Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Book 1 - Chapter 1 (4)
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They were handing out titles and items again.
Was this what you got every time you cleared a floor?
I stored the dropped ring in my inventory and waited to be moved to the interlayer.
Oheon was already used to this method of transfer, just standing by patiently.
Soon enough, Oheon was transported to the interlayer.
The interlayer between the 2nd and 3rd Floors.
It was the exact same space as the previous one. Were they recycling these?
Before checking the item and title, I reflected on the overall difficulty of the 1st and 2nd Floors.
The 1st Floor was manageable for anyone in the mid-to-late 10s in stats.
The 2nd Floor required at least 20 in stats to clear.
If I hadn't cheesed it with exploits, it felt like mid-20s stats would be needed.
But stats weren't everything. Even with lower stats, the Transcendence World had other abilities—like unique abilities.
There were also temporary ways to boost stats.
And this was a 5th-Grade Tower, where even the 1st Floor had serious difficulty.
Yet I'd seen people up to 18th place make it through. 17th died, though.
And while they ended up as cold corpses, 12th and 6th had even challenged the 2nd Floor.
Rankers were pulling off more than I'd expected, thanks to achievements, special unique abilities, systems or methods I didn't know about.
By level alone, more people should have failed the 1st Floor.
Especially Eok, who cleared the 2nd—he had to be at least early 20s in stats.
3rd and 4th, who hadn't attempted the 2nd, were probably around the same.
Oheon now projected the Tower's difficulty onto himself.
'They all went down to a single punch without me even using my full power or any of my trump cards. Maybe I really can clear this Tower...'
Of course, this was after the fact. Until he knew all the gimmicks, he stayed tense.
The 5th-Grade Tower, with its mounting deaths, was actually building Oheon's confidence the higher he climbed.
But sensing his thoughts veering toward arrogance, Oheon focused on other factors.
Titles.
Unlike achievements, titles granted special abilities. The all-stats boost was powerful, but titles had unique utility.
Importantly, anyone could acquire them.
Everyone who'd cleared the 1st Floor probably got the same title as me—the ability to walk on air temporarily.
2nd place Eok, who cleared the 2nd Floor, must have just gotten the one I received.
Oheon checked the details of the 2nd Floor title, [Trial of the Crystal].
A temporary protective ability.
This seemed incredibly strong.
I figured active defenses were better than passives.
Damage happens in an instant anyway—you just needed to block at the critical moment.
Offensive abilities, on the other hand, were better as passives.
I thought about testing Crystal Shield, but held off since it was limited to three times a day.
That one use could save my life in a dire situation.
Time to check the item.
A ranged attack?
Essentially a free skill. And this was just rare rarity?
No obvious limits either. As long as I had mana, I could spam it?
Until now, my only ranged option was Domain's shockwave.
It was great, but Domain drained Demi-God Power heavily, and its damage wasn't even as good as my punches.
I couldn't rely on Domain every time I needed range.
Higher skill grades increased the drain even more, so even with more Demi-God Power, usage stayed limited.
Initially, three full-power uses.
Even now, at full, only four—and since Demi-God Power wasn't just for Domain, three was the practical max.
Oheon immediately tested the ring.
As he willed it to activate, mana surged from his body into the ring.
A small crystal formed atop the ring at blinding speed, then shot straight in the direction he aimed.
Shk—!
Its speed and power were no less than the red crystal's own shards.
I checked the mana cost, then fired off a barrage.
Shk, sh-shk—!
No issues with rapid fire.
And the mana drain was lower than expected.
Oheon looked down at the Red Crystal Ring.
'This perfectly complements my fighting style. Best reward since entering the Tower.'
The 1st Floor necromancer core was more supportive than direct power—slightly disappointing.
This was different.
Like equipping a low-level mage for free.
Of course, my high Mana made it shine. All my stats were sky-high.
Oheon opened his status window to confirm.
His level was now 26.
The 2nd Floor EXP had pushed him up again.
Strength, Defense, Mana at 33; Agility and Stamina at 31.
Overwhelming stats.
Even so, the ring couldn't be his main weapon.
Punches, sword, and Domain would still handle most monsters.
Still, having a reliable ability for most situations was hugely encouraging.
Excluding the key, this was my best item. Would the next floors top it?
Tension for the 3rd Floor faded before these massive rewards.
If the Tower kept accelerating my growth like this...
If my base strength capped at 7th Floor, climbing might push me to 9th—or even clear it.
Monsters wouldn't threaten me until their stats hit 30+.
With that, Oheon hit the 3rd Floor challenge on the prompt.
He was the first human to challenge a 5th-Grade 3rd Floor.
Moved to the 3rd Floor interlayer, Oheon analyzed his surroundings to predict the floor's terrain from the passage.
Jungle?
Humid scent, vines everywhere.
It looked like an ancient, cracked dungeon.
Ruins in a jungle.
Mana-fueled torches burned along the passage.
Animals? Beasts? Savage wilderness?
Lost in jungle guesses, he reached the passage's end.
The 3rd Floor gate had square-patterned cracks, like a clue.
But he wouldn't struggle here. He opened it and stepped into the true 3rd Floor.
Majestic ruins.
Cracked like the passage, overgrown with vines, ancient.
No decorations for ruins, perfect cubic interior.
Giant torches illuminated it brightly.
A massive square chamber, walled on all sides.
The cracks seemed artificial.
Not cracks—perfect grid lines.
More importantly, in the center, three huge figures huddled backs turned, unaware of me.
At least 4-5 meters tall.
Pale green-skinned humanoids.
Fantasy staple came to mind.
'Orcs? Orcs?!'
After a moment, sensing me, the orcs stirred and rose.
Turning, their savage fangs and greedy, unintelligent eyes confirmed it.
Real orcs.
One especially massive; all wielded clubs.
No other armor, but all wore belts—not defensive.
Clubs dwarfed my height—basically logs.
The central big orc gaped at me.
"Grraaah!!"
The roar shook the ruins.
My ears rang—high Stamina recovered me fast.
Weaker foes would suffer skill-like effects.
Roar done, it nodded to another.
The left orc shouldered its massive log-club and charged.
Speed building.
Oheon thought:
They weren't swarming.
Hierarchy? Boss doesn't lead first?
Ridiculous. Orcs not piling on at once.
It thundered toward me, using momentum to vertically smash its club down.
Kwaang!!
I didn't dodge, catching the man-sized club with my left arm effortlessly.
The clash barely budged Oheon.
The orc reeled back several steps instead.
'Not as clumsy as it looks—precise strikes. High Agility?'
Countering its attack pushed it back.
Confusion in the orc's eyes.
Other orcs' expressions shifted.
The boss orc gaped again. Rallying roar?
No—it spoke unfamiliar words to the ceiling.
The ruins trembled slightly.
Ancient script glowed on the ceiling; a massive square pillar crashed down along the grid with thunderous noise.
Impact: exactly my position!
Hundreds of tons—I wasn't sure even I could tank it.
Oheon dodged urgently. The orc followed with more words.
Now floor script; pillar rose from below.
I leaped off hastily.
This chaotic pillar barrage repeated several times.
Orc stopped speaking; pillars halted.
'...'
I regretted underestimating the 3rd Floor a bit.
More arrogance, and I'd have tanked a pillar head-on.
Good judgment kept me dodging.
Grid = pillars. The gimmick.
But not all gimmicks revealed. Like higher floors, kill orcs first to avoid weird stuff.
As I resolved to rush them, the orcs moved in unison.
Climbing the embedded pillars like monkeys.
50m+ height, fluid motions.
Now overlooking me from above, prepping new attacks.
What next?
I decided to debut my new 2nd Floor item in combat.
Mana gathered in the ring; small crystal shard fired.
Not magic—a skill? Formation was instantaneous.
As it launched, my targeted orc plummeted from the pillar's peak.
Dodging desperately?
No—deliberate drop, aiming at me, club swing prepped.
Climbed for momentum, stronger smash.
Shifting mid-drop from dozens of meters—fearless orcs.
Even level 10 could land safely with practice, but real combat midair evasion/counter was pro.
Hard to believe for orcs.
Shard missed, so I prepped another—
The "miss" curved trajectory, slamming into the orc!
Its head exploded.
Shard embedded deep in the wall.
Kwang!
The headless body crashed beside Oheon.
Thud!...
Oheon thought, watching it.
So that's what "target location correction" meant.
'Whoa...'
Oheon, rarely surprised since arriving in the Transcendence World, couldn't hide his shock at the ring's true value.
Two more shots hid the remaining orcs.
I examined the ring again.
Not full homing, but misses were unlikely.
Did all mage skills have corrections? Or just this ring?
Before curiosity deepened, the 3rd Floor clear greeted me.
Oheon checked the title and item, then hurried to retrieve the belt.
He waited for transfer—it was instant.
"Hah... hah..."
Siron's heart pounded painfully.
Now in the interlayer, he recalled the brutal minutes-long fight.
Ah... those horrific centipedes.
No poison, thankfully, but two 2m ones biting his legs, one clinging—
A fight he never wanted to repeat, barely surviving to reach here.
He'd scraped through 7th Floor, but 8th was impossible.
Still, reaching 7th with his trash stats was impressive.
The centipedes were gross, but true peril was 5th Floor.
Mid-boss had superior stats.
Siron used his unique ability well to fell it.
By the end, hundreds of steel-thorn holes riddled it.
Siron thought:
That guy.
No, Oheon, as he called himself.
How far would he climb? Chose 5th-Grade too? Could he clear it?
Siron recalled entering the Tower.
Minutes after that tragedy, everyone but him wore despair.
But Oheon... something special.
Different from other dimension #1s he hadn't seen.
Level 10.
Hard-earned after 7th Floor.
Now, back to town for a job, to grow stronger.
Siron hoped Oheon survived the Tower.
Oheon still saw him as a slave—and always would.
Siron knew.
But he'd witnessed something beyond his life.
It resonated, merging his soul with Oheon's.
He still feared Oheon, but it would fade.
Siron wanted to be Oheon's comrade.
His goals were shifting.
Oheon arrived in the interlayer.
Before items and title, a question arose.
Orcs gave EXP and gold each.
Previous didn't?
Thinking, Oheon realized:
Infinitely respawnable ones give none.
Tower peculiarity was summon trait.
On review, only necromancer skeleton and red crystal gave them.
Red crystal auto-cleared floor; necromancer mid-fight, missed messages.
Had others dropped, I'd have farmed.
Tower worked normally: kills = EXP/gold.
1st/2nd Floor quirks misled me.
Small orcs: 500 EXP, 5,000 gold each.
Big one: double.
That bumped me to level 27.
Next floor clear: 28.
Insane leveling speed.
Titles/items strong, but EXP insane.
Gold less felt, few uses yet.
I checked the 3rd Floor title details.
Huh?
That's it?
Simple is good, but too vague.
What did "combat sense" mean exactly?
Had to test in battle.
Could be amazing, so Oheon kept expectations.
Next, the item.
Natural recovery and regeneration.
Both Stamina-related.
Hoping mana recovery counted too.
Stamina boosted durability and regen.
Mana recovery followed Mana stat.
"All natural recovery"—hoping for mana boost.
I equipped the belt.
Ugly. Hence transparency?
Rare+ gear probably had it, except small accessories.
NPC said: 3 accessories, 4 equip slots.
Non-equipped fine—weapons multiple OK.
Oheon rested minutes, prepped for 4th.
Selected challenge, moved on.
Oheon entered the 4th Floor passage.
Analyzing for gimmicks was routine.
Shiny marble floor, ornate wallpaper.
Hotel-like passage.
Or department store? Modern but with anachronistic feel.
Opulent decorations lined it.
Tried inventory—no, not items.
Sudden shift from medieval jolted Oheon, heightening caution.
Gate: ornate metal door.
First easy-open door—even normals could.
Peering in:
A shop?
Vast hall.
Center: large 1-story store.
I approached cautiously.
Open side; shopkeeper appeared late, noticing me.
Gazed, pointed upward.
I looked.
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