Chapter 99

The 36th floor was neatly cleared.

I involuntarily paused for a moment.

It was because of Riviera.

Specifically, it was because of the blood magic she had displayed.

‘She showed us that?’

My mind was filled with questions.

Blood magic was a secret that Riviera had to keep hidden.

Unless she intended to reveal her true identity, she shouldn’t show it to anyone.

So why did she show it to us?

‘Hmm… could it be that?’

I thought of one possibility.

She might have assumed that we wouldn’t recognize the nature of blood magic.

That would make some sense.

It’s unusual for someone to recognize it, and most people wouldn’t.

Especially since Allen is an idiot…

“What are you doing? Not going?”

Riviera, who had flown over, said casually.

“Is… is this… something you did…?”

Allen asked, still visibly shocked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Whoa…”

Allen groaned, looking dazed.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

…Isn’t it obvious from his state?

Just as I was about to speak on Allen ‘s behalf, Allen suddenly snapped back to his senses.

His previously dazed eyes were now filled with determination.

What is this?

A sudden burst of energy?

It was such an unexpected change that I couldn’t help but wonder.

“I’m sorry. I misjudged you. You’re a far better student than someone like me.”

Allen bowed his head deeply, his apology reflecting the dignity of someone from a prestigious family.

Did he eat something wrong…?

“Of course.”

Riviera’s chin lifted proudly.

She seemed quite pleased to have received a declaration of defeat from Allen , indicating that her pride had been deeply wounded.

Just when it seemed like the situation was over, Allen raised his head again and clenched his fists.

“But I won’t stay below you forever. I’ll work hard to reach a position where I can compete with you. No matter what it takes.”

A declaration filled with strong determination.

‘Oh, look at this guy.’

I thought, intrigued.

I had expected him to be in a state of shock, but instead, he was using it as motivation to fuel his resolve.

A classic growth flag.

Allen might seem like a mere extra most of the time, but he occasionally showed unexpected sides that confused people.

No, the fact that he had such sides meant he wasn’t just an extra.

Anyway.

‘That’s a full-on rival declaration.’

Normally, I might wrap it up as a heartwarming scene, but this time, I couldn’t.

The opponent was simply too mismatched.

A mouse declaring rivalry to a cat was just a comedic scene.

Of course, for the cat, it might seem like a heavy blow rather than a joke.

“Ah… no… not a… rival… so… go away…”

Riviera stammered, her expression showing that her soul had left her body again.

I bit my lip hard to keep from bursting into laughter.

If I laughed, I felt like the resentment would come back to me.

“Haha, you’re right. I’m still lacking a lot, so how could I be a rival? It’s just a personal goal.”

…Doesn’t he have any sense?

Oh, right, he’s a certified outcast.

One is an involuntary outcast, and the other is a voluntary one. That’s our team.

Sigh, as the leader, I have to step in.

“Alright, let’s take a break. We need some rest, don’t we?”

“Okay, Leader.”

Allen answered innocently and sat down.

Whose fault do you think it is that we’re resting…?

“Ugh… um… um…”

I quickly approached Riviera, who was groaning uncomfortably.

I whispered in her ear.

“…Don’t give any special meaning to an idiot’s words.”

“Idiot?”

“Yeah, Allen is an idiot.”

“Yeah, he’s an idiot.”

“Achoo!”

Allen suddenly sneezed.

Unnecessarily sensitive, isn’t he?

“Since he’s an idiot, if you give meaning to his words, you’ll become an idiot too.”

I have no idea what I’m saying.

I’m just saying it.

“I’m not an idiot.”

But it works.

I’m genuinely curious about the structure of her brain.

“Yeah, you’re not an idiot, so you shouldn’t become one, right?”

“Of course.”

“Right, so don’t give any meaning to an idiot’s words.”

“Hmm, got it.”

Riviera’s expression brightened.

It’s a relief she’s this kind of person.

Otherwise, it would have been hard to manage the situation.

Anyway, fulfilling my duty as a leader feels rewarding.

Now, let’s keep going.

“Looks like we’ve rested enough. Let’s go.”

* * *

The 40th floor, the dividing line between average and below average.

We were exploiting a new method to breeze through it.

First, Riviera would launch Allen and me towards the boss.

Then, she’d create a blood barrier to prevent most of the lesser monsters from approaching us.

That alone made it much easier to handle the boss.

Whirr, whirr, whirr, whirr!

Allen spun his spear skillfully.

It wasn’t just a flashy move.

He continued the generated rotational force horizontally.

The spear shaft, over 3 meters long, swung horizontally like a wall, blocking the orcs.

Thud, thud, thud!

The orcs were knocked back and fell.

“Great!”

Allen , who had impressively blocked the lesser monsters, cheered.

That spear technique.

It was the core of the Benesse spear techniques for fighting multiple enemies.

The reason for using a long spear instead of a short one.

‘Not bad.’

I thought.

Of course, it looked impressive, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Riviera’s blood barrier.

The reduced number of lesser monsters allowed him to perform such feats.

‘Well, I have my own part to play.’

I had the same advantage.

So, I could afford to glance at Allen while dealing with the boss.

Using the Empire’s Eight Techniques, I steadily pressured the boss orc.

Even as a boss, it wasn’t much better than the regular red orc we had faced before.

The inherent strength of the species made the difference.

Plus, with the anti-orc item “Karkar’s Skull Ornament,” orcs were no match for me.

‘Let’s finish this.’

Swish!

After a series of steady attacks, I suddenly launched a powerful strike.

The Executioner’s Advanced Strike.

A perfectly timed surprise attack.

The boss orc, accustomed to my steady but ordinary attacks, couldn’t react in time to the sudden powerful strike.

Thud!

The blade cleanly severed its neck like an executioner.

Thus, we conquered the 40th floor.

‘At least ten more floors.’

That was the original goal.

But my eyes were set even higher.

***

“…I’m so exhausted, I feel like I’m going to die.”

The last party from the Noble class emerged.

Their faces showed signs of extreme fatigue, but there was also a clear sense of satisfaction.

They had cleared up to the 52nd floor.

Considering the increasingly fierce monsters from the 51st floor onwards, climbing one more floor was a commendable achievement.

It was a bit disappointing that they couldn’t handle the 53rd floor and had to escape before the 100 minutes were up, but still.

“Good job, everyone. I’m proud of our party.”

“Yeah, we all broke our personal records, didn’t we?”

“Haha, maybe we even set the highest record for the Noble class?”

Their gazes naturally turned to the whiteboard in front of them.

It displayed the official records written by the supervisors.

There was no point in looking at the Common class.

The Royal class entries, which had entered later, were still blank.

They focused on the Noble class.

Most of the entries started with a 4.

Some even started with a 3.

And for those starting with a 5, there were only three groups, including theirs.

The others had cleared the 50th and 51st floors.

“Hah, we’re in first place!”

They celebrated their achievement.

Competing with the Royal class was tough, so they were more than satisfied with their current performance.

They couldn’t stop looking at the whiteboard, wanting to etch this achievement into their memories.

Then, one of them glanced around.

They shouldn’t have looked.

“Wait, what? There’s an empty spot in the Common class?”

“That can’t be right. They went in before us.”

“Yeah, but it’s definitely empty.”

“Really? Who is it?”

“That’s… Max’s group…?”

Their expressions darkened instantly.

Satisfaction is relative.

Realizing they might be outdone by a Common class group, especially one with Max, their satisfaction evaporated.

“Maybe they’re just hiding somewhere, killing time?”

“No, that doesn’t make sense…”

“Yeah, true.”

“But wasn’t that group just Max alone?”

Known as Max’s one-man group.

While Max’s rapidly improving skills couldn’t be ignored, everyone thought the rest of his group were just dead weight.

But if that were the case, this situation didn’t make sense.

Unless they were someone like Elaine, the top student, it was impossible to hold out alone.

“Could it be that the other two are…?”

“Ugh, maybe that’s why they’re from prestigious families. Those noble families…”

“No, we haven’t lost yet…”

Despite their words, their spirits were already dampened.

But their reaction was mild compared to what was coming.

The Royal class students who were outdone by Max’s group would be in for a bigger shock.

And that time was approaching.

* * *

“…I feel good for some reason.”

Allen muttered out of nowhere.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s just… I feel like someone is praising me.”

“…”

This guy needs some treatment too.

“Stop talking nonsense and focus. Can’t you see I’m doing all the work?”

As the monsters got stronger, I was the one suffering the most.

Without Riviera’s assistance, I would have given up long ago.

“Sorry, but I’m really doing my best…”

Allen scratched the back of his head, looking apologetic.

I knew he was trying his best.

But something was still missing.

Something inherently lacking in his personality.

“I know. But you lack spirit.”

“Spirit?”

“Yeah. As the eldest son of the Benesse family, you should exude a ‘devour everything’ spirit. Stop being so timid.”

“I wasn’t being timid…”

“It’s a figure of speech. Think about it—your father. Does he have spirit or not?”

“…He does.”

“What about your brother?”

“…He does.”

“Then why don’t you? Don’t you want to follow in their footsteps?”

“…Of course I do.”

“Then it’s an assignment.”

“An assignment?”

“Start practicing now. Even against lesser monsters, practice exuding spirit.”

Even though they were lesser monsters, we were past the 50th floor, so they weren’t just any monsters.

They were more than sufficient for practice.

“Alright, I got it.”

Allen nodded.

Partly because it was my suggestion, but also because his mental strength had definitely improved.

“No spirit.”

Riviera, who had approached without us noticing, whispered in Allen ‘s ear, attacking his mental state.

“Ugh.”

Allen looked like he was about to spit blood.

But then his eyes burned with determination, possibly motivated by the challenge.

…The self-proclaimed inner rival’s provocation is quite effective.

Anyway, is Riviera Allen ‘s dark helper?

She probably meant to tease him.

“20 minutes left.”

I said, showing my pocket watch.

“Let’s just do our best for the remaining time.”

* * *

TLN: hellooo everyone luky here to promote my newest translation – The Sword Emperor Reincarnated in the Sword Family – as the name suggest our mc is murim swordsman reincarnated in a family known to produce the strongest sowrdsmen for generations seeking to fix his shortcomings using the enlightenment before his death / wanting to uncover the secrets to this familys strength he set on the path of the sword to become stronger than he ever was in this new world .

i kind of have a thing for murim but them novels translation is kind of hard to do so this was kind of perfect for me :3 this novel has 300 chapters ill be posting 20 this week and than 10ch/week maybe till ch100 and than well see

if you are intrested check it out and give it rating on Novelupdates that would help alot if this gets in the top 50 this month on Novelupdates ill be posting 5 bonus chaps on EBEG/ASV/MDH as a thank you :3 I hope you enjoy the read if you like it and if you dont I hope you would enjoy my future translations of other novels or the existing ones thank you for your support and see you soon ^^