Chapter 10: The Latecomers (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: The Latecomers (1)
I stared at the item description, stunned.
A Rare+ grade skill?
And it wasn't just a simple skill stone. It was offering me a choice of one out of five. True to its name as a grimoire, every option was a magic-type skill.
I read through the descriptions one by one.
[Skill: Lesser Mind Control (Rare+)]
Description: Dominates and controls the minds of low-level creatures. Can control up to ten entities.
Casting Time: 3 minutes of Mental Focus
Category: Magic-type
Willpower Cost: 200
Cooldown: 1 hour
Lesser Mind Control. It said it could control low-level creatures. Was this the magic the elder mage had used to command the Goblins?
[Skill: Teleportation (Rare+)]
Description: Teleports the user within a 10-meter radius.
Casting Time: 30 seconds of Mental Focus
Category: Magic-type
Willpower Cost: 150
Cooldown: 1 minute
This one was Teleportation. Just as the name suggested, it was a blink-style ability.
[Skill: Corrosive Flame (Rare+)]
Description: Sprays corrosive flames that rot living organisms.
Casting Time: 20 seconds of Mental Focus
Category: Magic-type
Willpower Cost: 20 per second
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Corrosive Flame, huh? This looked like an offensive skill similar to Flame Strike.
[Skill: Shadow Swamp (Rare+)]
Description: Spreads a swamp of shadows over an area to bind and attack enemies.
Casting Time: 3 minutes of Mental Focus
Category: Magic-type
Willpower Cost: 200
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Wait, is this also...?
The description looked remarkably similar to the ability the elder mage had used against me. It was clearly an Area of Effect (AoE) crowd-control skill.
[Skill: Life Drain (Rare+)]
Description: Absorbs the life force of nearby living organisms.
Casting Time: 1 minute of Mental Focus
Category: Magic-type
Willpower Cost: 10 per second
Cooldown: 1 minute
And finally, Life Drain. An ability to siphon life force. The specific effects weren't listed in detail, though. What exactly happened when I absorbed life force? Did it heal my injuries or increase my vitality?
"Hmm..."
I had to pick one.
I didn't even need to consider the Mental Focus time or the Willpower cost. Because of my ability, the only things that mattered to me were the skill's effect and its cooldown.
I immediately ruled out Lesser Mind Control and Life Drain.
First, Lesser Mind Control had a cooldown that was way too long. An hour? Plus, the description "low-level creatures" was too vague. If it could only control monsters like Goblins, it wasn't an ability worth having.
Life Drain was out for similar reasons. I couldn't tell exactly what the benefits of absorbing life force were.
It probably recovers health or heals injuries, though.
Since the Willpower cost was 10 per second, it seemed to be a channeled skill that stayed active once cast. But could I use this during active combat? Could I move while using it? There was also the condition that I had to be close to the target. It was overall too uncertain.
That left three skills. This was where it got difficult. All three seemed to have their own merits.
[Skill: Corrosive Flame (Rare+)]
Casting Time: 20 seconds of Mental Focus
Willpower Cost: 20 per second
Cooldown: 30 seconds
This one also consumed Willpower per second, like Life Drain. But didn't that mean I could keep the skill active as long as my Willpower held out? Furthermore, since the description said it "sprays" flames, I could guess the delivery method. It would probably function like a flamethrower.
An infinite flamethrower is pretty tempting.
Since I basically didn't have to worry about running out of Willpower, it seemed quite strong. The only catch was that I already had an offensive skill.
[Skill: Shadow Swamp (Rare+)]
Casting Time: 3 minutes of Mental Focus
Willpower Cost: 200
Cooldown: 10 minutes
I had already seen this one with my own eyes. It was likely the same magic the elder mage used. Being able to use an AoE skill like that with instant casting? Ah, this one looked really good too. However, the cooldown was a bit long.
[Skill: Teleportation (Rare+)]
Casting Time: 30 seconds of Mental Focus
Willpower Cost: 150
Cooldown: 1 minute
Finally, Teleportation. This was... just good.
Of course, looking at it objectively, it was absolute garbage. I didn't know what the hell the developers were thinking, making a 10-meter teleport require 30 seconds of casting time. You call this magic?
I could crawl 10 meters in less than 30 seconds.
But for me, Mental Focus time was meaningless. This meant I could use Teleportation as an instant cast even in the heat of combat. Especially in situations where I faced an unavoidable attack after stopping time—like when I was hit by that arrow before—Teleportation would allow me to reposition and dodge. It was a top-tier evasion tool.
After some thought, I made my decision.
[You have learned 'Skill: Teleportation (Rare+)'.]
As soon as I selected the skill, the mage’s body crumbled into dust and vanished.
They all seemed good, but Teleportation was the superior choice. There was one more crucial reason for my pick.
Regardless of difficulty, the floors of the Tower shared a certain theme if they were on the same level. Even though the Nightmare 1st Floor was absurdly harder than other difficulties, I still had to face Goblins just like everyone else.
And the theme for the 2nd Floor was a "jump map." I’d heard you had to climb by stepping on moving platforms while lava rose from below. Considering the 2nd Floor, Teleportation was the only right choice. I had to pick whatever would help most with the immediate conquest of the next floor.
I tried using Teleportation right away.
Flash.
My body flickered and reappeared after 30 seconds of Mental Focus.
"Oh."
I turned around to check the distance I had moved. It was quite amazing. After finishing my first-ever experience of teleporting, I checked the other rewards.
[Rare Skill Enhancement Stone]
Description: Can enhance one Rare-grade skill.
A Skill Enhancement Stone. I’d heard these were even rarer than skill stones. The only Rare-grade skill I currently had was Flame Strike. Should I use it on Flame Strike right away?
I used it without much hesitation.
No point in hoarding it.
I wouldn't be getting any more skills as rewards unless I entered the 2nd Floor anyway. And if I did enter the 2nd Floor, there was no reason to be cocky and save this.
[Would you like to use the 'Rare Skill Enhancement Stone'? (Available skill: Flame Strike)]
[You have used the 'Rare Skill Enhancement Stone' on 'Skill: Flame Strike (Rare)'.]
['Skill: Flame Strike (Rare)' has been enhanced, increasing the number of fireballs.]
[Skill: Flame Strike (Rare) (+1)]
Description: Fires two condensed flames to cause an explosion.
Casting Time: 20 seconds of Mental Focus
Willpower Cost: 100
Cooldown: 30 seconds
A "+1" mark appeared next to the skill name. Since the number of fireballs increased, did that mean I could fire two now? I thought about firing a Flame Strike into the empty space but decided against it. My Willpower was tapped out from using Teleportation once. It was a hassle to wait for it to recharge, so I'd check it later.
The last reward to check was... a Mana Stone.
[Highest-Grade Magic Stone]
Description: A Magic Stone of the highest quality.
It seemed slightly larger than the previous reward.
It's still a useless item, though.
To sell Magic Stones, you had to register as a Climber and obtain a sales license. Since I was an unregistered, illegal Climber who hadn't reported myself, I couldn't sell this anywhere. Well, I never expected to make money anyway. The only reason I was going in and out of the Tower—a place I never intended to set foot in—was for the sake of world peace.
Wow... has there ever been such a tear-jerking spirit of sacrifice? If I die like this, I wonder if someone will at least build a statue of me.
"But I'm getting a bit anxious."
Weren't the rewards a bit too generous? Even if it was a first-clear reward and a hidden route, the haul was massive. From the 1st Floor alone, I’d obtained one Rare skill, one Rare+ skill, and a +1 Rare enhancement. On top of that, I was already Level 15.
...Just what kind of hellish trial was waiting on the 2nd Floor that they were being this generous? It was ominous.
"Can't someone else just clear the 2nd Floor for me...?"
I really hoped someone other than me would clear the 2nd Floor within the time limit. Though, someone would have to clear the 1st Floor first. I wondered how that Nightmare conquest project in the US was going.
The spirit of sacrifice I'd just been thinking about had long since vanished. Actually, it never existed in the first place. I really didn't want to do this. I already did the 1st Floor, right? Please, someone else take it from here. If they did, I was confident I could cheer for them harder than anyone else.
[Would you like to exit the Tower?]
I finally left the Tower. I was hungry. I should eat some rice with the leftover braised short ribs from this morning.
* * *
After clearing the 1st Floor Hidden Route, time passed quickly.
Whenever I had a moment, I entered the 1st Floor for repeated clears. Perhaps because I had already cleared the Hidden Route, the elder mage no longer appeared even when I went down to the underground passage. I didn't need the Magic Stones, but the reason for the repeated clears was to maintain my edge. I couldn't afford to be unprepared for the 2nd Floor.
[Rhino: Thank you as always. Have a great day.]
I occasionally exchanged whispers with Mr. Rhino. He still consistently sought my advice. I was just telling him what I'd experienced in as much detail as possible, so it was hard to even call it advice, but I was glad if it helped them.
While talking to Mr. Rhino, I added even more detail to my information posts. For example, whether the three Goblins appeared at set intervals or if the next wave appeared only after the first was defeated; exactly how much time passed before the stone gate closed; and the exact timing of the Crossbow Goblins' appearance... and so on. Even these minor details could play a crucial role.
Mr. Rhino was just the first; many others sought my advice on the Nightmare 1st Floor via whispers after that. Among them were people from the South Korea Special Climbing Agency. I didn't know the details, but I assumed our country was working hard in its own way.
Regardless of nationality, I helped anyone who sought advice on the 1st Floor to the best of my ability. I completely ignored them if it was for any other business, though. I just wanted someone—anyone—to succeed in the conquest and show me some hope.
Did my wish finally reach someone?
[Nightmare (2)]
"...Oh!"
One day, I was browsing the Communication Window and was startled by the changed number.
About three months after I had cleared the 1st Floor, a new Nightmare 1st Floor clearer had finally emerged.