Several weeks have passed since my team, the 'Little Warriors,' faced the test on the tower's third floor. It was a naval battle on a vast expanse of water as far as the eye could see, intending to collect as much treasure as possible from the other teams. Unsurprisingly, we finished first in the test with remarkable ease and continued our journey.
We also overcame floors 4 to 7 without much difficulty, given that our hereditary skills provided us with a significant advantage over the other regulars.
Thus, even in the face of the different environments on the various floors, whether it rained or snowed, we remained united and close-knit. I could have never dreamed of a better team than the one I had at that moment. I was certain that with this group, I could beat Urek Mazino's previous record.
Indeed, throughout all the team battles we faced, we unilaterally dominated each of our opponents. I skillfully controlled the flow of the battlefield with my mastery of Shinsu, while Ran and Rose charged at my enemies, decimating them, all while being supported by Darius and Aldwin, who watched over them closely and defended them when necessary.
With this simple strategy, we already seemed invincible, as our power surpassed all the other competitors. Gradually, we began to be seen with fear and jealousy, but we didn't care about what others thought of us, as we were far too focused on becoming the strongest to achieve our various goals. As we effortlessly crushed each of our enemies, pride and boredom crept into the minds of each of us, since none of them could pose a challenge worthy of us. I understood better than anyone the changes in Zahard and the heads of families, who were so indifferent to everything around them because almost nothing interested them anymore, as no one could give them the thrill of their first journey.
Unfortunately, my obsession with my dream prevented me from questioning myself, and unwittingly, I was becoming more and more like what I had dreaded becoming, an irregular who closely resembled Zahard. Therefore, when I arrived on the 8th floor of the tower, I had no enthusiasm for yet another meaningless team battle. However, looking around me, I noticed that there was no other team in sight, which greatly reassured me, especially as my eyes fell on a tall blonde individual approaching us, who was very likely our future test administrator.
"Regulars, I welcome you to the eighth floor, known among Rankers as the Celestial Forest, because it is here that you will see trees so tall they can even touch the ceiling of the upper floor. Now, to introduce myself, my name is Harald, and I will be the one to oversee your trial that will allow you to ascend to the next floor, as the test administrator for the eighth floor." Said the muscular Ranker in front of us.
Thinking that we would easily succeed in the trial, I wasn't particularly interested in Harald's speech. Instead, I preferred to admire the beauty before me in the form of gigantic trees, whose tops were so high that we couldn't even see them, their trunks rising beyond the clouds.
"The test I have prepared for you is called 'Golden Egg Hunt,'" said the test administrator, explaining the trial. "First, know that this floor belongs to the Lo Po Bia family. Long ago, the head of the family, Lo Bo Bia Traumerei, the greatest Anima in the history of the tower, decided to introduce several Shinheuh of the Yadu race into this forest, great winged creatures resembling millipedes that he greatly appreciated for their destructive capabilities, which effortlessly annihilated all the weaker Shinheuh. This event pleased Lord Traumerei immensely, and he decided to make his favourite Yadu from this forest a king. Thus, using his powers, he transformed it into a golden Yadu, which was far more powerful than all the others...
Upon hearing the name Traumerei, I couldn't help but think of the words of my mother and my Shinsu teacher. According to my mother Yirang, while he is now recognized as one of the most cruel heads of families during his ascent in the tower, it was quite different back then. He was a young boy who loved animals more than humans and had a lot of trouble expressing his feelings. However, he is one of the key players in one of the events that profoundly changed the great warriors. I would like to confront him about it, to see if he still has any semblance of memories, if possible.
But from what Blossom told me, I wouldn't be able to do that, as he is the only family head who obeys Zahard blindly because he wouldn't want to lose the last friendship he has with him. Moreover, Traumerei is likely to be the first family head I'll have to face after I rescue and heal Enne, as the king of the tower would not allow such an act on my part.
And as I continued to reflect, Harald finished explaining the trial. "But this king among the Yadu is not the only golden Shinheuh; his offspring are as well, like the eggs he has his queen lay, which is the reason for the test's title. It is important to understand that every 100 years, it is a tradition for the ruler of the eighth floor, who happens to be one of the heads of a branch of the Lo Bo Pia family, to offer one of his rare golden eggs to Lord Traumerei. However, it will not be him who searches for the egg, but you, as this also allows us to test you under extreme conditions. Normally, this test is less complicated and less deadly, but every 100 years, this trial changes into a golden egg hunt.
I will now tell you the rules of this golden egg hunt. They are very simple, you just need to bring me one of the eggs from the king of the Yadu by any means necessary. To aid you in your quest, these rare golden eggs are located in the king's nest, which is situated precisely in the highest tree on this floor. All that's left for me to say is good luck, let the test begin!"
After he finished his speech, Harald walked away, leaving us alone with ourselves. We didn't wait too long before starting to search for the golden egg, but first, we needed to find the tallest tree in the forest. Fortunately, it didn't take us long, because, after several minutes of searching in the celestial forest, we quickly realized which tree it was. One tree, in particular, caught our eye, not only because its trunk was taller than all the others around it, but also because it was covered in scratch marks all along the trunk. We then decided that this must be the tree where the nest of the king of the Yadu was hidden.
We only had to climb it, but upon closer observation of the tree, while its leaves seemed rigid, reaching those different levels would require a long climb up the trunk, which would inevitably exhaust us. That's why we all needed to find another solution to reach the top. However, Rose disagreed, ever the reckless one. "No need for another solution, we have to climb this tree. Besides, it would give us a real challenge compared to all those other regular ones we've faced!"
"You're completely crazy, princess. Even though I'm tough, with my height and weight, I wouldn't be able to climb this tree." retorted Darius Hendo Lok.
But what he said was met with a disdainful look from Rose, which I had already anticipated. "Besides being old, you're slowing us down..." said the princess of Zahard with a sigh, before finally turning to Aldwin. "Since we have to carry the old man with us, couldn't you just teleport us directly to the top, Aldwin?"
"I can't work miracles, Rose... I can't teleport to a place I can't see, and even if I were to teleport you to the different levels of this tree, I would probably end up exhausted before we even reached the top, unfortunately," explained Aldwin.
Finally, upon hearing this, Rose got angry with Darius, blaming him for our inability to climb. Fortunately, Ran gave her an electric shock to stop her diatribe, to avoid creating division in our group. "Argh! Why did you do that, kid? Don't you agree with me that it's because of him that we won't succeed in reaching the ninth floor!' shouted the princess of the Arie family."
"It's because you were annoying by screaming. And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me kid? Otherwise, I'll have to repeat what I just did to you." said Ran, his face showing not the slightest emotion.
And as I expected, they began to fight, but unlike usual, I didn't care. I was far too preoccupied, thinking of a real solution for everyone. This test was unfair in terms of difficulty, but then an idea lit up my mind when I thought about the physical characteristics of the Yadu. After all, isn't it a flying Shinheuh, large enough to carry all five of us on its back? And indeed, it was. Now that I had this idea, I needed to find a way to attract one and subdue it by force so it could take us to the top of the tree.
Having found the solution, I wanted to share it with my team, but first I needed to stop the pointless fight between Rose and Ran. So, as I usually did when they fought, I released a fragrance through my Shinsu that weakened them temporarily. Once they were affected by my power, I snapped my fingers several times to get each member of my team to turn towards me and listen. "It seems I've found a way to climb this tree. We need to capture a Yadu so it can guide us to the top."
However, while Ran nodded at my idea, Aldwin, the strategist of our team, was very sceptical and perfectly pointed out the difficulty of my plan, just as I had already thought. "Your idea, Yeong, is very interesting, however, how can we attract a Yadu to us when we haven't seen any so far, and they're probably all residing at the tops of the various trees?"
"I knew you would say that Aldwin, because I thought the same thing. However, it seems to me that there might be a way to succeed in my plan, and that way lies in my control of Shinsu, which emits a floral fragrance. If I can attract one, then together we could overpower it and force it to take us to the top of this tree." I replied to one of my closest friends.
And so, the other members of my team nodded at my plan. It was indeed a bit ambitious, but we had no better solution than this. My mother Yirang would not have chosen a flower as the emblem of our family if she didn't know how to do more than just create flames. She was an expert in a particular form of Shinsu manipulation that took the shape of a fragrance, which could either diminish an enemy's power or, on the contrary, mask the presence of an individual and their Shinsu. I had inherited this ability from her, and I thought that to attract a Yadu, there was no better way than to entice it with a pleasant scent. That's why I channelled my Shinsu to emit a fragrance that concealed the presence of the entire group while also diffusing a floral aroma, hoping it would have the desired effect.
[ Yeon Yirang Shinsu Control Style - Floral Fragrance ]
Suddenly, a wing noise could be heard near our position, fortunately, it was a Yadu descending to the ground. Since it hadn't spotted us yet due to the effect of the perfume, we didn't hesitate to attack all five of us. In the end, the Shinheuh didn't struggle for long, facing the strength we deployed against it, it couldn't defend itself. Subsequently, due to its instincts, the Yadu decided to submit to us.
Without causing any more harm to the Yadu, we quickly climbed onto its back and forced it to take us to the top of the tree. The journey was somewhat thrilling, although, in my heart, it felt strange that we didn't encounter any other Yadu during our flight. I truly hoped they weren't all waiting for us at the top, ready to tear us apart.
But my caution turned to shock when we finally reached the top and I saw a mountain of Yadu carcasses where their king should have been. After my initial astonishment, I also noticed, next to this macabre sight, an extremely muscular man in a white cap, who seemed to be making an omelette with one of the golden eggs we were supposed to retrieve. However, before any of my teammates could call out to him, he was the one who spoke to us first, while concentrating a lot of Shinsu in one of his fingers.
"You made me wait, babies, so much that I had time to make myself a meal." said the mysterious man in front of us, before launching his powerful attack in our direction.
[ Urek Mazino Style: Shinsu Reinforcement - One finger: 1% - Gungnir ]
Seeing the attack launched, we instinctively jumped off the Shinheuh to land on the top of the tree to dodge it. When I looked back at the damage from this attack, which had obliterated the tops of all the trees, I instantly realized we were facing a High Ranker. Just a fragment of his power could match the intensity of my fight with Evankhell. As if that weren't enough misfortune, given that his technique was based on pure brute strength, I wouldn't be able to either explode his attack or nullify it.
"Give us back the golden egg!" shouted the princess of the Arie family, using all her strength, while Ran did the same, charging at our opponent and launching one of his most powerful attacks. Indeed, my two teammates had also recognized the danger posed by this High Ranker.
[ Arie Swordsmanship - White Oar ]
[ Maschenny Style: Lightning Spear Technique - Eléctrica Perla ]
To counter their two techniques, our opponent simply defended with the front of his arms, reinforcing his body with Shinsu. As I expected given the power of my two friends' assault, the Ranker only had a simple scar from Rose's attack. "Ha, ha, ha, baby of the Arie family, your attack is impressive, but I've taken so many hits from your family head on the 100th floor that your fencing only gives me scratches."
"Excuse me, but you are Urek Mazino, aren't you? Why would someone like you be waiting for us, just a group of regulars who have barely started climbing the tower?" I said, realizing that such precise manipulation of Shinsu flows could only belong to an irregular. Moreover, it was easy to tell he was the strongest man in the tower in terms of pure physicality, as the only one particularly known for pure strength is Urek.
As my group began to realize the true identity of our opponent, the man I thought was Urek started laughing and then flashed a big smile. "Indeed, I am. Normally, people in the tower recognize me by the tattoo on my back, but I suppose an irregular can recognize another irregular when he encounters one. I came specifically to test your strength, I couldn't wait for you to reach the 77th floor to do it, so here I am on this floor. We have two overlapping goals, you want one of the golden eggs, and I want to face you and your group. It's simple, if you want one of those eggs, you'll have to take it from me."
[ Tperie's Lighthouse Skill - Time-Out ]
Aldwin didn't even wait for Urek Mazino to make the first move and tried to stop him through time. I seized the opportunity to unleash my wave of flames on the irregular. However, Urek wasn't immobilized for even a second; he simply threw a punch so powerful that it propelled the air at such a speed that it split my wave of fire in two. Shortly after, before I could do anything, he sent a second wave of air that struck my team's strategist with such force that he immediately fainted, spitting out a lot of saliva. "Even the most powerful lighthouse in the tower can't stop me for more than a second. You know, babies, to face you, I'll only use my right arm, so keep trying to come and steal my golden egg."
Seeing Aldwin fall, my team and I desperately tried to avenge our partner, but to no avail. Indeed, our assaults, without our Light Bearer, became increasingly disorganized. Moreover, Urek, with just one arm, was effortlessly deflecting all our attacks while crushing us with ease. Even Darius's metal defence was shattered with a single finger. At that moment, we all realized that our pride had led us astray and that we still had a long way to go, as the gap in power between the irregular and us was far too great.
[ Hendo Lok Style: Shinsu Boost - Raging Ram Charge ]
Even Darius's powerful charge was stopped with just one hand by the irregular in the white cap. Urek was able to lift the colossus with astonishing ease, and we unleashed all our Shinsu attacks against him to make him release Darius. But once again, our attacks had no effect, as this muscle-bound monster was far too strong for us. "Did you have fun? Now it's my turn!" said Urek Mazino as he prepared his counterattack.
[ Urek Mazino Style: Shinsu Reinforcement - Right Arm Alone: 0.1% - Fist of Gorgons ]
Urek Mazino's ability manifested as a massive white head, which unleashed a devastating Shinsu attack from its mouth. Before we could do anything to save our comrade, Darius was struck head-on by the attack, knocking him out of the fight in an instant. Now, only three of us were still standing, completely exhausted and desperate. Even my control over Shinsu, Arie's swordsmanship, and Ran's lightning spears were doing nothing against this monster; he remained unscathed by all our attempts to hurt him or steal the egg from his left arm.
I bit my lip, frustrated at being useless in this battle, even as an irregular. I felt like just a spectator watching my comrades get massacred. Even my mother's techniques had no effect; my techniques were either deflected or absorbed. I felt like nothing more than an insect that could be crushed at any moment, and I hated that.
I began to lose hope, even though I was the most dreamer among us when I saw that shortly after, Ran and Rose were no longer able to move after being hit in turn by a punch from our opponent. I wanted to continue attacking, but my body was starting to refuse certain orders I was giving it. All I could do was try to save my comrades, but Urek, with a carnivorous smile, wouldn't let me do that at all. "No, I won't let you take that action, I want to see if you can survive my next attack."
[ Urek Mazino Style: Supreme King's Scorching Fist of Death ]
Even for me, his punch was terrifying because I knew that if it connected, I would probably die. Therefore, I tried with all my strength to skillfully dodge it. Unfortunately, I stumbled at the last moment, stepping into a hole. I thought this might be the end of my adventure as time seemed to slow down, and I began to relive the best moments of my life. "Am I going to die today when I have so much left to accomplish? Is the story of Yeong Yeo going to end here? No, I won't let my story end like this!" I thought, as a great power, seemingly not my own, surged within me. It not only stopped Urek Mazino's attack but also his Shinsu Reinforcement. I don't know how I managed to produce that, but I succeeded in nullifying my opponent's Shinsu just as Headon had done.
Seeing that he was momentarily disturbed, I seized the opportunity to approach him while he could no longer use Shinsu. I launched my strongest close-combat technique, which I had created after my fight against the Ruler of the second floor: a combination of a high-density flame orb, the Shinsu explosion of Blossom, and finally, my phoenix cloak to protect myself. The goal was to unleash such power that it could seriously injure a Ranker if he were hit.
[ Yeon Yeong's Shinsu Control Style - Rare Orb: Flame Explosion ]
Thus, my attack was able to fully succeed without interruption, and the orb exploded in a pillar of flame that engulfed the irregular. However, after the concentrated blast, Urek was still standing before me, just as I had slightly anticipated. I wouldn't have thought that only his arms would be covered in burns. Even without Shinsu, the irregular I held in high regard remained a monstrous mass of muscle, capable of feats that no one could imitate. Without warning, he delivered a violent kick so fast that it sent me flying to the other end of the treetop, leaving me clutching my stomach from the pain despite the protection of my healing flames.
Just when I thought we were going to fail the test on the eighth floor, Urek sent me a banner from Wolhaiksong, which contained one of the precious golden eggs. "Ha, ha, ha, baby, you surprised me! Sure, you couldn't steal the golden egg from me, but you forced me to use my leg when I said I would beat you with only my right arm, so I guess you could say I lost. However, before you go, I'd like to ask you a question: do you know how to get out of this tower?" the vice commander of Wolhaiksong asked me seriously.
"I shouldn't be surprised that you know so much about my strange arrival in the tower, but to answer you, Urek, I have no idea how I came here or how to get out of the tower. I only have a lead from Headon, who told me that it was a being who could control history that brought me to the tower," I said, genuinely surprised and happy to have a golden egg.
I could see through the glimmer in his eyes that my answer deeply disappointed him, but the irregular continued to smile. "It seems this is another failure for me... However, know that this banner is an invitation to join Wolhaiksong, and it extends to all your comrades. But don't answer me now, I'll wait for your response on the 77th floor. So make sure to get stronger, so you can give me more of a challenge next time!"
I nodded, then healed all my allies. Finally, after successfully achieving our objective, we descended from the tree to advance to the next floor, validating the success of our test, unaware of what Urek Mazino said after our departure. The irregular, still at the top, was later joined by Yeon Woon, a member of Wolhaiksong, who healed his arms with his healing flames.
"I never would have believed that my cousin would be strong enough to burn your arms like that, Urek..." Woon said, genuinely surprised.
Urek didn't respond immediately and preferred to think aloud, watching the light that took Yeong's group to the ninth floor. "He and I are quite similar; we came to this tower in the same way, due to beings who can manipulate history at will. But know this, Woon: he could never have inflicted such damage if he hadn't used an ability that nullified my attack and also prevented me from enhancing my body with Shinsu. This ability is not like that of an Administrator, as even they cannot reduce a physical attack to nothing... No, I've seen this power somewhere before, with that being, Phantaminum! This kid will be very interesting to watch evolve; I'm sure he'll usher in a new era that's less boring than this one!"