episode_0062

* Chapter 62 – Tower 20th Floor Strategy Reward [Hidden Skill]

[To all hunters residing in the Golden Tower.]

[Today at 2 a.m., the gate of the 20th floor of the Golden Tower has been breached.]

[Clear participants: 2.]

[【Scavenger】 Hong Chang-gi.]

[【Butler】 Seres.]

[Once again, we inform you.]

[Today at 2 a.m., the gate of the 20th floor of the Golden Tower has been breached.]

[Clear participants: 2.]

[【Scavenger】 Hong Chang-gi.]

[【Butler】 Seres.]

[All transition points within the 20th floor have been opened.]

[Additionally, access to all floors below the 30th floor is granted.]

[The challenge to the 30th floor gate will begin today and last for one month. Please take note of this.]

[Once again, we inform you──]

An alarm blared loudly enough to make our ears ache.

We geared up and set out to explore the world.

The ground we walked on was the same streets that hunters traversed.

“Looks like everyone is waking up.”

“Seriously. Look over there. Someone spewing after having a drink at the stall. Clothes all soaked, it’s a mess.”

“Hehehe.”

This must be the view from the top of the tower.

Did they purposely transition us here for the clear rewards?

“What a magnificent sight.”

The streets were shining.

The red light that flickered was now joined by a yellow light, just like our guild home.

The tower where Mana resided was especially chaotic.

Current 1st place Ian seemed visibly flustered.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not that thrilled, to be honest. The system dragged out the gate that we could have cleared quickly. Made a fuss, but in the end, it was nothing special.”

“It wasn’t like that for me. If you’re talking about regression, that’s a different story. It’s not us, no matter what anyone says. Think of it as a story from another world. Then you’ll feel at ease.”

“I didn’t mean that-”

Before Seres could convey something to me.

[Tower Lord ‘Aphrodite’ praises you.]

It’s been a while since they appeared.

I don’t know if I should hate them or praise them, the owner of the tower.

“I was surprised to be called here all of a sudden.”

I showed some courtesy.

Not as much as last time, but I kneeled politely.

[It’s been a while.]

“I didn’t expect you to clear it so quickly.”

The Tower Lord didn’t reveal their true nature like when they tormented Seong-yeon.

They simply congratulated us calmly.

[Congratulations on clearing the 20th floor gate.]

“Thank you.”

I said that for now.

I honestly don’t care since the strategy didn’t cause any harm.

I’m just left with a bit of annoyance and frustration.

[The memory that was shown should not have been revealed yet.]

“It was a dangerous memory that could have affected the curse on you.”

“If you had taken one more step or if Seong-jo or the woman there had made a mistake, you would have died.”

……….

…It was a memory related to Seong-yeon’s secret?

I had no idea.

Am I really under a curse?

It’s serious if I can’t even catch on when they say it like this.

In anime terms, am I the dense harem protagonist?

[I apologize for this.]

“Then, what measures have you taken?”

[As soon as you were summoned here, we erased many memories related to this gate.]

“Now that you are aware, try to recall it again.”

“What memory did you see at the 20th floor gate?”

The memory of Seres and… Seong-yeon…?

……….

…What?

I can’t remember.

It’s like my brain is struggling with fog.

“Oh, huh? The video that Seongyeon sent me last time was about me getting close to Seres… But why did I see that memory? Didn’t I clear the gate before watching that? It seems like the Throne and the system showed me the memory because something was wrong…”

“…Oppa?”

I looked back at the system window.

[Memory has been lightly sealed.]

“If you think too deeply, you will remember, so please do not intentionally release it.”

[Will explode.]

Those words were too ominous.

Really.

How can a single line of words be so heavy?

“The woman who was eavesdropping knows why I’m acting like this.”

“I won’t be foolish enough to make the same mistake twice, right?”

The system window turned towards Seres, and our maid bowed her head.

Just like I did for Seongyeon.

“I know. I will never reveal it, even if it costs me my life.”

I couldn’t understand what was going on at all.

“Then it’s settled.”

“As the Tower Lord, I will praise the two who rightfully opened the gate.”

“This Tower will close its gates for about a month for debugging purposes.”

“The next gate will open in a month, so please keep that in mind.”

It sounded like an announcement.

“So you came to seal my memory, and there’s no other reason.”

The system window faced me.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t expect my system to go right up to the spoiler.”

“The compensation for this will be handled by the two knights, so please talk to them for more details.”

Oh, so there is compensation.

Since they know how to sprinkle bait, it seems like it’s the operator’s duty.

Surprisingly, we can communicate.

“Have a good climb.”

“I will always be watching.”

With a short word, the Tower Lord’s system window disappeared.

“Watching…”

It was more stern than comforting, more unsettling than happy.

*

“Oh. You’re back.”

“It was in the blink of an eye.”

The scenery changed immediately.

The knights who were waiting for us in front of the gate we stood in front of were shining brightly.

“Congratulations on clearing the 20th floor gate, comrades.”

“We apologize for unintentionally putting you in danger.”

We received congratulations and apologies from the two knights at the same time.

I responded casually, having received a warning from the Tower.

“Are you ready for the conclusion?”

“Is it time for the expected reward?”

“Hehe. That’s right. Last time, we sent you off without giving you anything, and it felt awkward.”

The surroundings darkened.

The knight of Pure Love stepped forward, and we shone like stars.

“The system caused some trouble, and we’ve prepared a good reward for comrades like you.”

The concrete light of Pure Love appeared in front of the knights, and one of them was directed towards Seres’s ample chest.

“…Huh!?”

Her body briefly glowed.

“W-why?”

“Originally, there is no reward to give to partners, but this time, our mistake was significant. So, above has instructed to give you [Skill Enhancement] as a reward.”

“Skill enhancement…”

“It’s not a very impressive enhancement. It’s really just for show.”

Seres checked her skill.

She opened her eyes wide and smiled.

“It’s okay. I like it.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

They stepped back.

I didn’t know what she received, but there was a slight blush on her cheek.

“It’s the challenger’s turn. It’s a shame that we can’t give you everything.”

They extended three rotating orbs in a lifting motion.

-Purple.

-Gold.

-Black.

The three orbs continued to rotate.

It seemed like they were swimming as if they were alive.

‘Black…’

I know what that is.

It’s an EX-grade skill card.

“I see you’ve figured out what this is.”

“Yes. It’s a skill, isn’t it?”

“As you expected. Just choose one of the three skills here.”

I rotated the orbs and raised black to the top.

“The Black Sphere is a skill outside of the EX grade. Just a heads up, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. It could be worse than an F grade, or even close to a curse. There are many risky items like this, so please keep that in mind.”

I swallowed my saliva.

Even with that explanation, my longing was stimulated.

“Next is this one.”

The sphere rotated, and gold rose to the top.

“As you can tell by the color, this is an S grade. There are SS and SSS grades above this, but at this point, it’s just a matter of output, not a big difference. Unless some strange skill comes out, this should guarantee a stable reward for your life.”

Ah, S grade.

This is tempting too.

It’s stimulating my desire that has been restless for skills until now.

Ugh….

“Changi, sir.”

“I know. I’ll listen to all of them first and then choose. What about the last one?”

The last sphere is purple.

It was a color I had never seen before, the same color as my aura.

“The last skill is R grade.”

“R?”

What is R?

SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F….

I’ve never seen an F skill so far, but F, G, H, I, J, K?

If you put them in alphabetical order, it’s almost the 18th… right?

“Don’t think in order. This R has a different meaning, just like EX.”

I suspected that it might be that R used for R-18.

“What does it mean?”

“Resistance. You often hear it in RPG games, right? Like [Fire Resistance].”

After a moment of contemplation, he gave an example.

“Fire resistance, cold resistance, electric resistance… something like that?”

“You got it.”

“…Is it a crappy skill?”

I doubted why they had to divide it by adding another grade to the skill card.

The Knight of Chivalry shook his head.

“Do you think the card given as a reward for clearing the gate in the Golden Tower is that shabby?”

“Is it not the kind of skill I’m thinking of?”

“Of course not.”

The Knight of Chivalry smiled.

The Knight of Lily behind him did the same.

Their laughter echoed.

…What’s with this ominous laughter?

“R grade cards guarantee [absolute resistance] to specific situations.”

-Absolute?

“For example, let’s say the whole earth is engulfed in hot lava. It’s an impossible scenario, and normally everyone would die, right?”

“That’s right.”

The situation is too extreme.

If the earth is burning, there’s nowhere to run.

The tower is the only option?

But having fire resistance alone is not enough to do anything.

‘Why use such a situation as an example?’

…Situation?

Didn’t he just say it gives resistance to situations?

“So it’s not [attacks] like fire or ice, but resistance to [situations]?”

“That’s correct. No matter how desperate the situation, even if it’s an unimaginable and absurd scenario, it’s a skill that [absolutely overcomes] it. Its purpose is limited, but its effect is absolute.”

The limited purpose and the stimulating description piqued my curiosity.

The two Archbishops laughed.

Especially Lily, despite being a knight who spoke of fairness, couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Is it random to get any skill you choose?”

“It’s random from the challenger’s perspective, but we can see what comes out. The skills we receive from the Tower Lord are none other than ours.”

My heart raced.

It’s a chance.

“What will you do?”

“What do you think would be good?”

“Definitely an S grade. It’s not random, it’s confirmed. It’s an unbelievable stroke of luck.”

“What grade is the skill you’re erasing?”

“It’s S grade. I’ve come this far with just this one. Most foreign hunters also reached the top ranks with just one skill. I can’t miss this opportunity.”

S grade is the one that chews up defense and crushes a person in one shot.

The current number one, Ian, has a skill beyond that.

A good skill signifies the identity of that hunter.

“That’s true….”

I stepped forward.

“Are you going to choose right away?”

“I’ll think about it for one more minute.”

“Feel free to think it over as much as you want. Challengers have the authority to do so.”

The Knight of Pure Love extended his hand forward, rotating the orb while doing so.

Even though it seemed like he was just idly spinning it, he followed a certain pattern.

[Gold → Black → Purple]

[Black → Gold → Purple → Purple → Purple]

[Purple → Black → Gold → Purple]

[Gold → Purple → Gold → Purple → Gold → Purple]

[Purple → Purple → Purple → Gold → Black → Purple → Purple]

[Purple → Purple → Purple → Black → Purple → Purple]

…

…It’s disgustingly obvious.

“Excuse me, Lily.”

He whistled with his arms crossed behind his neck.

“I feel like having grapes today. Sweet, delicious grapes~! Oh, come to think of it, isn’t it a month-long vacation starting from today~?”

“The system malfunctioned this time. They said they’re closing the 30th floor gate to fix it-”

“Let’s take a month-long vacation and go to the vineyard together. How about enjoying a glass of wine there leisurely?”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful~!”

Pure Love raised his thumb, and Lily nodded.

Both of them are on my side.

“That one is purple.”

“I know.”

“…?”

Ceres looked puzzled, but I had no hesitation.

I reached out towards the purple orb rising to the top and absorbed its radiant light.

[The Seat ‘Knight of Pure Love’ praises your choice.]

[The Seat ‘Knight of Lily’ commends your wisdom.]

With their praises, I reached out my hand.

The power within me is twofold.

One is the nectar, and the other is the skill I received this time.

[Love’s Vanguard – Dragon (R)]

[■■ or ■■■ automatically activates when ■■■ in ■■. Grants the skill holder ‘Autonomous Hyper Invincible Mode.’]

[※ Duration increases or decreases depending on the user’s ■■ gauge.]

[※ Cooldown time is about a month. Decreases based on the user’s ■■ gauge.]

“…What do you think?”

“Orio got a skill that seems invincible after eating a star.”

“What did you say?”

“Wait, I don’t know either, so don’t ask me.”

What is an Autonomous Hyper Invincible Mode?

Is it really Orio?

Does he shine brightly and kill enemies on touch?

Why is the skill description hidden?

As I shook my head in confusion, the two knights raised their thumbs simultaneously.

“We made it (so)-!”

“What the hell kind of skill is this, you bastards-”

Before the question mixed with profanity could finish, a golden light enveloped us.

A streak of shooting star cut through the dark canvas of the sky.

Ceres and I arrived on the ground, holding each other’s hands, watching the congratulatory messages pouring down from the tower in astonishment.