Chapter 65
ㅇㅇ(150F) : Wait, what????? I still can't clear the sixth layer!
ㅇㅇ(166F) : Is this right…? We're still over 40 floors apart, and he just overtook me…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(150F) : You haven't cleared the sixth layer either?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(166F) : Yeah;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Those who've fallen below Newbie's level should shut up now.
The sixth wall by gallery standards.
In my tower, it's the third.
The gallery was buzzing with reactions to me damaging that wall.
Insect King : Legendary, legendary, legendary.
ㅇㅇ(150F) : Is the Moon-Wheel Scythe Art actually broken…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(335F) : Seems like his talent is broken;
ㅇㅇ(489F) : This is just ridiculous.
I asked because I was curious.
ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Generally, around what floor do people clear six layers?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(510F) : Around the mid-200s without items…?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(510F) : Then that's a multiplier of over 2x… That's insane…
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(335F) : Not 2x LMAO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(510F) : ? Why?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(335F) : Newbie put points into Intelligence and Magic too, remember LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(150F) : Huh?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(510F) : Oh, right?????
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(212F) : Is this for real…
‘Multiplier.’
It was a concept I'd never heard before, but I could tell what it meant from the context.
It was probably a term describing how much one's stats had been raised through training compared to one's level.
Sword Venerable Jihee had once said that honing a weapon could produce several times the destructive power with the same amount of strength.
But as the last comments pointed out, the fact that I was on the 121st floor yet producing the destructive power of someone in the mid-200s didn't mean I had a 2x multiplier.
That was because I'd also invested points in Intelligence and Magic, stats that the martial artists who broke walls didn't invest in.
ㄴㅇㅇ(510F) : Then should we consider it around 4x??
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(335F) : Since you did put a few points into Magic, probably around 3x?
The gallery was heating up again over that topic.
That was when the person who had taught me the technique that enabled me to break through the sixth wall appeared.
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : Excellent! Truly excellent! To tear down the sixth layer after only half a day!
Afterward, she couldn't hide her excitement and began rambling.
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : If you've achieved this much so quickly despite lacking a martial constitution, you can now take the first steps toward sword aura, the foundation of keeping true qi along the blade's edge. No, before that, footwork…!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(458F) : Looks like the curriculum really got screwed up LMAO
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : Young Reaper! I shall lead you to the ultimate realm! You can do it!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Why the sudden acceleration LMAO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(440F) : She's so damn excited LMAO
That was when it happened.
Someone asked as though demanding an explanation.
ㅇㅇ(710F) : Shouldn't you learn a derivative of the instant-death skill now? That Jeolgongdan… whatever, you named it, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(527F) : Seriously, wasn't that what we were all trying to learn?
The Reaper from the 710th floor had raised a question I was curious about too.
But Sword Venerable Jihee remained silent for quite a while before finally saying this.
Sword Venerable Jihee : Hmm. If you failed to awaken that derivative technique of the Reaper clan even after wielding a scythe at the level where you can break six layers… that is unfortunate.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(312F) : ? What the hell does that mean?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(710F) : Excuse me?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Apparently, it's unfortunate~
ㄴㅇㅇ(510F) : LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(248F) : Fuck, did she make that up so she could train Newbie herself? LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : No! I clearly stated from the beginning that I didn't know the Reaper's instant-death skill! I merely speculated that it could be reached through the path of weapon mastery; I have not lied to you!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(461F) : That is true, damn LMAOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Seol Harin : She's so unapologetic I can't even say anything…
Apparently, the derivative of the instant-death skill Slash couldn't be awakened through Sword Venerable Jihee's weapon techniques alone.
That was fine.
I'd achieved my original goal of wanting to handle the scythe better.
It went without saying that those five forms would help with the instant-death skill Slash.
After all, the skill only activated when I landed an attack with the scythe.
At that moment, Sword Venerable Jihee asked me a question, seemingly trying to change the subject.
Sword Venerable Jihee : What did you think of breaking the wall with the forms? Exhilarating, wasn't it!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : Yes. It was definitely fun. The scythe had been little more than a decoration for quite a while…
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : Good! You have now escaped the sin of letting your weapon go to waste.
When I played along, another regular spoke.
Insect King : Mages will never know this, but breaking walls is really great for stress relief. And it makes the place bigger.
ㄴ Seol Harin : …It's barren anyway, so what does making it a little bigger accomplish?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(487F) : Seriously.
Just as the subject of the walls was about to come up again, I suddenly became curious.
ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : By the way, how many layers have you regulars broken through?
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : I have broken through thirteen layers.
ㄴ Insect King : Eleven for me.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : Quick and neat with the answers LMAO
Thirteen layers and eleven layers.
‘It's really just like circles.’
Seol Harin had said that her Circle rank was the 11th Circle immediately after her possession.
So the number of circles among mages and the number of wall layers broken through by martial artists seemed to be roughly corresponding measures.
ㅇㅇ(431F) : I can imagine how utterly fucked the floors where the wall-breakers are must be, fuck;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : Seriously, there must be dust flying everywhere LMAOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : If their money suddenly disappears, they should assume the Demon King billed them for tower repairs. Seriously.
After those comments, I closed the holographic panel for now.
“Phew.”
I set my scythe down on the floor.
I'd finished the 20-floor climb I'd set for managing my fatigue, so it was time to rest.
“Should I set up camp for the first time in a while?”
…Before that, I had to go to the opposite side of the wall I'd broken.
“It really does kick up a lot of dust…”
*
I took out a tent, camping chairs, and a folding table some distance from the center.
A small hideout was soon complete.
I lit the burner and set water to boil.
Today's menu was curry and dumplings.
While the water boiled, I set out the food, took a picture, and uploaded it to the gallery.
______
Title: Camping Begins on the 121st Floor.
Author: ㅇㅇ(121F)
{A photo of food arranged with a tent in the background}
I'm going to eat and sleep now. I've hit my fatigue limit after twenty floors.
_______
When I hit refresh, Seol Harin's comment appeared first.
Seol Harin : I'm so jealous of those processed foods… They really only show up occasionally. I hope next month's Golden Carriage has lots of retort meals ㅠㅠ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(121F)(Author) : What exactly determines which items appear?
ㄴ Seol Harin : Usually, it's stocked mostly with things you were familiar with and ate often while you were alive. So I get lots of chicken breasts and salads. I was always taking care of my body… And most of it is raw ingredients.
I see.
‘Was mine the only one stocked like a convenience store…’
I wondered whether I might end up envying Seol Harin someday.
After finishing my meal and putting the trash away in my inventory, I entered the tent.
Afterward, I opened the hologram again and checked the gallery, where discussions were continuing about what training I should do next once I woke up.
The main debaters were, needless to say, my teachers.
ㄴ Sword Venerable Jihee : What are you talking about! I have only just witnessed extraordinary talent in weapon mastery!
ㄴ Seol Harin : If you can manage 5th Circle Levitation, there are countless efficient spells you can learn! That's what you should learn right away!
ㄴ Death Note Tripitaka : You've fully mastered the basics of handling a scythe, so you must learn the derivative technique of Sight!
Seol Harin, Sword Venerable Jihee, and Death Note Great Sutra.
They were each arguing for their own discipline: magic, weapon mastery, and black magic.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(320F) : Can't they just write everything down and tell Newbie to learn it himself? Why are they making such a big deal out of this?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(543F) : Seriously LMAO
ㄴㅇㅇ(643F) : They're doing it because they have to save face. They're teachers in name, so they need the picture to be them guiding him, yeah.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(320F) : Really damn pointless LMAO
ㄴSeol Harin : No! It's because the order matters!
The gallery regulars were teasing my teachers like that, but direct instruction was more convenient for me too.
Since I couldn't afford to waste a single hour, it was also true that the order mattered.
But precisely for that reason.
It wasn't good to let this meaningless time pass.
I appeared among my arguing teachers and posted a comment.
ㅇㅇ(121F): Hey, teachers. I'm going to sleep, so you'll have come to a decision by the time I wake up, right?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(249F) : LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(643F) : I really want to see Newbie rough up the regulars if they can't reach a conclusion ;;
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(732F) : Seriously.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(324F) : Wow, look at him using regulars as secretaries.
ㄴ Fenrir : Honestly, you can openly boss them around now.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(524F) : They're trying to take credit by claiming they taught you something, since it looks like you'll join the advance party LMAO
ㄴ SSS-Rank Gearhead : It's not like that. They just find Newbie fascinating and like him.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(548F) : Isn't it just because you're a simp?
ㄴ SSS-Rank Gearhead :
______
“That's enough.”
Before I could read SSS-Rank Item Abuser's barrage of curses.
I closed the hologram and shut my eyes.
One of my two divided consciousnesses sank into sleep.
The other synchronized with the sensations of the Blood Knight, the undead body I'd left alone on the 100th floor.
That way, if an intruder opened the door to the 100th floor and attacked the Blood Knight, I could wake up instantly.
*
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Outside the Demon King's Tower.
Somewhere in the demon realm, beneath the shadow cast by the enormous tower.
An enormous encampment stretching beyond sight had been built across the barren plain.
The forward base of the Human Alliance expeditionary force.
An unprecedented large-scale force in human history, assembled by Princess Elia of the small kingdom of Lumen through the Council, had begun gathering.
Renowned strongmen selected from each of the great powers.
Aside from the dragonkin who had not attended, these were quite literally the strongest forces humanity had to offer.
The East Continent Empire's knights.
The Republic's mechanical soldiers.
The Holy Kingdom's paladin order.
The high-Circle archmages dispatched by the Tower Alliance.
The Sun God's direct warriors from the Sahad Empire.
And even the elites of the Elven Queen of the Great Forest.
Having all of them gathered together was nothing short of a miracle in this era.
More precisely, even if it was to prevent another faction from monopolizing the spoils, the Demon King's Tower's treasures had temporarily united humanity.
And the people standing on the central platform of the command tent were every bit as imposing.
The first thing that caught the eye was an old woman with white hair, leaning on a staff.
A legendary archmage whom even the Tower Alliance dared not treat lightly, she was a human who had personally climbed the Demon King's Tower 400 years ago and remained alive to this day.
And then there was the man standing beside her.
He was the head of the family known to possess the most information about the tower, as well as a descendant of the family that had amassed the greatest fortune during the First Tower Rush.
Then there was the next man.
He was a direct descendant of the First Hero, who had once defeated the Demon King and driven him into the tower.
He stood there, gripping the hilt of the second Holy Sword tightly.
A seasoned survivor, a noble who knew the tower's information inside out, and a hero's descendant.
All three had passed down information about the Demon King's Tower in their own ways.
These three were the advisors to this united expeditionary force.
All-star, indeed.
At least for humanity, which sought to climb the tower.
And then, immediately.
The person who would oversee an expedition of this unprecedented scale,
the one appointed to serve as its commander, revealed himself.
It was at that moment.
The surrounding people could not contain their astonishment.
Because they simply could not believe the appointment.
“Is this… the decision of the Supreme Council…”