Chapter 3
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Title: I Am the Reaper of Floor 800. Reaper of Floor 1, Read This.
Author: Captain Death Note
You possess the noble bloodline of the flower of the Reaper race and can learn instant-death abilities.
From now on, you shall follow my guidance and walk the path of black magic.
If you have received my summons, leave a reply immediately.
[Comments]
Sword Sovereign Jihee : Trying to make you walk the path of an apostle? The essence of a scythe is ultimately to cut. Do not abandon your weapon, Floor 1.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : I am not telling him to abandon his weapon. I am trying to teach him how to truly use it.
______
It was a remarkably serious tone.
In this person's case, he must have originally been a natural-born member of the Demon King's Army rather than someone who had been possessed.
“A real Reaper…”
I decided to listen to someone of my own kind.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F) : I have taken my seat, Master. I await your instruction!
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : Good.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F): Since I am in such a hurry, please forgive me for asking first… What should I do from now on?
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : There is no need to hurry. First, sit cross-legged on the floor and close both eyes.
A cross-legged meditation posture? That sounded like something out of a martial-arts novel.
‘I guess I should try following his instructions for now.’
I found a spot and sat cross-legged.
And close my eyes…? Then I would not be able to see the gallery.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : Empty your mind of distracting thoughts and focus solely on your lower abdomen… the deepest part of your danjeon.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : If you are a woman, you ought to have a uterus, so it should be easier.
“……”
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : If you sink your mind deep enough, you can enter a second dimension within yourself. For a Reaper blessed with the grace of Crossing the Boundary, it should be easy. Retrieving your circle from there is the first step of black magic.
ㄴㅇㅇ(1F) : How long does that process take?
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : Three days at the earliest. Even at the latest, you will be able to touch your circle within a week.
“Huh?”
I let out an incredulous voice.
A week?
That door could open one second from now.
And this was not even learning a single black magic spell. It would take that long just to take the first step.
It might be considered fast since this was not an RPG, but my circumstances were different.
‘I could die at any moment while just sitting here…’
The comments reacted much the same way.
ㅇㅇ(132F) : What if the hero comes before then and kills the newbie?
ㅇㅇ(505F) : Sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed, only to get the beheading ending LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㅇㅇ(341F) : Look at this silver-spoon bastard who started on Floor 700, completely divorced from reality.
That was exactly what I was thinking…
There was no guarantee the hero would not invade within a week.
But to a registered user above Floor 800, a hero would have become something as nonexistent as a unicorn—not even a thing that existed in their mind.
High-floor registered users seemed to have a completely different brain structure.
But there were comments defending him, too.
ㅇㅇ(468F) : But preparing for a promotion match normally takes years, lol.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(145F) : So bring out the instant-leveling secret manual already, damn it, lol.
Feeling frustrated, I asked.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F) : This is taking too long. Is there another way?
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author): Hah (喝)!!!
A thunderous scolding came down immediately.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author): How can you be so impatient! Obtaining a black-magic circle is, unlike dragon magic, inherently simple and easy! And you would try to obtain even that in a short time, you fool!
Even reading it as text was enough to make my ears hurt.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F) : But what if the hero suddenly appears right now? I am so anxious I could die, Master… I am terrified the door will open.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : Life and death are meant to be entrusted to providence. Furthermore, the manifestation of that ‘providence’ is none other than our Reaper race.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F): Ah.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(413F) : Floor 1 guy's brain just crashed LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : How can the embodiment of death fear death? That would be like a parent being afraid of their own child.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F): Yes… you are right.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(317F) : Look at him immediately letting it go in one ear and out the other after realizing there is no getting through to him LMAOOOOOOOOOO
Captain Death Note (Author) : Since you were born a Reaper and will turn to ash if you fail to obtain a circle, use your fear as nourishment and sink into meditation!
“Fucking crazy…”
I cursed under my breath.
In short, he was telling me to endure by praying that the hero would arrive late, since I would die anyway if I failed to learn it.
‘I really have to meditate for a whole week?’
Could I not get stronger while climbing the tower?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F): Guys, can I just go to the next floor, kill a monster, and level up?
ㄴㅇㅇ(132F) : The Demon King's Tower is not a dungeon, y'know… It is our workplace, y'know…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : That is crazy talk. No. The next floor is always populated with monsters stronger than those on the previous floor.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(741F) Even if you are not a mage, years of training are mandatory.
ㄴ Captain Death Note (Author) : Absolutely impossible.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(741F): Not to mention that there is no strategy for Floor 2. What are you even planning to do?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(341F) : Being on Floor 1 must really fucking suck, lol.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(318F) : For real, are you not going to meet a hero at full strength right away? LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(549F) : I am insanely jealous… Getting sliced up by the hero sounds less boring.
My head was spinning.
Train for a year, then challenge the next floor.
That seemed to be the standard procedure.
It must have been data written in blood.
I had no choice but to believe it.
But I could not just sit meditating in front of that door.
ㅇㅇ(505F) : What are we going to do about the newbie… Is she going to die like this?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F) : You were teasing me earlier, and now you are suddenly worried?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(241F) : You idiots did not know these guys are all tsundere? Not a single one of them wants you dead, lol.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(134F) : You are the only one who can show us the hero. What else can we do?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(421F) : Show us the hero's XX before you go!
‘This is driving me crazy…’
Everyone seemed to want to help me, but apparently there was not much they could do.
‘Do I really have no choice but to meditate?’
It was then, as I clutched my head, that…
Someone stepped forward.
The floor number looked familiar… Who was it again?
ㅇㅇ(574F) : You can just start climbing the tower right now.
ㄴ Captain Death Note : ?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(412F) : Employee of the Month behavior, damn.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(134F) This guy—what the fuck?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) : I will make a post, so take a look.
574F.
I remembered.
He was the only gallery member who had believed I was a newbie from the very beginning.
Could he know something?
It did not seem like he had the trust of the others.
I pressed the back button to return to the front page.
Then I waited a little.
Then. A title appeared.
[Title: Why the Newbie Can Start Climbing Now]
Could it really be true?
With trembling hands, I clicked the post to check.
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Title: Why the Newbie Can Start Climbing Now
Author: ㅇㅇ(574F)
To give you the conclusion first, the monsters below Floor 100 should be fucking weak.
Because of the Demon King's Tower's structure, one might think the lower the floor, the weaker the monsters stationed there, meaning the Floor 1 newbie must be the weakest of all—but that is absolutely not the case.
Think about it carefully.
Why have no monsters from below Floor 100 appeared in the gallery until now?
The fact that they are not in the gallery is proof that they are weak.
You still do not get it?
They are monsters that do not even possess the minimum intelligence required to write a post in the gallery.
That is why they are not here.
Up to Floor 100, there will be nothing but vermin-level monsters.
Meanwhile, the newbie can write posts, upload pictures, and even make a fuss about everything.
She has to be stronger than things that cannot write.
I think the newbie can win at least up to Floor 10.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(312F) : Uh…? Is that so?
ㅇㅇ(205F) : No, that does sound plausible… I guess?
ㅇㅇ(418F) : For real?
Fenrir: Hmm…
______
“Really???”
The reason there had been no gallery users below Floor 100 was that they were beasts without enough intelligence to write a post in the first place.
And such low-level monsters had to be weak.
It seemed extremely plausible.
But his logic did not end there.
ㅇㅇ(574F) (Author) : And if you think about this in reverse, you arrive at the conclusion that the hero is weak, too.
“What?”
ㄴㅇㅇ(712F) : The hero-is-a-total-pushover theory LMAOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(1F) : Really?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : We are fucked. The newbie got baited hard.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(411F) : It does look fucking sweet, though.
ㄴ Fenrir: Evidence?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) (Author) : Simple. The fact that we have never seen a hero means the heroes must have all been killed by those vermin-level monsters that cannot even speak.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ (1F) Seriously?????
ㄴㅇㅇ(441F) : Gasp!
I got goosebumps.
The logic was that the reason there were no users below Floor 100 in the gallery was proof that those monsters were weak—and, at the same time, proof that the heroes were weak, too.
It was reasonable.
‘This is insane…’
‘Am I only finding it convincing because I want to believe it so badly?’
I checked the reactions in the comments.
ㄴ Fenrir : This theory has been around for ages, and it is plausible enough… but going straight into climbing really is not a good idea, is it?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(148F) : It does not make sense. Going straight for two wins, lol LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Captain Death Note : Do not be swept along by the crowd! You must begin training immediately!
ㄴSword Sovereign Jihee: I agree. However, you must train with your weapon to hone your skills…
Three registered users all held the same opinion.
First, I had to train on Floor 1.
ㅇㅇ(1F) : I do want to get stronger… but is there no way to become strong faster than a week?
ㄴ Captain Death Note : My teaching is the direct route!!!
ㅇㅇ(1F) : Sword Sovereign Jihee, you cannot do it faster than a week either, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(364F) : What is this guy, shopping around for an item? Negotiating over the date LMAOOOOOOOOOO
Sword Sovereign Jihee: Even if you are a man of destiny, laying a foundation requires considerable time. There are no shortcuts in my teachings. Therefore, it is impossible.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(651F) : Damn, she is brutally honest. Please lie a little, for fuck's sake LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(432F) : For real, everyone is just saying no. You have to seduce him first, then make him commit LMAO
“Ah…”
There did not seem to be any way to achieve meaningful growth quickly through any action in this enclosed room.
Apparently, sitting cross-legged and forming a circle was the fastest path.
But…
“You want me to meditate with that door right in front of me?”
No matter how I thought about it, that made no sense.
The moment I thought that, a comment from Floor 574 appeared.
ㄴㅇㅇ(574F)(Author) : She is too anxious about the hero to train anyway.
Fenrir: Would it not be more anxiety-inducing to skip training and go meet the monster upstairs?
ㄴㅇㅇ(505F) : From the Floor 1 guy's perspective, the monster upstairs would probably be scarier.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(214F) : If staying put might let him live, why would he go upstairs for no reason? LMAO
“That is not it…”
Even the others who had been worried about me failed to understand my impatience.
ㄴㅇㅇ(574F)(Author) : No, no. Going upstairs is proactive, and you can choose when to do it. That is less scary.
“…!”
Exactly.
Floor 574 had seen straight through my current state of mind.
The thing I found most unsettling in this situation was that my lifespan had become random.
The fact that my life depended entirely on the moment that door opened was more than anything else I could bear.
It was better for me to choose when I died.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) (Author) : The monster on Floor 2 will be incredibly weak. It should probably be fine up through Floor 10.
Could it really be true?
ㄴ Fenrir : That is going too far.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(634F) : Peak crackpot theory LMAOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(417F) : This guy is seriously insane. Please leave the gallery.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(211F) : At this point, maybe he just hates newbies LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(417F) : You need at least a year of training per floor. What the hell are you doing to a brand-new newbie…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(332F) : There is no information below Floor 100, either. Fuck.
Everyone else's reactions were desperately trying to talk me out of it.
Except for one person.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F)(Author): We have to bolt upward first. The hero will be stronger than the monster on Floor 2.
ㄴ Fenrir: Floor 1, you are not actually going to listen to this guy, are you?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(341F) : For real, his silence is making me nervous.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(541F) : Newbie, do not worry about the hero yet. Train first, go go.
I bit my lip.
ㅇㅇ(211F) : What is this nonsense when he cannot even take responsibility for it?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F)(Author) : Nobody here can take responsibility in the first place.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(211F) : Can you not just stay put?
ㅇㅇ(574F)(Author) : Staying still is also a choice to stay still.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(211F) : He will not back down an inch LMAO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(431F) : That is why he is picking a fight with three registered users LMAO. He is just fucking crazy.
Staying still is also a choice to stay still, huh…
Floor 574.
The first person to recognize that I was a newbie.
I decided to bet on the words of the guy who had begun to be called a madman.
ㅇㅇ(1F) : How do I do a promotion match?
ㅇㅇ(574F)(Author) : I will tell you. First, turn on the hologram and…
ㄴ펜리르 : Ah, no no no no no no no no no
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(341F) : He is really going? LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Captain Death Note : Stop right now!!
ㄴ Sword Sovereign Jihee : …Foolish.
ㄴ Macanong : Please do not, unnie ㅜㅜㅜ
After taking in all of Floor 574's instructions, I closed the gallery.
Then I took a deep breath.
“Phew.”
Once I had calmed my trembling heart, I grabbed the scythe.
Swish!
I swung it several times.
It was heavy, but not so heavy that I could not handle it.
I manipulated the hologram panel and pressed the button to apply for a promotion match.
The entrance in the ceiling opened, and a staircase descended.
“Good. I am probably going to die now.”
[The promotion match will now begin.]