Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 119: Thirty-First Floor, Whale Hunt (2)

At least they hadn’t completely abandoned me despite my status as an outsider. Whether I decided to mediate or fight, I needed to act quickly. Without looking back, I sprinted after the vice-captain.

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 167 hours 2 minutes.]

“Left side! Focus fire to our ten o’clock!” the vice-captain shouted.

The crack of gunfire rang out right after. Amid the chaos, I caught sight of elves darting between the trees and effortlessly evading the bullets.

They weren’t what I had imagined. Their pointed ears matched the descriptions of elves in fantasy stories, but they were neither beautiful nor elegant. They were unnervingly thin—almost skeletal—and their gaunt appearance differed vastly from most Earthlings’ idealized image of elves.

Bang, bang, bang!

The gunfire roared on, echoing through the mountains with an intensity that made my ears ring. I couldn’t help but notice how strange the guns in this world were. Each bullet held the same power as a grenade, though they were fired at a noticeably slower rate.

Every bullet impact was explosive, collapsing thick tree trunks and sending bark flying everywhere. Yet, despite the overwhelming firepower, the elves dodged the hail of bullets with ease, their movements bordering on superhuman.

The distance between the hunters and the elves rapidly closed. The elves didn’t use firearms, relying instead on bows as they sprinted uphill.

However, their arrows rarely hit their targets, and I guessed they aimed to force the hunters into closer combat.

They are smarter than I expected.

Although I had noticed the elves’ strategy, I wasn’t sure if the hunters had caught on. About fifteen elves acted as decoys, moving coordinatedly to draw the hunters’ attention. Their chaotic pathing forced the hunters to spread their fire haphazardly, creating gaps in their defenses.

The rest of the elves exploited the openings to close the distance.

It seems like the elves favor melee weapons. Considering how agile they are, they could be decent opponents.

A faint sense of competitiveness stirred within me, making me feel restless. I was itching for a fight—probably because I hadn’t faced a worthy opponent in quite some time. However, I quickly suppressed the impulse due to how important my next decision was.

If I waited much longer, the elves would be close enough to engage the hunters. This was likely my last chance to mediate the conflict.

Thankfully, no one has died yet.

The elves seemed entirely focused on closing the gap before killing anyone.

Frustrated by their persistence, the vice-captain bellowed, “Keep shooting, you bastards! If they get any closer, we’re all dead! Teams five and six, prepare the mines!”

“Preparing mines!”

Landmines seemed to have been laid in advance around the encampment, and judging by the order, they required manual detonation.

The situation was escalating quickly. I had to act.

Unfortunately, stopping the battle could damage morale and cost me the hunters’ trust. Considering my status as the captain, though, one mistake wouldn’t irreparably end my relationship with the hunting party—I could prove myself at a later date.

On the other hand, negotiating with the elves would be impossible if I allowed this fight to escalate. Since I couldn’t afford to make an irreversible decision this early into the floor, I quickly reached a conclusion.

I infused my voice with mana and shouted, “Cease fire! Stop shooting!”

My command boomed across the mountains, loud enough for not only the hunters but also the elves to hear. The gunfire faltered momentarily as the hunters glanced at me, bewildered. However, the shooting didn’t stop completely; sporadic gunfire continued to echo.

Frustrated, the vice-captain barked angrily at the hunters, “Keep firing, you idiots! There, to the right, one hundred twenty meters away! Focus on your aim!”

Ba-ba-bang! Bang, bang!

The relentless gunfire continued as if I were invisible. A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Seriously? Are they outright ignoring me now?

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, suppressing my frustration for now.

Then, I bellowed once more, “I said, STOP SHOOTING!”

My voice reverberated across the mountains as the sky lit up with a blinding flash. A bolt of lightning split the air, striking my axe with a deafening thunder crack.

The gunfire abruptly ceased.

Every hunter turned to stare at me in stunned silence, their eyes wide with disbelief. Even the elves stopped as they hid behind the trees, gazing cautiously in my direction.

With a single display of power, the entire battlefield had fallen under my control.

Residual lightning crackled around my axe as I called out lowly, “Vice-Captain.”

“Y-yes, sir!” he responded belatedly with a dazed expression.

“Didn’t I order a ceasefire?”

Obviously reluctant to submit to my authority, he paused for a second. “You did, Captain.”

“Did my command seem like a joke to you?”

Our eyes met. His gaze wavered before he quickly lowered his head, staring at the ground. “My apologies.”

“From this moment forward, I will not tolerate insubordination.”

Though my words were directed at the vice-captain, my gaze swept over the hunters behind him. They all averted their eyes, unable to meet mine.

I expected backlash, but...

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My overwhelming show of force had silenced any objections. This was an unexpected gain.

The silence lingered as both the hunters and elves remained frozen in place. The hunters kept their weapons trained toward the forest, watching me warily, while the elves stayed hidden.

I quietly addressed the elves down the slope, “Let’s talk.”

For a moment, the forest grew still. Amid the unexpected situation, faint murmurs from a hurried meeting reached my ears. Then, several elves warily emerged from the trees.

Instinctively, I looked up at the sky. The sky whale that had first appeared was already far off in the distance, its tail gracefully bending as it disappeared beyond the eastern horizon.

“Talk? What is this nonsense?” an elf sharply and unyieldingly shouted from the other side.

The hunters and elves were listening intently, so I couldn’t openly suggest discussing a humane way to relocate the whales.

“I am the captain of the hunting party. I would like to speak with your leader in private.”

“We have nothing to discuss with despicable destroyers of nature!”

Despicable destroyers of nature?

I now understood why the hunters said talking to the elves was impossible. Since I was the hunting party’s captain, such accusations were inevitable. Denying it outright wouldn’t help either.

“The sky whale has already left. To prevent unnecessary bloodshed, I want to speak directly with your leader.”

“Shut up, you deceitful scum! How many times have you humans stabbed us in the back already? Do you think we’ll fall for it again?”

Ah, reneging on treaties is common here, too.

That wasn’t surprising. On Earth, those in power would commonly feign diplomacy without actually intending to compromise, exploiting the vulnerability of their opponents.

I glanced back at the hunting party. With how pointless the conversation had been so far, doubt began to show on their faces.

The vice-captain’s expression was especially telling. I imagined he was thinking, I tolerated your lunacy because of your strength, but what the hell are you doing now?

I sighed inwardly.

What should I do?

As I hesitated, a sudden commotion arose among the elves, followed by a clear, feminine voice. “All right, let’s talk.”

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 166 hours 53 minutes.]

My unexpected savior—who had pulled me from a precarious situation—had simple conditions. To avoid potential treachery, both sides would withdraw their forces back to their respective encampments and only the two commanders would meet in the middle to negotiate.

It was exactly what I wanted, so I agreed with a smile while trying to conceal my relief.

As the troops began to pull back and I prepared to walk forward, the vice-captain cautiously warned, “Captain, be careful. They could be the ones to betray us this time.”

I chuckled dryly. “Hah, sure.”

Since when do you care about me?

He had treated me like I was invisible only moments ago, so I had a hard time believing he actually cared. Perhaps he just didn’t want to lose a strong ally.

I turned on my heel and strode forward. As I approached, a female elf with pale skin and long brown hair stepped out from their side. A bow was slung across her back, and a longsword rested against her left thigh.

Her gaze swept over me, sizing me up. I caught myself wondering what conclusions she was drawing.

Wanting to appear as kind as possible, I offered her a polite smile. “Thank you for agreeing to this discussion. I am Kwon Su-Hyeok, the captain of the hunting party.”

“Roxanne.”

Her eyes lingered on my left hand, fixated on something. Curious, I followed her gaze but spotted nothing remarkable. She was merely looking at my gauntlet and the Ring of the Dawn Breeze.

“You’re blessed by the winds, I see. Something far greater than a mere spirit...” she trailed off, her expression suddenly shifting. Her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply, a look of astonishment overtaking her face.

“My goodness... a divine blessing?”

Bewildered, I raised a brow at her reaction. She had discerned the ring’s origin just by looking at it. Considering she was an elf, though, it wasn’t too outlandish.

“This is impossible. This world only possesses two gods. A god of breeze? Could it be?”

“Yes. Another world’s god has blessed this ring.”

Her mouth fell open. Her reaction was so dramatic that I couldn’t help but note how expressive she was even in this tense moment.

Realizing her slip-up, she flushed with embarrassment. “It seems agreeing to your negotiation offer was the right choice.”

“I’m grateful for your cooperation.”

Roxanne’s piercing gaze locked onto mine, and I felt a glimmer of hope. Things were going far more smoothly than I had anticipated. It seemed the divine status of the Blue Dawn Breeze was respected even here, easing the tension.

“What are you, exactly? How does someone blessed by a god from another world end up among the followers of the Endless Furnace?”

“I’m afraid I can’t share that.”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t explain. I simply didn’t want to.

Roxanne’s curious expression made it clear she had more questions. It was only natural; anyone would be intrigued once they heard about other worlds and foreign gods.

She bit her lip lightly before breathing out. After a brief pause, she nodded slightly and regained her composure.

I decided to steer the conversation back on track.

“Let’s return to the original topic. I just want to make it clear that I have no desire to harm the sky whales.”

The mention of the whales made her calm demeanor return. “Really? But why should I trust the captain of a hunting expedition?”

Her gaze sharpened once more. “To be honest, I find it hard to believe you. What do you really want?”