CHAPTER 279: THE TOWERS DESCENT!

The seven days didn’t crawl — they sprinted.

By the time the last day arrived, the entire Valerian server was boiling.

Everywhere in Stellar City and the nearby territories, people had already adjusted their schedules. Raids were paused. Merchant caravans delayed their trips. Even border patrols received orders: hold position, observe the sky.

Everyone was waiting for one thing.

The Tower.

And like always, the System didn’t give early warning. It just... happened.

---

[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT!]

[The Thousand-Year Trial — Blood Tower — is descending!]

[All registered guilds, kingdoms, factions, academies, and independent parties are now eligible to challenge the Tower!]

[The first to enter will receive the ’Pioneer of Blood’ buff.]

[Warning: Death inside the Tower may result in level loss, item loss, or soul-branding!]

---

The notification exploded in red across everyone’s vision.

The sky — which had been its usual clear blue — suddenly rippled like someone had thrown a stone at it. The clouds folded outward. The sun dimmed. Space above Stellar City twisted, and a colossal shadow began to form.

People poured into the streets, both natives and otherworlders.

"It’s coming down!"

"Look at the size—!"

"Bro, bro, turn on the stream! Turn on the stream!"

Inside the high-rise buildings of Stellar City, holo-screens blinked to life. Broadcasting platforms activated emergency live channels. Reporters who had been waiting for this day threw on coats and rushed to balconies and rooftops.

This world was almost an exact replica of Earth, and so they had news agencies as well.

---

[Stellar Broadcast Network — Live]

A woman with short silver hair, wearing a fitted combat-journalist suit and holding a glowing microphone, appeared on-screen. Behind her, the sky was tearing open.

"This is Lian of SBN, reporting live from Stellar City’s central plaza! As you can all see, the rumors were true! The System has begun the Thousand-Year Trial again — the Blood Tower is descending above the Valerian Sector!"

She looked up, her eyes reflecting the massive silhouette slowly forming in the sky.

"The tower’s structure is... bigger than recorded in most relic archives. We can already confirm it exceeds the previous thousand-year mark based on shadow density. Experts from the Association told us last night that the tower’s size usually correlates with the number of active players and awakened natives. Meaning—"

She lifted her hand dramatically.

"—this one might have more floors than the last."

---

Another reporter cut in from a different high-rise building.

"This is Jaxo from Valerian NewsHub! We are currently scanning the descent route. The Tower is not a physical fall — it’s a spatial anchor. It’s being pinned all over the human continent, so every major guild can access it. We can already see entrance portals flickering above the capitals of different kingdoms!"

The camera panned.

Far across the horizon, similar red beacons appeared throughout the kingdoms and wilderness. Each was a gateway linked to the same colossal Tower that was now almost fully formed above.

It looked like a black obelisk stabbed into reality. Floating rings with scarlet glyphs circled it. At the top, a blinding red crystal pulsed like a heart.

---

The anticipation was real.

People were shouting in the streets. Players were flexing their gear. Large, medium, and small guilds were gathering.

And of course, the RealmHub forums?

They were going insane.

---

[BLOOD TOWER MEGATHREAD #1]

ArcMage44: IT’S HERE IT’S HERE IT’S HERE

MythHunter: Someone clip the moment it fully anchors!

RogueSlayer: Anyone got floor data from the last descent???

ObsidianCleric: ^ No, all data above Floor 30 was wiped from the archives.

DeltaShot: Means... devs don’t want us to know.

QueenElo: Devs? Or higher beings

KillerKoala: Bro what if Tower = gacha dungeon?

FrostPriest: Focus. Main question = CAN Sir Broken CLEAR IT?

ArcMage44: If Sir Broken joins a party we might see history.

KillerKoala: Lowkey hoping he streams it.

KillerKoala: ...

KillerKoala: Okay, he’s not gonna stream it

---

Back at Broken Dawn camp, the red light bathed everything.

The timer that had been counting down for days finally hit zero.

[0d 00h 00m]

The hovering digits shattered into pixels and vanished.

Right after, a circular portal flickered into existence right outside the camp — one of the entry points to the Tower.

Gabriel found it surprising that the portal had appeared right at their entrance, as if it personally invited his guild.

Could it be that whatever existence oversaw this Tower had recognized Broken Dawn as a major force and gave them a direct gate?

Though he remained calm, the others outside screamed when they saw it.

"DID WE JUST GET A DIRECT ENTRANCE—?!"

"No way— the System acknowledged us?!!!"

"This is guild-history level! Someone record this now!"

The portal was ten meters wide, rimmed with dark red crystal and warped with spatial energy. Inside, they could see only darkness... and distant spiraling stairs.

From the mansion balcony, Gabriel watched it with folded arms.

Sophie stood beside him. Anna, Cassie, Bunny, SniperLegend, and even Logan were below, all staring up like they were witnessing divinity itself.

Sophie spoke first. "Is this just a coincidence or something else?"

"I’d like to think it was done deliberately," Gabriel murmured under his breath. But the expression on his face didn’t show excitement. If anything, it darkened.

He knew what this Tower was.

In his past life, it had appeared too — but he was too weak back then, just another player following guild orders. He barely made it to Floor 20. After that, the difficulty spiked. Guilds started dying. Whole parties were wiped out. Some floors even changed layouts mid-run.

Back then, the strongest guilds took the lead — Olympus, the Holy Church, Martial Palace, Crimson Star, all System-backed.

This time, history might be different.

Because this time, Broken Dawn existed.

And Gabriel was no longer a nobody.

"Sir Broken!"

Bunny, who had been monitoring the forum charts, spoke up in a serious tone. "We’re getting multiple transmissions from the capital guilds."

"Which guilds?" Gabriel asked.

"Adventurer Guild, Crimson Star, ChaosKnight, White Flame, the Holy Church... even Olympus is broadcasting public entry times. They want to race for ’First Floor Clear.’"

She looked up from her retina. "I’m seeing it too! Everyone wants the title. ’Pioneer of Blood’ gives bonuses to all Tower rewards. They don’t want anyone sneaking in before them."

"So what do we do? Should we enter before them?" Ragnarok99 asked excitedly, a grin spreading across his face.

Bunny glanced at Gabriel. "Sir Broken??"

He considered it, then shook his head. "No. We don’t need first-entry glory. Entering first doesn’t matter — it’s how far we can go."

This exact thing had happened before. Many of those who rushed inside didn’t even make it past Floor 10. Furthermore, the first floor was filled with weak monsters.

He already knew who would clear it first.

---

Meanwhile, in Stellar City...

The central square had turned into a festival. Guild flags waved, players checked their consumables, and healers sold last-minute potions at inflated prices.

Throughout the black market, vendors shouted:

"Fresh mana bread!"

"Holy water — discount for the frontline!"

"Buff scrolls! Party packs!"

---

A golden-armored party stood in formation — spearmen, mages, and paladins. At the front were Jack Arefield and Aria.

Aria had a frown on her delicate face as she looked around.

"Are you sure Father will make it in time?" she asked Arefield, who was standing right beside her.

Jack was covered from head to toe in golden armor. Though his expression appeared nonchalant, there was a hint of coldness in the depths of his eyes.

"He said he would come," Jack replied. "But he never specified when."

A deeper frown formed on Aria’s face. She knew her father was busy like the other guild leaders — that was why they were rarely seen, with most tasks handed down to vice guildmasters.

Right then, Jack stepped forward confidently when he noticed the approaching reporters.

"Vice Guildmaster Arefield, do you believe there are a hundred floors?"

He glanced up. "Theoretically? Yes. Structurally? Hard to say. But based on mana density and spatial layering, I’d estimate seventy to ninety floors. The more active the worlds, the more floors there are. And this world has been... very active."

"So you don’t believe the rumor about an ’endless’ tower?"

Jack’s lips curled faintly. "Endless? No. The System never gives something endless. It only gives something you can die in."

The members of his party, along with the reporters, laughed when they heard this.

Next, on the Adventurer Guild rooftop — Scarlet, Lilly, Alice, and Brunt were there again, just like before when the countdown first appeared. But this time, the glow from the Tower reflected on their faces.

"Things will be different this time," Scarlet spoke calmly. "Unlike the Inter-Guild Display Event, the monsters in there are unpredictable."

Back at Broken Dawn, Bunny’s terminal beeped.

"Since we’re not rushing in, what’s the plan then?" Sophie asked — the question everyone had in mind.

Gabriel looked at the swirling portal.

"Simple," he smirked. "This is going to be the plan."

When he said that, everyone fell silent.

Bunny stopped typing.

Ragnarok99 stopped grinning.

Even SniperBowLegend, who usually leaned on something and watched quietly, straightened a bit.

They all knew this pattern already — Gabriel didn’t talk much, but when he did, it meant there was already a plan in his head.