Chapter 20: 2nd Floor Hidden Route (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: 2nd Floor Hidden Route (4)
"Oh..."
I examined the accessories. I really had managed to get all three.
If I had chosen only one, would the reward room have only contained that specific item? It seemed hidden rewards could change depending on my actions. I was glad I’d just closed my eyes and taken the plunge.
I picked up the necklace first. It was a silver chain adorned with a small, ruby-like gem in the center.
The item information finally appeared.
* * *
[Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace]
Description: A necklace infused with the blood of Phligas, a predator of the Demon Realm. If you summon Phligas to the mortal world and defeat it, you can form a master-servant contract. If you fail, the necklace will be destroyed.
(Recommended Level: 50 or higher)
[Would you like to use 'Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace'?]
* * *
It matched the description Haylin had given me. To use it as a familiar, I had to summon it, fight it, and win.
"Recommended Level 50...?"
Since the usage notification had appeared, summoning it was technically possible right now. However, a Level 50 recommendation meant the creature was as strong as a Level 50 climber.
Currently, after clearing the hidden route and gaining five levels, I was Level 30. I’d probably die the moment I summoned it. They were giving me an item I couldn't even dream of using yet.
I set that one aside for now.
* * *
[Item: Bandiul's Bracelet]
Description: A bracelet inhabited by the dark spirit, Bandiul. The higher your affinity with Bandiul, the more abilities you can draw out.
* * *
Next was the bracelet—the power of a dark spirit. This looked like something I could use immediately. No specific notification popped up, so I simply slid the bracelet onto my wrist.
"...!"
A faint black energy began to seep out of the metal. It coalesced in the air before me, taking the shape of a small, floating sphere.
Is this the dark spirit?
I cautiously reached out toward it. However, my fingers passed right through the sphere as if it were smoke; it had no physical form.
"...Hello?" I tried greeting it first. Since affinity was the key, I figured I should try to be friendly.
The round dark spirit bobbed around my head as if inspecting me, then returned to hover right in front of my eyes. It was a strange sensation. I could faintly feel the spirit's mood, as if we were mentally connected. It felt like it was saying, 'Well, you're not too bad, I guess.'
"That's a relief. So, you'll let me use your powers, right?"
According to Haylin, its primary ability was the power to see through darkness. She likely meant Night Vision. Since the reward room was well-lit, I couldn't test the ability right away.
"Don't you have any other powers? Can't you show me anything else?"
I spoke while poking at the intangible spirit. I stopped when I felt the spirit grumbling, clearly annoyed by my prodding. It was actually kind of cute.
"Alright, sorry. Let's get along from now on."
The dark spirit, Bandiul, slithered back into the bracelet. If its only ability was Night Vision, it didn't seem incredibly useful for now, but...
I should think of it as a growth-type item.
Since the description said I could draw out more abilities as our affinity increased, I had something to look forward to. Finally, I checked the ring.
* * *
[Item: Ring of the Dafriya Family]
Description: A ring engraved with the crest of the Dafriya family. It is a token proving that you have done a favor for the Dafriya family.
* * *
That was the entire description.
"Does this really have no effect at all?" I turned the ring over in my hands. "Why did this even drop?"
Still, since it was an item, it had to have a use somewhere. Haylin did say she would grant me a favor if I ever came to the Dafriya County, but my conquest of the 2nd floor was over. It wasn't like I'd ever meet her again anyway... Hmm.
After checking the items, I turned to the other reward: the skill stone.
* * *
[Skill Stone: Sixth Sense (Rare+)]
Effect: Upon use, you will learn 'Skill: Sixth Sense (Rare+)'.
[Skill: Sixth Sense (Rare+)]
Description: Your sixth sense becomes highly developed, allowing you to better detect danger.
Category: Physical-Type (Passive)
Willpower Consumption: None
Cooldown: None
* * *
Another passive skill. The rank was Rare+ instead of just Rare, fitting for a hidden reward, but... it felt a bit underwhelming.
"Why aren't any magic-type skills dropping?"
Not a single magic-type skill had appeared on the 2nd floor. They say magic skills are generally rarer than physical ones, but I supposed I should consider myself lucky for getting nothing but magic skills on the 1st floor.
I read the description for Sixth Sense again. 'Allowing you to better detect danger.' It was vague. It seemed like I'd only be able to confirm its effects once I was actually in a life-threatening situation.
* * *
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 3rd Floor]
[Level: 30]
[Willpower: 600]
[Skills: Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare) (+1), Exhilaration (Rare), Leap (Common)]
* * *
Haylin's accessory set and the Sixth Sense skill. That was the end of the 2nd floor hidden rewards. My level had also increased by five.
I'd gained quite a lot, but I felt strangely empty. One item I couldn't use yet, one was a growth-type, one was just a decoration, and even the skill was a passive. It was only natural to feel this way.
Oh, right. I forgot one thing. There was also that useless Highest-Grade Magic Stone. I tossed the new stone onto the pile I had stacked in a corner of the reward room.
Well, let's look on the bright side. In the long run, this was actually better. The fact that the necklace had a Level 50 recommendation meant I could eventually tame a familiar that powerful. Once I finished the hidden route on the 3rd floor, I'd likely be Level 45, so it might be worth a shot then.
"The 3rd floor..."
Come to think of it, I was already treating my entry into the 3rd floor as a foregone conclusion. It was likely because I had realized something clearly while conquering the 2nd floor: hoping for someone else to clear this insane difficulty was a futile expectation.
...Right. I should give up on those hopes now. It was time I made up my mind for good.
* * *
After resting for a day, I immediately re-entered the 2nd floor to clear it repeatedly. Now that I had finished the hidden route, I needed to organize the information for the 2nd floor and post it.
What I needed to verify were the exact locations and the total number of illusion platforms. I planned to jump on every single platform this time to see if there were any other traps besides the fourth one.
I moved to the third platform using Leap and Teleportation. Standing before the fourth illusion platform, I stroked my chin. The mechanism was that the hidden platform only appeared after the illusion disappeared. If so, wouldn't it work if I just triggered the platform from a distance instead of stepping on it myself?
I fired a Flame Strike toward the illusion platform. The fireball passed right through the illusion and flew off into the distance. The illusion platform vanished, and the hidden platform to the side appeared.
"It works."
With this method, a climber wouldn't even need a skill that allowed movement in mid-air, though they would need some kind of long-range attack instead.
I jumped toward the platform.
"Ugh."
I had intended to succeed without using Teleportation, but I failed. I had to blink forward to land safely. Even doing it again, this wasn't easy. Maybe it would be good to train here, jumping around to sharpen my physical senses? I made a mental note of it.
I stepped on the subsequent platforms one by one. Five, six, seven... they were all normal platforms. And then, I reached the eighth and final platform before the large floor.
"...?"
I felt a strange sensation as I stood before the eighth platform. How should I put it? A slight feeling of discomfort? The source of that discomfort was clearly the platform in front of me. I soon realized the cause.
Ah, could this be...? Is this the effect of the Sixth Sense skill?
It allowed me to better detect danger. I already knew the fourth platform was dangerous, but I hadn't known about the eighth one yet. But given this feeling, that one had to be an illusion as well.
I fired a Flame Strike. Sure enough, the platform vanished like a phantom, and a hidden platform appeared.
So this is how the skill triggers.
This was actually quite good. Of course, Sixth Sense didn't tell me exactly what was dangerous or how. I already knew the platform was an illusion; if I'd had no information, I probably would have just had a vague feeling that the eighth platform was "off."
But even that alone was incredibly useful. The greatest burden in conquering the Tower is, above all, the lack of information—a complete unknown where you cannot tell what kind of danger lies in wait. While later climbers might have it easier, it's a burden that the pioneer must endure. With a skill like this, that risk could be significantly reduced.
Nice. This was definitely worth it.
Feeling satisfied now that I'd confirmed the effect of my new skill, I crossed over to the large floor. I confirmed that the fourth and eighth platforms in the first section were illusions, and then I proceeded to verify the rest of the traps.
Even seeing them for the third time, the glowing platforms were in the same positions, and the same went for the protruding floor tiles. After finishing all the verifications, I entered a few more times to see if the trap locations ever changed. They didn't.
If there happened to be differences between individuals, there was nothing I could do about that, but I'd include a warning. However, considering that every minor detail had been identical for everyone on the 1st floor, the 2nd floor would likely be the same.
"Time to post it."
It took quite a while, but I finished organizing the information. Returning to my room, I lay down on the bed and began writing a post on the communication window.
* * *
A few days had passed since the 2nd floor of the Nightmare difficulty was cleared. The world's attention was focused solely on the identity of the person who had cleared it.
The Nightmare communication channel had been silent, and there was no news through the media. Only the US had issued an official statement early on, claiming it wasn't them.
[Baekseok: The US must be hurting. If they had just waited a little longer to challenge it, they wouldn't have lost a person for nothing.]
[Amber: Why isn't anything being posted on the Nightmare channel?]
[Hashbrown: Who do you think cleared it? Since the US said it wasn't them, I'm betting on China.]
[Lurip: I just hope whoever it is keeps climbing higher and higher.]
[Freemin: Am I the only one who thinks Saram123 cleared it again?]
[Hanwol: I think the chances of that are low this time. The general consensus is that he's an unregistered climber.]
While the 1st floor might be different, from the 2nd floor onward, receiving external support made a massive difference. The prevailing—and logical—thought was that other climbers receiving national support had cleared the 2nd floor, rather than Saram123, the first Nightmare clearer known to be an unregistered solo player.
Of course, as the first clearer, he would have obtained first-clear rewards, but even so, could that compare to a national level of support that poured in skill stones, enhancement stones, and high-tier items?
[Matheus: Isn't it obviously China? They must be investing in their Nightmare climbers just as much as the US.]
[Fossil: China is a strong possibility.]
[Rusawectok: I heard something—they say it's Russia.]
Amidst the rampant speculation, a single post suddenly appeared on the Nightmare communication channel.
[Saram123: This is the strategy guide for the 2nd Floor.]
Just like a year ago, the post began with a single, concise sentence.