Chapter 11
Arithmetic progression.
The Demon King's Tower's promotion-match rewards increase by 100 gold for every floor higher you climb.
Therefore, there's no need to save money.
For now, it's more efficient to increase the number of floors cleared, even by just one.
And the earrings are a stacking item. It would be best to equip them right away.
Besides, even if the earrings weren't a growth-type item, there was no need to save all my money and buy the Pitch-Black Knot Sash first.
The Pitch-Black Knot Sash gives 90 Magic Power.
That's an incredible amount, equivalent to pouring all 30 level-up points into Magic Power, but it's useless for me right now.
Even though I'm putting almost all my points into Intelligence and Magic Power, I haven't learned a single spell.
Therefore, buying it wouldn't greatly improve the safety of my climb.
And more importantly…
“If I clear just up to Floor 36, that's 33,000 gold.”
If I pushed through just eleven floors from here, I would reach the break-even point and fully recover the cost of the gear I was investing in right now.
And if I climbed twenty more floors, I would have 124,000 gold.
ㅇㅇ(25F) : But I'm going to spend all the money before I go.
ㄴㅇㅇ(213F) : Of course you are… Did you think you were going to skip this?
ㄴㅇㅇ(451F) : I thought you'd buy only the earrings and go, lol.
ㄴㅇㅇ(312F) : If they were that crazy, they'd have died long ago.
I picked up every item the verified user had told me about.
“Purchase.”
Without hesitation, I pressed the purchase button on the kiosk.
[Payment complete. Balance: 97G]
A halo of light flared, and the items I had ordered teleported onto the display shelf.
I immediately picked up the gear one piece at a time and began equipping it.
“Whoa, they're all so shiny.”
First, I slipped the two rings onto my fingers.
The black-glowing [Obsidian Insight Ring] and the red [Adventurer's Ring].
“Oh.”
The change was extremely subtle, but I could feel that something had become different.
My vision grew slightly clearer, and warmth spread through me.
And finally, the moment I slipped the silver [Ring of Arcane Might] onto my finger.
Vmmm-!
An effect different from the previous two occurred.
“Huh?…Whoa!”
Blood flow spread from the finger bearing the ring through every vein in my body.
Soon, it seeped into every corner of my muscles.
The sensation of strength filling my slender limbs.
With 32 Magic Power, 10% of it meant 3 Strength.
Could I really feel the difference immediately from an increase of only 3?
“As expected, Strength…”
There had to be a reason Strength was listed at the very top.
“I should test it right away.”
I swung the scythe.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It felt a little lighter than before.
I could even handle it with one hand now.
“Wow…”
I would only grow stronger from here on.
“So this is what a 6,000-gold item feels like.”
It seemed to live up to the price of a ring that even the few gallery members in the 600s would have to save ten months of salary without spending a single gold piece to buy.
If so…
The long-awaited Epic item, four times more expensive than this ring.
A price that even a Floor 400 gallery member couldn't afford after saving for fifty months without spending a single gold piece.
What would 20,500 gold's worth of power feel like?
[Magitech Azure Earrings]
I placed them on my palm.
The blue gem set in them gleamed with a beautiful, iridescent light.
According to SSS-Rank Gearhead's explanation, my Magic Power would permanently increase every time I killed something.
Touching the earrings didn't make an item-description hologram appear.
I had to rely entirely on his knowledge.
Therefore, I didn't know what qualified as a valid kill or the exact amount by which my Magic Power would increase.
“I suppose I'll only know once I put them on.”
That must be why people craved Gearhead's explanations while he was desperate for firsthand reviews of the items.
No item descriptions were provided before purchase.
I picked up the earrings and brought them to my earlobes.
And just as I was about to pierce them.
First, I ran my fingertips over my earlobe.
“Ah… My ears aren't pierced.”
My earlobe was smooth.
It seemed this female Reaper had never worn accessories like these before.
In that case, I would simply have to pierce them myself.
‘I don't even have an alcohol wipe…’
As I thought that, I let out a laugh.
“Ha.”
Here I was, fighting monsters for my life while swinging this scythe, yet I was hesitating over something as trivial as piercing my ears.
And I was in a position where I had to cut my throat—not pierce my ears—to learn the instant-death ability.
“It wouldn't even count as practice for suicide…”
Pook.
I felt the soft flesh being pierced.
A drop of blood welled up.
With a grimace, I pierced my other ear as well and finished putting them on.
…
“What the…”
I had been full of anticipation, but nothing happened.
They were the most expensive item, and the most troublesome to equip, yet the result was anticlimactic.
I suppose it was because they were a growth-type item. Still, I thought something would happen.
“Anyway, the setup is complete.”
How had my stats changed?
I checked my status.
[Status]
Race: Reaper (死神)
Floors: 25
Level: 25
Condition: Normal
Strength: 21 (▲3)
Agility: 23
Vitality: 8 (▲1)
Intelligence: 45 (▲2)
Senses: 40 (▲2)
Magic Power: 32
Luck: 10 (▲1)
Defense: 5 (▲2)
Magic Defense: 13
Remaining Stat Points: 0
Trait: Unawakened
Skills: None
Weapon: Death Scythe
Equipped Items: [Ring of Arcane Might], [Obsidian Insight Ring], [Adventurer's Ring], [Magitech Azure Earrings (Charge: 0%)]
“Oh… Now I really look like a character.”
There were so many things hanging off me.
I had finished all my preparations.
My goal was Floor 56.
If I pushed through exactly to Floor 56, I could earn 120,000 gold.
*
[The promotion match begins]
I climbed the stairs and opened the door.
The senior soldier of the Demon King's Army's Floor 26 appeared.
[Defender: Hobgoblin Warrior (26F)]
Kkigigig-
Considering that this was a thousand-floor tower, it was still a monster from the very bottom.
But it looked more dangerous than the orc I had encountered before.
This time, it was properly equipped for the first time.
It was a goblin, but one wearing a full set of iron armor.
“Did you gear up too?”
It must have been rich despite being a goblin.
Or maybe not. It didn't seem like something like this could use the Golden Carriage.
“I'll have to ask the gallery later.”
The creature let out an unpleasant shriek and raised its sword.
I kicked off the ground toward it.
Then.
Before the hobgoblin warrior could even bring its sword down.
Slaaash-!
I swung my scythe and sliced across its unarmored face.
“Gueeeek!!!”
The creature clutched its face with both hands, spilling blood onto the floor as it crumbled into light.
[Successfully defeated the Hobgoblin Warrior of Floor 26]
[You have received 2,500G as a promotion reward!]
And at the same time as I defeated it.
Ssswish.
The hobgoblin's energy, dispersing through the air, traced a blue arc before being sucked into my earlobe.
Tingle-
My entire body stiffened for an instant.
“Hk…!”
[Magitech Azure Earrings (Charge: 1%)]
It seemed that my Magic Power increased by 1 for every 1% of charge.
“So this is how the stacks build… What happens when it reaches 100%?”
And immediately afterward.
The silver ring glimmered.
I felt my entire body tighten ever so slightly.
“Huh.”
My Strength stat rose while I was standing still.
It seemed to be because my Magic Power had increased from the earrings' stacking effect.
My increased Magic Power had activated the ring's effect, which raised my Strength by 10% of my Magic Power.
The two items were creating synergy all on their own.
“That's fucking amazing… Even the item effects apply to each other.”
Had SSS-Rank Gearhead known even this when he recommended them? He was incredible.
“The money duplication and stat duplication starts now.”
*
Slaaash-!!!
[Successfully defeated the Giant Venomous Spider of Floor 27!]
[You have received 2,600G as a promotion reward!]
Whoosh-!
[Successfully defeated the Cave Bear of Floor 28!]
[You have received 2,700G as a promotion reward!]
Floor 29. Floor 30. Floor 35.
My unstoppable breakthrough continued.
Each time, the earrings glowed blue, and the silver ring reacted afterward.
I didn't forget to allocate my stat points, either.
Scritch-!
“I'm faster…”
My hunting time was actually getting shorter.
Floor 36. Floor 40. Floor 48.
As the floor number rose, rather than the monsters growing stronger,
I was growing stronger at an even faster rate.
Partly because I had gotten the hang of things.
I developed a strategy for clearing floors.
Whenever I first encountered a monster, I determined its attack type.
There were two broad categories.
Was it a melee monster or a ranged monster?
[Defender: Elite Skeleton Archer (49F)]
If it appeared to be a ranged monster like now, I didn't charge blindly. I first baited out an attack.
I ran parallel to the monster, using up one turn of its ranged attacks.
Swish-!
The skeleton's arrow passed behind my head.
After dodging one shot, I ran along a slightly closer trajectory.
Likewise, I moved laterally while waiting for its second attack.
Swish-!
“So that's about how fast it is.”
The purpose was to determine its attack speed.
I could gauge whether my Agility stat would let me approach that ranged monster, or whether I would be kited forever.
Once again, it was a monster I could approach.
Smack!
Boom!
The skeleton's bones shattered into pieces.
If I determined that its attack speed was too fast for me to approach, I would obtain the instant-death ability.
That was how I dealt with ranged monsters.
[You have received 4,800G as a promotion reward!]
Immediately after clearing Floor 49, I drank a Fatigue Recovery Potion.
Now, Floor 50.
This was where I would stand by for suicide.
It was just speculation, but fifty was an extremely symbolic number.
But that worry proved unfounded.
[Defender: Elite Orc (50F)]
Whoosh!
I dodged its flailing hooks and swung my scythe three or four times, turning the orc's arm into a ragged mess.
It couldn't raise its guard.
Scritch-!
Then I sliced through its fully exposed neck.
The way to deal with melee monsters was simple.
Swing the scythe until they died.
[Successfully defeated the Elite Orc of Floor 50!]
“Phew…”
I couldn't even imagine how strong I would have been if I'd put all my points into Strength, Agility, and Senses up to now.
It would have been a genuine one-second kill.
[Magic Power has increased by 1.]
[Intelligence has increased by 1.]
[Senses has increased by 1.]
“You two better earn your keep later, Magic Power and Intelligence!!!”
These guys really were cheetahs, right?
Right now, Senses was carrying the family all by itself.
[You have received 4,900G as a promotion reward!]
“Whoa, it's piling up…”
The promotion-reward gold was increasing in steps.
And upon entering Floor 51…
An unexpected enemy appeared.
[Defender: Shaman Sleep (51F)]
It was a strange-looking creature from the moment I saw it.
A sloth-like demon beast. Its entire body was black.
It was sleeping soundly upside down, clinging to the raised patterns on the ceiling.
‘I used to lie around without knowing the fear of the world, too…’
I thought I was lucky to have arrived while it was asleep.
But the moment I approached it with my scythe.
“Huh?”
My eyelids suddenly began to droop heavily.
My body became horrifyingly heavy.
[Status Effect: Drowsiness]
A holographic notification window appeared.
It seemed to be the creature's magic. There was a reason it was called Shaman Sleep.
Though it was only a status effect, I had allowed an attack to hit me for the first time.
Splat.
In the end, I collapsed onto the marble floor after taking only a few steps.
Soon, I felt as though I would fall into a state of sleep rather than mere drowsiness.
‘Could I really be this vulnerable…?’
I identified a weakness.
Not its weakness. Mine.
It seemed this female Reaper's body was vulnerable to sleep.
“Is it time…?”
I was about to use Death's End, but there was one last thing I wanted to try.
I hurriedly took a Fatigue Recovery Potion from my inventory.
I pulled out the cork and gulped down a sip.
I didn't need to drink it all.
I only had to check whether the Fatigue Recovery Potion also removed the drowsiness effect.
“Phew…”
Fortunately, the medicine took effect.
After taking a few more sips, my eyes snapped open.
The status-effect warning disappeared, and my head cleared instantly.
I gripped the scythe again and stood up.
Now it was time to split that sloth in two.
But.
The moment I looked toward where it was and advanced.
“Huh…?”
Splat!
I collapsed face-first onto the floor after just three steps.
It seemed that merely approaching the direction where it was sleeping caused drowsiness to come pouring down.
“No, what the hell? Doesn't this thing have some kind of cooldown…???”
This was completely absurd.
An enemy capable of using such an overpowered spell had suddenly appeared.
Compared to the previous floors, it would only make sense if it had nothing but its sleep ability.
If so, maybe everything would be fine after it woke up, but…
I was currently in a time attack.
To gather 120,000 gold for the Pitch-Black Knot Sash, I had to climb to Floor 56.
I had more than an hour left, but there was absolutely no time for a nap.
I racked my brain.
‘Is it time…?’
It seemed like the time had come to kill myself with the scythe.
I would cut my throat, enter the Reaper realm, and obtain the instant-death ability.
Or…
A sip of Fatigue Recovery Potion every step?
‘That would be such a waste…’
It seemed I would have to use all three Fatigue Recovery Potions just to walk to where that sloth was.
I couldn't throw the scythe and kill it from this distance, either.
My Strength and Senses stats weren't high enough for that.
“……!”
Then an idea occurred to me.
Lying facedown, I glared at the sloth through my half-open eyes.
‘I'm a monster, too… and so is that thing.’
There was something I could deduce from that fact.
I came up with a way to counter it.