Chapter 24 : Theme Stage (1)

The massive body finally collapses.

“You did well!”

With Han Ji-hyuk’s words filled with proud sentiment, the boss monster hunt came to an end.

“I have lost, Hunter…! Devour me!”

“No thanks.”

Rejecting the line that seemed to possess a strangely high self-esteem, Do-yoon watched the final moments of ‘Tairasylis’.

The body of the giant reptile, melting here and there.

Though he had struggled with his physical attacks being blocked multiple times, he somehow managed to land effective hits.

Of course, the assistance of the other hunters, the Goblin Warlord’s curved sword, and the ‘Acidic Digestive Fluid’ skill were a great help.

“You will not devour me…? Very well. Then I shall give you this.”

“….?”

As Do-yoon looked at Tairasylis with a puzzled expression, a window soon appeared in mid-air.

-Ding!

“[You have acquired a skill through resonance with the target, ‘Tairasylis’!] “

“[Tairasylis’s Skin (C)]”

“[: Upon use, a hard skin is temporarily created that blocks enemy attacks.]”

“What the fck.”

It just stood by while I was struggling and fighting, and now that it’s all over, it gives me a skill.

‘This thing is a real piece of work, right to the end.’

I had a bad feeling from the first time we talked, and it pissed Do-yoon off until the very end.

“Do-yoon oppa, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just, now that it’s all over, it gives me a skill.”

“…Ah.”

“It’s alright, at least you got something. You can make good use of it from the next floor.”

Negative thoughts had surfaced due to his exhausted body, but Han Ji-hyuk’s words set his thinking straight.

‘Right. Getting a skill is something, at least.’

Tairasylis’s Skin.

‘I’ll have to get used to it in the training grounds.’

Taking in the newly acquired skill, he looked at the status window announcing the floor clear.

“[You have defeated the boss monster, ‘Tairasylis’.]”

“[Experience points acquired!]”

“[Level Up! Lv.5 → Lv.6]”

“[Rewards received.]”

“[ Tairasylis’s Leather]”

“[ Tairasylis’s Meat x3]”

‘…Meat?’

“Did the rewards show up?”

“Yes. Boss monster leather and meat.”

“Meat? I knew we usually get leather, but this is unusual.”

“It seems like they gave it to us to use on the 5th floor, right?”

“Probably so.”

Han Ji-hyuk nodded at Jo Ha-rin’s guess.

“We use it on the 5th floor?”

“Yeah. Items stored in the inventory can be used on the next floor too.”

‘So it’s a resource item.’

“If it’s in the inventory, you don’t have to worry about it spoiling, so you can use it conveniently!”

“It means I can take it out and eat it anytime.”

Do-yoon naturally imagined eating Tairasylis’s meat.

The meat of a boss monster that had rampaged so ferociously in life.

Befitting its imposing presence, it would probably have a very strong gamy smell and other unpleasant odors.

‘Still, it’s good that it’s edible.’

‘It is edible… right?’

Anyway, with a grateful heart, he stored the rewards in his inventory, and Do-yoon and his team left the tower.

After that, he spent his days prioritizing information gathering and education about the 5th floor, as originally planned.

Theme Stage.

He had to learn as much as possible and enter, to prevent any accidents there.

[Newbie progress, where is it now?]

[Info: Most Hunters’ death rates spike after the 5th floor]

[Upvote if the newbie is about to be thrown into real hell lol]

[Which tower seems like it’ll be cleared fastest at this time?]

[But what happens if you graduate? Are you just f*cked?]

[Realized the hidden piece condition. You’re all dead now lololol]

[Newbie) Newbie stats so far]

“What’s this.”

While I wasn’t looking, the categories for classifying posts had increased.

And it was a category explicitly labeled ‘Newbie’.

Do-yoon, feeling intrigued, selected the category and found various informational posts.

“Oh.”

([My Post]) Title: Just saw it, what’s this ‘Newbie’ category?

– Is this newly created?

– Info posts are all gathered, so it’s super easy to see.

– So now I just need to look at this and use it as a reference to strategize?

– Yeah, the mods agreed to add it specifically for you to see.

– Even if other Bosses write info posts for the newbie, they get buried by other sh*tposts, so they made a whole new category lol.

– Has there ever been a time in Boss Gallery history where a category was created because of one forum user?

– Boss Gallery power level, wow;

– Seriously, it’s unprecedented.

– The fact is, the newbie’s existence itself is the first and the last, yeah;

– PaperLover*) From now on, if you’re curious about anything related to the tower, just go to the Newbie category and search around.

– ([My Post]) Awesome.

([My Post]) Title: I am the Strongest

– Yo, it’s your hyung.

– Hyung created a category in the Boss Gallery just by existing.

– Enough with the concept.

– Now, I’ve smoothly cleared the 4th floor.

– And I’m preparing to enter the 5th floor ㅇㅇ.

– Now that I’ve finished the urgent homework.

– Can’t you tell me exactly what the Theme Stage is?

– The senior Hunters will tell me similar things, but local information is more trustworthy, isn’t it?

– Now he’s blatantly asking for info wwwww

– Info: The newbie has always blatantly taken whatever he wanted.

– His consistency is one thing that’s certain, the b*stard lol.

– PaperLover*) Actually, I was planning to drop some info as soon as you returned.

– ([My Post]) What info? Ah, the theme?

– PaperLover*) Yeah, normally, releasing detailed info about the Theme Stage is forbidden, but it’s permitted with the consent of the party involved.

– AgedWineIsMe*) Hoeeeeng, it means I have to reveal my shameful secret to Newbie-kun ㅠㅠㅠ

‘Shameful secret?’

Do-yoon was puzzled, but he silently waited for AgedWine’s post.

Title: Regarding the Theme Stage

Nickname: AgedWineIsMe*

(Image of AgedWine’s character with blushing cheeks)

– Since Newbie-jjang is showing such passionate interest in me, it’s quite embarrassing… ㅠㅠ

– At this rate, I might get ‘graduated’…? (>< embarrassed)

– Anytwaays… if we’re talking about the Theme Stage…

– If we talk about it…!

– I don’t know eitherrr! I really don’t know what will happen there eitherrr!

“Huh?”

But what returned, betraying his expectations, was AgedWine’s utterly shameless attitude.

– Sigh, sh*t, I hoped for nothing.

– Knew it lololololol

– Aish, sh*t, AgedWine-hyung!!!!! Is it that hard to just say it?!

– PaperLover*) ;;;

Title: But AgedWine isn’t entirely wrong

Nickname: PaperLover*

– To a human newbie, it might seem like an insincere answer.

– Mods like AgedWine, despite being masters of the tower’s highest floors, actually have very few privileges.

– One of those privileges is directly influencing the Theme Stage….

– This influence itself is the tower unilaterally pulling out and using AgedWine’s memories, while AgedWine, the owner of those memories, isn’t involved at all.

“…Ha.”

Perhaps it was because he belonged to the Boss Mob gallery, but the more he saw, the more these Boss Mob figures seemed to be-

He felt they were nothing more than convenient tools.

‘Public display of dark history, something like that.’

Do-yoon briefly imagined it, comparing it to his own experiences.

Someone forcibly opens your head and makes the most embarrassing memory inside public to the whole world.

Where else could there be such a hell?

Physically, maybe not, but mentally, one would surely die.

– This is why I’m not a mod

– Not ‘don’t’ x, ‘can’t’ o.

– Hey hey

– What’s good about being a mod?  You’re unnecessarily strong so you can’t even dream of graduating, and you’re forced into a

memory exposure show because of the tower.

– PaperLover*) You’re banned.

– Uh oh oh

– Why is that guy slowly becoming transparent?

– Not going far~

– ShortEaredElf*) Even so, there’s no need to be too scared~ The reason the 5th floor is dangerous isn’t particularly because of our existence~

– ([My Post]) What do you mean?

– ShortEaredElf*) From the 5th floor, you have to seriously coordinate with other Hunters, but do you think that’s easy for Hunters from other worlds~?

– I’ll tell you one thing. If they get on your nerves, just kill them.

– Kill them before they become allies.

“…Kill them?”

No matter how much they were from worlds with different ethics and morals than the one Do-yoon lived in.

They wouldn’t go as far as they said…

– Seriously, don’t bother trying to understand those you can’t communicate with; if you feel even slightly suspicious, stab them first.

– The one who betrays first wins ㅇㅇ;

– These b*stards are telling a Hunter to kill other Hunters lololol

– Sounds like a joke, right? Lololol

– ([My Post]) What’s real;

– You’ll find out when you go .

– But if you’re unlucky, the newbie might get got first, that’s why we’re saying this.

Title: What is a Hunter

– Just b*stards blinded by results.

– B*stards who are ready to throw away any loyalty or understanding within the tower if it benefits their own world.

– Do you think such b*stards would care for a weak newbie just because he arrived?

– It’d be a relief if they weren’t already sizing you up for when to use you as a meat shield.

– Think I’m exaggerating?

– From the perspective of a mid-to-high floor Boss, I’ve seen Hunters get stabbed in the back more than once or twice ㅇㅇ.

– How would I know that when I’m stuck in the boss room, you ask?

(Image of an angry frog)

– No, sht, I don’t know why these bstards are like this either.

– They size you up, and if they think it’s not worth it, they really abandon allies and everything and flee, I tell you?????

– ([My Post]) …Wait, I thought if you went into the boss room, you couldn’t come out again?

– You can get out later if you get an escape scroll or something.

– ([Author]) But even without that, there was a b*stard who just threw his colleague at me and came for the last hit.

“What in the world.”

What on earth was happening in the world above the 5th floor?

A truth he never wanted to know was gradually approaching Do-yoon.

Title: Hoeee ㅠㅠ But there’s one thing I can tell you for sure….!

“Oh.”

Just as he was trying to understand what he couldn’t quite grasp, welcome news arrived.

When he reacted immediately, AgedWine replied.

– You must absolutely not defy the ‘me’ that will be on that floor..!

– Even Newbie-kun must not commit such an act….!

“…?”

What’s this now.

– Ah, I don’t know about other things, but really, don’t do that.

– ([My Post]) What is it, exactly. Is AgedWine on the 5th floor?

– It is AgedWine… but it’s probably a different AgedWine.

– ([My Post]) ????

– If I say don’t do it, then don’t do it, sh*t.

It didn’t take long to understand those incomprehensible words.

“Do-yoon-ah.”

Before entering the tower to clear the 5th floor, he looked back at the Hunters’ faces one last time.

“We want to help as much as possible, but from now on, there’s nothing more we can do.”

A faint sense of guilt was etched on his face as he said that.

‘Why were they feeling guilty?’

As he pondered its meaning for a moment, he could feel that he had truly become one of them.

Feeling a corner of his heart grow warm, Do-yoon bid them farewell.

“I’ll be back.”

Han Ji-hyuk, Jo Ha-rin, Cha Yoon-ha, and even Jo Ha-rin.

Vowing that he would definitely see their faces again, Do-yoon entered the tower.

“[Entering the 5th floor.]”

“[5th Floor: Theme Stage]”

“[Theme: True Ancestor’s Memories]”

What was finally revealed was a completely changed structure of the tower, a different world.