Chapter 8
The next morning, the White Martial Uniform arrived.
It was practically bullet-fast delivery—the legacy of the online shopping industry’s old delivery wars.
The packaging was meticulous.
Clothing-type armor like the White Martial Uniform might look like ordinary clothes, but it was officially classified as a magic item made from processed mana stones.
Thanks to that, even the packaging had minor preservation spells on it, and the shipping fee alone was an insane 30,000 won.
"Dun-dun-dun."
I made a pointless sound effect with my mouth as I opened the package.
"Oh."
Before long, a pristine white uniform came into view.
My first impression was simple.
"Isn’t this a taekwondo uniform from some neighborhood dojo?"
White Martial Uniform.
As its name suggested, it was pure white, and its design wouldn’t look out of place with an "O O Taekwondo" logo stitched onto the back.
That was strange. It had looked much more stylish and cool in the OneTop Market app.
But seeing it in person, I felt like I should immediately stitch some local taekwondo dojo’s logo onto it.
On top of that, there was an even bigger problem.
"Why is this so huge?"
I’d definitely ordered a roomy size.
But the clothes I actually tried on were so roomy they practically slid right off me.
Just draping it over myself covered me down to just above my knees, and the sleeves flapped like flags.
"And where are the bottoms?"
Most importantly, there were no pants.
I searched the entire delivery box, but all it contained was a single pristine white uniform top.
What was going on?
I hurriedly grabbed my phone and opened the OneTop Market product page.
It was the exact same page I’d seen yesterday.
Just as I was combing through every corner of the listing in case I’d missed something...
"Huh?"
[*Bottoms sold separately.]
In tiny letters, right at the very end of the product description.
It was the sort of line you’d almost certainly miss unless you were deliberately looking for it.
Sold separately? Don’t stores usually let you add separately sold items as an option when you check out?
"Then how much are the bottoms?"
[White Martial Uniform Bottoms]
[The bottoms of the White Martial Uniform. They show their true worth when worn with the top.]
[10,000,000 won]
Are these people insane?
The top, packed with waterproofing, cold resistance, heat resistance, and blade resistance, was 3 million won.
And they were selling pants with no proper explanation of their features for 10 million won?
"I’ve been had!"
I’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
They say you get what you pay for. I should’ve been suspicious when it was so cheap it seemed too good to be true.
I couldn’t believe the 3 million won price was for the top alone, not a full set!
"It was a bait product!"
You tried on the top and liked it, right? Then buy the pants, too.
Judging by the claim that they showed their true worth when worn together, there was clearly some kind of set bonus.
In other words, their despicable sales tactic was to lure people in with a bait product and then gouge them for the pants, too!
"You crazy bastards!"
So that was why it was still sitting there unsold.
And I’d gone and fallen for their scam, nice and easy.
"Ugh!"
Thinking about it that way made me feel like an idiot for being happy about finding armor with good value for money.
Objectively speaking, though, it wasn’t a huge loss.
But I’d end up being some crazy pantsless woman.
I still had money on hand, so the sensible thing to do would be to grit my teeth and buy the pants, too.
"The top’s pretty roomy, so I’ll cover it with shorts."
If I wore a suitable pair of shorts underneath, it wouldn’t look that strange.
"I’m not buying the pants, even if it kills me."
What, did they think 10 million won grew on trees? I wasn’t giving that kind of money to a bunch of scammers!
I steeled my resolve more firmly than ever.
***
The next day. With my Tower entry approaching, I gave my equipment one final check.
”Got my weapon."
A saber as big as my body.
I’d gotten so short and squat that even an ordinary saber looked like a greatsword on me.
'Am I about 140 centimeters tall now?'
Even that might be a generous estimate.
I wanted to wear it at my waist like everyone else, but the scabbard would obviously drag along the ground, so I had no choice but to sling it across my back.
I wasn’t sure how I’d ever draw it in a real fight, but it had to be better than fighting barehanded.
"Armor on."
The White Martial Uniform.
I’d been neatly scammed, and now I was wearing only the top—a half-uniform.
That didn’t mean I was wearing only the top, though. I’d used the remaining 10 million won to kit out the rest of myself, too.
"Shoulder guards and gauntlets, all set."
Shoulder guards were often skipped by warriors because they interfered with arm movement, so it was easy to find a good-quality pair for a low price.
Gauntlets were a weapon exclusive to fist fighters, so I compromised with a reasonably good pair of gloves.
Since both were only for support, there was no need to spend a fortune on the highest-end models.
"All right, then."
Now it was time to decide.
Should I climb to the Tower’s next floor, or run through the first floor one more time?
The former naturally offered better rewards.
The Tower always welcomed new challengers, so the first-clear rewards were the most generous. But stepping into uncharted territory meant the danger would rise exponentially, too.
The latter, on the other hand, offered somewhat lower rewards in exchange for a much safer run.
I’d already cleared that floor once, after all.
Besides, seven out of ten Awakened made a living farming the first floor, so there’d be nothing strange about me choosing the latter.
The taxi carrying me was getting closer to the Tower. It was time to decide.
'Today’s my first time using a saber.'
Maybe I should play it safe and run through the first floor again?
Even if I repeated it, it would be Nightmare difficulty. The rewards would be on par with a lot of second floors.
Right. You only get one life. No matter how tempting wealth and fame are, they’re worthless if you die.
Today, I’ll use it as practice and run the first floor...
"Hey, kid, we’re here."
The driver’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned to look out the window, and the towering Tower came into view.
The black Tower soared so high it seemed to reach beyond the sky. It was home to countless monsters, and could wipe out humanity at any moment.
"Kid?"
"……."
Instead of answering, I held out my card.
"Uh, take care of yourself."
The driver left me with a well-meant parting wish. He must’ve realized I was Awakened from the saber strapped to my back.
The closer I got to the Tower, the more people I saw reaching toward it and vanishing in a swirl of light.
"……."
I walked without a word.
I could feel the people around me staring.
A girl with a saber as big as her body. Even to the Awakened climbing the Tower, it must’ve been a pretty unusual sight.
Ignoring the barrage of stares, I kept walking until the Tower was right in front of me. All I had to do was approach, reach out, and say, 'Enter Floor 1.'
That was what I’d planned to do, but...
"Why should this sovereign be the one to cower and turn back?"
I am the greatest under heaven, the ruler of ten thousand demons.
Why should I let fear get the better of me and turn back? They should be the ones afraid, not this sovereign.
"Enter."
I reached out. Soon, my entire body was engulfed in a dazzling swirl of light and vanished without a trace.
***
[Please select a difficulty.]
[EASY] [NORMAL] [HARD] [NIGHTMARE]
“……."
I didn’t answer this time, either. It wasn’t even worth answering.
Just how far did they think they could look down on this sovereign?
[NIGHTMARE difficulty has been selected automatically.]
[May glory be with the challenger.]
Flash!
The darkness lifted, revealing a landscape different from the one before.
This time, too, I was greeted by a group of goblins, but...
"No, something’s a little different."
There were ten of them, the same number as on the first floor. But their lineup was different.
"A shaman, huh."
A goblin shaman.
A mutant capable of wielding magic.
A creature that shouldn’t appear until at least the third floor was sitting right in the center of the Nightmare second floor.
"Their eyes have gotten quite fierce."
The ones on the first floor had merely held weapons; they hadn’t even known how to swing them properly.
But this time, even the way they held their weapons was different. They’d also formed a solid formation to protect the shaman.
"Not bad."
Instead of stupidly charging at me, they were holding their formation and facing off against me.
At least that meant their leader wasn’t incompetent.
"This should make for perfect entertainment."
If so, I’d need to prepare to enjoy myself.
I withdrew my left hand and casually clasped it behind my back.
"Using both hands against you insignificant creatures would be far too cruel. I’ll make an exception and use just one."
If I showed even a little of my true strength, they’d be swept away without a trace in an instant. I’d show them a little mercy and hold back.
"Come at me."
Flick.
I lightly waved my right hand, taunting them.
"Keuruk!"
But even as they let out fierce cries as if ready to attack at any moment, they didn’t dare approach.
"So you’re not stupid, at least."
The goblin shaman, their leader, had instinctively sensed the danger.
It had given up on making the first move and hunkered down in a tight defensive formation.
They wouldn’t be charging me first.
"You want this sovereign to make the first move? Very well."
I could hear the gears turning in those little creatures’ heads from here. Wasn’t that rather amusing?
"Don’t regret this."
Boom!
I kicked off the ground.
"Leap."
A leap that surpassed the limits of a human using magic.
"Keuruk?"
The distance between us closed in an instant.
Charging straight into the front of their solid formation would be foolish.
That was where their defense was most concentrated; it’d be like throwing an egg at a rock.
But...
"This sovereign’s egg is a little hard."
There was no need to bring out the Heavenly Demon’s martial art, Heaven-Shattering Limitless (破天無極).
That saber was far too good to waste on insignificant creatures like these. There was no reason to use a butcher’s cleaver to kill a chicken.
The other day, I’d simply overdone it because I hadn’t known how strong they were.
So today, now that I knew their level...
"I’ll use something a little different."
I clenched my fist tightly.
"Acceleration, hardening, vibration."
Acceleration to increase my speed. Hardening to toughen my body. And vibration to shatter an opponent on impact.
I layered three spells over my fist to make up for the destructive power my weakened body lacked.
Black Wind Three Swords (黑風三劍)
Second Form: Black Fang (黑牙)
It was originally a simple sword style that every martial artist of the Divine Cult learned as a basic technique, and, as its name suggested, a martial art performed with a sword in hand. But for this sovereign, my limbs themselves were swords.
In other words, even a punch could unleash power greater than a sword.
Crack!
"Keuruk?"
The shield in the goblin’s hand shattered to pieces.
"Keuruk!"
The goblin threw away its broken shield and hurriedly swung the crude sword it had been holding.
Not a bad decision.
But...
"You’ve left your chest wide open."
With its shield gone, the goblin’s chest was completely exposed.
"Acceleration."
I layered the acceleration spell over my fist once more.
Black Wind Three Swords (黑風三劍)
Second Form: Black Fang (黑牙)
Black Fang, unleashed in rapid succession.
Because I’d sealed my left hand, I had to use my right over and over, cutting the power in half, but...
No problem.
It was more than enough to cut off an insignificant creature’s breath. No, it was plenty.
Crack!
The sound of the goblin’s ribs crushing rang out loud and clear.
The sensation traveling up my fist was exhilarating. How long had it been since I’d felt something like this?
I want to feel more.
"Keuruk."
The goblin let out a death rattle, then its limp body toppled to the ground.
Thud!
"You’re in the way."
I casually kicked the fallen goblin aside.
"Come on, keep coming."
"Keuruk."
The goblins shrank back, seeming flustered.
Nine goblins left. I still had nine more chances to enjoy myself.
