ZAP – Chapter 140-141: Disturbance in the Zenith Tower – Part 1-2

Chapters merged by Reigokai

“So I am going to be exploring the Zenith Tower all by myself, huh…” (Eugene)

I muttered to myself after stepping off the dungeon elevator.

Sumire and Airi didn’t join the exploration.

“No way! Eugy-kun, I’m exhausted!” (Sumire)

“Eugy… What’s with your stamina…?” (Airi)

The two of them treated me like some kind of weirdo.

I was the only one still with extra energy, so I came alone to the Zenith Tower.

I’m currently on Floor 119; the highest floor accessible by the dungeon elevator.

Sumire, Sara, and I had previously reached this point, just before challenging the Floor Boss, but we stopped there.

Above Floor 100, the monsters that appear are random, so there’s no need to wander to other floors in search of specific creatures.

Besides, the Dungeon Master, Anemoi Babel, seems to dislike floors below the 99th.

The Dungeon Master resents the use of Resurrection Drops to guarantee survival, which is why I suspect she will only show herself on floors above the 100th.

Floor 119 is a vast field dotted with ruins.

There are plenty of places to hide, but I deliberately walked through the open areas.

It naturally didn’t take long for monsters to find me.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!* Heavy footsteps echoed.

“GRRRAAAAAAH!”

A Minotaur swung a massive axe down at me.

I dodged the attack and decapitated it with a technique from the Twin Heavenly Resonance Style.

“…”

A zombie assassin silently crept closer behind me, but I avoided its attack and sliced off its head as well.

(Nothing out of the ordinary so far… It’d be great if I could run into that berserk dragon the Club President mentioned though.) (Eugene) 

I’ve encountered a variety of monsters, but I haven’t seen a dragon yet.

It’s been about three hours since I started wandering around Floor 119.

Rather than exploring, it feels more like training.

I’m deliberately roaming obvious spots, luring monsters to me, and defeating them.

(Still, I don’t feel particularly tired…) (Eugene)

I’ve always had decent stamina, thanks to my training at the military school, but it seems to have improved even further lately.

I don’t feel fatigued no matter how much I move.

(Is there something weird with my body…?) (Eugene)

I consulted the school nurse, but she found no abnormalities.

While it’s convenient to have this much stamina and I feel no discomfort, it’s a bit unsettling.

Maybe I should ask the Principal about it sometime.

And that’s when it happened.

“Hey, why aren’t you challenging the Floor Boss, Eugene Santafield?”

The voice was teasing, almost childlike in tone.

Yet the sheer mana behind it was enough to make the air feel oppressive.

It was none other than the master of the Last Dungeon and a walking calamity, Anemoi Babel.

(One of my targets has appeared.) (Eugene)

Being addressed by this figure usually meant trouble.

I’d normally curse my bad luck, but this time, it works in my favor.

“I don’t fight bosses alone.” (Eugene)

I kept my response short and pretended to stay calm.

“Being cautious is good. But someone like you wouldn’t hesitate against a boss on Floor 120, right? How many Divine Beasts have you defeated already?” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master laughed gracefully, covering her mouth with her hand. She seems to be in a good mood today.

“I didn’t do it alone. I worked with everyone.” (Eugene)

“But you could handle a Floor Boss on your own, couldn’t you? Someone with your strength shouldn’t be wasting time on these lower floors. I was watching you just now and you looked like you were finding this easy.” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master smacked my back in a familiar manner.

(So she wants me to challenge the Floor Boss, huh…) (Eugene)

Sumire and Sara might get mad at me later if I fought the boss on my own.

But going along with the Dungeon Master’s wishes might make her more willing to talk.

“Fine, I’ll give it a shot. But if things go south, I’m running.” (Eugene)

“Eh?! Really? You’ll do it? That’s the spirit!” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master’s face lit up with excitement.

I headed toward the staircase leading to Floor 120, which I’d already located earlier.

The Dungeon Master followed a short distance behind me, humming a cheerful tune.

Looking at her now, she seemed like an innocent child.

(Alright, let’s subtly probe her.) (Eugene)

“By the way, I heard you’ve been up to something interesting lately.” (Eugene)

I didn’t have any solid evidence, but I tried to bait her into talking.

The Dungeon Master loved to boast, so surely…

“Oh? You’re quick to catch on. Yes, I’ve been thinking about tweaking the timing of Divine Beast summons in the Zenith Tower. Like when you fought Cerberus on Floor 20, I thought it’d be fun to summon Divine Beasts outside the usual Floor 100 or 200. It might improve the quality of explorers, don’t you think?” (Anemoi)

“I’d advise against that.” (Eugene)

This Dungeon Master just said something outrageous.

“Why?” (Anemoi)

“If explorers face a Deus Discipline without proper preparation, they’ll fail and lose confidence.” (Eugene)

“If that’s all it takes to break them, they weren’t worthy anyway. True explorers would rise to the challenge!” (Anemoi)

“That’s a harsh way to screen people…” (Eugene)

This Dungeon Master clearly had no concept of guiding or teaching others slowly. 

She is the polar opposite of the Principal.

“But it has worked for you, hasn’t it?” (Anemoi)

“M-Me?” (Eugene)

“Of course! You’ve fought four Divine Beasts in such a short time and emerged victorious every time. Keep growing like that! If we had more explorers like you, conquering the Zenith Tower would be a breeze!” (Anemoi)

“…I see.” (Eugene)

I wanted to argue that the Demon Lord Eri wasn’t a Divine Beast, or that I shouldn’t be used as an example, but I knew the Dungeon Master wouldn’t care.

“Have you placed any unusually strong monsters aside from those in the Zenith Tower lately?” (Eugene)

I decided to be direct.

“Monsters? Like what?” (Anemoi)

“Stronger dragons than usual, for example.” (Eugene)

“Not that I know of.” (Anemoi)

She denied it immediately.

Of course, she could be lying.

“I see.” (Eugene)

But I had no way to verify her answer.

However, I have a feeling she’d brag about it if it were her doing, so this might be unrelated.

In that case, the strange dragon that the Club President mentioned might be unrelated to the Dungeon Master.

I reached Floor 120 while pondering this.

The scenery of a wide grassland dotted with crumbling ruins wasn’t much different from Floor 119.

However, the moment I set foot on Floor 120, a heavy scent of blood filled the air.

(What’s going on…?) (Eugene)

There shouldn’t be any battles in the boss’s domain since only the Floor Boss resides here.

There’s no way it would smell like blood.

The blood could mean the boss was feeding, but this amount seemed excessive.

“How strange…” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master murmured behind me.

Wait, aren’t you the master of this dungeon?

I suppressed the urge to retort and focused on scanning the surroundings.

Two weeks ago, the Satellite System showed the current Floor Boss of Floor 120 as the Flaming Twin-Headed Serpent, a massive snake monster with a full body of red scales capable of swallowing a horse whole.

Veteran exploration teams had barely escaped from it. 

It is pretty big, so it should be easy to find, but…

(This is…?) (Eugene)

But after wandering on the floor for a while, I found ‘that’.

—The corpse of the Flaming Twin-Headed Serpent, its heads savagely bitten off.

The smell of blood was coming from this.

The supposed absolute ruler of this floor was dead.

This is an extremely familiar scenario.

I quickly turned behind me.

“Anemoi-san, have you already started your irregular Divine Beast Summons?” (Eugene)

“N-No! I was just about to! I’m still gathering opinions from other angel administrators!” (Anemoi)

The Cerberus on Floor 20 had been her doing, but this time she wasn’t involved.

“Then it’s a Floor Boss replacement.” (Eugene)

“Most likely…” (Anemoi)

Sometimes, a Floor Boss is killed by another boss, causing an unplanned replacement.

This nullified all prior intel obtained through the Satellite System.

As I contemplated searching Floor 120 for the new boss…

*Kiyiiii… Kiyiiii…*

A grating, high-pitched screech approached.

“…”

I drew my white blade, readying it toward the sound.

*Buzzzzz…*

The buzzing of enormous wings filled the air.

“That” had a peculiar appearance.

Its body resembled that of a dragon.

However, mounted on its neck were three heads: a lion, a goat, and a bear.

Its limbs were equipped with talons like those of an eagle.

On its back sprouted wings that resembled those of an insect.

“An Aberrant Chimera…?” (Eugene)

It was a grotesque amalgamation of various monsters.

These aberrant chimeras, once created during a past war, are now prohibited from being manufactured.

This was my first time seeing one in person.

So even in the Zenith Tower, aberrant chimeras can make an appearance, huh.

I was still reeling in surprise, but I readied my white katana and addressed my Explorer Badge.

The Floor Boss had appeared.

In that case, I had to declare my challenge.

“Eugene Santafield challenges the Floor Boss—” (Eugene)

It happened then.

“Kyyaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

The Floor Boss let out a screeching cry and attacked the Dungeon Master.

“…Hah?” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master had her mouth agape.

(It is this one!!) (Eugene)

A crazed entity that attacked the Club President, who is a mixed with the blood of a Divine Dragon, despite being a dragon.

And now, a monster from the Zenith Tower attacking the Dungeon Master?

Clearly, something abnormal is happening within the Zenith Tower.

But I have to defeat this crazed monster attacking the Dungeon Master first. I dashed toward the monster.

■Comment Response: 

>I see, the dangerous creature category makes sense.

>Would Sumire go berserk like that…?

-If Sumire went berserk, it would be even worse.

The Club President: has a bit of Dragon God blood.

Sumire: Reincarnated into an Ifrit. Her God blood runs deep.

>Does biting while hugging mean it’s the upper arm and not the forearm?

-That’s correct, it would be around the upper arm.

Think of it like Eugene holding down the Club President’s head.

• Chapter 141: Disturbance in the Zenith Tower – Part 2

“””Kiaaaahhhhh!!!”””

The cries from the chimera’s three beast heads intermingled, forming a discordant sound.

A chimera: a hybrid magical beast with the heads of a lion, a goat, and a bear.

Its body seemed to be based on that of an adult dragon.

A massive form that towered above.

Its tail had a giant serpent, its head raised like a striking cobra.

Contrary to its cumbersome appearance, it closed the distance with remarkable speed.

At the receiving end of the chimera’s attack was none other than…Anemoi Babel, the Dungeon Master of the Last Dungeon.

Yet the Dungeon Master, who was being targeted, neither fled nor appeared frightened. Arms crossed, she simply stood there with a puzzled expression.

(Twin Heavenly Resonance Style: [Sky Walk]!!) (Eugene)

I just managed to intercept before the chimera’s raised forepaw could reach the Dungeon Master.

“Barrier Magic: [Light Large Shield]!”

*Bang!!!*

A massive impact shook my body.

I had intercepted the chimera’s paw strike with a giant light shield.

Meanwhile, the Dungeon Master behind me remained idly standing there.

“””Kiaaaahhhhh!!!”””

The chimera howled again.

Its target appeared to be the Dungeon Master.

(I guess the theory that the Dungeon Master was behind the crazed monster is out?) (Eugene)

It could be an act, but this Dungeon Master didn’t seem like the type for such elaborate schemes.

Still, I want to counterattack, but both my hands are occupied with barrier magic, leaving me unable to ready my sword.

Even though I considered retreating to reset the situation, I hesitated to leave the Dungeon Master behind.

I haven’t even declared my challenge to the Floor Boss.

Would it be okay to defeat it?

(Hmm, what should I do?) (Eugene)

The chimera’s attacks continued while I deliberated.

In my hesitation, I decided to consult the Dungeon Master.

“Uh, Anemoi-san, this Floor Boss(?) If I defeat it, does that mean I’ll clear Floor 120?” (Eugene)

“……”

I asked, but there was no reply.

“Um, hello?” (Eugene)

“…How unpleasant. To defy me…” (Anemoi)

The previously pleasant tone turned into one of maximum irritation.

“Dungeon Magic: [Chains of Thorns]!” (Anemoi)

Chains with metallic thorns emerged from the ground at the Dungeon Master’s command, entwining the chimera’s body.

“””Aaaaarghhh!!!”””

The chimera let out a tortured scream, different from before.

The chains’ thorns pierced its skin, causing dark red blood to flow and stain the ground.

It seemed the creature would bleed out if left alone.

“Dungeon Magic: [Bloodied Guillotine]… Die.” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master declared.

A red blade suddenly appeared in the air, decapitating the chimera.

Three massive beast heads fell with a thud.

(Dungeon magic… This is my first time seeing it.) (Eugene)

Its activation was frighteningly swift.

The moment the Dungeon Master announced the magic’s name, the chimera had already been restrained by the thorned chains.

The red blade descended in less than a blink of an eye.

(Could I have dodged it…?) (Eugene)

On my first time? Absolutely not.

Moreover, failing to avoid those thorned chains on the first try would seal one’s fate.

“What’s wrong, Eugene Santafield?” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master inquired, noticing my deep thoughts.

I set aside my earlier musings and shifted the topic.

“The chimera earlier…was it the Floor Boss?” (Eugene)

“Yes. Since the original Floor Boss, the twin-headed serpent, had died, I suppose it was.” (Anemoi)

“And you took it down in my stead, Anemoi-san. What does that mean?” (Eugene)

“…Ah.” (Anemoi)

The Dungeon Master covered her mouth with her hands.

Looks like she didn’t realize this.

“Once a Floor Boss is defeated, it doesn’t reappear for a day or two, correct? During that time, the staircase to the upper floors also vanishes.” (Eugene)

“S-Sorry.” (Anemoi)

She apologized sincerely for once.

Even when she messed up with the Hydra, she had merely sulked.

Seems even she felt guilty about urging me to challenge the Floor Boss only to snatch the kill herself.

“It’s fine.” (Eugene)

I wasn’t particularly attached to this boss fight anyway.

One of the objectives assigned by the club president -Verify with the Dungeon Master- had been accomplished.

As I stretched to signal the end of today’s exploration…

“Wait a minute, Eugene Santafield. You’ve already faced Divine Beasts four times, haven’t you?” (Anemoi)

“Three Divine Beasts and one Demon Lord, actually.” (Eugene)

“Details don’t matter. Alright! You should be fine to tackle Floor 200 now. Come here.” (Anemoi)

She grabbed my arm forcefully and tapped my explorer badge with a flick of her finger.

A small sound and a faint light emanated from the badge.

“What did you just…?” (Eugene)

Before I could finish my question…

—Eugene Santafield has gained the right to challenge the Deus Discipline on Floor 200.

“Huh?”

The angel announcement echoed, its tone cold and robotic.

“Is this…even allowed?” (Eugene)

—Uhm…is this even allowed?

My voice overlapped with the angel’s.

Based on the voice, it wasn’t Rita-san but another angel in charge of managing Floor 200.

“It’s fine! I’m the Dungeon Master, so my rules apply. Now, get moving to Floor 200, Eugene Santafield!” (Anemoi)

“Wait, hold on!” (Eugene)

The Dungeon Master tried to leave, saying whatever she pleased, so I hurriedly grabbed her petite arm.

“What now? Isn’t this convenient for you?” (Anemoi)

“It feels like I’m cheating or something…” (Eugene)

“You’re so serious. Look, you had plenty of leeway against that chimera. Stop wasting time on lower floors. Use the dungeon elevator and head to Floor 200 already.” (Anemoi)

“But my party members won’t be able to come with me to Floor 200.” (Eugene)

“That’ll be fine soon. I’m planning to change the rules for the Zenith Tower so that the elevator can go to the highest floor recorded by any member of the party.” (Anemoi)

“…Is that really okay?” (Eugene)

It sounded prone to abuse and accidents…

“It’s fine, you worrywart☆. Bye-bye!” (Anemoi)

With that, the Dungeon Master vanished like mist.

All that remained was the chimera’s corpse.

“Time to head back…” (Eugene)

I boarded the dungeon elevator.

The number of selectable buttons had nearly doubled.

I could actually go up to Floor 200.

(That Dungeon Master is utterly reckless…) (Eugene)

Doing as she pleased.

That must be how eager she is to get explorers to the higher floors.

I don’t think it is a good method though.

I hesitated, then pressed the button for Floor 100.

(Maybe Rita-san knows something about the unusual monsters…) (Eugene)

I decided to have a quick word before leaving.

◇◇

“Waaah, another rule change for the Zenith Tower! How many times is that bratty Dungeon Master going to do this-ssu ka?!” 

The moment I arrived on Floor 100, I was greeted by the sight of Rita-san surrounded by a mountain of paperwork.

(Looks like my timing is bad…) (Eugene)

Her language was slipping, a sign of exhaustion.

“You should report this way too impulsive rule-changing to the Destiny Goddess, Ilia-chan.” 

Said the Demon Lord Eri leaning on her hand as she skimmed through a document.

It seemed she was helping Rita-san with her work again.

When I approached, Eri immediately turned to face me.

“Oh? Eugene. What brings you here?” (Eri)

“Sorry, looks like you’re busy. I’ll come back later.” (Eugene)

“It’s fine, really! I was thinking of taking a break anyway. Come on over♡.” (Eri)

“Eri-senpai~, the documents due today aren’t done yet-ssu yo~.” 

Rita-san said in a low tone to warn her.

“W-What’s the harm in a little break?” (Eri)

“What are you planning on doing after sneaking off with Eugene-kun?! Not fair-ssu yo! I’m stressed too-ssu yo!” (Rita)

“N-No way! Eugene is mine; I’m not sharing!” (Eri)

“…I’m not planning to steal your man-ssu.” (Rita)

“What about that spear-wielding boy you’ve been meeting often?” (Eri)

“He has a girlfriend, you know.” (Rita)

“Steal him anyway☆!” (Eri)

“I can’t do that-ssu yo~!” (Rita)

Is this really a conversation between angels?

Right, one of them is a fallen angel.

So maybe it is fine.

No, it isn’t.

“Seems like you’re busy, so maybe next time…” (Eugene)

It didn’t seem like a conversation I should be listening to, so I was about to leave.

“Oh? Come here, Eugene.” (Eri)

“Hey, don’t just grab me like that.” (Eugene)

She grabbed my arm and pulled me close.

“……”

She gazed at me with a serious expression.

“Eri?” (Eugene)

I felt slightly uneasy, caught in her crimson gaze.

“Eugene……you’ve angelified quite a lot, haven’t you?” (Eri)

Eri murmured softly.

■Comment Response: 

>I am beginning to find Anemoi cute.

-One of the drawings in the 4th volume is of Anemoi-san.

>The floor skipping system of Anemoi wasn’t implemented.

-The angels are currently doing their best on that front.