Sitting on the ground, Lumine rubbed the spot on her head where she'd just been kicked.
Her golden eyes widened in shock. Just now, she had died!
The Crownless One on the fifty-fourth floor was far beyond her expectations. With nothing but skill and technique, she had no way to keep up. If not for the invincibility frame at the start that let her dodge one strike, she would have been crushed in an instant.
"Is it really… that strong?" Her throat felt dry. She could hardly believe it. The battle against the fifty-third floor hadn't been that difficult—yet just one floor higher, the difference was like heaven and earth.
The Crownless One's whip kick was etched deeply into her memory. Its attacks were clean, ruthless, and efficient. Without question, it was born to be a weapon of war. Just one floor apart, and she clearly understood the terrifying gap.
Is Lumine going to be traumatized by this?
Hard to say… she really did get smacked into next week.
I think she just got stunned. None of us expected her to get one-shot like that.
Hey, don't be unfair. She lasted six seconds—only got wiped out in the seventh.
Now that was the true face of the Tower of Evaluation. Lumine's real combat ability seemed to stop at the fifty-third floor.
Lumine shook her head, steadying her breathing, and wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. The Tower of Evaluation had one mercy: players wouldn't truly die inside. That was never Lu Heng's intention. The tower was designed to help people accurately measure their strength and train in real combat.
Clearly, it had served its purpose.
Glancing at the chat, she saw all sorts of mixed reactions.
"Laugh all you want," Lumine grumbled. "But do you realize I really just went through a death? My head still feels like it's rattling around!"
Where do you even come up with these descriptions?
So you got concussed by that Crownless One's steel-pipe kick, huh?
Can't lie—that kick looked brutal. Scary stuff.
"Seriously!" Lumine continued, still shaken. After steadying her breath, she added, "This tower really is a great training ground. A lot of people have never killed an enemy before—human or monster. Their combat experience is zero. They might have the power of the twelfth floor, but in a real fight, they'd collapse at the sixth!"
"For people like that, this place is perfect. Real combat skills must match your actual level. At least reach a competent evaluation."
For once, her words were serious, earning widespread agreement. Misjudging one's own strength could be fatal. A single mistake might cost you your life.
"Of course, if you're not some battle maniac, don't go challenging floors way above your level," she warned. "Dying once or twice is fine—it makes you cherish life more. But if you die too often, you might grow numb to it. And the day you stop fearing death… who knows what you'll become. For your own sake, don't make a habit of it."
Then she grinned. "But hey, I'm a streamer, so it doesn't matter. Everyone knows I've got a good mentality!"
Alright then, queue up another round!
Thanks for the life lesson. Now back into floor fifty-four, please.
This streamer–audience relationship is so toxic, I love it.
"Another round? Dream on!" Lumine huffed, imitating Yae Miko's voice. "I may have a good mentality, but I'm not dumb enough to throw myself into certain death again."
Isn't there a team mode? Paimon's strong too—you two are inseparable anyway. Why not try the power of your bond?
The power of bonds? More like the power of dead weight! Paimon drags you down in combat!
Come on, Paimon's support isn't bad at all.
"Huh…" Lumine paused, considering it. Everyone else had to fight alone. But she always had Paimon by her side. And Paimon was strong now. Wasn't it disrespectful to ignore her in battle, even if it was out of habit to protect her?
"You're right. If Paimon supports me, I can go all out… there's potential here!"
Her mind made up, Lumine exited the tower. Outside, she found Paimon lounging on a stool with sunglasses on, sipping a drink while fishing. She had actually caught two fish already.
"Are you okay?" Paimon asked, concerned. "Want to rest a bit first?"
"No need," Lumine shook her head. "Let's do this together."
"Alright!" Paimon tossed her fishing rod aside, crossed her arms, and smirked. "With the two of us, the fifty-fourth floor's Crownless One is as good as dead!"
"Exactly!" Lumine nodded. "We're the best of partners. Let it witness the strength of our bond!"
"Leave it to me!" Paimon made an OK sign. "Once my manifestation appears, it'll be crushed!"
The audience was in stitches.
Are they doing a comedy skit before the fight?
This is the pre-battle trash talk segment, right? They'll regret it once they're flattened again.
"Sometimes, one plus one can be greater than two!" Lumine declared, selecting the team challenge for the fifty-fourth floor. Both of them dissolved into light and entered the tower.
The battle began.
Paimon released her manifestation, flooding the arena with vibrant life energy. Grass, flowers, and vines surged upward, binding the Crownless One's legs.
At the same time, Lumine ignited her peachwood sword in searing flames, chanting as a magic circle spread beneath them.
The Crownless One sneered, slashing its spear to obliterate the vegetation, wings beating as it launched into the air. With a single strike, it shattered Lumine's magic array. She blinked behind it and stabbed, while Paimon's colossal manifestation descended with a massive palm.
But the Crownless One was relentless. It blocked Lumine's strike, pierced Paimon's manifestation, then dodged again and kicked Lumine in the stomach.
She barely avoided death with an invincibility frame—only for the spear to follow through and impale her.
Lumine fell.
Then the spear was hurled again, pinning Paimon to the wall.
The system message appeared:
[Regrettably, you have failed the fifty-fourth floor]
[Current record: 11 seconds]
[Evaluation: Was the difficulty too high?]
[Best in team: Lumine]
"…" Lumine stared blankly.
"…" Paimon sat in silence.
The chat erupted.
'Want to give it breathing room, or end it quick?'
'My manifestation will crush it!'
Yeah, crushed all right—just not the enemy.
"Keep going?" Lumine asked.
"Keep going!" Paimon insisted.
They tried again.
[Evaluation: The future is yours.]
[Best in team: Lumine]
Again.
[Evaluation: Don't worry, you did well.]
[Best in team: Lumine]
Again.
[Evaluation: That's all you've got?]
[Best in team: Lumine]
"Enough!" Paimon snapped. She was sick of dying. Their best attempt only dragged it out to eighteen seconds. No matter how hard they tried, they saw no hope of victory.
"Damn it, I'm done!" Lumine agreed, just as frustrated.
The chat mocked them mercilessly.
Who was bragging earlier again?
Definitely wasn't these two clowns.
Thanks for the laughs, streamer! My day's made.
"It's unfair!" Paimon fumed, crowding the camera. "Lumine's the DPS—of course she gets MVP every time! What about me? I healed, I tanked hits, I distracted the enemy—why don't I get credit?!"
She jabbed a finger at the screen. "Why do you even care about this scoring system, huh? It twists and reduces people's efforts into numbers! Do you even understand what that means?"
"Think about it! A family of four, maybe six. Your dad goes out to work every day, brings home the money. At the end of the month, he gets crowned MVP. And your mom, who cooks, cleans, takes care of everyone—she's just a freeloader?!"
"Tell me! Is your mom a freeloader?!"
The audience was dying of laughter.
"Don't be upset, Paimon," Lumine comforted her. She knew full well how much Paimon contributed. Without her, they never would have lasted eighteen seconds.
Paimon sighed dramatically. "I've died so many times today. If I don't get a feast tonight, I'll have nightmares all night long!"
"Fine, fine," Lumine laughed. "We'll have a big dinner."
"Good!" Paimon brightened instantly.
As they left the tower together, they ran into Zhongli and Azhdaha.
"Hey! You two here to challenge the tower too?" Paimon waved.
Zhongli gave a helpless smile. "He insisted on dragging me here."
"Come on, give it a try," Azhdaha grinned. "They say the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles is waiting at the top. Maybe we can team up and take her down."
Zhongli arched a brow but said nothing.
Ten minutes later, Azhdaha emerged with a strange look. "The full power of Morax… has some bite."
Zhongli chuckled softly.
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T/N:
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