Homunculus Rebirth-Chapter 20 - 78th tower

Some speculate that a tower has a set number of floors, increasing with the level shown on its exterior. You might think so too—but towers aren't a game. They are mysterious phenomena no one fully understands. Some have ten floors. Others have six, or maybe just four. But there are those that stretch much further—twenty, forty-five, even a hundred. The last tower I entered had one hundred floors.

That's when I came to an important realization.

Towers grow.

If not cleared early, more floors are added shortly after a failed attempt.

[System Notice: The guardian is unaffected by the poison applied to his body.]

Upon arrival, the pair of master and disciple were immediately met with a swarm of monsters on the first floor.

'I've discovered another reason why my resurrection took five whole years,' the guardian thought. 'I had forgotten something. The Dark Forest... it's laced with poisonous fumes. Only the monsters born within it are immune. I just realized my immunity was the reason I had no trouble. Because my body adapted to the forest's toxins, it's also vulnerable to weaker status ailments outside of it. Now that I've left, I notice how high my resistance really is—the environment was just that poisonous.'

[System Alert: A threat has been detected!]

[Outcome: The guardian's unique racial trait—Lesser Homunculus—has been activated.]

[Lesser Homunculus]: A mutated organism created from a severed body part of its host. It consumes on behalf of its creator, granting sustenance without the act of eating. If the host is threatened, the homunculus serves as the final line of defense.

"Oh my," the guardian muttered, watching the horde of monsters grow more ferocious. "Looks like they're getting stronger as the wave progresses. I told Alex to explore on his own. He'll learn—especially after the beating I gave him to drill in my teachings. Still, these monsters are amusing enough. I've let my homunculus handle everything up to this point... but I'm bored of waiting."

He dismissed the creature. It reabsorbed into his body.

Then, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a massive greatsword—his weapon, now bonded to his mysterious class.

[Class: Transcender]

A unique and peculiar class. When active, the guardian gains an otherworldly perception.

(Otherworldly View) [Passive]: Reveals unseen phenomena, interprets unknown languages, and grants insight into truths hidden from the average person.

(Limiter Release) [Passive]: Skills and abilities thought to be maxed can now evolve further.

(Unbound) [Passive]: The guardian isn't restricted to a single path; this enhances learning speed and skill proficiency.

(Transcendent) [Active Skill – Rank F]: Grants access to the guardian's full, innate power.

Cost: None. However, if used again while active, a penalty will occur.

Duration: 10 minutes

Cooldown: 24 hours]

'Limiter Release...? That's unusual. The system already breaks limits—what else could it mean? It must be a bug... or a mistake. But Unbound—now that has potential. I'm not shackled to a single destiny. I can be anything~'

From the shadows, monsters lunged—blades gleaming.

[System Notice: Proficiency detected!]

[Outcome: Skills [Skill Mastery Boost] and [Unbound] activated.]

Skill mastery progression: x4

[Unbound] amplifies previous effect: x2

Total proficiency rate: x8]

The guardian blocked their strike with a single swing, the impact shoving them back. Hundreds more surrounded him. He smiled. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

[System Alert: You are surrounded by hundreds of lower-grade monsters.]

[Identifying...]

[Tower Entry - Monster Type: Lower-rank Cult Followers]

Humanoid monsters from another realm, known for their dark attributes.

[Shadow Cloak]: Engulfs the user in shadows. Harder to detect in darkness. Effective in lower tower levels where light is scarce.]

"Sword proficiency: Grade A? Hah! That's music to my ears. Normally, that would take a lifetime! It's already a miracle that my base proficiency was so high... but now? It's child's play. At this rate, I might escape this tower earlier than expected."

The cult followers vanished into a void of shadows.

The light disappeared. No entrance. No exit. Just darkness.

But with his abyssal sense, the guardian could still detect their presence.

[Special Ability Activated: Weapon Creation (Thornerus Bone Structure)]

Converts mana into bone-based weapons. Size and power scale with mana spent.]

"Thornerus Overgrowth."

He channeled mana into his palm. His bones erupted—razor-sharp spikes intertwining like thorned vines, dominating the area.

Blood filled the air.

'Some survived, but I didn't expect this attack to finish them all. Now, they can't move freely. These bones are sharp enough to sever limbs. Cost me a ton of mana, but it's better than dragging this out—especially on just the first floor. And this is the downgraded version, adapted to our current level.'

He slashed through the air with his greatsword. The cultists fled.

But he didn't want a long fight—especially not when his disciple might be nearby.

He summoned a single imp. Then corrupted it.

[System Notice: Shard of Catastrophe triggered mutation.]

[Spell Activated: Full Mental]

Affects all targets in range with mental disturbances—headaches, nightmares, delusions, and hallucinations. Eventually, they may attack each other in confusion.]

Their minds fractured. Their screams exposed their positions.

The abnormal imp fired spells.

Neon surged forward—mana empowering his legs and speed enhanced by his newly gained proficiency.

A horizontal slash tore through the shadows and shattered nearby rubble.

[System: Monster killed. Experience distributed.]

[Level up: 39 → 42]

[Level 40 Reward: Random Skill Generated]

[Adrenaline]:

Triggers when HP falls below 50%. All stats are increased by 25%.

'Too bad I can't devour their corpses,' Neon thought. 'The tower's authority is absolute—it owns the bodies. They don't disintegrate like in a game, but that doesn't make it any less real. This is reality.'

He sighed.

'I need to find that thick-headed disciple. This tower only has ten floors at most. Better to regroup now than face something beyond our limits.'

Once the system finalized the loot and experience, Neon departed.

Despite his strength and knowledge, something told him it still wasn't enough. They could leave the tower anytime.

But if they did... the egg might hatch.

And if that happened, they'd face something truly horrific.

Returning to the forest was suicide.

So for now... they would stay.