It was time to briefly talk about the last enemy the people of the Tower had fought just before my regression. The Fire Emperor lived up to his title and burned everything in his path. That also included people. Unfortunately for everyone else, his cruelty made him able to burn the entire world. “Hahaha!Haha! It feels pretty good to be a god!” Yoo Soo-Ha possessed a Sylvan and led the entire species. Together with his people, they burned everything they came across, the people they ran into, and the entire world by extension. The Infernal Army was what Yoo Soo-Ha called the Sylvans who followed him. Indeed, they were an inferno that had descended on the continent. “Burn that!” Yoo Soo-Ha ordered, and the Sylvans listened. The voices of the elves were fierce, sharp, and venomous. “For the Supreme Being!” “Fire God, we offer you sacrifices! Please accept them!” “We are the Fire God’s chosen, the only worthy ones!” “You are weak and hungry because you were born lowly!” “How dare a lowly scum set foot in the sacred fire!” Contempt and discrimination. “You took away our strength and rank! That’s why you’re strong!” “High Priest, or should I say Former High Priest! Look! This is proof that the Fire God no longer favors you!” Hatred and lust for power. The Fire Emperor guffawed. “There you go. This is what life is. Love? Friendship? Devotion? Fuck all that. Don’t rely on fantasies! There is no way people are capable of love! Come on, kids! You are the true humanity! We’ll keep this up and unify the continent! Do you understand?” “For the Supreme Being! For the Supreme Being! For the Supreme Being!” Yoo Soo-Ha set the world on fire. To take the lead in that fire, he purchased Person Possession and Descent whenever he could. “Why would you bother yourself with farming? Are you an idiot?” “You know, farming is actually not easy. You have to build a farm. For that, you need materials and builders. Obviously you need money to pay the builders. To raise money, you need to build a market, which needs a village that inevitably requires a mayor. This mayor will need to make use of all the village, market, money, builders, and farmers. You’ll also need to wait half a year or one whole year to have some millets.” Yoo Soo-Ha scoffed. “Are you guys idiots?” “No! We are not thugs!” “We, the Non-Idiotic Flame Cross Order, strongly support the Fire God’s oracle!” It seemed like lava was pumping inside their veins instead of blood. The Sylvans were born physically and intellectually gifted, and they poured all their gifts into massacre. Born with the ability to sense aura, the Sylvans were powerful killing machines. With their outstanding brains, they mostly thought about how to cut off their enemies’ limbs more efficiently and to become stronger. The Sylvans under the Fire Emperor were fanatics who worshiped him as their god. The Fire Emperor stood on the podium, aura blazing in his right hand. “Good. Judging from the way you’re holding your heads in your hands, you aren’t pushovers.” The Shellmount’s head he was holding in his other hand instantly caught fire and turned into ashes. He yelled, “There is no need to farm! If you are hungry, eat the grain that others have harvested. Kill the centipede creatures they raised with care and throw a banquet! “You don’t even need villages. Kill everyone who lives there. Then you get an exclusive luxurious hotel! Leave only a few villagers to take care of you, and stay in the hotel for two weeks. Eat the food and meat that the villagers bring you. Isn’t that paradise? “After two weeks, kill even the villagers who brought you food. Kill them all. How about that? Don’t you feel refreshed? You rested well for fifteen days. Your stress is gone, and your strength returned, didn’t it? That’s it, guys. Go find the next hotel!” “For the Supreme Being! For the Supreme Being! For the Supreme Being!” “For the Supreme Being!” The Infernal Army left nothing behind as they swept through the land. A year of hard work and harvest was burned. The female cows, saved for breeding, were roasted in the burning barns. Everything that the residents had built up step by step, all of their aspirations for the future collapsed into a heap of ashes overnight. What remained was an unbearable reality. Every time the Infernal Army plundered a village, the Fire Emperor deliberately spared five or six people and cut off their limbs and spines. The surviving residents blankly watched their past and mutilated future disappear in flames. Corpses piled up on the outskirts of their homeland. The Infernal Army hung ropes on the streets and alleys as they left. The surviving residents used them to hang themselves. The Fire Emperor was the tyrant who set the world on fire. However, Yoo Soo-Ha encountered a crisis on the thirty-ninth floor. When he reached the fortieth floor, he felt endangered for the first time since he took over the Sylvans. How a crisis occurred to him was a mystery. A long time ago, the Infernal Army wiped out numerous species. They tore the Shellmounts to pieces, crucified the Skians, cut off the Purens’ heads, burned the Fingills to death, and starved the Bloodborns to death. Who would dare to pose a threat to the Fire God? For thousands of years, as the continent fell into infernal hell and groaned in pain, only one other species escaped extinction. “I was wondering who you are. You’re the boss of the crazy Sylvans.” The world of Terras was harsh. In the ever-burning hell, only the strong survived. Fortunately, they had enough tenacity to survive and sow seeds. Some of these seeds grew into warriors. These were the enemies that Yoo Soo-Ha encountered on the fortieth floor. Yoo Soo-Ha frowned. “What do you want? On the thirty-eighth floor—no, even if I tell you this, you won’t understand because you’re NPCs. Uh, fine. How did you guys survive the Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea or whatever his name was?” “It wasn’t a big deal.” “That’s fascinating. Why?” “There were a few of us who knew how to use aura. We stuck to the dragon and absorbed as much aura as we could before time ran out.” The Fire Emperor trailed off. Fourteen Terra warriors took a step forward. “Yes. We are the last Terras of this world. Even though all of our compatriots died, we became stronger than before.” Yoo Soo-Ha let out a short mocking chuckle. “Only fourteen of you guys are left, but you still call yourselves a species? For god’s sake. Alright, you dirty bastards, I’ll give you an express trip to where your compatriots lie!” However, Yoo Soo-Ha couldn’t clear the quest that day. In fact, he had no choice but to admit that he was incredibly underprepared to deal with these enemies. Retreat was the only option. Normally, he would have ganged up on the enemies with his Infernal Army and achieved an easy victory. For some reason, he completely lost the Sylvans’ trust on the thirty-ninth floor. Not only that, he also became the enemy of all Sylvans. Yoo Soo-Ha had no one to support him. At that time, there was a rumor that he was dating the Saintess. Now that I thought about it, it was probably irresponsible media gossip. Even the Sylvans, who could be considered his subordinates of some sort, now turned their backs on him. He was truly alone. “You fucking cowards. You’re ganging up on me? Alright, you fuckers! I’ll come back. When I do, you won’t know what’s coming!” [Retreating from the fortieth floor.] [The quest hasn’t been cleared!] [Please try again next time.] The Fire Emperor’s unstoppable march to the Tower’s higher floor was finally on pause. He didn’t really lose to the fortieth-floor boss monster; he just retreated. Not many people ridiculed him or called this a failure. Fire Emperor Yoo Soo-Ha was the legend who had made plenty of progress in the Tower’s ascent starting from the eleventh floor. He wasn’t the only person brought down to his knees on the fortieth floor. 「Breaking news. The Black Dragon Guild set out to conquer the Tower’s fortieth floor, confidently claiming that they would show what the best guild in the Tower could do. Unfortunately, they came back empty-handed.」 Although Yoo Soo-Ha overshadowed the Black Witch, she had the most influence in the Tower. She set out to restore the guild’s honor, bringing in all her Black Dragon elites to attack. [Retreating from the fortieth floor.] [The quest hasn’t been cleared!] [Please try again next time.] She also failed and had no choice but to retreat because her guild could not defeat all the Terras. The Black Witch had killed six of them and wounded four despite using all the power she could muster. 「As expected from the Rank 1 Hunter! Once again, the Fire Emperor defeated the boss monster on his own!」 In the end, the person who struck the final blow on the prey that the Black Witch had wounded was the Fire Emperor, who had been waiting for the chance of his revenge. Even though he retreated earlier, he was still the unchallengeable Rank 1 Hunter. With six Terras dead and four wounded, the remaining four warriors couldn’t take on Yoo Soo-Ha. “Fuck! You assholes gave me more trouble than you pathetic motherfuckers deserve!” Yoo Soo-Ha yelled as he burned the Terras’ heads. “You,” one of the Terras said quietly. He was the last of his kind. Yoo Soo-Ha gripped his head as his entire body burned. Nevertheless, the Terra muttered, “You will be cursed...” “You are not a god but a devil. You pretended to be a god and pushed the Sylvans onto a path of wickedness. You burned the world and destroyed it. Everything that follows you will be the result of karma. If there is a god in this world, and not a devil like you, if there really is a god—” Yoo Soo-Ha frowned. “What the fuck are you saying, you useless mob?” “Vengeance will surely come upon you.” The last Terra burned until only ashes were left. Only then did he go quiet. His throat was already burned, his tongue was reduced to ashes, and his bones were melted. Nevertheless, the last Terra left a will using his aura. Now that he was gone, yet another species had become extinct. Yoo Soo-Ha brushed the ashes off his hands. “Shit. Those nobodies daring to bring up revenge...” Like that, Yoo Soo-Ha cleared the fortieth floor. The media outlets were practically at war to get an interview with him. The internet was divided into those who praised and those who ridiculed him. No matter what, this proved that Yoo Soo-Ha was important for many people. Other Hunters laughed at the incompetent Black Witch. People like me looked up to Yoo Soo-Ha. That was how the world was at the time. “Talk? Ah, yes. I like talking. It’s what gentlemen do. But I make the rules.” One night, the Saintess died. “But you know I’m the Fire Emperor and you saw me killing the Saintess. So you should die.” And so did one Class F Hunter. In other words, the fortieth floor was the highest level we managed to clear. I briefly went to the fiftieth floor to meet the Constellation Murderer, but that was because I exploited a bug of the Tower. My feat couldn’t be recognized officially. The fourteen Terras had defeated the Fire Emperor on the fortieth floor and also made the Black Witch retreat. They were the reason I chose goblins as my species even though my colleagues hadn’t understood me at that time. Those fourteen Terras were enough to leave a deep imprint on my mind. [The Terras are evolving!] It was now time to meet those Terras again. The change started with a hobgoblin kid. The little Terra was sitting in the lotus position with his mother on his left and his father on his right. Befitting of his small body, the kid kept squirming his tiny toes. The kid’s parents were low-ranking warriors in the Fire Water Council, but the aura cultivation technique they had developed together was quite outstanding. They wanted their kid to have the aura, not themselves. That was why the kid was honored to be the first to evolve. The kid began to glow. The parents were surprised, but soon they realized that their kid wasn’t the only one going through this change. Some Terras somehow climbed on the turtle's legs to sit in the lotus position. Others were too lazy to climb the stairs and were sitting on the turtle’s toes. All of them started to glow. —W-What is this? Why am I... —This is a bad omen! A bad omen, uger! The Terras were about to stand up when a roar erupted from the top of the turtle’s head. [The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig reprimands his compatriots.] It was my wonderfully immoral son. Uburka was sitting on the giant monster’s philtrum. Every time the Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea exhaled, Uburka went up and down as if he were on a Viking ride. The average person would have regarded this as incredibly scared, but he looked comfortable, as if he was in a reclining armchair. —Don’t stand up! Maintain the lotus position! Continue to use your aura! —This is by no means a bad omen. It is a phenomenon similar to what you guys call metamorphosis! The Terras’ eyes widened. —Isn’t that the level only our ancestor Uburka managed to reach? Uburka grinned, baring his fangs. —Ugor. It’s somewhat similar, but not quite. It’s different from what I experienced. Besides, all Terras are shining at the same time. —Then what in the world is going on, Ancestor? —I don’t know. But pioneering into the unknown is always exciting! Uburka also began to glow like fire, fiercer than any other Terra. —Fear not, compatriots. The fire has always been on our side. It burned for us even when our ancestors suffered in those stuffy caves. Not even the monster who created this continent can extinguish our fire!” The flames enveloping Uburka burned bright, but they didn’t burn him, much less the world. They just wrapped around the monster’s head quietly. Numerous Terras looked up at Uburka, admiring the realm of their ancestor. —Inhale! Take in the warmth of the world! Concentrate! Think of our great ancestors swinging pickaxes to dig salt! The commotion subsided, and the Terras concentrated on their aura cultivation again. —Everyone, project the same image in your minds! My clan's chief warrior became an orchestra conductor, ready to guide the flames of his compatriots. —Whether this is a metamorphosis or something else, the next time we open our eyes, we will be entirely different! However, what is the use of tomorrow to someone who forgot about yesterday? Time only passes for them, they don’t live it, so don’t forget the screams of our ancestors who died long ago! We burn for eternity only to remember! The fire became more intense. Flames of various colors erupted from the monster’s shell, knees, toes, and nose bridge. Hundreds of thousands of flames wavered, each with its own intensity, but it wasn’t long before the most intense crimson fire consumed the blue, jade, yellow, black, and white flames. The Energy Dragon of the Deep Sea was engulfed in scorching fire, burning away like a giant candle. [The Immorality-Dreaming Muscle Pig is performing the Demonic Heaven Arts.] [The Terras are performing the Demonic Heaven Arts.] The children’s green skin turned red and peeled off like burnt charcoal shells. [The Terras are evolving!] No, the fiery aura didn’t burn their skin. Their skin was no longer the typical goblin skin of spring green, nor did it have the hobgoblin scent of summer. Now, it was red. [The Terras have reached their final stage of evolution: Asura!] After millennia, the seasons that the Terras had lived through until now ripened red, becoming the children’s blood and flesh. In a daze, the Hunters and I watched the children of the land harvesting red autumn leaves. The Terras grew a little bigger, their fangs a little sharper. Their eyes glowed red. Aura became one with them as it burned fiercely. The bulging muscles were throbbing hard, as if they were about to explode at any moment. “Ogres?” the Black Witch muttered. “No, I’ve never seen an ogre with red skin. Not only are they as big as ogres, but the purity of their aura is ridiculously good. They are...” “No, they aren’t ogres. Only my children can reach this level.” We didn’t take our eyes off the hologram, looking at the majestic Cavefire the Terras lit up. Show me my species’ status. Extinction Risk Level: F (No risk) Motto: “We are fire.” Political system: Fire Water Council Description: Terras were born on land, so they dug holes. In love with swamps, they covered themselves with mud. The scent of rain from the sky brought them happiness, so they love shade and moisture. The species endured for a long time before finally accepting the fire of this world into their hearts. Fire bloomed in the Terras’ hearts. Now, they symbolize fire that never goes out. When they ignite their aura, it burns in six strands. In combat, they swing their arms fiercely, as if holding six swords. They pity the extinguishing lives of the world. By acting out the dead’s looks and gestures, the Terras bring back the dead on a dark and shadowy stage. They can choose to be themselves or portray a group of entirely different people. It is said that Asuras loved the waterways humans have created. The fire the Asuras kindled is their pride. Asuras race through the world that has become an eternal hell. If someone calls the Terras demons, it is only because they have willingly chosen to stay in hell. Their beloved father is still laughing in hell. Where else would their home be? May luck be with you all. Traits: Fire Water Council, Cavefire plays, Demonic Cult, Demonic Heaven Arts, Demonic Heaven Formula Arts, Scummy Friend Doctrine, Legacy of Record, Competitive Spirit, Multi-Species Culture, Continent’s Monarch. Evolution: Completed. Other names: Asura is the Tower’s way of referring to this species. In their world, they will use a different name for themselves. I nodded. All my colleagues were silent. It was said that people judge what their own voices sound like from an objective point of view. I didn’t know if that was true, but to my ears, I sounded happy. At the same time, it also seemed like I was suppressing feelings I couldn’t express. I had to point out, “These are my children. All of them are my proud children.” [The thirty-eighth floor has been cleared.] [You aren’t a participant in the quest.] [You won’t receive any rewards.] These messages made me very happy.