Chapter 29
ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : And I already seem to have a bad reputation in the Reaper realm.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : What are you talking about?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : I tried to ask a Reaper for directions, but they ran away as soon as they saw me. They said something about not wanting anything to do with the Gatekeeper of the Demon King's Tower.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Huh?;;; Were you already famous?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(467F) : Even the Reaper realm knows about the Demon King's Tower ㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(438F) : So you're saying your image is already ruined, so it doesn't matter? lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(187F) : Then let's keep erasing the red names and go for infinite refills of instant-death skills~
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : You aren't Reapers, so quit talking nonsense when you don't know anything. No, no.
Non-Reapers.
Hearing that made me wonder.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : Does Captain Death Note not know me? You called me a natural Reaper, so if I'm famous in the Reaper realm, you might know me.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(347F) : Pulling the “You don't know me?” move ㄷㄷ
An answer soon came back.
Captain Death Note : …My stay ended 500 years ago. I don't know anything about what happened before then.
I see.
It seemed this Reaper girl had earned her infamous(?) reputation after Master left the Reaper realm.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : Floor 710, you don't know either, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Yeah, I'm possessed by a Reaper like you, so I don't know.
Hmm.
So that's how it is.
In that case…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : Next time you go to the Reaper realm, could you ask the other Reapers about the Gatekeeper?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(387F) : What?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(680F) : Ah, if you don't know, go find out for him lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(435F) : LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Okay… but I probably won't be going for a while.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : Thank you!
Good.
At least I might be able to learn about the Reaper girl I've possessed.
Since Floor 710 is in a different parallel universe, I probably won't learn what resulted from my erasing two names…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(234F) : He's making someone more than 600 floors above him run errands lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : They said I'd be attacked if I went back… so I probably won't be able to ask because I'd have to run away.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(234F) : ?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(651F) : Why run? Just don't go, lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(435F) : Are you really going to infinitely refill instant-death skills? lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(61F)(Author) : No, I mean I'm going to use the Death Scripture…
At that, Master started throwing a fit.
Captain Death Note : Have you still not grasped how serious this is!!
Captain Death Note : The taboo you committed is a capital crime that violated the order of the Great Stone Tablet! If you go back to the Reaper realm, you'll be summarily executed by the judges!!
From what I heard, running away would be difficult too.
Apparently I'd be killed as soon as I arrived.
I didn't even bother asking what happens when you die in the Reaper realm. Probably soul extinction or something.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : They really did cause a fucking huge incident;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : Why?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Think about it. What they got by erasing someone else's name was at least a Stage 3 Death Sentence.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : That means that Reaper must have been a monster who would go down in the history of the Great Stone Tablet.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : But Newbie erased that genius's name, making it impossible for them to use instant-death skills ever again…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(311F) : Oh?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(461F) : LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(243F) : But if that Reaper can't use instant-death skills, wouldn't Newbie win? Why be scared?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : They'd have to take on the entire faction behind that Reaper…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(431F) : Connections ㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(468F) : Are they bringing their parents? lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(647F) : Do Reapers have moms too?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : ?
It looked like I'd snuffed out the potential of a promising Reaper.
Apparently that Reaper was mobilizing all their connections to get revenge on me.
“…Hmm.”
That was when.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(648F) : But didn't you say the Death Scripture couldn't be used repeatedly anyway? Two instant-death skills are permanent, so isn't this an advantageous trade?
Someone voiced the thought I'd been having.
The logic was that although it came with a risk, the return was greater.
But Floor 710's answer was negative.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : It's… actually kind of ambiguous. Getting two instant-death skills is good, but it's hard to alternate between them.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(432F) : Why?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Newbie's Slash (斬) is the only Death Sentence based on Strength and Agility.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : But the Reapers' mainstream black magic is based on Intelligence and Magic Power.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : In other words, to use Slash meaningfully, they'd have to invest in physical stats, but then their black magic tree would be completely screwed up.
Slash and See were based on different stats, so they couldn't use them together.
I understood what they meant.
[Death Sentence - Slash (斬)]
Instantly executes one target that comes into contact with the Reaper's scythe.
Slash required directly cutting with the scythe, so it would need physical stats.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : Exactly! That's why, instead of awakening Slash, which is normally Stage 3, the orthodox path is to keep training and move straight to Stage 4, See (視)!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : I've genuinely never seen anyone with two Death Sentences… Even if we try to make the most of it, we can't figure out how to plan their development path.
That was when.
Other registered users jumped in.
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : Slash (斬), huh. I don't know about a Reaper's instant-death skills, but if you need to wield weapons, I'll teach you.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : ?
ㄴKnows the Leisure of a Cup of Black Tea : If you've already become someone persecuted by the Reaper realm… why not take this opportunity to walk the path of necromancy? ^^
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(654F) : Look at that razor-sharp sales pitch lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(348F) : First time I've seen Sword Venerable Jihee since Newbie ditched her on day one lol
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Stop fucking around, please. Why learn weapons? They need to ditch Slash and just go with See.
ㄴCaptain Death Note : How dare you interrupt! Anything besides black magic derived from instant-death skills is heresy to a Reaper!
I thought carefully as I read down the comments.
“Why are there so many things that don't fit together…”
Come to think of it, necromancy was the same.
They said necromancy was antithetical to Reapers, who had no affinity for souls.
The two Death Sentences were the same.
There were separate paths: investing in Strength and Agility, or taking the Intelligence and Magic Power black magic route.
“……”
But when I thought about it.
The concept of being antithetical only existed on the premise that the two things conflicted.
But necromancy and Reapers.
Slash (斬) and See (視).
Magic Power and Strength stats.
I wondered whether these things actually conflicted with one another.
What specific problem arose when a Reaper learned necromancy?
What happened if one invested in Strength and Magic Power simultaneously?
No one had properly told me of any particular side effects.
Could it be that there was no real point of conflict, insufficient to call them antithetical?
With that thought in mind, I eventually arrived at this conclusion.
‘Why not just master everything?’
It was probably arrogance.
But it wasn't confidence without basis.
Others said acquiring a Circle took a week, but I'd succeeded in just an hour.
I'd also awakened Blood Command, supposedly the highest-level magic for controlling blood, in a single burst.
I'd even succeeded at the supposedly completely impossible Mujandarye on my first try.
…To be honest, I felt like there was nothing I couldn't do in this Tower now.
I placed my hand on the holographic keyboard.
I posted a question.
______
Title: Should I just use everything?
Author: ㅇㅇ(61F)
I'd like to use Death Sentence - Slash, use See, use black magic, and learn necromancy.
I already seem to be an outcast in the Reaper realm, so wouldn't it be okay?
If it's irreversible, shouldn't I make the most of the situation…
But to use Slash, I think I need to invest in physical stats. Is it possible to distribute my stats instead?
_____
I pressed the Register button.
The moment I refreshed, the gallery erupted.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(641F) : ??????
ㅇㅇ(438F) : Hexagon declaration lol
ㅇㅇ(312F) : Do you think that'll work?
ㅇㅇ(643F) : Your greed is fucking insane lol
ㅇㅇ(431F) : Blub blub blub blub (the sound of jjampong boiling)
ㅇㅇ(640F) : What the fuck are you talking about? You're saying you'll make a garbage build lol
Fenrir : Distributing stats is an absolute taboo… If you raise them that way, their growth will stop immediately…
Captain Death Note : Fool! If you don't reach the extreme in even one area, you're nothing but junk!! Take back that idiotic thought at once!!
Everyone was trying to talk me out of it in unison.
“Hmm…”
I expected to meet opposition.
ㄴㅇㅇ(794F) : Seriously, absolutely not.
Absolutely.
Hearing that, I raised my head.
“…You haven't escaped either.”
Wasn't everyone posting in this gallery someone who hadn't found the answer?
The thought flashed through my mind, but I soon shook my head.
“It probably is arrogance after all…”
Distributing my stats was indeed an idea far removed from common sense, even for me.
It was at that exact moment.
Someone appeared.
Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Young Reaper, you have astutely grasped the thread.
It sounded like an opening that affirmed what I had said.
Though it was only text, it carried an incredible presence.
“Taehuh Immortal Cultivator…”
It was the registered user who had once dismissed me and the intruders as insignificant before disappearing.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : What brings a mighty one from Floor 900 here…!
Even Master treated him with utmost respect.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : You, on the other hand, have no understanding whatsoever of the Tower's Absolute Difficulty (絶難).
Master cautiously asked.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : …My learning is shallow, so I cannot fathom your meaning, mighty one. Would you grant me your teaching?
A moment later.
Taehuh Immortal Cultivator's long comment filled the comment section.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : All races. Every branch of magic. Countless supernatural powers and arcane arts, ever-changing sword techniques and weapons. The countless strengths and peculiarities residing in each, and the ultimate principles of all of them.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Here, which branches should you cut away, and which branch tips should you choose to reach the summit?
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Answer me. Which is the proper path?
ㄴCaptain Death Note : …I understand what you mean. But since we are of the Reaper race, we believed that honing the Reaper arts was the right path.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Good. You said you were a Reaper, did you not?
Draw (引)
Engrave (刻)
Slash (斬)
See (視)
Sever (斷)
Annihilate (滅)
Zero (零)
Ash (灰)
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Reaper of Floor 800. Where among these eight stages are you?
ㄴ Captain Death Note : How do you know the stages of Death Sentence…!!!
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : I have mastered all of them.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : Such…! Unbelievable…!
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : You may despair even further. Even so, I have yet to find a way to deal with the next level.
“…”
Astonishing.
This registered user named Taehuh Immortal Cultivator seemed to have mastered every one of the Reaper race's instant-death skills.
And even with all of them, he hadn't been able to climb the Tower.
“So that's why he called instant-death skills trivial supernatural arts…”
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : We who have not reached the summit lack the ability to discern what the summit is.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Yet on what basis do you all assert your own combat methods?
“……!”
The hairs on my forearms stood on end.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : I'll give you the answer.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Conquering the Tower means having no flaws.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Penetration of All Things (萬象貫通), Imperishability of All Things (萬象不壞).
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : The only way to climb all one thousand floors of the Tower is to reach the realm of omnipotence. That is all.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : How can one lone body contain everything!
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : What floor are you currently on?
ㄴKnows the Leisure of a Cup of Black Tea : The realm of omnipotence… Is such a thing possible…?
No answers came to those questions.
He ignored everyone and addressed me directly.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Young Reaper. You may be proud. That arrogance that must have sprung from your mind is the correct answer. Learn everything.
ㄴ Taehuh Immortal Cultivator : Chew up and swallow the taboo.
He disappeared after those words.
“…”
Taboo.
A Reaper learning necromancy.
Erasing another Reaper's name written on the Great Stone Tablet.
Using Slash and See together.
Investing in physical and magical stats simultaneously.
And…
Killing people.
I was an existence that could gain more experience than anyone else in this Tower.
Thanks to the intruders.
Perhaps I might be able to gain experience in the Reaper realm too.
…And so I.
Maybe it was possible for me to invest in every stat.
“Swallow it all…”
To survive.
To get out of this Tower.
I moved my hand to bring up the stat distribution window.
Pop-
[Remaining Stat Points: 28]
[Remaining Stat Points: 27]
[Remaining Stat Points: 26]
…
..
.
[Remaining Stat Points: 0]