[Congratulations, you have formed a party]

[Party Name: LionArk Raid]

[Leader: EthanArk (Lv. 64)]

[Member: -]

Ethan finished forming the party. He was still standing at the northern gate, with Leon a short distance in front of him.

He turned around and started walking away from the city. Leon took a long breath, then exhaled slowly.

He understood that Ethan had made his decision. If Ashley couldn't convince him to stay, what chance did he have?

In the end, Leon walked back to the LionArk headquarters, keeping Ethan's message safe in his memory.

If things turned bad, he would carry out Ethan's instructions, even though he was determined to help Ashley in the City Authority Challenge.

When Ethan arrived at the teleportation crystal, he froze after seeing the Tower Raid notification panel.

[Welcome to the Tower Raid Teleportation Crystal]

[Conquer every floor and become the strongest!]

[Number of explored floors: 1]

[Start?]

When I was with Leon, I was only a guest member in his party. In other words, the system didn't record my achievements.

All the contribution points I earned went to Leon. But this time, it's different.

Ethan pressed the [Start] button, and his body instantly vanished, teleporting into the Tower.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a cliff. In front of him was a stone bridge that connected the cliff to the Tower.

Teleportation Crystals didn't only exist in Mavelard; they could also be found in other cities.

As a result, several players had arrived to begin their first explorations. Ethan's PK title had disappeared, his username EthanArk had turned black again, and his guild tag was hidden.

He was once more like a new player inside the Tower—no crime records, no reputation, nothing.

He walked across the stone bridge with the other players, heading toward the three-meter-tall stone gate that separated the outer area from the Tower's inner region, where the dead forest and roaming monsters waited.

Ethan removed his black mask once he entered the Tower, not worried that anyone might recognize him.

Just like before, some parties approached others to form unofficial alliances. Since Ethan came alone, many doubted his ability.

They chose to team up with full parties instead of a lone player.

Time flowed the same inside the Tower as in the city. If it was night outside, it was night here too—a 1:1 ratio.

After entering, Ethan walked away from the front gate area, following the dirt path that led into the forest.

"Hey! It's dangerous to walk alone in the forest!" one man shouted at him.

Ethan ignored him. The monsters on the first floor were only kobolds. What was there to be afraid of?

Still, he knew that the number and aggressiveness of forest monsters doubled at night. Before he got far, five kobolds appeared, blocking his way.

"Do you miss me that much that you showed up so fast?" Ethan muttered.

It's fine. I'll use this to train Crimson Slash. The more I swing it, the faster it'll reach level 50.

He raised his hand, summoning the Bloodblade Ashura, gripping it tightly. His appearance changed as a surge of power burst from his body.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

With momentum like this, he had to make the most of it. There were five kobolds in front of him—enough for four or five Crimson Slash swings.

Ethan dashed forward, striking them with basic attacks. He kicked and threw the kobolds in different directions so he could focus his Crimson Slash on one target.

One kobold flew backward. Ethan swung his sword sideways, releasing a crimson lightning slash toward it.

BLAST!

An explosion erupted as the crimson strike hit the kobold, tearing it apart into fading magic particles.

Cooldown ten seconds. I'll have to stall.

He blocked and dodged the remaining kobolds' attacks while counting in his head. After ten seconds, he dashed forward again, flinging another kobold into the air before releasing another Crimson Slash.

BLAST!

Another explosion. The airborne kobold was instantly killed, its body fading into particles.

Ethan repeated the process with the remaining kobolds. In less than three minutes, all five were dead. He had successfully landed five Crimson Slash swings.

[Talent Quest]

[Talent Quest: Swing Skill 1 800 times]

[Count: 403/800] [Duration: 41:12:45:03]

Still 41 days left. No problem. I can finish this fast using that tactic.

[Congratulations, you obtained loot:]

[+1000 EXP || +500 Gold || +500 Contribution Points || +5 Moon Fragments]

One of the perks of solo exploration was freedom—Ethan could do whatever he wanted without worrying about anyone else.

He might invite Risa later for floor exploration, but that was better than having too many people.

After finishing off the kobolds, he continued through the forest, still in Ashura Mode.

Again, more kobolds appeared on the path—same race and type.

Ethan smiled and charged forward, attacking them in the same way. He shoved each kobold away, then unleashed a crimson lightning slash toward them.

In under five minutes, all five kobolds were dead. Slowly, Ethan began to feel bored. His strength was too overwhelming against these weak monsters.

[Talent Quest: Swing Skill 1 800 times]

[Count: 405/800] [Duration: 41:12:32:11]

[Congratulations, you obtained loot:]

[+1000 EXP || +500 Gold || +500 Contribution Points || +5 Moon Fragments]

The first kobold group was level 35, while the second was level 38. Even though their levels differed, the EXP rewards were the same.

At a four-way junction, Ethan turned left, heading toward the Blood-Cursed Tribe Village. His goal was simple—to pick up Risa again.

"Destroy them quickly!" someone shouted.

Ethan froze. He quickly hid behind a tree and saw two parties attacking the village. Ten players in total.

What the hell are they doing?

In the distance, he saw Risa helping to defend the village. The village elder's blood magic barrier held for now, but it wouldn't last long.

I can't let this happen. Risa could die from this attack.

Ethan sprinted through the forest, moving undetected between the trees. Using the branches as footholds, he leaped forward and landed hard in front of the attacking parties.

He drove Bloodblade Ashura into the ground, summoning a sword barrier that shocked everyone. The fight stopped immediately.

"Ethan?" Nok asked in surprise.

"It's him! He came to protect the village!" shouted another man.

Risa's eyes lit up with joy when she heard Ethan had returned. She tried to step forward, but Nok held her back, warning her that the outside wasn't safe yet.

"What do you think you're doing?" one of the attackers demanded.

"I'm protecting this village. If you plan to kill them, you'll have to go through me first," Ethan said firmly.

"That's nonsense! Why protect them? They're our enemies—we're supposed to kill them!"

"I'll count to three. You better leave now," Ethan warned.

He drew his sword and took a stance, blade resting at his waist, ready to slash sideways the moment the countdown ended.

"One!"

The players didn't move. None of them showed any intention to leave.

"Two!"

"What do we do?" some of them asked.

"We fight him! The barbarians are our target!"

"Three!"

They still didn't move. Ethan swung his sword sideways, unleashing a crimson lightning slash.

The attackers raised barriers and defensive skills, clashing with the power of Ethan's Crimson Slash.

But the force behind his attack was far stronger. Cracks spread across their defense wall, growing wider and more dangerous.

BLAST!

An explosion burst forth, filling the area with crimson smoke. Many of the attackers were injured—four of the ten were killed instantly, their bodies torn apart.

Panic spread among the survivors, while the Blood-Cursed Tribe cheered in victory.

"You're insane! Completely insane!" one man screamed before they all turned and ran for their lives.

The battle was over. The Blood-Cursed Tribe now saw Ethan as a hero.

The figure they once dreamed of—their Lord Gor—had appeared before them in Ethan's form.

Risa broke free from Nok and stepped outside the red barrier.

"Ethan?" she called, eyes teary and full of emotion.

Ethan sheathed his sword, deactivating Ashura Mode and returning to his normal form. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, Risa. I came to pick you up."

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