Chapter 23: The Only Way Is Fighting
[Mother System: All 293 other participants have been eliminated.]
[Final phase begins]
The frozen sky over the mountain trembled ominously and darkened.
In the heart of that deadly cold, two burning orbs appeared in the heights.
Ragzar's eyes.
Even though there were kilometers between him and Aron's group, his gaze...
Like two hellish spotlights, locked precisely on them.
A heavy silence fell. Even breathing stopped.
"He's... looking at us? From this distance?" Aron whispered.
He had seen many powerful Awakened in his life — including his father.
But this was the first time such a terrifying being stared at him with killing intent.
"We're... dead." Karnae whispered, her voice trembling, lips pale from fear.
"Hey, you! You freak! If you don't want your master crushed right in front of you, get us out of here!" Aron rushed toward Daniel, threw his unconscious body over his shoulder, and shouted with all his rage.
Vorak, with that massive frame and cold eyes, stood motionless.
He looked at Aron for a moment.
No... it wasn't just a look — it felt like he wanted to devour him.
Aron's breath caught in his chest. He felt a chill of fear.
Vorak said nothing. He just turned, knelt down, and gently placed Daniel and Aron on his back.
The others hesitated, but climbed on.
The beast rose.
Moments later, the ground began to quake.
Ragzar began to move with heavy steps.
His footsteps made the mountains tremble.
The sound of ice and stone cracking echoed from afar.
Now, Ragzar was running.
With each step, he tore giant rocks from the ground and hurled them toward the group in rage.
One of them landed just a few meters away, causing an explosion of fire.
"Damn it! Run, you stupid beast! Don't stop, just run!" Aron screamed with all his might.
The air filled with ash.
Vorak ran, but Ragzar was chasing them closely.
Aron looked at his idiot teammates. If he threw them off, the weight would lessen, and the beast might run faster.
But the problem was, those idiots were part of his team. If they died, the guild's evaluation of him would drop — especially since they were all children of the guild's board members.
And that made everything even worse.
"Maybe I should throw this bastard first—" Then his eyes fell on Daniel's body.
But right then, a glance at Vorak's glowing eyes was enough.
If anything happened to Daniel, this one-eyed winter beast would probably kill them all before Ragzar could
Aron clenched his teeth.
Damn it. All he could do was hope the monster didn't reach them.
Vorak ran with all his strength, breaking out of the forest.
However...
Ahead of them was just a cliff.
A massive abyss, like the end of the world.
No bridge, no path — just nothing.
Everyone dismounted.
"That's it? That was your plan?! We're trapped!" Lana shouted.
"Shut up, Lana! Just... shut up!" Aron turned and yelled at her.
"You keep saying shut up, but do you know what the punishment for dying is, you idiot?! We'll be banned from entering the Tower for a year! Do you know how far behind we'll fall compared to those other guild's bastards?" Lana stared into Aron's eyes as she spoke.
Aron fell silent. She was right. In the first floor, death wasn't real — but the one-year ban was devastating for people like them.
Their power growth would be limited, and their rivals in other guilds would surge ahead.
Neve and Karnae said nothing — just watched them. It was clear they agreed with Lana.
Before Aron could respond, they all suddenly felt something...
They looked up.
And for a moment, it felt like their hearts had stopped.
Ragzar appeared in the sky.
Suddenly — drip... drip...
The sound of thick, hot liquid dripping.
Before Aron could react, a red molten drop landed on his cheek and burned his skin.
Ragzar, with his demonic body, was standing right above them.
His body glowed like a mountain of burning stone and molten metal.
He breathed... and with each breath, the air shook.
His eyes — no, his suns — stared directly into each of their souls.
No one moved.
Not out of fear...
But because their bodies simply wouldn't let them move.
Shivering, frozen, in shock... feeling a death that was swallowing them alive.
They knew they wouldn't really die — but still, the terror was real.
Ragzar took a step forward.
The ground cracked.
Aron, hands trembling, looked around.
His team... terrified, breathless, on the edge of collapse.
"We can't run..." he whispered.
Then he narrowed his eyes, staring at Ragzar.
"...then there's only one option."
'Rank B. Ragzar's definitely a Rank B monster. Maybe even higher.'
'In normal conditions, we have no chance. I'm Rank D. The others are Rank E.'
Simple math: They had no chance.
But... when he looked at the timer, his eyes lit up.
[Time remaining until current phase ends: 1:58:13]
Two hours.
If they could stay alive for two hours... if they could somehow survive...
They could clear this floor.
Grinding his teeth, he shouted:
"Everyone, battle positions! Now!"
No one moved.
Only heavy breaths... and eyes searching for escape.
Aron turned and shouted again:
"Are your ears broken?! You wanna just stand there and die or fight?! If you have another plan, speak up, because I don't see one!"
"And you," his gaze locked on Lana.
"Didn't you say you don't wanna lose? Then move!"
A moment of silence.
Then, one by one... their gazes shifted from Aron to Ragzar, then to each other again.
They sighed in frustration — there really was no other option.
And then... weapons were drawn from their sheaths.