Chapter 195 – Floor 21: Part 5

The oppressive force that surrounded Mathew shattered at his command. It was cloying and thick, wrapping around him like shroud, pressing down on him with a weight beyond imagining. It wasn’t just a physical thing, but a presence.

It was ephemeral and everywhere, like a giant hand pushing down on his body and soul.

The power the painting of the Mona Lisa used didn’t belong to her; it was a lingering remnant of her long-dead master that she had been bestowed with upon her creation. For such a remnant to contain a power that could destroy Mathew and the others long after its owner had perished spoke to its power in life.

When Mathew uttered the Word of Power ‘Break,’ it became a contest between his authority over the universe through his connection to the Celestials and Unyielding Declaration, and the remnant power of her creator.

The painting didn’t stand a chance.

Even a newly elevated god was beyond compare to mortals, and Mathew suspected that Unyielding Declaration was incredibly powerful when contrasted to other gods. The Celestial had communicated to the other gods present in the void as if they were equals.

When time resumed its regular flow and the oppressive force returned, it was immediately fractured. There was a backlash from the sudden and irrevocable loss of power the Mona Lisa sustained. Cracks immediately formed in its frame, and her beautiful, painted face began to sag.

Streaks of paint began to run from the canvas, dripping onto the stone floor in thick globules.

“This…this isn’t possible! How?!” The painting screamed, but no answer was forthcoming. The cracks widened, and eventually, the entire frame fragmented like glass struck by a rock. The painting lasted only a moment longer before it too crumbled away.

It curled in on itself, folding and bending on itself as the Word of Power ‘Break’ not only destroyed its physical body, but the connection between the painting and the lingering remnant of its master’s power.

Mathew’s understanding of the Words of Power had deepened, a gift the god of Unyielding Declaration granted to its Apostle. In exchange, Mathew lost all of his other blessings and attributes. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was a fair exchange; only time would tell.

The Words of Power were the most powerful of his blessings, with the exception of ‘Disintegrate,’ but there were consequences to using them. Namely, the increased connection to the spirits of the Celestials.

Now that side effect was gone, Mathew was much more confident in using them.

But the reality was that he hadn’t had a choice. It was between subservience to a god or death. And he still had so much to do; he couldn’t die here.

Mathew would sacrifice everything he had in order to continue through the Tower, not just for himself, but for others. Emily was still somewhere further in the Tower, and he needed to assist her ascent.

For that, the price of a few Levels and Blessings were nothing. For her, he would become an Apostle of an alien god.

The few people around Mathew in the ‘Painted World’ were already gone, disappearing in flashes of white light. He didn’t know if they passed or failed, but he hoped they were moving on to the next floor. If they failed, he was confident they wouldn’t be sent into oblivion. They would likely be tossed into a Punishment Floor.

Mathew’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an item dropping to the ground at his feet. It was a small paintbrush, similar to the one he had used earlier in the first test. This one was made of black wood with white bristles and gold accents. He could feel the mana within it, a swirling vortex of overwhelming power that sent a shiver down his spine.

Tentatively picking it up, aware that he was now much weaker than he had been, Mathew was about to cautiously assess it when a loud ‘Ding’ rang out and burning words appeared on the floor in front of him, as if they were written by a fiery pen.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Floor 21b - The Painted World Within (Complete)

Summary: You have found an item of extreme value inside the ‘Painted World.’ Unfortunately, your actions have damaged the magical item ‘Mona Lisa, Portrait of Enigmatic Beauty.’ The destruction of the painting inside has resulted in the overall quality of the item being reduced.

It will take time and effort to restore it.

Reward: Withheld in compensation to the owner of ‘Mona Lisa, Portrait of Enigmatic Beauty’ for the destruction of the magical item’s guardian spirit.

The god of Unyielding Declaration agrees with the assessment.

The item ‘Brush of Infinite Dreams’ will be transferred to an unnamed party as payment for the destruction of the Guardian of the Painted World.

All parties are satisfied with the outcome. No further discussion regarding this outcome will be allowed.

Transfer to Floor 22 to begin momentarily.

Mathew finished reading the text and let out a brief sigh. It made sense that he wouldn’t be rewarded; he failed the assessment and had to destroy the painting. As long as no one came looking for him in revenge, he was all right with how things turned out.

Better to be alive and poor than richly dead. He was even appreciative of the Unyielding Declaration’s intervention, which was a strange thought for Mathew since the god had essentially forced him to become its Apostle.

But how much were his thoughts and emotions being influenced by his new Title and Discipline? He knew it was possible; it had happened with every new Discipline he had received; why would this one be any different?

Mathew didn’t know, and he didn’t want to dwell on it too long. There was nothing he could do to change it, at least not for the moment.

Thankfully, he was interrupted by a portal appearing in front of him. Gwen walked out, holding a small wooden box in her hands. She looked surprised to see him alive and well. She had expected to return to find no trace of any of her fellow Players who had failed the test.

She quickly glanced around and saw that there was no one left in the ‘Painted World,’ nor was the painting of the Mona Lisas still hovering above them.

“What happened?” She asked as she tucked the small box into her inventory and approached him.

“Divine intervention.” Mathew responded simply.

He was unwilling to explain anything further, and his tone conveyed the message to the other woman. They were spared any awkwardness by a white light gently surrounding them, and they were each carried on to the next Floor.

Page Break

Mathew collapsed onto the ground, his injured leg unable to sustain the impact from the drop onto this new Floor. It hadn’t been a hard impact, nor did he fall from a great height. But his leg was in agony, and he could barely stand.

The white light disappeared, revealing the surroundings to him as he slowly made his way back onto his feet and brushed the dirt off his clothing. He heavily favoured his left leg, leaning to one side to take the weight off of his right.

He was already missing those stolen Attributes, especially the ‘Body’ enhancements. Mathew had never felt so slow, awkward and heavy in decades. He had trouble putting his thoughts in order, and his memory was worse than ever. What had been crystal clear only an hour before was now like looking through a cloudy lens.

Resigned to being weak again for the foreseeable future, Mathew looked around at the area where the Tower had deposited him.

He was on the outskirts of a small village; the houses were made of stone with thatch roofs. There were dozens of them taking up both sides of a dirt road and the surrounding hills. He could see sheep and cattle grazing on the green grass. Smoke rose from chimneys in the chill air, and Mathew buttoned up his jacket against the cold.

The sky was overcast, the weather hinted at rain, and Mathew recognized the freshness of the air. It was the lack of pollution from before the time of industrialization. He was evidently in an older timeline than his Earth, which was obvious from the lack of electricity and modern technology. There was no pavement on the roads or concrete in the buildings.

His wristband began to vibrate with an incoming message. He reflexively raised his arm and read it.

Floor 22 – Village of the Damned

Located in the remote stretches known to the rest of the world as the ‘Frontier,’ the Village of Dunsworth has been plagued with disappearances for the past few months. With every full moon, there would be more people missing.

Children are gone from their beds in the morning. A husband did not returning after a day’s work harvesting wood from the forest. A wife went without a trace, leaving her family without a mother. Half a dozen disappearances and no explanation of what happened.

Investigate what is happening in Dunsworth and solve this mystery. If there is a threat to the village or its people, eliminate it.

Reward: A Word of Power: Haze

Word of Power – Haze

Haze can be used to create a thin and light fog that will obscure you from sight. It can also be used to influence the thoughts of others, leaving them slightly muddled and confused. As a Speaker, you are better able to understand the versatility of a Word of Power.

Mathew closed the message, set his sights on the village and began walking.