Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 97: Twenty-Fourth Floor, Kokkari Swamp (3)

The first possibility I considered was that the heretic we had encountered earlier could have been more perceptive than I realized. Even if he didn’t see me outright, he still could have sensed something. As a fanatic, he could easily have misinterpreted it as a divine message.

The second possibility, however, was that their god had graced them with a revelation. Comet himself had received guidance from the goddess Blue Dawn Breeze, so it wasn’t out of the question.

If it is the first case, it would probably be wiser to return tomorrow night...

However, if it were the latter case, pressing forward immediately would be the better choice. Given how little time had passed since they detected us, their defenses would still be disordered and imperfect. Rather than retreating and allowing them to regroup, it would be smarter to exploit their current turmoil.

Since I couldn’t disprove the second possibility, continuing forward seemed to be the best choice. I turned to Comet and explained my thoughts quietly. He listened intently, then gave a knowing nod.

“I agree with you. Advancing now seems wisest.”

“Then, let’s make our way to the core of their base.”

“Okay. I don’t know its exact layout, but the heretics’ temple is rather... unmistakable.”

He directed his attention toward the heart of the stronghold and I followed his gaze. A massive stone structure loomed there, standing out amid the wooden buildings around it. Seeing its prominence, I didn’t doubt this was a critical site for the heretics.

That is where we will begin.

Now that we had identified their temple—more easily than anticipated, in fact—it was time to make our way to the center.

***

[Eliminate the heretics from the Kokkari Swamp or survive. Time remaining: 36 hours 41 minutes.]

Deciding it would be too dangerous to use the main road, we moved along the edges of buildings, pressing close to their walls. Heretics with torches in their hands darted through the streets, but thankfully, my Shadow Veil held firm. Each time they passed, a thick scent of fresh blood lingered in the air, only growing sharper as we neared the center.

Treading cautiously, I suddenly sensed movement from a nearby house. Raising my hand, I signaled for Comet and Doppy to halt. Just then, the door to the house swung open violently.

“Damn it! Hey, you there!”

The heretic who stepped outside was anything but ordinary. Cloaked in black priestly robes bestrewn with weird symbols, he looked like a highly-ranked member of the heretic order.

Hearing his shout, another heretic on the street rushed over to him.

“Great be the Stagnant Terror, Chief Priest. It is I, Drizzle.”

“Very well, believer Drizzle. Why such commotion on this holy day of sacrifice?”

“I apologize, Chief Priest. I didn’t intend to disturb the sanctity of this holy day...”

“Fuck! Do you think I’m asking for excuses? What’s happening here?”

The chief priest’s scathing tone made Drizzle bow even lower, visibly intimidated. Their hierarchy was stricter than I had imagined.

“S-sorry, Chief Priest! The Great Warlord of Terror has received a revelation.”

“The warlord?”

“Yes, Chief Priest. He has foreseen that remnants of the cultists are about to infiltrate our grounds. Since we have lost track of the cult’s Great Warrior, the Great Warlord of Terror believes he will arrive here soon.”

I couldn’t help but find it slightly absurd that they referred to Comet as the “cultist.”

Sighing exasperatedly, the Chief Priest closed his eyes before releasing a slow and irritated breath.

“Ugh. These ungrounded fools couldn’t have chosen a worse time to attempt an infiltration. Is the warlord stationed at the central temple?”

“Yes, Chief Priest.”

“Fine, get out now.”

“Great be the Stagnant Terror, Chief Priest. I shall now take my leave.”

With a nod from the chief priest, Drizzle quickly withdrew. As soon as he disappeared, I turned to Comet, who had been listening beside me. Our eyes met, and we reached a mutual understanding with a single nod.

The Chief Priest must be dealt with—now.

With the heretics’ warlord already in the area, allowing him to unite with the chief priest would be a grave misstep for us.

Thankfully, fortune seemed to favor us. Purely by chance, we had passed by the Chief Priest’s residence while he was explaining the situation within the stronghold. As the other heretics dispersed, he began making his way toward the central structure.

Not yet.

Other heretics still lingered in the area, each stopping briefly to chant a reverent, “Great be the Stagnant Terror,” as the Chief Priest passed them.

After about twenty repetitions, the Chief Priest turned into a narrow alley, perhaps a shortcut to the temple, where no torches or heretics were in sight.

It was a dark, silent passageway.

Just in case the Chief Priest attempted to summon his god’s power, I used Flash Strike. In a heartbeat, time seemed to slow as the world around me froze. I closed in on him, and his unguarded neck quickly came within striking distance.

The Chief Priest was no ordinary opponent. If I wanted to avoid any complications, I needed to end this in a single, decisive strike.

Crunch—

My axe tore through his neck, shearing bone and muscle until it emerged cleanly out the other side. I could feel his spine snapping, the sensation reverberating through my axe’s handle. Just as the blood surged from his severed neck, my vision abruptly shifted.

What...?

The world turned red, crimson stretching from the ground to the sky. Everywhere I looked I saw piles of bodies—hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions.

Looking down, I realized I stood atop a mountain of corpses—a scene that could have been torn straight from hell. Strangely, I felt more unsettled than shocked as the visceral discomfort of it all overpowered my confusion. This world of blood and death stirred something primal within me, something rooted deep within every human—terror.

Suddenly, a massive, blazing eye appeared in the crimson sky. It glared down on me, focused and terrible.

“So, it was you.”

The voice was monstrous, seemingly echoing from the depths of a cavern as it resonated through the blood-red world. A wave of dark energy crashed into me, and the scenery abruptly snapped back to reality.

Everything was the same as before I was pulled into the bizarre world. The chief priest’s severed head was still mid-air, seconds from hitting the ground, while blood sprayed like a fountain from his neck.

Yet, one thing had changed.

Instead of the black-and-white haze of Shadow Veil, I could see the world in full color again. The veil had been withdrawn.

Just then, a belated message appeared before me.

[The third-class god ‘Stagnant Terror’ has sacrificed his head priest and the offering from the ritual to impose a restriction on Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok can no longer use divine skills.]

[The Master of Shadows and Shadow Veil skills have been sealed. The bonus skill levels granted by Paraktus’s Determination Necklace to Combat Focus and Indomitability have been temporarily removed.]

[This restriction applies only on planet Suhez.]

Only after reading the series of notification messages did I fully grasp the situation. By killing the Chief Priest, I encountered the god, Stagnant Terror. Normally, gods couldn’t harm a climber directly, but through sacrifices, he found a way to restrict me.

Well, things could have ended up worse.

Fortunately, only my skills influenced by divine power had been restricted. My main skill, Lightning Essence, remained unaffected, and honestly, my true strength lay in close combat rather than with my skills.

The restrictions he can impose on me have to be limited, right?

Perhaps he didn’t realize it, but these restrictions wouldn’t hinder me as much as he would have hoped. Still, I was curious why he specifically sealed the set of skills that included Master of Shadows. Three possibilities came to mind.

First, the Tower of Ordeal was protecting me, allowing him to restrict only that particular group of skills. Second, the god didn’t know my strengths and assumed cutting off divine skills would be enough. Third, he believed sealing Master of Shadows was enough to tip the scales in his favor.

What a hassle.

It was a lucky break, but the uncertainty left a sour taste.

Out of nowhere, Comet’s voice pulled me back to the present.

“Mr. Kwon Su-Hyeok?”

“Oh, right.”

“You seemed deep in thought. I think our veil has been lifted,” Comet said cautiously, as if wary of offending me.

“I had a brief encounter with the heretics’ god after killing the chief priest. That must be why it was lifted.”

“Pardon me?”

Comet’s eyes widened in shock, and I shook my head.

“I’ll explain later. For now, we need to pick up the pace.”

If the god knew I had killed the Chief Priest, the so-called Great Warlord of Terror likely knew as well. With Master of Shadows sealed, stealth was no longer an option—it was time for a direct assault.

There was an immediate issue, however; the heretics were swarming the nearby main street.

Looking at a nearby rooftop, I suddenly noticed an opportunity. The roofs weren’t very steep, and their proximity to one another offered a convenient escape route.

“Comet, Doppy. Over here.”

“Kriee?”

“Sorry?”

“Hurry up.”

I didn’t have time to explain. Comet and Doppy looked confused but approached without protest. Pulling Comet close with one arm and Doppy with my other, I leaped onto the roof in a single bound.

With how close the buildings were packed, I could cross from one to the next without even needing Kashatum’s Sky Shoes.

“We’ll make our way to the central temple along the rooftops.”

***

[Eliminate the heretics from the Kokkari Swamp or survive. Time remaining: 36 hours 18 minutes.]

“Catch the cultists!”

“They’re heading toward the central temple!”

Torches flared to life beneath us as a wave of heretics surged after us, swarming the streets below as we sprinted over the roofs.

Some climbed the walls of nearby buildings, while arrows and spears occasionally whizzed through the air. None of the heretics would catch up to us at the speed we were going, and I easily deflected any projectile that came our way with my axe.

“Gasp... gasp...” Doppy panted, struggling to keep the pace.

While I had expected us to be discovered eventually, they had detected us faster than I would have liked. Even though we were rapidly approaching the temple, the buildings weren’t especially tall, and the abundance of torches illuminated our figures as we ran. Still, running up here allowed us to maintain a good pace, which was a relief.

Good thing I planned for contingencies.

Since I had anticipated Shadow Veil would dissipate, I hadn’t been caught completely off guard. My main concern, however, was the sheer number of heretics.

There are more than I expected.

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Plus, all the commotion likely meant the warlord would intercept us before we reached the central temple. Comet and Doppy would need to hold their own while I confronted him.

I will have to go all out to finish this quickly, even if it means taking a few hits. Doppy can handle any minor injuries quickly, and—

A dark figure leaping onto a distant rooftop caught my attention, interrupting my planning.

“Stop! You better stop now, cultists!” he bellowed.

“Keep running!” I urged.

Ignoring the heretic’s order, I led Comet and Doppy forward. If we had to fight, it would be best to do so near the central temple.

Continuing my mad dash across the rooftops, I sized him up and realized this had to be the warlord. He wielded a massive black spear, nearly three meters long. Beneath his black robe, which was marked with strange symbols like the chief priest’s, a glint of scale armor caught the torchlight.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed weaker than the Overseer. Regardless, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility that he could wield divine power.

As the distance between us shrank, I readied myself for battle, tightening my grip on my axe.