Chapter 15: An Interlude at the Slaughter Tower
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The Slaughter Tower, 21st floor.
Most who venture into the Desire Tower remain below the twentieth floor. Beyond the twentieth, the targets become harder to please.
But the Slaughter Tower is different.
Exploration of the Trick Tower is still in its infancy, and little is known about it. However, the Slaughter Tower has been explored for years.
There is no such thing as safety in the Slaughter Tower; every floor carries the risk of death.
Because of the monsters.
These monsters are not entirely incapable of communication, but their hatred for humans is intense.
They reject all interaction, attacking on sight, killing instantly.
The twenty-first floor of the Slaughter Tower is regarded by all as a death zone.
Except for the teachers and students of the Slaughter Tower Academy, hardly any independent bunker dwellers dare reach such heights.
"Damn it... I still have seventy tasks to complete. But if I don't find a place to light a bonfire and reduce my kill count, I'll become one of those monsters."
Said a tall, bloodied senior from the Slaughter Tower Academy's second year.
His name was Zhang Wei, one of the prominent figures among the second-year students. Not long ago, on the seventeenth floor, he acquired the powerful Kill Sequence 244: Armed Bones.
He also rented from an academy teacher the tradable Kill Sequence 303: Slaughter Will.
With both sequence slots equipped, he hoped to impress the freshmen and so recklessly ascended to the twenty-first floor.
If he and his juniors could clear the twenty-first floor successfully, returning to the academy would be glorious beyond measure.
Idealism was abundant, but reality was cruel.
Moen City within the Slaughter Tower was overrun with mutated creatures.
Zhang Wei had been fighting here for a full four hours...
All against a single kind of monster: rats.
It was said that on the twenty-first floor of the Desire Tower, there was once an area plastered with "Beware of Rats" signs.
But that was the Desire Tower; the Slaughter Tower’s denizens paid no heed.
Here, these rats were far more fearsome than the elite monsters found below the tenth floor.
Zhang Wei’s foundation was solid, and he managed to fend off the rats’ onslaught continuously. But all he could do was hold the line.
“Senior... senior, do you think we’ll die here?” A trembling freshman of the 2061 cohort asked, filled with regret.
He had noticed that Zhang Wei’s expression was off; the side effects of the Slaughter Will sequence were manifesting.
With his kill count dangerously high, Zhang Wei struggled to suppress the murderous urges within his mind.
He knew well that if he didn’t find a place soon to light a bonfire and lower his kill count...
He would become part of the Slaughter Tower’s monstrous horde.
Zhang Wei regretted underestimating Moen City. If someone like Xun Hui could come here, he might not.
But for now, he couldn’t shake off the swarm of lightning-fast rats.
And that was not the worst part.
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He sensed a terrifying presence nearby—a gigantic rat was slowly approaching.
He couldn’t even access the creature’s status panel... this was a monster far beyond his current level.
Unable to fight or flee, these two students from the Slaughter Tower Academy might pay a heavy price today for their recklessness.
Unless... they entered that building.
Jack’s Old Building.
Zhang Wei noticed that the rats dared not approach the building behind him.
Unconsciously, he had edged closer to it during the fight.
But he had heard rumors—some floors harbored hidden monsters one must never provoke.
These monsters had their own territories, unlike the creatures roaming the city.
As long as tower climbers stayed away, they would not trigger combat with these monsters.
But once approached, it would be a boss battle with slim chances of victory.
Zhang Wei was an elite second-year student and destined to be one of humanity’s strong.
Still, he knew well that the building concealed an entity even the academy’s teachers feared.
Suddenly, Zhang Wei and his junior widened their eyes.
There was movement from inside the old building. The surrounding rats abruptly retreated several meters.
The building’s door even opened.
A girl emerged from the shadows, a stark contrast to the horrific monsters Zhang Wei had imagined.
She looked... like a girl from the Desire Tower Academy, only purer in appearance.
Despite this, Zhang Wei instantly grew wary.
Even the giant rat he could not hope to match fled in fear.
Zhang Wei positioned himself defensively in front of his junior. He knew there was no chance of winning.
But he had no choice. As senior, he could not let a sequence-less junior die.
The girl showed no hostility, simply saying calmly:
“Want to come in and rest? Today, we’ll allow you to stay for a while. I have some questions for you.”
The junior was terrified, confused by the situation, but recalled a saying:
Monsters in the Slaughter Tower are mankind’s mortal enemies; never try to communicate with them.
The girl’s expression was somewhat languid:
“While you’re still human, you can come in and take shelter.”
“If you don’t want to come in, you can stay out there. I don’t care if you live or die, but I need to ask you about someone.”
“You look like you share the same skin color as him.”
Zhang Wei was puzzled.
He was even more shocked than his junior.
The more experience one had exploring the Slaughter Tower, the more absurd this situation seemed.
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A suspected area boss would never communicate; they were beings that would annihilate any human on sight.
Yet this girl at the old building’s door appeared utterly devoid of murderous intent. If she meant harm, Zhang Wei would likely be powerless to resist.
Could it be that killing rats triggered a hidden quest?
Zhang Wei never imagined that a death row convict in the Trick Tower, after completing a mission there, had saved him in the Slaughter Tower.
“Who... who are you looking for?” Zhang Wei decided to try communicating.
The girl slowly spoke:
“Do you know Wen Xishu?”
...
The dizziness and foggy consciousness brought on by repeatedly shifting spaces felt oddly pleasant to Wen Xishu.
Like the sensation of a patient waking from anesthesia on an operating table.
One moment he was in Jack’s Old Building, the next he opened his eyes to find himself in a strange room.
The room was adorned with clocks and doors.
Wristwatches, pocket watches, wall clocks, solar crowns, hourglasses...
Wooden doors, iron doors, crooked doors, straight doors...
These elements surrounded him, deepening his confusion, but when he looked at the figure ahead—
The dizziness and drowsiness vanished, and he instantly became alert.
The person before him had three heads.
The Three Towers Guide.
Every person who completes their first tower ascent journey encounters it here.
Wen Xishu hadn’t expected the guide to take such a bizarre form.
The Guide was curious too. From the reflection in Wen Xishu’s pupils, it discerned something.
“How interesting, who was the last person to see our three heads?”
“That troublemaker.”
“Oh~ I liked that troublemaker. He killed so many people. But Number Three kidnapped him!”
The three heads began their conversation.
To Wen Xishu’s surprise, the dialogue suggested—
Not everyone could see all three heads of the Guide.
“Welcome, newcomer suited to all three tower types. I am the Guide, here to lead you to the pinnacle of the Three Towers.”
All three heads spoke in unison.