Chapter 57
“It’s, it’s the Revenant!! Run away!!”
“We can’t fight him! R-run away!! Run away!!!”
Thump, thump, thump.
Dozens of people who had been aiming for the Hidden Room’s reward fled the floor, running for their lives.
The tremor of their footsteps pounding the ground sounded like an army on the march.
“……”
As the thunderous stomping faded, an eerie silence settled over the 70th floor.
Even after so many had fled, some still remained where they stood.
They were the ones who had quietly guarded the rear, unmoving even during the earlier free-for-all.
As the frightened crowd scattered, those who remained finally began to advance, one by one.
As if they’d been waiting for the one who claimed the Hidden Room reward to appear.
Two groups in total.
No Death frowned as he took in their distinct attire.
‘Baeksan.’
The first to move was Baeksan—the group that had brought the most people.
Baeksan halted at a measured distance, then drew swords and nocked arrows without hesitation.
They were ready to strike at any moment.
Even among Baeksan’s members, there were faces No Death recognized.
“Of all people…”
Baeksan’s pride. The team that represented the guild.
It was none other than the 1st Expedition Team.
“What brings Black Label’s top agent here?”
A middle-aged man stepped forward from their ranks and faced No Death.
Then his eyes shifted to Hyuk-min, unconscious behind No Death.
More precisely, to the black box in Hyuk-min’s grasp.
“So Black Label raids the Tower too. Even for you, stopping Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team is impossible. Unless it’s the 3rd Team.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
“Ah, sure. You’ll survive. But can you protect the cripple behind you—and that reward?”
“Baeksan’s Yellow Tiger’s eyes must be going.”
The leader of the 1st Expedition Team—the one the guild leader trusted most.
Yellow Tiger, Hwangho, twitched an eyebrow.
No Death smirked at him and jerked his chin toward the space behind.
“Go ahead and try. Looks like they’re quietly hoping you’ll make the first move back there. But can you really take the reward from me and this Party?”
Hwangho turned his head to check the last remaining group.
And while Hwangho’s expression twisted, No Death’s smile only deepened.
“I don’t think you can.”
Unlike Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team, with over thirty members stationed here, the group behind them numbered only seven.
Different styles, different builds—even mixed genders.
They shared nothing in common at a glance.
Hwangho muttered their identity as he stared at the seven.
“Allencia Party…”
The seven-member Party looked relaxed—some were even yawning.
A powerful Party made up entirely of Rankers, always showing up when it came to Tower raids.
If strength was the standard, they were a pack of monsters that consistently ranked at the top, even compared to guilds.
“It’s a hassle, but it’s not impossible.”
Still, Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team couldn’t be dismissed.
Even if the Allencia Party was strong, no one could predict the outcome if they clashed head-on with the Baeksan 1st Expedition Team.
‘Of course, that’s only if they were in perfect condition and fought head-on.’
But that wasn’t the case now.
The moment they engaged No Death, their strength would be reduced—and if that happened, there was no guarantee they could beat the Allencia Party waiting behind.
In fact, Hwangho suspected they might even lose.
Though he spoke boldly, No Death could read Hwangho’s thoughts clearly.
Swish, swish.
No Death swung his longsword through the air as if to pin down those uneasy thoughts, then smiled.
“Go ahead and try. At the very least, I’ll kill all your vice-captains.”
Hwangho’s expression twisted.
‘Alright. Let’s keep it like this. Stall.’
But only for a moment.
A deep smile spread across Hwangho’s twisted lips.
“Ha! This is absurd. To be ignored over something like this.”
No Death’s eyebrows twitched.
Hwangho’s smiling voice rang out.
“Call the guild! Tell them the 70th floor reward has appeared! Tell them to bring all available personnel to the 70th floor! That’s an order from Hwangho!”
Hwangho’s grin widened, while No Death’s expression began to harden.
“Have you forgotten? We are Baeksan. No matter how strong Parties are, they can’t stand against Baeksan—the number one-ranked guild. That’s the difference between a Party and a guild. Do you still think we can’t take the reward?”
If the entire Baeksan guild—not just the 1st Expedition Team—gathered here, even No Death and the Allencia Party couldn’t guarantee victory.
The Allencia Party, who had been listening lazily, finally began to move as well, and the situation tilted toward disaster.
It was so tight that a single wrong move could ignite a fight.
Twitch.
In the thickening tension, someone had been forgotten.
Bang Hyuk-min—the man dying with the black box in his arms.
Twitch.
No one noticed his body twitch.
= = =
The Allencia Party—seven Rankers, each completely different—was famous among adventurers.
They were so capable that even just two of them could clear an A-rank Dungeon with ease.
They were considered the best in the business.
But Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team was no pushover either.
The 1st Expedition Team, led by Hwangho, had even cleared an S-rank Dungeon—an achievement the Allencia Party didn’t have.
At least by rumor, they had accomplished more.
Now, the clash everyone only debated in hypothetical matchups was about to become real.
The Allencia Party, with only seven Rankers.
Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team, with thirty elite members just below Rankers.
‘Of course… it would’ve been a great spectacle if we weren’t involved.’
No Death bit his lip, gripping a longsword instead of his usual dagger.
He couldn’t afford to let his guard down for even a second.
In a situation where they could be attacked at any moment, a single lapse meant defeat.
‘Everyone’s goal is behind me.’
Now that it had become a three-way conflict, the stalemate would collapse the moment one side lost focus.
Smirk.
‘Right. Requesting support.’
A smile clung to Hwangho’s lips.
And No Death realized the stalemate continuing wasn’t necessarily good.
Even if fighting started now, the outcome was uncertain—and the longer it dragged on, the more it favored Baeksan, who had already called for reinforcements.
Cornered, No Death’s mind raced faster than ever.
‘What should I do…’
No matter how he turned it over, he couldn’t find an answer.
With two monstrous groups glaring at him, how was he supposed to get out of here safely?
His anxiety only deepened.
Then what he feared finally happened.
“I came all this way. I can’t just leave empty-handed.”
A muscular, red-haired man from the Allencia Party stepped forward.
‘Brawler.’
Oh Wooyoung.
The leader of the Allencia Party—the one who formed it.
A monster ranked 3rd among Korean adventurers.
Short, sporty red hair. Nearly 190 centimeters tall. Built like a tank.
And yet his speed was still among the top Rankers—one monster among monsters.
Whenever his white teeth showed in a grin, a massive red-glowing flail would appear in the air and crash down.
Thud!
“Shouldn’t we try, whether it works or not?”
The moment the heavy flail struck the floor, his body launched forward like a snapped rubber band—like a bullet.
Moving too fast for the eye to track, he grabbed one 1st Expedition Team member by the head and slammed him into the ground.
Thud! Bang!!!
“Cough!”
In an instant, one of Baeksan’s proud elite was taken out.
A grin spread across Brawler’s lips.
Smirk.
“Sonic.”
The name, spoken softly, didn’t move only the Allencia Party.
Hwangho kicked off the ground as well, cutting diagonally toward No Death—the one holding the black box.
And at the point where the two lines crossed—
Boom!
A staff held by a man in a black hood collided with Hwangho’s gauntleted punch.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know you? Baeksan! Start the battle! Reinforcements will be here soon!”
Blue mana shimmered around Hwangho’s golden gauntlets.
“Tch.”
The man in the black hood hurriedly retreated as a harsh ka-gak sound rang from the staff under pressure.
The instant the staff slipped away—
The destructive force erupting from the gauntlets detonated.
Bang!
Mana exploded with a tearing burst that warped the air for a moment.
Sonic dodged quickly, but the shaking air still staggered him, and his hood flew back.
Cough.
Sonic frowned as he coughed.
Hwangho frowned too—Sonic looked battered, but still fine.
“I should’ve put him down in one hit. What a shame.”
“Too bad. Hey—can someone switch with me? Our compatibility’s awful.”
“A pesky rat that only tickles knows his place.”
Hwangho’s provocation worked.
Sonic picked up the hood that had flown off and pulled it back on, then gave a meaningful smile.
“Ah~ Winning isn’t easy. But you know… my goal isn’t you. It’s that reward over there.”
“Go ahead and try. Your approach is too obvious.”
Sonic—said to be the fastest among Rankers.
Hwangho—the leader of Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team.
And the 1st Expedition Team, holding their own as the Allencia Party pressed in.
“Euryah!”
“Hmph!”
With Brawler’s first strike, the 70th floor became a battlefield in an instant.
= = =
Hyuk-min had gained the Revenant’s passive Skill by making No Death his Party Member.
He should have come back to life even if he died.
And yet, strangely, Hyuk-min’s body showed none of the Revenant’s tremendous regenerative power.
“Uncle… please…”
Hyun-jung had been crying the whole time, terrified Hyuk-min would die.
It was in the middle of the battle between the Allencia Party and Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team.
“Hyun-jung.”
“U-Uncle!?”
A voice Hyun-jung thought she’d only hear after death reached her ears.
No Death heard it too, and he shouted at Hyuk-min with a frown.
“Hey, you!”
“Just kill me for now.”
“Is my ability working now?”
“I can’t live like this. Hurry.”
“Damn it.”
Without looking back, No Death swung his sword.
Hyuk-min’s head was cleanly severed.
And as if it were nothing, the Revenant’s resurrection triggered.
Whoosh.
Blood surged, gathered, and in an instant restored Hyuk-min to his original form.
“Don’t be mad. I’m thinking it might’ve been better if you went instead.”
“Where is that place? What do I have to do to die?”
Was that why he was angry?
Hyuk-min smiled.
“You can’t.”
A picture was worth a thousand words.
Showing it once was more certain than explaining it a hundred times.
No Death frowned as he recalled the System message from the Lake of Extreme Poison.
“So… you’re saying it’s because the Revenant curse you have isn’t real. Is that it?”
“Exactly. You have the real Revenant passive Skill, so you wouldn’t have been able to die even if you went in.”
He looked regretful, but No Death’s expression quickly turned serious again at the shouts erupting from all around.
“We’ll talk about that after we get out of here.”
That wasn’t the important part.
The bigger problem was getting out alive.
The Allencia Party and Baeksan’s 1st Expedition Team were fighting right in front of them.
Everyone’s eyes were on the black box in Hyuk-min’s hands.
“If they realize you’re awake…”
Before No Death could finish, Hyuk-min moved first.
He opened the black box without hesitation.
“What are you—”
Then he took out a small black bead from inside and popped it into his mouth.
“Huh…?”
Gulp.
For No Death, that reward was the only way to survive here.
And Hyuk-min had just swallowed it right in front of him.
“You… you…. you….”
No Death understood, in that moment, what it meant to be so dumbfounded you couldn’t speak.
“What are you doing…”
“The Allencia Party will win.”
“No, not that. What are you—”
“I can send that Brawler guy back.”
No Death had a decent grasp of Hyuk-min by now.
He knew he’d only get dizzy trying to argue, so he didn’t press further.
The only thing that mattered was getting through this.
That was it.
“Baeksan will win. You don’t know because you were lying there, but Baeksan’s 2nd Team is already—”
“The 2nd Expedition Team can’t come.”
No Death frowned, asking sharply.
“What do you mean…”
“I’m not an idiot. I know what the 70th floor Hidden Room is, so would I come without countermeasures?”
“Did you do something behind our backs? What did you do—”
“You’ll find out when we get out of here. More than that…”
Hyuk-min dusted off his backside and stood.
He closed the box, then looked around.
“Shall we start cleaning up from here?”
A smile bloomed on Hyuk-min’s lips.
“As planned.”
Hyuk-min began walking toward the battlefield.