Extra's Descent

Chapter 347: Dimensional Tower [5]

Indeed, there was a chance Brandon could ascend if he killed Raven now.

It's not like he was going to die. It was nothing but a simulation.

Furthermore, it was an examination.

One man for himself.

—Do it.

The image of Lumian urged, standing before him, his features visible.

Brandon was about to consider it when.....

"Brandon."

Raven's voice reached his ears. Raven looked at him with an expression that seemed to say he had just figured something out.

"Look."

Raven pointed at the sun. Brandon followed his direction, standing up.

Brandon's eyes narrowed and shaded his face. The sun was too bright. But he couldn't tell what Raven was trying to sa—

"Huh?"

"You see it?"

"The sun."

It was hovering up and down slowly.

From this, Brandon came up with three conclusions.

Firstly, there was a bug in the simulation and the sun is glitching out.

But he was well aware who was behind the simulation. There was no way they would make a mistake in coding a simple sun cycle script.

Secondly, the sun cycle is different in the simulation. But that wouldn't make sense, there was no way this detail wasn't intentional. In any case, the sun hovering up and down would make for an unusual cycle.

And lastly,

"The surface is moving."

Maybe, it wasn't the sun that was moving.

"But us."

Raven finished Brandon's words for him.

Immediately, Brandon crouched down and scrutinized the ground. Tracing his fingers on the hot surface, a dust of sand stuck to his fingers.

Amidst the cluster of sand, the ground looked rocky, with rough cracks and a shallow fault line spreading across, interconnecting with each other.

As Brandon scanned further, he had come to realize that the cracks and shallow lines formed a distinct pattern, not random but almost... alive.

The texture wasn't just rocky. It had an organic quality, a pattern resembling scales, each overlapping slightly, all part of a larger whole.

Brandon quickly backed away, his hand still brushing against the surface.

It could only mean something. But Brandon took the chance, this detail was definitely intentional.

"This whole area...." Experience tales at m v|l e'-novelhall.net

Brandon spoke up, voice laced with urgency.

Raven glanced around before nodding.

The ground beneath them shifted subtly. A barely perceptible movement.

The "surface" rippled, revealing its true nature. They weren't standing on ordinary land. They were on the back of a massive, camouflaged Ash Drake.

The landscape itself was the creature.

Then that meant it was an easy kill.

[Time Remaining: 18:33]

They had wasted nearly six hours already on just the first floor itself. To think the hardest difficulty didn't only need strength, but also perception and observation skills.

Raven asked, peering out for any clues of the portal.

"No, but....."

Brandon could only rely on his instincts.

"It could be the heart."

"Isn't that too obvious?"

"Got any better ideas?"

Brandon and Raven exchanged glances, and then both nodded in silent agreement. They didn't have much time to figure this out, and the heart was as good a guess as any.

"Let's go."

Brandon took the lead, cautiously stepping forward across the slippery ribcage.

Squelch. Squelch.

Each step made a squelching sound as they trudged deeper into the drake's body.

The pulsating flesh around them seemed to be alive with a rhythm, making it feel like they were moving through a living maze.

"Do you feel that?"

Raven asked, glancing at the rhythmic vibrations coming from deeper within.

Brandon nodded.

"Yeah. It's getting stronger."

Thump... Thump...!

The vibrations grew more intense, a steady thump echoing through the creature's insides. They were getting closer to the source.

Suddenly, they were met with a large, pulsating mass in the center of the hollow, buzzing in a dim red glow.

There was no mistake.

It was the heart of the Ash Drake. Veins crisscrossed all around it, and the heart pulsed rhythmically.

The two nodded their heads and brandished their weapons forward.

SHIIING—!

Without hesitation, Brandon charged forward, channeling mana into his blade. The heart beat faster and faster.

Swoosh—!

With a swift, powerful strike, Brandon's sword cut into the massive organ.

Raven joined in, attacking from the other side with his dagger, each strike causing more damage.

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

The heart began to rupture, and the drake's body convulsed violently in response.

—Hieeeeek!

A shrill scream echoed through the chamber, and a blinding red light suddenly erupted from the center of the heart. The two closed their eyes and looked away.

Rumble... Rumble...!

The entire vicinity shook and blood sputtered from all sides.

For what felt like an eternity, finally, the system's message finally popped up.

[Floor 1 Cleared.]

The next moment, they found themselves standing on solid ground, the suffocating heat replaced by a sudden cool breeze. The surroundings had changed entirely.

Drip.

A liquid sensation suddenly trickled around Brandon's body. Opening his eyes, it was....

Drip. Drip....!

....Raining.