Chapter 67: 11th Floor. True Ancestor (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: 11th Floor. True Ancestor (4)
“What is this?”
[It is written that this ring is to be given to the man who would become her husband.]
“That’s what it looks like to me, too.”
As a special reward, the ring Eldiria had intended for her future husband had been granted to him. The meaning was unmistakable: Eldiria had considered accepting him as family.
‘…This is unexpected.’
Eldiria had been utterly alone. Her clan had been slaughtered by werewolves, and her uncle—the only family she had left—had betrayed her. It was only natural for her to develop feelings for Kang Jun-hyeok, the man who had protected her until the very end.
Even so, he hadn't expected it to go this far. The Master of All Weapons let out a short, mocking chuckle.
[Congratulations. You have received a proposal from the most sought-after being in the universe.]
“I doubt that’s the case,” Kang Jun-hyeok said, clicking his tongue. “Rather than love in the truest sense, it was likely an expression of affection born from desperation. She was driven to the edge of a cliff. She wouldn't have had the composure to distinguish between the two emotions.”
[That is highly probable.]
“Above all, it’s something that happened inside the Tower. It has nothing to do with the world out there.”
[You’re a cold one, aren't you? Yet, you aren't flustered by my words. You already knew who Eldiria was.] The Master of All Weapons murmured with amusement. [Truly fascinating. How did a creature like you even come to exist?]
“Keep guessing.”
The entity wouldn't be able to find out anyway. The moment Jun-hyeok had tried to speak the truth of his regression, time had rewound. It seemed there were powerful restrictions in place.
Regardless, the ring’s performance was excellent. No, it went beyond simply being "good." A Health value of 100 was phenomenal, but it even added bonus stats and defense on top of that. Even setting aside the description, it was a piece of equipment that couldn't be viewed as a mere accessory.
This was high-rank equipment, transcending the intermediate level. He hadn't expected to obtain high-rank gear this early.
And the high-rank grade he had earned wasn't limited to equipment.
[Active Skill: Royal Blood]
Grade: High-Rank
Proficiency: F
Cooldown: 3 Days
Effect: Restores all Health. Additionally, you become an incomplete True Ancestor for 10 minutes. Afterward, Health drops to 1 and you enter a state of exhaustion.
“…….”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a silent groan.
True Ancestor. The bloodline of the progenitor. A pure and perfect vampire without a single weakness. This was a skill that allowed him to become such a being.
‘Was the condition for creating a True Ancestor passing on the True Blood?’
Eldiria must have passed the True Blood to him when she kissed him at the end. However, there was one point of confusion.
“Why is it an active skill?”
According to her words, his very species should have changed into a vampire. Yet, what he obtained was a limited transformation. The Master of All Weapons spoke softly.
[Remember what you said to her.]
“…Could it be because of that?”
During their journey, Kang Jun-hyeok had told her that he liked being human and had no desire to become a vampire. It seemed those words were the cause.
“Maybe I should have said becoming a True Ancestor was fine.”
The reason he had said he disliked vampires was because they had too many weaknesses. They had to avoid sunlight, couldn't eat garlic, and couldn't cross running water. But a True Ancestor had no such flaws.
If he had known he would become a True Ancestor, he would have said he liked vampires. It was a bit of a shame. Kang Jun-hyeok slowly read through the skill again.
Activating the skill fully restored Health and turned him into a True Ancestor. However, once the duration ended, his Health would drop to 1 and he would be left exhausted. It was a classic high-risk, high-reward skill. If he couldn't end the battle after activating it, he would be the one to die.
But it didn't matter. Becoming a True Ancestor—if that state was as powerful as he knew it to be—made this an extraordinary skill. He could test it out on the next floor.
Next was the Guardian title. Its effect was simple.
[Title: Guardian]
A title given to one who has risked their life to protect another.
Effect: All stats increase by +1 when fighting to protect something.
“Ho.”
The condition was simple and broad, yet the effect was a +1 to all stats. It was excellent. Furthermore, the effect of the added Perfect Player title was +30 Health. That, too, was substantial.
“Well, fine. Let’s leave it at that.”
[You are trying hard to organize your thoughts. It seems there is something more important to you than a skill like this.]
“Shut up,” Kang Jun-hyeok cut him off.
The Master of All Weapons chuckled. [I shall save the fun for later. But so this was the flow of the 10th and 11th floors? Hmm.] The entity clicked its tongue as if feeling pity. [It must be a disaster from Eldiria’s perspective. She must be quite annoyed.]
* * *
At that moment.
On the outskirts of the universe, on a rogue planet frozen to its core, a woman stood alone.
She had brilliantly shining silver hair, crimson eyes like jewels, and skin so white it was almost translucent. She was staring blankly into the void. Amidst the silence of the dead planet, a visitor arrived.
“A-Ah… Ah…!”
It was a man. His clothes were tattered, as if he had been traveling for a long time. Upon discovering the woman, the man’s eyes filled with ecstasy.
“Ah… Finally! Finally! I’ve finally found you!”
“A Player? I hid on this abandoned planet to escape your kind, yet you are truly persistent.”
Unlike the joyful man, the woman clicked her tongue in annoyance. The man spread his arms wide.
“I have been looking for you! Vampire Princess! Lady Eldiria!” the man shouted passionately.
It wasn't empty talk. The man had climbed the Tower like a madman to gain strength and had traveled the universe. He had invested his entire life just to find the hidden Eldiria.
“I love you! I would give my life for you! We shared a deep bond during our journey together! Please, come with me!”
It was a desperate cry of love. However, Eldiria’s face remained infinitely cold.
“What do you know about me?”
“I know everything! I know that you are affectionate and fragile, and that you long for someone to be by your side!”
“Silence.”
A chilling voice rang out. The man reflexively shut his mouth.
“Filthy creatures who look at fragments of the past trapped in the Tower, pride themselves on knowing me, and beg for affection. You are nothing but a nuisance. It is so irritating I want to crush everything.”
“E-Lady Eldiria?”
The man was flustered. This ice-cold demeanor was so different from the Eldiria he knew. His heated emotions cooled instantly. Only then did the man see what lay behind her.
At first, he thought it was a small hill. But it wasn't. It was a pile of countless bone fragments. The bones had piled up and up to form a small mound.
“…Ah.”
The man realized. All those bone fragments were Players who, like him, had come seeking Eldiria with memories from the Tower.
“I certainly warned you. If you come looking for me, you will die.” Her eyes turned a deep, predatory red. “You said you could risk your life for me. If so, then perish here to soothe my irritation.”
“Wait—”
Crunch.
The man was strong. As a result of climbing the Tower frantically with the goal of finding Eldiria, he was a high-ranking Player even on a universal scale. But that was all. The Player who had been crying out his love died without leaving even a trace behind.
“Toying with my past and planting false emotions. Is this the sin for opposing you, Master of the Universe? You are cruel beyond measure,” Eldiria muttered.
Staring blankly into the void, Eldiria reached into her robes. When her hand emerged, she was holding a single ring. It was exactly the same as the one Kang Jun-hyeok possessed.
In the distant past, it was the ring her father had told her to give to the one who would become her husband. The Ruby Ring. Eldiria had kept it all this time.
“Hmph.”
Gazing at the ring with a strange expression, Eldiria snorted. It was all in the past. She returned to staring blankly into the void.
* * *
He had cleared the 11th floor. It was a flawless, Perfect Clear. And with this, another quest was completed.
“Open Shop,” Kang Jun-hyeok said.
Space tore open, and Pixie appeared with a cigar in her mouth. Her eyes wavered when she saw him.
[…You’ve come.]
“I have,” Kang Jun-hyeok said calmly. “The quest. You remember it, right?”
[Hidden Quest]
• Objective: Perfect Clear the next progression quest of the Tower and deliver those memories to Pixie.
Reward: What Pixie is hiding.
Kang Jun-hyeok had fulfilled the conditions. Now it was her turn. Pixie nodded.
[If you agree to deliver the memories of the 10th and 11th floors to me, take my hand… If you don’t want to, you can refuse….]
There was no reason to refuse. Kang Jun-hyeok immediately took Pixie’s hand. He felt a small, soft touch. Then, a light erupted. His memories began to transmit to her.
The memories of the 10th and 11th floors. Eldiria’s past. The struggle. And the conclusion.
[…Ah. Ahhh….] Pixie let out a groan. That groan soon turned into an exclamation. [Ah. Ahhhh!]
Pixie’s face filled with ecstasy. It was the expression of someone who had quit sweets and was tasting sugar for the first time in decades.
[Ahhh… This is it. This is it…!]
Her thirst for knowledge, her curiosity, and the near-instinctual desires she had suppressed were being filled. Drool trickled from her slack-jawed mouth.
[…You.] Barely regaining her senses, she looked at Kang Jun-hyeok with a face full of shock. [You received a proposal from Eldiria?]
“Do I have to say it again? She was driven to a cliff and mistook her emotions. And since it’s something from the past, it has nothing to do with the present.”
[No, even so! That Eldiria proposed to someone? And she even kissed you?] She approached Kang Jun-hyeok with sparkling eyes. [Do you know who Eldiria is? She is the most sought-after being in the universe! In her prime, she was truly magnificent! Even gods would come just to see her! Although she’s hidden herself now because she’s fed up, there are still many who long for her! Such a woman showed those kinds of emotions to someone, even if it was just a severed fragment of the past?]
“You’ve suddenly become very talkative.” Kang Jun-hyeok stepped back uncomfortably. “I’d like you to calm down a bit.”
[Do I look like I can calm down? So that was Eldiria’s past! She was betrayed! Her kin were annihilated! No wonder they say she was so happy when she first met a True Ancestor! She thought she was alone all that time!]
She was learning the hidden truths one by one. Pixie trembled with delight. Kang Jun-hyeok gave a small smirk.
“So this is your true self.”
Talkative, emotional, and hungry for knowledge. This was Pixie’s true nature before she became a shopkeeper. It was only after several minutes had passed that she finally managed to suppress her excitement.
“Are you calm now?”
[My heart is still pounding, but mostly. …Haha. You were right.]
She hadn't been able to let go of everything. She had merely been forcing herself to suppress her racial instincts, her thirst for knowledge, and her desires. Right now, she felt more alive than ever. Pixie smiled.
[You cleared my quest perfectly. Now, it’s my turn.]
[Hidden Quest Cleared]
Reward: What Pixie is hiding is granted.