On the 85th Floor…
"Is everyone ready?"
Jun Si's voice echoed through the vast stone hall as he stood at the front of his remaining forces. His armor was scarred, dulled by countless battles, yet his posture remained unbroken.
"Yes, Guild Master!"
The reply came as a unified shout, filled with forced courage and exhausted determination.
They had walked a path soaked in blood.
Along the way, they had lost comrades who once laughed beside them, friends who had sworn to climb together, family members who never made it past the lower floors. Many of them had wished—prayed—to escape this hellish cycle of fighting and dying. But escape was impossible.
Because Earth no longer existed as a place fit for life.
The air itself had turned poisonous. The soil had rotted. Oceans had died. Every unawakened human who remained on Earth had perished long ago, unable to endure the collapse of the world's energy.
Only those climbing the Tower survived.
They were no longer fighting for glory, wealth, or power.
They were fighting for the continuation of humanity.
Jun turned and raised his hand.
The dungeon gates opened.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
The interior was pitch black, broken only by faint torch flames mounted along the walls. Their flickering light barely pierced the shadows ahead. With each step forward, an unbearable stench crept into their lungs—rotting flesh, old blood, something that had died long ago yet refused to decay.
"Move slowly," Jun warned quietly. "There may be traps."
They advanced carefully, weapons drawn, mana circulating. But strangely—there were no traps.
No monsters.
No resistance.
The silence itself felt wrong.
After a long walk that felt endless, they arrived at the boss chamber.
The massive doors stood open.
Inside, a grotesque sight awaited them.
A colossal, bloated pig-like corpse lay sprawled across the floor, its body torn open and half-eaten. Sitting atop it was a humanoid figure, casually chewing flesh, his body relaxed as if lounging in his own home.
Jun's expression darkened.
"…An irregular boss."
A chill spread through the ranks.
Irregular bosses were rare once—but after Earth's destruction, they had become terrifyingly common. Unknown entities would invade dungeons, slaughter the original monsters and bosses, and claim the dungeon for themselves.
And these beings were never bound by the dungeon's intended difficulty.
Many had thought such bosses could be handled easily.
They were wrong.
Entire guilds had been wiped out. Floors soaked in blood bore silent testimony to that arrogance.
"Aahhh… you've finally arrived."
The boss raised his head, eyes glowing with raw hunger. His gaze swept over them slowly, as if selecting prey.
The way he looked at them was the same way he looked at the pig beneath him.
Jun tightened his grip on his sword.
"Sui," he said calmly. "I'll take the front line. I'll block most of his attacks."
She nodded instantly.
"You take Squad Three and support from behind."
Jun knew the truth—if anyone besides him faced the boss directly, they would die in a single blow.
"Xio Chi," he continued, "take the tanks. Defend anything that slips past me. Protect Squad Three at all costs."
Orders were executed without hesitation.
They formed their formation.
The boss laughed.
"Ohhh… child's play has begun."
Jun stepped forward.
Mana erupted from his body as he charged, swinging his sword with everything he had.
"Heavenly Divine Strike!"
A brilliant yellow light surged forward, tearing through the air toward the boss—
And stopped.
The boss raised a single finger.
The sword aura shattered against it like glass.
Jun's eyes widened.
Not even a scratch marked the boss's skin.
"Show me something interesting, kid," the boss mocked.
Jun attacked again.
And again.
Skills. Artifacts. Secret techniques.
None of them mattered.
The boss continued walking forward, casually, unhindered—as if Jun didn't exist.
"This is taking too long," the boss sighed. "Let's end the play."
The counterattack came instantly.
Jun barely raised his guard before the impact sent him flying into the tank line. The ground cracked beneath him.
From that moment on, the battle became a slaughter.
Jun fought desperately. Squad Three poured buffs and healing into him, but it was meaningless. His armor shattered piece by piece. Blood soaked his body. His regeneration slowed, then failed.
The boss, however, looked untouched.
Not a single drop of sweat marked his face.
Jun knew.
This is the end.
He couldn't win head-on.
So he gambled.
He feigned collapse, letting his guard drop—waiting for the moment the boss lowered his defenses.
The Dead Bone was his only hope.
As the boss reached out, fingers stretching toward Jun's chest—
A figure moved.
"Sui—!"
She stepped between them.
The boss's hand pierced straight through her chest.
Time froze.
Jun's scream never came.
There was no time.
No room for grief.
This was the moment.
Jun grabbed the Dead Bone and swung.
The blade sliced through the boss's neck effortlessly.
Other weapons would have failed.
But the Dead Bone did not.
The boss's head fell.
His body collapsed.
Silence followed.
Jun rushed to Sui's side, pouring potion after potion into her wound.
Too late.
She had died the instant her chest was pierced.
Jun knelt there, trembling.
[ You have killed the Child of Keeoli of the 91st Floor ]
[ You can now move on to the 86th Floor ]
Victory felt hollow.
The Tower advanced.
Humanity survived.
But something precious had been lost forever.