Genius Chapter 125: Tower of Senro

Global Forum: Tower of Senro

Chapter 125: Tower of Senro

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

Everyone offering suggestions was overwhelming. He looked at the other assassin in the team and asked, “Watermelon, you name the team.”

All eyes immediately turned to Watermelon. Watermelon paused when he heard this. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Su Mo said, looking at him.

Everyone else looked at Watermelon with eager anticipation.

“Watermelon, consider the all-server material procurement idea,” suggested someone.

“Watermelon, I want to be the big handsome guy,” another said.

“Help me boost my stream’s popularity, Watermelon,” another added.

“Watermelon, we need melee fighters,” yet another chimed in.

Watermelon had been trying to think of a striking name, but upon hearing all the incessant suggestions around him, he quickly said, “Do you think this is an advertising spot? Whoever has the money should advertise. How about calling it ‘Advertising Space for Rent’?”

“Advertising Space for Rent?”

Despite the noisy suggestions from his teammates, Su Mo still caught the latter part of Watermelon’s comment.

He raised his hand to input the name and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Watermelon, puzzled, walked over to check, “Wait, sure about what? Let me see.”

Halfway there, he tripped over a protruding stone and fell straight into Su Mo, colliding with him.

Ding!

While the others were still debating who would pay for the advertisement, a prominent notification suddenly appeared for everyone.

[Your team, “Advertising Space for Rent,” has been successfully established.]

[The preliminary match schedule has been sent to the player’s in-game mail. Please check it.]

Others: “?????”

Watermelon, holding onto Su Mo’s hand, stared blankly at the new team name.

Unfortunately, in that collision, he had accidentally slammed the confirmation button with the big shot’s hand!!!

Silence spread among everyone. Su Mo clicked “Next” and, with a blank expression, said, “Let’s go with this.”

Others: “……!!”

The establishment of the team had turned into a big blunder. Watermelon felt guilty, and the others’ dreams of advertising had also been dashed.

Once the preliminary match schedule was confirmed by the player, it appeared in everyone’s in-game mail. Opening it revealed that the nearest match was scheduled for the next day. The game schedule was based on the time slots provided by the players during registration. The preliminary round would last for one week, with three quests to be completed. Success in two out of three quests would mean advancement. The matches were set to begin on Saturday morning at 9 AM on Capital Planet. During the competition, fixed teleportation scenes would be provided. Players could choose to rest or continue after each match. The team leader had control over scene access and schedule adjustments. By 9 AM the following Saturday, teams that had not completed the challenges would be eliminated, while teams that succeeded in two challenges would advance.

In short, the preliminary round spanned one week, with three matches to be played. Passing two of them would ensure advancement, and all timing was left to the players’ discretion.

The Celestial Horizon official would randomly select three quests from the game’s internal quest library. Each team would likely face different quest scenes, with the same difficulty but varying mechanics, to prevent cheating.

“Gather at 8 AM tomorrow morning. Organize your quest items and repair your equipment.”

Su Mo looked over the schedule and said, “If we start at 9 AM, we’ll begin the match. If there are any other issues or if the timing this week doesn’t work for you, let me know a day in advance, and we’ll adjust the schedule.”

Soon, Saturday morning arrived. After having breakfast, Su Mo logged in, and most of the teammates were already ready.

The registration NPC for the Celestial Horizon competition was crowded with players waiting for the event to begin. With just 10 minutes left before 9 AM, a mysterious vortex appeared behind the NPC, and at the same time, the main system’s voice echoed above everyone.

[Winds Rise and Clouds Surge, Eight Directions Debate] [The Celestial Horizon Competition Scene is Now Open]

Su Mo led the team through the vortex. As they entered, they found themselves in a vast expanse.

Endless mountain peaks loomed around them, with Cloudscape billowing and the mountain tops appearing icy and majestic.

The team was teleported to a peak, where three unmarked stone tablets stood around them, and a countdown for the competition was displayed overhead. Each player team occupied one peak, indicating the number of teams participating.

ClearWind remarked, “Wow, this is impressive! Celestial Horizon really went all out.”

“Eight-star challenge, the higher the star, the more impressive it is? I thought the previous Mystic Realm of the Departed Souls was already quite grand, but I didn’t expect the official to create a new map just for this quest challenge,” ScarletFruit said as he walked to the edge and looked down. Seeing the vast Cloudscape below, he immediately stepped back, “This is really high up, and the view is quite nice.”

The scene map channel was buzzing with activity. Just as everyone was enthusiastically discussing, the countdown quietly reached zero. At that moment, the Cloudscape outside the peaks began to shift rapidly, and the countdown above changed to ‘First Match of the Grant Debate of the Realm,’ with 168 hours now counting down. Countless light beams descended from above, striking each peak’s summit directly and focusing on the three unmarked stone tablets.

Su Mo looked at the three stone tablets on their peak.

“Check the stone tablets,” Su Mo instructed.

Yu Zhen quickly walked over to one of the stone tablets and saw that text had appeared on it. The tablet read ‘Forest of Layers,’ and he then looked at the other two tablets.

[Server Announcement] Winds rise and clouds gather, the Grand Debate of the Realm begins. The first phase of the special quest ‘Grand Debate Tournament’ is now open. This quest is a comprehensive quest that will select 1,026 different quest challenges from the official quest database. Teams at the pinnacle of the debate will randomly receive three types of quest stone tablets. Successfully completing challenges on two of the stone tablets will advance you to the second phase of the Grand Debate Tournament. The overall difficulty of this quest is ★★★★★★★★, with single challenge difficulties ranging from ★★★★ to ★★★★★★.

[Current team statistics: 236,598 teams have entered, 23,561 teams have forfeited.]

[Your current stage ranking is unknown. Please complete the challenge within the allotted time.]

Above the three stone tablets, text appeared indicating that they could be activated. A prompt box appeared in front of Su Mo.

[Dear [Advertising Space for Rent] Team Leader, you may choose one stone tablet to activate.]

[Available stone tablets: [Forest of Layers] [Nameless Manor] [Dream Lake]]

[Please make your selection, Team Leader.]

“There are three maps; you all choose one,” Su Mo said. He did not make a choice immediately, as many players on nearby peaks had already disappeared, likely having entered the challenge scenes of the stone tablets.

The teammates gathered around the three stone tablets to inspect them. Apart from their names, there seemed to be nothing remarkable about these stone tablets. There wasn’t even a descriptive line about each; the only difference among them was the style of the script.

“It doesn’t seem to make much difference,” FireworksAndLanterns said, walking around the tablets in circles. “How about we just pick one? I’ll go with Forest of Layers; I haven’t played a tower-type quest before!”

ClearWind agreed, “I’ll pick that one too. The other two look like they have much larger scenes, and if they scatter us, it might not be as fun.”

ScarletFruit also concurred, “A tower-type quest is straightforward; no matter how outrageous it gets, it’s just one tower, and the map won’t be too big.”

Hearing this, Su Mo glanced at ScarletFruit with interest. “Oh? So we’re going with this one?”

Apple added, “Let’s go with this. After all, we need to complete two challenges anyway.”

Su Mo selected Forest of Layers. The next moment, the stone tablet displayed that it was now activated. As soon as everyone approached the stone tablet, they could enter the quest.

Once inside, the scene before them instantly turned dark, with only a few candelabras providing light.

[You are currently in the [Forest of Layers · Floor 3], and the challenge difficulty is ★★★★★] [Objective: All members must reach [Forest of Layers · Floor 10]]

Su Mo saw the challenge conditions and immediately looked around at the scene. The Forest of Layers was massive, with corridors encircling the area. The walkways were about five meters wide, and the space was very expansive. It was estimated that walking around this floor at a normal pace would take at least 10 minutes. When Su Mo walked to the edge and looked down, he saw that the space below was even more extensive. The corridors had no guardrails, so a moment’s carelessness could result in falling to the next level below.

The tower structure meant that the space became smaller as they ascended. The height difference between each level was significant, beyond the reach of light steps. The only way to move to the next level was by using the central staircase.

The staircase was a spiral one, rotating uniformly around the center of the tower. To advance, they had to accurately time their jumps onto the rotating stairs and jump off when the stairs aligned with the corresponding floor. But was it really that simple? Su Mo looked up and saw that the stairs posed a real challenge.

Apple’s voice came from below. Su Mo quickly moved towards the sound, and in the dim environment, he eventually spotted Apple from a lower angle.

“Damn, this place is huge! Who said the tower wasn’t big? Got proven wrong, didn’t they!”

“Can we use the team channel?” Su Mo switched to the team channel and asked.

“We can,” Yu Zhen replied. “It seems we got scattered.”

Su Mo immediately said, “Report your locations. What floor are you on?”

After being teleported in, they were spread out across different parts of the Forest of Layers. They ended up on five different floors, with most people on the lower five floors, and only ClearWind was on the seventh floor.

Floor 1: Bitter Melon, Watermelon, ScarletFruit, and Cantaloupe; Floor 2: Apple; Floor 3: Momo; Floor 5: UnchainedWanderer, ZenSlasher, and FireworksAndLanterns; Floor 7: ClearWindIsHere;

“Does this mean we have to go up the rotating stairs to get to the top?”

ScarletFruit, who was on the first floor, immediately walked over to the stairs. “Come on, let’s take the stairs and see if we can go straight to the top.”

Watermelon frowned, “Is it really that simple?”

ScarletFruit replied, “If you don’t try, how will you know if you can get up there?”

The Forest of Layers was so eerie, with dim visibility. Besides the floors above and below, the other floors were completely obscured. Su Mo stood on the edge and couldn’t see anything on the first floor; the rotating stairs were visible only as they spun on the lower levels, but the rest of the environment was entirely unclear. He took out an Illumination Scroll and shone it downward but still couldn’t see clearly.

“Fruit, I’m throwing a scroll down. See if you can catch it.”

ScarletFruit, who was by the stairs, looked up at the pitch-black upper floors and replied, “Alright, throw it down.”

Su Mo tossed the scroll out, and it fell downward, quickly disappearing from his view.

“Did you get it?” Su Mo asked.

ScarletFruit looked up, spotting a glowing object falling into his vicinity. “Got it, got it. Illumination Scroll.”

Su Mo breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, confirming that the lower floors were likely safe. “You guys on the first and second floors, try to take the stairs and see if you can reach the third floor where I am.”

He glanced at the positions again, noting that both healers and the warrior had been placed on the lowest floor. Was that just a coincidence?

In the dim environment, the light from the wall-mounted candelabras became the only source of illumination in the darkness. Su Mo’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the inner tower wall. Under the flickering candlelight, the wall murals appeared eerie and ominous. He frowned slightly and walked closer to examine the mural more carefully. He noticed that the two or three murals, separated by support columns, were actually connected. When viewed together, they depicted a massive beast.

At that moment, the eyes of the beast in the mural Su Mo was facing suddenly lit up. In the next instant, the beast burst out of the mural, claws swinging as it charged directly at Su Mo.

With a loud crash, Apple, who was on the floor below, was startled by the noise. “Boss, are you demolishing the place upstairs?”

He quickly ran to the edge and looked up, catching a glimpse of a gigantic figure. “What the hell is that?!”

“Momo?” Yu Zhen paused when he heard the commotion. He had just regrouped with ZenSlasher and moved to the edge but couldn’t see what was happening below. “Everyone, stay alert. There might be other things around. Watch for any changes in your surroundings.”

Su Mo quickly summoned two beasts, using skills to temporarily slow down the attacking creature. However, in the next moment, it surged forward again with its high health and powerful attacks, making a direct confrontation unwise. He started sprinting around the corridor, shouting, “Don’t move yet, there’s something in the murals.”

Just as he finished speaking, the beast’s claw swiped dangerously close to his side, the gust nearly knocking him off balance.

With his focus now entirely on the monster before him, he summoned two more beasts and released the Flower Spirit and the Bear. The once spacious corridor on the third floor became crowded in an instant.

The team grew tense due to this sudden development, especially Apple on the second floor, who kept trying to catch sight of the monster from the edge of the third floor. He would occasionally lock onto its position, only for it to vanish from view moments later, leaving him unable to assist.

The others on different floors, unaware of what was happening, anxiously bombarded the chat with questions.

Amid the chaos, Su Mo’s voice came through the channel again, “Brother, I’ll leave the others to you for now.”

Who was being addressed to, Yu Zhen was clear without needing to say it. As soon as Yu Zhen heard Su Mo’s voice, he immediately understood Su Mo’s intention—Su Mo likely wouldn’t have time to monitor the surroundings anymore and was passing the command to him.

Yu Zhen glanced at the dark, eerie murals around him and said, “Stay safe.”

On the third floor, Su Mo halted, then swiftly used his light footwork to leap toward the beast, narrowly avoiding its claws. In a swift move, he vaulted over its back, landing firmly behind it. The ghostly light from the staff’s lantern cast an eerie glow, and Su Mo, wielding the Wunian Lantern, rapidly closed in on the creature. A fierce battle was about to erupt.

It seemed he needed to take this thing down first.

ScarletFruit and the others were about to ascend the stairs when they heard this and instinctively slowed their steps. Realizing that a fight had already broken out among their teammates, ScarletFruit grew tense. “Should we still go up the stairs?”

Watermelon responded, “Let’s wait and see for now, don’t go up yet.”

Seeing the situation, Bitter Melon surveyed the pitch-black surroundings. From what he could tell, the first floor seemed to be the largest and widest of all the levels. “Right, let’s hold off on going up. Let’s check if there’s anything special on this floor first.”

He said, “How about we split up and check out what’s ahead? If you run into any problems, speak up immediately.”

The Tower of Senro was definitely not simple. If something went wrong above, there was a good chance the murals on their level might be problematic too. Given the current situation, they had no choice but to investigate.

A tense atmosphere quickly settled over them as everyone stared at the murals, as if the darkness itself might swallow them whole.

For a moment, no one on the first floor moved, as though there were some monstrous creatures lurking ahead.

Cantaloupe looked at the others and asked, “Why aren’t you moving?”

ScarletFruit replied, “We’re observing first.”

Cantaloupe looked at them in surprise, “You’re not scared, are you?”

“Observe first, then act,” Watermelon said, expressionless. “You go ahead, we’ll follow right after.”

This was Cantaloupe’s first time joining the team, so he wasn’t quite familiar with their approach. Hearing what they said, he walked ahead to check the situation. It was indeed very dark around him, but as he got closer, he could see the flickering candlelight slightly illuminating the murals on the tower’s walls. As he looked closer, he noticed that these murals were part of a series; looking at just one didn’t make much sense—you had to see several of them together.

“The paintings here aren’t isolated; they’re connected,” Cantaloupe called out. “Do you guys want to come over and take a look? The style is really unique; it looks like some kind of ancient painting technique.”

Bitter Melon was still slowly making his way to another mural on the opposite side. “I haven’t reached mine yet. How about you guys, Watermelon and ScarletFruit?”

ScarletFruit was moving very slowly. “Hold on, hold on, I’m using a scroll to light the way. It’s way too dark in here.”

At this point, Yu Zhen noticed the content of the mural and asked, “What kind of murals do you guys see?”

Cantaloupe examined the mural closely. “Over here, it seems like there’s nothing much, just a group of people, I think? I’m not too sure.”

He continued walking along the mural, “It’s a continuous painting… I haven’t finished looking at it yet.”

After taking a few more steps, Cantaloupe stopped at the end of the mural, where the series of connected paintings suddenly broke off. He paused in confusion, but as he looked closer, he noticed something on the mural, something that was neither entirely human nor entirely beast, starting to glow with a faint red light. Before he could react, a hand reached out from the painting, followed by a monstrous creature clawing its way out.

“Whoa, what the…!” Cantaloupe exclaimed in shock.

At that moment, a sudden noise echoed around him. It wasn’t just one creature; an entire horde of monsters began emerging from all directions, creeping out of the darkness and closing in on the group.

ScarletFruit was so terrified that he bolted, yelling, “Oh my God, what the hell are these things?!”

He had barely run a few steps when something suddenly crashed down right in front of him, making him stumble back a couple of steps in fright. “Who the heck—don’t you know falling objects from above are dangerous…?” he started to say, but his words trailed off as he froze in realization.

The object that had fallen in front of him wasn’t just some random thing—it was his teammate, ClearWindIsHere.