Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 192

Chapter 192: Set Camp
After lifting the first batch over the gap, Lucius floated back down and raised his hand again.

Space rippled beneath the next group of Awakeners as they rose smoothly through the air like they were weightless.

One by one, the rest of the group crossed the gap, their feet landing safely on the other side of the broken staircase.

Once the final person stepped off the floating current, Lucius exhaled softly and dusted off his hands.

“There,” he muttered, “everyone’s across.”

[ @StreamWatcher: Lucius literally air-lifted a whole squad 😭 ]

[ @ManaJunkie: That control over space is unreal. ]

[ @GuildFeed: MVP taxi confirmed 😭🔥 ]

[ @THEWatcher: Bro deserves a medal for patience 💀💀💀 ]

Supreme Man gave a wave from ahead.

“Scout ahead for more gaps or monsters so you can handle them!” he called out. “We’ll be very limited in battle on these stairs because of the risk of falling off. The Wind Mages would’ve joined you, but we only have one left and she’s still recovering—”

“I hear ya,” Lucius cut in before the man could finish.

He sighed under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “First the taxi, now the scout. Perfect.”

Without another word, he stepped forward, his feet leaving the surface as he floated upward in a stream of spatial energy.

He moved fast… his form becoming a blur of black as the staircase wound endlessly upward.

After several minutes, he came to a stop in front of another gap… this one was even wider than the last.

“With how old this thing is,” he muttered, glancing at the eroded edges of the stone, “I’m honestly surprised they can still walk on it.”

He looked back toward the faint specks of people far below, they were still climbing. “Should I wait… or just fix it now?”

He crouched and placed a hand on the edge of the stone floor.

“Wood Creation.”

Mana pulsed from his palm, and in seconds, thick slabs of enchanted wood emerged from the air, spreading outward like vines before solidifying into a sturdy bridge that filled the entire gap.

He tapped the new surface with his knuckles. “Solid enough.”

He frowned, then added, “I should reinforce it just to be sure.”

He gestured again, and thick wooden supports formed beneath the bridge, intertwining into a lattice that fused with the staircase walls.

He leaned back slightly, completely satisfied with the result. “Even someone as heavy as Supreme Man won’t fall.”

With that, he rose higher again, continuing the climb alone.

Every time he found another gap, he filled it seamlessly… each bridge was forming smoother and stronger than the last.

But as he went higher, something strange began to happen.

A strange pink mist swirled in the air, like smoke leaking from invisible cracks in reality. The higher he climbed, the denser it became until it was like fog.

“Hm?” He stopped mid-air, hovering just above one of his wooden bridges.

He touched the railing, and his brow furrowed.

The wood beneath his fingers was rotting… very quickly. “That’s new.”

The pink smoke was eating away at the wood, slowly breaking it apart.

Lucius studied it for a moment, then nodded. “Why don’t I capture this for later?”

He extended his hand, and space bent before him.

A sphere formed… it was tiny at first, then rapidly expanding as the mist from all around him began swirling inward.

The pink smoke rushed into the vortex like water spiraling down a drain until the air around him was completely clear again.

Within seconds, all the mist had been absorbed into a condensed ball of pink gas that hovered over his palm.

Lucius sealed it instantly, space folding tightly around it until it vanished into a small glowing orb.

He smirked. “There. Contained.”

He studied his handiwork for a moment before muttering, “I really need to take more elements… would make all this easier.”

He placed the orb into his inventory, and as soon as it disappeared, the wood under his feet began regenerating again, restored to its original strength.

Satisfied, Lucius dusted off his hands.

“No monsters either,” he said, glancing up toward the higher parts of the staircase. “Guess it’s a clear path to the top, then.”

…

Supreme Man exhaled deeply as he and the others climbed. The entire squad was covered in sweat, their faces were red from the long ascent.

He looked upward at the end of the endless spiral.

“We could’ve asked Lucius to carry us all the way up,” he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it… he just had too much pride.

As a Guild Leader, relying completely on another’s power, especially someone younger, didn’t sit right with him.

So instead, they’d walked… and walked… and climbed.

And it had taken them nearly an hour to reach the top.

When they finally stepped onto the final platform, Lucius was already there, standing at the edge with his arms stretched above his head as he yawned.

“Took you guys long enough,” he said casually, his hair fluttering lightly in the wind.

The top of the tower was massive and circular, wide enough to fit everyone comfortably.

From here, another staircase extended upward… this one was more narrower, spiraling into the sky and vanishing into the clouds above.

“This should be the staircase that leads us to the second floor,” Lucius said, turning toward the group. “Though we should hurry.”

“Why?” Rita asked, her tone cautious.

Lucius pointed behind her.

Rita turned and froze.

The horizon, which had been clear moments ago, was now covered entirely in pink smoke. It rolled over the land like a living storm, spreading in every direction.

Even the ruins of the destroyed town below were gone, completely swallowed whole by the haze.

“It’s coming for us,” she whispered.

Supreme Man didn’t hesitate.

“Start climbing!” he shouted.

Everyone began moving instantly.

The first wave of Awakeners rushed onto the staircase, boots clattering against the stone as they ascended rapidly.

One by one, they climbed higher until the first few reached the clouds.

The moment Supreme Man’s body passed through the thick white layer, his figure flickered then vanished completely, transported to the next floor.

The others followed, climbing faster as the pink smoke began creeping up the tower.

It was slow at first, but its tendrils soon reached the edge of the platform, curling upward like hands reaching for them.

Lucius’s squad had already gone ahead.

The only ones left were Lucius and Vanessa.

Vanessa looked back at the pink smoke closing in.

“It’s getting faster, and I can feel my magic getting weaker…” she muttered.

Lucius looked at her and smiled. “Shall we go, my lady?”

Her cheeks flushed.

“We shall,” she said softly.

Lucius stepped closer and, without another word, scooped her into his arms.

She let out a small gasp as he held her easily with one arm beneath her legs and the other supporting her back.

He looked up toward the sky. “Hold on tight.”

Her arms instinctively went around his neck.

Lucius kicked off the ground, and space rippled around them as he shot upward at high speed.

The staircase blurred beneath them and the air rushed past in streaks.

Within seconds, they pierced through the clouds and just as the last traces of the pink smoke reached the top of the tower, they vanished.

The smoke consumed everything below.

The tower, the sky, the ground… everything disappeared beneath a blanket of glowing pink mist.

…

Lucius blinked.

For a moment, the brightness blinded him. Then, as his eyes adjusted, he saw it…

They were no longer in a tower.

Instead, they stood on what looked like an island.

A soft breeze carried the scent of water and grass. A narrow stream ran alongside them, sparkling in the sunlight, while lush greenery stretched out in every direction.

Other Awakeners were nearby.

They looked around with confusion and awe mixing on their faces.

The contrast was stark… after the crimson skies and the ruins below, this place looked almost peaceful.

Even the drone camera hovering nearby captured the stunning transition.

[ @StreamView: WAIT WHAT?? It’s like paradise now?? 😭 ]

[ @DungeonFeed: FROM BLOOD TO BLOOM 😭🔥 ]

[ @SaintessFan: The pink fog teleported them? This floor’s beautiful. ]

[ @RaidYourDungeon: Dungeon environment switch just broke the stream’s view counter 😭🔥🔥🔥 ]

Lucius looked around slowly.

The grass beneath his boots was soft…

“This… doesn’t look like the same dungeon,” Vanessa murmured. She reached down to touch the water, watching ripples form under her fingers.

Supreme Man was already ahead, standing on a small hill overlooking the field.

He raised his arm high and his deep voice boomed across the island.

“We set camp here!”