Chapter 27: NO ONE HURTS MY BABIES

Every eye was glued to the empty platform where William had stood just seconds before. Nobody could wrap their head around what the hell had just gone down. To the Snobtrox, it was: one scrawny human showed up, handed them their asses, and disappeared with a cocky smirk. For the Gnoblins, it was like a god had descended to punish them for their pathetic performance.

There was complete silence, except for the faint hissing of the Snobtrox, still reeling from the pain of that sword wound. Still dazed, they had no clue their nightmare wasn’t over.

The piranhas and eels that had been thinning Gnoblins started moving towards the Snobtrox, who were still standing near the platform, soaked in muddy water. They didn’t even notice until something slimy started coiling around their feet.

The marine troops stuck to their plan; first, the eels would cook them up, while the piranhas waited at a safe distance. After cooking, it’s Nom Nom time.

Once the eels were in position, they unleashed their Thunder Bind skill, blue arcs crackling up the Snobtrox’s legs. Both gritted their fangs, already pissed off, they didn’t wait for the shock to end. Instead, they just yanked the eels out of the swamp and started stretching them like dough. With a couple of wet snaps, both eels were ripped in two.

They both knew those two eels weren’t the only pests lurking under the swamp. And sure enough, after watching their chefs get ripped apart, the piranhas made their way towards giant monkeys. The wounded Snobtrox turned around and used his Snort Bagpipe skill; his massive nose ballooned bizarrely before blasting out air, snapping back to its original size. Each snort echoed, unsettling, as he repeated for a couple of times more.

A weird haze settled over a five-meter patch of swamp, it was the aura field from his skill. Anyone who entered would feel their perception disturbed. Sure enough, as the piranhas entered, their mind went foggy, and they started drifting up towards the surface of the swamp.

The second the piranhas broke the surface, the other Snobtrox sucked in a lungful of air and unleashed its Screeching Shockwave straight at them. Water erupted, piranhas went flying in pieces, and just like that, the last of the aquatic warriors got wiped out.

With the nuisance finally over, the Snobtrox started moving toward the platform. Low, guttural growls rumbled from their throats as they were pissed, and all they wanted now was to tear the limbs of the bastard who’d come here and played them for fools.

A few meters away, the Gnoblins stood frozen, staring at the scattered corpses of the little devils that had made their lives hell since they came to this tower. Then they glanced at the hulking beasts responsible, and a shiver crept down their spines. Not wanting to piss off the Snobtrox any further, the Gnoblins hurried toward the platform through the swamp.

On the third floor, William, Cent, Mutt, and Grey leaned against the wall while all the fairies huddled behind William. Every eye was locked on the center of the floor, waiting for the climbers to show up, and right in the middle, the remaining five Imp seeds lay piled together.

They, no, only William had planned this way of welcoming the climber. Nobody else could dream up these kinds of nasty surprises, and judging by the grin on his face, he was enjoying what he was doing.

A moment later, all eight climbers appeared in the middle of the floor, right where the explosive seeds were placed. One Gnoblin was standing right on top of them, completely clueless. They all glanced around, confused by the emptiness. No traps, no monsters, not even that psychotic human they’d tangled with before.

Right then, a voice came:’KABOOM!’from behind. Before anyone could even turn, the seed exploded right under the clueless Gnoblin. The blast sent every beast scrambling, except the Gnoblin, who was on the landmine. A guttural howl ripped through the room as a cloud of dust shot up from the area.

As the dust settled, the Gnoblin came into view, writhing on the ground, clutching what was left of his left leg. Half of it had been blown into pieces by the seeds. The only reason he wasn’t dead was that, as an intermediate rank, he had tough skin. If those seeds had gone off inside him, he’d be a stain on the floor.

The other five Gnoblins shot a look of pity at their broken; he was as good as dead. Meanwhile, the Snobtrox stared at William, eyes full of bloodlust. That cocky smirk of his was all they could see. They don’t give a shit about others next to him; they only care about tearing that smug bastard apart.

This was exactly what William wanted: the Snobtrox’s attention locked on him, while letting others handle the Gnoblins. Eyes fixed on them, William strolled toward the right side of the floor. Seeing him move, Cent began circling too, eyeing the fools who were busy gawking at their own screaming comrade, while the rest of the crew followed him from behind.

Now William and the two Snobtrox stood a few meters apart still locked in a staring contest. Nobody dared move first. William was cautious because of their skills, and the Snobtrox were afraid of his uncanny fighting style.

Meanwhile, the battle with Gnoblins had already broken out. As soon as the Gnoblins realized Cent and his crew had circled in close, their eyes snapped to them, completely forgetting about the one-legged Gnoblin.

Cent took point, gripping his new spear, which granted him an extra two points in Constitution and Agility. Mutt and Grey stood alert a few steps behind. Lumina, Vrdyl, and Nyx hovered a few meters back, ready with range support skills. Boom fairy (the Imp) hung back far from the battle, as she couldn’t do anything now after running out of her daily seed quota.

The moment the Gnoblins saw enemies standing that they could actually fight, they lost all sense and charged like mad street dogs. Cent had to take their attacks, five against one, since Mutt and Grey were outranked; they wouldn’t be able to defend against a single attack from them.

As they closed in, Lumina hit Cent with her buff, boosting all his stats by 40%. There was also the effect of William’s title,’One Against All,’which granted him 0.1 stat points per enemy when outnumbered, so he was getting 0.5 stat points extra for each of his attributes.

The Gnoblins barreled into him; they wildly spammed their skill Venom Claw at him. They weren’t thinking; the humiliation from the last floor clouded their minds. They just wanted to kill anyone or anything.

Even with the buff, Cent was having a hell of a time blocking all the incoming blows. Just as the Gnoblins started to overwhelm him, Vrdyl shot out her tiny hand and used her Binding Vine skill; a few wisps of emerald mana escaped her palm and went into the floor.

A heartbeat later, thick vines erupted up and snared one of the Gnoblins. He thrashed, but the vines twisted him into a partial bondage pose, arms wrenched behind his back, coils trapping his legs and torso. All he could do was twitch for the next fifteen seconds.

Cent only needed one hit to finish off the GoblinxGnoll shake, but with four others still at frenzy attacking him senselessly, he was stuck on defense. His best move? Drag the fight a few steps away and let the others pick off the tied one.

As Cent pulled off, Mutt and Grey closed in on the strung-up bastard. The Gnoblin dangled about a foot off the ground because of the vines. Grey, being only one foot tall, could barely reach its toes, so he jabbed Mutt with his blade-like arms, motioning for a leg up.

While Mutt and Grey were dealing with height problems, Nyx wasn’t about to waste a single second. She used her Wind Arrow skill, a translucent bow appearing in her tiny hands, arrow already drawn. She let it fly at the Gnoblin, aiming at his torso.

The arrow whistled through the air and slammed in just below the Gnoblin’s ribs, driving the mana-tipped point deep into his flesh. He howled in agony. The arrow lingered a second, then vanished in a puff of white particles as it was made of mana, not physical materials.

With Mutt and Grey finally in position, they closed in on the helpless Gnoblin. Mutt unleashed his Shadow Flick skill, fangs drilling deep into the Gnoblin’s lower belly, trying to rip his guts out.

Grey hacked with his blade-like arm, aiming right where Nyx’s arrow had already punched a hole. Green blood sprayed across the floor, the wounds getting deeper with every strike. Nyx kept firing arrows, each one digging in just as the last faded.

The Gnoblin, pinned and powerless, could do nothing but scream his lungs out. Before the vines even loosened, his eyes rolled back, and he went limp.

Now there were four and a half Gnoblins left (if you counted the one-legged). They’d just need to repeat the same a few more times to take the heat off Cent.

While Cent and the crew got their rhythm, another battle had started on the other side of the floor. Thanks to his ’One Against All’ bonus, William also got an extra point in every attribute. Nobody moved at first, both sides locked in a silent standoff, waiting for someone to move.

William broke the tension by being true to his nature; he started taunting them.’Oo OOoo Aaa Aaa aah!’he screeched, mimicking the Snobtrox with expressions of monkeys he knew back on Earth.

The Snobtrox with the thigh wound finally snapped after watching this shameless bastard mocking them. He barreled straight at William, pain throbbing in his leg be damned. The instant he hit a three-meter radius, he let out a Screeching Shockwave aimed right at William, throwing every ounce of rage he had into the attack.

William braced himself, sword up in defense as the shockwave smashed into him. Last time Lumina’s buff had helped him but this time, he had to deal with it on his own. The blade shook in his hands and he staggered back, blood dripping from his nose and ears as he gritted his teeth.

His head spun and his hearing went to hell for the second time that day. Swearing under his breath, he chomped down on a Green Bloom. Through the haze, he spotted the second Snobtrox closing in, taking advantage while he was still reeling from the sonic boom.

As the other Snobtrox came closer, it fired up its Snort Bagpipe skill, making a five-meter aura field that distorts perception. William, still dazed and not looking to get his brain scrambled any further, activated his Danger Sense.

With his mind snapping back into focus he sized up the situation: one Snobtrox was holding the aura field, the other was winding up for another sonic blast. He could keep Danger Sense running for about a minute before his body started screaming for mercy.

He was done dragging this shit out. William popped a Red Bloom, boosting his strength by 20% for as long as Danger Sense lasted. No way was he waiting for another shockwave; he shot forward towards them.

In a blink, he was in the Snobtrox’s face, the one holding the distortion field. The big bastard barely had time to look surprised.

The Snobtrox brought its claw down, to smack William at the same time. But William got his sword up, met the blow, and hacked sideways. The blade sank halfway into the Snobtrox’s hand, bone and all. The monster let out a guttural screech, clutching its now-dangling limb, rage and pain mixing in its eyes.

William was about to follow up with another slash when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught the other Snobtrox lining up for a sonic blast. William didn’t wait. He darted in before the beast could fire, twisting his body mid-sprint and slamming a leg straight into the Snobtrox’s chest.

The air that monkey had been gathering for its skill exploded out in a ragged broken wave. This impact sends the Snobtrox skidding across the floor.

Out of nowhere, a shockwave crashed into William’s back, sending him face-first into the floor. He groaned, spitting out blood as he pushed himself up. "Goddamn it, this fucking skill is really starting to piss me off." He wiped his nose, glaring at the Snobtrox bastard who’d blasted him.

The Snobtrox was still hissing, clutching his mangled arm while blood pooled at his feet, leaking steadily from the torn flesh. The area was also turning green, indicating the poison effect of the sword was also kicking in.

William shot a glance at the other Snobtrox, not wanting to taste the floor again. The big bastard was clutching his leg, blood oozing again from the previous wound because of the drag against the floor. For now, he was not a threat.

William turned his attention back to the Snobtrox in front. Through the trial, he’d figured out these dick-nosed monkeys couldn’t spam their skills back to back; there was always a brief window before they could go again. Right now, that meant this one was dead meat.

William closed the gap. The Snobtrox raised its good hand for another desperate swipe, but William was quicker, he slashed upward, splitting the monster’s claw from fingers to palm, blood sprayed as the cut deepened.

Before the beast could even scream William drove his sword straight into its chest, the blade sinking in like hot steel through butter. It pierced the heart clean. With a final, pitiful whimper, the Snobtrox limped to the ground with a loud thud.

With his sword still stuck in the fresh corpse, William snapped his gaze to the last Snobtrox. His eyes flew wide at what he saw. William didn’t hesitate; he bolted across the floor.

That motherfucker had his mouth wide open, lining up a shot at the fairies hovering a few meters away, busy supporting Cent. If that skill hit them, the fairies wouldn’t survive.

A shockwave blasted out of that shit’s mouth, aimed straight at the fairies. They froze at the sound, tiny eyes wide in horror as the wave barreled toward them. But before the wave could hit, William threw himself in front, shielding them with his body and taking the full brunt of the blast right in the back.

Pain ripped through William’s body but he managed a crooked smile for the three fairies, ignoring the pain just so they wouldn’t worry. In the past few days, he’d grown attached to these little troublemakers, they felt more like his own daughters than anything else.

He turned to the Snobtrox bastard, eyes blazing red. "I was thinking about recruiting you, you sack of shit. But you tried to hurt my babies. NO ONE HURTS MY BABIES. I’ll make you regret ever opening that ugly mouth of yours." The bloodlust pouring off him was thick enough to choke the air, sending a shiver down the beast’s spine.

William stalked forward, pulling the wooden bonk out of his inventory. The monkey bastard tried to scramble backward, panic etched on his ugly face. But there was nowhere left to run. As William closed in, the Snobtrox threw up a hand in a last-ditch effort to hold him off while the other still scraping across the ground in retreat.

Danger Sense had burnt out, Red Bloom’s rush was gone, and the aftereffect of bloom was already making William’s muscles cramp, but he didn’t give a single shit. All that mattered now was making the Snobtrox regret.

He grabbed the outstretched arm and slammed his leg down with a sickening crunch, bone snapped like a dry branch. The Snobtrox screeched, clutching the ruined limb, but William wasn’t done. He grabbed the other arm, yanked it straight, then shattered it just as brutally.

Now both arms hung useless at its sides, broken screeches tearing from its throat. Bonk still gripped tight in his fist, William seized the bastard by its dick-shaped nose and yanked its head back, stretching that massive mouth wide.

With zero hesitation, he rammed the thick end of the bonk straight down the Snobtrox’s gullet, shoving it in until the beast gagged and thrashed, hot tears rolled down his eyes, and in a few seconds, the whole bonk was in its mouth.

William let go of the bastard’s nose, letting the Snobtrox flop to the floor, twitching and writhing in gruesome pain. The beast was begging for death now, praying for an end to the pain, and William was more than happy to oblige. He stalked around the Snobtrox and stopped right next to its head.

With barely a pause, William planted his boot on the monster’s throat, right where the bonk bulged outward. He pressed down, slowly, increasing the pressure until there were two sickening cracks, one from the bonk snapping, the other from the Snobtrox’s neck giving way.

Meanwhile, the rest of the troops had finished off the last of the Gnoblins and now stood frozen, wide-eyed at William, who had just unleashed hell on Snobtrox. This was the first time they’d seen him go, full savage.

With all the climbers finally dead, the trial ended. Before the tower system, Rollie chimmed in.

[Congrats, love, for crushing the trial!]

A faint blush crept into the edges of Rollie’s panel as she congratulated him. The brutality didn’t faze her, in fact, she looked downright smitten at how William looked right now.

William didn’t react; his eyes stayed on the corpse. Then, without warning, his legs gave out, and he collapsed unconscious on the ground. The exhaustion and the pain from getting four high-ranking climber skills head-on finally caught up with him.

Then the tower system’s notifications started rolling in, completely ignoring the fact that the lord was out cold on the floor.

[Congratulations on clearing your tower trial.]

[Calculating your performance...]

[Twelve Tier One (Intermediate) climbers were defeated.]

[Three Tier One (High) climbers were defeated.]

[Calculating other parameters...]

[Final Clearing Grade: S Rank]

[All rewards have been transferred to your inventory.]

As the last notification faded, a new message popped up, one that promised the Ascension Trial was about to get a lot more cruel.

[Attention Tower Lord!]

[Congratulations on surviving one week in the Tower Expanse.]

[Starting from tomorrow, Tower Games will officially begin.]

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[A/N]:Firstly, I want to thank all who are reading the book and supporting me with Golden Tickets and PowerStones. I hope you all are enjoying how the story is going so far.

I know some will think, ’Why were Gnoblins dumb being intermediate?’ Same as William, well, there is a reason I will tell in the next Chapter, as this one has already gone too long. I will also clear a few more things in the next Chapter so that all readers can continue the story without any misunderstandings. If there is anything you want me to answer, tag them here.

If possible, give a review of the book; your words encourage me more than you think.