Chapter 128: Deadly Seventh Floor
Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Addis
The floor couldn’t be put back, and all eight teammates in the stairwell were racing against time. The first to reach the sixth floor was ScarletFruit. Upon arriving, he didn’t dare to jump immediately but instead moved a bit further up.
ClearWind shouted, “Fruit, jump boldly, I’ll catch you!”
“Catch my ass, get out of the way, don’t delay me!” ScarletFruit said as he ran, glancing at the horizontally extending floor getting closer. Only then did he dare to leap from the reversed staircase, landing firmly on the sixth floor.
Following him, Momo, ZenSlasher, FireworksAndLanterns, Apple, and Watermelon also made it over one after another.
At this point, the extended floor was only 2 meters away from the staircase, with UnchainedWanderer and Bitter Melon still left in the stairwell.
Watermelon ran over and asked, “Where’s Bitter Melon?”
FireworksAndLanterns urgently shouted, “He’s on the fifth floor, but it’s a bit far!”
Su Mo’s heart sank. He quickly moved to the edge of the extended floor, watching Yu Zhen rapidly advancing in the stairwell.
At this moment, Bitter Melon, who had been on the fifth floor, moved to the edge of the staircase, seemingly intending to jump down, which startled several teammates.
“Bitter Melon, don’t jump unless you’re sure!” ScarletFruit shouted, and sure enough, Bitter Melon leapt off the edge of the staircase. Everyone watched anxiously. The next second, the array master jumped onto the railing, nimbly landing on the sixth floor. His flying rope suddenly retracted, pulling Bitter Melon up from below.
The two of them made it onto the sixth floor just before the floorboards closed.
After landing, Bitter Melon breathed a sigh of relief. “Who was shouting at me earlier? I was worried the flying rope might get stuck in the staircase, so I waited for the right moment to jump. That way, he could pull me up.” He looked at Yu Zhen, who was coiling up the rope, and said, “The flying rope is really useful for short distances.”
Yu Zhen glanced behind him and said, “The staircase has stopped.”
At this point, the floor on the sixth level had completely closed. All the murals were lit, and because the floor had been extended horizontally, the distance between the sixth and seventh floors was halved. With the current distance, they could easily leap to the seventh floor using their lightness skills. The rotating staircase in the center of the tower had stopped moving, and the horizontal floor on the sixth level had completely severed the lower five floors. It was as if they had arrived at a new first floor.
“Rest here, don’t go up to the seventh floor.”
After Su Mo said that, he jumped onto the staircase. The stationary staircase no longer posed any threat, making the climb straightforward. However, once he reached the seventh floor, it became completely dark. This darkness was different from the previous one; even though there was still light from the murals on the sixth floor below, he couldn’t see the staircase clearly and had to grope his way forward step by step.
When he was about to reach the eighth floor, he stepped into empty space and fell. The previously erratic staircase steps had undergone a subtle change at this point. His light staff failed to catch hold, and he fell directly from the eighth floor to the sixth floor where his teammates were, his health dropping by 40%.
This commotion drew the attention of his teammates, startling them.
Su Mo had never fallen so hard before. He lay on the floor in a daze until Yu Zhen’s hand appeared before him, which brought him back to his senses.
Yu Zhen helped him up, his gaze slightly somber. “What happened?”
“It was my carelessness,” Su Mo replied in a deep voice. “The staircase route only goes up to the seventh floor; there’s no path beyond that. I was right about my earlier guess.”
With the lower five floors having disappeared due to the merging of the floorboards, and with the staircase leading upwards also gone, they were left wondering how they would reach the tenth floor.
ScarletFruit felt that even his sharp little brain wasn’t enough at this point. Having followed his big brother in a daze, he was still confused in the end. “Bro, can you just explain simply what this Senro Tower is actually about? Sometimes it feels like I’m solving puzzles, and other times like I’m doing parkour.”
“In simple terms, this is a task tower.”
Su Mo thought for a moment and said, “Based on the first six floors, the mechanism is that odd-numbered floors (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will have various monsters attacking us, and the system will issue a ‘stop them’ task. Even-numbered floors (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) will present items or mechanisms to solve these problems. Once completed, a prompt saying ‘You’re really smart’ will appear. We probably need to complete five such tasks to reach the tenth floor.”
ScarletFruit said, “Oh, I get it. So, single-layer murals are for accepting tasks, and double-layer murals are for completing them?”
Su Mo casually replied, “Pretty much.”
ScarletFruit’s curiosity was piqued. “What happens if we don’t do the mural tasks? Do we wipe?”
“It wasn’t clear before, but it is now,” Su Mo pointed to the staircase. “If all ten of us continue up the reversing staircase, without the mechanism on the sixth floor stopping its rotation, the staircase steps will change in the darkness. Even if we manage to reach the eighth floor safely, what do you think will happen in the end?”
ScarletFruit asked, “Fall down?”
Yu Zhen continued Su Mo’s explanation, “In the end, if the path disappears, the ten of us would fall from a high place and wipe.”
“Exactly. I just fell and lost 40% of my health,” Su Mo said, looking at ScarletFruit and explaining, “According to the total health deduction, if you lost 40% from the second floor, falling from the eighth floor to the first floor means you would still owe the system 60% of your health.”
The rest of the team shuddered at this. Initially, they had found the murals troublesome and had been considering moving directly up the stairs in the dark. If someone as skilled as momo could fall, it was clear that a whole team falling would have already meant declaring a failure in the Senro Tower challenge.
“I have another question,” Apple said. “What’s up with the even-numbered floors? You mentioned we needed to imagine things. I don’t think I really thought about anything when I pulled out a barrel. Is it that what we imagine is what appears in the murals?”
Su Mo laughed when he heard this. “That’s not quite it.”
ClearWind and Watermelon were puzzled. They had spent a long time thinking there, and in the end, ClearWind even came up with bricks and made a new floor.
“The content of the murals is fixed,” Yu Zhen added, “What you need to do is to guess the content of the mural to light it up. The reason you were asked to imagine is because you said you couldn’t understand what was in the murals. He suggested you simplify your description. You just needed to look at the picture, imagine, and describe what you saw. As long as your description was similar, the system would judge it as successful, and the mural would light up.”
ClearWind asked, “Bro, do you look down on us that much?”
Watermelon was left speechless.
“No,” Su Mo glanced at Yu Zhen and said to ClearWind, “Isn’t your cleverness coming at just the right time?”
The comment about being “clever at the right time” really hit ClearWind hard. The group rested on the sixth floor, looking at the dark seventh floor, unsure of how to proceed next.
“What should we do next?” Bitter Melon asked.
Su Mo checked the time and said, “Let’s take a break first. We’ll continue after lunch.”
The team then looked at the system time and saw that it was already approaching 10:30 AM on Capital Planet. By 11:00 AM, the commander would have to log off to rest.
“How about we play cards?” FireworksAndLanterns suggested excitedly. “The lights are on here, so we could have a card game.”
ScarletFruit was thrilled at the idea of playing cards. “Sure, how many tables can we set up?”
It was Cantaloupe’s first time with the team. He had only heard about these things before. Now, seeing the darkness above, the eerie glowing murals, and the candle flames on the walls—an environment that seemed like it could turn terrifying at any moment—he looked at ScarletFruit and asked, “Weren’t you scared before…”
“I wasn’t scared at all,” ScarletFruit set up the card table and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? You can’t let fear stop you from making money. So what if there are so many people? Are you still afraid?”
Cantaloupe immediately chimed in, “Count me in. I’ll show you my card-counting skills today.”
“Let me figure out how many tables we can set up,” ScarletFruit said as he started counting people. “Brother Wanderer, are you joining us?”
Yu Zhen raised his hand to decline, “You go ahead.”
He saw Momo heading towards the murals on the sixth floor and followed him there.
The murals lit up most of the area, making the eerie sixth floor of the Senro Tower brightly illuminated. Most of the team members were familiar with each other by now. Seeing ScarletFruit set up the card tables, eight people gathered to form two tables. Bitter Melon took out his comfortable lounge chair and placed it next to Watermelon, preparing to offer guidance. He also set up his vacation gazebo for everyone to enjoy tea and rest.
With some time left before he had to log off, Su Mo came over to look at the murals on the sixth floor.
The murals on the sixth floor were mostly obscured. From the current perspective, there was indeed nothing obvious on the murals. The only clue that resembled bricks was noticed quickly by ClearWind.
Yu Zhen switched to the Vicinity voice chat and asked in a tone only heard by two people, “What’s the plan for next?”
Seeing the person standing beside him, Su Mo suddenly asked, “Brother, you jumped before me just now. Were you already prepared to catch me?”
Jumping from the fourth floor to the stairs was a time-sensitive and brief moment. Without prior preparation, Yu Zhen wouldn’t have been able to react and catch him successfully in such a short time.
Yu Zhen replied, “Yes.”
Asking the question was one thing, but hearing the response was another matter. Su Mo tilted his head slightly and met Yu Zhen’s gaze. He continued, “I want to eat fish tonight. Is that okay?”
“This week, your meat intake has been a bit excessive. Fish isn’t an option for now,” Yu Zhen said, then added, “But you can have fish soup.”
Su Mo asked again, “How about coming over to my place to play games tonight?”
Yu Zhen hesitated briefly before answering, “Sure.”
When the two were alone, their whispered conversations naturally increased. As they talked, Su Mo returned to the initial question Yu Zhen had asked him.
“Teams need to be split into two. The first team will handle the murals on the seventh floor, while the second team will find a way to reach the eighth floor,” Su Mo said as he pulled up a simple diagram of the Senro Tower’s layout. “The flood on the fourth floor and the floorboards on the sixth floor were also obstacles. If we hadn’t kept up, we could have been sealed off by the floorboards and drowned in the lower five floors. The setup is not that simple. The monsters on the seventh and ninth floors are likely to be tough, and the eighth and tenth floors might have traps.”
Yu Zhen pointed to his diagram and said, “Team 1 will handle the seventh-floor murals. Team 2 will act opportunistically. Team 1 needs to have professions with high mobility, while Team 2 doesn’t necessarily need that but should include two perceptive members. Should we bring a healer?”
Su Mo added on the diagram, “Bring one. ScarletFruit’s movement speed is faster than Watermelon’s, so bring a cleric.”
Yu Zhen replied, “We can assign it this way…”
Not far away, those playing cards had unconsciously shifted their attention to the other side. The people at the card table were no longer focused on the game but were instead gathering their attention on the two leaders.
ScarletFruit quietly switched to Vicinity chat and asked, “What’s going on with those two? They’re saying things that shouldn’t be said in the team chat. Are they having a private conversation?”
“I’ve noticed something odd about them lately. Last time, Brother Wanderer didn’t come to the dungeon, and Big Brother just slacked off,” ClearWind leaned over from the adjacent table and whispered. “Also, Big Brother hasn’t been online recently. I often saw Brother Wanderer shopping for materials and collecting pet upgrade items. Brother Wanderer’s pets are all max level and max skill. Why would he still be collecting upgrade materials? The only pet in our team that isn’t maxed out is the little elf Big Brother mentioned last time.”
“They’re called the Flower Spirit,” ScarletFruit suddenly perked up and said. “Could it be that Big Brother asked Brother Wanderer to collect them? No, no, just the day before yesterday, Big Brother asked me in the group if I had any stockpiled materials. I told him to come and get them when he was online, but he still hasn’t come to get them.”
Apple asked, “Wait, so has Momo’s Flower Spirit reached max level?”
Bitter Melon adjusted his recliner to get closer.
ScarletFruit peeked over a few times and said, “I don’t know! My brother rarely uses the Flower Spirit.”
FireworksAndLanterns added, “I think I saw him use it just now, but I didn’t pay attention to its form.”
Cantaloupe saw this scene for the first time and exclaimed, “Is it this exciting?”
This shout appeared in the team voice chat and immediately drew the attention of the two people by the mural. Both big shots turned their gazes toward them, causing the people at the two card tables to tense up. Fortunately, the others only glanced over, assuming they were just playing cards, and their attention quickly returned to the mural. The group collectively breathed a sigh of relief and continued their discussion.
Apple slapped Cantaloupe’s head, saying, “Bro, don’t you know to switch off the voice chat when you’re whispering?”
Cantaloupe quickly apologized, “It’s my first time hearing live gossip, so I’m not very experienced.”
At that moment, Watermelon suddenly asked, “Has anyone touched Momo’s head?”
“Wow, Melon, your guts have grown bigger after not seeing you for a few days!” ScarletFruit said, “Who dares to touch my big brother’s head? Aren’t they afraid my big brother will knock their head off?”
“Oh.” Watermelon pointed to the other side. “There’s someone who hasn’t been hit on the head.”
Everyone was so absorbed in their discussion that they didn’t immediately react. Following Watermelon’s direction, they saw the scene next to the mural.
The array master and the summoner had a height difference; one was an adult male build and the other a teenage build. At that moment, the array master’s hand was resting on the summoner’s head, rubbing it, and his lips were moving as if he was saying something. The summoner seemed to respond. This scene lasted for a few seconds before the summoner’s figure quickly disappeared beside the array master.
“!!!!”
***
Su Mo finished lunch and rested, also informing Lele about Yu Zhen coming to his house in the evening, leaving the rest to Lele’s arrangement. When he logged back in, he suddenly noticed that his teammates seemed to look at him differently. He frowned slightly and asked, “Is there something on my face?”
Several people answered in unison, “No.”
Su Mo looked at Yu Zhen in surprise, who shook his head slightly, indicating he didn’t know either.
Not letting it bother him, Su Mo proceeded with the plan he and Yu Zhen had discussed earlier in the morning. “We’ll split into two teams. Team 1 will handle the seventh floor, and Team 2 will be ready to go up to the eighth floor. Team 1: Momo, UnchainedWanderer, ZenSlasher, Watermelon, and ScarletFruit. Team 2: Apple, FireworksAndLanterns, ClearWind, Bitter Melon, and Cantaloupe.”
Bitter Melon asked, “How is Team 2 supposed to get to the eighth floor?”
The members of Team 2 all looked toward the leader. There were no stairs to the eighth floor, and according to the previous pattern, the eighth floor’s mural would need to be lit up for the corresponding stairs to appear.
Su Mo replied, “Jump from the seventh floor.”
He sent the simplified staircase diagram he had drawn to his teammates. “I marked the spot as the final position on the seventh floor. The stairs disappear in the latter part of the seventh floor, roughly about 1 meter from the eighth floor. At this position, you can try jumping to the eighth floor. As long as you grab the edge, you have a chance to climb up. The stairs are no longer rotating, so if you stand at the very edge and use light steps, you should be able to make the jump with your skills.”
Quest dungeons had banned large light steps, but using smaller light steps to make the jump wasn’t a big problem.
Team 2 was speechless.
If they failed the jump, it would be quite embarrassing!
Watermelon patted Apple on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
Apple asked, “How about you give it a try?”
Watermelon replied expressionlessly, “I’m in Team 1 now.”
The members of Team 2 quickly ran to the staircase position, preparing to attempt the light-step jump.
The gap between the sixth and seventh floors had been shortened by at least half due to the horizontal stone slabs. Su Mo led the members of Team 1 to the edge of Vicinity, and the five of them jumped up to the seventh floor using light steps.
Upon reaching the seventh floor, they found themselves in near-total darkness, with only the flickering candlelight ahead and the wall murals barely visible.
Despite the absence of wind in the Senro Tower, the candles flickered energetically, as if they had been waiting for a long time. This scene was starkly different from the lower floors, with an eerie atmosphere spreading around. The wall murals, which flickered intermittently, gave them a sense of foreboding.
ScarletFruit quietly moved towards momo and whispered, “Seven seems like an ominous number.”
“Just treat it as opening the fourth-floor mural. Once we finish, we’ll consider it cleared,” Watermelon said. “If things go smoothly, we might complete a quest challenge today. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can relax.”
ScarletFruit looked at Watermelon and remarked, “Watermelon, you’ve become more confident.”
Watermelon was speechless.
Su Mo summoned two familiars in quick succession. He remembered ClearWind mentioning something about being ambushed on the seventh floor. The wall murals here might activate on their own, so he kept his eyes on the flickering candlelight ahead and said, “The wall murals here are tricky. Stay alert and don’t stray too far from your teammates.”
With the command given, the members of Team 1 quickly moved closer to their teammates.
By the time Team 1 reached the seventh floor, Team 2 had just arrived at the jump-off point that Su Mo had marked on the Vicinity map.
FireworksAndLanterns, climbing the stairs, glanced enviously at the dark seventh floor and said, “Ah, if only my movement speed were a bit faster, I could join Team 1.”
Apple gave him a push, saying, “What’s there to envy? The seventh floor might not be more comfortable than here. Didn’t you hear ClearWind say that something might suddenly pop up and ambush us?”
ClearWind chimed in, “Yes, exactly. And it might ambush you. That’s how I got knocked off the seventh floor before.”
As they spoke, FireworksAndLanterns reached the jump-off point. He aimed at the platform on the eighth floor and prepared to leap. Suddenly, he noticed two figures soaring from the seventh floor, moving like birds with broken wings and tracing a parabolic path through the air.
Team 2 watched in shock as the two parabolas formed in the air, and soon, two new alerts popped up in the team chat:
[Team member ZenSlasher has died.]
[Team member WhatAHugeWatermelon has died.]
“Wow—” FireworksAndLanterns exclaimed, “The seventh floor is this intense?”
Author’s note:
FireworksAndLanterns: Wow, so thrilling.
Team 2 leader BitterMelon: Yes, try to make that jump to the eighth floor without falling.
