54. Tower of Infinity (2)
They entered the tower.
Their vision returned to normal.
Han. And Muahmuah.
They were in the middle of a snowy mountain.
But there was one fact more surprising than that.
“…Where did everyone go?”
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Muahmuah looked around in confusion.
There was no one around.
Only Han’s golem and Muahmuah were there.
Everyone had disappeared.
[It seems that this floor is designed to scatter the members of the party from the very beginning.]
“W-what?”
Han asked in confusion.
“Why didn’t you tell us beforehand?”
[All towers created by each race’s god have their values randomly determined. My hint is of no use in conquering dungeons.]
…Damn.
So, does that mean the system is practically of no help at all?
It was the worst start.
[Rumble!]
Boom!
At that moment, Muahmuah transformed into a huge dragon with a bright light.
With powerful flaps, the dragon soared high.
However, it soon seemed to hit something in the air, unable to go any higher and had to come down.
Muahmuah, back to its original form, muttered in a disappointed voice.
“Hmm… It seems there’s an invisible barrier. The transparent ceiling is blocking me from flying.”
It appeared that even the sky was just a mere decoration.
There was an invisible transparent ceiling.
“Wait. So, what does that mean?”
Something didn’t feel right.
It was a moment when Han tried to take in everything around him by narrowing his field of vision.
Beep!
In an instant, a sharp warning rang out, and an alarm popped up.
[Warning! Abnormal operation detected!]
[In this dungeon, the vision of the racial god is limited to their summon, or nearby individuals!]
[Beyond that range cannot be observed!]
“This, this exists?”
[In the dungeon, the vision of the racial god is greatly limited. Acquiring information through a wide field of vision is highly advantageous.]
“…Damn.”
This meant that as a Hanlim god, he couldn’t fully utilize his advantage.
In the end, the only ability at the moment seemed to be strengthening power by controlling the golem.
“Could it be that even the god cannot see the surroundings?”
“…Sorry, Muahmuah.”
Han had to shake his head at Muah’s words.
This time, too, he couldn’t offer much help.
“For now, meeting everyone should be the priority.”
It seemed like the system wouldn’t be of much help here.
Still, Han’s thoughts were somewhat intrigued.
[However, I can provide some guidance.]
“Guidance?”
[Generally, the lower levels of the tower tend to have lower dungeon generation values. It’s not always the case, but Muahmuah’s recent behavior likely indicates that.]
It was a sound that Han didn’t fully understand.
Upon Han’s request for a simpler explanation, the system explained.
[To put it simply, while it may appear to be a very wide environment on the surface, it could actually be a much smaller, limited dungeon than it seems.]
Yes, the system’s words made sense.
Come to think of it, that was true.
Looking back, even the first floor of the previous tower was like that.
Its structure was simply long in length, relatively simple, and small in scale.
So, there was a high possibility that this floor would be similar.
It made sense.
[In such dungeons, simply moving steadily in one direction can yield sufficient exploration results.]
“Okay. That’s what it means.”
Stay calm.
There was a need to think rationally.
Even Han and Sion. They would probably be fine.
They were individuals prepared to face threats on their own.
If it was an overwhelming threat, instead of recklessly confronting it, they would likely wait for the group to join forces.
I would be able to make a wise judgment.
What worried him more was Yumina’s side.
“Yumina has never been to the tower before. Yumina is the one we need to find first.”
Yumina would have thought she would be with the group for sure.
Right now, the one who would have been more flustered in this situation was him.
He had to hurry as much as possible.
Before facing the danger, he had to find and join them first.
“It’s moving, Kim Han.”
Swish.
With determination, Han called out to Yi.
He raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction.
“Hmm?”
Muamua, who didn’t understand the meaning.
The girl, who had been lost in thought with her head tilted for a moment, seemed to nod in understanding with a sigh.
“Ah. It means we should go there.”
Exactly.
Earth Golem and Muamua immediately started heading towards the dense forest.
—
Awooo-
Fierce snowfall on the rough snowy mountains.
Beyond that, occasionally, through the sound of the fierce wind, indiscernible sounds of howling could be heard.
It’s not a good feeling.
“…I can’t see so broadly.”
Was it because he couldn’t see everything around as broadly as usual?
Having his sight limited only to the Golem made him feel somewhat stifled.
No one knows what might be waiting beyond that snowfall.
Since this time is unpredictable, complacency is out of the question.
Han purposely stood the Golem facing the direction of the wind.
It was to serve as a barrier against the wind.
Muamua seemed to notice Han’s consideration.
“Thank you, God.”
Not long after that.
[Thud! Thud thud!]
“What is this?”
A vaguely familiar sound could be heard from afar.
This sound was particularly familiar to their ears.
They looked at each other.
“Could it be?”
A forest of frozen dead trees.
Relying on the faint sound, the Golem and Muamua ran, stepping on the crunching snow.
Soon, something began to appear on the other side.
“There it is!”
“Uh, uhh….”
It was Yumina.
I spotted Yumina, who was holding the wolf cubs in her arms and breathing fire while staggering.
[Clang! Clang clang clang!]
Noah turned to Golems and Muamua and began to bark loudly.
It was an expression of joy.
“Uh, huh?”
Yumina’s gaze followed Noah’s, leading her to where the creatures were looking.
She spotted the approaching Golems and Muamua.
“Oh! Lord! Muamua, my Lord!”
Yumina jumped up from her seat.
In her urgency, she tried to rush over, but tripped on the snow piled up to her ankles and fell flat on her face.
“Oh.”
It was a moment of realizing how painful it must be.
Yumina, with tears streaming down her reddened face, began to cry out.
“Lord! Uwaaah!”
Yumina cried, leaning into Han’s embrace.
That moment lasted a long time.
Even after that, she continued to sob, feeling inadequate.
Yes, I understand.
They must have all thought they would start together in one place, but I was scattered randomly.
Perhaps this creature thought the world had abandoned it.
It wasn’t strange that the fearful Yumina was so shocked.
Han’s hand gently patted the creature’s back.
***
Tap. Tap tap.
The bonfire blazed up.
[…….]
The wolf cubs had approached the burning fire and, breathing out a sigh of relief, fell asleep.
Are they sleeping even with their bellies exposed?
They are truly carefree beings.
Inside the warm tent filled with cozy heat.
Everyone gathered inside.
On one side, the bonfire crackled and burned due to Yumina’s magic, ‘Fireball,’ she had conjured.
“Uh, hehehe. Lord.”
Han caressed Yumina, nestled in his hands.
“Snniff!”
Yumina was sniffling with a runny nose.
…It wasn’t a pleasant sight.
Even the elves, accustomed to the chill, were shivering enough to indicate a significant drop in temperature.
If possible, they would have liked to linger here a bit longer, but they couldn’t.
There were still those who hadn’t joined them yet.
“I’d like Yumina and Muamu to rest, but we can’t afford to delay too much. The longer we linger, the more Zion and Irina will be left alone in this cold.”
Even if they needed rest, it had to be after everyone had gathered.
We can’t afford to delay any longer.
Swoosh.
Hani raised his hand and pointed outside the tent.
Muamu, seeming to understand once again, nodded.
“It seems like it’s time to go find everyone.”
That’s the right answer.
It’s time to move now.
There was no time to waste.
And then, it happened.
“Hmm?”
Whirrr-!!
“I hear a sound coming from somewhere. What is this?”
It was a considerably loud noise.
Like a roaring wind, or perhaps more like the high pitch of an airplane.
Without hesitation, everyone rushed out of the tent.
In the distance, they saw a large monster flying.
And the figure of that monster was,
“…a bee?”
It was a monster in the shape of a giant bee.
[Neutral Target: Nightbus Honeybee.]
It was definitely that.
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Instinctively, a gut feeling emerged.
There was no doubt that it was a being related to the progression of this dungeon.
Without waiting for anyone to say anything, everyone started running straight away.
Chasing after the bee, they could eventually find a massive cave.
The flying bee entered inside.
With tense gazes, they stared at the cave.
“Let’s go in.”
They took the first steps inside the cave.
***
It didn’t take long after entering the cave.
[Squeee!]
“Watch your back!”
Thud!
“Huh? What’s that sound?”
A sound was heard from the other side.
It was coming from inside the cave.
“I hear something! This is…”
Bang!
Yumina’s ears perked up.
Yumina, who had been concentrating quietly for a while, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
“This is… the sound of fighting!”
Fighting?
…No way!
Everyone started walking faster in urgency.
Soon, they could spot Irina and Zion from the other side.
[Piiie!!]
They were fiercely fighting against a swarm of bees that were charging towards them.
Amidst at least six bees that seemed to be, a few goblins were mixed in, launching surprise attacks.
An alliance? Monsters forming an alliance?
But there seemed to be no room for doubt.
It was because Irina and Zion’s situation looked dire.
[Kieek! Fight quickly!]
[Pii, piiie!]
The goblins were pushing the bees to fight by stabbing them with spears.
The bees were the sole victims of the battle.
The goblins were staying safely behind, keeping a distance.
As bees as big as humans rushed forward with their huge stingers and jaws, Irina and Zion had no room for relaxation.
As if they had already been through a rough situation, their bodies were covered in wounds.
There were not just one or two bees dead around them.
Bang!
At that moment, Irina’s arrow was shot, and with a holy explosion, one bee crashed to the ground.
The trembling bee soon stopped breathing.
[Kieeek! Kill those bastards!]
A goblin holding a staff shouted.
He was the only one wearing a flashy garment, as if made from the surrounding bees’ yellow fur.
Above his head, a distinct mark was visible.
Dungeon Boss
• Goblin Shaman
The head shaman of the goblins, who, along with outstanding intelligence, naturally acquired magic abilities.
Kwaaah!
As he raised his staff, a bright red fireball began to form above it.
A fire magic, a fireball.