Brandon's complexions were pale due to the amount of blood he had lost.
He had managed to stop the bleeding in his chest somewhat, blocking the drain with his mana.
But still,
It hurt.
A lot.
The effects of his binding vow were still there. It would take a lot of consumption just to drain all the abundance of mana he currently had.
For that reason, gritting his teeth, Brandon traversed the floors, blending within the mist.
Each floor's expanse varied. On average, efficiently conserving his mana, it took about five minutes to completely envelop a single floor
Brandon didn't want to expend too much mana, in the off chance that he would have to face another foe.
Thud!
Oftentimes, he would stumble.
And oftentimes, he would get back up on his feet.
He had to leave this deathtrap before the floors were reconstructed.
WHIII—
Portal....
WHIII—
After portal.
WHIII—
After portal.
He was getting nauseous due to the instantaneous traveling.
"Uekk...!"
He would even gag, a retching sound echoing, but he held it in.
Head spinning, his body stumbled slightly.
He had reached even the lower floors.
Floors he had never tackled with Raven.
They were completely empty, some with unique looking terrains, some completely plain. Much to the point where he thought he would go insane—seeing the emptiness the floors had.
He had to pause on the 16th floor due to motion sickness.
Stumbling down, his vision grew hazy and his entire world was a blur—spinning.
And,
"Blergh....!"
Unable to hold it in any longer, crouched down on the ground, he puked.
As soon as he finished, he wiped his face with his clothes and stood up. Pulling his gloves tightly, Brandon reassessed his thoughts before continuing.
WHIII—
"Uek...!"
WHIII—
Thud!
His eyes bulged, and the only sound he could make was a painful cough as he stumbled down on the ground.
His stomach felt like it was twisted in knots. Much from the nausea, and from the starvation.
He hadn't eaten a single meal in a day.
But still, he persevered, lifting his head up from the ground, propping his body up.
WHIII—
He couldn't make sense of the floors anymore. Just that, he was aware it was all cleared.
Questions filled his mind one after another; 'Who cleared the floors? How were we thrusted in the higher floors? How....'
If he didn't flood his mana over the brim, it would probably take a whole week to venture down, knowing how vast the floors were.
Each time he fell, his hands fumbled the ground, the dirt staining his gloves.
There were puke stains on his clothes as well, but once more he continued.
WHIII—
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"Haaa...."
WHIII—
"I'm tired...."
WHIII—
Despite the leaking mana tempering every fibers in his muscles, pain shot through every bone, his body folding, and the water erupted around him.
"Kh...!"
He gasped, struggling to breathe, his chest on fire, his vision blurred.
He had survived.
Barely.
Brandon dragged himself out of the water, his limbs heavy, and collapsed on the wet ground.
"Haaa.... H-haaa...."
Each breath was a struggle.
His body ached, his bones throbbed, but he was alive.
That had to be enough.
He needed to move.
Slowly, painfully, Brandon pushed himself up, his hands trembling.
He stumbled forward, his eyes fixed ahead.
"Get.... out.... Cough!"
One step at a time.
He couldn't stop now.
The shallow water soaked his body, his limbs aching, his vision blurring.
He tried to stand, but his legs buckled. He fell to his knees, coughing, tasting the metallic tang of blood.
He whispered, dragging himself forward, his hands trembling.
Every breath hurt. Every muscle screamed in pain.
But he couldn't stop.
Not here.
Not like this.
He pushed himself up, his eyes fixed on the faint light ahead.
"Fucking hell...."
He muttered, his voice almost a whisper.
His legs shook, his body swaying, but he moved forward.
The light grew brighter each step he took, dragging his body and gritting his teeth—fighting off the pain.
Until finally,
WHIII—
He had entered the fifth floor.
Just a bit more.
"A bit more...."
He could finally go back home.
Who knows how much time had passed?
He had lost all senses of time.
In any case, light finally engulfed his vision.
The darkness that seemed to creep behind him had almost made him mad.
So much so that he felt most of his senses numb by now.
But this floor—the fifth floor....
"...."
His body froze, steps halted as he stared in horror.
"What...."
A sudden chill ran down his spine as a memory triggered.
Memories he had mostly put in the back of his mind—memories he never needed to remember.
But.... he stared at the scene.
He could've just traversed the entire floor instantaneously, engulfing it in mist.
But he couldn't peel his eyes away.
He couldn't make sense of it either. What the hell happened here!?
There shouldn't have been anyone else besides him and Raven inside the tower.
"...."
Corpses.
Corpses of humans lay strewn everywhere.