Just call me Thor - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: Eternal Friendship Of The Werewolves
Mike never expected that the old man in front of him was actually from the 10th floor!

Back on the 10th floor, Mike had achieved a 100% Exploration Rate with the human faction. However, there was one thing that struck him as odd.

He had scoured every nook and cranny of Mistveil Castle but hadn’t encountered a single human. At the time, he couldn’t shake off the nagging question: where were they?

As he was about to depart from Mistveil Castle, Mike had complimented Vladimir on the beautiful flowers and plants surrounding the castle. Vladimir’s composure had crumbled instantly.

He had never planted anything in his life; vampires had no affinity for gardening. Where had all the greenery come from?

Now, Mike was hearing a similar story from the old man, albeit with a few more details. The pieces of the past were starting to come together, but they also brought new questions to light.

“Your presence here… does that mean you belong to the human faction on this floor?”

“No.” The old man shook his head slowly. “We don’t belong to this floor. We’re merely seeking refuge, homeless wanderers.”

In other words, these outsiders had no connection to the 30th floor’s storyline. If Mike wanted to achieve an SSSSS rating, he would have to find another way.

“However,” the old man continued, his tone shifting slightly, “I might know a thing or two that you don’t.” He paused, then asked, “Are you familiar with the term ‘Lower Three Races’?”

[I know!]

[The Lower Three Races are: Elves, Blood Clan, Werewolves]

Despite the Eye of Truth’s prompt, Mike maintained a straight face and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

The old man provided the same explanation, then continued, “Among the Nine Races, these three races experience the weakest, most insignificant power gains from leveling up and changing classes. Hence, they are known as the Lower Three Races.”

The Nine Races… another piece of the puzzle.

Mike nodded slowly. “That sounds a bit discriminatory, don’t you think? What about humans?”

“Humans are not part of the Nine Races.”

After answering Mike’s question, the old man continued his explanation. “Legend has it that the Tower of Truth was created by the Nine Races in conjunction with numerous deities. Each set of ten floors has a designated guardian, and the first thirty floors are entrusted to the Lower Three Races.”

Mike pondered this new information.

The 10th floor: Vladimir and the White Wolf King. It seemed likely that they were the guardians representing the werewolves. The White Wolf King held an esteemed position of power within the werewolf race.

The 20th floor: Dracula, slumbering beneath the icy plains, was second only to the Blood Ancestor among the blood clan.

Following this pattern, the 30th floor should have a guardian from the elves!

With the old man’s insights, Mike’s thoughts began to crystallize.

Although there were no apparent factions on the 30th floor yet, they already knew of humans and werewolves. Adding a hidden elf guardian to the mix made perfect sense.

But the old man’s knowledge about the elves was limited.

Mike exchanged a few more pleasantries with him, left some food and supplies, then took his leave.

This group of humans had lived in seclusion ever since their arrival on the 30th floor.

That is, until Anderson and the others stumbled upon their hidden village.

Upon learning of their situation, Kaelum and Elena had offered their assistance, improving their living conditions.

After bidding farewell to the old man, Mike turned to Kaelum with a smile. “You’ve done me a great service. Is there anything I can offer in return?”

Without Anderson and the others, Mike might never have discovered the existence of the old man and his people.

Of course, with his abilities, he would have sensed something amiss eventually.

But their actions had undoubtedly saved him valuable time.

Returning favors was an integral part of Mike’s moral compass.

Kaelum blushed slightly. “You’ve already bestowed so many buffs upon us. It wouldn’t feel right to ask for anything more…”

“Alright then,” Mike replied with a nod. “I’ll be on my way.”

Kaelum: ???

Bro! Bro Thor! It was just a figure of speech!

Kaelum quickly called out to Thor, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble… could I perhaps receive a Lone Wolf badge imprint?”

“No problem at all.” Mike retrieved his Lone Wolf badge. “Where would you like it?”

Kaelum’s first instinct was to say his face, but he still had to interact with other people, so that wouldn’t do.

In the end, Mike helped him stamp the badge onto his staff.

Kaelum swore he would never clean this staff again!

Elena hesitated for a moment before voicing her request.

“I’d like to purchase a batch of S-grade ore. No need for a large quantity, just 500 pounds will suffice.”

She then added, “I’m willing to pay 30% above market value!”

Mike raised an eyebrow.

At that price, he might as well sell her the entire mine!

Just kidding, of course.

Even if he wanted to, Elena wouldn’t be able to afford it.

It was no secret among the upper echelons of humanity that Thor possessed the Mysterious Mine, capable of producing high-quality ore.

As a mechanical element powerhouse, Elena had a constant need for such valuable resources.

“Consider it done. I’ll have it delivered to you through the Mystic Market.”

He then added, “There’s no need for a markup. Market price will be just fine.”

Finally, it was Anderson’s turn. All eyes turned to him.

He had played a crucial role in intercepting Thor, not once, but twice.

And he was the one who had discovered this group of humans in the first place.

What would he ask of Thor?

“I heard there’s a tournament coming up between the Guardian Shadow and the Nightmare Corps,” Anderson said in a low voice.

As a Supreme Being seed of the new generation, he had naturally received an invitation from the Nightmare Corps.

Mike raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“I want to represent the Guardian Shadow,” Anderson thought for a moment, then pointed at Kaelum. “Kaelum will be representing the General tier of the Nightmare Corps. I’m going to wipe the floor with him. I can knock him out with one punch so hard he’ll wet his pants.”

Kaelum: Dude, not cool! Am I invisible?

“Consider it done.”

Mike agreed to Anderson’s request without hesitation.

Kaelum was already a top-tier powerhouse in the General tier, and Anderson had his number.

This meant that the Guardian Shadow would have a significant advantage in the General tier tournament.

With nothing left to discuss, Mike bid them farewell once again.

He reappeared above the wilderness and quickly located Vladimir.

This time, he also summoned Dracula.

Without wasting any time, Mike cut straight to the chase.

“Think hard. Are there any powerhouses among the elves who are on par with you, or perhaps even slightly stronger?”

Both blood clan members shook their heads in unison, their denials absolute. “None whatsoever!”

Mike chuckled. “Can you two be honest for once? Is your blood clan pride really that fragile?”

Vladimir puffed out his chest. “The strongest among the elves are the Blood Elves. That’s an irrefutable fact!”

Seeing their stubborn refusal to budge, Mike rephrased his question. “Alright, then are there any elf powerhouses who are just a tad weaker than you?”

Both of them nodded in unison.

“Now that you mention it…”

“Besides the Elf Ancestor, there are three major powerhouses among the elves, all possessing the strength of ninth-tier Lords.”

Vladimir began counting on his fingers. “One from the Sun Elves, one from the Moon Elves…”

He faltered on the third, his memory failing him.

Dracula snorted and provided the missing piece. “And one from the Nature Elves.”

===

Mike couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the two vampires’ words. “So, you’re saying the guardian of the 30th floor is actually three elves, all with the power of nine-star Lords?”

Dracula remained silent. In truth, he couldn’t fathom what Thor was afraid of. With his power, dealing with a nine-star Lord shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Vladimir, however, understood his master better and patiently explained, “Master, although your level isn’t that high, you don’t need to worry. The elves ended up even worse than us!”

It was clear that before the Tower of Truth was built, all races had experienced turmoil.

The blood clan had the River of Blood mutating, throwing all their powerhouses into chaos and disarray.

The werewolf powerhouses were almost all killed or captured by the blood clan. Even the White Wolf King was imprisoned in Mistveil Castle, so one could only imagine the fate of the other werewolves.

As fellow members of the Lower Three Races, the elves hadn’t fared much better.

The most powerful elf known, the Elf Ancestor, had failed to break through to level 1000.

“The Elf Envoys of the Sun Elves and Moon Elves are already dead,” Dracula said, hesitating for a moment before adding, “Killed by the Elf Envoy of the Nature Elves. That much is certain.”

Having accompanied Thor on his second mission, Dracula had figured something out. As long as he contributed to Thor’s progress, he would be rewarded accordingly. Therefore, he also began to actively showcase himself.

Elf Envoy was the title given to the strongest elf of a clan.

Mike nodded slowly, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.

The Nature Elf Envoy, a 989-level powerhouse, even at full strength, held no fear for Mike!

An enemy lurking in the shadows was not truly powerful.

Mike turned to Vladimir. “I asked you to keep an eye on that young White Wolf. Did you notice anything unusual?”

“Yes!” Vladimir said eagerly, eager to please. “Master, that kid tried to enter a valley but was stopped at the entrance.”

“Oh?” Mike’s interest was piqued. “Lead the way.”

Vladimir immediately started leading the way, with Cerberus following close behind.

Dracula took two steps forward, then stopped and looked back at Thor, his eyes full of confusion.

“Aren’t you… coming?”

Before Mike could answer, Vladimir slapped Dracula on the back of the head and scolded, “You idiot! How dare you suggest the Master follow us without scouting ahead? What if there’s danger? Are you trying to get our esteemed master killed, you wretched creature?!”

Dracula: ???

Was Thor not the most dangerous being on the 30th floor?!

Other challengers had to worry about the boss being too strong.

When Thor challenged a floor, the boss had to worry about him being too strong!

Dracula took the slap without another word and followed Vladimir to scout the way.

With Cerberus’s help, Mike quickly determined that the valley was safe.

Not only that, but at the entrance to the valley, he saw a familiar werewolf.

“Wind’s Reach!”

Mike appeared at the valley entrance, landing gracefully.

“White Wolf King, it’s been a while!”

The real White Wolf King, a terrifying sword scar etched across his chest, stood guard at the valley entrance.

Earlier, when Vladimir and Dracula had approached, he had released his aura, trying to force them to leave.

As they faced off, Thor descended from the sky.

[Congratulations, you’ve found the real White Wolf King!]

“You actually managed to subdue him…” The White Wolf King glanced at Vladimir, then sheathed his claws and turned to Thor, speaking respectfully. “You have the eternal friendship of the werewolves.”

“It was nothing,” Mike said, waving his hand dismissively. “Dorian and the others are with me. Would you like to see him?”

“There’s no need.” The White Wolf King shook his head. “He no longer follows the Wolf Ancestor (Alpha). We have nothing to say to each other. On your land, werewolves will have freedom and dignity. That is enough.”

Vladimir’s lips twitched. Dignity under Thor?

Huh…

Come to think of it, apart from himself, everyone else seemed to be doing quite well?

Vladimir made the sad realization that under Thor, as long as you were useless, you wouldn’t be exploited!

The reason he was in such a sorry state was that he was too dedicated.

Vladimir cursed himself inwardly, but in order to increase his strength, he had to follow Thor!

“I respect everyone’s wishes.” Mike looked at the White Wolf King, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “By the way… is the Wolf Alpha still alive?”

The Blood Ancestor had failed to reach level 1000 and disappeared.

The Elf Ancestor was also shrouded in mystery.

Mike couldn’t help but be curious about the legendary Wolf Alpha.

“The werewolves are different from other races,” the White Wolf King explained patiently. “The Wolf Ancestor is a totem, a symbol, held by the most powerful being among us. Even if someone from another werewolf defeats the current Wolf Ancestor, they would become the new Alpha.”

Mike nodded slowly as he listened to the White Wolf King’s explanation.

So, the Wolf Alpha was always alive.

He just didn’t know who the current one was or how strong they were.

Mike looked at the White Wolf King and asked, “Why are you guarding this valley? What’s the deal with that young White Wolf outside? What do you know about this floor?”

He had too many questions about the 30th floor’s storyline.

The real White Wolf King was clearly a special NPC.

The question that concerned Mike the most was, what was the cycle on this floor?!

Without a cycle to break, he wouldn’t be able to achieve an SSSSS rating, based on his previous experiences.

“That…” The White Wolf King hesitated for a moment, then relaxed, as if he had made a decision. “Future Supreme Being of the human race, please follow me.”

The White Wolf King turned and led the way.

As Mike followed, he instructed, “Guard this entrance well. You’re in charge of security.”

Vladimir nodded eagerly. “Yes, sir!”

Dracula snorted.

Guarding a door was a dog’s job!

With that thought in mind, he turned his back to the entrance and paced back and forth, clinging to his blood clan pride.

He wasn’t guarding the entrance; he was taking a leisurely stroll.

And taking a leisurely stroll couldn’t be considered guarding, could it?!

Leaving his two blood clan bodyguards at the entrance, Mike followed the White Wolf King.

As they walked through the narrow valley passage, the White Wolf King explained, “After the cycle of that day was broken, all my memories returned.”

“I remembered Morpheus, Ares, and… that man.”

“I was supposed to go to the Temple of Truth. I felt like I was on the verge of a breakthrough, but something was holding me back.”

“In the end, I followed my instincts, hazy as they were, and ended up here.”

Listening to the White Wolf King’s words, Mike had a general idea of what he had been through.

Apollo was likely involved in the White Wolf King’s presence on the 30th floor.

After a brief walk, they reached the end of the passage.

Mike’s eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

Countless stone spikes jutted out from the valley floor, forming a natural death trap.

Falling from above meant certain impalement. There was no chance of survival.

And at the bottom of the valley, among the stone spikes, lay… countless White Wolf corpses.

A sea of bodies, stained crimson with blood, littered the valley floor.

As Mike stared at the gruesome scene, a prompt appeared before him.

[A total of 34,567 White Wolf King corpses detected].