CHAPTER 323: RACE TO THE FINAL FLOOR [1]

From Floor 79 to 82 was brutal and unforgiving.

Floor 79 had rotating blood lasers that forced them to memorize patterns while fighting.

Floor 80 was a triple-chamber gauntlet with chained mid-bosses. Kill the order wrong? They revived at full HP.

Floor 81 drained mana passively. Cassie and Bunny had to rotate mana potions like mad, and Gabriel was forced to fight mostly with physical skills and basic attacks.

Two more members died permanently here. NPCs—people who had eaten with them, laughed, argued.

But they didn’t have time to stop.

Floor 82 was worse—a reflect-damage floor. Hitting too hard without debuffing the enemies caused backlash.

Sophie’s plant control, Anna’s assassination skills, and Gabriel’s precision attacks kept the team from wiping.

At each stairway, Bunny checked the ranking.

"Update," she called out at one point, chest heaving from exertion.

"Olympus 84. Martial Palace 83. Broken Dawn 82. Adventurer Guild 77."

"We’re still behind," Ragnarok grumbled. A few hours ago, they had surpassed Olympus, but now the top guilds had stepped up their game.

"We reduced the gap," Sophie said. "It was two floors before. Now it’s one."

"And Adventurer is catching up too," Cassie added. "They cleared five floors since the last check."

Gabriel stared at the staircase ahead.

"It’s as if the Tower is trying to squeeze us together." His eyes narrowed. "It wants the last stretch to be a clash."

"Clash between..." Bunny began.

"Olympus, Martial Palace, Adventurer Guild, and us," he cut in. "The top four."

---

Outside, the atmosphere around the Tower had shifted.

This was the sixth day since the Tower event started. Storm clouds still hovered overhead, arms of lightning occasionally crackling inside but never striking.

Crowds had thinned further than before. Some people had gone home while others stayed glued to their screens.

Reporters talked less about lower-guild drama and more about the "Final Four."

On SBN, a reporter summarized it for the cameras.

"As of now, only four factions remain actively climbing toward the rumored Floor 100 of the Blood Tower," she said.

"First, we have Olympus—long recognized as the top guild of the Valerian Kingdom.

Second, Martial Palace—a powerhouse of martial cultivators who excel in one-on-one and group combat.

Third, Broken Dawn—a relatively new guild led by a dark horse of the Inter-Guild Display Event... Gabriel Reyes.

And finally, the Adventurer Guild—once mocked for being a ’corporate-heavy’ organization, now proving that careful planning and balanced parties can survive farther than most."

Her co-anchor nodded. "Any of them could reach the top first."

"Yes," Lian said. "But from data trends, Olympus still holds a narrow lead. Their coordination and gear advantage keep them steady."

A feed in the corner showed Jack and his party fighting on an upper floor.

Another feed showed Liang punching through a line of armored vampires with martial techniques.

Another showed Scarlet calmly directing her team through a tricky trap corridor.

And then Broken Dawn—Gabriel, soaked in blood as usual, cutting down a boss while Sophie and Anna coordinated flanks.

The caption below all four read:

[THE RACE TO FLOOR 100]

---

Inside the Tower...

By the time Broken Dawn reached Floor 84, everyone was running on fumes.

Even Gabriel could feel the fatigue dragging on his limbs this time around. From this point on, he stopped using any skill.

The final floor was near, and he wanted to preserve as much strength as possible for the final boss.

They paused just long enough to catch their breath before proceeding once more.

Sophie leaned on the wall for a moment, hands trembling slightly. Behind the veil, her face was slightly flushed red in exhaustion—a clear sign of too much mana overload.

"You okay?" Cassie asked, concern in her voice.

"I will be when this Tower is over," Sophie muttered. "Until then... I’ll manage."

"Alright," Gabriel spoke up. "From Floor 85 onward, I predict bosses or near-bosses every few floors. The Tower likes to spike expectations around there."

Bunny checked the board again and swallowed hard.

"Guys..." she called out, eyes fixed on an invisible screen only she could see.

"What now?" Ragnarok groaned.

"Olympus – Floor 88

Martial Palace – Floor 86

Broken Dawn – Floor 84

Adventurer Guild – Floor 80."

Everyone went quiet.

Cassie spoke first, breaking the silence. "We’re all in the 80s."

"That means..." Sophie said slowly, gaze drifting toward the ceiling.

"We’re all close now," Gabriel finished.

Ragnarok smirked weakly. "So this is it, huh? The last stretch."

Bunny gave a small grin. "Top four, all within eight floors of each other. Olympus and Martial Palace ahead, Adventurer not far behind, us in third." She looked at Gabriel. "Enough time to flip the board?"

His eyes were cold and steady.

"More than enough time," he said confidently.

And with that, the final race began.

The corridors of Floor 85 didn’t greet them with monsters immediately. Instead, thick red mist floated lazily at ankle-height, glowing dimly with mana. Every step stirred it like smoke. The team marched forward despite the exhaustion in their bones.

---

Olympus – Floor 89

Jack Arefield, wielding his signature spear, cut through three blood gargoyles in a single arc. His movements were so precise, so calculated, it looked like he had rehearsed every swing a thousand times.

---

Martial Palace – Floor 87

Liang’s juniors were drenched in sweat. They weren’t slowing down, but they weren’t accelerating either.

"We need to go even faster," one complained.

His second-in-command spat to the side. "Then move better. No one is waiting for you."

Evelyn sliced apart a blood wolf and glanced at their board. "Gabriel’s team is pushing hard. They’re not slowing down anymore."

Liang snorted. "Hmph. That man is insane. If he gets ahead of me again..."

Regardless, they continued climbing.

---

Adventure guild..Floor 81

Scarlet stood at the front, blade dripping red.

"Focus. Don’t think about the others. Just climb," she said calmly. "We’re still in the race."

Brunt smashed another vampire knight into the wall. "We’ll catch up! Gabriel isn’t the only monster in this Tower!"

"You’ve always been jealous of him... you finally reveal it!" Alice clicked her fingers as she sliced through three vampires at once—clean, smooth movements.

Meanwhile, Lilly cast healing spells on the injured.