There's No Way I'm the Villain!
There's no way I'm the villain!
The Dimensional Tower, just as its name implied, wove together countless dimensions—entirely different worlds and settings.
Of course there were fantasy-style floors like Cromwell, but the so-called Murim also existed.
For me it was nice to be able to enjoy all kinds of adventures, yet it wasn't purely good news.
Some layers were nothing but endless blue ocean, while others were SF worlds crawling with cosmic monsters.
And the middle floors were an absolute chaotic mash-up of everything.
Well, that was a problem for later.
Anyway, the skill I had obtained—Blood Seed—appeared to have come from the Murim, judging by its mention of the Blood Heaven Cult Leader's secret arts.
Blood Seed
The secret art of the Blood Heaven Cult Leader. Creates unique subordinates from the blood of enemies you personally kill.
Resonates with Heavenly Slaughter Star.
The soul's scent of blood grows even thicker.
Hmm. So this was a Murim skill.
People who loved classic wuxia would probably scream something like “Kiaaa!” but unfortunately this world ran on its own logic.
Still, at least there was no Volcanic Sect running around commanding salamanders, so that was something.
I would have liked to see a swordsman who exhaled breaths of flame with every footstep of his movement technique. What a shame.
“Hmm, then I guess I’m the Breath of Blood.”
The edgy, slightly ominous skill description bothered me more than I wanted to admit, but the lord’s party continued on regardless of my mix of worry and excitement.
The extravagant banquet hall was packed with delicious food, and the crowd in beautiful dresses and tuxedos surged like waves.
Among those waves were people who suddenly declared themselves fans despite never having met me, and the young mages I had cleared the dungeon with.
I tilted my head, watching the children dressed like dolls with their sparkling pink and blue eyes.
“What were their names again?”
“Yuri.”
“It’s Ari! We spent three whole days together—how can you not remember?!”
“Oh, right.”
These kids had the brightest eyes imaginable, yet their presence was so faint compared to the heavy knight uncle that I had completely forgotten them.
The pink-eyed mage Ari puffed both cheeks in annoyance, then whipped her head around and dashed straight to the blonde receptionist Ellis beside her.
She sprinted over and dove into that generous chest with a soft thud.
“Sister! Scold him for me!”
True to her childish nature, she whined, and Ellis patted her back with a gentle smile.
Now that I looked, all three of them were blonde.
And though their ages differed, each one was doll-like and pretty.
Ellis caught my eye and winked. I gave a small nod in return.
That kid was definitely going to grow up beautifully.
Having solved the hidden secret of their birth (or not), I continued enjoying the party—sampling the food on the tables and sipping wine.
After a little more time, the lord appeared and began awarding those who had contributed to the city recently.
The guards who had diligently maintained public order, the owner of Cromwell’s most popular general store, and even the knight Kemel who had cleared the dungeon with us received commendations.
The muscle pig Jason got one too, along with the mage siblings who had been whining while buried in the big-breasted sister’s embrace.
“And next is Cromwell’s most promising and famous explorer! Troll Slayer, Undertaker!”
I was called forward as well.
They announced me like a wrestler stepping into the ring.
The instant my name was spoken, every gaze in the banquet hall locked onto me.
It was the first time I had drawn this much attention since the middle-school class-president election I had impulsively entered without knowing anything.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I stepped forward and faced the lord holding a single sword.
Cromwell’s lord wore a mysterious smile as he spoke to me.
“It is truly an honor to present an award to someone who will soon become a great explorer.”
As expected of a noble—he really knew how to butter someone up.
“I also heard that you shattered the sword our head butler gave you after only two days.”
“Pardon?”
“I am fine with it, but the butler seemed rather upset.”
“…Ah, I see.”
What was this? Was he picking a fight with me?
Just as my mood started to sour, the lord chuckled and held out the sword in his hand.
“Please use this blade for a long time. It is quite precious to me as well.”
Still a little annoyed from the previous exchange, I examined the sword he offered with a critical eye.
The red scabbard was covered in large and small scratches, and the grip looked worn from long use.
At first glance it seemed like an ordinary, well-used sword, yet…
◈ A steel blade once used by a great explorer. Enchanted with mana assistance and the Blessing of Adventure.
◈ Blessing of Adventure — Always remains clean and grants resistance to any environment, allowing adventure in all conditions.
“Oh…”
The quality was naturally excellent since it had belonged to the lord, and the mana assistance was good enough that it would have been the first thing I looked for in the castle armory.
Right now I didn’t need it, but once I climbed higher, mana would become the most basic and important resource.
Yet this steel sword offered not only mana assistance but even a “blessing.”
It granted resistance to extreme cold, scorching heat, disease, and poison—an impressively thoughtful effect.
“You’re giving this to me?”
“Originally we had arranged for you to choose something from the armory, but there was nothing there that matched this, so I brought it personally. If you dislike it, you may of course go to the armory and choose for yourself—”
“No, I’ll use it well. Thank you.”
I snatched the sword immediately.
I bowed deeply and accepted it before he could change his mind. The lord burst into hearty laughter.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Hmm.”
I had thought he was a noble who enjoyed mocking people, but it turned out he was a generous pushover.
After a moment’s thought, my mind turned to the dungeon loot we had collected even while exhausted.
Since this was a lower-floor city whose industry ran on tower byproducts, Jason and Kemel had skinned every monster the moment they died.
They had taken the troll hide, of course, and even collected as much of its regenerative blood as possible.
“Then… could I have some of the troll blood?”
Having just obtained the new skill Blood Seed, this was the best choice.
It was a monster I had hunted myself, and while monstrous creatures appeared even on the middle floors, such opportunities were rare. I needed to gather it while I could.
Cromwell’s lord tilted his head in confusion.
“Blood? How much do you need?”
“Um, how much can you give me?”
“What? Kahahaha! Take as much as you want. If necessary, you may have it all.”
Oh my god. I had failed to recognize the greatest pushover—no, the greatest angel—standing right in front of me.
The lord laughed magnanimously and handed over every drop of the blood that would sell for a high price even on the middle floors.
My mood soared. I forgave his past offenses and shook his hand with genuine goodwill.
“Then I’ll take it all!”
“Haha, do as you please!”
It really was an excellent deal.
The very next day, I re-entered the ninth floor alone to test the performance of my new Excalibur (No. 4) and the effects of the skill Blood Seed.
—Kiiiieek!
The improved blade sliced cleanly through goblin necks, and the grip felt excellent.
The blood that splashed onto the sword and clothes naturally cleaned itself after a while.
After hunting monsters for several hours, the unpleasant sensation of a blood-soaked shirt had completely vanished.
…Hmm. It’s nice, but…
Feeling a strange sense of disappointment, I continued the slaughter and gathered blood.
I drove the monsters into one area and killed them, letting their blood pool on the ground.
I did have troll blood on hand, but it was better to experiment with ordinary blood first rather than waste premium material without knowing how the skill worked.
When I decided I had enough, I looked at the mountain of goblin and orc corpses piled in the blue forest and brought my hands together.
At first I felt nothing, but the more I concentrated, the more I sensed a fishy yet refreshing connection to the blood—an energy linked to my very soul.
It was like feeling a red spring flowing beneath the monster corpses.
Objectively it was not a beautiful sight, yet the sensation of holding the source of life in my grasp felt almost like divine authority.
In short, it felt amazing.
‘Rise.’
The moment I commanded the red blood to become my servant, the streams began to move as if they possessed souls of their own, slowly rising into the air.
I had once been obsessed with customizing game avatars, so I moved my hands this way and that, shaping the blood.
I hadn’t used the troll blood for efficiency’s sake, but this was my first time. It felt meaningful.
Just because I was experimenting with goblin blood didn’t mean I would make something as pathetic as a goblin.
I needed to create something overwhelmingly strong—at least in appearance—so that it looked like it could defeat me.
After staying up all night pondering what to make, I finally completed my first subordinate after long deliberation and creation.
“Now this is what I call a game.”
The massive blood dragon I had created from goblin blood lowered its head toward me, its master.
I quickly climbed onto its head.
From now on my activity name was Undertaker, and I was a Swordmaster Dragon Rider.
“Hey, fly.”
At my gesture, the blood dragon soared into the sky with me riding atop its head.