Chapter 39
[Defender: Treasure Keeper (100F)]
<Why has a soldier from the lower floors set foot here?>
The Floor 100 monster, Treasure Keeper, stood atop a mountain of gold coins, with a massive golden chest behind it.
A giant with disheveled hair and six hands clutching golden keys was speaking to me.
<Leave this place at once.>
Since it was the first time I had encountered a monster capable of speech, I was thrown off.
But thanks to what it said, I was able to grasp something in that instant.
‘It doesn't seem to know about the promotion match at all.’
According to the people in the gallery, the Tower's monsters also knew about the promotion-match system.
The gallery was a special privilege available only to us, but the other system messages were visible to them.
Yet this one was warning me to leave.
It seemed not to know that once someone came up, they couldn't go back down until one of the two of them died.
‘I suppose that makes sense.’
The Lava Golem on Floor 99, the floor below it, had no intelligence.
The same was true of every floor below that. They had no intelligence to apply for a promotion match.
Therefore, it seemed no demon soldier had ever climbed up to Floor 100, where this one was stationed.
‘In that case…’
I could buy some time.
By making it recognize that I wasn't an enemy, I could at least build up Death Mark stacks until I was found out.
With that strategy, I greeted it.
“Hello?”
<…>
No answer came back.
I was left hanging.
It seemed to have a taciturn personality.
A long time passed like that.
Flash- [ - - ]
It spoke when I had built up two Death Mark stacks.
<If you have no business here, go back down.>
“I do have business here.”
<What is it?>
I couldn't answer.
I couldn't exactly say I was here to kill it and go to Floor 101.
So I said this instead.
“I came because I was curious whether you were doing well.”
It was something I had blurted out at random.
Since all I intended to do was buy time.
<…>
But Treasure Keeper fell silent at those words, as though they had stirred something in it.
Why had it been struck speechless?
Soon, it answered me.
<I, too, have always wondered what kind of demon was on Floor 99.>
I barely held back a laugh.
“Were you lonely? Then why didn’t you come down?”
I probed.
<To fulfill my duty, I cannot leave this space for even a moment.>
It really didn't seem to know it couldn't go down.
“Is your duty to guard the gold in this place?”
<That is so. I must also guard that golden chest.>
…
I had a feeling.
It hadn't even tried to go down or up all this time because it felt responsible for guarding this place.
That seemed to be why it had never seen the system messages or realized the promotion match existed. After all, my holographic window had appeared only after I checked both doors.
It truly seemed to possess an intense sense of duty.
If so, there was something I had to confess.
“I picked up some gold coins at the entrance earlier.”
It cried out as if it were having a fit.
<Put them back immediately!>
“Yeah, I will…”
After replying that way, I built up three Death Mark stacks.
Flash-! [ - - - ]
Then I opened my inventory as slowly as possible.
Jingle.
I took out one gold coin.
Jingle.
Two gold coins.
Jingle.
Three gold coins…
Treasure Keeper, which had been watching all that nonsense, shouted as though angered.
<…What are you doing right now? Take everything out immediately!>
I made an excuse.
“Sorry… but…I don’t know how many I took.”
It was a lie.
I had haphazardly dumped the gold coins pouring out so I could open the door into my inventory, but by comparing them with the money I had originally possessed, I could tell how many new ones had come in.
<Wait. I will count them.>
Oh.
I didn't know how it planned to count so many coins, or how it knew how many there had originally been, but it was good that it was going to try.
In any case, it would take time.
Just as I thought that, waves began to ripple from its body.
Hummm-
A circular vibration swept through the space once.
It fell silent for a moment as if calculating, then said:
<Five thousand seven hundred twenty-five. That is how many are missing. Astonishing. How did you take that much without even having a sack?>
…!
It was exact.
Then Treasure Keeper added:
<There are three of you. Did you store them in the stomachs of the two beside you?>
Barang and the Blood Knight.
Treasure Keeper seemed to have just noticed their presence.
I had missed that because I had seen so many bizarre monsters, but it was only natural.
This one had its face completely covered by its disheveled hair, so its eyes were invisible. Or perhaps it didn't have any at all.
It seemed to have just surveyed its surroundings with something like echolocation.
But if this was its first time seeing a demon climb up, why had it used that detection technique just now?
“If you were curious about me, why didn’t you use that detection technique from the start?”
<I have no obligation to answer. Put the gold back already.>
It refused to explain.
But its behavior gave me a clue.
One of the keys it had been holding, one in each of its six hands, was gone.
One hand was empty, leaving Treasure Keeper with five keys.
I didn't know for sure, but it seemed reluctant to use up all its keys.
I pretended not to notice.
Flash! [ - - - - ]
As I planted the fourth Death Mark stack, I began taking the gold coins out of my inventory.
“All right, all right, no need to rush… Just wait a moment…”
Clatter-
If I had wanted to, I could have taken them all out at once, but naturally I didn't.
To buy even more time, I fiddled with my inventory while introducing Barang and the Blood Knight.
“These guys are my subordinates. Blood Knight, Barang. Say hello.”
The two bowed their heads at my command.
Treasure Keeper then spoke, sounding surprised.
<Subordinates…? They are your subordinates?>
“Yep!”
When I answered in the affirmative, it was unable to continue.
“What’s wrong?”
It hesitated, radiating bewilderment.
Then, for some reason, it sulked and said:
<You… The weapon you are holding—is it a scythe after all?>
“Yeah, that’s right.”
When I answered, it froze.
It seemed quite troubled. I couldn't see its face, but its body language made that clear.
<How could a high-ranking demon, a Reaper, be here…?>
Hmm.
The moment I heard that, my thoughts began racing.
‘Reaper.’
Apparently, this was a high-ranking demon race.
That made sense. Their first basic skill was an instant-death skill, after all.
I smiled innocently and said:
“Why do you think I, a high-ranking demon, came here? Care to think about it?”
When I said that, it began to fumble completely.
Sensing that I had struck a nerve, I pressed it further.
“Why do you think I came down from below?”
I used the Questioning skill. Pressuring it like this was remarkably effective.
“You still don’t get it?”
Thud-!
Soon, its enormous knees slammed down onto the gold coins.
It seemed unable to withstand the pressure.
All six of its arms simultaneously braced against the floor, and it bowed its head flat.
<This lowly one dared fail to recognize a high-ranking demon and committed an offense! Please lay aside your anger and explain your will to this insignificant servant.>
I grinned as I built up the fifth Death Mark stack.
Flash! [ - - - - - ]
It was the stack I had built up after defeating the Lava Golem on Floor 99, but it didn't die.
But that was fine.
It seemed I was now in a situation where I could buy as much time as I wanted.
“Haha. I was being too playful, wasn’t I? I was inspecting the place as I climbed up from below!”
I said shamelessly, deciding to take advantage of its misunderstanding.
<Ah…! I see… I had no idea that was what you meant when you said you came because you were curious…>
“You’ve been working hard. I’ll return all the gold for now.”
<Thank you…!>
I emptied the rest of the gold coins from my inventory and tossed them over.
In the process, I built up the sixth stack.
[ - - - - - - ]
It didn't die.
I needed to buy more time.
I pointed with my chin at the enormous golden chest filling the wall at the back of the chamber behind it.
“Hmm. That reminds me, how is that chest being managed?”
I asked despite knowing nothing.
I was curious what was inside that golden chest.
Treasure Keeper’s shoulders twitched at the question.
<Pardon my impertinence, Reaper… May I ask exactly what your rank is? Information about that chest is strictly confidential…>
It was an awkward question.
I had no information whatsoever about the Demon King's Army's rank structure.
“Oh! You pass! You’re doing a good job following orders to keep things confidential, huh?”
I improvised.
I acted like a division commander stopped at a guard post and rewarded the sentry with special leave.
At those words, it seemed delighted, proud that it had passed my test.
<As expected of an inspector! I have always guarded all secrets and this place with the utmost vigilance!>
I continued with my next question.
“How long has it been since you were assigned here? And have the intruders who came up during that time been a match for you?”
It was truly the key question.
This was the moment I might hear who the Demon Tower’s true gatekeeper was, currently the gallery’s greatest mystery.
<It has been exactly five hundred years since I was assigned to this Floor 100!>
I was astonished.
It was considerably longer than I had expected.
Hadn't they said the gallery's history spanned just over 400 years? It seemed this one had been here since before it began.
<However… for some reason, not a single intruder has reached this place in four hundred years.>
“No one has come?”
<Yes!>
<In the past, because of the ceaseless stream of intruders, my head would be cut off and I would revive almost every day…!>
Wait, wait, wait.
The word “revive” had casually popped out of its mouth.
“You mean you’ve been killed by intruders before?”
At my words, Treasure Keeper spoke in a subdued voice.
<I am ashamed to admit it, but that is so...>
…
<But during the past four hundred years when no one came, I devoted myself to training every day! I dare say, I am no longer the same as I was four hundred years ago. I am now ten times stronger than I was back then! I am confident that I will never die, no matter what intruder comes!>
It offered an excuse, but I could barely hear it.
The gallery's fundamental premise had collapsed.
Once again, the hypothesis from Floor 574 had proven correct.
Apparently, I was in a completely different Tower from the people in the gallery.
The gallery users on Floor 100 and above said they had never seen an intruder. But the Tower I was in had once allowed an intruder to reach Floor 101.
And the reason no intruder had come to Floor 100, where this one was stationed, for 400 years was probably that this female Reaper had been blocking them before I possessed her.
I had realized these shocking facts, but I didn't let my bewilderment show at all.
I stopped building Death Mark stacks. It was sheer luck that it hadn't died at six stacks.
I needed to dig out more information.
This was a major incident.
I had always been wary only of what lay below.
But there could be heroes above as well.
“Who defeated you before? What kind of intruder did you send upward?”