The Second Achievement (1)

I've never truly given it my all when challenging a Boss Floor.

Needless to say, not on Floor One, where I picked up Dohwa.

Even on Floor Two, I easily took down the enhanced boss, though it wasn't as strong as a Hard Tower boss.

On Floor Three, I tried dipping my toes into Hard mode, but got spooked by an ambush and fled to Normal.

Until now, I'd basically been cruising through the Tower…

[Ruler (Mythic)]

When you clear a Boss Floor for the first time, you obtain that boss as a summon.

'It's starting to feel like a waste to defeat them in the Egen Tower.'

One of my traits: Ruler.

The stronger the boss I defeat, the more I benefit from it.

I didn't have many regrets about Floor Three.

I'd consistently secured my main body's most important stats, using the Hard Tower as the benchmark.

Besides, even a Floor Three boss was only level 600.

By around Floor Five, it wouldn't matter what I'd killed on Floor Three.

That was why I had defeated the Normal Tower boss on Floor Three without hesitation.

In the long run, it wasn't really a loss.

…But now that Floor Five is right before me.

I changed my mind a little.

'Everything beyond that is uncharted territory.'

The Hard Tower's highest record is Floor Four.

There had been brave souls who challenged Floor Five, but they soon stopped sending word.

That meant there were no strategy guides I could trust and rely on.

Of course, that didn't apply to someone like me, who was cruising through the Egen Tower…

'You can't pass up a first-scenario-clear reward.'

Being in uncharted territory meant all those juicy rewards were still waiting.

I had to clear at least the ninth floor on Hard.

Only then could I claim all the rewards.

That was why I had been about to challenge the Boss Floor, but

-Hesitate.

"……Ah."

My feet refused to move.

I knew the reason all too well.

The hand gripping my sword was trembling.

'…Yeah, honestly, I'm scared to death.'

Ever since I was little, I'd been taught, 'Even if you awaken, never choose Hard. You'll die.'

At the orphanage, the director used to scare us by saying, 'Naughty children who don't listen get dragged into the Hard Tower.'

Conditioned fear was difficult to shake off.

'Besides, I don't have to do this.'

And there was one more thing.

I had no reason to take the risk.

I was already strong, after all.

Even if I coasted through the Normal Tower and climbed only to Floor 75, I'd become a national-power-level Awakener, no, a cosmic-power-level Awakener.

I was already absurdly powerful. Did I really need to challenge it?

It wasn't as if anyone's life was at stake, like with Luka on Floor Two or during the Brake incident…

'Just because I think I can do it?'

-Mutter.

"With Serin around, maybe I don't need to take an unnecessary risk…."

A feeble excuse slipped out before I knew it.

I'd come out determined to defeat the Hard Tower boss this time, but standing in front of the portal, I was scared.

So, after taking everything into account,

what conclusion did I reach?

'I'll do my best for now, but if Guardian Dragon's Blessing activates, I'm running straight back to the Egen Tower!'

First: I absolutely must not overdo it.

I'd fight hard, but if I took a critical hit, I'd immediately retreat to the Egen Tower.

And second,

"Trait Enhancement Swap, Inventory."

Clatter—!!

I took all sorts of items out of my inventory and laid them out.

Weapon and armor summon tickets I'd collected, wondering whether to sell them at auction.

I decided to synthesize them all now and make thorough preparations.

"Twenty-two altogether, huh."

'I already have a Unique-grade weapon, so armor is the obvious choice, right?'

Rip, riiip—!

The sound of tearing summon tickets rang out in succession.

…Twenty-two Common-grade items appeared.

"Seriously? What kind of odds are those?"

'Isn't one Rare supposed to drop from every ten-pull?'

Even with my Luck stat over 100 after adding my title's effect, wasn't this a bit much?

That stung a little.

"Trait Enhancement Swap, Fusion… Huh? Huhhh!?"

'No way, is this—!!?'

…I was about to feel disappointed—until a golden radiance burst before my eyes.

[Using the trait 'Fusion+' to consume 'Traveler's Gloves (Common)' and 9 other pieces of equipment, would you like to craft a Rare-grade item….]

-Ding!

[The trait 'Fusion+' activates!]

The grade of the crafted item increases.

[Gloves of Twin Shadows (Unique)]

Gloves that link two hands through a single will.

Once every 10 seconds, you can transfer the weapon you are holding

to your opposite hand.

However, adapting to the sensation is difficult.

(Shields and armor cannot be transferred)

"Waaaah!!!!"

'This is what I'm talking about!!!!!!'

What? I have bad gacha luck?

Yeah, but I have a Mythic-grade trait.

I can just cheese my way through with my trait.

'That turned my mood around fast!!'

Dopamine immediately flooded my system.

My mood, which had been drooping like joraengi rice cakes gone soggy in a bowl of tteokguk, perked right up.

Cheesing my way through things was always fun.

'Come to think of it, what does weapon transfer actually do?'

I put the gloves on at once.

A luxurious sensation far beyond that of work gloves wrapped around my hands.

When I thought about moving the sword I was holding to my other hand,

-Whoosh.

"…Oh?"

The sword, which had definitely been gripped tightly in my right hand, teleported right in front of my left hand.

I immediately understood the implications.

'If I drop the sword, it'll be a disaster.'

Outside combat, it probably wouldn't be difficult.

But teleporting the sword to the opposite hand in the middle of a fight?

If I failed to catch it, I'd lose it on the spot.

If I diverted my attention to catch it, I'd be giving my opponent an opening.

As the description said, this was definitely an item with a clear risk-to-reward ratio.

'But that's no problem for me.'

I was, of course, the holder of the 'Sword God' trait.

Even if it demanded a high-difficulty technique, I was sure I could adapt without much trouble.

To confirm, I gripped the sword again.

-Swoosh!!

'First, make one slash.'

I cut diagonally with the sword.

The sword's path swept from the upper right to the lower left.

Normally, I would have to continue along that sword path with my next attack, but

-Chop.

'Warp to the other hand.'

I transferred the sword to my left hand and caught it.

The tip of the sword, which had been pointing downward, was facing upward again in an instant.

To compare it to a game, it was like canceling recovery lag.

It only worked once every 10 seconds, but I could skip the follow-up motion and launch a two-hit combo.

'What if I apply the Stigma on top of this…?'

After counting silently to ten,

I pointed my sword at the safe-zone wall.

I took a brief, deep breath and swung the sword.

'Bloodburst, Dimensional Slash!!'

Whooosh—!!!

Brilliant red light burst from the pattern on my forearm.

The stats I'd boosted at the cost of self-inflicted damage were converted into explosive destructive power.

'Transfer, another Dimensional Slash!!'

And there was one more thing.

As soon as I brought my sword down, I activated the gloves' effect.

Before the Dimensional Slash I'd just fired had even launched, the sword appeared in my left hand.

I immediately swung the sword again.

The result? It speaks for itself.

It was spectacular.

-KRAAAANG!!!!!

"……Oh."

Two Dimensional Slashes slammed into the wall in an X shape.

Almost simultaneously, with virtually no time between them.

Dust from the stone shook violently, and a thunderous boom rang through the safe zone.

It was power even I had never seen before.

'This is Unique-grade…? Ah, I guess it would be Unique-grade for other people.'

Other people probably couldn't pull off anything like this.

Fighting with only a one-handed weapon and no shield was dangerous enough to begin with.

You had to wield the sword with either hand, then switch it between them during combat as well.

For an ordinary Awakener, it might become nothing more than a high-grade piece of junk, but

'For me, it's Legendary-grade!!'

Why don't I use a shield?

I have a trait that gives me 80% damage reduction, and with my footwork, I rarely get hit.

I'm an evasion tank with tough defenses, too.

Isn't it difficult to use?

Yeah—just click the Mythic-grade trait 'Sword God.'

In other words, there was no Awakener who could handle this item as well as I could.

I liked it about a hundred times more than the genuinely Legendary-grade invisibility hat.

'Then if I synthesize one more time….'

Just in case, I tried synthesizing the remaining gear into a suit of armor, but

-Ding.

[Crafting has been completed….]

"What a shame~."

This time, a Rare-grade item came out.

It was even a suit of iron armor, something I had little use for.

I awkwardly put the armor away.

Even Hwang Hee-chan used a Unique-grade piece, and I was hoping one would appear twice in a single day.

Even I had to admit that was shameless.

'Still, this should be enough, right?'

It was difficult to call it a substitute, but my confidence was surging.

The Gigachad in my head encouraged me, too. 'See? You've got the Badass trait. Be brave, Hwi-min-p-pi.'

All right, enough moping around. Let's go.

I'd even created a new finishing move.

I had to give it a try, obviously.

'Let's gear up first.'

After that, I checked my equipment.

The Unique gloves and Rare shoes; their effects were still active.

The Moonlight Sword; its edge hadn't dulled at all.

The Legendary-grade hat, Tarnkappe…

I still didn't like this one, no matter how many times I looked at it.

Regardless, its effect had been proven repeatedly.

I put on the invisibility hat and infused the Necklace of Seclusion with mana. That finished my preparations.

"Phew, haa… Hwaaaah…."

'It's okay. I can do this. Don't chicken out.'

I was someone who'd made it this far thanks to my traits.

And now I had my equipment backing me up, too.

Besides, that thing was lower-level than Baekrihyang.

There was no need to be scared.

So stop dithering and—

"Let's gooooo!!!!!"

I shouted.

I shook off the fear that still remained.

Then, tap—!!

I thrust my foot toward the portal.

The Hard Tower's characteristic eerie crimson light enveloped me.

-Whoooooosh!!!

"Eek, eek…!!"

'I'm really going!!!'

Clutching my sword like a lifeline.

One second, two seconds… three seconds.

Exactly three seconds later, I realized I'd arrived at a ruined castle.

-Ding.

[You have entered the Boss Floor.]

Defeat the Forgotten Knight and proceed higher.

[Objective]

Defeat the Forgotten Knight

[Rewards]

- Stat Points +40

- Lowest-grade Recovery Potion x22

- Weapon/Armor Selection Ticket x2

(Scenario First-Clear Reward Applied)

"……."

'This is the infamous Floor Four Boss Floor.'

The sharp, fishy scent of blood wafted over me.

I held my breath.

Although I was invisible thanks to the hat and necklace, I still intended to proceed cautiously.

I stepped forward, tense all over.

'I'll use the shoes' effect, footwork, and Dragon Eyes, too.'

My Rare-grade shoes touched the floor lightly.

I kept watch over my surroundings with Dragon Eyes and moved using footwork without making a sound.

Perhaps thanks to the hat, there was no sign that anyone was about to attack me.

'On Floor Three, I was ambushed the moment I was spotted… Hm?'

And after I advanced a little farther,

I discovered someone kneeling on the castle floor.

A knight clad in dark armor sat slumped there, with a greatsword as large as his body stabbed into the ground.

That must be the Forgotten Knight.

"……!!!"

'I can ambush him now!!'

-Grip—!!

I was about to jump straight into battle, but

-Sidelong glance.

"…Someone else has arrived."

For some reason,

he didn't move at all.

He merely muttered while staring straight at the spot where I stood, though invisible.

"Did you enjoy watching others fail?"

"……."

'What is that…?'

My gaze locked onto him, too.

More precisely, onto his hand.

The 'Babel's Seal Ring,' which had helped me breeze through Floor Four, was half-shattered and glowing with a dark light.

While I stood frozen,

only his voice continued to echo.

"Your goal is to go higher, I assume. I cannot let you pass. I must kill you to return once more."

"It is too late to set everything right, but I must struggle until the end, mustn't I?"

"Until I am freed from this eternal labor. I will continue to fail."

Then he lightly performed a formal gesture.

The imperial etiquette I'd learned on Floor 38.

His hand moved toward me in a gesture of respect for a duel opponent.

"I was rude not to introduce myself sooner. I am Cain, the last emperor of the Babel Empire. Glory to the Babel Empire."

"Uh, um……."

"Now, draw your sword."

"……."

I was at a loss for words as well.

It wasn't because his presence overwhelmed me.

An idea had occurred to me.

And it was so utterly… absurd.

-Whoosh, clatter.

"……."

I took something out of my inventory and threw it.

I was still invisible, so it must have seemed like a surprise attack to him.

-Swish—!!

The knight tried to bat it away with the red energy, but

"Hm?"

The energy flickering around his hand died away the moment he realized what I had thrown.

Clatter, roll, roll.

Something golden rolled across the floor and came to rest at his feet.

It was the 'Babel's Seal Ring' I'd shoved into a corner of my inventory.

"Impossible!! This is my elder brother's…!!!"

"……Oh?"

'This might work.'