Reincarnated With The Degenerate System-Chapter 222 - 16th Floor Part 3

Retreat was no longer an option. We couldn’t escape this place unless only sixteen people remained—that was the Tower’s rule.

I could kill my own members, but I wasn’t evil enough to slaughter innocent people, especially those who worked for me.

Yes, they had been brainwashed, but two rules always stood. I wouldn’t directly cause their deaths without a good reason, and I would compensate them handsomely so they could enjoy their lives.

"Don’t worry. I’m here, and I promised that we will all make it." I made sure my voice stayed firm.

They nodded, and a few even smiled. My actions from before had already built a solid reputation.

"Alexa, Rhea, Lian, Faye, come here."

New instructions were given. Once it was done, I planted my foot on the platform and widened my stance.

A deep breath followed.

Black aura seeped over my skin. This was evil Qi, power I rarely used because it felt unnecessary, and I didn’t like the idea of it slowly corrupting my mind with every use.

However, right now, I needed to reach a level far stronger than before.

crack!

My skin began cracking, but the strength surging through my body was addictive.

If my normal Qi felt like trying to bathe in water, then this... this was like bathing in thick mud. Heavy, resistant, yet when I closed my eyes, the texture and weight gave a strange, thrilling sensation.

Soon, my dantians reached its limit, and a wide grin spread across my face. I couldn’t stop laughing maniacally. My bloodlust was so strong that it made my werewolf state seem tame in comparison.

If my werewolf form attuned me to animal instinct and the urge to devour flesh, this state made me want to be cruel—to destroy and kill simply for the thrill of it.

It was scary in so many ways.

Then, as if a string inside me snapped, my vision changed. Everything turned into shades of red and black.

"You think you’re the only one who can evolve?" I sneered. "Let me show you what happens when I really get serious, you ugly mutated piece of shit."

Blink!

I teleported to another platform, then with a single powerful step, I shot through the air like a bullet. The impact shattered the floor beneath me into pieces.

"EEEK!"

The monster launched a green glob at me, but I pierced it cleanly aside.

Bang!

My spear collided with its razor-sharp arms.

To everyone’s shock, the force pushed it back, sending the massive creature flying.

But it managed to create a web in midair, using the pillars to stretch it before flying toward me.

Bang!

This time, I was the one sent flying.

As I spun through the air, I saw it chasing after me, spraying more webbing. The ceiling and pillars were quickly covered, turning the entire space into its domain.

This pattern... it hadn’t used it before.

I teleported toward one of the pillars and aimed for its abdomen. As expected, its reaction time was faster than before, forcing me to put extra effort into breaking through its defense.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Lian and the rest of the team at work, slowly turning the toxic water into ice.

Lowering the temperature of the chamber would take time, but it was far better than trying to move through corrosive sludge.

Just as I exchanged strikes with the boss, I noticed Alexa using her ultimate attack.

She wasn’t strong enough to deal real damage, but her clones created an opening. I drove my spear into its side, sending it crashing into the toxic water.

crack!

Lightning ripped through the ceiling as Faye cast her power.

She floated above the surface, carried by Tori, who used her super speed to run across platforms, moving like a streak of light over the deadly green sludge.

Then Faye and Sora took to the air, launching flames and tornadoes, combining them to amplify the damage. The boss shrieked.

As expected, like most organisms, it was weak to fire and lightning.

I also began bombarding it with my Shadow Wind attack. For a moment, it seemed like we could win just by maintaining this damaged output.

But then it released its deadly smoke again—this time even more corrosive.

Sora quickly used her wind to push it away from the A-Rankers who didn’t have Nano Suits.

I joined her, striking at the boss’s head, hoping to stop it, but it only intensified the release.

The chamber was quickly filling with poisonous air. I made a split-second decision: stick to the ceiling and use it as springboard.

"Moonlight Thrust—Shadow Wind Expanded"

Before anyone could even react, I shot straight through the boss’s stomach.

The others seized the chance to bombard it with attacks. Things tilted in our favor again—until another surprise hit.

The boss shrieked, and from its body, thin green lines shot out. They were narrow but blindingly fast. Alexa barely dodged one, forcing the others to pull back while I held my ground and tanked the attack.

Meanwhile, the other A-Rankers finally closed in, thanks to the ice bridges Lian had created.

She adjusted her tactics, realizing that freezing the entire chamber was impossible. A smart call.

With more people dealing damage and using advance grenades, we slowly chipped away at the boss’s health.

It also helped that Lian’s ice ability worked perfectly against the boss, slowing it down and making its movements easier to predict.

Finally, it succumbed to our combined assault—a fortunate turn of events, because the backlash from using Evil Qi hit me just a few breaths later.

Alexa teleported to my side.

"Don’t worry, I’m okay. I just need to rest.

Honestly, I could just unsummon my clone and reset this state, so I wasn’t too concerned about any long-term effects of using Evil Qi.

If I ignored the risk of becoming a mindless killing machine, I could even gain more power from it. But I had to be mindful of my companions’ safety first.

The chamber had returned to normal, and the toxic liquid vanished.

"We actually did it," Rhea commented.

I stood up and smiled. "Yeah, but it’s better to hold off on unlocking this place. Let’s wait until the last day."

Clearing two floors back-to-back would raise too many questions, so at the very least, I needed to tone down our performance.

"Okay, let’s see if we got any good items this time."

We ended up with eight boxes in total. I opened them one by one in front of everyone. Most were just the usual assortment of items, but one immediately caught my eye.

It was a necklace, its chain glinting with green diamonds. I picked it up—and the system reacted.

Celestial Accessory: Emerald Spider Necklace

Effect: Grants complete immunity to all forms of poison, toxins, and corrosive substances. When worn, the user’s body neutralizes any harmful substances instantly, allowing survival in even the deadliest environments.

I clenched the necklace in my hand, tempted to put it on immediately.

But my body was already highly resistant to poison, and as I advanced in cultivation, that resistance would only grow stronger.

"Alexa, come here," I called, holding out the necklace and fastening it around her neck.

The other girls started whispering among themselves, clearly under the impression that I was hitting on her.

"This will make you immune to all poison, toxins, and corrosive substances. You fight in close combat, so it complements your style," I explained.

"Why are you giving this to me? I thought only the guild leader could decide what happens to the items," she asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Don’t worry. Guild Master Ace gave me permission to handle decisions inside the Tower as I see fit. And he’d be happy with this one."

No one argued. They all knew that the only reason we managed to take down two bosses consecutively was my overwhelming firepower. In that department alone, I was already at least equal to multiple S-Ranks.

Although I couldn’t take all the credit. By my estimate, I dealt at least 50% of the damage, the rest of the S-Ranks contributed 40%, and the remaining 10% came from the A-Ranks with their support items.

"So, what’s the plan now?" Alexa asked.

As long as the core stayed inactive, no one would know the boss had been defeated.

On top of that, even if I activated it, no one could teleport directly to the Sixteenth-Floor boss room except my team. One requirement for teleporting was touching the core first to receive its mark.

This was why we had a guide assisting us when we first entered the Tower.

I was tempted to head to the 17th floor immediately and attempt a 3-feat in one run. My guild would make history if I pulled it off, but a part of me knew it would do more harm than good.

In the end, I decided to hold back, and head back.

Since we already cleared the boss, the area on this floor had become more bearable. It still wasn’t suitable for life, but at least the toxic air had lessened.

Back at the camp, I checked in with the others. So far, the Association had stayed true to their word and left us alone to gather more materials.

But just to be safe, I asked my A-Ranks to personally send a message to the guild, calling for more people to join us, and guard the tunnels.

With that done, I entered my personal tent and lay down. Soon, I drifted off to sleep and found myself back in my luxurious bedroom.

’Talk about convenient.’