Chapter 9
‘Who is the strongest among the High Rankers?’
Every adventurer climbing the Tower had, at least once, gotten into a childish argument over the High Rankers’ rankings.
But if they were asked to choose based purely on talent, nine out of ten adventurers would name the Sword Dragon as the strongest.
<Sword Dragon>
The youngest High Ranker ever, and the one who rewrote the Tower’s history. A monster of talent who reached the pinnacle of the Tower through sheer innate ability.
Could anyone believe that such a monster was now clinging to someone’s waist like a baby and acting spoiled?
“Um...”
“I want to stay like this a little longer.”
“What in the world is going on?”
For a moment, Ifrit doubted her own eyes. The Sword Dragon she knew was so utterly different from the girl before her.
When they’d met before, how should she put it? Rin had seemed more like a lone wolf who wouldn’t let anyone get close.
So much for the lone wolf. At best, she looked like an affectionate puppy doting on its owner.
“You’re here, Ifrit.”
“Ah, Mad Flame. I heard about it from Big Sister Zion.”
“If you heard the story, shouldn’t you at least be a little grateful?”
“Thanks. Though it’s nothing compared to Big Sister Zion.”
Ifrit nearly lost her temper at Rin’s excessively indifferent attitude, so unlike Zion’s, but she held it in for now.
She wanted nothing more than to grab that damn brat and spank her, but... this wasn’t the time.
Ifrit turned slightly to look at Zion. It seemed best to let her lead the conversation.
“Rin, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?”
“If you want to, Big Sister.”
“How did you end up wandering around as the Sword Demon?”
“It’ll take a little while to explain... Is that okay?”
“If you don’t mind, Rin.”
“All right. You’re the one who saved my life, Big Sister.”
Rin readily began to explain. Before she became the Sword Demon, she’d been trying to conquer the 80th floor, which she had yet to overcome.
Unlike a breakthrough, which only required defeating a floor’s boss, a conquest meant removing every single threat on that floor.
Naturally, it took much longer than a breakthrough... but in return, you received the conquered territory as a reward.
“You tried to conquer the 80th floor by yourself, after only clearing it a few months ago? There’s a limit to recklessness.”
“Is that really so reckless?”
“On the higher floors, even a large guild with a High Ranker and thorough preparations would take at least a year to conquer a floor.”
“And you tried to do that alone? That’s too...”
“...You’re right, Big Sister Zion. I was too arrogant. Maybe I was drunk on my talent. And I paid dearly for it.”
Clank, clank. Even now, whenever she thought back to that time, she could hear the sound. Rin’s face turned deathly pale.
But just then, the warmth of divine power passing through Zion’s hand warmed the girl, who had been trembling alone in fear.
Rin lowered her head. She saw her big sister’s reassuring hand covering her own, chilled with fear.
“...Thanks, Big Sister.”
“Did you encounter a Named on the 80th floor?”
“A Named? Is that different from a boss monster?”
“If a boss is a shield guarding the path to the next floor... then a Named is a sword that strikes at adventurers.”
Unlike bosses, who almost always wait in a designated area, Nameds keep moving and attack adventurers.
And quite a few of them are stronger than bosses. The Named Rin encountered was probably one of those.
Rin nodded. It wore black armor like a person, but she could say with certainty that it wasn’t human.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because it didn’t have a head.”
“A headless knight... Could it be a Dullahan?”
“You have an idea what it is, Zion?!”
“How do you know the monster’s name, Big Sister?!”
With both High Rankers’ attention on her, Zion was flustered. She’d only muttered what came to mind after hearing the story.
“We can talk about that later. Don’t we have something more important to do first, Ifrit?”
“Right, we do. This is more troublesome than I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hey, Sword Dragon. The Church led by <Miracle> has put a 3,000-gold bounty on you. Does that ring any bells?”
“How amusing. They couldn’t even heal me, and now they think they can put a bounty on me?”
“They couldn’t heal you? The Church?”
Ifrit was startled by this unexpected information. The Church was currently the most skilled healer guild in the Tower.
It accepted all kinds of people, from priests and healers to even herbalists, and had effectively monopolized healing.
There were even rumors that it could heal death itself, as long as you reached them within a day. And they couldn’t heal her?
“To be precise, I tried to go straight to <Miracle>, but the Church’s people stopped me. Then they tried to capture and imprison me.”
“Those fanatics really went and did it.”
“Wait. If I was able to heal Rin when the Tower’s best healer guild couldn’t, does that mean...?”
“That’s not all. Spies saw what you can do. By now, they’ve probably returned to their guilds and reported it.”
Zion’s mind went blank. A healer who’d instantly healed the Sword Dragon, whom even the strongest healer guild couldn’t treat.
If a rumor that absurd spread throughout the Tower, it was obvious what kind of repercussions it would have.
Naturally, the Church would act to protect its interests. And then there were the guilds with other High Rankers...
“It’s okay, Big Sister.”
“...What?”
“I’ll protect you, Big Sister...!!”
...No matter how she looked at it, the brat hugging her waist seemed more dangerous than any other High Ranker.
◇
The Saintess of Beginnings.
Probably no one could deny that this name had recently become the hottest topic in the Tower.
At first, hardly anyone believed the grandiose name. Someone who could heal any wound for just a small payment?
[Looks like some other idiot is scamming rookies.]
[Isn’t the 1st floor where Mad Flame is? They’ll be burned alive soon enough.]
But who could have guessed that a name everyone thought would soon be forgotten would start coming up in conversations among Rankers?
Then adventurers who owed the Saintess of Beginnings began gathering of their own accord, and even formed a faction.
By that point, it was impossible not to wonder if the rumor was true. And finally, today, the truth was revealed.
“Not only can she use Cure, but look at the size of it.”
“At that size, she may be equal to <Miracle>... or even superior.”
“Hehe, an interesting NPC has appeared on the Starting Floor.”
The spies had carried out their missions splendidly. Not only had they witnessed it firsthand, they’d even secured footage.
Thanks to them, the leading High Rankers could clearly see the enormous Cross of Purification descending from the sky.
Though they’d seen the cross from different places, most of them unexpectedly reached the same conclusion.
‘There’s no way an NPC with that kind of power is merely a Hero NPC.’
‘Now that I think about it, her name was Zion, wasn’t it?’
‘The same name as the great Saintess from legend. It can’t just be a coincidence...!’
Hero NPCs were certainly stronger than ordinary NPCs. But they didn’t possess power on that transcendent a level.
Such power should only be possible for an adventurer, and one at least on the level of a High Ranker. Yet according to the reports, she wasn’t even an adventurer.
An NPC with power equal to or greater than a High Ranker. There was only one name for an NPC like that.
‘A Legendary NPC...!!!’
‘Was the Cataclysm that happened before meant to bring that Legendary NPC into existence?!’
‘It seems Mad Flame wanted to keep something this interesting all to herself.’
The High Rankers who realized the truth shuddered. This was the first time in the Tower’s history that a Legendary NPC had appeared.
Of course, some of the High Rankers’ subordinates urged caution, arguing that there was still no conclusive evidence...
Evidence? Did they really need any? Wasn’t the transcendent power they’d just witnessed with their own eyes proof enough?
“I heard a heretic has appeared on the Starting Floor.”
Yet, unexpectedly, there were those who moved faster than the High Rankers. They wore heavy armor and helmets.
If a sharp-eyed adventurer had spotted the emblem on their chests, they would’ve fled immediately.
Inquisitors. One of the Church’s elite military groups, and among the most extreme and fanatical believers.
“What is a priest who does not belong to the Church?”
[A heretic!!]
“That’s right. We are those who have given ourselves to darkness to punish heretics. We do not hesitate to stain our hands with blood!”
[Punishment for heretics who stray from God’s will!! May they fall into hell and wage an endless war against evil!]
“The order has been given. It is time to punish the heretic.”
The Church’s vicious hounds began moving toward the Starting Floor.