Chapter 13
After trying calming magic.
It had no effect whatsoever.
"It did make me come to my senses a little sooner, though."
Maybe that was just because I'd dragged out the whole business of killing goblins for far too long.
"Last time, ugh."
Just thinking about it made my head throb.
I'd never known you could chop a goblin up into such tiny pieces.
Since I'd done it while calm from the calming magic, I'd actually gotten even more absorbed and chopped them up more thoroughly and carefully.
"Calming magic doesn't work at all!"
What? It was magic that calmed monsters, too? And using it could give you depression?
It was all bullshit.
I wrote a post on the gallery, seething with anger. The response was explosive.
[Title: So this is what you're saying.]
[Loves Magic]
You used calming magic to enter the Tower, then carefully dissected and analyzed the goblins that came out of it, like a butcher. That's what you're saying.
If that's true, you're seriously fucking crazy. Is there really a trait that makes you that insane?
[Comments]
Black*Mage*...: You've got a talent for black magic.
Roombound Archmage: I think it's a lie, personally. You broke through the effects of calming magic?
ㄴ Warrior Main: I've heard that some people with the Berserker trait can sometimes break through it, but I doubt they'd be able to do something like dissect and analyze.
"Hmm?"
Something felt off. More users were growing suspicious than believing what I said.
"Uh, this is..."
This kind of atmosphere wasn't good.
[Title: Come to think of it, isn't this a little hard to believe?]
[Title: Mage bro, come over here and sit down.]
[Title: Heavenly Demon <<< Just a superstar, upvote lol]
The gallery gradually descended into chaos, with countless bait posts mixed in with hot takes.
And the final nail in the coffin was a post by one user.
[Title: Callout) Saying this even if I get blocked.]
[Mage Bro]
We need to address one thing here.
Heavenly Demon.
Is this user's claim—that he's become a fucking crazy psycho because of his trait—actually true?
This guy used to post about his breakfast every morning, and we'd all quietly figured it out, right? This bastard had Awakened but never actually entered the Tower.
Since the gallery rules let you mention usernames but not form personal connections, we all kept quiet about it.
But all of a sudden lately, he's only been posting weird shit about re-awakening and losing his mind when he enters the Tower. Is any of this believable?
To me, it looks like his breakfast posts stopped drawing attention, so now he's trying to bait people with something else.
Counterarguments welcome. If I get blocked for this, so be it.
[Comments]
Warrior Main: Damn, that kinda sounds right too.
Loves Magic: Still, calling someone out from a burner account is a bit much.
Save the Mage: Disputes between users are grounds for a ban.
ㄴ Roombound Archmage: Oh, the head mod's alive. This bastard was still around.
ㄴ Mage Bro: No, we all know the gallery's hands-off policy, and it's great that the place is so relaxed because of it, but you still have to deal with low-effort bait like that.
ㄴ Save the Mage: I understand everyone's opinions. We'll take action against the user causing problems soon.
[Deleted post.]
The post calling me out was deleted in no time.
Soon after, an announcement went up.
[Title: Announcement.]
[Save the Mage]
Things outside have been rather turbulent lately, so I've neglected the gallery for a while. I apologize for that.
First, I've heard everyone's opinions.
However, rules are rules, so I've given all users who violated them a one-day ban.
Also, the user causing the problem should provide proof by posting a picture showing them entering or clearing the Tower.
Until then, both their main and alternate accounts will remain blocked.
Please note that this is a decision agreed upon by all the gallery moderators.
[Comments]
Loves Magic: Head mod! Head mod! Head mod!
Warrior Main: Head mod, is he a god?
Roombound Archmage: Nice and clean announcement. But how are we supposed to know the proof is real?
ㄴ Save the Mage: You can take a piece of paper into the Tower and photograph it in the Reward Room, or write something on the back of your hand to prove it's you. It shouldn't be too hard for an Awakened person entering the Tower.
"What?"
What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?
He's blocking me? And ordering me to prove it with a photo?
Is he saying he's going to take gallery posting away from this sovereign?
"W-What kind of nonsense is this!"
He fell for a burner account's smear campaign, made to stir up trouble, and blocked an innocent magic Awakened!
I was furious. I wanted to yell, but held it in.
"Phew."
Calm down. Historically, envy and jealousy toward pioneers are nothing unusual.
What was done was done, so I might as well look for a solution.
"At least I do have a proof photo."
I'd planned to post proof in the gallery today anyway, so I had a picture I'd taken in the Reward Room.
One photo of the crude black box. And another of me making a V sign in front of it.
If I posted these, I should at least be able to prove that I was Awakened somehow.
There was only one problem, though.
"This looks totally photoshopped."
A photo of a girl who looked like an upper elementary schooler at most—maybe a middle schooler—making a V sign in front of a reward chest.
It was way too unrealistic. It looked like I was trying to pull a scam with one of those photo frames from the trendy four-cut photo booths.
I hadn't known, but apparently these days those businesses were collaborating with the Guardians to make photo frames with dungeon backgrounds.
Thanks to that, my photo looked even more like a shoddy fake.
"Should I have taken a video?"
Super and other high-ranking Awakened sometimes recorded their Tower runs on video.
Though I'd heard Super had even commissioned a custom filming drone just to record his runs.
I'd happened to see the price once, and I remembered being shocked by how many zeroes it had—far more than I'd expected.
"I don't want to go that far."
I did want to make money. But I didn't want to get so famous it became exhausting.
"I just want to get rich without showing my face."
A complete contradiction. I knew perfectly well it made no sense in reality.
"First, though, I need to get unblocked."
On a whim, I sent the head mod the proof photos I had.
This bastard had already dutifully left an open chat link on his gallery profile. Thorough as hell.
Save the Mage: I think this is enough by itself, but I doubt the other users will believe it. If it's not too much trouble, could you take another picture?
"Ugh."
As expected, a picture of the reward box and a clumsy proof shot weren't enough.
Well, I'd plastered so much mosaic over the hand that it was hard to tell how old I was, so his reaction was only natural.
I was planning to go up to Floor 5 soon anyway, so taking proper proof photos wouldn't be a big problem.
Only...
"I'm pissed."
They dare corner this sovereign with a smear campaign? Am I supposed to just let them get away with this?
No. I should pay them back in kind.
Those who rise through gallery posting shall fall through gallery posting.
"Since it's come to this..."
I'll set off a dazzling display of fireworks, worthy of the name Heavenly Demon.
***
I finished my final check before entering the Tower.
"Got all my gear on."
I packed the items I needed, too.
I spent a third of the money I'd made selling mana stones, since there weren't as many items on the market as I'd expected.
Let's call it an investment in a grand fireworks show.
I'll scare the Wizard Gallery bastards half to death.
[NIGHTMARE difficulty has been selected.]
[May glory be with the challenger.]
Upon entering Floor 5, the system message—now so familiar after seeing it countless times—appeared.
"Hmm."
A mid-boss appears on Floor 5 of the Tower.
Goblin Centurion.
Considering that the boss on Floor 10 is the Goblin King, you could call Floor 5 a taste of what's to come.
"It's pretty big."
Maybe one and a half times the size of an ordinary goblin.
Ordinary goblins were a head shorter than me, but that one stood two heads taller than I did.
Roughly the same height as I was before this body changed.
To meet its gaze, I naturally had to look up while it looked down, which was thoroughly unpleasant.
"Don't look down on this sovereign, you lesser creature."
How dare it look down on me? It was a hundred years too early for that.
"Keuruk."
It didn't move rashly.
Instead, the goblin group guarding the centurion began closing the distance one after another.
"Hah, so it's a numbers game now?"
There were quite a lot of guards.
The group makeup had varied before, but never once had it exceeded ten. Today, there seemed to be well over several dozen.
Was it really commanding a hundred goblins just because it was a goblin centurion?
Most were ordinary specimens, but mutant varieties were also scattered among the group.
"So you're just telling me to die."
You made it this far. You thought there'd be ten again this time, didn't you? If you can't handle it, die right here.
The Tower was going to kill me no matter what. If it had any intention at all, it must be harboring that kind of malice.
"What a shame."
If you were hoping to see me suffer a crushing defeat, I'm sorry to disappoint you.
I'm going all out today.
"Ah, before that, there's one thing I need to put up."
Whirr!
The small drone I took out of my inventory rose into the air.
It'll capture every second of today's fireworks show.
Despite how it looked, it was an expensive piece of equipment with magitech modifications, costing nearly ten million won.
"Now that everything's ready, let's begin."
Rejoice, you lesser creatures.
This sovereign shall personally show you the supreme martial arts you could never hope to witness, even if you died and came back to life.
"Acceleration, Acceleration, Acceleration."
I layered acceleration spells over my body.
Acceleration magic was originally a spell that forcibly pushed the body beyond its limits. Naturally, if you layered it recklessly, the muscle fibers couldn't withstand it and would tear.
In other words, in severe cases, it could leave you permanently disabled.
But was that such a big deal? If my muscles tore, I could just stitch them back together with healing magic and gulp down a potion.
That's what those things were for, weren't they?
Of course, the pain wouldn't simply disappear, but that wasn't a big problem for me.
“Here I go.”
Boom!
With one step, I kicked off the ground, and with the next, I leaped through the air.
My explosively accelerated body left a thick afterimage in the air.
My heart pumped like it was about to burst, forcing blood throughout my body, while my brain spun furiously to keep up with the world rushing by at a maddening speed.
My head felt hot enough to catch fire at any moment.
But I was fine. They say pain makes you whole, don't they?
"Ahaha!"
Even pain was a momentary pleasure, so I simply swung my black saber like a maniac.
A merciless dance swept across the battlefield. Since it resembled a lone asura, the technique was given this name.
Heaven-Shattering Limitless Sword (破天無極劍)
Asura Sword Dance (修羅劍舞)
Before long, a blood-red mist rose from the places where the goblins had stood.
***
[You have cleared Floor 5 on Nightmare difficulty!]
[Clear Time] 30 seconds
[Clear Rank] SSS
[The Tower remembers the challenger's name.]
-Heavenly Demon
[Challenger Rankings]
[1st: Heavenly Demon (天魔) SSS]
[2nd: -SUPER- S-]
[3rd: Maestro A+]