Chapter 41
I wanted to harness the gallery's collective intelligence to figure out how to use up the five remaining keys and open the golden chest, and to see if there was any more information I could dig up.
But.
The photo must have been far too attention-grabbing.
SSSRankGearCarry : Wow, holy shit, what's with that pile of gold coins?
ㄴ SSSRankGearCarry : Wasn't all the Golden Carriage's money going there????
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : For real. Seems like it.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(148F) : Floor 100 must be the Demon King's Tower vault ㄷㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : So all the wages we've spent until now have been going toward intruder rewards?;;
ㅇㅇ(418F) : With that much gold, you could rob the Golden Carriage blind for a thousand years. That's insane.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(277F) : You could even run the year-end gacha forever...
ㅇㅇ(351F) : I want to swim in there too…
SSSRankGearCarry : I'm dying to know what's in the golden chest too. Open it already…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : It's not mine yet;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(468F) : Didn't you post it to show off?
ㄴ ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : Please read the whole post.
After that, there were reactions to me deceiving the thing.
ㅇㅇ(487F) : No… what the hell does it mean that you're pretending to be a high-ranking officer? How does that even work?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : For real. He didn't even use a mind-manipulation skill or anything. What the hell is going on?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(424F) : Pure verbal manipulation ㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(511F) : He seems like a gaslighting genius;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : It's fucking terrifying how he immediately preys on the clueless bastard lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(678F) : It's seriously unbelievable that he's just shooting the breeze with a monster on the same floor.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(364F) : The way he spotted the chance to deceive it the moment the conversation started was a legendary move.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(624F) : Didn't they say the guys in the 100s couldn't really communicate?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(442F) : It does seem like an over-specced mob. It said it hadn't moved in 500 years, after all.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(436F) : But how exactly did he talk to it that he managed to pass himself off as a high-ranking officer?
ㄴ Fenrir : For real. He just skipped over it in the summary, so I can't even begin to guess how he did it.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : Newbie trait: specializing in deceiving people and taking their stuff.
ㅇㅇ(347F) : Making it stand at attention was fucking hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅇㅇ(246F) : Did he turn it into an undead and fake all this himself?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(687F) : The newbie's floor still isn't 100F, so it seems like this is real…
A string of passionate reactions followed, impossible to tell whether they were praise or insults.
But I hadn't pulled off any particularly amazing improvisation.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : I didn't really do anything. It just misunderstood things on its own. I guess being a Reaper had a lot to do with it?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(678F) : You deceived it extremely aggressively. Don't pretend you did nothing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : An ordinary person wouldn't immediately think to deceive it there…
ㅇㅇ(664F) : Do you think you could deceive all the guys in the 100s this way?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(148F) : ㄴㄴ They're all aggressive mobs, no exceptions. They barely communicate in the first place.
It was clear that Treasure Keeper was a special kind of monster from the gallery users' perspective.
Judging by their use of the term “over-specced mob,” there seemed to be a few rare monsters like this.
Someone had once said that the monsters of the Demon King's Tower necessarily grew stronger on each successive floor, but it seemed that referred to the monsters' innate qualities.
Unlike the monsters below Floor 100 that I had fought so far, intelligent monsters could probably grow stronger through training.
And monsters like Treasure Keeper would become a problem if they never climbed to a higher floor.
It was then.
The comments had been mostly empty talk, but at last replies from people who seemed to have read the post all the way through began appearing.
ㅇㅇ(432F) : Someone actually made it through Floor 100? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(673F) : That's the most shocking part, but everyone's distracted by the gold and the chest ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(246F) : For real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(221F) : They probably just assumed it was the Floor 100 clear reward and scrolled straight past.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(473F) : The monster is standing right there, and they're fucking idiots.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(246F) : I thought he'd already killed it and turned it into an undead;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : For real, I thought it was just a picture of his loot collection.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(344F) : What a level ㅋㅋ
Then comments appeared asking whether there really had been no news of intruders until now.
ㅇㅇ(346F) : Is it true that there haven't been any intruders until now?
ㅇㅇ(243F) : Where's the guy who started on Floor 101? Call him over quickly. We should ask him again whether he really hasn't met a hero;;;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : There was someone who started on Floor 101 in the gallery?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(154F) : I started on Floor 130, at least, and I never saw one.
While those confused comments were appearing, some gallery users who seemed more experienced stepped in to explain.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(364F) : It was all confirmed long ago that there had absolutely never been any intruders…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(673F) : The hero theory was discussed for 300 years. You think they never properly checked it?
ㄴ Fenrir : Back then, the people in the early 100s were the newbies. Ah, that brings back memories.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(732F) : I hated watching those assholes bait everyone with the hero theory back then lol. It's satisfying to see them getting their karma now.
ㄴ Fenrir : For real. They were practically treated like the advance party.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(154F) : The people who reached Floor 200 and washed their records clean are the real old guard.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(732F) : Shut up.
The debate over whether a hero had entered the Tower was clearly an old, worn-out topic with a firmly established conclusion.
There had never been any intruders.
With gallery users densely spread across every floor from 100 to 800, they must have confirmed it while climbing for 400 years. I had no choice but to believe them.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(588F) : They say the last intruder was allowed through 400 years ago. Were there already people from the 100s in the gallery's early days?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(436F) : Yeah. Quite a lot of them.
I sighed.
I stated the conclusion I had reached.
ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : I really do seem to be in a different Tower from you guys…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(432F) : Gasp.
ㄴ Fenrir : That's bad.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(349F) : So are we really not going to be any help to you until the very end? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : This makes no fucking sense. Why is the newbie the only one in a different Tower?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(734F) : Isn't it still too early to say for sure?
ㄴ Fenrir : The conclusion should be clear once the newbie reaches Floor 101 and checks the monster's name… If it differs from our data, then it really is a different Tower.
That was exactly right.
I would have a definite answer once I reached Floor 101.
In that case, I needed to focus on the situation at hand.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : But that's not what's important right now… I need some opinions on what to do here immediately.
It was then.
The gallery user from Floor 574, who had always pointed me toward the right path, appeared.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : First, put some distance between yourself and the monster. You might actually be the one getting deceived by it.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(247F) : ?
“……”
My brow furrowed slightly.
A completely different possibility had suddenly emerged.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) : If that monster is lying to you, everything makes sense.
My mind went blank.
‘He's right.’
It was entirely possible that Treasure Keeper was simply lying.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : It's lying about sending intruders upward? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why would it tell a lie like that?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) : Because that would make it seem weaker.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F): Why would that monster pretend to be weak to the newbie?
Floor 574 answered.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) : Pretending to be weak, pretending to be mistaken. < That's the basics of deception. It might not be the newbie who's being deceived.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : You mean it's pretending to follow orders while testing the waters, then planning to ambush him out of nowhere? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(341F) : You think standing at attention like that is an act? That's fucking terrifying.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(432F) : No, you're overcomplicating this way too much ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(653F) : For real, why are you all so suspicious?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(124F) : Come on, that monster isn't an actor.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(435F) : If that's really acting, it deserves an acting award ㅇㅇ
Floor 574 asked me a question, sounding concerned.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : Are you sure it didn't notice when you used Death Mark?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : Yes. It didn't seem to notice.
ㄴㅇㅇ(574F) : Hmm… Are targets normally unable to notice Death Mark?
Even from the feeling I got while talking to it directly, I didn't think I was the one being deceived.
But the possibility wasn't nonexistent.
I glanced sidelong at Treasure Keeper beyond the hologram and lightly tugged on Barang's reins.
I put a little more distance between us and the thing as I tapped away at the keyboard.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : There's no harm in being careful, so I'll do as you say for now.
Then the Reaper from Floor 710 appeared and explained.
ㅇㅇ(710F) : If your Sense stat is high, you can naturally detect Death Mark too. But that guy probably can't?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : It one-shot the Blood Knight. Doesn't that mean it's fucking strong?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : There were occasionally monsters up through the mid-600s that didn't know Death Mark stacks had been applied to them. They didn't die, but… anyway, there's no way that thing's Sense stat is higher than that of a monster above Floor 600, so it definitely won't know it's been hit by Death Mark. Training doesn't raise your stats.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(574F) : Then that's a relief.
‘Phew. That almost gave me the creeps.’
Fortunately, an expert had judged that the thing probably hadn't noticed Death Mark.
It didn't seem that I was the one being deceived.
I changed the subject. There were still many things I needed to ask.
ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : Floor 574, can you think of any way to use up the keys?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(463F) : You're so damn polite with him even though you speak informally to the rest of us ㅋㅋ
Floor 574 replied right away.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : Like you said, I don't think you can use them up by fighting it.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : It's an over-specced monster that's been standing still for 500 years because of a special mission, so it seems dangerous for you to test the waters by fighting it.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : But you said it threw a fit earlier when you told it you'd taken some gold coins.
ㅇㅇ(574F) : Judging from your conversation and the fact that it trained to become stronger, it seems obsessively fixated on protecting the gold…
ㅇㅇ(574F) : What if you set things up to make it count the money?
An obsession with gold.
He was telling me to stimulate that obsession.
It would have to use its wave-detection ability and consume another key to count the coins.
But it was a method I had already been considering, too.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99F)(Author) : I thought of taking more money and making it count the coins again too… but if I do that five times, I think it'll get angry.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(279F) : For real. It'll probably wonder what the fuck you're doing.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(638F) : And after you do it once or twice, it'll probably just stop counting ㅋㅋ
Then someone offered an extreme suggestion.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(197F) : Can't you just threaten it with the scythe and make it use all five in a row?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(143F) : ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(436F) : Tell it to open the chest if it wants to revive ㅋㅋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(645F) : For real, this might actually be the strategy.
Threaten it with a resurrection-negating scythe?
But that came with considerable risk. It might get angry and start a fight.
There was also a good chance it wouldn't believe that the scythe could actually prevent resurrection.
What should I do?
How could I use up all of its keys without arousing its suspicion?
“…”
Not being able to open the chest didn't mean I couldn't go to Floor 101.
Clearing Floor 100 wouldn't be a problem.
Once I started building up Death Mark stacks again, killing it would only be a matter of time.
But.
There was no way I could simply pass up that golden chest, which clearly looked like it contained an incredible reward.
It was then.
A comment based on the exact opposite idea appeared in the gallery.
ㅇㅇ(267F) : What if you gave it money?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(267F) : Couldn't you scatter money around and make it count the coins?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : ?