Chapter 11
[ I believe in you, 39.7. You've got what it takes to be the Gallery's king ]
[ Long post) Speculation on 39.7's identity ]
[ Huh? Could this be that thing from before? ]
[ So 39.7 is a test subject raised by a guild? ]
[ Here they go again. It's those bastards ]
[ ???: The truth is... I've never been to school either... ]
[ Go die, JOAT ]
"W-what..."
A suspiciously explosive rumor was setting Tower Gallery ablaze.
And at the center of it all was a familiar IP address. Flustered, I quickly started reading through the top posts.
[ I believe in you, 39.7. You've got what it takes to be the Gallery's king ]
[ Posted by: Anonymous Climber ]
< Ferum Flower's flower bud, torn to shreds >
As of today, I'm leaving the supporter relationship behind.
39.7 and I are one and the same.
- Anonymous Climber: You've seen the light
- Save the Newbies: Honestly, is it really that impressive...?
└ Anonymous Climber: It really is, yeah
└ Anonymous Climber: G R E A T 3 9.7
- Anonymous Climber: Lmao, one-shotting that piece-of-shit flower is definitely worth the praiseㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Great Mage: Naked and becoming one? Ooh...
└ Saintess: Please, stop breathing... Sigh.
"This is just..."
Pretty much the same sight as the usual Gallery, where nothing but pointless shitposts get posted.
The only difference was that I was the one being talked about instead of other Awakened.
Feeling a quiet sense of joy at that, I moved on to the next post.
[ Long post) Speculation on 39.7's identity ]
[ Posted by: Speed Vegan ]
39.7.
As everyone knows, this is a newbie who recently showed up on the Awakened Community.
They're now the fourth person in Korea known to have climbed Lunatic difficulty.
Presumed to be female.
For starters, their main weapon has been confirmed to be a sword.
Their class is probably a melee swordsman. Maybe a rare class like [ Swordmaster ] or [ Weapon Master ].
I doubt anyone would disagree with me so far.
Now, if I add a few guesses of my own...
Powerful enough to slaughter the Floor 5 boss, Black Sludge, in one hit?
They'd have to have the [ Aura (A) ] trait, no question.
They also seem to have at least one S-rank sword-related skill.
Probably the standard [ Swordsmanship (S) ]. Or they might have a martial arts skill like [ Plum Blossom Sword Style (S) ] or [ Heaven-Splitting Divine Art (S) ].
Judging by how they ignored the vines and attacked only the flower bud, they might have a skill like [ Weak Point Detection (B) ].
On top of that, even most B-rank Hunters struggle to withstand a Ferum Flower's vines.
So do they have a defense-related trait like [ Indestructible Body (A) ], [ Unyielding (B) ], or [ Tough Body (C) ]?
No.
< Photo of the Ferum Flower's corpse posted by 39.7 >
If you look closely at this photo, you can see plenty of grooves carved into the ground.
Which means 39.7 didn't take the attacks head-on. They dodged them.
So it would make sense if they had an evasion skill like [ Blink (S) ] or [ Shadowless Step (A) ].
Or maybe they have a sensory trait like [ Sixth Sense (S) ] or [ Extrasensory Perception (A) ], right?
They also mentioned having the [ Inventory (A) ] skill.
So, we can imagine 39.7's status window looking something like this.
[ Status Window ]
- Class: Swordmaster
- Traits: Aura (A), Extrasensory Perception (A)
- Skills: Swordsmanship (S), Shadowless Step (A), Inventory (A), Weak Point Detection (B), ......
......
...
..."Huh? No, that's not right."
Not a single one of those guesses was accurate.
Swordmaster? Aura? Extrasensory Perception?
And what the hell are Shadowless Step and Weak Point Detection?
Maybe they at least got one thing right: Swordsmanship?
Though even that was C-rank, not S-rank.
- Anonymous Climber: Holy shit
- Anonymous Climber: Is this for real???
- Save the Newbies: They're just a monster;;;
- Anonymous Climber: Guess this is what it takes to be the Gallery's king...
- Magic Princess: Eee... A scary newbie has appeared...
- Anonymous Climber: Wow... I didn't think of an evasion trait...
└ Anonymous Climber: Seriously, that part gave me chills;;;
└ Anonymous Climber: Vegan Ham really is good at making guesses
└ Kkonggigingang: You just hit the **nail on the head**...!
- Great Hero: What?? A newbie swordsman?? A martial arts skill??
└ Anonymous Climber: I was wondering when this guy would show up
└ Anonymous Climber: We're fucked, a martial arts fossil is here;;
└ Great Hero: Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh
└ Anonymous Climber: Uh-oh, that guy's having trouble breathing...
Judging by the comments, most people seemed to believe this person called Speed Vegan's guesses.
Not one of them even suspected that I was an alchemist with drug-related traits.
"They actually believe that..."
Well, I couldn't blame them.
The information I'd shared on Tower Gallery so far was just a tiny fraction of what I knew.
Who could possibly imagine I had an EX-rank trait?
I kept reading through the top posts.
[ Huh? Could this be that thing from before? ]
[ Posted by: Air Raid Alert ]
< News article about Baekhwa Guild's human experimentation >
Remember when Baekhwa Guild experimented with artificially awakening ordinary people?
And then there's the fact that they chose the dangerous Lunatic difficulty.
Even though they're only on Floor 2, they have a suspicious number of skills.
They're abnormally short, and a girl...
Wait... Could they be...?
- Anonymous Climber: ???
- Speed Vegan: Is this for real???
- Anonymous Climber: Don't get carried away, that's just a rumor from the Awakened Gallery
└ (OP) Air Raid Alert: Hard to call it a rumor when those bastards have a track record...
└ Anonymous Climber: Seriously, considering the shit they've done, it could be true
- Anonymous Climber: Hey, human experimentation is a no-go...
└ Anonymous Climber: E-d-w-a-r-d... oppa...
- Child Enthusiast: Wait, so that's why the Gallery's king is such a tiny girl...
└ Early Adopter: I had no idea...
└ Child Enthusiast: We're sorry ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
"...What the hell are they talking about now?"
Baekhwa Guild's human experiments?
It was a famous conspiracy theory.
It had even made the rounds on the Awakened Gallery.
When that rumor started going around, I got excited and spread all kinds of hearsay myself.
Of course, I did it while using VPNs and Tor to create multiple anonymous accounts.
It got big enough that Baekhwa Guild had to release an official statement.
Apparently, the investigation found that it wasn't human experimentation, just clinical trials for potions.
But still...
"Does anyone actually believe that...?"
For one thing, the rumor started on the Awakened Gallery.
And the information had nothing to do with me.
Even that article was from five or six years ago.
But, like most rumors, the credibility of the information didn't seem to matter much to people.
[ So 39.7 is a test subject raised by Baekhwa Guild? ]
[ Posted by: Anonymous Climber ]
At least make it sound plausible;;;
Why would a major guild use an unawakened person as a test subject?
Sure, the guilds discriminate against the unawakened, monopolize the potion market, control hunting grounds, manipulate the media, have connections in the Association, and then no-show during Gate Breaks...
...Huh?
- Anonymous Climber: Wait, shit, when you put it like that, that's messed up;;;
- Anonymous Climber: Just another day of guilds being guilds
- Speed Vegan: Whenever something weird happens in the Tower, you can usually guess right by pointing at those bastards
└ Anonymous Climber: Exactly. Once again, this story starts with the root of all evil in the Tower.
└ (OP) Anonymous Climber: All together now~ Major guilds are assholes~
└ Sogatamyeontanso: Major guilds are assholes
└ Saintess: Major guilds are assholes
- Air Raid Alert: There are listening devices in your ears, everyone! The guilds put listening devices in your ears...
└ Anonymous Climber: No way, holy shitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Anonymous Climber: But it's scary because it actually sounds possible...
└ Anonymous Climber: Big Guild is watching you...
Thanks to that, the Awakened Community burned with rumors for hours, and posts were pouring into the top section every time I refreshed.
"Should I tell them the truth...?"
For a moment, I considered setting the record straight, but in the end, I shook my head.
Surviving the Gallery, Chapter One.
As long as it isn't me.
It was much better to let people jump to their own conclusions than to have information about me spread around the Gallery.
Mm-hmm. Stalkers are scary, after all.
That's why I use Tor and a VPN, too.
It's absolutely not to get around the mods' bans.
Besides...
"It's more fun to just leave it alone, isn't it?"
I had no intention of throwing cold water on a rumor that was burning so brightly.
If you interrupt something like this, it loses all its appeal.
[ Here they go again. It's those bastards ]
[ ???: The truth is... I've never been to school either... ]
[ A look back at Baekhwa Guild's official statement ]
[ "Public Opinion Test" ]
[ Go die, JOAT ]
How long had I spent watching Tower Gallery burn with rumors about the major guilds while guzzling vodka?
Maybe the rumor was starting to lose steam, because new posts were appearing more and more slowly.
Then a post by a familiar username made it onto the top page.
[ ☆ I thought I was gonna die, you tin-can bastard ]
[ Posted by: Sogatamyeontanso ]
< A charred crater on Floor 20 >
Nothing beats firepower except greater firepower
- Anonymous Climber: Holy shit? That's insane
- Anonymous Climber: Congrats
- Saintess: I can't see anything...
- Anonymous Climber: What the hell did you do to the tin can;;
- Anonymous Climber: They actually beat it with fire magic, holy shit
- Great Mage: ? Did you just beat the Floor 20 boss with fire magic?
└ Sogatamyeontanso: Yeah
└ Great Mage: Wait... You know its armor is so thick that your attacks barely do any damage, right...?
└ Sogatamyeontanso: "I know"
└ Anonymous Climber: ? Holy shitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Anonymous Climber: Insert that song
└ Speed Vegan: Is this person insane...
- Ice Freak: Wow, that's a uniquely crazy bastard...
└ Anonymous Climber: Firepower, good good good, young man;;
└ Anonymous Climber: Firepower, firepower! The best!
"Oh. Looks like they finally beat it."
Did the caffeine candy they'd picked up just a little while ago actually work?
Honestly, I had no idea how the candy could've helped increase their firepower...
Their post confirming the kill showed up less than a few hours after I'd given them the candy.
As the major-guild rumor died down in an instant and the Floor 20 talk started heating up, I got bored and closed the Awakened Community.
"Tower Gallery is so boring..."
Tower Gallery without its core ingredients—factionalism, trolling, and mindless bashing.
What is that? Just an ordinary, wholesome Awakened Community.
"I'm done with Tower Gallery for today."
Of course, for a Gallery addict, quitting the Gallery was as good as dying.
Under normal circumstances, that meant there was no way I could stop browsing...
"Yaaawn..."
Maybe it was because the dopamine had run out, but I suddenly started feeling sleepy.
I wasn't drunk, of course, but maybe the fact that I'd had a drink for the first time in ages made me even more tired.
"Mm..."
In the end, unable to resist the sleepiness washing over me, I lay down on my bed and promptly passed out.
Looking forward to climbing Floor 3 tomorrow.
*
*
*
The next day.
As soon as I woke up, I entered Floor 3 of the Tower.
[ Would you like to enter Floor 3? ]
[ Yes ]
Vroooom──
A familiar forest unfolded before my eyes in a brilliant flash of light.
Clutching my throbbing head, I let out a small groan, still unable to get used to the motion sickness from changing floors.
"Ugh..."
You bastards, you still haven't patched the floor-change motion-sickness bug?
Could you patch this kind of thing sooner?
From the player's perspective, it feels like my insides are being turned inside out every time.
Though, as someone who's actually had their insides turned inside out, I suppose it's not quite that bad...
Luckily, I seemed to have gotten used to it somewhat. Unlike on Floor 1, I recovered pretty quickly.
But before I could enjoy the relief of the motion sickness fading, a familiar stench suddenly began to drift over from somewhere.
"Ugh... shit..."
Motion sickness, then an attack with bad smells?
The Tower was really determined to make my life miserable.
As if this were routine, I drew a dagger from my Inventory and kept a wary eye on my surroundings.
The stench grew stronger, and purple liquid began pouring out from between the trees.
"Is this a rerun?"
Black... Sludge? Slushie?
I think it was called something like that.
Of course, a rerun didn't mean I was getting the exact same quest as on Floor 1.
Gurgleeeee!!
Guh! Gurgle!
Eugh, ugh, eugh...!!
"Wow! Burning!"
There are three Black Sludges!
Three mid-bosses from Floor 5.
And on Floor 3.
What the fuck, Tower-bro?
Is this for real?
[ Did Lunatic difficulty's mom fucking die or what;;; ]
[ Posted by: 39.7 ]
< Photo of three Black Sludges >
Black Sludge? Slushie?
Aren't these things Floor 5 bosses?
Why are there three of them on Floor 3;;;
- Anonymous Climber: Insane????
- Save the Newbies: Three grape slushies, wow...
└ Anonymous Climber: Even for Lunatic Floor 3, three smoothies is fucking;;
└ Anonymous Climber: It's not Lunatic, it's Motherless difficulty
- Sogatamyeontanso: Burn down the whole forest ㄱㄱ
└ 39.7: Like that's gonna work...
I took a photo and posted it on Tower Gallery, and the comments started rolling in right away.
It seemed most people felt the same way I did.
A difficulty so absurd that it really might've lost its mother.
As an orphan, I felt a strange sense of kinship with it. Just then, a notification chimed and a Main Quest appeared before me.
Ding!
[ Main Quest ]
Defeat the monsters. (0/3)
- Reward: Floor 4 Entry Ticket, Random Skill Box x1, Random Trait Box x1
Reward normalization.
Now that's a proper Burning event.
I immediately performed a grand prostration toward my status window.
"Arigato!!"
Damn it, Tower-bro!!
I knew I could count on you!!
Suddenly, I could feel some real philosophy in this quest...
The slushies in front of me even looked kind of cute...
Gweeeeeegh!!
"...Fuck."
On second thought, maybe not.
That black kimchi pancake someone had chewed and spat out was still pretty...
- Reward: Floor 4 Entry Ticket, Random Skill Box x1, Random Trait Box x1
"Still, I can't pass up double the gacha."
With a practiced motion, I pulled an aluminum can out of my Inventory.
Then I used the Transmutation skill to shape the aluminum into a spiked sword, gripped it in both hands, and muttered:
Shrrrring!
"Ready, Al?"
[ Drug Addiction ]
- Rank: EX
- Ability: Stats increase in proportion to addiction rate.
- Addiction rate: 420%
It was time to test out my newfound strength.