episode_0069

The conversation started with a drama as the first topic.

– What drama have you been watching lately?

– Ahjumma, that ■■ drama is really good these days.

– Me too! The actors are really good, right!?

– The plot is so sticky! The female lead is completely obsessed with revenge! That’s why ahjumma can’t stop watching it!?

– I also like the plot of that drama….

I kept my mouth shut about this topic because I’m not really into dramas.

Realizing the mood, the topic shifted to singing.

– You’re an otaku, right?

– Ahjumma also watches anime. I had to watch it with my daughter.

– Since there are people here who know that song, why don’t you sing it?

– Oh, that sounds good! Shall we liven things up!?

– Sing, sing! Let’s all sing together~!

I stopped them from singing because it would be embarrassing to make the staff sing along.

Since it wasn’t really serious on their part, we sent the people who were already inside and enjoyed ourselves as a group of four.

– Oh, Madam, you sing so well!

– Our Chimbimi must have practiced a lot alone, right?

– Next is Changgi’s turn! Hurry up and sing!

– Okay. Then how about this….

– That’s a recent song, isn’t it? Where did the original songs go?

– The original songs? Haha, what are you talking about?

– Why aren’t you an anime fan, you anime lover!

– Why, because I don’t want to hear that from someone who cosplays as a witch and flirts with a dog!

– Eww, and you sing so well for no reason!

– Did you really enjoy the gold karaoke that much?

– If you’re going to sing something more embarrassing, it’s okay.

– Even if I die, I won’t sing after Madam said it’s embarrassing!

– Huh, huh? I didn’t mean it that way….

– And what about the witch! Saying such things in front of such a beauty!?

– Beauty, what?

After a few more songs, we sang mostly drama OSTs and K-POP songs that Madam and Brigitta liked.

Ian teased me, saying, “This guy is really something,” while dressed like that himself.

– We’re out of drinks here.

– Staff~! Bring more drinks here!

As we continued, the alcohol kicked in, and the pace of emptying the glasses picked up.

At first, I thought the women were just being friendly, but in the middle, I even received a cake as a gift, and it turned out to be a truly ordinary celebration.

It felt like an unexpected birthday celebration.

Playing on the first floor rather than in the basement was not for that purpose, but simply because this side had a larger room.

– With this, we’ve conquered the 20th floor and obtained the safety rights, right?

– It opened faster than I thought. The issue also became big. With this, the government might even take action.

– Before that, we need to clear out the 29th floor and search it….

As the alcohol flowed and everyday stories ended, the conversation naturally shifted to work-related topics.

I had come prepared for this kind of conversation, so I listened quietly without any discomfort.

“…Right. Changgi. I have one more thing to thank you for.”

“Really?”

“It’s not sudden. I was planning to tell you earlier, but you suddenly climbed the tower and didn’t contact us for four days.”

It was quite sudden.

I wonder if others are feeling the same way.

“Do you know that within the OP Guild, there are many victims who were attacked in the tower?”

“Yeah. I know. Most of the people here are like that, right?”

“That’s right. There are also some people here who were attacked after the 16th floor in Seolsan.”

Failure to break the curse, frozen victims.

Those who have lived their whole lives as spouses of Seolhye.

“Why did that suddenly come up?” Ian chuckled at my puzzled expression.

“Thanks to you, we were able to break the curse.”

“Because of me?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

As I scratched my forehead, Bridgette suddenly jabbed my side.

“It’s the potion made from your essence. We collaborated with the mechanics and the OP department to produce it successfully.”

“Oh, that! I completely forgot about it since I heard Seongyeon was experimenting with it! You succeeded on your end, right!?”

“Yes. Your essence had a remarkable effect in removing abnormal conditions!”

She clapped her hands.

Could it be that my essence actually had an effect?

“Basically, those who can drink it, drink it, and those who are frozen apply it externally for treatment. The effect of removing abnormal conditions is valuable globally. Especially for lower-ranked individuals, it’s difficult to undo strong ones, but your essence worked exceptionally well, right?”

Exceptionally well.

“Seongyeon mentioned that since essence itself is considered a disadvantage, the effect is even stronger.”

Ian replied, “That’s probably the reason. Rare skills that are difficult to use tend to have strong effects. Even if diluted into a potion to increase the quantity, the original essence would be stronger, right?”

Well, considering how Seraes didn’t even flinch at losing her virginity.

It’s already proven that a potent treatment skill is more effective than a mediocre one.

“It’s embarrassing. Why does it have to be essence? And all three of us are women, so it’s kind of… awkward to be happy about it.”

“No need to be embarrassed. It’s not like you wanted to acquire the skill in the first place. You should proudly boast about your accomplishment.”

“That’s right! Who cares about the ingredients? The result is nothing short of miraculous!”

“I hope so…”

She reached out a glass to me.

Madam quietly drank her alcohol, unable to hide her smile behind the veil.

“There are not just one or two dangerous abnormal conditions here. It’s not easy to receive grace to escape from such things, but now it’s different. If we can mass-produce the potion, everyone can escape from the dreadful hell.”

“I know, but I can’t help but think that applying or ingesting someone else’s essence is no different.”

“Just with that, you can escape a lifetime of suffering. Even if others mock us, we won’t forgive them, so please be proud. That way, we can proudly protect ourselves.”

“Madam…”

It felt different to be praised by her, someone who doesn’t speak much.

We naturally clinked our glasses, celebrating our joy and getting drunk again.

“Speaking of which, you were talking about the search just now…”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, we were able to unlock up to the 29th floor. We’re sending people to explore the 26th floor Debtors’ Prison. Since the map is complete, we’ll also investigate from the 11th to the 15th floor and send the System Guild…”

“Madam’s going to be super busy from now on. Especially from the 21st to the 26th floor, there are items that lead women to ruin. We need to control the hunting grounds and inspect the item inventory.”

“Do we really need to go that far?”

“Yes. If we don’t thoroughly fulfill the hated role, chaos will come again… ”

The gloomy tone of Madam’s words made the other two not hide their tired faces.

As Seraes said, it seems like this tower has been a mess once before.

“If we also inspect the item inventory, there might be considerable backlash from the surrounding areas.”

“It won’t be as bad as you think. There may be some troublemakers, but there are also those who have experienced the previous incident, so there will be more supporters.”

“Right. No matter what anyone says, we have to do it. Even if it means facing a bloodbath. That’s why we brought Natalia in.”

– Second place?

The humanoid with impressive tiger tail and ears was striking.

I never thought I would see a woman like that in real life, not in a comic…

“Wasn’t she a terrorist who infiltrated a foreign country, conquered the tower, and escaped?”

That’s all the information that’s out there, but judging by the reactions here, I can tell she’s a lot more dangerous than I thought.

Before I could ask more about her, Madam cut in.

“This time it’s a month…?”

“What do you mean?”

“The gate, you know… They said the next challenge will be available in a month…”

“Right. Even the old lady was curious about that~! What happened that they’re taking a month off?”

She urged me to speak up, so I just said it.

Of course, I left out anything about Seres.

“It’s a system error~?”

“The Tower Lord himself said that. The Cardinals are taking a month off, so the gate will be unguarded.”

“…Ha. I’ve seen it all now, the Tower having errors.”

Everyone was shocked.

I couldn’t remember why the error occurred, but I went along with the mood.

“No. It’s funny, but we should look at it positively. With this, there won’t be anyone trying to challenge the gate on their own, and there won’t be any victims. All six guilds can join forces to clear the lower floors, open the 30th floor, and proceed together.”

“You mean syncing up with the old ladies?”

“Right. Last time, the clearing speed was too fast. That’s why we couldn’t prevent the chaos in the streets.”

“It’s like clearing is a given? We sync up, but the juniors break it?”

“We did clear the 20th floor. The gimmick on the 30th floor isn’t that difficult, so it might be possible to clear it in a day again?”

“True.”

“In that case…”

The three guild masters looked at me.

“Even if you look at it that way, the previous gimmicks were too tough….”

Mixing in one real butt among 500 fake butts of Eumma.

The gimmick where you have to ‘not forget’ and tell the reason why you hate the person you love without fail.

Well, either way, it’s tough for ordinary people, so it’s not strange to have one or two tough ones.

“By the way… right, the reward! There was a reward for clearing the gate, right!? So, did you get something good?”

“I did get something, but it was some skill that I didn’t understand, so I thought about getting advice. It seems like the three guild masters are here to show it off.”

“Really? Then that’s good. Consult with me. I’m really knowledgeable about skills.”

“You’re so confident?”

“There’s no one in this world as knowledgeable about skills as me.”

“Why are you showing off like that?”

“Hehe.”

She smiled meaningfully and spread out her palm.

Seeing that motion, I realized.

“Wait. Are you serious-”

“[Skill Card Revealed].”

“Why are you suddenly revealing everything-!?”

“What’s wrong between comrades. You said you would show me your skill too.”

“Do you think my skill information and the current top skill information are on the same level!?”

“Oh~! I don’t care about that. Even if you know the basics, it’s not easy to handle it unless you can easily deal with a few exceptions.”

A golden light shimmered.

The golden skill card that I had wanted so badly shone brightly.

The first thing that caught my eye was the grade.

‘SS grade…!’

The top rank!

A real cheat that is rare in this world!

“Open your eyes wide and see. And realize why I am called the 【Copper Witch】.”

The foundation of the top rank in our country has been revealed.

[Will a Wooden Plate Turn into a Copper Plate (SS)]

[Reward for conquering the Tower of Silver. Receive 100 skills of the same level (E~D) and can possess up to 1000 skills.]

[※ Transfer is possible with the other party’s consent.]

[※ Duplication of each skill is possible, but cannot possess special skills bestowed by the Tower Master or the Throne.]

[※ Current number of Copper skills owned (985/1000)]

……….

…How many skills?

What am I looking at right now?

“Nine hundred, eighty, five…??”

“Hehe. You’re quite a reactor, aren’t you? I really love that kind of reaction. So, I get excited every time I tease someone.”

Damn it.

No matter how high the SS grade is… Isn’t this a bit…?

“Sir, what is this?”

“It is the symbol of power, strength, and me, the Copper (銅).”

The 【Witch】 chuckled and smiled.

“From today, you are the treasure of our 6 Great Guilds. If anyone bothers you, just call me. I’ll show them what happens when they mess with you.”

“Really?”

“No joke. Do you know who cleaned up when the Tower went crazy before?”

Chuckling.

“From today, anyone who touches you will die.”

The walking bomber warned.

Until now, she hadn’t felt any dignity as the current top rank, but indeed, people should not judge a book by its cover.

For the first time, she openly revealed who she was, instilling awe in the girl of the same age.