Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 53: Thirteenth Floor, the Forest of Insects (3)

[The fire bug queen has been slain. From now on, all bugs in the forest will attack climbers, regardless of time.]

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 2 hours 10 minutes.]

Now that the fire bug queen had died, the swarm’s intensified assault only strengthened my belief that my theory was correct.

While the increased aggression could be interpreted as the simple rage that resulted from losing their leader, something about the situation felt more calculated. It was almost as if the system itself was designed to prevent anyone from taking down another queen.

I must be about halfway there.

Unlike my brisk pace from earlier, I was now sprinting full force through the thick forest, retracing my steps through the dense foliage. Breaking free from the closely packed trees, familiar sights greeted me once again: towering trees, sprawling branches, and swarms of bugs filling the air.

However, there was a stark difference—the bugs no longer ambled about peacefully.

As I bolted through the trees, a swarm of ice bugs, once circling aimlessly, locked onto me.

“Kieek!”

Letting out a sharp, shrill cry, the swarm’s leader signaled the others. Within moments, the entire group swerved toward me.

I braced myself before summoning a focused arc of lightning ahead of me, while also launching forward with a powerful burst of speed. The streak of lightning and my movements occurred almost simultaneously.

The bolt hit the leader, exploding it into fragments in a split second. By the time I dashed past the swarm, they had already been reduced to charred remains in mere milliseconds.

And so, I kept running.

***

[The fire bug queen has been slain. From now on, all bugs in the forest will attack the climbers, regardless of time.]

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 1 hour 32 minutes.]

After running for over an hour, one thing became painfully clear. Ever since the first queen’s death, the swarm had been coordinating their attacks in some way. Normally, when you outran a group of bugs, the swarm trailing behind would eventually lose track, and only the ones up ahead would engage.

Before the queen died, they never came at me with such numbers...

Previously, once I wiped out a swarm, there was a noticeable lull before the next wave arrived. But now, no matter how fast I pushed myself or slaughtered them, the bugs continued to flood in from every direction.

It's like they are a part of some kind of hive mind or sharing a radar system.

Even as I sprinted through the forest, the buzzing from all sides refused to let up. The overwhelming surge of attacks had to mean there was another queen. I couldn’t think of another reason for the bugs to relentlessly coordinate their attacks.

Sigh.

The mass of bugs forced me to continuously clear a path with bursts of lightning, so my mana reserves were steadily depleting.

Thankfully, my expensive gauntlet helped replenish some mana each time I eliminated a group of bugs. However, since my mana was still the lowest of all my stats by far, I would run dry long before the timer ran out if I kept this up.

Running out of mana won't kill me, but...

If I ran out of mana, finding the hidden keybug would be much more difficult. While I was sure I was on the right path toward the ice bug queen, opening the door required the key.

Should I change direction and start searching for it? Wait... what’s that?

Just then, I felt a strange sensation ripple behind me at my 7 o’clock. It was about seventy meters away and closing in fast. Relief surged through me as I recognized the feeling.

Finally.

After reversing course, I had been concerned that I wouldn’t encounter the hidden keybug in time. Had it evaded me while other bugs attacked, I would have spent precious minutes searching aimlessly.

Whether the hidden keybug was driven by fury over the queen’s death or simply following the tower’s instructions, it didn’t matter. It was coming right toward me, reaching within fifty meters of me.

Nice to have a lucky break.

I pivoted smoothly to face it. The swarm trailing me hadn’t caught up yet, leaving me a brief opening, though the sky above me had turned a foreboding shade of black. The sheer number of insects in the air had multiplied to an absurd degree, making the term “swarm” feel almost inadequate. It seemed more like a living storm.

I imagine this is what a plague looks like.

The darkened sky was filled with thousands upon thousands of bugs. They hurtled toward me, an ominous tide of wings and tendrils. Every insect in the forest seemed to be zeroing in on my location.

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Ha Hee-Jeong is probably holding up fine, right?

I shook off the thought. She was a regressor so there was no point in worrying about her. With the key in her possession, she could likely retreat into a shelter if necessary.

Focus.

This time, the hidden keybug’s presence was even clearer. Amid the massive swarm, this one creature stood out as its movements were distinct and purposeful.

I darted in its direction, sprinting toward the dark, buzzing mass.

Twenty meters.

With a swift motion, I unleashed a powerful lightning bolt at the approaching horde. The bolt struck the lead bug dead center before fracturing into countless smaller arcs that zigzagged in every direction. The lightning spread like a massive web, incinerating the swarm instantly.

The hidden keybug was no exception.

There it is.

I spotted something in the haze of red and blue mist emanating from the disintegrated bugs, a glimmer of silver that caught the light. Luckily, my Sixth Sense was already marking its location. I leaped forward, snatching the key from the air before it could hit the ground.

That was it. Now, all that was left was the second queen.

With the key secured, I quickly turned and resumed my sprint.

***

[The fire bug queen has been slain. From now on, all bugs in the forest will attack the climbers, regardless of time.]

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 1 hour 7 minutes.]

Another half hour went by.

I finally stumbled upon a large cave sealed by an imposing iron door. The constant buzzing of insects behind me signaled the swarm was still in hot pursuit.

I quickly slotted the key into the lock, and the door creaked open. Slipping inside, I turned and unleashed a wide arc of lightning at the incoming horde, buying just enough time to slam the heavy door shut.

Well, that takes care of the swarm for now.

The only remaining challenge was the ice bug queen herself.

The cave was damp, cold, dark, and filled with a musty stench. Similarly to some previous floors, the darkness was thick and oppressive. The chill in the air confirmed my suspicion there had to be an ice bug queen lurking within.

I cast a small streak of lightning forward to illuminate the cave’s recesses. Sure enough, I spotted her nestled in the gloom. Her eyes were glowing a frosty blue, watching me closely.

So, the one Ha Hee-Jeong killed was the fire bug queen.

Unlike the insect-like creatures we had encountered in the forest, this queen looked more like a grotesque, winged spider. She towered above me, nearly four meters tall, with a deep, icy blue carapace. Eight long legs sprawled from her body, and four razor-sharp wings sprouted from her back.

A wicked, stinger-like appendage dangled from the queen’s tail, dripping toxins. Her mandibles parted slightly, oozing out thick drool.

Well, those wings won’t do her much good here... I just need to watch out for the stinger.

On second thought, even that seemed unnecessary. She didn’t appear to be much of a threat, not compared to the enemies or bosses I had faced before. My confidence wasn’t arrogance but based on objective truth. The foes on the thirteenth floor were nowhere near the same caliber.

Suddenly, the queen let out a high-pitched screech.

“Kieeeeek!”

Without hesitation, I summoned the full power of Lightning Essence and dashed forward, activating Flash Strike at the same time.

My feet barely touched the ground as I leaped into the air, propelled by the speed of the lightning itself. The queen was slow to react, not even realizing I had moved. Her ten eyes still tracking my afterimage.

Lightning crackled around my double-headed axe as I brought it down powerfully, aiming straight for the queen’s head.

Crack!

The blow shattered her exoskeleton, the axe sinking deep into her skull. Thick, blue fluid sprayed from the wound and splattered across the cave walls. The queen let out a gurgling gasp.

“Ki... reuk...”

Electricity surged from the axe into the queen’s body, silencing her final, feeble attempt at a scream. A moment later, a muffled pop sounded from her abdomen, a delayed effect from the lightning.

And with that, it was over.

A cloud of toxic blue gas seeped from her ruptured abdomen, but like the rest of the bugs’ toxins, it posed no threat to me.

Hmm, the queen’s dead. The tower should give me some kind of reward, right?

I shoved the queen’s lifeless body aside, expecting to find something behind her. However, the cave was empty. I scoured the small chamber, hoping to spot some sign of treasure, but nothing was visible.

“What the...?"

Then, an idea flashed through my mind.

Wait, could it be inside her stomach?

I remembered how the keybugs carried their keys. Most kept them attached on the outside, but the ones I had found for the queens’ doors concealed them within their bodies.

I grimaced and swung my axe again, slicing open the queen’s abdomen. A thick, viscous liquid gushed from the gash.

“Guh..."

I gagged at the sight and smell, but I managed to hold it together. Thank goodness the gauntlet covered my hand, or sorting through the corpse would have been unbearable.

After a few moments of rummaging through the gore, something caught my eye. It was a small, blue orb gleaming within the queen’s innards.

It had to be an elixir.

As if on cue, a notification message popped up before me just after I retrieved the elixir.

[Elixir of the Ice Bug Queen]

- A highly concentrated potion formed from the ice bug queen’s toxins.

- Handle with extreme caution. Incorrect consumption could result in freezing to death.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s team has killed both bug queens. The power of the bugs filling the forest has weakened.]

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 1 hour 2 minutes.]

Only one hour remained, which was hardly enough time to rendezvous with Ha Hee-Jeong. But with the swarm growing weaker...

Well, I might as well farm some achievement points.

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned farming bugs for points earlier, so she was probably doing the same by now.

After taking a brief moment to catch my breath, I approached the iron door. Beyond it, the relentless buzzing of the swarm persisted. They seemed to be eagerly awaiting my reappearance.

Might as well give them what they want.

Once again, I summoned lightning with Lightning Essence before swinging the iron door open.

***

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the thirteenth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: the Forests of Insects. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok did not use any shelters. He will be awarded extra achievement points. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 5,235 achievement points. Total achievement points: 17,993. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

「Invisible message: The dormant Bear’s Blood within Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s body reacts. He has found a bug without sweetness.」

...

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s team has slain both bug queens. By massacring the bugs, he has completed the hidden mission ‘Nature’s Balancer.’ All his stats have increased by 1.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has driven away the alien species invading Sector B-35872 toward extinction.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has restored peace to the forest. A new path ‘Horen Forest’ opens on the fifteenth floor. He has been awarded an additional 1,000 achievement points.」

***

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the thirteenth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Forest of Insects. He will now enter the waiting room.]

[The fourteenth floor requires all climbers to enter simultaneously.]

[Time remaining until the fourteenth floor: 9 hours 59 minutes. Please take a rest.]

I was greeted by the familiar sight of the waiting room as my vision restored itself. Scanning the room, I located Doppy. I hadn’t been too concerned, but wanted to confirm that it was safe and sound.

“Kriee?”

“Did you and Hee-Jeong manage alright?”

“Kriee! Human! Fire to kill bugs!”

“Good job.”

Come to think of it, Doppy hadn’t really contributed much on this floor either. I had hoped to give it some real combat experience, but insects weren’t exactly the ideal opponents for that.

Well, that didn’t matter. I would just have to train it properly later in the training room.

“Go wash up first.”

It was covered in grime from running through the forest, so I sent it off to clean up. As it headed toward the shower, I instinctively opened my status window to check my progress.