Pick Me Up!

A few more days passed.

Zeeth and Harson exuded confidence. They actively participated in training and had become familiar with forming formations. Now, even if Jenna and I let go of their hands, they could handle the harpies and goblins quite competently.

“Are we heading to the 4th floor again today? I’m eager to see what lies on the next floor.”

Zeeth ran his fingers along the sword-scarred surface of his shield as he spoke.

The rift was open. As always, we stood near the mirror, waiting. It wasn’t just me and Jenna; Aaron, Zeeth, and Harson also displayed a sense of calmness.

“Iselle.”

“Yes.”

“Today, it’s the 5th floor, right?”

“Most likely!”

“Really? The 5th floor?”

Jenna blinked, her eyes reflecting surprise.

Gradually, the mirror on the left began to emit a soft glow.

I braced myself for the imminent battle.

Admittedly, the 5th floor posed greater challenges compared to the previous ones, but apart from a few trap missions, it could be cleared without too much difficulty. I knew all the tricks.

“This time, things will be a bit different. While having freedom is a good thing, too much freedom might cost you your life.”

“Understood! I’ll keep that in mind!”

One response carried a hint of gruffness.

[Climb the Tower, Save the World!]

[Main Dungeon: Current Floor – 4]

I let myself be enveloped by the radiant light.

And when I opened my eyes again, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar space.

It was an urban area, a cityscape made of stone structures.

This wasn’t the modern style of concrete and cement. Instead, brick-laid roads and a towering central spire caught our attention.

I surveyed our surroundings.

There was no message indicating the details of our mission. There was a grace period before it would commence.

“Brother, there are no monsters here…”

“I’m aware.”

Until now, as soon as we were summoned, we would immediately face off against enemies. However, the current situation was different. The city appeared devoid of life, and no monsters were in sight, not even a single civilian.

“This isn’t a subjugation mission.”

I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

I had expected it to happen at least once.

“Attention, everyone! Let’s head to the city center first and assess the situation. Stay in formation!”

The party members quickly dispersed, adhering to their training and forming a reconnaissance formation.

The formation resembled a single line, with me leading the way, Aaron and Jenna in the middle, and Zeeth and Harson at the rear.

“If you notice anything suspicious, report it immediately.”

“Understood!”

We proceeded cautiously towards the city center.

Looking back, the low outer walls encircling the city provided a reassuring sense of direction, ensuring we wouldn’t lose our way.

As we ventured deeper into the city, oddities began to emerge.

“…”

Zeeth’s expression grew uneasy, and he swallowed hard.

It wasn’t just the dilapidated state of the buildings; the majority of them were either destroyed or in ruins. Debris, such as fragments of bricks and wood, obstructed the streets, occasionally forcing us to take detours.

Secondly, there was an absence of people.

The deserted city emanated an eerie and desolate atmosphere.

Next…

“Ugh, aaah!”

“What’s wrong?”

“H-Hyung, over here!”

I approached Harson, who was in a frenzy.

He pointed toward the interior of a crumbling building, trembling. On closer inspection, I glimpsed a faint, ghostly figure.

It was a human skull.

I stepped toward the building.

Or at least, I tried to. But a transparent barrier blocked my path, indicating no entry.

“…”

“What is this place? There are buildings, but no people…”

Despite their usual self-assuredness, Zeeth and Harson wore uneasy expressions.

“Let’s continue.”

The road stretched toward the city center.

Suddenly, near the city walls, I noticed a dark brown stain. Although it had dried and become indistinct, I could still discern its circular shape.

“It’s bloodstains.”

As we neared the city center, the buildings grew increasingly dilapidated. Debris from crumbling structures and scattered human remains littered the area.

This city had been ravaged.

Upon reaching the central square…

The scene remained the same. Collapsed structures and the absence of monsters or people. I instructed everyone to wait, and they took their positions, settling down. Jenna approached me.

“This is completely different from what we’ve encountered before.”

“That was just a warm-up.”

The boss stages on each floor differed greatly in scale and complexity from the others.

“When will the enemies appear?”

“Let’s wait. I’m still considering.”

An isolated city with no enemies or allies.

Bloodstains and scattered skeletal remains all around.

The mission notification message was still absent.

I came to a conclusion.

I pointed to the partially collapsed spire.

“Jenna, can you climb up that spire?”

“What should I do?”

“Go as high as you can and see what’s up there.”

“Sure thing!”

Jenna agilely began ascending the spire.

With her practiced movements from navigating obstacle courses, she grabbed onto protruding bricks and ropes hanging outside windows, gradually climbing higher.

“I think this is as far as I can go!”

Jenna called out from above.

“What do you see?”

“Well, um, the city… and…”

Her vision is enhanced by the Eagle Eye skill.

It was the perfect role for her.

“The city…and …?”

“…”

Jenna’s expression hardened.

“What’s there, Jenna?”

Aaron shouted impatiently from below.

“W-Well, um, it’s the city… and I hope I’m mistaken.”

‘She’s not mistaken.’

“Wait, hold on. Is this safe? Can we handle it?”

“Oh, tell us!”

“There are hordes of goblins outside the city. They seem to be heading this way.”

“How many are we talking about? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?”

“…Thousands.”

“W-What, what did you say?”

“There are thousands of goblins… heading this way.”

[Warning!]

[Floor 5.]

[Mission Type – Survival]

[Objective – Survive the incoming enemies!]

[Goblin Lv.? X 1846]

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