“We got bonus rewards again this time!”

“Your grace grows greater by the day, Lord!”

“Congratulations. The omens are exceedingly favorable from the very start of the slime section.”

Last time it was armor, and now two Tower Entry Tickets?

Wow, there really is a point to aiming for the higher floors, isn’t there?

The terrain of the 20th-floor slime section was a wasteland.

It resembled the plains of the zombie section, but piles of building rubble were scattered everywhere.

From the starting point, the collapsed buildings obscured the view, so no slimes were immediately visible.

But upon checking the map.

…Good lord, they were packed tight!

A feast of red dots filling the entire map!

Shin Jungho immediately issued an order.

“Lea! Let’s break through for now!”

“Yes, Lord!”

He chose the direction with the lowest monster density on the map and began to run.

Lea took the vanguard, while Maya held the rear.

Tadadadat!

Since Lea was sprinting at full force this time, her pace was remarkably fast.

However, Shin Jungho chased right behind her at a speed that rivaled hers.

Sararak! Sararak!

The Leather Sandals of Fair Wind, obtained as a bonus reward on the 19th floor.

True to their name, it felt as if the wind was pushing at his back; the distance covered with each stride was incredibly long.

At this rate, he could enter the Olympic long jump and take home the gold!

As expected!

For a superhuman, it’s all about the gear!

Of course, merely running normally wasn’t enough to keep up with Lea’s full sprint.

But these shoes came with a built-in skill!

Footsteps of Fair Wind!

Huuuuung-!

Upon activating the skill embedded in the sandals, his feet felt significantly lighter, and he felt no resistance while running, as if he were treading on air.

Sasasasak!

Not only did his running speed increase, but his jumping power was enhanced as well.

There were many tall piles of ruined buildings ahead, but he simply leaped over them in a single bound!

Tadat!

Huung!

…Wow, I’m totally flying!

Flying through the sky!

Before he knew it, he had caught right up to Lea, who had been running ahead of him.

“Lea! You can run faster!”

“Yes, Lord!”

Right behind them, Maya quickly gave chase using High-Speed Flight magic.

They said superhumans absolutely needed a movement skill, and there was a good reason for it!

To think he was only experiencing this incredible feeling now!

“Lea! They’re showing up ahead!”

“Trust only me!”

A horde of green Common Slimes began to appear ahead.

Not just one or two, or even a dozen.

A swarm of dozens of slimes.

“Haat!”

Lea kicked off the ground and charged forward, rapidly slaughtering the slimes in her path.

Ppeobeong! Peng! Ppeobeong!

Green liquid burst out like water balloons in every direction.

“Lea! Just focus on what’s in front of us!”

“Understood!”

The goal right now was to break through the slime horde as quickly as possible.

There was no reason to waste time on unnecessary battles.

Perhaps due to their fast running speed, they made it through the slime swarm in no time.

“Huuu…! Huuu…!”

Lea caught her breath with ease.

“Haa! Haa! Haa!”

Shin Jungho, having run so exhilaratingly for the first time in a while, felt adrenaline pumping through him as he pleasantly regulated his breathing.

“Maya! I’ll leave the monster herding to you now!”

Maya replied with an expression that somehow made it look like only her eyes were smiling.

“…I shall do so, Your Highness.”

A 6th-circle wind mage.

The one known as the Witch of Massacre.

Being tasked with herding a mere swarm of slimes.

Wasn’t this sort of thing…

Supposed to be a knight’s duty…?

But she couldn’t raise any objections.

That Frenzied Slaughterer would certainly find it faster to kill them than to herd them.

And before His Highness’s…

Overwhelming skill…

Even the 6th-circle magic she prided herself on was nothing more than a child’s toy fan.

Maya chanted her magic while riding atop her wooden staff.

Higher-circle spells required stable ground to concentrate, but

spells of the 3rd circle or below could be cast even during High-Speed Flight.

Gale Tsunami.

Though a 3rd-circle spell with almost no killing power, it was a wind magic that exerted influence over a wide area.

Maya moved ahead of the slime swarm and fired the completed Gale Tsunami.

Huwaaaaang!

A fierce gale swirled in from the front, lifting dozens of slimes into the air and blowing them far into the distance.

Operation name:

Cage Aquaculture!

The outline of the operation was as follows.

1. Quickly break out to the outer perimeter.

2. Maya would circle the outer perimeter widely, using wind magic to push the monsters inward.

And here was the crucial third step.

“Lea! There’s one in the pile of rocks on the left!”

“I will eliminate it immediately!”

Whenever Shin Jungho spotted slime remnants that had gotten stuck in the rubble and failed to be blown away by the Gale Tsunami, Lea would dispose of them.

A truly perfect three-person joint operation!

A tailored strategy exclusively for Shin Jungho, Lea, and Maya that could never be executed if even one of them were missing!

Maya flew ahead using High-Speed Flight, blowing the slimes away with Gale Tsunami.

Shin Jungho and Lea chased after her, cleaning up the remaining stragglers.

After making one large lap like that.

= Time Remaining: 2:50:21

About 10 minutes had passed.

Originally, he had planned to check the time and draw one smaller circle here.

That would allow them to push all the slimes into a tighter zone.

If the impact area was narrow, the Alpha Core alone would be sufficient instead of Megastrum.

But the timing to make another lap here was quite ambiguous.

Since the circle’s size would be smaller, it seemed like it could somehow be done within 5 minutes, but to clear it within 15 minutes, it was better to have a time buffer.

As Shin Jungho briefly hesitated in thought, Lea clenched her fists and steeled her resolve.

“Lord! I am always prepared to stand before you and block any threat! Please trust and rely on me, Lea!”

Maya also joined in with a solemn tone, echoing Lea’s sentiment.

“Your Highness! This humble girl shall also stake everything to protect your precious person! I beg you to place your faith in me and Dame Lea!”

Right…

You both know it too.

Just how formidable a threat you’ll have to face!

The deliberation was short.

If there were more than 5 minutes left, he would have considered it.

But while reviewing the operation, the condition to achieve the Amazing Achievement had already dropped to under 5 minutes.

“Lea, Maya! Let’s get ready, then!”

“Yes, Lord!”

“I shall follow your command!”

The three of them swiftly retreated to the outermost perimeter.

After taking position in the most obstacle-free area they could find.

They each steeled their resolve.

“I am ready!”

“The Barrier of Atmosphere is also complete!”

Shin Jungho nodded and shouted with vigor.

“Meteor Summoning!”

Two galaxies unfolded in his mind.

The choice was, naturally, Megastrum.

Now, which one is the smallest…!

Please, let it be the smallest one possible…!

A Megastrum meteor could be as small as a 50-building apartment complex or as large as nearly 200 buildings.

Given the current gathered scale, 50 to 60 buildings would be just right.

So please, let the smallest one come out!

Alright…

This one!

The selection was made.

Now all that was left was to confirm the result.

Far above in the distant sky, a massive black hole formed.

“33! 47! 66!”

Our combat power measurer began shouting out the rising numbers.

But wait…

It already passed 66?!

“77! 88!”

Stop!

Stop going up!

“97! 105!”

One thing was certain.

If this thing fell, the slimes would be completely annihilated.

“131! 153! It’s coming!”

What?

153?

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!

The meteor crashed down, and the earth shook.

Originally, a meteor of that size might have gouged a massive crater all the way to this floor.

[Initiating emergency restoration!]

Thanks to our dear Tower working hard, the damage was limited to an earthquake.

Truthfully, if the Tower hadn’t mitigated the damage, they would have died on the 1st floor.

At this point, shouldn’t we acknowledge the Tower as a comrade?

Huwaaaaaaaaak!

A shockwave erupted.

More powerful than ever before!

Ppeobeobeobeobeobeong!

“Kyaat!”

Looking back, bright red blood spilled from Maya’s mouth.

It seemed she had taken a heavy impact from forcing the Barrier of Atmosphere to hold.

“Hathathathathat! Hathathathat! Hathathathathathathat…!”

Lea’s spirit shouts were fiercer than ever.

At least the 10th-floor Minotaur section had dense trees.

Here, there was only a vast wasteland with sparse building rubble, so there was practically nothing to block the shockwave.

On top of that, a meteor equivalent to 153 apartment buildings had fallen, so just how powerful was that shockwave!

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!

The surrounding building rubble was swept up by the shockwave and spewed toward them like a meteor shower!

“Lea! Maya!”

“Hathathathathathathathathathathathathathathathathat!”

“I-It’s coming!”

Kagagagagang!

Lea minimized the fan-shaped area and moved at blinding speed to block the building fragments.

Pababang! Pababang!

Maya continuously summoned the Barrier of Atmosphere every time it shattered, desperately trying to reduce the impact on Lea even a little.

…When the hell is this restoration going to finish!

But contrary to Shin Jungho’s wishes.

Ppeok!

“Keuk!”

Lea was struck directly by a massive boulder and sent flying.

Now, the one exposed at the very front was Shin Jungho himself!

In that moment, a boulder pierced through the empty space where Lea had been and scored a direct hit on Shin Jungho.

Kwang!

“Uwaah!”

Fortunately, the Ring of Protection activated, blocking the first strike.

However, the barrier looked faint, as if it would shatter after one or two more hits.

Shin Jungho immediately tried to escape the situation using the Grace of Evasion.

“Retu…!”

Right at that moment.

[Tower restoration complete! Beginning clear check.]

[All monsters have been annihilated. Proceeding to clear completion process.]

[You have cleared the 21st floor of the Tower 25.]

[21 Magic Stones and 2 Tower Entry Tickets have been awarded.]

[You will automatically return in 10 seconds.]

“Return!”

Pababat!

Shin Jungho, Lea, and Maya all safely returned to the studio apartment.

[Announcement: Mirinae has cleared the 21st floor of the Tower 25 in the shortest time.]

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[A Random Box has been provided as a special reward for the Amazing Achievement.]

“Keu…k…!”

“Lea!”

Lea’s condition, as she lay on the floor, was severe.

Her entire body reduced to rags and unable to exert any proper strength, Lea tried to push herself up from the floor using her arms.

“Lo…rd…! For…give…me…!”

“Don’t speak! Ah, no, I’ll heal you right now!”

Summoner’s Complete Healing!

As the light radiating from Shin Jungho’s hands enveloped Lea, her wounds healed in an instant.

Lea immediately kicked off the floor, stood up, and bowed at a right angle.

“Lord! I am sorry! This disloyal servant has endangered you! Please punish me severely and pass judgment on this sinful vassal!”

Seeing her say such things meant her body was perfectly fine now.

Shin Jungho sighed and answered.

“It’s okay. I forgive you, Lea.”

“No! This servant’s crime this time must not be taken lightly! Please punish me severely!”

Jeez, I keep telling you that you didn’t do anything wrong.

Truthfully, without Lea, the Amazing Achievement itself would have been impossible.

Maya’s Barrier of Atmosphere had shattered immediately against the initial shockwave.

Then how else could they have blocked the subsequent threats without Lea?

So if anything, he should be grateful; there was absolutely no reason to punish Lea.

But what could he do when she so desperately wanted to be punished?

“Alright, then I shall hand down a fitting punishment to Lea.”

“I will gladly accept any punishment!”

Shin Jungho pointed to the Random Box and spoke.

“Lea, you will open that Random Box.”