Chapter 62: Branch Tower (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Branch Tower (8)
Tower's Curse Immunity Ticket.
The description stated that the holder would not die from the Tower's curse. In other words, even if the Tower's time limit expired, I would be exempt from the penalty of death.
"They said it was a special reward..."
Is this what makes it special? I certainly didn't expect something like this to pop up. I checked the remaining options.
[1. Tower's Curse Immunity Ticket]
[2. 90% Probability Skill Promotion Ticket]
[3. Scales of Life]
A 90% Probability Skill Promotion Ticket... and the Scales of Life? What was that? I checked the description for the Skill Promotion Ticket first.
[Special Item: 90% Probability Skill Promotion Ticket]
Select one skill to promote it to a higher-tier category of the next rank with a 90% success rate. Upon failure, the skill's rank will decrease by one level. Disappears after a single use.
The effect was exactly as the name suggested. It claimed I could promote a skill to a higher rank with a 90% probability. But if it failed, the rank would drop instead?
"Hmm... This is a bit..."
[Special Item: Scales of Life]
Sacrifice the user's lifespan to receive a corresponding price. You can sacrifice a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 99% of your remaining lifespan. The scales will break after a single use, and the user's remaining lifespan will be displayed.
The final option, number three: Scales of Life. I read the description carefully. So, if I sacrificed my lifespan, I would receive a reward proportional to what I gave? I didn't know exactly what the return would be, though.
"Mmm..."
Having checked all the options, I crossed my arms and fell into deep thought. Which one should I pick? First, I considered which one to exclude.
It had to be number one—the Immunity Ticket. What would I even do with immunity to the curse? Was I planning to quit climbing the Nightmare difficulty? That was a ridiculous thought. For someone like me, who would die anyway if I failed to clear a stage, the effect was utterly meaningless.
However, the one thing that nagged at me was that it could be used on someone other than a Climber. If it had given me three Immunity Tickets, I might have actually considered it. Even if I failed someday, at least my family wouldn't die.
But then again, maybe not. In a world where 99% of humanity is dead—and where those dead turn into The Fallen—wouldn't being unable to die while trapped in such an apocalypse be even more painful?
Yeah, number one was a no-go. Excluded immediately. Trying to get insurance for a half-baked failure would only lead to a mess. I had to focus solely on the success of the clear, and to do that, I needed a reward that helped with the conquest.
"The Skill Promotion Ticket..."
Next was this. Promoting one skill to a higher-tier category of the next rank. What if I used it on Destruction Ray?
Destruction Ray, which was already overpowered, would evolve into a higher-ranked skill. What even comes after Epic+ rank? Since it specified a "higher-tier category," I didn't have to worry much about some random, useless skill popping out.
But...
"...Why is it playing around with probabilities again?"
Ninety percent—sure, it was a high probability. But I remembered the 4th Floor clear. If I happened to hit that 10% failure rate, my precious Destruction Ray would be ruined. Using it on other Rare+ skills felt unnecessary. Sure, Epic was high, but it wasn't worth the risk.
I couldn't even tell myself I'd already used up my bad luck with the draws on the 4th Floor. During the next Hidden Route clear, I had successfully pulled 300% scrolls back-to-back like I was possessed.
[3. Scales of Life]
Should I choose this, then? This one was equally unsettling. First, I had to sacrifice my lifespan, and above all, the reward was uncertain.
Ah... what should I pick? Should I give up the chance to get a rank above Epic+ just because I was scared of a measly 10%?
[You have selected 'Scales of Life' as your reward.]
Yep, I'm giving it up.
With the PTSD from the 4th Floor deeply engraved in my soul, I chose the Scales of Life without further deliberation. At least this didn't have a probabilistic variable. Since I was sacrificing my actual lifespan, surely it would give me something worthwhile.
Besides, even if the Promotion Ticket upgraded a skill to a higher tier, there was no guarantee the new skill wouldn't have a more ambiguous effect than the original.
...And I still didn't trust the Tower not to rig the odds.
Click.
I grabbed the silver scales that appeared in the air. They were about the size of my face. Naturally, I wasn't going to use them right away. I’d save them for a moment of true crisis, like a final straw to grasp at. I tucked the scales into my Subspace.
[You have acquired ownership of the Fifth Branch Tower.]
My overall assessment of the Fifth Branch Tower: The final boss was quite eerie... but overall, I'd give it about a 5.5 out of 10. Of course, my scoring criteria was based on how "bullshit" the difficulty was.
There were many gimmicks, but the fundamental structure—clearing it by defeating enemies—remained simple. Except for the 8th Floor, there was plenty of time to clear each stage. I didn't feel that sticky, visceral malice found in the Nightmare difficulty, where it felt like the Tower was determined to screw you over.
So, 5.5.
Jokes aside, this was the end of it. They said only five Branch Towers would appear, so there were no more left. It was a relief the world didn't turn into a chaotic mess like it did with The Fallen.
[Would you like to exit the Tower?]
"Exit."
The thought of charging the Warp Device again was exhausting. Oh, right. I had to do a repeat clear one more time before that. I needed to check what kind of abilities the monsters on the 3rd and 4th Floors had—the ones I'd obliterated with Destruction Ray the moment I entered. I had to post the information, after all.
Thinking I should finish up quickly and go rest, I re-entered the Tower.
* * *
The Fifth Branch Tower appeared in Tajikistan.
As soon as it manifested, Wang Kai and his party moved immediately. Tajikistan was a country closely tied to China geographically, politically, and militarily. It had appeared in the best possible location outside of their own borders.
This time, they intended to scramble fighter jets. It might be difficult elsewhere, but it was possible in Tajikistan. They would launch first and seek airspace authorization later.
"Preparation for takeoff will be complete within five minutes!"
At a military base in Beijing, Wang Kai waited for the maintenance of the fighter jets in the hangar to finish. Once ready, the jet would carry him to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, at maximum speed.
The Tower had even announced that the Fifth Branch Tower would grant a special reward. They couldn't let Saram123 snatch the clear this time. If Japan and Brazil were coincidences, they absolutely had to be faster for the tower in Tajikistan. Unless Saram123 could literally use cloning or teleportation, there was no way.
"Preparations complete...!"
[The Fifth Branch Tower has been cleared to the final floor.]
Just as the mechanics checking the jets were about to shout, Wang Kai felt his sanity snap.
"...Fuck! You son of a bitch!"
BOOM!
Following Japan and Brazil, it was the third time in a row—including the final tower. As he slammed his foot into the ground, cracks spread like a spiderweb. The soldiers standing nearby fell over before scrambling to their feet and backing away in terror.
The people around him turned pale as they watched him go into a frenzy, repeatedly stomping the earth into rubble.
* * *
The fifth and final Branch Tower was quite different from the others. However, without fail, it was cleared less than an hour after its appearance.
It took a bit longer than Japan and Brazil, but there wasn't a huge difference. People assumed it wasn't particularly harder than the other Branch Towers and waited for Saram123's post to go up.
[Saram123: Information on the Fifth Branch Tower Clear]
When the information post for the Fifth Branch Tower was finally uploaded, people were shocked. The content was vastly different from what they had expected.
Starting from the Stealth Goblins on the 1st Floor, to Orcs using paralyzing Fear, and as the floors went up—damage reflection, invincibility, underwater combat, stones that read minds while teleporting, and finally, having to escape from a dream on the 10th Floor...
At the end of the post, Saram123 warned that he especially recommended not challenging the Fifth Branch Tower. Not that anyone would challenge it now that the rewards were gone.
As always, people were in awe, wondering how on earth Saram123 was traveling the world to clear the Branch Towers. Since he wouldn't tell them, all sorts of speculations continued to fly, but the truth remained out of reach.
There was no public outcry concerning Saram123 owning the rights to four Branch Towers. His actions thus far had earned him that trust. The Branch Tower crisis, which had caused an uproar for over a month, gradually settled down as the final tower was conquered.
* * *
After all five Branch Towers were safely cleared, I focused back on what I had been doing before they appeared.
I assisted with the 4th Floor clear preparations for the US and China while dropping in and out of other countries' Nightmare clears—specifically the 4th Floor. So far, only those two countries had cleared up to the 3rd Floor of Nightmare.
— Japan has announced that it is pursuing active discussions with South Korea and other Mana Stone Agreement nations, such as Thailand and Vietnam...
Looking at the news lately, it seemed like I could turn the Sendai Branch Tower's Mana Vein back on soon. Once the negotiations were fully settled, the news would report it, and I could activate it then.
Additionally, Japan's Prime Minister Sato resigned, and a new Prime Minister was quickly elected. I guess he couldn't withstand the public pressure.
"The world changes every year without a break. Now it's Mana Veins and whatever else... Sigh."
My father sighed while watching the TV. As he said, the world was in a state of constant upheaval. Since my father ran a company, he seemed to have a lot of worries. He couldn't afford to fall behind the curve.
"Seoa, have you been studying hard lately?"
"Yeah."
"I heard from your mother that you even got an F in one of your classes."
"..."
My younger sister suddenly maintained her right to remain silent, merely picking at her food. My father sighed again. I honestly couldn't fathom how one could even get an F. Don't you get at least a B if you just do the bare minimum while playing around?
Well, whatever... yeah, she should enjoy herself. In a world that could end at any moment, what do university and studying matter? Actually, I wanted my family to do whatever they wanted to their heart's content. I wished my parents would enjoy more leisure activities, too.
After finishing lunch and returning to my room, I turned on the communication window. I watched people chatting for a bit before turning it off.
"Shall I head in?"
The requests for clear consultations had thinned out, giving me some breathing room.
The 5th Floor Common Area. It was about time I paid it a visit.