At the same time Rhys was trying to understand just how serious Violet’s condition had become, Ren was pacing back and forth through the hall of the True Elites’ Apothecary, desperately waiting for the guild’s finest potion makers and alchemists to reach a conclusion about the mysterious drug.“Pacing around the hall won’t make the time go by any faster. So just calm down and take a seat,” Emma told Ren, doing her best to settle her increasingly anxious fiancé.Outside the guild, the entire Earth was celebrating Violet’s return and the True Elites’ victory on Floor 21. There was hardly a greater source of national pride for the planet than seeing a coalition of Earth guilds led by the True Elites successfully capture a floor inside the Tower of Ascension.The Tower had only 101 floors in total, and Floors 20 through 80 were the primary floors where Survivors could farm resources. Because of that, becoming a Floor Master on any floor was an achievement worthy of celebration. Yet inside

“Sir Rhys, would you like me to show you the proper way to worship the Sol Gods?” Pope Cole asked. From the way Rhys stood and looked around, it was obvious that he had never learned the proper Church etiquette.“Yes, please. Since I’m here to make a request, I might as well do it the right way,” Rhys replied. He had never actually visited a church before, but since he was here now, he decided that he should at least learn how to properly worship the Sol Gods.“Follow me…” Pope Cole said before leading him toward the base of the enormous statue of the Sol Gods. A ceremonial sword rested on a stand beneath it, with the stand shaped almost like a woman’s lap.“This figure… It looks like the woman who is tattooed on my back,” Rhys said as he studied the carving beneath the statue. The resemblance was almost impossible to ignore. The woman depicted there looked remarkably similar to the mysterious figure tattooed across his back.“She is called the ‘Queen.’ She is said to be the strongest

“Propagate your name? How do I do that?” Rhys asked, clearly confused as another system notification opened before his eyes.At first, he didn’t think much of it. However, after reading the entire quest description, his expression changed, and a bead of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead.Apparently, Great God Dreavon had given him a Chain Quest that required him to speed-run through the Tower of Ascension, advancing from Floor 21 all the way to Floor 40 in only twenty weeks. He was expected to clear one floor every week.In theory, the task wasn’t completely impossible. In practice, however, it was almost absurd.Ascenders simply didn’t progress that quickly. After every floor raid, they needed time to consolidate their gains, improve their techniques, study their rewards, and gain enough practical experience to handle the dangers waiting on the next floor. Trying to rush through the Tower without doing those things was practically asking for death.Rhys hadn’t even had the chance

Faced with the severed head of his own mother, Marcus felt despair and fury crash over him at once. The emotions were so overwhelming that his legs finally gave out, and he dropped to the floor.His mind refused to accept what was lying before him. His breathing became shallow as his chest tightened, each breath becoming harder to draw as he struggled to process the terrible sight.Maeve, however, completely broke down.An anguished cry escaped her as tears streamed down her bruised face, mixing with the dirt and dried blood that covered her once beautiful features.“Mother… no… this can’t be real…” Marcus whispered.His voice was barely audible, and his entire body shook.He reached toward the severed head with trembling hands. His fingers slowly approached the cold skin, and for one last moment, he desperately hoped this was some kind of illusion. Perhaps their father had created a cruel psychological trick just to torment them.Then his fingertips touched her skin.It was cold.Lif

After leaving the church, Rhys headed straight for the True Elites Guild. He needed to hand this week’s supply of Violet’s medicine over to Emma before he dealt with anything else.Violet was still in a fragile state, and Rhys trusted Emma more than anyone else to look after her while he was away. Now that Dreavon’s weekly quests would force him to leave Earth and participate in floor raids regularly, Rhys knew this arrangement would probably become part of his routine.“Don’t worry, Rhys. Of course I’ll take care of Violet when you are not around. She’s a part of this guild, so she’s family to me.Trust me when I say that I won’t let anything bad happen to her,” Emma reassured him.Rhys felt a weight lift from his chest. Knowing Violet would have someone reliable nearby made leaving her behind a little easier.His next stop was his apartment. He wanted to spend some time with Violet and explain that he would be away from home for several days at a time.He had been nervous about this