[Updated Ranking — Valerian Sector]
1st – Olympus Guild – Floor 37
2nd – Martial Palace – Floor 33
3rd – B LProken Dawn – Floor 29
4th – Holy Church – Floor 29 (slowest clearing rate detected)
5th – Crimson Star – Floor 28
The last line made everyone pause.
"Slower clear rate detected?" Bunny read out loud. "The System is shading them..."
Ragnarok burst out laughing. "Even the Tower is flaming the Holy Church! Hahaha!"
...
Inside a cathedral-like hall on another floor, members of the Holy Church guild stiffened as the ranking alert appeared.
A holy knight frowned, thick red veins popping in his temple. "We’ve been overtaken."
Their squad leader, a high cardinal wrapped in white and gold robes, narrowed his eyes.
"Broken Dawn again... the same guild that disrupted the Inter-Guild Display and humiliated Alofonso. Interesting."
After the humiliation during the event, no one had seen Alofonso again. Rumours claimed he’d been expelled for disgracing the Church. Others whispered he refused to leave the cathedral because he feared more humiliation.
For this Tower operation, another high cardinal had been assigned to lead.
"Focus on the Tower," he said sharply. There was an edge in his voice. "We can’t let a newly formed guild humiliate us on the global board."
---
Outside, in the real world studio, Doodle almost fell out of his chair when the ranking board updated.
"BROKEN DAWN JUST TOOK THIRD PLACE!" he shouted. "They overtook the Holy Church! They’re behind only Martial Palace and Olympus now!"
His cohost nodded quickly, pointing to the holo-board. "Look at the clear timestamps. Broken Dawn’s pace from Floors 21 to 29 is extremely efficient. Almost no delays. Minimal deaths. Their resource management must be insane."
"Or they have a monster on their side," Doodle said. "And by monster, I mean Gabriel."
He smirked at the camera.
"Now, the real question is... can they keep it up once they hit the Tier 2 milestone floors? Because we all know what that means—Floor 30 and beyond are NEVER normal."
---
Back inside the Tower, the group reached another staircase.
Everyone was visibly more tired now.
Even Ragnarok’s steps were heavier. Cassie’s mana bar had taken hits from repeated buffs. Samantha rotated skeletons to manage her consumption. Bunny’s eyes were slightly bloodshot.
Only Gabriel looked composed.
He paused at the final step.
This time, unlike the previous floors, a new interface appeared in everyone’s vision.
[You are about to enter Floor 30 – "Crimson Wilds"]
[Warning: This floor functions as a semi-world zone.]
[Standard linear corridors will be temporarily replaced with an open-area branch.]
[Clear Condition: Slay the Vampire Count residing in the Crimson Castle.]
Bunny slowly read it aloud. "...semi-world zone."
"So... like a mini-world inside the Tower?" Samantha blinked.
Sophie nodded. "In old records, they mentioned something similar. Some floors aren’t just rooms. They’re entire worlds of their own."
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed slightly as he reviewed the familiar text. He hadn’t personally reached this floor before, but players who had reached it once posted something similar and even gave a brief overview on the forums.
’Crimson Wilds... primitive vampire lair... Count in the castle... same as before.’
He exhaled quietly, then turned to the group.
"From here on, pace will slow," he said. "This floor isn’t a straight corridor. It’s a contained world. There will be vampires, roaming monsters, possibly side events."
Ragnarok cracked his neck. "So we hunt till we find the Count and kill him. Simple."
"Not that simple," Gabriel replied. "There could be hidden conditions. Aggroing too many primitive tribes at once, missing key structures, or triggering large-scale blood rituals could raise difficulty."
"Meaning we don’t rampage blindly," Sophie said, understanding the point. "We move smart."
He placed his hand on the heavy stone door leading into Floor 30.
"Short rest," he added. "Five minutes. Eat, drink, adjust your gear."
No one complained.
They slumped against walls, sat on steps, swallowed potions and dried rations. Cassie refreshed minor buffs. Samantha rebalanced her skeletons and checked MP. Bunny skimmed the external feed again.
"Ranking is stable," she reported. "We’re locked at third. Holy Church is still stuck at 29. Crimson Star just hit 29 too, though. They’re catching up from behind."
"Doesn’t matter," Gabriel said. "From this point on, rushing ahead blindly is suicide. We climb as fast as we can without making stupid mistakes."
After preparations were done, he straightened.
"Everyone ready?"
Ragnarok grinned tiredly. "Always."
"Skeletons ready," Samantha confirmed.
Cassie lifted a thumbs-up. "Buffs ready."
Sophie tugged her veil slightly, eyes calm. "Let’s see what kind of world Floor 30 is."
Gabriel pushed the door open.
A rush of cold air washed over them, mixed with the thick scent of damp earth and old blood.
The scene beyond was nothing like the cramped halls before.
They stepped through and found themselves on a jagged cliff overlooking a vast crimson expanse. The sky above was stained deep red, with slow-moving clouds swirling around a distant moon. Below, a wild forest of black trees twisted in all directions, their leaves dark maroon. Strange cries echoed from deep within.
In the distance, on a raised plateau, stood a massive castle carved from dark stone and lit by dozens of crimson torches. Its towers rose like jagged fangs piercing the bloody sky.
A new notification hovered in their vision.
[BLOOD TOWER – FLOOR 30: CRIMSON WILDS]
[Primary Objective: Slay Vampire Count Vargos inside the Crimson Castle.]
[Optional Objectives: Unknown]
[Penalty for Failure: Floor reset. Spawn point relocation.]
Ragnarok whistled. "Now that looks like a real vampire nest."
Sophie scanned the tree lines. "We’ll likely encounter primitive vampire tribes before reaching the castle. Weaker individually, but dangerous in numbers and familiar with the terrain."
Gabriel studied the landscape calmly.
"Path options," he said. "Direct route through the forest to the castle—high risk of ambushes. Or a curved route along the ridge—slower, but better vantage points."
Anna pointed at the ridge. "I’ll scout ahead. If there are patrols or nests, I’ll mark them."
"Do it," Gabriel said. "Don’t engage alone if it’s an elite pack."
Sophie added, "We should assume the Count is aware of challengers the moment we step in. The longer we delay, the more time he has for rituals and reinforcements."
Gabriel nodded and looked down at the forest again.
"From here on, no unnecessary fights. We kill what we must, gather information, then head for the castle. The Count is the key. Everything else is a distraction."
He checked his inventory.
Nine Blood Bombs remained.
A faint smirk appeared, and he gestured for them to move.
They began their descent from the cliff, stepping into the crimson world of Floor 30.