Chapter 91
It sent the light the flag had absorbed back to me. Like an antenna.
I could feel an alien force gathering inside me.
It wasn’t much.
About the amount of a fingernail, really.
I could tell instinctively what it was.
‘Is this the power of faith Sand Worm was talking about last time?’
Gathering faith to raise one’s rank.
The path to godhood.
Of course, I had never once thought I wanted to become a god.
Without even realizing it, I seemed to have stepped onto the opening stretch of a similar path.
“Sage, are you all right?”
Sharon asked in a worried voice.
Only then did I come to my senses.
I’ll have to look into this slowly later.
I answered awkwardly.
“I’m fine. But... what’s all this? It looks like a festival or something.”
Sharon smiled brightly and answered my question.
“Yes! It’s a festival just for you, Sage!”
Sharon told me what had happened after I disappeared on the 35th floor.
Victory had already been decided,
and the remaining orcs ran at the mere sight of the hourglass emblem, so they were quickly taken care of.
She said today’s festival was the first one, held to celebrate the victory and honor the Sage.
“Without the Sage’s help, this kingdom would already have fallen. We will remember you forever.”
“Ahem, there’s no need to go that far...”
Sharon’s eyes sparkled.
I barely managed to hold back the corners of my mouth from rising.
Otherwise I’d look far too lacking in dignity.
If people were going to call me a Sage, I should act the part.
If only I had a beard I could stroke at times like this.
‘So there aren’t any orcs left to fight now? Are we just going to enjoy the festival on this floor?’
There was no way it would end that easily, right?
I remained wary as I took my seat according to the guide’s instructions.
On the platform overlooking the plaza.
Right beside me, Chohoogi was still standing there proudly, flag in hand.
Apparently, he was enjoying this situation the most.
‘Sigh, what exactly is he trying to become, growing that big?’
Then the king called me over and gave the people some instructions.
“Sage, could you spare us a moment’s attention?”
The huge tent in the center of the plaza was pulled away.
Revealed inside was a giant stone statue that still looked unfinished.
It wore the same robe as me and stood with one hand outstretched. It was me.
No, on closer look, it was a little taller than the real me, with longer, more slender limbs.
A version of me aged five to ten years.
But that wasn’t the important part.
A statue of me? Is this real?
“To eternally honor the Sage’s great deeds, we’ve gathered the kingdom’s finest craftsmen to erect a statue of the Sage.”
“My goodness...”
Moved.
I was so overwhelmed that I lost the ability to speak.
To think they’d accomplish here what I had wanted to do in Daejeon first.
As expected, there was a lot to learn inside the tower.
I needed to turn Korea into a society like the one inside the tower as soon as possible.
“I really need to take a picture of this.”
I’d use it as a reference later when we made something similar in Daejeon.
That statue had even more dignity than my actual face.
It would make a good model.
“Uh?”
That was when it happened.
Wheeeeeeng-
A sudden, unpleasant high-pitched ringing echoed across the entire plaza.
The festival music stopped dead in an instant.
People looked around in confusion.
And then it appeared.
Black smoke rose from the cracks between the stones on the plaza floor.
It gave off a feeling similar to the boss I had seen on the 35th floor.
But it didn’t have that same special pressure.
It was just an unpleasant, nasty existence, like a mass of resentment.
“W-what is that...? A ghost?”
“Some kind of orc sorcery?”
The people murmured and backed away.
[Heeheehee...]
The black specter circled the plaza as if threatening the people.
And then it moved straight toward one place.
My statue.
Sssssss-!
The moment the smoke touched it, the statue began to melt as if it had been splashed with acid.
Kraack!
Losing its balance, the giant statue tilted sideways and crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
My statue turned into a grotesque pile of rubble in an instant.
“Aaaaaah!”
“R-run!”
Only then did people start scattering while screaming.
The festival ground turned into utter chaos in an instant.
I was angrier than ever at the enemy’s barbaric cruelty.
“You bastard!”
I reflexively raised my staff.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-!
The ground beneath the platform moved.
The earth, moving like a giant conveyor belt, gently carried the people to the safe area outside the plaza.
In an instant, only I and a few others remained in the plaza.
I glared at it.
“It doesn’t look that strong...”
I recalled the spiritual body of the Orc Warlord I had met on the 35th floor.
Compared to that thing, this was nothing more than a petty ghost.
The total amount of mana flowing through its body itself was laughably small.
“How dare you break my statue?”
I snapped my fingers.
Dozens of sand bullets flew toward it.
“Still no good after all?”
Shushushushu-!
Just as expected.
The sand bullets passed straight through its body without any resistance.
[Kekekekeke....]
It made a sound that seemed to be mocking me.
“Damn it, that...”
I ground my teeth.
At this rate, this was just a reenactment of the 35th floor.
I needed another method.
Just then, another mage appeared.
“If you give me a chance, I’ll give it a try.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the chief disciple of Court Mage Gerard. A petty wraith like that...”
“Go ahead and try!”
The mage chanted.
The spell was the same Fireball I’d seen before.
The fireball flew toward the specter.
[Heeheehee....]
“It doesn’t seem to have any effect at all?”
“How... My magic isn’t working?”
As expected, being a disciple really didn’t amount to much.
“Where is Gerard?”
“He passed away last year. Old age...”
Damn it, nothing was going right.
If magic attacks didn’t work, what other means of attack were left?
One word flashed through my mind.
The holy magic priests use.
“Sharon, don’t you have something like a priest here?”
“Huh? A priest? We did have some...”
“Did have some? What about now?”
“Well, they made a huge fuss, saying honoring the Sage was devil worship... Most of them left for other countries. There are only one or two left now.”
“No, what are you talking about?”
I’m a devil? Want me to show you what a real devil is?
I can be either an angel or a devil depending on how people treat me.
A sudden urge to inspect the priests’ belongings began to swell inside me.
As I was lamenting inwardly,
a familiar voice sounded in my head.
[Sand Worm suggests using the power you just obtained.]
‘The power I just obtained?’
[The power born from gathered faith. That is the seed of divine power. It explains that this should be more than enough to purify a lowly wraith like that.]
At Sand Worm’s words, I snapped to attention.
Right. I had gained a new power.
Without hesitation, I drew up the power inside my body.
But before I could attack, I had no choice but to stop.
“This is consumable?”
One use and it’s gone. Faith energy that can’t be replenished.
It felt like a waste to use it just to take down some trash mob like that.
[Sand Worm advises that faith can be drawn out again as long as the believers remain alive.]
So that’s how the system works?
Anyway, there was nothing for it. I had no choice but to use it now.
Regardless of my will, all the faith I had was drained away into a single bullet.
I teared up a little.
The sand in my hand began to change.
Sand grains, unlike usual, began to radiate a dazzling golden light.
Sand that looked divine to anyone who saw it.
[Keee—!]
The black smoke, horrified, tried to flee.
It must have instinctively sensed the appearance of a power capable of annihilating it.
“Trying to run now?”
I said coldly.
It had to pay the price for breaking my statue and making me burn through all my precious faith.
I reached out my hand.
A bullet of glittering golden sand shot forth.
Pwoom-!
The moment the holy sand touched it, the specter began burning away in an instant.
Within seconds, it vanished completely without leaving so much as a speck of ash behind.
“Phew...”
I let out a sigh.
That thing was obviously trash-mob level.
And yet I had to pour out all the faith I had just obtained.
‘Besides, faith is way too stingy. I got all this from so many people, and one shot is all I get?’
How am I supposed to gather points and rank up to the next stage like this?
The power gained by gathering faith was far too unstable and one-time-use.
‘I need to find a new method.’
I couldn’t keep relying on this kind of war of attrition.
I had to obtain a stable means of dealing with enemies like this.
I set my next goal.
Soon after, familiar system messages appeared.
[Congratulations on clearing the 36th Floor on EXTREME difficulty.]
And the level-up reward, too.
Three books floated up before me.
“Huh?”
I let out a sound without meaning to.
A skill book floating in midair.
A thick book radiating a luminous platinum light.
Its grade was unmistakably Platinum.
‘What happens if this keeps going?’
My mind became complicated in an instant.
The Rank 1 bonus usually gives all stats.
If there was a level-up, it had the effect of raising a skill book’s grade by one tier.
Up until now, the benefits had been extremely simple and powerful.
Gold to Platinum.
Platinum to Rainbow.
An intuitive system that climbed one step at a time.
But this time, it starts at Platinum grade.
‘If Platinum goes up one tier... it’s Rainbow.’
Then this would be the best possible result.
But one question remained.
What happens if Rainbow evolves one more step?
The [First Clear Bonus] upgrades skill book grades too, doesn’t it?
As I watched, swallowing hard, the system began to operate.
[Rank 1 bonus is being applied.]
[Grade increases by one tier.]
Paaaat-!
The Platinum skill book burst with dazzling light.
The platinum light quickly turned into rainbow hues.
Up to this point, as expected.
But what appeared next was a system window I’d never seen before.
[A special achievement has been accomplished.]
[Achievement: Beyond the Rainbow]
[You have witnessed for the first time the stage beyond Rainbow.]
[Mana +100]
“Holy shit...”
Jackpot.
A grade no one had ever witnessed.
It was practically the same as the system declaring that it existed.
If this information alone got out, the world would go crazy.
I hurriedly pulled out my phone and recorded a video.
With a pounding heart, I waited for the next change.
[An additional grade-up opportunity has been granted.]
[Enhancement begins.]
Bam-pala-bap-bbam~.
Cheerful music began to play.
The Rainbow skill book started emitting brilliant light.
Bam-pala-bap-bbam~
Along with the lively music, the book, transformed into pure light, began to tremble.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
My heart was pounding as if it would burst.
Every nerve in my body focused on the skill book as its light gradually intensified.
Soon the light reached its peak.
The brightness made it hard even to keep my eyes open.
I swallowed.
“D-did it work?”
And at that moment.
Bang!
With a cheerful sound, all the light vanished in an instant.
Maybe because the light suddenly disappeared, the world seemed to sink into darkness.
“......?”
Nothing remained on my palm.
No, to be exact, only a handful of blackened ash remained.
Black ash slipping down between my fingers.
[Oh no! Skill book enhancement has failed.]
[The reward has been destroyed.]
“Damn it... It even had a failure chance?”
It was a situation so absurd it made common sense run away.
“S-so there isn’t a refund? You don’t have to enhance it...”
At my question, the system displayed the same window from just before once more.
[Oh no! Skill book enhancement has failed.]
...
A brief silence fell.
“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...”
So this wasn’t the end, right?
There’s no way this is the end, right?
Come to think of it, even games give you shards or something when enhancement fails.
There has to be some kind of pity system here too.
[Oh no! Skill book enhancement has failed.]
“This bastard keeps provoking me...”
Then it happened.
A new system message appeared.
[We offer our deepest condolences for your enhancement failure.]
[An enhancement failure reward will be provided.]
“Reward?”
My eyes widened.
Yeah, there should be a pity system for enhancement too.
It looked like it was going to give me something else.
But the identity of the reward that appeared next completely blew past my expectations.
[As compensation, you have been granted one ticket for the ‘Tower Secret Gacha’.]
“What, a gacha?”
Maybe because I’d just been thinking about gacha games?
A luck test, followed by another luck test?
I calmly checked the next message.
Soon, a flashy roulette wheel appeared before my eyes.
The wheel was crammed with all kinds of rewards.
But the list of rewards was anything but ordinary.
[~Spin, spin, roulette wheel~]
[Tower Floor Skip Ticket: Instantly clears one floor of your choice without any need to conquer it.]
[Skill Grade-Up Ticket: Raises the grade of one skill you possess.]
[Rank-Up Ticket: Permanently raises the player’s rank by one stage.]
[Elixir: Can bring you back even from wounds near death.]
“...What is this?”
I rubbed my eyes.
The level of the rewards was beyond imagination.
Tower skip? Skill leveling up?
It was practically a reward that modified the tower’s system.
“This seems way better than a Rainbow skill.”
Of course, the odds were atrocious.
Each item was tucked into a slot as narrow as a hairline crack.
On top of that, the roulette was packed with plenty of duds like [100g Mana Stone].
But I felt hope.
“I can do it. If it’s me.”
I nodded with satisfaction.
If they rewarded me like this, it wasn’t a bad deal.
I pressed the [Start Draw] button in the center of the roulette without hesitation.
With flashy effects, the roulette began spinning furiously.
Countless reward entries flashed past my eyes.
My heart began beating rapidly in time with the roulette’s speed.
The roulette gradually slowed.
I swallowed hard.
[Skill Grade-Up Ticket] flashed past my eyes.
“Ah, what a waste...”
[Tower Floor Skip Ticket] also flashed by.
Please, not another full rotation?
The roulette kept slowing until, at last, it stopped on a single slot.
... Ding!
[Congratulations! You have won a ‘Previous Floor Re-Entry Ticket’!]
What appeared before me was a single ticket.
“Huh?”
I picked up the ticket and stared blankly at it for a moment.
An extremely ambiguous reward—neither a huge jackpot nor a total bust.
“What am I supposed to use this for?”
I simply stared silently down at the ticket in my hand.