After the death of the boss on Floor 99, the core members of Broken Dawn who were left were stunned, just like those on the outside.
Even they didn’t think it would be so easy to kill the boss like that. Although he had suffered his fair share of damage during the few exchanges, they had anticipated far more.
To them... the damage was too little. Hence, they felt the fight had been easy and relatively fast.
Under the stunned gaze of his subordinates, Gabriel walked toward Grizzlenaught and patted the big guy.
"Well done."
Growl! The bear growled in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the praise.
Gabriel then snapped his fingers, and the summon began to sink into the ground until it vanished from sight.
As soon as his summon returned to the system, the interface he had been ignoring all this while popped out on his retina.
...
[Kill 3,000 Unranked enemies alone – 700/3000]
[Kill 5 Hero Ranked enemies – 2/5]
[Survive a battle against multiple Hero Ranked enemies at once – 0/1]
...
He calmly stared at the objectives. This was the reason why he had decided to fight the Hero Rank duel himself.
Upon killing the duke alone, without help from the others, there had been progress.
Three more Hero Ranks to go and he would complete the second requirement. As for the first, that was very easy, so he wasn’t too bothered. The main problems were the second and the last.
After dismissing the system, Gabriel looked at the others.
"We don’t have much time left. Let’s head in."
Though they weren’t scared of losing the treasure—since they had already received notifications of the others exiting the Tower—Gabriel felt he had been here for too long. He wanted to return as fast as possible and check the situation outside.
Furthermore, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. He felt as if something bad was about to happen, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
In his experience, he had always learned to trust instincts, and this was no different.
The others snapped out of their daze, still trying to process everything.
Why was everything moving so fast? They wanted to be excited that they had reached this far, but with the urgency in Gabriel’s voice, there was no time for that.
They immediately proceeded to the next floor.
When they did, and all the cameras focused on the new area...
A presence emerged from the ground. It was Grizzlenaught.
The summon grabbed the body of the vampire duke and sank back into the ground.
When the group stepped into Floor 100, the first thing they were greeted with was darkness. However, ahead they could see an opening radiating with crimson light.
Memories of his vision—when he used the memory fragments—resurfaced in his mind. Although slightly hazy, he had an idea of where to go.
"Follow my lead," Gabriel said, stepping forward.
Even as he moved, he could hear the gulps of his subordinates and the anxiety in their whispers.
He couldn’t blame them. Despite his calm exterior, he was also on guard, and his hand rested firmly on his sword.
When they stepped out of the opening, they encountered a flight of stairs with crimson lanterns at the sides—these had been the previous lights they saw.
"Aren’t there traps here?" Sophie asked, taking a cautious step forward.
"There shouldn’t be," Gabriel replied, ascending the stairs confidently. He had seen this in his visions and had spread his perception just to be sure.
Seeing him still unharmed, the others followed behind.
The air was thick with tension. Even viewers outside in the real world could feel it.
Everyone expected the boss monster to appear at any moment.
Outside the tower, both Liang and Jack stood not too far from each other, watching the massive display.
The two briefly exchanged a glance, then looked away.
"For a Floor 100... it’s too peaceful," Lily, Scarlett’s personal assistant, observed.
"Well, what if that’s just how Floor 100 is?" Alice countered. "After all, we don’t know what it really looks like. This is the first time for everyone."
About that... the various broadcasting companies were on standby filming every moment, knowing the footage would be used to educate future climbers the next time the Tower descended.
Even though the majority of the current generation might be dead by then, the footage would definitely live on.
Even in the studio, Doodle was eerily silent—so was the forum.
Those in the developers’ HQ also held their breath. No fingers hovered above keyboards, no side talk; all eyes were fixed on the monitors displaying the feed.
Standing in the middle and observing everything with a stoic and serious face was the Boss. His one-eyed spectacle glistened in the dark.
---
Back inside the Tower.
Although Gabriel had vague recollections of this place, now that he was here physically, the difference was like night and day.
The moment he stepped deeper into the floor, the ground trembled lightly beneath his boots. The crimson glow from the lanterns flickered as if reacting to his presence.
The others held their breath, following closely.
The staircase twisted sharply—just like before.
He climbed higher.
Each step felt heavier than the last—not because of weight, but because of the aura pressing down on them. It wasn’t a physical force; it felt like the Tower itself was watching... judging... calculating.
Soon they reached the curve of the stairs.
And finally, the view opened.
He saw the top.
A huge throne platform stood at the very peak of the Tower.
And above the throne—there it was.
A massive black crystal, identical to the one from his vision, hung suspended in mid-air. Thick streams of blood acted like chains, stretching down and connecting directly to the figure seated on the throne.
Gabriel slowed unconsciously.
Even now, even standing this close, he still couldn’t see the figure’s face clearly. The long crimson hair was exactly the same—flowing, unrestrained, unnaturally vibrant.
"We are here," he announced in a loud, firm voice.
...
While Gabriel was busy on the floor, unknown to him and the Broken Dawn camp, an armored vehicle departed from the eastern camp, the second most biggest faction in the wilderness.
And their destination? The Broken Dawn camp.