A Reward Worth 12 Billion Won (2)

Before challenging the Wimp's Tower's second tier.

I thoroughly researched the strategy.

Not because I was a wimp, but because I wanted to be fully prepared for everything.

And the result?

[Awakener Minor Gallery]

Title: Strategy for the Wimp's Tower's Second Tier

1. Climb only to Floor 19

2. Sacrifice Luka

3. Fire an action beam for the deceased's repose

"……."

'You really are something.'

Well, those were the only kinds of posts I found.

That was why I had simply headed for the second tier.

It was also why I was asking Yuna for a strategy now.

"Has any Awakener managed to keep Luka alive until the end?"

"…Huh?"

"They usually die on the boss floor, right?"

The NPC Luka.

She was a sacrifice meant to weaken the boss.

The boss monster of the second tier couldn't be defeated until Luka was sacrificed as a living offering to weaken it.

Apparently, even an Awakener who had climbed all the way to Floor 50 had failed after attempting it again.

Just how strong was it, anyway?

I figured Yuna would know.

"There are plenty of strategies for after the weakening, but no information about before the weakening is available online."

"I… suppose not?"

"You have an information-related trait, Senior Yuna, right? Do you know anything?"

…….

Yuna didn't answer for a long time.

And when she finally spoke after the long silence,

it wasn't an answer to my question.

"Is that because you want to save Luka?"

"Well, yes."

"Sigh… I understand, but she's an NPC. She's not a person."

"Still, it would be nice if she lived."

"The entire second tier is based on her sacrifice, you know? She even dies on her own accord. You don't need to feel guilty."

Yuna gently lectured me.

Even so, her eyes were filled with pity, so it seemed she hadn't been able to forget Luka's sacrifice, either.

That was probably why she was saying all this to me.

To make me feel even a little better.

'She's a really good person….'

"I'll still try my best."

But I had no intention of giving up.

I had spent two days with her and grown attached to her, too,

"I have a little sister who resembles her."

My one and only little sister, trapped in a sleep she could never wake from.

Serin overlapped with Luka in my eyes.

Sacrificing her because there was no other choice… yeah.

I didn't like it.

"That doesn't mean I'll keep going until my life is in danger. A person's life is much more important than an NPC's."

Of course, I had no intention of taking any major risks.

It would be infuriating to earn 12 billion won and then die without spending a single penny of it.

I planned to try only within a safe limit.

"…Really?"

"Of course."

"Well, if that's the case."

Yuna looked relieved.

Then she told me what she knew about the second-tier boss.

It was valuable information I couldn't have heard even by paying for it.

"It won't attack unless you strike first. That means you'll have plenty of time to look around."

"It's asleep until Luka is sacrificed."

"The battle begins if you deal even the slightest damage, but there's a bit of a delay even then, you know? If it seems you couldn't even scratch it with a surprise attack, make sure to tell Luka at that point. Within ten seconds."

"That's plenty of time."

"That's how Easy difficulty is, I guess~."

A smile appeared on Yuna's face, too.

Maybe she simply enjoyed helping a junior.

She really was a good person.

"Right. So you couldn't see its level?"

"…It said appraisal failed. The level difference was too great."

"Ah."

Setting aside her kindness, she wasn't much help.

'It can't be helped. I'll have to go see it myself.'

"Thank you! Then I'll be going now!"

I bowed deeply and turned around.

"Contact me if you have any questions~."

"Yes!"

Then, patter-patter—

I hurried out of the Cheonghwa Guild.

When I stepped outside the building, clear sunlight greeted me.

-Mutter.

"…Then, shall I go back?"

Honestly, forget climbing the Tower—I wanted to spend my 12 billion won lavishly and have fun right away.

Still, I had come all the way to Seoul for the first time in a while.

I wasn't far from clearing the second tier.

I might as well clear it before I left.

Thinking that, I started walking.

-Freeze.

"……."

'I should stop by there before I go.'

* * *

A little while later.

-Ding.

[You have entered Floor 19 of the Beginner's Tower.]

Only one floor remains until you escape.

There is no danger on this floor,

and the portal is right in front of you.

But why is that?

You feel a vague sense of foreboding.

[Objective]

Reach the next portal

[Rewards]

- Stat Points +3

"Hmm."

So this was Floor 19.

A pseudo-safe zone, and…

the floor where Luka realizes her role.

-Stare.

"Ah."

Luka stared at the wall.

Her mouth fell open in a daze,

then she smiled brightly.

"I-I don't think there's anyone here! What a relief!"

"……."

By contrast, I looked at her with deep sadness.

-Ding.

[The trait 'Dragon Eyes' activates….]

[Wall Engraved with a Shaman's Warning]

A warning written in the ancient language of the Kingdom of Minette.

It says that if a living sacrifice wounds herself,

calamity will befall the target.

The orcs apparently can't read it.

'She's quick to catch on, at least.'

She already knew there was a boss upstairs, after all.

She must have realized it the moment she saw this.

Ah, so I have to sacrifice myself.

Otherwise, both I and the benefactor beside me will die—that was probably what she thought.

It was heartbreaking to see her resolve to die while pretending nothing was wrong and acting so maturely.

"Dohwa, summon."

"Yip!!"

So, for the moment, I summoned Dohwa, whom she liked, and…

'Switch Trait Enhancement: Inventory.'

"Snacks, come forth—voilà."

Rustle—

A bag filled with snacks appeared in my hand.

Once I spread out a mat and set the snacks down, the mood instantly became that of a picnic.

"Luka, shall we eat some snacks first?"

"…Huh? M-Me?"

"Yeah."

"I'm fine! I feel so bad accepting them…."

"It's fine. There are so many that I couldn't eat them all by myself. We have to eat them before they go bad."

I sat down in plain sight and unwrapped a piece of bread.

It was cheap, factory-made bread I'd bought for myself.

Its expiration date was today, so I really had to eat it quickly.

"Whine…?"

"Dohwa, you shouldn't eat things like this. I'll give you chicken breast instead."

"Kyaaang~."

I gave Dohwa some chicken breast.

It was the same kind I'd bought at a convenience store in a buy-one-get-one-free deal, with only a few days left before its expiration date.

Luka also sat down demurely.

"Th-Then I'll eat just a little."

Rustle.

Luka unwrapped the package with an awkward expression.

She took a bite of the bread, glancing at me nervously.

Her small lips worked as she chewed,

and Luka's eyes grew wide.

"Mmmh!!?"

"It's good, right?"

"Mmm, mm!!!"

"Eat plenty."

"Mmmmmm!!!"

Before long, Luka began stuffing the bread into her mouth.

She had forgotten all about the talk of sacrifice and was eating hurriedly.

That was hardly the reaction one would expect from someone eating cheap bread.

In fact, it wasn't cheap bread.

'It's nice to see her eating well.'

The bread Luka was eating came from a popular bakery.

It was high-end bread that cost nearly ten thousand won apiece, but I had splurged and bought it after earning 12 billion won.

I was still too much of a cheapskate to buy it for myself, so I made do with convenience-store bread, anyway.

"Mmmmmm~! It's goooood~!!"

Thanks to that, all the worry disappeared from Luka's expression.

Seeing Serin in her, I couldn't help but smile a little.

"Pfft, what are you going to do if you get it all over your mouth?"

"Mmm?"

"I'll wipe it for you. Just a moment~."

After that, we spent some peaceful time together.

Luka choked while eating bread, so I hurriedly took out some milk for her.

When Dohwa stared at me as if asking for some too, I scolded her, saying foxes shouldn't eat things like this.

Luka saw that and secretly tore off some bread for Dohwa, only to get caught by me.

The atmosphere was so warm that it was hard to believe we were inside the Tower.

"Phew… That was delicious…"

"It was good, right?"

"Yes!"

"I'm glad you liked it."

After we finished eating,

I reached out and gently ruffled Luka's hair.

…This should be enough.

"Then, Luka, may I ask you one thing?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know what happens after you leave the prison?"

I asked as carefully as possible.

If I succeeded in keeping Luka alive, what would happen to her?

No one had ever done it before,

but I thought she might know what would happen.

"Um… won't I become free?"

"Free?"

"Yes! I don't know exactly, but then I'll be able to go see Mom and Dad!"

"Hmm."

As expected, she didn't really know anything.

Well, she was an NPC, after all.

Even when I talked about the Tower and everything, she couldn't understand, so how would she know something like this?

I stroked Luka's hair even more vigorously.

"Whine…."

"Dohwa, I'll rub your tummy later, so be quiet for now."

"Yip!"

Dohwa looked at me with bright, envious eyes, but I ignored her.

She would be climbing the Tower with me from now on, but Luka wouldn't.

Whether Luka lived or died, our connection would end on the next floor.

I couldn't spare any attention for Dohwa.

"Right. Luka, you were just about to sacrifice yourself, weren't you? To weaken the one upstairs."

"Hic!? H-How did you know?"

"I can tell at a glance~."

I brought up the subject as casually as possible.

"Anyway, I'm really strong, you know? Maybe I can beat it, too."

"B-But… the thing up there is on a completely different level from the other orcs…."

"Still, we have to try at least once."

For now, I would do my absolute best.

"It's up there, right? A gigantic orc will be sleeping soundly. It won't wake up until we attack it."

"……."

"So, will you trust me and wait here for just a little while?"

You can sacrifice yourself after I size it up.

That was why I had even bought snacks.

I had to stop Luka from becoming frightened and sacrificing herself on her own.

Perhaps she understood, because Luka gave a small nod.

"Thank you. Then, Dohwa, Luka, let's go."

"…Yes."

"Kyaaang!!!"

Then we headed for the portal.

Whoosh—

Clear light enveloped us,

-Ding.

[You have acquired the Floor 19 climbing rewards.]

- Stat Points +20

- Lowest-grade Recovery Potion x1

- Armor Summon Ticket x1

[The trait 'Golden Rule+' activates.]

You have acquired the following additional rewards.

- Stat Points +2

[Ryu Hwi-min]

Level: 391 (+22)

Title: One Who Has Set Out on the Pilgrim's Road

Strength: 115+20 (+5)

Agility: 130+20 (+5)

Vitality: 105+20 (+5)

Mana: 71+20 (+5)

Luck: 29+20 (+2)

-Ding.

[You have entered the boss floor.]

Defeat Orc Lord Lavish and proceed higher.

[Objective]

Defeat Orc Lord Lavish

[Rewards]

- Common-grade Armor Selection Ticket

- Stat Points +3

"Hmm."

I would stop by the Pilgrim's Tower for a moment to collect my rewards, then enter the boss floor right away.

"Eek…!!"

"Kyaaang…!?"

Luka immediately sucked in a startled breath.

Dohwa also backed away in fear.

The sight before us was simply overwhelming.

'It really is intimidating.'

A sleeping orc lay in the middle of the stone floor.

It was twice the size of the other minor monsters, and its skin was a dark reddish color.

How should I put it? This one alone felt like a monster from the Pilgrim's Tower.

It was obvious at a glance that it was in a different league.

'And on top of that, that thing….'

Then my gaze swept across the wall.

It was covered in human skulls.

Those were probably the remains of children who had been captured and offered as sacrifices, just like Luka.

There had to be at least several hundred of them.

'What a bastard.'

Clench—!!

My grip tightened around the sword.

"B-Big brother… are you okay…."

"Luka?"

"If just one person is sacrificed, the strengthening of that wicked monster will be undone, so…."

How had she interpreted my reaction?

Luka put on a resolute expression.

And when I saw that, I said,

"Good grief, what did you take me for?"

"…Huh?"

"I told you I'm strong."

I reassured Luka with a calm expression.

It was certainly an enemy far too strong to defeat at the level of the Wimp's Tower.

But I wasn't particularly afraid.

[Orc Lord Lavish]

Level: 350

"Dohwa, take her and hide in a corner. Stay well hidden."

"Kyaaang…?"

"Don't worry. I'll finish this within three minutes and come back."