A few short teleports later, he stood on the branch before the city hall of the tree people. It had been barely ten minutes since he had left, and he heard a barked laugh as one of the elites came out.

“The World Tree must really hate us,” the man muttered.

“I don’t think it does,” Sam replied. “It’s done.”

“I know. We’re all dead. Even you.”

“Dranus,” a voice said from behind the man as the chieftain walked out. A look of surprise and joy was on his face.

“You outsiders can be damned to all-”

“Dranus! Look behind the man you seem so intent to belittle!”

“What?” Dranus said, narrowing his eyes. “There’s nothing there.” Then realization hit him. “The Voidrot… It’s gone!”

“You’re welcome,” Sam said. It was only then that the System deigned to update his quest. To his surprise, the world around him did not change.

As the preeminent challenger of this Tower cycle, as well as a figure already in the eye of the System, your wishes have been heard. Normally missions into the wider Boundless Expanse are saved for the later floors, but your strength renders the templates reserved for the first fifty floors largely useless. Consider this a gift, and also a true challenge. Your fellow Dao Incarnation has also proven worthy of this. There will be no further rewards in terms of essence or title power, but rather an opportunity to hone your skills and mastery. Good luck, Sam Atlas. The System is watching.

Then the normal message appeared.

You have completed the Jaded Jungles: Layer 6! (Challenge Mode)

You have upgraded a title!

Twenty-Fifth Floor Obliterator: Ancient-> Twenty Sixth Floor Obliterator: Ancient

Not content to breeze through the paltry difficulty of the base Tower of Transcendence, you have proven that you are capable of greater things. In defeating the tenth floor of Challenge Mode, you have overcome a hurdle that few could at your level. In defeating the twentieth floor, you have further proven your might.

Bonuses: +52% to all stats

A new notification appeared before him, but the scene did not change.

You have entered Floor 7 of the Jade Jungles(Challenge Mode)

You have started to aid the Forest Folk in their mission, but the world of Vallenar is larger than the struggle of a single tribe. If the Voidrot is to be defeated, your help will be needed. Kill three more Voidrot Guardians to prove your might.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Completion: 0/3

Rewards: Title Upgrade

The Chieftain strode towards him, a smile so bright that it had almost palpable heat blazing across his face. “You actually did it!”

“Of course I did. Why would I throw my life away for something I wasn’t confident in winning?”

“You might have been just being cocky. Many of your kind, at least those in our history, have been so.”

“I can certainly see that,” Sam said with a chuckle. “I happen to know one just like that. Although, with him, it is somewhat warranted.”

“What mission did the World Tree task you with next? You are still here, after all.”

“I have to kill another three Voidrot Guardians. Though, I might need your help with finding them,” Sam replied.

“Of course. There are dozens of their ilk spread across Vallenar. The nearest ones are tens of thousands of nkaris away.”

Yet another unfamiliar term appeared, and Sam was forced to ask what it meant.

“Nkari? That is a measurement of how far a tree’s roots grow in a century. We use it to measure distance,” the Chieftain explained.

Sam nodded. “Ah. That is certainly… unique.”

“It is our way of life,” the Chieftain responded, shrugging. ‘In any case, you will need assistance. Dranus, as you are here, why don't you act as our intrepid saviour’s guide?”

“With pleasure,” the man ground out, but anyone could tell that his heart wasn’t in it.

He strode forwards and then leaped off the side of the tree. For the briefest of moments, Sam thought that the man’s dislike of him was such that he would do anything to get away. Then wings of interwoven roots sprang out from his back, and with one mighty flap, he was off.

Sam teleported next to him, and sighed as he realized that he would be forced to keep pace with his companion, slowing himself down to a maddening rate.

“Tell me more about life on Vallenar,” he said. “If I’m to achieve my goal here, it might be helpful.”

“What would you care? You clearly think you’re better than us.”

Sam shook his head. “I don’t think I’m better than you. I am stronger though, as proven by your own actions.”

“Whatever,” Dranus said, clearly not convinced. “Well, I suppose I can share a bit. It might make this flight a bit less boring. Vallenar was one of the later worlds to be integrated into our Multiverse, which is why none of us have progressed enough to defeat the Voidrot incursion. It is quite dissipate, spreading across a good portion of the universe, but its total power is somewhere around the low Fifth Sprouting.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. A C Ranker was quite surprising to see within a Tower challenge. However, it seemed that it was not a normal C Ranker. Rather, it was more of a hive mind with the collective strength of one. A real C Ranker would probably defeat it with ease.

He wasn’t confident in his own chances against anything more than the tiniest part of the hive mind, such as the Guardians.

“How much of it is present on Vallenar?” Sam asked.

“Oh, nothing but the smallest of portions. About a total strength of Peak Third Sprouting. About a hundred of the Voidrot Guardians, and one overseer.”

“Has anyone else been able to defeat one of the Guardians?” Sam responded, wondering how difficult the task ahead of him would be.

“A few of our stronger warriors, but they are too far removed from this sector of the planet to come and aid us. They train in the center of the pure half of the planet against the monster there, and come out to fight when they recover from their previous battle.”

Sam nodded. So he wouldn’t be expected to fight against the entire Voidrot by himself. Even for him, that seemed extreme for what was only the third section of the Tower. Likely, he would just have to aid the Forest Folk in their battle to an extent that would let them overcome their foe.

Dranus fell silent, and continued to fly alongside Sam. Although it felt slow, the man was really moving at a few thousand miles per hour. Vallenar was just quite large. Still, it really put into perspective how fast teleportation was.