Chapter 71: Rift's Embrace

The spatial fracture remained open, eagerly awaiting our entrance. "The time has shown up, hyung," I remarked. "It appears so," he replied. "I put my confidence in you poorly, much as I did on the fifth floor!" I exclaimed.

"Don't trouble me," he retorted. Affirming that the elixirs safely enhanced my belt, I continued toward the spatial crack. The others, with different expressions, took action accordingly. My attention was caught by a mirror situated to one side of the spatial break.

"Climb the pinnacle and save the world!"

[Fundamental Prison: Current Floor 9]

When I confirmed that each of the ten of us had entered, I addressed them. "Edis."

"Yes?"

"There's a likelihood that we might get isolated. In such a case, we should rejoin as quickly as could be expected."

"How?"

"Go directly toward the middle. If you find yourself unsure of the location, climb to higher ground and study the surroundings."

Edis nodded, grasping the plan. Just as Iselle zoomed in without a second to spare, the spatial fracture sealed shut. Iselle let out an exaggerated sigh and put her hands on her hips.

"[You part! Make sure not to heckle Han. I'll watch out for things!]"

"Forget her," I said.

"R-Really?"

"[W-What]"

"Totally."

"[Grrrr]"

I couldn't help but burst into laughter at Iselle's exaggerated expression. "Don't worry. We'll climb the pinnacle as planned," I assured her.

Iselle grinned. "[I know. Best of luck! And don't you dare die without my consent!]"

Iselle clenched her fist before me, transforming into a beam of light and disappearing. "Oppa, who exactly are you? What secret do you have that makes that daring pixie obediently follow your orders? Are you hiding something or not?" she demanded.

"Argh!" I groaned, turning down the volume before addressing Edis.

"Edis, rejoining is our main concern. Head to the middle, no matter where you end up on the map."

"Got it."

"We'll discuss matters used to be inside."

The mirror on the left side began to emit an increasingly bright light. The light slowly undulated, engulfing the entire spatial fracture. I surrendered to the embrace of the light, closing my eyes.

When I opened them again, the light receded, revealing the surrounding landscape. Amidst everything, a melancholy voice reached my ears. "We're all going to die. Every single one of us."

Before me, a man crouched on the ground, muttering to himself. "We can't win. We're doomed to die. Men, women, children—no one will be saved! We're trapped here."

I nudged the man gently, urging him to stand. He stumbled up and turned his gaze toward me. "W-Who's there? Are you a ghost? You must be!"

Though I stood right before him, the man blindly reached out, searching for my presence. Jenna approached. "Oh, this poor man. It seems like they cannot see us."

I recalled the tutorial stage, where people passed through beyond the field. I attempted to engage them in conversation, but they disregarded my presence, passing by as if I were invisible. "Excuse me, could you see us at all? Sir, sir?"

Jenna waved her hand before the man, but he remained in a daze, oblivious to our presence. "Is he an NPC?"

I surveyed our surroundings. A row of houses, constructed with logs and bricks. People cowered in fear, their faces etched with terror. Armed soldiers swiftly navigated the streets, seemingly preoccupied with their own tasks. They showed no interest in us, the sudden apparitions in their city.

"How strange."

In missions, encounters with NPCs were very common. No wonder interaction was becoming challenging; it appeared to be designed that way. "Focus! Let's gather for the time being!"

As I spoke, the party members, who had been observing their surroundings, assembled. I smiled and remarked, "This city feels strangely familiar, doesn't it?"

Eolka and Shurn wore expressions of bewilderment, while Jenna and Aaron's faces hardened. It was only natural since both of them were absent during the fifth floor.

"Come to think of it, hyung, I've been here before. It seems different, but there's a sense of familiarity."

"Indeed. We've been here already. This is the ruined city that served as the stage for the fifth floor. The only difference is..."

After a brief survey of our surroundings, I continued. "It hasn't been destroyed yet."

"Hold on a moment, Oppa. The timeline seems a bit off. It's completely turned upside down, isn't it?"

"How often has it not been mixed up? Let's worry about the small details later. More importantly, we've been gathered here and to survive, we need to succeed in our mission."

"Our mission..."

Eolka murmured, her voice filled with uncertainty. "The mission hasn't started yet. It seems like we have some extra time. Gathering information from our surroundings would be wise. Listen up, everyone! I'll give you 5 minutes to thoroughly explore the area and then regroup here. Don't be late, or we'll leave without you."

"Yes!"

"Eolka, you stay here."

"What? Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"I'm telling you not to unnecessarily waste your energy. It seems like you'll play a crucial role in this mission."

"Ah, I get it."

Eolka nodded, her expression filled with bewilderment. The four of us, including myself, dispersed in different directions. Our goal was to assess the enemy's positions, their numbers, the status of our allies, the condition of the battlefield, and the mission's objectives.

Conveniently, there was a bell tower nearby. It was the same spot where Jenna had climbed up and spotted the trolls on the fifth floor. I ascended the steps at the entrance.

Where we had been called turned out to be at the heart of the city. Though I couldn't see where Edis and the second party had landed, I knew they would soon join us here.

At the top of the bell tower, a soldier was holding his head, groaning in distress. "Ugh... Ughhh..."

First, I looked up at the sky. Thick clouds loomed ominously, saturating the air with moisture as if a heavy storm was impending. I slowly turned my gaze downward.

Towards the north of the city lay a vast forest. There, thousands of green dots squirmed and wriggled. [Troll Lv.??? X 2213]

Somewhere in the distance, though not clearly visible, it seemed that numerous siege towers were being pulled towards us. These must be the siege weapons, I thought.

Turning my gaze towards the east, I saw the river flowing—the same river we had encountered on the seventh floor. [Troll Lv.??? X 899]

There, too, many trolls were advancing towards the city, but this time with almost no siege equipment. It seemed they were attempting to converge from the east, heading towards the northern gate.

Next, I surveyed the city. Armed soldiers were stationed in the outer fortifications

 that surrounded the city. [Human Warrior Lv.??? X 353]

The enemy dwarfs us something like ten to one, if not more. As I scanned the northern forest, it became evident that forces were lurking within.

I had anticipated this. That the situation would unfold in this manner. There was no escaping the challenge it presented.

However, if it's a survival mission... The details of the mission were not fully defined. If we could hold out for a certain period and trigger another survival mission, it would prove to be much more manageable than the fifth floor. We had plenty of NPCs we could use as decoys, and, most importantly, the crucial aspect of local defense—the mages—was in place.

I tightened my grip on the sheathed blade swinging from my belt.

Beneath the bell tower, the party members who had completed their scouting began to gather. Somewhere out there, I could see Edis' party advancing to join us.

And now, the wheel of destiny turns.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

A triple warning message indicating a higher difficulty level. Taking a deep breath, I read the mission details that appeared below.

[Floor 10.]

[Mission Type: Defense]

[Objective: Keep the city from being captured!]

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