Multiversal Livestreaming System : I Can Copy My Viewers Skills-Chapter 82: Cowardly Spectators

[XxARKxX has donated an F tier gift]

[You have received] Blood Crystal : Crystallized essence of condensed blood energy. Used as a catalyst for blood magic, replenishing both health and mana over time.

[XxARKxX is confused about the floor boss' actions]

[Holder of Severance says he has never seen this happen before...]

[Nalyd has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] + 2 Soul Cores

[Nalyd asks what a deathspeaker is]

[5th Style Sword Master] : They're vessels of the death authority from a powerful universe which governed life, death, Silence. They are quite well-known and are often feared due to the S-tier Death Authority user.

[Nawh has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] +13 Soul Cores

[Nawh] : I can understand life as the counterpart to death... but why is the third authority Silence in that universe?

[Woman of Specters] : Because silence comes before the first cry… and after the final breath.

Adam glanced towards the kneeling Xel'Shaar, he didn't feel much pity, but he could vaguely understand the feeling of wanting freedom from this abomination of a monster who has been trapped in the Tower of Yxthar for so long.

'This is the first time I've seen a floor boss be so conscious and intelligent enough to talk...'

Adam thought to himself.

[AbsoluteZero01 has donated a D-tier gift]

[You have received] Eyeball of Ice : Once activated, all beings that glance at the eye will have their movement slowed by 45%. (One time use)

[AbsoluteZero01] : Streamer, you're seriously under-leveled right now. If he changes his mind and attacks, you need to run. Like, right now…Wait. The catacombs are crawling with undead. You probably won't get far. Give me a moment.

[AbsoluteZero01 has donated an C-tier gift]

[You have received] Barrier of a Frozen Moment The user projects an aura that manipulates the kinetic behavior of atoms in the surrounding area, drastically reducing their movement. This effect spreads like a dome around the user, freezing the flow of space itself. (One Time use)

[AbsoluteZero01] : Here! This should be better! At the very least you can protect yourself if the boss monster suddenly attacks!

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[Hazardous Combatant argues that the boss monster can just wait till the barrier disappears]

[AbsoluteZero01] : …Ah crap, you're right. Gimme another second.

[AbsoluteZero01 has donated a B-tier gift]

[You have received] Absolute Zero Environment : Brings the entire current floor to a standstill by forcing the temperature to absolute zero, freezing atoms in place and halting all motion for 10 full seconds. (One time use)

[AbsoluteZero01] : Okay— this should work! Ten seconds where nothing moves!]

[Disciple of Ice is stunned.]

[Bird Hunter] : What a worrying viewer… I wonder how rich he is. Wouldn't be surprised if he throws in an S-tier gift out of panic next.

[Frog Eater crunches his face out of jealousy]

Adam couldn't help but glance towards his system chat, as he sent out a thank you message to the viewer who called themselves Absolute Zero.

'A viewer that worries about my safety too much...'

Adam thought as he couldn't help but shake his head with a slight smile.

Such worrisome behavior reminded him a lot of his older brother, Raiden, who would always overprepare for everything.

School projects, field trips, even birthday parties.

He'd scold Adam for being careless, then go and buy twice as many supplies as they needed.

Just in case.

The memory warmed him for a moment.

He immediately shook away the unnecessary thoughts as he glanced towards Xel'Shaar.

This is a good opportunity to get to know more about the Tower of Yxthar...

Adam narrowed his eyes at the grotesque figure in front of him.

His thoughts churned as the foul-smelling wind drifted through the chamber, thick with the stench of rot and old blood.

The air had weight, like it remembered every battle that had taken place here.

He remained still, body tense, weapon at his side, though for once he wasn't preparing to strike.

The boss before him wasn't just screaming mindlessly or attacking on sight.

It spoke and reasoned with intelligence.

Since the boss monster was capable of speech, then this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Tower of Yxthar!

After all, who could possibly know more about the Tower than a floor boss themself...

Adam's gaze sharpened.

Every floor of the Tower had taught him something new about monsters, about survival, and sometimes, about the Tower itself.

But never had he encountered something like this.

He stepped slightly closer, boots scraping the stone floor.

The creature's massive, twisted frame loomed ahead, wrapped in chains, flesh stitched and scarred with symbols of pain.

Its mouth... if that hideous hole could be called one, moved slowly.

Adam glanced toward Xel'Shaar as he spoke, voice calm but direct.

"Are you aware that you are currently inside the Tower of Yxthar?"

The creature's massive eye twitched.

A faint pulse of dark energy rolled through its body.

"I... am aware."

The reply came slowly, but without resistance.

There was clarity in the voice, not madness.

Adam frowned, brows drawing together.

"Then why do you insist that I kill your true body form?"

The question came out before he had fully thought it through.

But it had been gnawing at him since Xel'shaar had spoken earlier.

Xel'Shaar's chains rattled lightly as the beast shifted its weight.

"Because my existence is weak. I am but a cursed remnant of what Death had punished. My existence cannot continue to climb the Tower of Yxthar any longer..."

Adam blinked.

Climb?

He stared at the creature, confused.

The concept didn't fit.

Floor bosses didn't climb the Tower... they were the obstacles!

They were guardians, not challengers!

"Climb? But you're a floor boss of the Tower of Yxthar..."

His voice carried disbelief.

He couldn't help it.

For his entire life, for everyone on Earth, the Tower had been a test.

They had assumed that each floor of the Tower of Yxthar's were from universes that had failed to conquer or climb the tower of Yxthar, eventually succumbing to its powers and becoming one of the Tower of Yxthar's floors.

A dead universe, turned into a battlefield!

To hear a boss say it was climbing…

Adam did not understand.

Xel'Shaar's ruined head lowered slightly.

"I... chose to be. I do not wish to be... a cowardly spectator..."

Adam tilted his head slightly.

A what?

"A cowardly spectator?"

His tone had shifted, now laced with curiosity more than doubt.

Xel'Shaar's voice deepened, vibrating through the room like a low drumbeat.

"They are climbers who have given up on the path to the summit... They are cowards who think themselves high though they have surrendered their path already..."

The words echoed in Adam's mind.

He stared at the boss for a long second, silent.

'Cowardly Spectators… Is he talking about the viewers? Viewers are beings who have chosen to give up on climbing the Tower of Yxthar?'

[Prankster of Kingdoms is silent]

[Experienced Old Knight shakes his head saying he had no choice]

[Bird Hunter looks away]

[DaoisteRJTzL has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] +2 Soul Cores

[DaoisteRJTzL] : Heh. Cowards.

[Frog Eater] : ...Aren't you a viewer too?

That had always been a mystery.

The viewers... those strange entities who observed from somewhere beyond, who sent gifts, who gave advices, who watched every move that stream hunters made…

No one knew where they came from, or why they watched.

And now this boss was calling them cowards?

Adam's eyes flickered.

His breath caught in his throat, only for a moment.

The implications were shocking...

He immediately proceeded with his next question, voice steady again.

"How are you climbing the Tower of Yxthar as a floor boss?"

Xel'Shaar's disgusting body moved, joints cracking as it shifted in place.

The sound of flesh dragging against stone filled the chamber.

"Once you reach the rank granted to legends, you are given the option to give up the climb and become a cowardly spectator... Or continue as a floor boss to reach the pinnacle..."

The idea chilled Adam more than he expected.

So even the strongest had the chance to quit...

To walk away and just… observe.

The same beings he'd always assumed were gods or outsiders... they were just failed climbers?

Fallen legends who chose not to move forward anymore?

[Heavendefier130 has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] Mana Blueberry Milkshake : A sweet and delicious blueberry milkshake that helps slowly recover mana by consuming it.

[Heavendefier130] : The rank granted to legends? Is that the highest rank a Stream Hunter can have?

[WinterBored188 has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] +1 Soul Core

[WinterBored188] : Well, Xel'Shaar is implicating it as though there's something higher to achieve if you continue climbing, so probably not.

[Holder of Severance is confused as to why these viewers are asking questions they should already know about]

Adam ignored the chat as he asked again, his voice quieter this time.

"The pinnacle... you mean to be the most powerful being? By then, will you be able to escape the Tower of Yxthar?"

That was the ultimate question, wasn't it?

The Tower had always felt like a prison.

Something that dragged in worlds and tested them until they broke.

Was there an end to it? A way out?

Xel'Shaar shook its hideous body. Veins of black energy rippled across its chest.

"The Tower is not a prison... it is a gateway..."

A gateway?

Adam raised an eyebrow, heart beating a little faster.

"A gateway... to what?"

Xel'Shaar's voice grew quieter.

It no longer sounded like a monster.

Not entirely.

There was a trace of longing in it now, buried beneath the rage and pain.

"To the summit, to the land away from corruption, to what we call as heaven..."

It paused.

Then, almost as if it were sharing a sacred truth, Xel'Shaar continued.

"To meet Yxthar."