Tower of Endless: Death Granted Entry

Time was ticking for Moon, whose body was beginning to suffer under the strain of the dome-like radiance Dara released.

The damage and density weren’t high, but by staying completely enveloped inside it, Moon was beginning to take slow, constant damage.

Moon’s urgency came from the fact that his eyes had started to sting and tear rapidly. He tried to reduce his exposure to whatever Combat Art Dara was using to inflict passive damage on him.

Moon didn’t want to bring out his Echo, not even defensively, in this fight.

Not only was it against the rules of the skirmish quest, but it was also against his own pride as a warrior.

Moreover, he wasn’t sure if his Echo would help much to begin with; it would, at best, deflect a few hits or maybe force Dara back.

Neither outcome was very significant, which only solidified his decision to fight without his Echo.

His eyes darted to where he had dropped the helmet with a long yellow plume. ’Should I retrieve it?’ he thought, before once again dismissing the idea.

It was now a one-on-one. He believed he was stronger than Dara, which was evident by the fact that Dara was hiding behind a weird armor that wouldn’t let go of its helmet, alongside his desperate use of Echo.

Regardless, Moon was now certain.

He couldn’t punch the helmet off his head, and considering Dara’s height, Moon needed to bring him down first before figuring out how to remove it.

Though, judging by the state of his blurry eyes, he didn’t have much time before his vision gave out.

Not lingering for a second longer, Moon ducked.

He slid past Dara’s armor as the radiant punch fell, failing to find its target—

Before Dara’s punching momentum died out, Moon forced himself into a squatting position, now directly behind him.

He clenched his fist and drew all the strength he could muster. ”HOOO!”

Thud~

Moon punched the back of the leaning-forward Dara’s knee—

CLATTER~

”GAH!” Dara fell to his knees.

Moon instantly stood; he stepped on the back of the knee he had just punched, pinning Dara down and preventing him from standing up again.

Moon grabbed hold of Dara’s helmet, trying to rip it off, yet once again... it didn’t move an inch.

In the audience, Nola finally relaxed... Moon didn’t seem to be losing, though it made her inability to understand what was actually happening below quite apparent.

It wasn’t only Nola; even Lexie was cheering.

Next to them, Talia and Boa were watching silently before Boa suddenly exclaimed, ”Is that a universal armor?”

Talia nodded. ”It is,” she confirmed, validating Boa’s suspicions before adding, ”It seems that the teacher here is either too confident in Moon’s abilities, or maybe... testing him.”

Talia’s eyes didn’t leave the ring. ”Having a Gift is one thing, but having one that useful is indeed a rare event.” She couldn’t help praising Moon.

Boa went silent for a moment. ”His situation is becoming more urgent with every passing second.” Her eyes fell on Moon’s arm, the skin seemingly getting burned gradually. ”That Gift in a fair fight, coupled with his weapon mastery and combat skills, would have been enough to dominate his opponent.”

Lexie, who was standing restlessly, overheard her. ”What are you talking about?” she inquired.

”The first time he punched through that attack, I wasn’t sure, but now that I can see it more clearly over a prolonged time, it’s most likely a Gift. But it also seems to be at its limit,” Boa explained. ”He needs to end this round as soon as possible, before his body suffers more damage.”

Boa couldn’t have imagined that Moon was not using any Gifts, but rather his own innate Echo resistance. The resistance was simply too high for anyone—not even those who came from the very top—to guess.

As for Lexie, she could only blink before falling back into her seat. Having a Gift was something very rare, something anyone would cheer for, or envy.

Yet they didn’t seem to be in the mood for that.

As for how to take down that universal armor, no one gave it a thought, and no one discussed it.

Nola, who heard the exchange, wanted to ask about it. She had never heard of universal armors before, thus she asked, ”What is a universal armor?”

Boa pouted for a moment, gathering her thoughts. ”It’s an item popular in the middle floors, technology-based. An armor that’s whole, instantly equipped or taken off from the inventory.”

Nola’s eyes widened. ”Does that mean—”

”Yes, without enough power to break through it—be it Echo or a weapon—taking it off is impossible,” Talia explained this time, before adding, ”Whatever Moon is doing is meaningless!”

Further below, Dorbish’s face was no longer calm, nor did his eyes look as droopy. ’Dammit,’ he cursed inwardly.

’Fuck, dammit,’ he cursed once again.

’Does he really have the same Gift as me?’ His hands went to his head; he held it tight, as if it were going to explode.

’What are the odds? What fate is this?’ His eyes were peeled on the scene of slow, constant damage—very slow damage.

Apparently, he didn’t seem to know about universal armors either.

Next to him, Basil and Barrett were lost in the scene playing out in the ring, unbothered by him.

On the other side, Colten and Roran were also stunned, judging by the looks on their faces.

Roran poked Colten with his elbow. ”Bro, is that really a Gift?” he inquired.

Next to him, Colten swallowed. ”I— I think so?”

Roran wasn’t done. ”What does it do?”

”What exactly are you seeing?”

”I mean, how does it work?”

”Less damage, or something?”

”I think so too; it looks like a passive.”

”Seems like it.”

”Bro, do you also have a Gift?”

Colten gritted his teeth. ”I wish,” he replied under his breath, before pausing and asking, ”Wait, you also have a Gift?” Colten realized.

Roran’s head whipped toward him. ”Hush,” he said. ”That’s supposed to be a secret!”

Colten’s face contorted; he studied Roran’s purple appearance from head to toe, before turning back to the ring.

Looking at Moon, who was still trying to rip the helmet off, he muttered, ”What’s with that helmet, though?”

Higher above, Samuel and Ed were still seated, watching just like everyone else.

Ed chuckled softly, listening to everyone. ”Did you hear that?” He rubbed his chin. ”Everyone thinks that brat’s innate Echo resistance is actually his Gift.”

”Their thoughts aren’t too far astray.” Samuel didn’t seem very interested in the topic of Gifts.

”It’s fine not to have Gifts; those who don’t have any still manage to achieve great things,” Ed said, hinting at how Samuel was the only member of their old group without a Gift.

He then added, ”Anyhow, the kid’s resistance is sure high enough to count as a passive Gift.”

In the ring, oblivious to the false Gift discussion ongoing among the audience, Moon was holding onto the helmet with both his hands as if he were holding on for dear life.

He closed his eyes tightly while pulling it, trying to reduce the exposure of his eyes to the Echo’s radiance.

Suddenly, with a loud ”GRAAAAAAH!”, Dara’s arm shot back, aiming for Moon behind him.