The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“Damn it! We have to hurry!”

The faces of Jang Byungjun and the staff members keeping guard outside were filled with impatience.

As the rumblings rang out repeatedly and grew in intensity, Jang Byungjun instructed the staff to step up their guard.

And when the fragment flew in and swallowed the apartment building, they hurriedly entered the interior of the apartment building.

They had to hurry and rush to Sungwoon on the middle floor, but there was one problem.

“Haa… Of all things, to think it would be a multiplying one.”

It was clearly shot toward the middle floor, but the fragment swallowed all the way down to the 1st floor in an instant.

To be precise, the fragment split apart and took root on every single floor.

Therefore, in order to reach Sungwoon, they had to clear the task assigned to each floor as they climbed up.

“Of all things, a maze!”

The 1st floor was a maze.

The entire interior of the 1st floor began merging into one, constructing a maze.

At the end of this maze, there should be stairs leading up to the 2nd floor.

“I’ll look for the exit immediately!”

“As fast as possible!”

Although Jang Byungjun was someone who usually never lost his composure, right now he couldn’t stay calm.

The Blood Ants squirming in front of the maze.

To them, these low-level monsters were a mere handful, but to Sungwoon, who had just finished climbing the 2nd floor, they were monsters that would be tough to handle.

‘Please hold out just a little longer.’

Right now, there was nothing they could do except pray that the Monster Rookie would hold out until they arrived.

At that time.

After killing all the Blood Ants, Sungwoon opened his apartment door and stepped out into the hallway.

Hwareureuk-

The hallway was already a sea of fire.

Sungwoon spotted the stairs visible beyond the fierce flames.

“So it’s a matter of passing through here to move on.”

Jang Byungjun and the staff who were waiting in front of the apartment building should have started climbing.

Since he had wiped out all the Blood Ants swarming inside his home, he could have just waited quietly, but Sungwoon didn’t do that.

“This is a great opportunity to raise my level.”

Right now, Sungwoon had an upcoming use in mind.

Although his Strength had risen to 85, considering the difficulty that would unfold later, his stats overall needed to increase more.

In such a situation, in Sungwoon’s eyes, the level 26 Blood Ants looked like a delicious main dish.

Sungwoon took a step forward and walked into the flames.

Hwareureuk-

With every step he took, the flames flared up fiercely and engulfed Sungwoon.

Although it was painful from burns, miraculously, at some point, Sungwoon’s skin no longer burned away.

It was because Traces of One Who Endured All Things was protecting him.

“Kireureuk!”

When he reached the middle of the hallway, Blood Ants poured forth once again up ahead.

“As expected, it won’t let me go easily.”

The floor Sungwoon was currently on was the 8th floor.

The top of this place was the 15th floor, which was somewhat low for an apartment building.

Thus, being past the halfway mark, it boasted a considerable level of difficulty.

Simply cutting through the flames alone wasn’t enough to go up to the upper floors.

Seogeok-

Sungwoon swung his sword, splitting the heads of the two leading Blood Ants horizontally.

“Kireureuk?!”

“What are you so surprised about?”

Just because the Blood Ants were pouring out didn’t mean they could hold Sungwoon back.

It was true that movement was restricted in this narrow hallway, but that applied to the Blood Ants as well.

Especially for those guys who moved around in swarms of dozens, this space worked to their disadvantage.

Sungwoon trampled over the corpses of the Blood Ants, wiping them out to break through the blocked path and climb to the upper floor.

9th floor.

10th floor.

11th floor.

Climbing at a speed unbelievable for a level 18, he reached the 12th floor.

“Keueok!”

On the 12th floor, three people were struggling against the boss in front of their eyes.

[Lv. 32 Blood Ant Queen]

A level 32 Blood Ant Queen.

And the Blood Ants surrounding her to protect the queen.

On the other hand, the three confronting them were staff members belonging to the Association.

They were resting at home after taking a vacation for the first time in a while, only to suffer this misfortune.

“Huh? Who are you?”

One of the climbers in the standoff spotted Sungwoon.

Sungwoon’s existence was said to be classified even within the Association, but in fact, one had to consider that 100% security did not exist.

Rumors had already spread as far as they could, and active security by the Management Division was continuing 24 hours a day, so unless one was an idiot, no employee wouldn’t know that the Monster Rookie resided in this apartment building.

“It’s the Monster Rookie.”

At the words Monster Rookie, the employees’ faces registered shock.

“Huh? You were at home?”

All the employees, including Sungwoon, were cases of being caught inside the apartment building.

“Yes. More importantly, what are your levels?”

At Sungwoon’s question, the employees spoke up quickly.

“I’m 23.”

“26.”

“I’m 25.”

The debuff called bad luck… The effect sure is potent.

How could all the employees caught up in this disaster be low level?

Also, while climbing up to the 12th floor, Sungwoon hadn’t run into anyone else.

In other words, it meant that the majority of the employees living in the apartment building were outside and didn’t get caught up in it.

“How did the three of you get caught up in this?”

“Ah, it’s because we’re roommates.”

Roommates.

In Sungwoon’s case, he lived alone due to special treatment, but the rest shared rooms in sets of three as a dormitory.

“Are there no others?”

He wondered if there was anyone else remaining, but seeing all three shake their heads simultaneously, it didn’t seem to be the case.

“That’s a relief.”

Sungwoon walked past them and stepped forward.

“I-It’s dangerous!”

They had heard the news that the Monster Rookie received EX+ ranks in a row.

However, the number of floors he had cleared was a mere 2.

Even for them, who were currently climbing the 5th and 6th floors, these monsters were something they didn’t dare face—so even if he was the Monster Rookie, how could he handle them?

“I’m not going alone. Let’s go together.”

The numbers were considerable.

It was by no means a level he couldn’t subjugate alone, but with personnel who were more than capable of subjugating the Blood Ants available, there was no need to move alone.

“A-Understood! I use a shield and sword together, so I’ll step up front.”

“I handle a bow. As long as you block in front, I’ll support from behind.”

“Coincidentally, I also handle a bow, so…”

There were no mages, buffers, or healers.

‘What a shame.’

A situation where pain kept flaring up due to burns.

If there were a healer, burns like this would be nothing.

“I also handle a sword, so please give me some supporting fire from behind. Let’s go.”

Sungwoon kicked off the ground and leaped forward.

Hwareureuk-

As the distance closed, the Blood Ants spewed fire all at once.

Sungwoon was swallowed by the flames without even a moment to dodge.

“Damn it!”

The staff member spat out a curse and charged toward the Blood Ants while hiding behind a large shield as big as his body.

“Kireureuk!”

As the shield pushed into the Blood Ants, the rest of the Blood Ants moved in orderly fashion, encircling the employee in a ring.

Seogeok-

At that moment, Sungwoon, who had been engulfed in flames, split the head of the leading Blood Ant in half.

Pwisyuuuk!

Next, the two employees took aim at the Blood Ants and released their drawn bowstrings, sending arrows flying to strike the beasts.

As their attention was dispersed, Sungwoon swung his sword relentlessly, cutting down the Blood Ants, and several of the Blood Ants encircling the staff member shifted their target to Sungwoon, perhaps sensing danger.

‘This is definitely convenient.’

With their attention dispersed by the staff members, the difficulty of the hunt dropped drastically.

The beasts realized it late and approached Sungwoon, but more than ten Blood Ant corpses were already piled up in front of him.

Sungwoon gave a corpse in front of him a kick.

Perhaps because his Strength stat had risen, even though he kicked it lightly, the Blood Ant corpse floated up into the air and slammed into the rushing Blood Ants.

“Kireureuk!”

The Blood Ants shoved the corpse aside roughly as if it were an annoyance, speeding up.

However, without missing that slight opening, Sungwoon had somehow approached in front of them and swung his sword relentlessly.

The staff member surrounded by Blood Ants, Lee Taehoon, felt his mind go completely blank for a moment.

If attacks came from all sides, no matter how good a shield was, it would be useless.

But as Sungwoon drew the Blood Ants’ attention, their movements paused for a brief moment, and taking advantage of that gap, he activated ‘Shieldcraft’.

As Shieldcraft activated, the shield began to glow faintly, inflicting a 3-second stun that sealed the movements of any Blood Ant touching the shield.

Lee Taehoon stunned the Blood Ants to create an opening, charging while holding his shield to break out of that spot.

Having barely escaped the crisis, he turned his head to look for the Monster Rookie, who had already cut down more than half of the Blood Ants before anyone realized it.

‘Does that even make sense? Didn’t they say he hasn’t even entered the 3rd floor yet?’

The Monster Rookie had only climbed up to the 2nd floor.

Yet the martial prowess he was displaying right now was to the extent that anyone would believe it even if told he had already reached the 10th floor.

As expected of an EX+ rank, is something just fundamentally different?

“Kireureuk!”

At that moment, one Blood Ant rushed at Lee Taehoon.

Watching blankly, he jumped in surprise and raised his shield, barely managing to block it.

If he had been even a little slower, it would have been a disaster.

The problem was the Blood Ant targeting his back.

‘Damn it! There was one more!’

Activating Shieldcraft had consumed a lot of mana.

In a situation where his mana was almost depleted, activating Shieldcraft additionally was impossible.

Pwisyuuuk!

Puuk!

Right then, an arrow came flying and lodged accurately into the Blood Ant’s head, causing its body to go limp.

“Hey! Get a grip!”

The one who saved Lee Taehoon was his roommate Cha Jeonghyeon.

“T-Thanks!”

“Express your thanks later!”

Pulling himself together, Lee Taehoon pushed the Blood Ant away and thrust his sword forward, accurately piercing the Blood Ant’s neck.

“Kireuk?!”

The Blood Ant with its neck pierced trembled violently before succumbing to death.

“Huu…”

Lee Taehoon let out a sigh of relief.

Seogeok-

Sungwoon’s sword severed the Blood Ant’s torso mercilessly.

With this, the remaining number was barely 20 or so.

“Kireureuk!”

Before anyone realized, the queen was constructing a cocoon-shaped defensive wall of fire to protect her body.

To protect such a queen, the remaining Blood Ants gathered around her.

Hwareureuk-

They spewed fire to block Sungwoon’s approach, but Sungwoon entered the flames nonchalantly.

[The skill rank of ‘Traces of One Who Endured All Things’ increases by 1 step.]

Finally, the Traces of One Who Endured All Things skill upgraded to D-rank.

The corners of Sungwoon’s mouth curled up.

In order to raise the rank of a skill like elemental resistance, resistance according to that element must continue.

Since Sungwoon had been continuously sustaining fire attribute resistance from the Blood Ants, it was only natural for the skill rank to increase.

“You’re in the way, get lost.”

Sungwoon attacked the remaining Blood Ants, and with the remaining staff joining in, all the Blood Ants except the queen were wiped out.

“What do we do about that…?”

Lee Taehoon, whose face showed obvious signs of exhaustion, pointed a finger at the queen and asked.

“We just break it.”

“Break it…?”

That defensive wall of fire?

“Please step aside for a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

Lee Taehoon obediently stepped back.

Standing in front of the defensive wall, Sungwoon slowly took his stance.

His current Strength stat was 85.

The Blood Ant Queen’s level was 32.

Even if the level difference was a whopping 14, it should be coverable with his Strength stat.

Sungwoon raised his sword up and struck downward just like that.

Kwang!

Jjeojeojeok-

As expected, the destructive power surpassed the Blood Ant Queen’s defensive power.

Sungwoon raised his sword once more and repeated the downward strike.