Chapter 86: The King's Reckoning

I scowled, recognizing the message instantly. It was etched in my memory, a harbinger of immense dissatisfaction.

"Floor 80."

Among the one billion clients of Jolt of Energy, it was the most dreaded and formidable floor that only five individuals, including myself, managed to conquer.

It was the inaugural conquest type, shrouded in mystery.

In Jolt of Energy, each player had a unique experience in the game: a different world, diverse characters, and varied missions and floors to conquer.

You could argue that the experience in Jolt of Energy and the pace at which you progressed through stages in the game were random, and the difficulty fluctuated depending on luck, but every ranker who attempted Floor 80 had miserably failed.

As a result, the highest floor reached among rankers was Floor 79.

Floor 80 was infamous as the wall of despair among the rankers. I was no exception. Six months ago, I boldly challenged Floor 80 after reaching Floor 79, but most of my forces, except the main party, were decimated in a crushing defeat.

"How does it feel to witness this firsthand instead of on the screen? Quite terrifying, isn't it?" the young woman remarked, appearing on a leather seat out of nowhere.

She held a glass vial containing dark fluid.

"What's the purpose of showing me this?"

"It's simple. I think you should watch this scene along with me."

The young woman took a sip of her drink.

"Grab a chair. Standing may be uncomfortable."

A luxurious chair draped in fine fabric materialized behind me.

I let out a deep sigh and sank into the seat. The fairy offered me a drink, but I waved it away with my hand.

"The Niflheimr Field on Floor 80."

Even after examining countless types of fields, I couldn't define this peculiar field.

Floating platforms dotted the area, with streams of boiling magma flowing below. It resembled more of an ocean than a river, as the magma engulfed the entire land.

In the distant mountain range, volcanoes continuously spewed fiery rocks. The wind, mixed with sulfur and ash, swirled in a sinister dark hue.

Hell.

That was the only word to describe it.

An extreme space where no living creatures could survive.

Floor 80's stage lay before me.

"As you can see, the situation is like this, but you don't have to worry. The weather here can't affect you. It's just replaying the records of the past."

There was a massive island right in front of me, spanning hundreds of meters easily.

From one side of the island, light emerged, and a group emerged from it.

I stood up from my seat.

The party that emerged from the light consisted of five individuals.

Each of them was clad in different-colored outfits and weapons, much more realistic than I remembered, but I recognized them. It was unforgettable.

At the forefront of the group, a blonde woman stepped forward.

Adorned in silver armor, she wielded a ruby sword emitting a crimson aura. The engravings on the hilt shimmered in golden light.

"Seris Agentheim."

She was the top ranker of Niflheimr, the Sub-Expert, and the leader of the main party.

"The other four are..."

There was no need to pay attention to them.

Rankings one through five.

Each of the individuals who could be considered the strongest in Niflheimr were gathered here.

I sat back down in the seat.

I gulped down the water from the cup the fairy had given me in one go.

"It's the recording of when I conquered Floor 80."

"Right."

"Why are you showing me this? I already know the clearing procedure. It's pointless."

"Just keep watching, okay?"

The young woman smiled softly.

I frowned and turned my gaze back to the main party. They huddled together in one spot, not uttering a word, each silently waiting for something.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Something peculiar emerged from beneath the floating island.

They didn't have a specific form. Fluid and elongated like limbs, they writhed about. Their numbers were countless. They sprouted from dozens, hundreds of floating islands simultaneously.

"[Part of Confusion Lv.113 X 2755]"

"[Part of Despondency Lv.108 X 3164]"

"[Part of Assurance Lv.121 X 2348]"

These Non-quality monsters appeared in large numbers on the upper floors of the tower.

Commonly known as the Section series, they were the culprits that turned floors 80 or higher into horrendous challenges.

"Grrrrrrr."

Simultaneously, a distant rumbling sound could be heard.

"[Gem of Disorder Lv.322 X 13]"

"[Gem of Depression Lv.315 X 11]"

"[Gem of Assurance Lv.311 X 15]"

In the midst of the sulfur and debris-filled fog, a gigantic structure emerged.

Colossal monsters, each reaching several hundred meters, appeared in humanoid form.

They glared at the heroes with red eyes blazing.

"Do you understand? The difficulty in Jolt of Energy varies for each record. The party probabilities are also vastly different."

The outer layer of the floating islands was littered with countless fragments.

Monstrous beasts that could darken the sky were advancing toward them.

"It's not that you were unlucky and couldn't draw advanced heroes. There simply were no heroes left in Niflheimr. It's the same story with the difficulty. Niflheimr is one of the few special worlds that received an S rating from the company's internal evaluation. It was the worst in every aspect. And the hardest to preserve."

"You still wonder how you made it up to the 88th floor?"

The young woman looked at me impassively.

I ignored her.

The five individuals remained unmoving.

The limbs of the sections were about to reach Seris when time froze.

A holographic window appeared before me. It was a gameplay record from when I conquered Floor 80.

"[Impact of Strategic Command is applied!]"

"[Command Level: MAX!]"

"[Creating a map of the stage.]"

"[Displaying strategic screen.]"

"You can maneuver heroes through touch and drag."

The screen displayed a three-layered map of the stage's landscape.

Nearly every part of the map was covered with red dots, to the point where one could mistake the entire map for being red. In contrast, there were five blue dots representing allies. Various strategic tools and a list of deployable groups were displayed on the sides of the screen.

"Memories resurfaced vividly."

The cursor indicating control began to move on its own.

The blue arrows were drawn on the holographic map. The arrows crisscrossed and spiraled, covering the screen. It was the strategy I had spent countless nights devising.

To seize various support objects on the floating islands in line while suppressing the enemies.

Far from simple or easy; any slight mistake or flaw in the plan would lead to total destruction. I reviewed and revised the strategy countless times to eliminate any gaps.

In the center of the Seris party, a round table ascended.

A map was placed on the table, the same kind as displayed on the screen.

As I moved the cursor, arrows were drawn on the map on the table, and the heroes looked at it eagerly.

"It's going to start."

The young woman casually sipped

 her drink, a relaxed smile on her face.

"Watch closely. How they act. And what you mean to them. That's why you're unique, Expert Loki."

I didn't respond.

I simply reclined in my seat.

As the strategic instructions approached completion, a man with a stoic expression, wielding three different swords, spoke up.

"The commands from our lord?"

"As always, perfect."

A woman with waist-length white hair spoke.

"Failure is not tolerated."

"That's only natural. For ourselves and for our lord."

"Unless we eliminate nearly 1,000, we won't leave a mark on the fortress."

A man carrying a twisted spear on his back chimed in.

The woman with white hair opened a book she had been holding in her arms. The pages of the book rippled in mid-air, emitting a bright light.

"As we vowed."

*Snap.*

A bow held by one of the girls emitted a flash of light.

It was one of the five divine artifacts I had meticulously crafted, Bryunak.

"I, the Lord's Bolt, Nihaku Guestfel."

A girl with long brown curly hair murmured.

A yellow light gleamed in her eyes.

*Swoosh.*

The spear wielded by the boy wavered faintly.

Similarly, it was one of the five divine artifacts, Runein.

"I, the Lord's Lance, Myuden Naidelk."

The boy murmured.

The three swords the man held shifted and wriggled as if pulsating.

Combining the three into one weapon, it formed Clau Solas.

"I, the Lord's Sword, Ridgion."

The man murmured.

The book the woman unfurled floated in mid-air.

Countless magical characters were inscribed in the air.

"I, the Lord's Eye, Yurnet Seed."

The woman murmured.

Finally, Seris drew Lebatain.

"I, the Lord's Fire, Seris Agentheim."

Seris murmured.

The five of them simultaneously brandished their weapons.

Time remained frozen, and the strategic arrangements were nearing completion.

"[Time limit closes in 10 seconds.]"

"[Battle will resume.]"

"[Get ready!]"

Even with the maximum level of the Strategic Command, time was tight.

At last, a clear strategy encompassing the entire field was completed.

The five individuals' focused gazes all turned to the map at once.

"Excellent work."

Yurnet's eyes shimmered with admiration.

"[8, 7, 6 until mission starts.]"

The table and map vanished.

The five individuals swiftly assumed positions, forming a tight circle.

"[3, 2, 1 Mission start!]"

Time unfroze.

Thousands of enemies charged forward simultaneously.

A burst of red flames erupted, engulfing the field of vision.

The subsequent events were indelibly etched from the recording.

The video had reached its conclusion.

I found myself back in the room shrouded in darkness.

The young woman held out a glass vial with dark fluid swirling inside.

"Hehe, aren't they impressive? They truly pledge allegiance to you."

"You already know. They are the Six Stars Legends, known as the strongest across all servers, except for the few Seventh Star Legends. There's no one capable of facing them except themselves. Believe me. You've raised fearsome beings."

"And why does that matter?"

In truth, that's not the crucial point. What matters is how they view you as their lord. Heroes climb the tower and undergo evolution repeatedly, only to realize truth and despair. Who would pledge loyalty to a master who regards them as toys or pets?

Her voice seemed to whisper directly into my ear.

"But you were different. You're the only master who truly ruled the sitting area."

The young woman's eyes narrowed.

"Loki, you were the Lord of Niflheim."

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