Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t
Chapter 190: Fiftieth Floor, Friendly Match (2)

Chapter 190: Fiftieth Floor, Friendly Match (2)
The tail shot out perpendicular to my torso, as if it were doing its best to get away from me. Its immense strength was astonishing, and I felt like someone was physically pulling me backward. Despite it being attached to me, I had no control over it whatsoever.

What the fuck is this insanity?

This was a completely unforeseen predicament.

I attempted to take a step forward, but the tail’s overpowering force rendered my action useless. Its strength surpassed that of many top-tier climbers. Moving properly in this state was out of the question. 

What am I supposed to do now?

I shifted my gaze to the vast plain ahead.

Thud, thud, thud, thud—

Kosharks were galloping across the fields. Luckily, they hadn’t targeted us yet.

They are focusing on the Turinas first.

The Turinas were a species characterized by their crimson skin, massive frames, and curled, ram-like horns. Among the four tribes, they boasted the second-largest number of warriors, which likely made them a prime threat in the Kosharks' eyes.

The Turinas were shouting as they scrambled to organize their ranks.

Watching the Kosharks continue their relentless charge, the humans began murmuring in agitation.

“Damn, look at the sheer number of Kosharks!"

“Shouldn’t we move quickly, too? If we stay here, we’ll get swept up in the chaos!"

“What nonsense! We’ve got Kwon Su-Hyeok on our side!"

All around me, eyes turned toward me.

“Su-Hyeok! What’s the plan?"

“Hold on a second!"

Unfortunately, strategizing wasn’t on the table right now. First, I needed to deal with this obstinate tail that refused to cooperate.

Grasping the tail with my right hand, I tried to hold it still. Yet, as if it had been coated in grease, it felt slippery and easily slid out of my grip.

“How dare you touch a lady without permission! To think I’ve been paired with such an ill-mannered man! You’re not moving an inch!"

What in the world—

Suppressing a flicker of irritation, I summoned an arm with Master of Shadows and tried to restrain the tail again.

I thought the shadowy arm would succeed where my hand had failed, but the same outcome repeated itself. She slithered out of the shadow's grasp like flowing water, twisting and writhing incessantly.

Damn it, should I just electrocute it and knock it out?

As I mulled over my options, the tail suddenly halted. “Ah! It’s the pretty unnie!"

Following her gaze, I spotted Alexei sprinting toward us in a hurry.

“Hey, Kwon Su-Hyeok! What are we supposed to do?"

“Just give me a moment!"

“Pretty unnie!"

“What now?" Alexei furrowed her brow as she took in the peculiar tail.

Everything seemed unnecessarily chaotic to me at the moment. The Kosharks clashed with the Turinas in the background, climbers awaited my instructions, my tail refused to cooperate, and now Alexei wanted to talk with me.

Oddly enough, however, the tail seemed fond of Alexei.

I quickly interjected, “Alexei, can you get this thing to listen to me? It won’t obey."

“Huh?"

Though I didn’t explain much, Alexei appeared to have grasped the situation. 

She nodded, crouched down, and met the tail's gaze. “Hi, what’s your name?"

“Pretty unnie! My name’s Yoonie!"

“Yoonie, could you please listen to him for me?"

“No! I don’t like men!"

“Please? Just this once?"

“No!"

The tail—no, Yoonie—twisted violently again, catching me off guard and causing me to stumble slightly.

Damn it.

That had been the last straw for me. I infused mana into my hands and grabbed hold of the tail. Blue lightning surged violently along its length, and at last, she stopped moving.

Did I manage to subdue her?

Jerking suddenly, Yoonie swiveled to face me.

“Pfft, hahaha! That’s not enough to harm me!"

“Haaaa."

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, the tail seemed impervious to attacks. She was sentient, which meant cooperation could be crucial to handling her.

Frankly, the situation was absurd.

How am I supposed to work with something that refuses to work with me?

Judging by how the other species were managing, their tails seemed to be functioning perfectly fine. It was just my bad luck to end up with this troublesome one.

The tail wagged coyly in front of Alexei. “Yoonie wants to stay with the pretty unnie."

Hearing her refer to herself in the third person was nauseating. Though she had originally appeared quite charming, once my perception of her had turned sour, everything about her grated on my nerves.

“Ugh.”

She behaved docilely next to Alexei.

Do I really have no other decent option?

The original plan had been to move swiftly and eliminate the other Tails, capturing their tails along the way. Unfortunately, that strategy wouldn’t work now. I would have to stay close to Alexei and fight from a stationary position, like a siege tank.

After all, I had the tail and felt confident in my ability to defeat any climber who came to face me. I didn’t really need to move; eventually, the other factions would come for me.

While this would take significantly more time than the initial plan, it seemed like the most viable option.

As if sensing my internal struggle, Ryun remarked, “Why... are you... hesitating...? Just... cut her... off...."

“What?"

I hadn’t seriously considered severing my tail. Now that he mentioned it, it didn’t seem like the worst idea. Although my lightning-infused mana and Master of Shadows had proven ineffective, I was an axemaster, after all.

Can’t I just sever the tail using Aura?

Of course, I had initially dismissed the thought for a simple reason. Who knew if the tower would immediately disqualify me?.

However, focusing more on the idea didn’t cause my instincts to give a warning. I recalled the tower’s messages about the match.

It did say that whichever faction’s tail survives the longest wins. Not to mention, the climbers from that faction will stay even if their Tail loses the tail. Interesting.

The tower hadn’t explicitly stated that the tail couldn’t be severed, either. Perhaps the assumption was that no one would dare.

I trusted my instincts, and they assured me it would be fine.

However, I noticed that the tower stated whoever’s tail survived the longest would win. The tail had a consciousness. In other words, if I severed her, I just couldn’t let her die.

Doppy isn’t here, and we don’t have any priests. That is a problem.

Will cauterizing her wound with lightning work?

I shook my head. If my previous attack didn’t work, that probably wouldn’t either.

Well, that only left one option I could think of: sever her and use Flash Strike. Taking advantage of my accelerated abilities, I could capture another tail before Yoonie perished.

Logically, staying put and waiting is the right move.

I didn’t want to do that, however.

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned that the reward for the friendly match would be crucial on the fifty-first floor.

Moreover, there was no way I was going to indulge this insolent tail any longer.

I raised the axe. Sensing the eerie atmosphere, she suddenly shrieked in alarm, “W-wait! You’re not seriously planning to cut me off, are you?"

“Will you obey if I don’t?"

“F-fine! I’ll listen! Even if you’re a filthy man, I’ll listen! Just don’t cut me off!"

“Too late for that."

You already insulted me one too many times.

Activating Flash Strike, I swung my axe toward the tail. The awkward angle, with her attached near the base of my spine, made the motion less-than-fluid. That couldn’t stop me, however, as I possessed the honed instincts of a master.

The axe cleaved cleanly between my tailbone and Yoonie.

Without hesitation, I turned to catch the severed tail before it hit the ground.

“Aaaaah! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

Now detached from me, Yoonie no longer had the same slippery coating. If that were the case, perhaps lightning would now be effective.

I channeled my mana, attempting to cauterize the wound. As the lightning crackled and seared her flesh, she emitted a piercing scream.

“Screeeeeeeech! Screeeeeeeech—”

The tail let out a final wail before falling unconscious, unable to endure the agony.

Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped entirely. This was likely the best treatment I could provide in these circumstances. The next step was clear.

Just then, a notification appeared before my eyes.

[Earth has captured a tail. Current number of captured tails: 1.]

Wait. Does capturing my own tail count?

According to Ha Hee-Jeong, the maximum number of tails a faction could claim was three. At this rate, I could end up with four.

Is there even a hidden mission here?

Well, it wasn’t worth dwelling on it until later. The fundamental goal remained unchanged—I needed to catch the other factions’ Tails and take their tails.

From now on, it was a race against time.

Even though Yoonie’s wound had been cauterized, there was no guarantee her condition wouldn’t deteriorate further. I had to finish the match before she succumbed to her injuries.

The sequence of who we eliminate is crucial.

Rankings would be determined by a cumulative score across each class, so Earth’s climbers needed to move strategically.

I recalled an earlier discussion with Ha Hee-Jeong.

We are guaranteed first place in the warrior and mage categories.

However, the standings for the archer and priest classes were less than certain.

In Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, the Subrens had claimed the top spot for both the archer and priest categories. The ghostly Subrens posed a significant challenge. To guarantee that Earth secured the overall top rank, the Subrens Tail had to be eliminated first.

Even Ha Hee-Jeong had resolved to prioritize them.

“But first, I need to assist the Turinas."

The Kosharks had already launched an assault on the Turinas. Despite their robust nature, the Turinas could barely hold their ground against the overwhelming Koshark forces.

It was only a matter of time before they fell.

Meanwhile, targeting the airborne Subrens would take considerable effort. Ironically, aiding the Turinas was the key to eventually bringing down the Subren’s Tail.

I surveyed the climbers around me. “Let’s start by containing the Kosharks. Move out!"

Leading the charge, I sprinted forward with my severed tail in my left hand and the axe in the other. Alexei and the other climbers followed behind me in unison. Though most were poorly equipped, their expressions brimmed with determination.

Perhaps their confidence stemmed from the fact that dying wouldn’t be permanent, or maybe they simply trusted in me, judging by the steadfast gazes I felt on my back.

Well then, I will make sure to live up to their expectations.

Although we had reacted belatedly compared to the other factions, I wasn’t concerned. With Flash Strike at my disposal, I had a decisive advantage. 

It wasn’t time to activate it yet, though. Once we made our move, the Subrens would have no choice but to engage. My plan was to capitalize on the chaos of the clashing tribes and take all the tails in one fell swoop.

As we advanced, the Subrens, who had been observing quietly, began to move. To my surprise, they didn’t target the Kosharks, but us.

“W-what’s happening?"

“The Subrens are coming for us!"

“Prepare for combat!" I ordered, trying to seem composed, but in reality, I felt extremely confused.

Did the Subrens lose their minds? Why would they attack us?

It didn’t take me long to understand their strategy. Far from being reckless, their actions were calculated.

The Subrens had the fewest warriors among the four factions, as their natural abilities worked well with the priest and archer archetype. Since the Kosharks, with their abundance of warriors, would more than likely claim first place in this match, fighting them would significantly lower the Subrens’ chances of winning overall.

If they could take advantage of the chaos and weaken us, it could tilt the odds in their favor.

Well, if they come to hinder us, I welcome it.

I wanted to eliminate the Subrens’ Tail before the Kosharks annihilated the Turinas, anyway.

As I watched the approaching Subrens, a grin spread across my face. I had expected their Tail to stay hidden, but there they were, fearlessly advancing with the main force.

Suddenly, I realized something.

Ah, they haven’t encountered me since the sixteenth floor, have they?

My grin widened. That explained their brazen confidence as they flew directly toward me. To be fair, anyone who had climbed to the fiftieth floor would have to have earned some measure of self-assurance.

After surviving this far, they probably think they are strong enough to handle anything.

About thirty-four floors had passed since they had last seen my abilities, more than enough time for them to forget who I was and what I had done.

Their boldness made sense now.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the trials I endured were on a whole different level than theirs.

Today, I would remind them of that distinction.

“How surprised will they be?"

A sense of anticipation ran through me, and I felt thrilled. Not only would my performance today make things smoother on the fifty-first floor, but it would also satisfy my competitive urge.

Grinning broadly, I launched myself into the air.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Sever Your Own Tail.’ If he secures first place in the match, he will obtain the spirit ‘Yoonie.’」