Otto cast [Gale Push] within the confines of the tunnel.
A forceful gust of air blew the poison mist upwards towards the surface.
Otto narrowed his eyes to evaluate the poison's direction once again.
It still wasn't enough.
Mist was too hard to read.
He cast [Gale Push] again, pushing the poison out for the second time.
Studying the poison's emergence.
Several minutes later, after another four casts of [Gale Push], Otto's careful scrutiny paid off.
He channeled [Tunnel] downward once more, though at an angle this time.
He believed he could approach the source of the poison mist little by little.
1.1 kilometers.
1.2 kilometers.
1.3 kilometers.
1.4 kilometers.
The poison appeared heavier and heavier.
Otto had even begun to feel a few minor effects on his body.
His status showed [Poisoned: -38.43 health/minute].
That number was still rising.
Otto's heart sank.
The poison was accumulating too fast, and he had no idea how far he'd need to travel to reach the nexus.
This task would be more dangerous than he'd expected.
It was getting to the point where he was now forced to cast [Purify] every couple minutes to prevent his thoughts from becoming muddled.
Moreover, he often had to stop and take breaks to confirm the direction of the poison.
Thankfully, his body was still okay for now.
His typical mana regeneration could also handle this level of repeated [Purify].
Otto dug deeper and deeper into the earth.
He was now standing 3.2 kilometers underground.
Although it was colorless, the poison mist where he stood was now visible to the naked eye.
Even if Otto hadn't used [Night Vision], he would be able to make out a heaviness to the air that made it slightly more difficult to see.
It was as if the air was exceptionally humid.
Only instead of water droplets, he was dealing with poison.
His mana started to deplete, little by little, unable to withstand the effects of the three spells he was using: [Tunnel], [Purify], and the occasional cast of [Gale Push].
Soon, he would need to add [Lesser Heal] into the mix, as his body had begun to ache.
Which, if the poison's numbing effect was considered, meant nothing good for his health value.
He was also stopping to determine the precise direction of his next move.
Wasting valuable time at a moment when each additional second meant more poison in his body was activated, requiring more mana to cast the next [Purify].
Otto bit his lip.
If this continued at the same pace, he might actually be unable to reach the nexus.
He thought for a second before taking a few items out of his spatial storage ring.
[Grade 1 Perception Booster]
Highest Grade
Effect: Doubles the range and sensitivity of the five senses. Has a small enhancement effect on the sixth sense.
Duration: 10 minutes
[Grade 1 Mana Recovery Potion]
Highest Quality
Effect: Multiplies mana regeneration by 20.
Duration: 1 hour
Both of these had been made for Jeremy, Julia, and Elliott primarily, but Otto wouldn't forget to take quite a few for himself.
He could afford the [Tower's] price to bring them in, anyway.
Otto popped the pill and immediately felt the difference after a quick burst of pain in his head.
This time, after a dual cast of [Gale Push] and a [Purify] for good measure, Otto quickly and accurately determined the target direction.
He then drank the mana recovery potion down in one large chug.
Not a hint of a grimace appeared on his face despite the universally acknowledged terrible flavor.
Otto felt his mana regenerating rapidly and cast another [Purify] on himself before channeling [Tunnel] once again.
Time passed as Otto continued to approach the nexus.
His irritation began to rise without warning. More and more mental energy was used to calm himself down.
His status soon displayed [Poisoned: -524 health/minute].
It was getting to a level his body was having trouble ignoring.
Otto started to intersperse occasional casts of [Lesser Heal] to go along with [Purify].
The mist was approaching the thickness of heavy smoke.
Otto soldiered on.
Otto started to taste the poison each time he inhaled.
It was a nauseating taste, bitter and acrid, with an awful sweetness that lingered on the tongue.
He endured.
Otto's condition increasingly worsened.
Despite the repeated [Purifies] and the [Lesser Heals], aches and pains in his body and a burgeoning migraine were starting to distract him.
Normally, he would easily suppress these problems with his mental power.
Now, his emotions were rapidly consuming all his mental energy.
Yet still, they bubbled up to the surface as the poison accelerated his body's decline.
This environment was absolutely not suited for the survival of any life at all.
But Otto Would. Not. Give. Up.
The [Tower] always put the best things behind layers and layers of tribulation.
He knew this time would be no different.
His certainty rose along with the thickness of the surrounding mist.
There must be a hidden piece down here.
Perhaps others would look at this kind of wild conviction and see mania.
But Otto knew how the [Tower] worked.
He continued to dig, apathetic to his increasingly terrible state.
As he approached the 5 kilometer mark, Otto's body was on the verge of completely breaking down.
But he knew he was extremely close to the source of the poison.
Because the mist came away wet when Otto ran his hand through it.
The problem was that even if Otto could continually cast [Purify], the sheer amount of poison in his body right now, even inactive, was no longer ignorable.
Let alone when he was still breathing it in, allowing it to activate once more.
His organs were starting to fail from the accumulated damage.
He was forced to cast [Purify] on himself once every two seconds just to deactivate the poison, or it would kill him.
Right before each cast, his status would read:
[Poisoned: -4,945 health/minute]
If he didn't [Purify] himself, even someone as strong as Otto would be dead in under a minute here.
And the poison only required two seconds to accumulate that level of damage!
Otto's eyes turned a little red as he reviewed his options as calmly and rationally as he could.
No!
He didn't need to give up here.
There had to be something he hadn't tried yet!
Otto's brain sprung to life, a ferocious expression laid out bare on his face.
Thoughts flashed through his head.
Ideas were contemplated and discarded, one by one.
The clock was ticking.
Otto cast another [Gale Push], only instead of pushing the air in front of him up, he tried to gather the air in every direction and push.
It didn't work. Otto had guessed it wouldn't work.
[Gale Push] only moved air in a single direction.
Otto thought about it again, his thoughts interspersed by heavy casts of [Purify] and [Lesser Heal] to slow the poison's spread.
Yesterday, Otto had already attempted to conjure an [Air Bullet] and surround his head with it.
Unfortunately, it hadn't blocked off the poison in the slightest.
Another idea bolted through his mind, and Otto instantly acted.
This time, he tried casting one of his favorite area spells.
[Lesser Vortex]
Wind Element
Level 16
Conjures a vortex of air radius 20m that deals (110 +16% magic power) damage to surrounding enemies.
Mana Cost: 380
Cast Time: Instant
No Cooldown
It was his highest-level spell at level 16.
This time, instead of placing it around his enemies, Otto took himself as the center of its orbit.
A whirlwind of air sprung up around Otto's body, spinning almost as fast a low grade tornado.
But Otto's feet stood firm on the ground as he looked around him, elated at the discovery.
While he couldn't 'block' the poison from entering his body, he could still 'push' it away from him in all directions, in a way that even [Gale Push] wasn't able to accomplish.
The solution wasn't perfect.
At most, it bought him some time.
But while Otto was still breathing in a little poison found inside the vortex, it was nowhere near as much as when the air was stagnant.
By this point, he felt he had accurately pinpointed the direction of the nexus.
Otto's eyes lit up with fire.
He dug onwards.
The whirlwind raged for thirty full seconds before Otto cast it again.
His body naturally began repairing itself, as he was no longer breathing in enough poison for it to re-activate in a matter of seconds.
Thankfully, his premonition had been right.
Less than a minute later, Otto's [Tunnel] spell hit thin air.
Otto looked down with anticipation.
An underground cave was laid out below his tunnel!
Otto kept the vortex going, pausing his cast of [Tunnel] to cast [Lesser Heal] and [Purify] once again.
He looked down carefully, ready to blink in, steal the treasure, and blink out in a second if the poison covering was too thick.
Otto's night vision allowed him to see the contents of this underground cave.
His eyes lit up.
There was indeed a hidden piece here!
Inside the cave, a small pool of colorless liquid surrounded a small bead.
Otto cautiously hopped down from his tunnel.
Then, he let his vortex die out.
He didn't cast it again.
Somehow, there was not even an iota of poison in the air.
Otto briefly worried that the poison had somehow turned invisible even to his [Night Vision] within the cave.
But he quickly discarded the thought.
As right now, not only did his status not say he was poisoned, even the inactive poison in his body was quickly being expelled, then sucked up to the cave's roof.
A good portion of it was traveling right through Otto's own tunnel.
He belatedly realized that in his attempt to tunnel to this cave, he'd also managed to create a sort of poison highway to bring the poison from this cave to the forest on the surface.
Otto shook his head and looked around the cave.
Previously, he hadn't scrutinized it closely enough, as he was peering through his [Lesser Vortex].
The cave looked to be manmade (Thros-made?) at a glance.
The smooth walls, floor, and ceiling were not something that could be naturally created.
Otto began to ponder the origins of this cave.
But before he could continue his thoughts, he was interrupted by a voice.
It came from his left, sounding far away in the depths of the darkness.
"A contestant made it all the way down here? Oh my."
The tinkling sound of a woman's laughter echoed throughout the confined space.
Along with a terrifying wave of killing intent.
Otto's expression didn't change in the least.
He acted like he hadn't noticed.
Indeed, if he was a typical contestant, he may not have sensed that wave of pressure at all.
Killing intent wasn't a direct method of pressure.
Even sensing it depended on one's experience and perception.
Both of which Otto had in spades.
But while Otto still looked indifferent, the reality was not so.
Her killing intent was too strong.
Otto's pupils constricted.
Alarm bells rang loudly in his mind.
His body tensed, and he raised his mental guard at its highest level.
Otto secretly dual cast two spells that, so far, had remained unneeded.
Two of the only first-circle spells Otto had ever seen that carried the moniker 'Greater.'
He had merely never faced an opponent strong enough for him to bring them out.
But this woman hadn't even appeared in front of him.
Yet from her killing intent alone Otto already felt a sense of danger surpassing all of his previous opponents from this life.
He knew, instinctively.
Even Ramesthes might not be her match.
It was a good thing Otto was stronger than Ramesthes.
[Greater Body Enhance]
Level 10
Enhance all physical attributes by 70%.
Mana Cost: 375
Cast Time: Instant
Duration: 20 minutes
No Cooldown
[Greater Mind Enhance]
Level 10
Enhance all mental attributes by 65%.
Mana Cost: 300
Cast Time: Instant
Duration: 20 minutes
No Cooldown
In an instant, his mind fully calmed, his mental power still as an ocean of glass.
His feet shifted imperceptibly.
His arms rose by a millimeter.
His posture steadied.
Power coursed through his body and mind as the spells took effect, but Otto didn't disclose even the smallest hint.
He stared at the direction the voice was coming from with an emotionless gaze, like that of a mongoose evaluating a tantalizing snake.
His eyes carried an indifference colder than even the darkest of hatreds.
But he restrained his killing intent.
Better not to let this woman know just yet.
Not even a second later, Otto exposed a bright, innocent smile that entirely erased all signs of his previous cold demeanor.
He questioned happily,
"You are the protector of this bead?"
"Ah, is it my reward for coming down this far??"
His eyes seemed to emit stars.
It was at this moment that Otto revealed his overlooked but substantial innate talent for acting.
A woman's figure emerged from the depths of the cave.
Otto's [Night Vision] was still active, and his perception had been further heightened by the two spells he'd just cast.
He immediately caught her figure.
The woman wore a form-fitting dark purple combat suit that clung to her curves as she sashayed out into the open.
'Purple.'
Otto's eyes flashed as he recalled a piece of information.
Near the close of the fourth floor, at the end of this entire survival game, the Throskarts would bestow upon the winner various rewards.
Throskarts from all over their home planet would be in attendance.
They dressed in various colors befitting their status.
Grey was the commoners' clothing.
Black and red were for nobles of various standings.
Blue indicated the higher-ups.
However, no matter their status, not a single Throskart dared to wear purple.
This color was reserved for the topmost echelons: those at the absolute summit of the entire race.
Only one Throskart wearing purple would ever attend the close of the survival game.
Moreover, it was said by challengers with firsthand information that these purple clad elites would be impatient and brusque throughout the ceremony.
Acting as if the entire ceremony was beneath them.
But now, a woman wearing the forbidden purple color was personally standing guard at this place?
And so attentively, at that?
She'd even personally come to greet him.
Otto supposed he could check this off his bucket list now?
He inwardly smirked when he thought of how important this thing was to the Throskart race.
Otto ostensibly peered in the direction of the earlier voice, though he secretly watched the woman herself through his peripherals.
The woman's face carried a warm smile and her expression revealed not a single flaw.
Her grin widened a tad when she saw that this young Throskart hadn't discovered her actual location.
Too easy.
Maybe this young one had gotten a tool of some sort to be able to dig so far underground.
She wasn't one to pay attention to small details like which magic items the game shop sold, in any case.
Yet she carefully reminded herself to remain wary, cautious of the unknown.
No matter what, to have gotten this far, this kid possessed some skill.
She would do best to lower his guard before she struck.
Coincidentally, Otto was also trying to buy a bit of time for himself.
The condition of his body had slowly started improving ever since he entered the cave.
But the poison that remained in his body still required some time to fully escape.
The woman had never imagined that someone dared to come down here without using the [Perfect Air Purifier] and even wanted to stall for time while his condition improved.
As for Otto, he intended to be in his best condition for the inevitable upcoming fight.
He had a feeling he would need it.
The woman finally spoke from the darkness.
Her voice was formal, and it sounded like she was reciting a pre-prepared announcement.
"I warmly congratulate you, contestant, on finding this hidden area."
"You have bravely charged through the obstacles to seek the source of the poison."
"Will you give me your name, contestant?"
Otto nodded politely, still looking vaguely in the direction of the 'voice.'
He could play along.
"You can call me Otto."
His voice was solemn, but the woman detected a tinge of excitement hidden within.
She laughed inwardly.
This kid was a little too naïve.
"Very good."
Her eyes flashed.
"However, there is one final challenge facing you."
Otto's breath 'hitched.'
"Contestant Otto, you have two choices."
"You are free to take a fixed reward of one million points and leave this place immediately."
"Or,"
She paused to add suspense.
A layer of mystery coated her solemn words,
"You can wade through the poison in front of you to earn the ultimate prize,"
"The pride and jewel of our race. The [Evolution Bead]."
Otto's eyes widened comically.
Actually, he could barely restrain his laughter.
She still hadn't noticed he was a human?
Otto paused for a full minute.
He looked to be thinking deeply about this decision.
The woman didn't rush him, either, and waited patiently in the darkness.
Of course, Otto was actually waiting for the poison to finally escape his body.
Only when it had fully disappeared did Otto finally speak.
He declared in a grave tone, filled with great determination,
"Respected administrator, I will take the challenge."
A light tinkling laughter answered him.
"Very well, contestant Otto."
"I await your results."
Then, her voice disappeared.
She intended to pretend that she'd left.
While she herself drew closer to him.
She waited for the moment Otto turned his back to her in order to enter the pool of poison.
Her footsteps made no sound against the floor of the cave.
She approached him silently, stealthily.
A viper hidden in the dark, coiled, waiting to strike.
Otto gave her the perfect opportunity.
His face remained grave as he slowly turned towards the glassy, clear pool.
Leaving his back facing the purple clad woman.
Now with his back to her, Otto silently prepared a spell…
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