."
It was already mountain-sized back then!?
Renya gestured toward the rampaging black dragon.
"Roughly this size, I think."
Not much difference.
Just a bit bigger now.
Must've been growing.
"So it wasn't fully grown yet."
"Heh!"
Renya's face turned cold in an instant.
"Did you just smirk at me?"
"You're sharp."
"Come outside."
"Gladly."
The two stepped away from the group.
Friendly competition is always good.
Friendly... right?
Jinhyuk shook his head and focused on the battle before him.
They wouldn't show this without a reason.
There had to be something.
He watched intently for a moment.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened.
If he wasn't mistaken, the black dragon had lost its balance for a split second.
"Seira, did you see that?"
"Looks like under the left wing. Need to watch more."
Only the two with motion detection could catch that fleeting flinch.
It happened again after that.
Whenever an attack targeted that spot, Drakan overreacted and shrank back.
Because of it, he got hit by strikes he could've easily dodged.
A thought flashed through his mind.
He turned around.
Dark and Renya were brawling, making a racket.
"Renya aaa!"
"You called."
Renya appeared nearby at the shout.
He strolled over casually, as if nothing happened.
"The spot where you pounded it until the scales came off. Is it around here?"
Renya stared for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, seems right. It wasn't working evenly, so I focused on under the wing, near the heart."
Could it be?
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin as the possibility dawned.
Renya, watching the fight, grinned as he realized something too.
"That dragon bastard can't regenerate his scales."
Now it made sense.
Why Drakan fled after fighting Renya, even though he wasn't fully disabled.
He'd judged it too risky.
Especially since the missing scales were right near his vital dragon heart.
"Nice, nice."
Jinhyuk smiled.
Found it.
The key to taking him down.
*
[You have cleared the 15th floor of the Mythical Tower!]
[Entry condition for the 16th floor of the Mythical Tower: Clear the 75th floor of the Tower of Despair]
The soul's memory ended, and the 15th floor cleared.
At first, I'd wondered why it brought us to this ruined city.
But we'd gained an unexpected jackpot.
And we'd sent the lost souls on their way, so it was a rewarding climb.
"Momo's hands are burning!!!"
Momo flung the steaming lobster away.
"I told you to let it cool before peeling."
"But I wanted to eat fast! The lobsters are vanishing like snow in summer!"
True enough.
Crunch crunch crunch crunch!!
Who knew they'd love lobster this much?
Seira, Dark, Elia—everyone was fixated on the lobsters.
Crack! Slurp! Crack! Slurp!
The goblin Renya's devouring speed was insane.
He wasn't peeling the shells—he was shattering them to suck out the meat.
A total shift from yesterday.
When Renya first saw the lobsters, he'd wrinkled his nose.
Called them gross and refused to eat.
That's when Jinhyuk shoved a big claw meat into his mouth.
From then on, Renya went on a lobster rampage.
'Taste hits different.'
I nodded, and then...
"Aaaah! My hands are roasting!"
Momo's scream rang out again.
She's so stubborn about gloves, saying they dull her grip.
At this rate, her hands would turn into barbecue.
"Momo. Open wide."
"Yeah!"
"Lobster incoming."
I'd already picked up the master's technique.
Shattered the shell of a fresh-off-the-fire lobster, pulled the meat, and popped it into Momo's mouth.
Munch munch munch!
The lobster vanished in seconds.
I swallowed dryly.
Vacuum cleaner-level suction.
I'd have to hustle to keep up.
Crack! Slurp! Crack!
"Waaah!"
Crack! Slurp! Crack!
"Waaah!"
It was like an assembly line.
The conveyor belt stopped only when we ran out of lobsters.
"So full!"
Momo flopped back, belly up to the sky.
She gave Jinhyuk a chubby thumbs-up.
Jinhyuk wiped sweat from his brow and returned the gesture.
It was tough, but worth it.
Good fight, lobsters.
He sprawled out.
Repetitive work is no joke.
Didn't do much, but body and mind felt drained.
From now on, lobsters only on the private jet—swear it.
Maybe a minute after lying down.
Swoosh.
Seira's face loomed into view.
In the frenzy of peeling lobsters, I'd forgotten.
Today's main event.
"Master."
"Mm."
"You warmed up already."
"Totally. Seira, lobster shell in your hair."
"Oh."
She quickly picked it off.
I seized the moment to rest as much as possible.
Seira came back and extended her hand.
"Ready mentally?"
"Absolutely."
I took her hand and stood.
Then drew my sword.
Time to move on.
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T/N:
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