Celestial Tower — First Floor (Easy)
The new area was different.
It was a night sky.
A rare phenomenon on Earth, found there as a divider. Where they were standing, it was bright as day. There was sunlight. But, looking toward the new resting zone, it was bathed in moonlight. As if the sun or the moon were too lazy to go any farther.
Or as if both were extremely territorial.
Each occupying its own space, without letting the other interfere.
They were still being bathed by sunlight.
When they took one step forward—suddenly, it became night.
Pancho still played the day-and-night crossing game.
In the forest ahead, it was dark.
The trees were half-bare, like in early spring; leaves of yellow and aged orange. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees could be heard.
Many figures passed quickly from the perspective of a normal person. But for Danilo and his group, it was easy to identify them.
Status
• Shadow Lynx (Elite—Common)
• Level: 1
• Power: 190
• Mana: 30
• Strength: 19
• Physique: 13
• Intelligence: 3
• Spirit: 6
• Talent: 1 — Shadow Claw (D)
2 — Shadow Camouflage (D)
Danilo and his group entered the forest with confidence.
The previous battles served as a baptism, especially for Liliana and the children. And what boosts one's ego more than victory after victory?
After so many enemies and so many victories—easy victories, even if long and tiring… but truly easy—the group's morale reached the heavens.
The lynxes were the size of an adult tiger. Dark and perfect for camouflage in this nocturnal environment.
Kiala was the first to move. She stretched out her left arm, and a chain shot forward like a snake, strangling the lynx closest to her before the poor creature even had a chance to attack. She pulled it toward her and pierced its skull.
Copying her father from earlier, she threw the feline's corpse with force, knocking several others down, then sent her chain flying again to grip their necks. They froze. Before the three-second seal expired, she rushed in and slit their throats.
The Sealing Chain talent was weak, but Kiala's abnormal stats and the overwhelming disparity between her and her enemies made her a lethal weapon. Of course, there were geniuses who could make it lethal even without attribute disparity, but at F-level, the chain could seal—yet was fragile. Once again, her overwhelming stats made her practically invincible.
Kiala was also frustrated.
In the second phase, her brother had surpassed her.
In the first phase, against the Bloodthirsty Rodents, her talent was very useful.
But in the second, against the Cruel Stranglers, it was nearly useless.
Between the twins, Pancho had always been the muscle and she the brain. This dynamic followed them their whole lives. With the arrival of the Celestial Domain, despite their shitty talents, she saw an opportunity to become both.
At first, she hated her talent and envied her brother's.
We're both F-level, so why does yours affect the eyes, while mine is just an old rusty chain?
Only when fighting the rodents did her brother advise her to use the chains and train with those weak enemies. At first she was reluctant, but after seeing her brother's enemies fall without even being touched, she realised it was his talent. So she put her shame aside and used the Sealing Chains.
It was far more useful than she imagined.
She could bind, strangle, and even though the seal lasted only three seconds, the strength of the chains was linked to her own. She could do more than just seal.
Her fighting style was simple:
the chain grabbed multiple enemies, she pulled them in, and finished them off.
Pancho also advanced with two axes, one in each hand, glancing at his sister's chains. Saying he felt no jealousy would be a lie, but he liked his own talent.
With two axes in hand, the felines had no chance to hide or dodge.
• Steel Axe — Common
• Strength: +7
• Defense: +4
He was also training his Spiritual Eyes.
Unlike his sister, he knew no talent was useless—every talent had its advantages. And knowing his sister, it was only a matter of time before she gained enough confidence to challenge him.
But looking at those chains, he doubted they had enough strength to restrain him.
Since they were F-level, they should only seal. The strength should be weak, and with Spiritual Eyes, he could attack before she could do anything.
Since they were the youngest siblings, and she always enjoyed being older than him, she benefited from both worlds. She was the youngest of the older siblings, but the oldest of the twins.
That meant she received everyone's pampering for being the only girl among the twins and still had someone younger to feed her little ego.
So she always cherished that dynamic.
---
With enormous strength and speed, each swing of Pancho's axe split the felines.
They didn't follow the same pattern as before. After the group entered their territory, the lynxes didn't attack recklessly. Shadow Lynxes were stealthy creatures. They attacked when convenient—when the prey was distracted.
But Danilo's group didn't follow the script, and with speed and efficiency, they began the slaughter.
When they realised the new enemies weren't reckless like the first phase, nor static like the second, Danilo used the Monarch's Word. And the slaughter resumed.
The lynxes, unlike the rodents and stranglers, were fast and strong—combining the strengths of the previous two zones. And thanks to Monarch's Word, they couldn't be stealthy or strategic. Once they heard the call, they attacked as if their lives depended on it.
Soon after, the lynxes were gone.
From what they understood, the first phase had 30,000 rabbits.
The second had 20,000 trees.
And this one had 10,000 cats.
6 — Kill 59,990 creatures (A)
Danilo and his group finally sighed in relief. They had been there for over five hours. And slaughter is slaughter—it drains you mentally. So they needed to rest. Especially Lesliana and the children.
Danilo, Mikaela, and Leila were warriors—they were used to this pace. But the others were not.
Checking the panel, one remained. The final boss.
They rested for another twenty minutes, because this time, in the last phase, they didn't fight as much as in the previous ones. The felines were stronger but far fewer. So it had been easy.
"Good thing this is over," Lesliana said, sitting and leaning against Danilo's leg as he stood.
"Big bad wolf, back in Azeroth, you promised me a good life, full of happiness and without disappointment, but since I got here, I discovered you have children who aren't mine, other women… and worse, you made me fight nonstop. What a cruel man," she said, looking at Danilo with fake sadness and anger.
In Azeroth, it was common for a man to have multiple wives. Of course, the requirement was power, but it was normal. When they met, both were weak and at the bottom of the food chain. Dreams like that were only dreams.
Danilo knew she was teasing, and replied:
"Everything you had to give, you already gave me. So, do you think you can still run away?"
After hearing such a rude answer, she slapped his legs angrily and bit him. He pretended to be in pain.
Seeing that scene, the children felt a mix of emotions. Happiness for their father, but pain because it wasn't with their mother—and because their old family would never return.
The other two, Leila and Mikaela, felt jealousy and envy toward the history Lesliana had with the master. They all had stories with the master, and they all remembered—but their stories were different. In theirs, they had been enemies; with Lesliana, they had been lovers.
Suddenly, they saw Danilo stand up. The ring transformed into a bow, and he fired ten rapid-burst arrows.
7 — Kill 60,000 creatures (S)