[You have safely escaped from the masters of the Black Sea!]
[You have escaped from the middle of the Black Sea! The clear condition is met! The 24th floor of the Mythical Tower, 'The Middle of a Certain Sea,' is cleared!]
[As a clear reward, the 'Thread of Purity' possessed by the demigod Kamella Sirin materializes! The thread of fate points to the Island of Artifacts, Famiran!]
[The entry conditions for the 25th floor of the Mythical Tower are met!]
Ding!
[There is a remaining Mythical Tower ticket in the ticket storage! It will be used automatically in 5 seconds!]
[Entering the 25th floor of the Mythical Tower, 'The Artifact Craftsman of Famiran.']
Jinhyuk, having confirmed the entry, began to walk.
This was the outskirts of Famiran, where Rogadu's galley had run aground.
Before his eyes, a deep, hollow groove remained.
In real-world terms, it was like the skid marks left at an accident scene.
"Kancho."
"Deputy Captain of the Yodel Rangers, Kancho!"
"Seira is really amazing, I think."
"That's right! The battalion commander is on the level of a one-person army!"
The General Mo had been running its oars at full power to escape the surging sea monsters.
The galley, which had practically flown, couldn't slow down even when it reached the vicinity of the island.
But Jinhyuk wasn't particularly worried.
Because before entering the Black Sea, during the planning phase, Seira had told him.
No matter how fast the speed, she would stop them safely, so don't worry.
And indeed, the galley was safe, aside from the bottom being quite scraped up.
Perk, perk, perk!
"When the Commander-in-Chief asked if she was okay earlier, the Battalion Commander looked super cool!"
"She did, didn't she."
He crossed his arms and nodded.
He knew better than anyone that there was no way she wouldn't be okay.
But since she had stopped the ship all by herself, he had asked her casually.
To which Seira replied.
-No problem.
She gave back a reply full of charisma.
"Kyaaah...!"
"Kyaaah... imdang!"
Kancho and the air exchanged double thumbs-up, shaking their heads.
A unique, old-fashioned aura that Jinhyuk and Kancho couldn't imitate.
No matter when he saw her, or saw her again, she was a cool friend.
"What are you two doing!!"
Momo came dashing over, climbing up his legs and back to his neck.
"I'm here, General Mo! We were fiercely criticizing Battalion Commander Seira!"
"It wasn't criticism, it was praise."
She almost went from being a super fan to a super anti in an instant.
"I like Seira!"
While he was cooing over Momo, who was riding piggyback.
Rogadu, the work gang foreman who had finished organizing the galley, and his daughter Rimuna walked over.
Just a moment ago, the two of them had been completely spaced out.
It was because of the voyage that had been far beyond common sense.
Fortunately, they seemed to have recovered somewhat now.
Rimuna, looking around, tilted her head.
"Where are the others?"
"They're friends who can only come out for a very short time. They've gone to recharge now."
On the way here, Rogadu had introduced the master of Famiran, Laghar von Edilen, like this.
A climber who had made a name for himself in the Mythical Tower in the past, and a powerhouse who now held the highest authority on the Island of Artifacts, Famiran.
Hearing this, his friends had all spoken in unison.
In a situation where they didn't know the other party's identity or intentions, there was no need to show their own hand first.
So they decided to do it similarly to last time in Etheropolis.
Scout first, then manifest when necessary.
Then why hadn't Kancho and Momo un-manifested?
These friends were fine.
Rather than putting the enemy on guard, they would have the effect of making the world let its guard down.
"Hmm."
He slowly looked around the island.
Etheropolis and Famiran.
They were definitely a different concept from most of the floors he had passed through so far.
The floors he had gone to meet his friends were places where the order had been changed due to some clue or trigger.
And they had a clear purpose: meeting new hero cards.
But Etheropolis and Famiran were different.
Rather than floors for meeting someone, they were places you had to break through solely for climbing.
Unlike the Tower of Despair, in the Mythical Tower, it was never strange for something unexpected to pop up anytime, anywhere, so constant caution was necessary.
"But didn't someone from the Edilen family come earlier? Where did they go?"
"They must have gone to call for support. It's unprecedented for a work vessel to ride up onto the island."
"That's true."
"Rimuna. You take our benefactor and go home. I'll meet the Edilen family here and then come. I need to decide what to do with the work vessel."
Having finished speaking, Rogadu approached Jinhyuk.
His demeanor was somehow serious and reverent.
At that, Rimuna held out her hand to the Kanmo duo.
"I'll give Momo and Kancho a piggyback ride!"
"I love it!"
"Understood! It's a new height experience!"
Kancho and Momo hopped and landed on Rimuna's neck and shoulders.
Momo's landing seemed to make her body sway a bit, but it should be fine, right?
As Rimuna walked away with the two, Rogadu smiled.
"I don't know how to repay this kindness. If it weren't for you, we would have become food for the masters of the Black Sea."
"It's no kindness. Thanks to you, we got a good ride too."
"I'll just handle the accident and then give you a grand feast. Despite its color, the seafood from the Black Sea is absolutely delicious. Also, the Edilen family will surely express their gratitude to you. After all, the work vessel was drifting while carrying out the island's official duties. Well then, go along with Rimuna for now. Let's have a drink in a bit. I'll bring out the liquor I've been saving, so you can look forward to it."
"Oh, yes! I'll be looking forward to it!"
He shot a thumbs-up and then turned to walk.
Rare liquor is always good.
Though he was a bit skeptical about the seafood from the Black Sea.
"Sis! Why are you shaking so much!"
"Isn't it all because of Mo-pig?! Didn't I tell you to lose weight?!"
"Yaaaah...!?"
Thud!
Just as Momo, the Wind Fighter, was about to leap, Rimuna, unable to bear the weight, collapsed first.
Gulp!
It was definitely not easy for an ordinary person to endure.
After all, our Momo-sensei is small but packed.
"By the way, Kancho."
"Deputy Captain of the Yodel Rangers, Kancho!"
"Where's Nia? She didn't un-manifest."
Perk!?
For some reason, Kancho's perked-up ears showed an unstable movement.
"I laid her out on the deck to dry but forgot! I'll go pick her up!"
Whoosh!
Kancho ran off somewhere.
Before long, he returned with Nia dangling from a bamboo fishing rod.
"She's completely soaked. I'll wash her when we get home."
Whether it was her clothes or her hair, everything had become dark and stained, probably because of the viscous seawater.
Rimuna, having handed over the Kanmo duo, took Nia instead and started walking.
"How do you like Famiran so far?"
"Honestly, it's very unexpected. When I only saw the pitch-black Black Sea, I thought the island would have a similar atmosphere."
He stared at the brightly lit island.
It wasn't called the Island of Artifacts for nothing.
Every single thing on the island, from the lighthouses to the devices placed everywhere, was made of artifacts.
Looking with his spiritual vision, the entire island was divine power itself.
Thanks to that, the island seemed to shimmer.
'It's definitely different.'
Seeing it like this, he felt he could clearly understand the difference from the Celestial Foundation artifacts he had seen before.
The Celestial Foundation's artifacts were so clear and pure. But the divine power before his eyes was mixed with a lot of murky purple.
"Right? Most people who come to Famiran for the first time say that too."
Rimuna turned around and made a strange expression.
"Would you believe it? That just ten years ago, those lighthouses and lights weren't there at all?"
"They weren't!?"
"Yes. When I was young, the nights in Famiran were really dark and gloomy."
"So there were no artifacts back then?"
"That's not it. Famiran has been an island that makes artifacts for a very long time. It's just that the productivity wasn't good enough to use them in daily life like now. It was only after Lord Laghar, the head of the Edilen family, returned that they started making artifacts incredibly fast."
His ears perked up.
A climber who had ascended the Mythical Tower before him, though not a complete stranger like him.
"Did he do something?"
"We don't know the exact principle either. All we know is that Lord Laghar brought back a large egg from the upper floors of the Mythical Tower, and not long after, the new artifact manufacturing method distributed by the Edilen family became ridiculously efficient."
He nodded, alternately looking at the Black Sea and Famiran.
A sea filled with polluted residue, and an island that produces artifacts at an unbelievable speed.
And a climber who brought something from the top of the tower.
This, this, it was getting more and more interesting.
* * *
Rogadu, having sent all the work gang members back, stretched.
Perhaps because it was time for everyone to sleep, the arrival of the Edilen family was delayed.
"Hey, Rogadu! Are you alright!"
A welcome face waving from the darkness.
He had asked Rimuna for a favor.
To call Duko, an excellent ship repairman and neighbor.
"No, what in the world happened here? By the way, did you go out for work today too? According to the schedule, it was a day off."
"Hm? That can't be. I went out according to the regular schedule."
Duko shrugged.
"There must have been some mistake, I guess."
"Sorry for calling you out so late. I was curious why the power source broke down. I need to know so it doesn't happen again."
"Hoho, that's important, that's important. Well, let's take a look."
Rogadu led Duko down below deck.
Rubbing his hands together, Duko took out his tools and approached the power source.
He examined it for a while.
Then he stopped his hands and looked back at Rogadu.
His face was unusually serious.
"What's wrong?"
"Rogadu. Was there anyone who tampered with the power source before departure?"
"Hmm... No one specifically tampered with it. The only thing was that we got the final inspection from the guild right before departure, as usual."
Duko let out a hum and pointed to a deep part of the power source.
"Do you see this? The small artifacts that transmit power are broken."
"Couldn't they have broken on the way? The ship took a lot of impacts here and there. As you can see, it even ended up running aground."
Duko shook his head.
"They couldn't have broken just from that. Someone deliberately tampered with them. They were set to cut off after a certain amount of time after starting operation."
"What...?"
As a heavy silence fell.
Footsteps were heard from above deck.
"Is the foreman here? I've come from the guild on behalf of the Edilen family."
"I'm down here!"
Several men came down below deck.
The man at the front, spotting the repairman Duko, narrowed his eyes.
"Duko-nim is here. How is it? Have you found the cause?"
Duko gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
"I think I need to look a bit more. My eyes are a bit blurry, maybe because I just woke up."
The man quietly watched Duko.
Then, a faint smile crept onto his lips.
"You've figured it out, haven't you."
"Pardon...?"
"It's unfortunate that things have turned out this way. Duko-nim. Rogadu-nim."
"Wh-what...!"
The man who had come close reached out his hand to Duko and Rogadu.
And not long after.
Crack!!
A dull sound of something breaking was heard.
"...!!"
The eyes of Rogadu and Duko shook violently.
From the darkness below deck.
A cold, purple light began to emanate.
----------
T/N:
Just for being a free member, you'll get 5 advanced chapters every week!
Access 35 chapters in advance on my Patreon:[email protected]//towerup