---
[FLOOR 10 (BOSS CHAMBER COMPLETE) — HELL DIFFICULTY]
[Rating: SSS]
[Enemies Defeated: 1]
[Rewards:]
[+100,000 Tower Coins]
[+20,000 EXP]
[Item Drop: B-Rank Threadlight Lantern]
[Infinite Reward Multiplier — Activated!]
[Multiplier: x1,000,000]
[Reward Adjusted:]
[+100,000,000,000 Tower Coins]
[+20,000,000,000 EXP]
[Item Upgraded: B-Rank Threadlight Lantern → SSS-Rank Lantern of Supreme Execution]
---
Kael’s eyes widened.
"...What?"
Before he could even process the absurd rewards, the screen changed.
Warning messages rapidly appeared one after another.
---
[WARNING!]
[WARNING!]
[Massive Energy Influx Detected.]
[Host Body Unable To Safely Process Reward.]
[Commencing Reward Conversion.]
---
A cold sensation spread throughout his body.
Then came another notification.
---
[Energy Conversion Complete.]
[Energy Redirected To Host Body.]
[Initiating Full Body Reconstruction.]
---
Kael’s smile froze.
Something about those words sounded very dangerous.
"Wait."
But before he could finish, another notification appeared before him.
---
[Due To Extreme Pain During Reconstruction Process...]
[Host Consciousness Will Be Temporarily Suspended.]
---
"...Hold on."
Unfortunately, the system wasn’t interested in hearing his opinion.
The moment the message appeared, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed into him.
His vision blurred.
His legs gave out.
And before he could utter another word, darkness swallowed him whole.
His body collapsed onto the chamber floor.
Then he fell asleep.
---
Meanwhile...
Far, far away.
Beyond countless worlds.
Beyond endless stretches of space.
On a planet drenched entirely in blood.
Corpses covered the surface from horizon to horizon.
Billions upon billions of bodies littered the ruined world.
Blood flowed like rivers.
The sky itself had turned crimson.
At the center of this endless massacre stood a towering figure.
A headless executioner.
An axe rested in one hand.
A lantern floated beside it.
Its appearance was nearly identical to the boss Kael had just defeated.
But only nearly.
Because this one radiated a level of terror that made the clone seem insignificant.
This was the original.
The real Silen.
The Wandering Executioner.
Suddenly, the floating lantern flickered.
The countless faces trapped within it stirred.
One by one, they emerged.
Thousands.
Millions.
All turning toward the same distant direction.
A direction impossibly far away.
Then every face opened its mouth.
An ear-piercing screech erupted from the lantern.
"Fanatic."
"Fanatic."
"Fanatic."
The voices merged together into one horrifying chorus.
"All fanatics must be eliminated."
"For the Emperor."
The towering executioner moved.
One step.
A corpse beneath its foot exploded into crimson mist.
Then Silen bent its knees.
And jumped.
Boom!
The planet shook violently.
The executioner launched into the heavens with a speed beyond light itself.
The force generated by the leap alone proved catastrophic.
Cracks spread across the planet’s surface.
Continents split apart.
Oceans evaporated.
The atmosphere ignited.
Moments later, the entire world shattered.
The planet exploded into countless fragments before disintegrating completely.
And just like that another world fell beneath the bloodstained path of the Wandering Executioner.
----
Meanwhile, Kael remained completely unaware of the threat that had just locked onto him from across the stars.
He was still unconscious.
And his body was still undergoing its transformation.
Though calling it a transformation wasn’t entirely accurate.
Reconstruction would be a far better description.
At some point during the process, his entire body had broken apart.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
His flesh, blood, bones, organs, nerves, and every other component that made up his body had been ground down into a grotesque mass of biological material.
A giant sphere of flesh.
A disgusting meatball composed entirely of Kael.
The only thing preventing it from looking like something out of a nightmare was the immense golden energy radiating from it.
Since the boss trial had already ended, Kael had automatically been returned to the Start Room.
As a result, the reconstruction process was taking place there.
Aiona had rushed out of her tiny house the moment Kael returned.
As his Tower Guide, she had already received the details of the previous trial.
The moment she saw the SSS Rating notification, she nearly exploded from excitement.
An SSS Rating.
On Hell Difficulty.
And on a Boss Floor no less.
Even among the countless challengers she had observed throughout her existence, that was an absurd achievement.
She had immediately flown out to congratulate him.
Only to arrive and witness a giant glowing meatball sitting in the middle of the room.
Aiona froze.
Her smile disappeared.
Her tiny face went pale.
"W-What happened...?"
She stared at the horrifying sight in disbelief.
For a moment, she genuinely wondered if Kael had died.
Tower Guides rarely formed attachments to challengers.
Most challengers failed.
Many quit.
Some died.
That was simply how things worked.
But Kael was different.
He was talented.
Ridiculously talented.
The kind of challenger every Tower Guide dreamed of accompanying.
After all, a guide’s existence revolved around challengers.
Their growth.
Their achievements.
Their purpose.
Everything was connected to the person they guided.
Being paired with an exceptional challenger was practically winning the lottery.
And Kael wasn’t merely exceptional.
He was bizarre.
In a good way.
A very good way.
Not only was he absurdly strong for someone who had just awakened, but he actually treated her like a person.
Most challengers barely acknowledged their guides.
Some outright ignored them.
Others treated them like tools.
Yet Kael had allowed her to redecorate the entire Start Room however she wanted.
Just thinking about it made her feel slightly warm inside.
So seeing him in this state caused genuine concern to well up within her.
She wanted to fly over and inspect him.
To check whether he was breathing.
To see if he was okay.
But the terrifying energy surrounding the flesh sphere kept her firmly in place.
Every instinct she possessed screamed at her not to get closer.
So she could only wait.
And hope.
Fortunately, before long, something finally changed.
The giant sphere of flesh trembled.
Then it began moving.
Aiona’s eyes widened.
The true reconstruction had started.
# #
[AN_ Hey, it’s your author here. If you’ve read this far, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help me see the story’s strengths and weaknesses so I can keep improving and give you a consistent, quality read.]