“And collecting the keys is that impossible task?”

“That’s right.”

The answer came without hesitation.

I clicked my tongue and hurried my steps.

“But why are you helping me? I have nothing to give you. I’m out of money. All I have now is this wretched body.”

“I don’t expect anything in return.”

Her small, silver-haired-covered shoulders trembled.

“Don’t have any misconceptions. It’s just that the mission turned out this way.”

“Anyway… thank you.”

“Keep moving.”

I glanced back briefly.

Jenna and Eolka were muttering to each other and giggling as they looked at us.

“Just as expected, huh?”

“Yeah, I think so too. It’s like a painting. The empire’s princess and…”

“The bodyguard protecting her! Haha, it’s like something I read in a book turned into reality…”

“What’s so funny? Include me in your conversation.”

I put my face between the two of them.

“Huh? Just a moment ago, you were in front… owowow”

Eolka’s cheeks stretched.

“I hate misunderstandings the most. Remember that.”

“Oh, no! You can say things like that! Why are you singling me out? Jenna is…”

Jenna had already distanced herself and was whistling.

“…”

Another 30 minutes passed.

[Stage Clear!]

[‘Han (★★★)’, ‘Jenna (★★★)’, ‘Eolka (★★★)’ leveled up!]

[Reward – 50,000G, Desert Lizard’s Scales (B) x 2]

[MVP – ‘Han (★★★)’]

The 27th floor was also cleared without any issues.

Light emanated from our bodies. It was the signal for our return.

Priasis looked back.

“Han, is it on the next floor?”

“It might not be. We’re not the only ones here.”

Our vision was covered in light.

We returned to the waiting room. When I looked up, white light was crisscrossing the sky.

‘They won’t send only one party.’

You cannot successfully complete a mission if you only focus on one party.

During the 20th-floor subjugation battle, the entire assault force was in danger of being wiped out due to another party’s mistake. Anytng would have carefully observed that. If he didn’t learn any lessons from this, he would be a fool.

The next evening,

[Third party, prepare for the mission! Assemble on the 1st floor!]

Iselle’s booming voice echoed throughout the waiting room.

This time, the third party took part in the expedition. The goal was, of course, advancing up the Tower. Kishasha and her group, who would lead Priasis instead of us, could be seen leaving through the door outside the training grounds.

‘Her personality may be strange, but she’ll do well.’

At least Kishasha knew how to distinguish between what to do and what not to do.

We could put our worries aside. We had our own tasks.

“One more, senior.”

Inside the training grounds,

Velkist had a determined look in his eyes.

“Don’t hold back. Go.”

I closed the training grounds door and headed towards the sparring area.

Velkist, after reaching the lower-level weapon skill level 10, was relentlessly training day and night. He had realized the presence of a massive wall.

‘The sparring with Ridgion was quite valuable.’

The effects seemed to be greater than expected.

I too could now somewhat share my knowledge with Velkist. I had no intention of giving any boring lectures about realms and hearts, but the way I helped remained the same. Hit, crash, and destroy.

It was just that my movements had changed.

Velkist became stronger day by day.

‘The Warrior job advancement is also complete.’

During my visit to Niflheimr, the job advancement facilities had been prepared.

The facility level was still low, so we could only advance to the three basic jobs. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a bad choice. Velkist was already a 3-star Warrior, and Neryssa was a 3-star Rogue.

On that morning, I heard the news that the 28th floor had been cleared.

The next day.

We were not the ones to conquer the 29th floor either.

This time, it was the second mission. Two veterans and three rookies participated. The rookies went out with nervous expressions and returned with defeated faces.

Anyway,

With this, we had completed the conquest up to the 29th floor.

Next was the boss stage on the 30th floor. It was expected to be a challenging mission since the 25th floor had been relatively easy. However, Anytng didn’t send us straight into battle.

All fifteen of us on the 3rd floor, including me, hadn’t reached the appropriate level yet.

There was a grind waiting for us.

“The 28th floor.”

The other floor levels were linked to quests, so we couldn’t retry them.

Anytng took turns sending us to the 28th floor. The mission was to annihilate the Lizardmen tribe located on the other side of a desert hill.

Priasis didn’t show up, and we gained experience by sweeping away the Lizardmen. Up to level 30. In that battle, I was able to raise the Intermediate Weapon Skill to level 2.

Anytng had diligently prepared for other aspects of the conquest.

First and foremost, he had nurtured the two preparatory parties on the 2nd floor: the 4th party and the 5th party. Since the 25th floor had a small-scale mission, the chances of a large-scale mission on the 30th floor were high. Anytng had trained them while synthesizing others from the 1st floor.

‘Come to think of it…’

From what I heard from Edis, there was an incident where several members of the 1st floor conspired to steal supplies from the weekly dungeon. The main items were meat and fruits. Instead of putting the loot into the dimensional portal, they put them in their pockets. Naturally, they were caught.

Half of them had been immediately synthesized, and the other half were trapped in an isolated place, awaiting disposal. Suddenly, I recalled the incident from when I left the 20th floor. The trash that had surrounded me, and silently threatened me.

‘Is it them?’

It wasn’t something I should concern myself with.

Anyway, this waiting room also had more than a hundred Heroes. Now it was time to move on to the next phase, with a slightly more advanced method.

‘First, we need to break through the 30th floor.’

I leaned back in my chair.

It was late evening, and the lantern on the desk was emitting a yellowish light.

“…”

A tingling sensation brushed through my chest.

The feeling that had always come before preparing for the boss stage. It was a unique, sharp sense that signaled danger.

‘A week at most.’

My current level was 29.

The preparations for the conquest would be completed soon.

Anytng wouldn’t hesitate.

‘It’s a foolish thing when you think about it.’

I chuckled lightly.

I had chosen Townia. I had taken the thorny path instead of the easy one.

I don’t regret it, but there will always be hardships ahead.

The black ring on my left hand emitted a dark light.

I turned the ring to the left, and then,

A familiar voice gently tapped my ears. A soft voice that flowed like a gentle breeze. It was Yurner’s voice.

“I…”

The content wasn’t gentle though.