Chapter 108
At the time I caused a major stir in the community by diligently filming an unboxing video for the dagger.
The total increase in my Great Feat completion rate back then was 10 percent.
But now, that much had risen all at once even though I hadn’t written a single post yet.
‘Could there be someone among the powerful who was enormously affected?’
Kitty Punch did seem awfully sad, even going so far as to make a post.
But was that really enough to account for that much?
It was while I was wondering about this.
[Current completion rate: 40%]
‘Huh. It went up again.’
An additional 2 percent had gone up.
But no matter how I thought about it, the 2 percent that had just risen seemed like a figure reflecting the impact I had had on the Climber Community’s users.
Then what on earth was the 10 percent that had risen earlier?
Had some mysterious ranker who didn’t usually post in the community heard the news and fallen into tremendous grief?
‘…They must be a very sentimental person.’
Whatever it was, it could be considered an unexpected benefit.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The next day, and the day after that, too.
[Current completion rate: 45%]
[Current completion rate: 50%]
Wasn’t my Great Feat completion rate rising by 5 percent every day?!
No, at this point, wasn’t I affecting them almost as strongly as an extraordinary benefactor or a sworn enemy would?
‘Could it be because of this?’
I recalled the lengthy message I had received from Hunter Association President Kim Taeseong a few days ago.
[True Ancestor-nim. During the recent A-grade Gate Break in Mapo-gu, an unexpected monster swarm formed, and we could have suffered major casualties.]
[But your summon sacrificed itself and managed to stop it. We don’t know how we can ever repay you for this kindness….]
The Association President also firmly believed that my golem had perished while saving people.
‘…It isn’t dead, though.’
Still, since it was a misconception favorable to me, I didn’t bother correcting him.
Instead, I sent him this message.
[Hmph. It was not for the sake of you mortals in particular. It was merely a little amusement.]
[However, if you feel so grateful, I shall permit you to offer tribute to this body.]
In other words, ‘Hand over my reward.’
He replied that they would offer tribute in the near future.
That was more or less what happened.
‘But the Association President isn’t exactly powerful.’
It was a complete mystery.
Whatever the case, I decided to reveal that the Golem was alive only after this strange surge had ended.
That way, I could reap the greatest possible benefit.
Of course, the Blood Golem itself was alive and well inside my domain.
“Kkyuu!”
Having transformed into a brawny mass of muscle, it struck a dignified bodybuilder-like pose.
“Oh my, Mr. Jelly~. You’re in such good shape~!”
Auntie Suyeon stood in front of it, beaming as she drew it.
It seemed she was using it as a model to practice drawing the human body.
As you can see, it was living just fine, without a thing wrong with it.
‘Hmm?’
I hadn’t noticed until now, but looking closely, I saw a slight indentation around its arm.
A blemish as if a tiny piece had fallen off.
‘What is this?’
Ah, no way…!
‘Did Dark eat it?!’
I shot a sidelong glare at the baby dragon, which was snoozing after stuffing itself with food on the living-room sofa.
***
That aside.
The cooldown for entering the sixth floor of the Tower of Trials on Nightmare difficulty had finally ended.
The long-awaited Nightmare-level sixth floor…!
From here on, this was truly the realm of experts.
There were so few people who had climbed Nightmare’s sixth floor that even the Climber Community had very few of them.
Fortunately, Solo Warrior had written a strategy guide for the sixth floor.
While waiting, I had carefully read through the guide whenever I had a spare moment and devised a strategy of my own.
I was quite looking forward to it, since I had heard that the setting was completely different from Arden’s domain on Nightmare’s fifth floor.
Then, shall I check my stats one last time before entering?
‘Status Window.’
Name: Eugene
Level: 47
Class: Blood Lord (EX)
[Stats]
Strength: 3
Agility: 5
Vitality: 3
Attack Power: 0 Spell Power: 1
Defense: 0 Magic Resistance: 0
[Blood Power: 241 / 241]
[Blood Essence: 51]
[Great Feat Completion Rate: 50%]
‘Hmph. I’m level 47 now, too?’
At this level, I had at least reached the upper ranks of B-grade Hunters.
Of course, my stats were still pathetic, but that was only if we were talking about level alone.
Besides, thanks to investing all the stat points I had gained from leveling up, my Blood Power had reached 241.
‘But the problem is that summoning the next retainer costs a whopping 400.’
The 30-day cooldown was no longer the problem.
Even when the time came around, I wouldn’t be able to use the skill because my maximum Blood Power was insufficient.
‘Hmm… This is tougher than I expected.’
My Blood Power served much the same function as ordinary Hunters’ mana.
But Hunters who normally used mana tended to increase their maximum capacity through options on their equipment or accessories.
However, I had yet to see any equipment that applied to my Blood Power.
Even after digging through Riri’s crafting list, there were no items that directly increased Blood Power.
‘I need to find some way to increase my maximum Blood Power.’
Raising my level by one only let me increase my Blood Power by 3.
It was no longer enough to raise Blood Power through leveling alone.
It seemed I had no choice but to keep climbing the Tower and obtain new rewards.
Ah, and there was one thing I needed to prepare in advance before entering the sixth floor.
According to Solo Warrior’s guide, the sixth-floor setting had a very unusual clothing style, so I needed to pay particular attention to my outfit.
So I had ordered clothes suitable for that setting for my retainers and had them change into them.
I had also asked Riri to make one more new version of my sunlight-protection armor, [Bloodsilk Garment].
When I roughly explained what kind of style I wanted, Riri boasted that she would make it incredibly pretty.
‘What if she makes another gothic lolita dress?’
I had gotten fairly used to it by now, but another overly burdensome design would be troublesome.
Something more ordinary would be best.
“Master! Riri finished making it all!”
Right then, Riri came to find me.
‘Hmm.’
I tried on the newly made outfit.
What Riri had brought was a red-and-black, East Asian-style qipao.
Elegant patterns had been embroidered in gold thread, and there were suitably sized slits on both sides for ease of movement.
It was sleeveless by default.
There was also an additional outer garment that could completely cover my body.
‘It feels a little awkward since it’s women’s clothing.’
Once I put it on, though, it was light and easy to move in, so I thought it was ordinary enough.
It was also much easier to put on than a dress.
My retainers gathered as well to admire my new outfit.
“……Ah. My lord. This new garment is also most noble.”
Katarina knelt with a reverent expression and began her habitual praise.
“I shall record Master’s appearance in photographs.”
Click, click!
Siyeon stood there expressionlessly, taking pictures with her smartphone.
……But exactly how many pictures are you taking, Siyeon?
“Hehe! I knew it would suit Master perfectly!”
Riri, the designer, stood there with her arms crossed and a deeply satisfied expression.
“M-Master, you’re truly beautiful…!”
Sarah also clasped her hands demurely and added a word.
“Oh my, True Ancestor-nim. Red suits you wonderfully!”
“This is seriously amazing! You look absolutely beautiful, True Ancestor-nim!”
Auntie Suyeon and Haeun were also showering me with admiration.
“Ahem.”
I still hadn’t gotten used to this sort of thing.
Feeling a little self-conscious at my retainers’ fervent reactions, I lightly tugged at the hem of the qipao.
“D-Doesn’t it seem a little too tight…?”
It definitely fit snugly, but the fabric was thin and clearly showed my silhouette, which felt a little awkward.
When I had been a man, that went without saying, and even after awakening, I had only worn loose, comfortable clothes at home. This was the first time I had worn something so form-fitting.
“No, my lord! You look exceedingly majestic!”
“It suits Master’s figure well. It also appears excellent in terms of mobility.”
Everyone insisted that it looked perfectly natural and suited me.
Their reactions were good, and I didn’t dislike it either.
Whereas the previous gothic lolita dress was quite heavy and uncomfortable to move in, this qipao was simple and made my body feel very light.
I took off the outer garment and set it aside for a moment.
I was now wearing only the sleeveless qipao.
‘Hup… hup….’
I moved my body slightly to test the outfit’s stretch, then stretched both arms toward the ceiling as if doing calisthenics.
Stretch, stretch—
Just as I thought, it really is comfortable.
“Cough—!!!”
Suddenly, a burst of coughing erupted from behind me.
When I turned around, Katarina was hurriedly turning her head away with a hand over her mouth.
“I-I beg your pardon, my lord. Something went down the wrong way…!”
‘Whoa. Katarina choked?’
Sarah did that last time, too.
No matter how powerful a vampire was, physiological reactions were unavoidable, apparently.
Thinking nothing of it, I put the outer garment back on.
Then I picked up a black parasol embroidered with red flowers as well.
Riri had done an excellent job making the parasol East Asian-style too, not just the clothes.
“You’ve done very well, Riri.”
“Hehe.”
I gave the hardworking Riri a head pat.
‘All right.’
With that, preparations for my outfit were complete.
The others had also changed into the East Asian-style clothes I had ordered for each of them online.
At this rate, there shouldn’t be any problems with our clothes when we entered the world of the sixth floor.