CHAPTER 275: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

Inside Stellar City’s Adventurer Guild, another group had gathered — Andrew, Garth, and Yumi, known collectively as The Deleters.

They were special humans who had been transferred to this world to get rid of any anomalies.

"Finally, the wait is over... it’s here," Andrew said with a grin.

"Seven days," Yumi sighed in relief. "I can finally return to Earth, where I won’t be scared of losing my life."

They weren’t alone. The Adventurer Hall was extremely noisy, and most were outside, wearing the same dazed look — like they’d all just watched something impossible fall from the sky.

A bold, floating red timer pulsed faintly above the air. A few low-level parties stood in a circle beneath it, heads craned, whispering.

"World Blood Tower..."

"What does that even mean, bro?"

---

Back at Broken Dawn’s camp, the same timer blinked in the air over the grounds. Gabriel watched it alone from the balcony, arms folded. The digits rolled down with a steady pulse: 6d 23h 59m... blink... 58m... blink...

He didn’t speak for a long while, and after some time, he exhaled.

’Exactly like last time.’

He could still feel the quiet dread of his last timeline. Back then, he had been powerless, and the highest floor he reached in the Tower was only Floor 20.

He remembered vividly the rewards those who went beyond Floor 20 had received.

Gabriel’s eyes glinted with determination.

Behind him, the door opened. Sophie’s lavender scent drifted in — soft and cool.

"You were watching the timer," she said.

Gabriel didn’t turn. "You’ve seen it before?"

Sophie stepped beside him, her veil catching a faint breeze. "Not directly. But I’ve read about it. The Tower’s records are scattered, old, and inconsistent. They all agree on one thing: it shows up once in a thousand years." She paused, then added, "The window it chooses is random. It can descend in spring, during war, in famine, or on an ordinary market day. It doesn’t care."

Gabriel’s gaze stayed on the sky. He never got to know the true reason for the Tower. All he knew was that it appeared... and then vanished again.

However, from the look of things, this was something that had happened before.

"Why does it appear then?" Gabriel finally asked.

Sophie turned her head slightly, her veil fluttering in the wind. "That’s... not something anyone knows for sure." Her tone softened, eyes reflecting the faint crimson glow of the timer. "It began with the System. The moment it descended, the rules of reality twisted. Magic, skills, monsters, even stats... all of it came from that origin."

Gabriel said nothing, simply listening.

She continued, "There were countless strange, mystical events after that — islands that floated for a year and then vanished, people waking up with voices in their heads, stars changing colors overnight. It stopped shocking people after a while. Everyone just... accepted that the world had changed."

Her fingers brushed against the wooden rail. "But what most scholars, priests, and explorers agreed on was this — there are higher existences watching from above. Things beyond the System itself. I think..." she hesitated, "...I think they influence everything."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "You think the Tower is connected to them?"

Sophie looked up at the blood-red numbers in the sky, her voice quiet. "It’s not just a tower, Gabriel. It’s a judgment. A test... maybe even entertainment for something far greater than us."

He glanced at her, expression unreadable. "Entertainment, huh?"

Silence fell again.

Was there a higher existence in the world? Definitely yes... there were powerful beings who could destroy entire planets with a single attack.

Sutre was one of them. He had destroyed Earth in the past with one skill.

And there were more like him — only, at that time, they didn’t actively interfere.

It had mostly been humans against Sutre.

However... No one knew if things would remain the same in this timeline as well.

Below them, the camp was as noisy as before. Because of the ongoing countdown, the players and natives had doubled their pace, hoping to complete everything before the seven days were up.

While Gabriel was lost in thought, Anna returned moments later.

She slipped in and bowed, her gaze alternating between Sophie and Gabriel before she spoke. "Master, LegendaryLogan is in the workshop. He says he can accelerate the Hellfire Turret assembly if you approve some purchases."

Moments later, they left the balcony and walked through the mansion’s hall. The atmosphere was heavy for some reason.

The workshop was alive — hammers clanging, grinders sparking, the warm smell of solder and ozonized mana filling the air. Logan stood in a leather apron with a visor clipped to his head, green hair messy, eyes bright. A half-assembled Hellfire Turret sat on a sturdy tripod.

He spotted Gabriel and almost saluted. "Sir—uh—Master—uh—Leader!"

"Logan," Gabriel said in a calm tone, overlooking his awkwardness. "Speak."

Logan took a deep breath, his face slightly red with embarrassment, especially with the veiled beauty and the cold huntress standing nearby.

"Yes..." He straightened his back in an attempt to appear more confident — something he failed miserably at. "I wanted your approval to purchase more parts so I can craft at least a hundred units of the Hellfire Turret."

"How many do you have now?" Gabriel asked.

Logan gestured for them to follow him and led them to another worktable where polished guns were neatly arranged.

A quick scan told Gabriel there were over twenty units already completed. His eyes widened slightly in surprise at the speed with which Logan had managed to produce them.

If he got the necessary materials, then at this pace, he might even exceed a hundred units soon.

The Gunslinger class was fairly common, so their numbers in the camp were quite high.

"Approved," Gabriel nodded. "You can go along with Damien."

"Yes, sir!" LegendaryLogan saluted sharply and rushed out to find Damian.

However, just then, one of the refugee-turned-militia members burst into the workshop with an urgent expression.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked.

"Leader... we have a visitor," the soldier said seriously, face pale and tense — enough to make Gabriel wonder who could possibly be looking for him.

***

Next Chapter Up in a bit!