Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t
Chapter 164: Forty-Fifth Floor, Redemption (4)

Chapter 164: Forty-Fifth Floor, Redemption (4)
Why was this world abandoned? Why would she ask that?

The queen’s words stirred a quiet sense of unease in me. 

Isn’t this place just a replica of Earth?

I felt fairly confident about that assumption. Signs written in English were scattered throughout the city, so the abandoned city had to be modeled after Earth.

And yet, a nagging doubt lingered in the recesses of my mind.

The queen said that she and Kasaan are the only trolls left in this world.

She claimed the others had been turned into humans because of their overwhelming fear. Based on that assumption, every inhabitant we had encountered so far was originally a troll.

At that moment, a theory began to take shape in my mind. Even if the abandoned city had been copied from Earth, there would still need to be a space to house the city.

If that is the case, then is this world originally the trolls’?

Perhaps, the trolls’ god had died or been stripped of their powers, leaving their world to become a colony open to the tower’s trials. The abandoned city could merely be an artificially constructed space designed for these trials.

If so, everything started to make sense.

That way, the tower can have as many “abandoned cities” as are needed.

Identical cities, identical trials. Rather than parallel dimensions, it seemed far more plausible that dozens of identical cities had been replicated across a single planet.

Still, one fundamental mystery remained: why had the queen claimed this world had been abandoned?

And what exactly does she mean by abandoned?

My initial thought was that something catastrophic had happened to the trolls’ god. But the term "abandoned" didn’t quite align with that interpretation.

Did I misunderstand what she said? Is “abandonment” just how they perceive what happened to their god? Or did their deity wholly and truly forsake them?

Ha Hee-Jeong’s composed voice cut through my thoughts as she questioned the queen, “What do you mean, ‘this world was abandoned’?”

“So you do want to hear the reason?” The queen chuckled softly, her lips curling into a faint smirk as though she had been eagerly awaiting the question.

“It is, kik, because of our original sin.”

“Original sin?”

“Kik, the sin of belittling insects. Such foolish, ignorant—kik—behavior deserved punishment.”

I felt my brow knit tightly because her answer only deepened the mystery.

If her words were to be taken at face value, they had been abandoned for looking down on insects. However, it was hard to reconcile that with being trapped in a world overrun by monstrous bugs.

Perhaps sensing my confusion, Ha Hee-Jeong whispered beside me, “The insects’ god probably defeated the trolls’ god.”

Ah… At last, everything began to fit into place. 

This reminded me of the goblins and orcs we had encountered on the first and second floors. Because their gods had been imprisoned, they switched to worshipping another god. Whether this was due to the passage of time or some form of indoctrination, I couldn’t say for sure, however.

The queen appeared to be in a similar situation.

“What did you mean when you said the trolls became human?”

“It doesn’t seem particularly important. I think she just meant they lost their horns. Maybe it’s a metaphor for abandoning their powers as trolls.”

I nodded, agreeing that it wasn’t worth dwelling on. Kasaan’s plea to save his mother needed to be our top priority.

Unfortunately, a clear solution hadn’t presented itself.

The queen had already transformed into a grotesque monster. How could we possibly save her?

“How amusing. You are no different, kek. You’ve come here, and now you too will perish as offerings for the soon-to-be-born king .”

Her demeanor had become aggressive. The glint in her eyes as she looked at Kasaan made it clear she didn’t want to delay any longer.

Though I needed more time to devise a solution, it seemed I wouldn’t have that luxury.

Drumming my fingers along the haft of my axe before gripping it tightly, I turned to face the queen. Although the atmosphere was thick with tension, I intended to prolong it as much as I could—each extra second was invaluable.

Keeping my gaze locked on the queen, I asked Kasaan, “Is there any way to save your mother without killing her?”

Though he seemed utterly unprepared for his mother’s horrific transformation, Kasaan was our only lead to the hidden mission.

His voice quivered as he replied, “Yes… Trolls don’t have kings. All kings in this world are abstract concepts.”

Ha Hee-Jeong immediately pressed him for more details. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Unfortunately, Kasaan remained silent.

His last comment felt less like something Kasaan truly understood and more like a clue embedded within him for the hidden mission. Regardless, it seemed like no further hints would be forthcoming.

No kings, only abstractions.

My eyes shifted instinctively to the black crown perched atop the queen’s head.

Now that I think about it, why would a queen even need a crown?

The crown seemed to be the queen’s only representation of kingship.

If it symbolizes the abstraction of “kingship,” destroying it could be key.

Ha Hee-Jeong likely noticed the shift in my expression and asked, “Did you figure something out?”

“We need to destroy the crown.”

“The crown… the abstraction…”

Understanding dawned in her eyes, and she nodded. No further explanation was necessary.

Taking a step forward, I called out to my party.

“Don’t kill the queen! I’ll handle her. The rest of you, focus on protecting Kasaan from the monsters.”

“Oppa! I’ll cast buffs on you!” Seo Ha-Rin quipped, and though I hesitated briefly, I nodded at her suggestion. Even if I didn’t need them to defeat the queen—that was well within my abilities—they would help to destroy the crown.

As I advanced, the queen’s lips twisted into a sinister grin.

Simultaneously, Seo Ha-Rin’s cheerful chant rang out, and a radiant light enveloped me. My axe felt lighter in my grasp, my steps more agile.

She began mirroring my movements, walking slowly in my direction, before suddenly charging forward, her eight spider-like legs slamming into the ground powerfully. Despite her wild movements, the crown atop her head remained perfectly still as if affixed in place.

That was my target.

Rather than striking, I focused on avoiding her furious attacks while waiting for the right opening.

“Kik! You rat!” she shrieked, enraged by my evasive maneuvers.

Her legs reared up in fury, just as I had anticipated. Seizing the opportunity, I activated Mantis’s Allure. 

I had been worried it wouldn’t work on her, but it did. The queen froze, her expression blank with confusion.

Seizing the moment, I launched myself forward and kicked off the ground with all my strength. Her bowed head stood frozen right in front of me, and I reached out to grab the crown.

Damn it.

The crown wouldn’t budge. 

It isn’t embedded in her skull, so why won’t it come off?

Despite my confusion, I tried something else, pouring mana into my hands. I pulled again with all my strength, but the crown still refused to yield. Instead, the queen’s head tilted forward under the force, her upper body bending awkwardly.

Perhaps I had hit her too hard in the head, or maybe she was too high level for Mantis’s Allure to work effectively, but the queen swiftly regained her composure.

“What have you done, kik!” 

Fury radiated from her as she thrashed her legs violently. Her enraged words barely registered in my ears.

Ducking beneath her flailing limbs, I retreated and narrowly avoided her strikes.

Why won’t the crown come off?

As I puzzled over this, a realization flickered in my mind. The crown’s dark hue reminded me of the corrupted seraphim egg. The purification spell hadn’t failed—we had targeted the wrong object.

Dodging another of the queen’s relentless attacks, I shouted, “Ha-Rin! Cast purification on the crown!”

“You pest!”

The queen lunged at me, but I activated Mantis’s Allure once more.

Her eyes widened in alarm, but even she couldn’t resist the skill’s power. She froze in place, her expression slack and unfocused. This was the opening I needed.

Pushing off the ground, I vaulted toward her.

Seo Ha-Rin’s timing was impeccable. Just as I closed in, the crown began to glow with a radiant light. The faint, golden light shimmered more and more intensely through the black crown.

I channeled mana into my hands and pulled at the crown with all my might. With a soft pop, the crown came off effortlessly this time, detaching from the queen's head.

“Kieeeek!” 

The queen’s shrill, angry, and anguished scream reverberated through the floor, echoing off all the walls.

I didn’t waste a second. Acting on instinct and experience, I recalled how breaking Doppy’s necklace on the first floor had cleared the hidden mission.

Leaping back, I placed the crown—which still emanated a golden hue—on the ground. Then, I raised my axe high above my head and channeled all my strength into the strike. 

Crunch!

The crown crumpled under the impact, folding like a piece of flimsy paper.

A violent gust of wind erupted from the shattered remains.

[Kiieeeeek!]

The bloodcurdling scream was identical to the one from the first floor. It tore through the air as the gale swept outward. 

I braced myself, planting my feet firmly, but the force still pushed me back several meters before it finally subsided.

As the wind died down, I noticed the insect-like features covering the queen’s body begin to disintegrate and crumble into dust. The polluted slime and monsters that had filled the floor also disintegrated, and even their ashes dissolved into nothingness.

A new notification window appeared above the queen’s head.

[Etora (Lvl. 42)]

The queen was no longer the ruler of the abandoned city. She had returned to being Kasaan’s mother.

“Mom!”

Kasaan sprinted forward and threw his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Just then, an enormous surge of mana rippled outward from where the crown had once rested. The energy radiated past us, spreading to the farthest edges of the city.

My gaze followed its path. The once-gray, desolate skyline beyond the window was now bathed in a soft, bluish glow. Then, a faint figure appeared before my eyes, accompanied by a mysterious voice.

“Liberator, your kindness will not be forgotten. Forgive my abrupt departure. Urgent matters require my attention. May we meet again someday…”

Somehow, I knew that was the trolls’ god. Just like Fenrike, they vanished immediately, leaving only parting words.

Urgent matters?

I mulled over the phrase, but my thoughts were interrupted by a new notification window.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has successfully liberated the abandoned city, completing the hidden mission ‘Salvation.’]

[People in Zone 1 who depended on Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok: ‘everyone.’]

[Due to your extraordinary performance, reward calculation will require additional time.]

Everyone?

It seemed that discovering the hidden mission had tied the city’s fate directly to my actions.

I turned to my party members. Since the world hadn’t collapsed yet, it appeared we would remain here until the rewards were finalized.

Then, my eyes landed on Kasaan, who was sobbing as he hugged Etora tightly.

Wait… why does this feel so familiar? Kasaan won’t join me like Doppy did, will he? No way. That would be less than ideal.

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Redemption,’ unlocking a new skill. Savior is now level 1.」

「Invisible message: The chains suppressing the third-class god ‘Golden Club’ have been released. The second-class god ‘Master of the Hive’ no longer dominates the ‘Golden Club.’」

「Invisible message: The third-class god ‘Golden Club’ has aligned itself with the Liberation Alliance.」

「Invisible message: The Liberation Alliance, as the proxy of the third-class god ‘Golden Club,’ claims ownership of the planet Rerun.」