Meanwhile, aboveground.
High above the chaos, Khun operated calmly within his Lighthouse, fingers gliding across the controls as screens flashed with calculations and terrain data. His blue eyes flickered with focus, cool and calculating.
"Initiating tunnel collapse," he muttered to himself.
One by one, digital nodes turned red on his map, indicating detonated support points. The tunnels below began to shift and crumble.
But on the battlefield below, his team was quickly falling into a dire situation.
A swarm of goblins had encircled the massive striped earthworm they rode. With feral shrieks, several goblins leapt into the air, weapons drawn.
"Somebody, please—help!" Paracule cried, panicking.
Then, his eyes opened wide in disbelief.
He wasn't on the ground anymore.
He floated several meters in the air, suspended by some unseen force. Around him were Rak, Hatz, Alexay, and the others, all seemingly lifted from danger.
"Huh? Huh? What?" Paracule blinked, looking at his hands. "Did I… awaken a hidden power?"
"You idiot." Hatz's voice cut through his delusion. "Look behind you."
Paracule turned.
Standing calmly atop a rock outcrop was Lauroe, hand raised and glowing faintly with Shinsu. The gentle pressure surrounding them faded as they descended safely to the ground.
"Oh… of course," Paracule muttered sheepishly.
Once they landed, they peered below. The battlefield had taken a strange turn.
"Why are the striped earthpigs crawling out of the worm's mouth?" Paracule asked, aghast.
Narae stepped forward, adjusting her goggles. "It's all part of Khun's strategy. We discovered an underground waterway used by the net dolphins. Khun guessed the pigs use the same tunnel. So, Lauroe collapsed the passage, forcing the goblins and pigs into the same area."
She gestured below, where the goblins now faced off against the striped earthpigs in a violent clash of claws and tusks.
---
Inside the Lighthouse.
Khun let out a long, exasperated sigh and leaned back.
"You guys handle the cleanup. I'm taking five."
He turned, only to be met with a quiet voice.
"All done already?"
A hooded figure stepped out from the shadows of the monitoring room. He pulled back his hood to reveal a face startlingly similar to Khun's—sharp features, sapphire-blue hair, and piercing eyes.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Without invitation, the stranger led Khun to another platform nearby. He casually sat on a rock, watching him with amusement.
"I heard about you," the man said. "Figured I'd check you out for myself."
Khun's hand moved toward his bag.
"Don't bother," the man said coolly. "You can't beat me."
Khun froze.
The stranger raised a small device and pressed a button. Instantly, the monitors in the administrator's control room blinked off, plunging the chamber into darkness.
"You really are Princess Maria's little footstool," the man sneered.
Khun's eyes narrowed. "What does a member of the Khun family want with me?"
The stranger dropped from the rock with a light hop and approached slowly.
"Want to see the princess?" he asked. "I can take you to Maria."
Khun's breath caught in his throat—but then anger replaced hesitation.
"Why?" he demanded.
The man chuckled. "Because it's fun. I like upsetting the Khun family. I'm an outcast too, you know."
He extended a hand.
"Come on."
Khun slapped it away. "I'm not climbing the Tower for Maria."
The man raised his brows, then grinned.
"Oh? So you're going to conquer the Khun family instead?"
"No," Khun replied coldly. "Higher."
That made the stranger laugh aloud.
"Big dreams for someone too scared to even draw his knife."
But before Khun could respond, a sudden blur dropped from the sky.
"Tch."
The stranger leapt back just as Hatz came down with a swift vertical slash, his blade slicing through empty air. The impact cratered the rock where the man had stood.
The blue-haired man looked up, surprised but smiling.
"Looks like you've got reliable allies."
He turned, waving lazily over his shoulder.
"Good luck, Khun."
And without another word, he disappeared.
---
On the surface — Administrator Grounds.
"Hurry up, Kurdan!"
Evan jogged briskly beside a towering man with dark skin, muscular build, and pale blond hair. Despite the urgency in his voice, Evan's pace was more of a quick stride, carefully balancing a satchel over his shoulder.
"It's dangerous to let Miss Yuri play around unsupervised," Evan muttered, exasperated. "She always treats these situations like a game. And someone ends up cleaning the mess."
As they advanced through the open plaza near the administrator's complex, a figure stepped into their path.
"Welcome," said Hansung Yu, appearing as if from thin air.
Evan and Kurdan stopped abruptly.
Hansung gestured with casual grace toward a small table set under a shade. On it were three steaming cups of coffee.
"Please. Help yourselves."
Evan's eyes narrowed slightly. He took a seat, his gaze flickering between the drinks and the host.
'He knew we were coming,' Evan thought. 'He even knew our tastes.'
Kurdan remained standing, arms crossed.
Evan lifted one cup and took a cautious sip.
"Evankhell isn't here, is she?" he asked.
Hansung sat across from him, folding his hands.
"No. She's away at the moment."
Evan exhaled through his nose. "Thought so. If she were here, there's no way you'd be conducting the test like this. And certainly not without someone noticing that one of Jahad's assassins slipped into the testing area."
He leaned forward, his tone sharpening.
"Let me be direct. The Black March—"
Hansung cut him off smoothly.
"You're here to retrieve it."
Evan blinked, taken aback.
"You knew?"
Hansung smiled faintly, eyes calm.
"I'm just a humble Test Director. Regardless of what happens here, I'll make sure no one hears a word of it."
He paused, voice softening with something like irony.
"It's only natural, isn't it? For the Jahad family to clean up its own mess."
Evan's expression tightened. 'So he's letting the assassin run wild... on purpose?'
---
The battle between Ren and Yuri reached a violent crescendo.
Streaks of lightning split the air, crashing down across the cavern floor like divine punishment. Ren roared, his mouth opening unnaturally wide as he unleashed a massive surge of Shinsu in a crackling burst of electric-blue energy.
Yuri raised her hand. The lightning struck her palm—but didn't move her an inch.
She advanced steadily, her stride composed yet swift, weaving effortlessly between falling bolts. With a casual flick of her wrist, a compressed gust of air exploded outward.
Boom!
Ren was flung backward, his body tumbling across the ground like a broken doll.
"Aaagh!" he cried out, choking as he struggled to lift himself.
Yuri stopped before him, looking down.
"Satisfied?"
Suddenly, Evan's voice buzzed from the communicator inside her Pocket.
"Princess, don't get involved! I mean—killing him is fine, but don't help Anaak's daughter! Deep breaths. In… and out…"
Before Yuri could reply, another voice rang out.
"Then we'll do it." Endorsi stepped forward, defiance burning in her eyes.
Ren coughed and chuckled through bloodied lips. "Even if I'm wounded… you're not nearly strong enough—"
Yuri cut him off sharply, not even looking back. "Don't. You two stay out of this. Got it?"
She turned and walked away.
Ren smirked, pushing himself upright.
"A wise decision."
But Yuri raised her hand again.
"Kurdan." Her voice was cold. "Handle him."
A thunderous crash followed as Kurdan dropped from above like a meteor, his massive hammer slamming down on Ren with earth-shattering force.
Crack!
Ren collapsed under the blow, blood spreading beneath him.
"Looking for that boy, are you...? Too bad…" He coughed, a cruel grin twisting his lips.
"I sent the Bull… to him…"
His eyes faded.
Yuri's expression darkened.
"Damn it. I'm going to crush this entire test."
But before she could act, Hansung Yu's calm voice chimed in through her Pocket.
"You mustn't interfere. If you do, Baam will fail."
Yuri sneered. "Who cares if he fails?"
Anaak's voice rose behind her, firm and determined. "I care. We're climbing the Tower together!"
Without warning, Yuri snatched the Green April from Anaak's grip.
"No! Give it back!" Anaak shouted, lunging forward.
Yuri turned slightly, her tone almost teasing.
"Come and get it—once you know how to use it properly."
She walked away, blade in hand.
"Evan, we're leaving. Show me the way."
Evan's voice responded with a long sigh.
"Yeah, yeah… I'll be there in a minute."
---
Meanwhile, inside the Wine Glass.
Baam gently placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder.
"It's okay, Rachel."
She glanced at him, uncertain—torn between fear and hope.
Baam's voice was calm, steady. "No matter what happens… you don't have to worry anymore."
He turned his gaze upward, the translucent walls of the bubble reflecting a distant shimmer of light.
"I'll take you to the top of the Tower."
Their bubble slowly began to rise, carried by the gentle current of Shinsu.
Then—
Flash.
A beam of Shinsu split the water near them, searing past with terrifying force.
Baam's eyes snapped upward. The light faded—and in its place, a massive shadow surged forward.
The Bull.
It swam through the Shinsu with unnatural speed, charging straight for them.
Baam stepped protectively in front of Rachel, both hands raised.
"Stay behind me!"
He gathered Shinsu into a dense Baang and fired.
Boom!
The attack struck the Bull, knocking it back. But it recovered instantly, lashing out.
Crash!
Baam was hit and thrown back, pain flashing through his body. Still, he stood again.
The Bull looped around for another charge—but Baam fired another Baang mid-motion, striking its flank. The beast slammed into the side of the platform, sending ripples across the water.
Baam panted, blood trickling from a cut on his lip. The Bull's tail swept past him, grazing his head and knocking off his headband. It sank slowly into the depths.
With a defiant cry, Baam gathered Shinsu in his palm again and unleashed a powerful blast—larger, faster, more focused.
Direct hit.
The Bull shrieked, its body writhing. It tried to attack again, but its movements were slower now—erratic, desperate.
Baam didn't stop. He fired again. And again.
One final Baang pierced its core.
Silence.
The Bull collapsed, lifeless, sinking into the darkness below.
Baam staggered forward, bruised and breathless, but alive.
Their bubble resumed its ascent, rising toward the light above.
Baam stood tall inside the shimmering sphere, his voice soft but full of resolve.
"Didn't I tell you? I promised I'd take you to the top. We'll look at the stars together… just like you always wanted."
Rachel stared at him.
"Baam…"
He smiled gently, despite his wounds.
"Come on." He extended his hand to her.
Rachel reached toward him.
For a moment, it seemed she would take it.
But then—her eyes hardened.
She stood up.
Without a word, she placed her hands on his chest—
—and pushed.
Baam's eyes widened.
"R–Rachel?"
He was thrown backward, out of the bubble, into the open water.
He reached out as he fell, but the light was already fading. Rachel's silhouette receded, swallowed by the rising glow.
Time slowed.
A storm of emotions surged within him.
Confusion. Disbelief. Betrayal. Sadness.
The last thing he saw was her expression—cold, resolute—as the distance between them grew.
Then the surface shattered around him.
Baam plunged into the depths, surrounded by shadows and silence.
And everything went dark.