Kapitel 11: Tower 69

[: 3rd POV :]

It might seem strange why Daniel gave away a diamond coin.

It's even more surprising, especially since he's the kind that wouldn't lend help towards others unless there's a benefit for him.

To be accurate, he chooses to leave a good impression because of the girl, Bella.

'When her identity was revealed, many questioned why she became a receptionist in a shop nearby the tower, and I too questioned.'

'But the reason behind this is quite simple...still, leaving a good first impression is enough.'

'What will happen in the future, I will leave it up to the future me.'

'It's still too early to make contact with her. When the time comes, surely I'll lend help.'

With a last look at the shop, he entered the tower.

While he walked, there were bustling hunters, but the air crackled with murmurs of contempt.

It was directed towards Daniel, who was daring enough to enter the tower.

But some begrudgingly accepted the new Earthling, while others clung vehemently to their frustration.

Nevertheless, they remained silent, afraid of challenging the Divine beings' decree.

In the midst of all the chaos, Daniel remained calm.

Although they were looking at him with disapproval, he didn't let it bother him.

Their dislike couldn't shake his resolution.

Moreover, he was used to this kind of negativity, and he had more important things to focus on than caring about what these people thought.

Ignoring the hateful looks, he walked towards the entrance of the tower.

[: Which floor would you like to partake in? Able to choose from Stage 1 to Stage 999 :]

"Stage 69," he answered and immediately, his body transferred to the said floor.

Contrasting the dungeon's dimness, the tower's floors gleamed with cleanliness.

Torches flanked the walls, their flames casting a glow that illuminated the path ahead.

Each floor of the tower bore a distinct personality.

However, this floor, in particular, stretched like an endless open field.

Before him, a solitary passage invited him into the unknown.

Stepping into the entrance, his footsteps echoed an eerie rhythm that accompanied him deeper.

As he got closer to the end, he heard a loud and chaotic sound of metal dragging and clashing.

Aware of what caused the sound, he sprinted madly and jumped upon nearing the end of the entrance.

What greeted his sight were mobs of Skeleton Warriors at Level 69 amassed, their hollow sockets and bony forms an eerie assembly.

With a smirk that brimmed with defiance, Daniel taunted, "Good morning, fuckers," his raised middle finger that was a symbol of his hatred.

His anger ignited within him, driving his actions forward.

He leapt, clasping his hands in a fervent grip, channels of radiant energy flowing into his palms.

As he landed, his plans gleamed, and he infused the ground with concentrated light.

*Boom*

A brilliant explosion occurred as it engulfed the area.

It was a cataclysmic burst that obliterated the skeleton horde.

The very air quivered, and the ground trembled beneath the might of his unleashed power.

As the brightness faded, it became clear that Daniel had overwhelmingly won.

[: You have killed 20 F Rank Skeleton Warriors and have obtained 6900 Exp(+400%) :]

[: You have obtained 20 F Rank Monster Cores and 5 Silver Coins :]

Eventually, Daniel's attention turned to a specific spot on the wall.

It didn't look special, but it held the key he needed.

He gently touched the wall, feeling a bit unsure.

"Could this be it?"

He wondered quietly, examining the strong surface that stood in front of him.

This was the entrance he was looking for, hidden within something ordinary.

He stared at the plain wall, and to anyone watching, he might seem strange for focusing on a seemingly regular wall.

However, appearances can be deceiving.

What would amaze anyone who saw the truth was that behind this unassuming wall was the mystery he was seeking.

With the Scroll Distortion of Illusion in hand, he pressed it against the wall.

The scroll lit up brightly before breaking into a burst of energy, tearing the illusion apart.

He felt incredibly elated.

His excitement was obvious as he looked at the uncovered passage, a spiral staircase leading to the unknown.

Without thinking twice, he went down the stairs and was amazed by what he saw.

It might have been spooky for some people, but Daniel wasn't scared.

He walked with confidence.

"Seeing this for the first time, it's pretty astonishing," he said out loud, surprised.

At first, Daniel only knew the strategy to beat this part of the stage, but he didn't know what the place looked like.

Within this realm of the tower, Daniel found himself encircled by statues, each an embodiment of otherworldly allure.

Figures cast in stone portrayed myriad forms, a convergence of knights' valour, devils' intrigue, and the ghostly grace of the Atlantean race.

Yet, the centrepiece was most captivating.

A statue seated upon a throne.

Covered in robes with a crown on its head.

Shadows traced the outlines of its eyes and lips, lending an air of mystery, while an aura of authority emanated from its form.

Amidst this gallery of artistry, the middle statue stood as a guardian.

'I never thought I would be looking at this book again.'

'This wasn't told by 'him' or didn't he recognize it?'

Daniel thought as he gazed at the book that the statue was holding, and it held a 5-leaf clover as its interior on the front page.

Who wouldn't know about the 5 Leaf Clover Book?

It was one of the items sought by Magicians called the Grimoire, a book that allows magicians to utilize spells that are beyond their handling or understanding as long as one has the mana capacity to execute it.

But each grimoire has its specialty and they were graded by how many clovers it possessed.

While 1 to 3 Leaf Clovers are rare and common, a 4-lead clover isn't as easy as finding a needle in a haystack.

A 5-leaf clover can only be obtained through special means.

However, since the statue only held a replication, Daniel's excitement died out.

'It's quite surprising to see a 5-leaf clover at the hands of a statue'

'And this doesn't make sense at all.'

He scratched his head. S

uddenly, a familiar tablet caught Daniel's eyes near the statue, and oddly, he could read the language as though it was purposely written for him to read.

"The 1st command: One shall not be above the sky."

"The 2nd Command: One shall not defy the laws of heaven."

"The 3rd Command: He or She will sing and praise the name of his God."

"The 4th Command: He who lives for his god is better than those who live for nothing."

"The 5th Command: Happiness is only a moment, but sacrifice is for a lifetime."

Daniel read and his conclusions about these commandments were stupid.

"What a load of crap, and aren't you enjoying this too much?"

Daniel said, and it felt like his words were directed at someone.

Slowly, he lifted his head and directly gazed towards the statue who was holding the clover book.

Now, instead of the statue smiling eerily, it was Daniel who was smiling creepily.

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Kapitel 12: Daniel Vs Statues

[: 3rd POV :]

The moment he finished reading the words of the command, all of the statues began shaking, showing signs of movement.

'Is it starting?'

Despite the sudden changes happening inside this sealed part of the tower, Daniel remained relaxed.

He didn't panic and maintained his wariness around him.

He observed, and his eyes gazed around the statues, noticing that all of the statues, a total of 10, were targeted towards him.

'So you think I'm an easy target, huh?' He smirked.

He took a step behind to prepare himself for an attack, and even though there were huge differences in their height, he wasn't scared by their tall, mighty figures.

'Then you have underestimated me!'

He exclaimed in his thoughts, and he began attacking.

In the future, where there's no telling what will happen, Daniel would always need to expect the unexpected.

Hence, situations like this were the norm.

With a confident move, Daniel summoned a powerful lightning show.

Electric energy surged in countless tendrils, creating a mesmerizing display of raw power.

The air crackled with primal energy, and lightning danced around the giant statues, transforming the scene into an awe-inspiring spectacle.

The once-still statues were now surrounded by an electrifying storm, their imposing forms outlined in illuminated veins of energy.

But as impressive as the lightning was, it was just the beginning of an even bigger show that was about to happen.

As Daniel was preparing his attack, one of the statues that held an image of a magician used its magic wand to cast a skill called Ethereal Beam that spurted out an incredibly thick green beam.

It was similar to Daniel's laser beam, but it was 100 times bigger and stronger.

*Boom*

Fortunately, the attack passed through his body, and this outcome caused the statue with the grimoire to furrow his eyes.

'That's a really strong attack. If I didn't have forbidden fruit powers, it would surely be a life-threatening attack,'

he thought while looking at the statues with a serious gaze.

'Without a doubt, these statues are dangerous; however, it's not to the point where I can't handle it myself,'

Daniel smiled before jumping as high as he could.

But the statues caught up with him as one of them raised its sword, hoping to slash him in half while nearby, another statue with a huge, madly designed shield dashed to smash him into splattered meat.

Even in this scenario, he remained calm while calculating his mind for the perfect timing.

His current mastery over the forbidden fruits is still not perfected, but it doesn't mean he was limited.

"It's just the starting!" He grinned.

He clad himself with lightning and like a zip of lightning, he disappeared and reappeared behind the statue with the sword and blasted its body with a gigantic sphere of lightning.

*Thoom*

Like the sound of thunder, the statue was electrified, and cracks appeared all over its body like webs before it broke into debris.

But this wasn't the end.

There was a statue with a shield that dashed toward him.

Daniel gathered the power of light within his palms to the maximum and unleashed a devastating attack, Nova Explosion.

Within a millisecond, a force that could rival the explosion of a sun exploded within the statue.

Before the remaining statues could react, the explosion fabricated within one of them was so overwhelmingly strong that all of them were affected.

Without any warning or hints, they simply disappeared.

The only thing that was unharmed was the tower floor, which shook only for a moment, and the statue that held the grimoire.

'The Forbidden Fruit surely deserves to be called Forbidden.'

He was delighted with the results.

The tower walls and floors were said to be indestructible, and perhaps it was not a stretch after all.

"Who are you, human?" The last remaining statue spoke with great fear.

"Who am I? That's not for you to know,"

Daniel answered despite the oddity of the statue being able to talk.

Meanwhile, the statue was panicking and he didn't even realize that Daniel was playing and toying with them.

At the same time, Daniel was looking at the statue with a mocking gaze.

"This isn't happening!''

''You're supposed to listen to the commands and be hopeless while I enjoy the feed from your despair!''

''You're supposed to sacrifice your soul before receiving the labours of the fruit!"

The statue behaved manically, as though someone had ruined its birthday surprise.

'Ho? So this is how 'you' earn those powers?'

'By sacrificing your soul? Isn't it quite like you?'

Daniel's thoughts were directed towards someone whom he had personally killed and tortured due to his vengeance and revenge.

For some strange reason, Paimon, who remained hibernated, decided to show her giant figure through the metal vessel, a flabellum that voluntarily appeared from Daniel's inventory system.

"Paimon?" Unexpected by her appearance, Daniel became surprised.

"Master, you should be careful with him. I sense a powerful being within his body. We shouldn't let our guard down,"

Paimon warned while looking seriously towards the statue.

Daniel knew that something would happen right after this, but he didn't expect that Paimon would show herself.

'Well, is it because 'both' of them had once allied themselves?'

He thought without revealing too much.

Even though Paimon knows how powerful her master is, she knows that the presence she's sensing is far more powerful than what Daniel is capable of for now.

"A Djinn!? Why are the likes of you doing here!? Oh, I forgot that your wor-"

"Silence, you inferior dog!"

Paimon unleashed her killing intent, causing the statue to cower in fear.

"Well, shouldn't all of us just relax and get along with one another?"

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed throughout the cave.

'Has 'he' appeared after hiding all this time?' Daniel thought while gazing towards a certain direction.

"Master, the powerful being is showing itself."

Paimon returned to her vessel and it flew towards Daniel's palms, which he caught, and she was ready to fight alongside her master.

"L-Lord, why are you showing yourself!? Isn't this too early? You've already made a p-"

"Sigh, 'you' have been following for me since the birth and fall of 'Dawn'. And you have been loyal to me till I became a Sovereign."

The Sovereign spoke, and his praises made the statue smile with happiness.

"Out of all my followers, you've been the most devoted one."

The voice spoke while the statue felt blissed being praised by its lord.

"However, since when did you become the dog of those Divine Beings?"

Its voice became deeper and more malicious, to the point the dungeon of the tower trembled for a second, which shouldn't have been possible unless a stronger being than the tower itself appeared.

'Well, even though he is not alive, his soul is still this powerful.' Daniel thought with amazement.

"My lord!? What did you mean I-"

"Do you think I wouldn't know what you did behind my back...?"

The Sovereign voiced, making the statue stunned and stuttered.

"My lord, I-"

Before the statue could be explained, its body began cracking.

"You can't do this, my lord! You have made a contract with the-"

"Enough is enough. I have long endured the sufferings of my people and I can't do anything about it anymore. It's time for me to fulfil my duties as a Sovereign."

Within a matter of seconds, the statue shattered into debris, destroying every little bit of life it had left behind, the massive grimoire dropping onto the ground.

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