Raven's thoughts could only be described as inexplicable.
It all happened so fast.
The mont he had cut off the vines—latched on Brandon's leg, things took a completely different turn.
Brandon had just impaled his own chest.
The impalent may have seed shallow, evident by how easily the sword fell from his chest as soon as Brandon was yanked away, but the action seed needless.
It was too much for him to comprehend at the mont.
But one thing was for sure.
Brandon had just sacrificed himself.
All for the sake of his survival.
He couldn't let his sacrifice be in vain.
And so,
He ran.
"Haaa…."
He was powerless against the treant, that much beca obvious to him when it took a lot of power to cut down a single vine.
But what he had over the vines at this mont was speed.
There were several vines and trickles chasing after him, but they seed to have slowed down as the treant pulled Brandon closer to it.
"Fuck."
Raven gritted his teeth in frustration, realizing the exit portal was just a reach away.
"Brandon."
His hand touched the portal's surface, extending it.
"If sohow…. so way…. you'd survive this adversity…. then I'll return with help."
The portal's surface touched his face, his figure seamlessly blending with the portal.
"I won't give you up like that."
It was nothing but a wishful thought.
WHIII—
As soon as Raven took the exit portal, the familiar sight of the fourth floor appeared before him.
But Raven imdiately dashed, if there was a slim chance Brandon would survive the encounter, then he needed to find help as fast as he could.
Blue words appeared in his peripheral vision.
[Floor Reconstruction: 69:59:59]
Three days.
Then it must've been the sa for the other floors.
[Exit Portal: NE]
North east.
All he had to do was follow the directions.
His breathing was ragged, but unlike Brandon, he didn't suffer too much damage.
The wounds surrounding him were manageable.
Shortly after, with no hesitation, Raven took the exit portal.
WHIII—
But this ti, the third floor was much larger. It would take a lot of ti to reach the exit portal.
[Exit Portal: SW]
But Raven was moving, tempering his legs with as much mana as he could to quicken his pace further.
In the next mont, after about ten minutes of running, his steps halted.
".....Who are you?"
A man who seed to be in his thirties stood before him, looking at his clothes, Raven could make a definite guess.
Most probably, a ranker.
Raven felt elated. Finally, this man might've been capable of dealing with the treant.
"You…. Are you a cadet…?"
The man asked.
"I am…. Please, help . We don't have enough ti!"
"Hold on."
The man gestured with his hand.
"How many cadets are here…?"
"Huh? I'm not too sure. But we haven't encountered a single one so far."
"We? Where's the other one then?"
"Help ! We need to save him…!"
Raven exclaid, panic evident in his tone.
"There's only two of you?"
"Yes, but we've got no ti, we have to—"
"Which floor did you separate?"
Raven paused for a second. This was no ti to chat.
"The fifth."
"Fifth?"
"Yes?"
"You know…."
Raven had a premonition, a sudden chill ran down his spine as he listened intently.
A reality he hadn't expected at all.
"This is the 29th floor."
"...."
The man revealed everything to Raven—his identity, and the true nature of the floor they had just tackled.
Leon Viesse.
That was his na. The Vice–Guild Leader of Blood Crescent Moon.
"We have to go."
Leon spoke seriously.
"Wait, we can't leave hi—"
"He's gone. Didn't you listen to what I just told you?"
But Raven didn't want to accept it.
It was Brandon. There was no way he would fall that easily.
"No, I'm telling you, he's fucking alive! He's an S–rank!"
"So what!? Our Leader was an SS–rank!"
Leon exclaid, completely shooting all of Raven's hopes down.
"...."
Raven stood montarily speechless, his expressions frozen.
He had a point.
But…
"Tsk."
He couldn't accept it.
"Listen to , kid. We have to go before they catch up to us."
Leon shook his head and massaged his temple.
"Take this."
Leon handed him sothing—a bracelet that was unfamiliar.
"I've been given this task to save the cadets. And I don't plan on abandoning it."
"You're fucking abandoning one right now!"
Raven scread, clenching his fist in frustration.
"And what!? Compromise yours and my safety just to save a single cadet who's survival isn't even guaranteed!?"
"...."
He had a point. If Raven was being rational, then leaving now while they had a chance was the best course of action.
"If you die, then that's on . My Guild–mbers are risking their lives as we speak!"
"...."
"Now let's go. Anything beyond this floor is a hazard. We can only use the exit item once."
The Bracelet of Adieu. An item that would take them to the lower floors—particularly, the first floor.
It was handed out to every tower participant after clearing the first floor. But the mont they did receive the bracelets, they had all surrendered it to their Leader—Yi Jihyeon.
It was discussed that they would give it to the cadets they would encounter.
However, it seed like it was done in vain.
Leon harbored deep regrets, but he was instructed to never return to the floor where he had abandoned his guild mbers.
Leon had a bracelet one too, and the replica he had just given Raven….
….Was Yi Jihyeon's.
***
Brandon turned around, a grin creeping on his face as he looked at Raven getting up on his feet, abandoning him.
'Haha.'
He laughed internally.
It was just too funny.
'Too ironic.'
"Cough! Cough…!"
Brandon coughed, clutching his throat, feeling his voice returning.
The treant lood closer than ever before, its towering figure shading the light embellishing the entire floor.
However, it was then.
"Conditions t."
He muttered.
He had tried several exchanges the mont his impulses kicked in.
The exchange to sacrifice his blood through a binding vow.
Was it rational to risk dying by impaling his chest?
It probably was, but the risk itself heightened the effects of the exchange.
At the mont.
[MP: SS ]
Brandon Locke's mana capacity was even above Evelyn's itself.
At that mont, before the treant consud him whole, a myriad of magic circles materialized behind Brandon.
Swoosh—!
The chains latched onto the treant, who had remained immobile this entire ti, covering its gaping maw.
Brandon imdiately crashed onto the chains surrounding the tree, a tallic sound echoing.
The vines thrashed, but Brandon lunged forward, his hands gripping the chains, pulling with all his might as he cladded himself in athyst flas.
Clang—!
tallic echoes filled the air as the chains tightened around the creature, constricting its massive form.
The treant thrashed, vines swinging wildly. Brandon's muscles scread in pain, the flas scorching him from the inside.
But he pulled, forcing the creature to stay down.
Athyst flas danced around him, his face twisted in agony, eyes flickering with determination.
This was all he could do.
A fleeting attempt to survive.
Victory was impossible.
All he could do was hold it back.
Until the mist completely enveloped the floor.
Soon after, it did.
The pathways beca visible for him to see.
And the result?
Swoosh—!
His figure blurred within the mist, completely freeing from the vines' grasps, the chains shattering.
Brandon reappeared on the other side of the room. The portal was just a ter away.
He could hear the treant's vines heading towards him from behind, but Brandon didn't hesitate.
WHIII—
….And took the portal.
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