Part 1: The World Shakes
The silence of the Iron-Root Archipelago was broken not by a sound, but by a message that appeared on the retina of every single player in the Tower, from Floor 1 to the current frontier.
[Global System Announcement]
[A Great Power has fallen.]
[The Guild "Dynasty" (Iron-Root Branch) has been annihilated.]
[Victor: The Eclipse Guild.]
[Casualties: 647 Dynasty / 0 Eclipse.]
[Survivors: None.]
The message lingered in the air like a tombstone.
On the forums, the chatrooms exploded.
In the headquarters of the other "Big Two" guilds, emergency meetings were called.
But on the island itself, the victors weren't checking the news. They were checking the bags.
Part 2: The Mountain of Gold
"Tier 3 materials over here!" Titan shouted, dumping a sack of crafting ore onto a pile.
"Potions and consumables in the blue crates," Seraphina directed, organizing a growing stack of healing items.
"Weapons and armor... just throw them in the middle," Valen sighed, looking at the literal hill of steel equipment they had looted from the 646 dead soldiers.
The center of the destroyed fortress looked like a dragon's hoard. The loot from an entire army lay in organized chaos.
Elian sat on a broken stone pillar, nursing a mana potion. He wiped the soot from his hands and opened his personal inventory.
"Now," Elian said, his voice cutting through the chatter. "Let's see what the King dropped."
The team gathered around, eyes wide.
Elian pulled out the first item. It was heavy, radiating a deep, ochre light.
[Weapon: The Cataclysm Spear]
[Grade: Epic (High Tier)]
[Requirement: 300 STR]
[Effect: Attacks deal splash damage. Weight scales with user strength.]
"Titan," Elian tossed the massive spear to the giant tank.
Titan caught it with one hand. "Whoa! But Boss, I'm a shielder."
"You're a fortress," Elian corrected. "But a fortress needs cannons. Stop relying just on your body. Learn to poke. And don't worry—it's registered to you, so it will resize when you use Gigantification."
Titan grinned, swinging the spear. It felt right.
Elian pulled out the next item. A thick, leather-bound book glowing with a white aura.
[Skill Book: Warlord's Warcry]
[Effect: Forces all enemies in a 50m radius to attack the user. Increases Defense by 40% for 1 minute.]
"Valen," Elian slid the book across the floor. "You want to be the Shield? Here's your taunt. Use it wisely."
Valen picked it up, reading the description. His eyes lit up. "This... this is exactly what I needed to hold aggro against high-burst enemies."
Next came the armor.
[Armor: Plate of the Iron King]
[Grade: Epic (Low Tier)]
[Stats: Massive Physical Defense. Reduces Movement Speed by 20%.]
Elian frowned. "Too heavy. I'm a speed type. Valen has his Sun-Set, Titan has his Scaling Gear. I'll keep this in the vault for now. Maybe we can melt it down for materials or trade it."
Finally, Elian pulled out a small, crystallized key that thrummed with deep-sea pressure and a damp, heavy map.
He unfurled the map. It didn't show land. It showed a vertical depth chart descending into pitch blackness, ending at a blinding white line.
"Floor 25," Elian muttered, tracing the drawing. "Depth: 9,000 Meters. The Wall of Light."
He held up the crystallized key.
"Thorne went down there," Elian realized, his eyes narrowing. "He found the threshold where the pressure turns diamond into dust. There's a hidden dungeon right at the nadir, inside the light itself."
He looked at the map for a long second, then folded it and tucked the key safely into his deep inventory.
"But that's for later," Elian said, his voice serious. "We can't dive into the abyss yet. We still have a war to finish in the clouds."
He looked up at the sky, toward the distant Aerie.
"First, we have to save Floor 26."
Part 3: The Wealth of Nations
"And now," Elian grinned, kicking the heavy sack at his feet. "The taxes."
He poured the contents out. Gold coins flowed like water.
[1,700,000 Gold (Thorne's Personal Treasury)]
"Add it to the pile!" Elian commanded.
The team dumped the gold bags collected from the 646 dead members. It was a golden landslide.
Roger did the quick math, his goggles flashing.
"Seven point seven... plus the boss loot... carry the one..."
Roger whistled.
[Total Haul: 9,460,000 Gold.]
"Nine million," Isara whispered, her hands shaking. "That's enough to buy a small city on the lower floors."
"That's why we're the richest in the Tower," Elian laughed. "And the most hated."
He turned to Seraphina.
"Sera, you're the treasurer for this trip. Hold onto this until we get back to Aerie. Give it all to Luna."
Seraphina paled, looking at the literal fortune in front of her. "Me? Captain, if I die with this in my inventory..."
"Then don't die," Elian winked. "Luna needs this for the ship upgrades. Pack it up."
Seraphina gulped but nodded, sweeping the mountain of coins into her spatial inventory with a trembling hand.
Part 4: The Elite Collection
"Don't forget the Lieutenants," Jax reminded them, kicking the loot bag of the Dynasty Vice-Captain.
The 11 Elites had dropped items far superior to the grunt gear. Elian quickly distributed the best pieces, matching them to each member's role:
[Shadow-Step Boots (Rare)] → Given to Jax (Increases stealth speed and silent movement).
[Ring of Mana Flow (Rare)] → Given to Seraphina (Mana Regen +20%).
[Scope of True Sight (Rare)] → Given to Roger (Ignores 10% of target armor and highlights weak points).
[Thunder-Core Amulet] → Given to Prince Thal'dor (Boosts lightning damage by 15%).
[Dagger of Venoms] → Given to Isara (Applies a stacking poison debuff).
[Belt of Giants] → Given to Titan (Increases carry weight and knockback resistance).
[Tome: Fire Wall] → Saved for a future Mage recruit.
[Mantle of Retribution] → Given to Valen (Reflects 10% damage as Holy Fire).
[Gloves of the Pickpocket] → Saved for utility/stealth missions.
[Pearl of the Ocean] → A high-grade crafting material for Luna (likely for the ship).
[The Vice-Captain's Shield] → Kept as a spare for Titan.
"We are decked out," Roger grinned, attaching his new scope to his rifle. "We came in as a raid team. We're leaving as a battalion."
Part 5: The Reporter's Fee
Elian looked at the last two items in his hand.
They were two heavy iron crests.
[Guild Token: Iron-Root Archipelago]
[Guild Token: Old Dynasty Ruins (Floor 24)]
Elian stared at the second token. "Old Dynasty Ruins... this must be their original base before they took the bottleneck. If Thorne kept the token on him, there must be something hidden there. A vault? Or secrets about the other two Great Guilds?"
He pocketed the Old Dynasty Token. That was too valuable to give away.
He looked up. On the edge of the group, Sylvia Rain stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. She was wearing her pristine silk dress, looking out of place amidst the blood and mud.
She watched Elian hand out Epic weapons and millions of gold.
She cleared her throat. Loudly.
Elian looked over. He scanned her up and down. Not a speck of dirt.
"Ready to go?" Elian asked dismissively. "We're done here."
Sylvia's eye twitched. Steam practically came out of her ears.
"Excuse me?" she snapped, marching over to him. "I have been working too! Do you know how hard it is to pilot six drones simultaneously across a moving battlefield? I captured every angle! I documented your glory! My brain hurts from the mana strain!"
She pointed at her dress. "Just because I'm good enough not to roll in the mud like a pig doesn't mean I didn't pull my weight! Where is my cut?"
Elian stared at her fuming face.
Then, he burst out laughing.
"Fair enough," Elian chuckled. "You did good work, Reporter."
He tossed her the first token—the one for the current island.
"Here. Payment."
Sylvia caught it, confused. She looked at the heavy iron crest.
[Territory Token: Iron-Root Archipelago]
[Owner: Null]
[Rights: Building, Taxation, Governance.]
Her jaw dropped. "You... you're giving me the island?"
"I don't need it," Elian shrugged, walking toward the exit. "It's a strategic mess. Too much jungle, too hard to defend, and I don't want to manage real estate. It's a hassle."
He waved his hand over his shoulder. "Keep it. Build a branch office for your news network. Or a vacation home. I don't care."
Sylvia stared at the token. A private island base. A strategic location on Floor 24.
Her anger vanished instantly, replaced by a shark-like grin.
"A hassle for you," she whispered, clutching the token to her chest. "An empire for me."
She looked at Elian's retreating back. He gives away kingdoms like they are spare change. What a terrifying man.
"Thank you, Captain!" Sylvia chirped, her mood doing a 180 as she skipped after him.
Part 6: Departure
Elian led the group out of the ruined fortress to the beach.
The Sky-Kin squadron was waiting with the Wind-Drakes.
Prince Thal'dor stood by his mount, looking at the team loaded with loot.
"The Aerie awaits," Thal'dor said. "My father will want to hear of this victory."
Elian nodded, climbing onto a drake. He looked back at the burning island one last time.
The Dynasty was gone. They were rich. They were powerful.
And they had the key to the next floor.
"Let's go home," Elian commanded.
The drakes took flight, soaring into the clouds, leaving the ruins of the Iron-Root Archipelago behind them as a warning to the rest of the Tower.
[Chapter End]