She's Turned Gloomy While I Was Away... Chapter 035 [Entering the 11th Floor]
Long time no see the trials. I took a deep breath to suppress my excited heart.
'Accidents always happen when I'm this pumped up.'
It wasn't once or twice that I'd gone into the tower to test a new creation and run into trouble. The difference this time was that it wasn't my work—it was my teacher's—but caution never hurt.
'Isana's already on the 21st floor... and I need to meet Karia, so let's hurry.'
The 11th floor trial was about exterminating a bandit gang hiding in the mountains... Dodging various traps, raiding their advantageous high-ground hideout, and taking down the bandit leader—that was the main gist.
'Those mountain berries bring back memories right away.'
The memory hit me of eating the wild strawberries in the bushes and immediately getting diarrhea that wrecked my condition... I had half of one in my mouth before spitting it out.
'The hideout's location...'
Thinking back now, it was obvious. Bandits were still human, living creatures. To survive, they needed drinking water, so they had to live near it... Look around, find the spring, follow it uphill, and you'd find the hideout.
'Should I just poison the main lake?'
The spring started from a natural lake at the mountain's peak. Poison that, and I could clear the place without firing a single shot... but it would take too long. I moved toward the hideout.
The mountain path was wet, not a proper road—walking alone drained stamina, but thanks to the exoskeleton, I felt no fatigue... From my experience, without regular training, muscles even atrophied.
'How should I breach it.'
I pulled a sparrow and a monocular lens from my inventory. An alchemical fake lifeform—it died after five minutes, but shared its vision through the lens until then... Modeled after Evelyn's fox familiar.
-Chirp chirp!
The sparrow, which only looked off up close, took flight. I equipped the monocular and checked the shared view right away. Even I couldn't remember ancient events in detail.
'Watchpost, wooden palisade, wooden prison for captives and slave beasts, heavy chest of gold and silver treasures, oak barrels of booze.'
I memorized each position and prepped magic bullets. Being a mountainous area, most structures were wood. No way bandits had fireproofed them, so only one perfect attack method.
'Fire-attribute magic bullets ready.'
I set shooting priorities, then pulled the trigger on the nearest watchpost without hesitation.
-BANG!
The sharp gunshot shattered the mountain's silence. Birds screamed and fled at the sudden noise. First casualty: the bandit at the watchpost. He toppled backward with a confused "Huh?" without realizing what hit him.
"Huh? What was that sound?"
"Something weird, right?"
"Explosion? Should we ring the bell?"
"Hey, wanna get beat by big bro again? Ring it for nothing and you won't just die—you'll suffer."
"Then should one of us check it out?"
While the bandits dithered, unsure, I climbed atop the watchpost. The exoskeleton made superhuman moves effortless now. Bandits approached the noise; from my high-ground vantage, vision clear, I aimed at the pre-scouted booze barrels... Quite the distance, over 100 meters—not easy, but handling the hand cannon had made it routine.
'Gotta make a scope.'
Deep breath, focus, fire.
-BANG!
-BOOM!
The high-proof fermenting barrels erupted in a massive fireball. Only then did the bandits realize: raid.
"Aaaagh! Raid! It's a raid!"
"3 o'clock, watchpost! I saw it!"
-DONG DONG DONG!
Untrained militia bandits, their raid defense was laughably poor. Later around floor 40, bandits formed shield walls, encircled from all sides... Compared to that, 11th floor scrubs were child's play.
-Bang! BANG! Bang!
I prioritized the remaining barrels, then blasted the prison doors holding slaves and beasts.
"Freedom!"
"Don't know who you are, but thanks! Fuck these bastards!"
"GRRROOOWL!"
Opened the cylinder. Wrist snap ejected empties; ducked behind cover and reloaded magic bullets... Arrows rained where I'd just peeked.
'Time to move.'
Pulled a grenade from inventory and tossed it... Basic deception tool: smoke bomb.
'Haven't used one of these in ages.'
-POOF!
Thrown outside the watchpost, it hissed gas and filled the area with gray smoke. I slapped a teleportation array paper on the floor; by equivalent exchange, an escape tunnel formed from the watchpost.
"Damn, where'd he go?"
"Did he slip through the smoke?"
"Bro! Hole over here!"
"What the—"
-WHOOSH!
Scarlet flames roared from my escape hole, engulfing the watchpost. Bandits writhed in agony amid the inferno.
-Bang! Bang! Bang!
Aimed for vitals—no need for precision. I mercilessly sprayed bandits pouring from the hideout. Twelve-round mag was the only regret.
'Firepower's lacking. A drum mag... 12-gauge drum shotgun...'
Exoskeleton solved recoil; now other wants surfaced. Noted improvements, reloaded fresh magic bullets.
'Already 50 shots. Without the exoskeleton, this would've taken hours solo.'
Bandits swarmed like roaches. I hosed them down like plugging a leak.
'Bandit leader should show soon.'
Stage set. Hideout ablaze—not advantageous for the boss anymore. But I'd overlooked something.
Originally, the 11th floor was designed to clear scattered bandits first for hints before the hideout. Too focused forward, forgot the rear.
... Scattered mountain bandits noticed the commotion and returned.
My senses weren't sharp. I'd reached 99, but comrades took frontline clashes, risking life per exchange. So I was slow spotting the bandit behind me.
'Shit!'
-WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
A hand axe flew. Felt the presence, turned—but too late to block. This it? Then...
... An unfamiliar sensation awakened.
-HUMMM!
The straight-flying axe suddenly crashed before my face. Unfrozen, I shot the attacking bandit.
'What just happened?'
Recalled the sensation. Floating ash specks plummeted.
Meaning...
'Gravity.'
Gravity intensified around me. Each step piled ash thick on the ground.
'Range is small. Just two steps. Not enough to affect others.'
Intensely strong... Like that star beast's power.
'...From eating it?'
After Isana blocked falling stars and I devoured Betelgeuse, Star Bishops stopped summoning. Didn't know devouring the beast post-star would grant this.
'Makes sense—Predatory Emotion hinted at it.'
Useful before autonomous defense slime. Regaining calm, I aimed Last Wish at the bandit hideout.
-BANG!
@
Like catching up on backlog homework, I climbed the tower in one go. Knew the trials, prepped—record update was given.
'No big rewards.'
After 99, nothing satisfied. Floor 19's miracle potion healed full-body burns and ruined heart? Higher floors rewound time, nullifying all.
Indestructible, eternally sharp metal? Later added lightness, magic resistance.
'Wasting time pondering uses is the loss.'
Auctioned rewards via Heavenly Tower. Better buy materials with proceeds to mod Last Wish.
'Won't sell fast... Time to check on Karia.'
Heard from Isana: bombed floor 19 hard, couldn't even attempt 20, barely human anymore.
'Tower Blade penalty too...'
Tower Blade: Invade climbers, steal skills/blessings. Not all upside—difficulty rises as price.
One conqueror, first Blade, overcame by killing hordes. And Karia...
'Came to kill me as Tower Blade, failed... Just upped difficulty. Half-dragon, so not too hard.'
Even as comrade, she'd had the penalty. I partied anyway—her half-dragon power was that strong.
'But she's barely functional? Not just trial difficulty... My drug's fault?'
Worried, stood before her house... Dragon greed for shiny: nestled in forest where leaves glowed gold at sunset. Neighbors elves, beastkin. Not close—overgrown weeds around dingy shack.
-Knock knock.
'Door's open?'
Enter freely? First meet, I'd mind manners for impression—but our bond broken. Me barging rude? Normal now.
Muffled hinges, stepped in... Stifling, unvented heat and musk choked my nose.
'This smell...'
Fancy outside, shack tiny inside. Solo living: two rooms. Peered cautiously...
"Hngh...♡"
There: Karia furiously self-soothing.
"Han Do-yoon... ughhh...!"
Instant judgment: stress wank. Prized red hair gone, charred ash-black remnants. Face pallid, dark circles, breasts and hips slimmer?
She's gotten so gloomy while I was away.