Chapter 12
The Reaper realm was said to allow less time each time you entered it.
But I couldn't let a tree sloth like that make me use Suicide Pre-Input for the first time.
Didn't it look like it couldn't do anything besides put people to sleep?
The previous floor's monster had been far too weak, and this was proof of it.
"I can't afford to suffer permanent damage."
So I chose the Fatigue Recovery Potion.
A Fatigue Recovery Potion lets you climb twenty-five additional floors in a day.
In other words…
One of them refills for free every day.
In other words, unlike Suicide Pre-Input, it could be replenished.
But I wasn't planning to drink one sip per step.
Still sprawled on the floor, I took a sip and gripped the remaining bottle of Fatigue Recovery Potion tightly.
“Neigh!!!”
I threw it with all my strength at the black sloth's face.
Whoosh-!
I was in a position where I could barely use half of my shoulder.
My eyes were half-closed from drowsiness, making it difficult to see.
And it was too far away for even a professional baseball player to hit it.
But my physical abilities had long since surpassed those of an ordinary human.
I wasn't yet superhuman enough to throw my scythe and kill something, but…
A bottle was easy enough to aim.
Crash-!
Success.
The glass bottle shattered precisely against Shaman Sleep's face.
The Fatigue Recovery Potion soaked its hapless-looking face.
“…Because the two of us are both in the Demon King's Army.”
My reasoning was that a Fatigue Recovery Potion stocked for the Demon King's Army would work on that sloth too.
And that thing's sleep mechanism… I was certain it was a resonance effect.
My Senses stat was telling me that the culprit was that vacant-looking face.
But I couldn't be certain.
There was too much speculation mixed in.
So I immediately uncorked the second Fatigue Recovery Potion and took a sip.
At the same time, I prepared to kill myself and watched the sloth's reaction.
Flinch.
Its torso trembled as if convulsing, and then its two closed eyes snapped open.
And at the same time.
Bang!
It fell from the ceiling where it had been hanging.
That was the moment.
Shatter-!
The sleep status-effect warning window blocking my vision disappeared.
My legs and eyelids returned to normal.
Using the scythe as a cane, I lightly pushed myself upright.
The sloth, apparently angry at being startled awake, gave me a sidelong glance…
“…Huh?”
Then it slowly settled down and laid its head on the floor.
Astonishingly, it had chosen to go back to sleep.
What a troublesome senior.
“You need to get up!!!”
At times like this, I should probably shine a flashlight in its face, but…
That didn't seem necessary.
The sloth tossed and turned a few times…
Then opened its eyes again.
“…Pfft.”
“Wide awake now, are you?”
It seemed the Fatigue Recovery Potion had completely driven away its sleepiness.
It slowly stood up.
Just as it was about to make a move…
“No military hazing!”
I kicked off the floor and leaped.
Whoosh-!
I closed the distance in an instant and swung my scythe.
Slice-!
I split the sloth's head in two.
[Successfully defeated Shaman Sleep of Floor 51]
[You have received 5,000G as a promotion reward!]
I had earned ten months' salary for a Floor 500 gallery member.
The climb afterward was smooth sailing.
Floor 52, Floor 53, Floor 54, Floor 55…
And finally.
[Successfully defeated the Failed Product Death Knight of Floor 56]
[You have received 5,500G as a promotion reward!]
[Magitech Azure Earrings (Charge: 31%)]
Bang!
I had achieved my goal.
“The sloth was the toughest one…”
That didn't mean it hadn't been tiring, though.
I had climbed thirty-one floors.
It was record-breaking speed.
I had drunk a Fatigue Recovery Potion midway, but fatigue had built up again, and my hands were trembling faintly.
I opened the currency tab on the holographic status window.
[Current balance: 124,097 G]
“Haaah… I did it….”
I was overwhelmed.
When I checked the time on the hologram, about two and a half hours had passed since I set out.
Now I could buy this month's best Golden Carriage item, the [Pitch-Black Knot Sash].
I opened the gallery and made a post to prove it.
______
Title: I Saved 120,000 Gold
Author: ㅇㅇ(56F)
{Screenshot of current balance: 124,097 G}
Now I just wait for the comments to start rolling in, right?
_______
The gallery exploded the moment I posted it.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(148F) : 56F?????????????
ㅇㅇ(461F) : That was fucking insane. Crazy.
SSS-Rank Gearhead : ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
Fenrir : Hey, climbing thirty-one floors in two and a half hours is insane;;
ㅇㅇ(574F) : Good job.
Knowing the Leisure of a Cup of Tea : Heh. I knew you could do it. ^^
ㅇㅇ(312F) : Wow, you actually pulled it off…
ㅇㅇ(741F) : Your sheer bloody determination is fucking insane lol. Are you even human?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : You weren't human to begin with lol
Yeah.
It was definitely sinking in that I was no longer human.
The sensations in my body had become completely different.
There was a comment asking about my stats.
ㅇㅇ(418F) : What are your stats now?
I took a picture and posted it.
______
Title: (Human-Like Face Warning) Sharing My Stats
Author: ㅇㅇ(56F)
{Photo of a silver-haired, blue-eyed girl holding a scythe and flashing a V sign}
[Status]
Race: Reaper (死神)
Floors: 56
Level: 56
Condition: Normal
Strength: 27 (▲6)
Agility: 23
Vitality: 8
Intelligence: 76 (▲31)
Senses: 71 (▲31)
Magic Power: 94 (▲62)
Luck: 10
Defense: 5
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: 31%)]
Magic Power really went up a lot.
The earrings display a charge percentage, and it seems my Magic Power increases by 1 every time the charge rises by 1.
I don't know whether 100% is the limit or if something happens when it reaches 100%.
And the Ring of Arcane Might—what's interesting about this thing is that it also applies the Magic Power gained from the earring stacks.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(377F) : Look at Magic Power and Intelligence just sitting there unused lol
ㅇㅇ(347F) : And they still haven't even used black magic lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(211F) : This is fucking ridiculous.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(351F) : Aaaagh, learn magic already…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(644F) : There's no need to rush. It's normal to still be meditating to obtain even Circle 1 magic.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(351F) : That's not what I mean— they keep climbing floors in that state!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(644F) : That is true lol
______
There were plenty of comments about my Magic Power stat sitting idle.
But what could I do?
The monsters were all dying even without me using the power of Magic Power.
I was smugly basking in that thought, but…
The next few comments humbled me.
ㅇㅇ(505F) : Their stats are fucking adorable, seriously
ㅇㅇ(351F) : Not having a single three-digit stat is seriously the cutest thing.
ㅇㅇ(286F) : With two-digit stats, item efficiency must be fucking insane. We don't even notice any difference.
“…”
It struck me all over again.
“These people must be fucking monsters…”
Thinking about it, all these people's levels were in the hundreds.
Even at level 56, I felt superhuman. How strong would they be once their stats reached three digits?
What's more, the changes I could feel from my stats were based on Strength, Agility, and Senses, which I hadn't even put that many points into.
It felt as if limitless strength awaited me.
All the people who had spewed shitposts and vulgar remarks in the gallery, along with the gallery members in the 100s who had been looked down on,
were beings I couldn't even begin to compare myself to.
They felt impossibly distant.
And there were beings far more distant than them.
Above Floor 800.
A comment from a verified user above level 800 appeared.
SSS-Rank Gearhead : Hnng…
“……”
‘Ah. Give me back my humility.’
ㄴSSS-Rank Gearhead : Charge… A rare item that even uses external stats as reference values… Noted…
ㄴSSS-Rank Gearhead : Thank you for the review!! I look forward to your future reviews too, newbie!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(451F) : This is the first time I've seen this bastard use honorifics with anyone other than a verified user.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(321F) : For real.
It felt as though I could hear his excited voice through the hologram.
I chuckled and posted a reply.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(56F)(Author) : The effects feel great. I'll write you a proper review once I get a chance. For now, I'll go inside the carriage and pay first.
I posted the reply and raised my head.
Then.
“Oh, it's here!”
Two horses entered from the direction of the entrance.
“Let's see, my Knot Sash….”
Humming a tune, I slung the scythe over my shoulder and approached the carriage.
But.
Whinnyyyyy-!!
“Whoa!”
Just as I was about to approach the carriage, the black horse raised its forelegs high and let out a horrible cry.
I hurriedly backed away.
It snorted and thrust its head sharply toward me.
Clatter! Clatter!
The skeleton horse beside it was also nervously clicking its jawbones together.
“What the hell? Why are they so aggressive now?”
The horses blocked the entrance to the Golden Carriage with their entire bodies, so agitated that they looked ready to bite me if I took even one step closer.
At this rate, I couldn't get inside the carriage.
And the timer kept counting down!
Bewildered, I immediately posted a question in the gallery.
_____
Title: Guys, the Horses Are Angry and Blocking the Way—What Do I Do?
Author: ㅇㅇ(56F)
Suddenly the black horse and the bone horse are blocking the way and trying to attack me;;
They were super gentle at first, so why are they acting like this? I can't get into the carriage ㅠㅠ
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(418F) : Huh.
ㅇㅇ(333F) : ……?
ㅇㅇ(361F) : Both Lo and Lu are doing it? They're fucking docile, so what did you do to them?
ㅇㅇ(741F) : Tell us the truth Tell us the truth Tell us the truth Tell us the truth
______
‘I didn't do anything…’
I hurriedly explained.
ㅇㅇ(56F)(Author): What do you mean, what did I do…? I saw these guys for the first time on Floor 25. They were definitely friendly then.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(361F) : What could you possibly have done to make them try to attack you when they stay still even if people ride them? lol
Amid my confusion,
a familiar verified user appeared.
Fenrir : lol Of course the horses would hate you. Especially Lo, probably.
ㄴㅇㅇ(741F) : The Fur-Lovers have arrived ㄷㄷ
ㄴㅇㅇ(56F)(Author) : What's Lo?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(300F) : The black horse's name.
The horses had no choice but to hate me?
Why on earth?
Fenrir : Think about what you did.