21 – Human Knight Chris on the 21st Floor

1 gold is about 10,000 won.

If you convert the game’s prices to real-world prices, that’s roughly what you get.

A meal.

A day’s lodging.

New clothes.

New shoes.

While going around buying various foods, I checked the market prices and found that 1 gold was trading for about 10,000 won.

Not all items were priced at 1 gold = 10,000 won.

10,000 won was just for reference.

For example, lodging, which players didn’t even bother with, is now different. Soon, players will flood in and prices will skyrocket.

Prices are fluid, after all.

Still, roughly 10,000 won.

It was easy to use as a reference.

‘So, the reward for clearing the 20th floor is about 100 million won?’

I had received 10,000 gold.

According to the conversion method I used earlier, that’s 100 million won.

I received 500 gold as a reward for the 1st floor, and it increased by 500 gold for each floor I climbed.

I climbed twenty floors, so 10,500 multiplied by 10 is 105,000 gold. Converted, that’s about 1.05 billion won.

“Oh.”

When calculated in won, the gold gathered in my inventory seemed to shine.

But I soon sighed.

It’s already been two days since I was trapped in the game.

Even if the gold was really worth 1 billion won, it could become worthless scraps of paper in a day.

If the game continues, I’ll die of dehydration, and even if I escape the game, there’s no way Full Dive, which caused such a disaster, will continue to be serviced.

The 100,000 gold in my inventory has a lifespan of only one day left.

What am I going to use it all on?

Spending it also takes time.

‘Even while I’m worrying about this, time is ticking away.’

So, I pinned my hopes on the possibility that only my virtual body would remain in the game and continue. Even if it’s a hopeless expectation, it becomes the driving force to work hard now.

“Okay, it’s the last day.”

Americano looked at the Tower of Trials.

She looked back on her growth so far.

It was a short time to look back on.

But there’s no doubt she’s grown many times over.

How easily she dealt with the Orc Elite Warrior.

At least she’ll clear the 21st floor comfortably.

“…Log out…”

“…My sister’s wedding is the day after tomorrow…”

“…What is this on my discharge day? Is this a dream?”

People who were out of their minds.

Even on the last day, the 3rd day, homeless players who hadn’t come to their senses were sprawled out on the way to the Tower of Trials.

Players who were causing a ruckus were escorted by the Knights.

All that remained were players who had fallen into helplessness.

I could understand their feelings, so it was hard to watch.

[20th Floor]

I walked up to the 20th floor.

There were no monsters in between.

It will remain an empty floor until a climber dies or joins a party.

I turned on the UI and checked the time.

10 minutes before 12 noon.

I was going to climb at the top of the hour.

“Haa…”

I fell into thought for 10 minutes.

Especially because of what happened yesterday, I had a lot on my mind.

Lee Jin-woo, was it?

That kid was so cheeky.

If I’m not mistaken, that student was the middle-aged man I saw back then. If it were reality, I might not have believed it, but this is inside the game.

If the avatar’s settings were reset to vanilla, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Since I can’t log out, it was reasonable to assume that there were other bugs.

“If you die, you return to your original form.”

If you die, you return to your original form.

Do I hate that?

I didn’t hate it.

I can’t say I like it either, but if I weigh the pros and cons of being a man and a woman, the weight leans towards being a man.

In the short term, I’m more satisfied with my current appearance,

In the long term, it was more convenient to be a man for activities.

Was it only custom or social prejudice that men have been in charge of outside work since ancient times? That’s because women had to have men’s lust as their enemy.

I sometimes had that experience.

Cases where they act without reason because they want to get involved with a woman.

“Hmm…”

A dark history.

“Haa…”

Americano, whose core is a man, didn’t want to receive the gaze of such lustful men and didn’t want to be held back.

If it’s a game, it ends with “Your customization is cool?”, but it’s not like that now, is it?

The possibility of returning to her original form if she dies relieved Americano of a burden in her heart.

Americano is going to die.

Ting.

It was a note.

It came from Tang So-hye.

She didn’t attend the meeting, but she asked to share information and shared the information she had learned.

[by. Tang So-hye]

[Hello, this is Tang So-hye.

I have investigated the possibility of returning to your original form if you die.

As Americano said, I investigated those who have died so far and found that they had all lost their avatars and returned to their original forms.

I don’t use customization, so it doesn’t matter to me, but if you’re worried, how about joining us to minimize the possibility of death? You are always welcome.]

I thought before, but Tang So-hye’s writing style was very different from her first impression.

Tang So-hye’s first words were swear words, so I wondered if this was the same person.

Anyway, according to the note Tang So-hye sent,

If you die, you return to your original form.

And,

[In addition, some players have used their awakened abilities in reality, but I will investigate this further and let you know.]

Players using awakened abilities.

It’s surprising… but to be honest, this was somewhat understandable.

Rather, it was strange that they hadn’t been able to use their awakened abilities until now, since this was a game where Magic and Mana were intertwined, so why couldn’t they use their awakened abilities?

T/N: The original word for Magical Power and Mana was “마력 과 마력” which translated to “Magical Power and Magical Power” but i think in this context the author meant to say (Game/Isekai Magic and Awakened Mana).

I had a preconceived notion that it was natural because it was a game, but I suddenly wondered.

Anyway,

I stepped on the 21st floor stairs.

Americano’s only goal.

‘I’ll climb until I die.’

Because I don’t want to commit suicide.

I’ll give it my all and die.

Americano,

‘I’m going to die today.’

And I will return to being a man.

“So that was your real appearance?”

Rose came to see Faust.

No, should I call him Lee Jin-woo?

Looking at the name tag on his clothes, his real name seems to be Lee Jin-woo.

“W-What is it?”

“Oh my.”

Rose found him hiding in the alley.

“How polite. I didn’t know our customer could speak politely? No wonder the words you usually used sounded a little awkward. Forcing yourself to be vulgar, your taste is quite unique.”

“R-Rose. Did… did you trick me?”

“Pfft.”

Rose couldn’t help but laugh.

His attitude has changed so much.

Just by removing the mask of the avatar, Lee Jin-woo’s attitude was 180 degrees different from when he was a middle-aged man.

He’s trying hard to return to his old attitude, but it seems impossible without the mask.

“Anyone would think we’re scammers. I still intend to keep the contract? Our contract was that we would handle the aftermath and recover it after you dealt with Americano.”

But he failed.

Gospel Village.

The average level of this village is level 10.

The highest level is 20.

Faust, who is level 15. Jin-woo was quite strong in Gospel Village.

“More than that, what was that just now?”

“….”

Rose came to see Lee Jin-woo.

But he didn’t seem to want to see her.

As soon as they met, he suddenly spewed fire.

Flames soared from his bare hands, but it wasn’t enough to harm Rose.

“Awakened, ability, is it?”

“….”

Awakened ability? Ah, that ability that the Summoned Hero uses in their world?

“Ugh…”

“Tell me more.”

“That’s… after I died… I just… became able to use it…”

“….”

Rose was quick-witted.

The Summoned Hero who returned to his original form.

Wasn’t it because he lost his avatar that he was able to use his awakened ability?

‘I learned something good.’

Rose took something out of her inventory and put it around Lee Jin-woo’s neck.

When she, who had been pressing Jin-woo’s chest with her knee, moved away,

“…Cough!”

Jin-woo spewed flames and ran away.

It’s a well-known fact that Rose is a human trafficker.

If he gets caught, he’ll be sold.

He jumped up and ran, but,

Clang.

His neck was grabbed and he fell.

“A, a leash?”

What Rose put around Jin-woo’s neck looked a lot like a dog collar.

Jin-woo, who liked sensual things, immediately realized the identity of the dog collar.

A restraint of a master-servant contract.

The chain was attached to Rose’s hand.

“Jin-woo, where are you going?”

“I-I don’t need the money. Please let me go.”

“No. Way.”

The chain was pulled and he was dragged away.

“You have to go catch someone with me.”

“Who?”

“Someone you know well.”

“….”

Americano.

“I keep my contracts well. If you catch her, I’ll let you do it according to the contract.”

“Hmm…”

“How about it? Do you want to work with me?”

“…Can we win?”

Americano is strong.

Even if he’s level 20, the highest level in the village, he can’t win.

Rose smiled brightly and held up three fingers.

“30.”

Rose was a Hero who was over level 30.

Even if Americano reached level 20, it was a difference in size that she could never win.

[21st Floor]

Kang!

Clang!

Clang!

Americano exchanged swords with the human swordsman.

The countless exchanges seemed evenly matched at first glance.

But with each exchange, Americano’s sword added the optimal move.

Sword and sword collide.

Ah, this sword is like this.

Deflect the sword.

This is how you do it.

The sword is blocked.

That’s how you use it.

Americano, who had never learned swordsmanship, deflected the human swordsman’s sword and learned little by little each time the human swordsman deflected.

Clang!

Kang!

Kakang!

Her 91 points of talent were amazing.

She absorbed the opponent’s swordsmanship like a sponge.

The feeling that she was developing with each exchange was clearly accumulating.

She’s getting stronger.

She’s pushing forward.

The situation was gradually tilting, and then the human swordsman made a slight mistake.

That small gap,

[Thrust]

Penetrated.

The sword was embedded in the human swordsman’s abdomen.

The human swordsman swung his sword.

Americano distanced herself.

“Hoo… Hoo…”

“Haa… Haa…”

I’m tired.

It was still difficult to beat an opponent who had learned techniques.

Swordsmanship was more defensive than I thought.

When I read novels, it was sometimes described as if offense and defense were perfectly integrated, but now I see that offense and defense are the basic principles of swordsmanship.

Offensive swordsmanship or defensive swordsmanship.

Offensive stance or defensive stance.

Even if there is a slight tendency, all stances involve both offense and defense at the same time.

‘This is educational.’

But that’s the end of it now.

Sweat was beading on her face.

The human swordsman, clutching his stomach, seemed to sense his end and charged first.

The sword shone.

Although injured,

He held the blood-stained sword with a stable posture without losing his balance.

‘It’s dangerous if it touches me.’

Instinct screamed.

But with a body full of holes, he couldn’t reproduce the fortress-like swordsmanship.

The hand that was barely blocking the hole was released, and blood spurted out and it cracked.

She didn’t miss that gap.

Americano imitated the human swordsman’s swordsmanship exactly, and even reproduced it in her own way, taking the sword from the human swordsman.

The stolen sword quickly faded and cooled.

The human swordsman knelt down.

“…I lost.”

“It was fun.”

He soon turned to dust and disappeared.

[21st Floor Human Knight Chris – Cleared]

[Rank] [SSS]

[First Clear Reward] [Demon King Stone ×21]

[Solo Reward] [Wish Stone ×21]

[Reward] [10,500 Gold]

“Haa… Tough.”

The 21st floor was more difficult than I thought.

Thanks to that, I gained a lot.

[The levels of your skills have increased.]

Combat Readiness, various Enhancements, Slash, Thrust, etc.

When I encountered real swordsmanship, I began to grasp what I was lacking. Compared to the human swordsman, it was strange that I won.

What allowed her to beat the human swordsman was the overwhelming difference in talent.

[You have acquired the skill ‘Northern Empire Swordsmanship (Inferior)’.]

[You have acquired the title ‘Recognition of Knight Chris’.]

[You have added the subquest ‘Knight Chris’s Last Words’.]

I received this and that, but it’s not what I need to worry about now.

I was worried about the subquest I got from the Tower, but,

‘Where would I have time to clear it?’

Today is the 3rd day.

Whether I die of dehydration.

How high will I climb by then?

I was setting a record that might decorate the last moment of my life.

[22nd Floor]

[Basilisk]

The giant snake’s demon claws were acting as the owner of the arena.