A New Star Ascends
I wasn't meant to be the villain, right? [Single target, record in just the shortest time—cleared Floor 9, Forgotten Temple!] [Achievement unlocked!] [Player, Undertaker, is recorded in the Hall of Fame.]/
It was a familiar system message, but every single time I saw it, it sent a thrill straight through me. Yeah. I was always the best. That tingling feeling made me grin as I finished the Floor 9 run—experiment complete. I kept experimenting with the new sword and skill I'd just acquired. Counting how many I'd killed was pointless; the goblins and orcs lay everywhere in horrifying numbers.──...Kek. Even if the dying goblins whispered "Please, stop," it was probably just my imagination. Anyway, the monsters I'd slaughtered in droves taught me one thing: Excalibur No. 4 was an amazing sword. The swing felt great, and while its cleaning feature was a little disappointing, it was incredibly convenient. If anyone told me to go back to some fancy iron sword now, I would have laughed. "Who cares about Cromwell's sword? What's that?" You, from now on, are my cherished Excalibur No. 4. After countless fusion attempts with monsters, the sword and I fused beyond compatibility—we became one body, one mind. Feeling satisfied, I stroked the Excalibur and looked at the blood summons standing before me. Two dragons and various beasts formed from blood. Among them were fierce lions, and even small ones like rabbits and squirrels. Despite the huge differences in their power, controlling such a massive army of summons at this low floor could only be me. "The mechanism is separate from mana, huh?" Honestly, I felt a little tired after using the skill every time, but the satisfaction of commanding my own army made it worthwhile. [Trait "Immovable Mind" activated.] It was also a mental support trait. If a plain explorer threw a rock at me, I'd be generous enough to forgive them once. Of course, on the second throw, I'd cut off the arm that threw it. "The difference is clear." The size and shape of the summons—rabbit, squirrel, lion—definitely affected combat. A squirrel beating a lion? That would be ridiculous. And it depended on whose blood created them.──KWOARRRR!!! The blood dragon made from orc blood tore apart the one made from goblin blood like a mouse. Thinking maybe it was just bad luck, I fought five more times and still lost every single one. Even so, it proved that blood summons created from the blood of stronger monsters were overwhelmingly powerful. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind as I successfully proved the hypothesis. "Maybe later I'll pit the bunny and lion made from ogre blood against goblin and rabbit ones." Whoa, that sounds awesome. When I reached the mid-floors, I'd have to try it. I immediately noted it in my head and called in my blood summons, which were already causing a glorious slaughter. Even a bucket-sized blood dragon was absorbed without exception into a mere drop of blood. Storage was also ridiculously convenient. At first I worried about not being able to carry it, but it turned out far easier than expected. After all, the owner was excellent, so the skill and traits naturally drew only excellent followers. Well, by the same logic, the goblins and orcs I'd just crushed like mice weren't worthy opponents for me. "Time to move on." It was time to change hunting grounds. *** The clear blue sky, white smoke rising from the bakery, bustling people from morning onward, and the clack-clack of the village train and cars. The neutral city of Cromwell in the lower floors. I didn't dislike this city. Its characteristic hustle suited me perfectly, a Korean who lived by "fast, faster." It was the first city I'd met in this world, and with good air and decent people, I couldn't help but feel attached. But, as the saying goes, every meeting eventually leads to a parting. And now the time had come. Of course, some people refused to accept that truth. "......Liz, we had such a good time! Just a little longer—maybe one more year? Can't we wait a bit?" Alice, the receptionist in front of me, clutching my duffel bag and ready to leave, tugged at me while sniffling. It wasn't like I disliked the receptionist who stuck to me at every opportunity, but this was a goodbye. Smiling kindly the way only a kind person could, I patted her back. "If the chance comes, I'll come down. Just take care of yourself until then, okay?" "......Hic..." Alice tried to hold back her tears as if she were the tragic heroine, and I shook my head. Thanks to this stubborn woman, I was delayed more than expected, so I had to move quickly. I had already met everyone I was going to meet anyway. 'I said I'd meet them from above, right?' Muscular pig Jason and the magician siblings would probably grow stronger and head up soon. They seemed to want to meet around the mid-floors, but by the time they arrived, I would already be much higher. I didn't bother to correct them, but I had no intention of waiting for them. 'Faster than anyone else, straight to the top.' I stepped toward the entrance of the towering spire that pierced the sky. [Entering the Tower.] It was time to start the next adventure. *** [Moving to Floor 10—Forgotten Temple.] "Hoo." Every time I entered the tower, I felt that indescribable floating sensation, and it still hadn't grown on me. The moment my vision cleared, I saw the traces of the ruins I'd faced all the way on the lower floors. It was different this time—everything scattered around, not just beside. Instead of green grass, white stone dominated. That was also why I'd kept experimenting here even after clearing Floor 9. In the lower green zones, Floor 10 was the only one where goblins didn't appear. Orcs were the same. On Floor 10, what came out weren't living creatures with flesh and blood, but white golems. ...Gugugu. Golems of durability that even decent mages and warriors couldn't break. Broken golems lay scattered across the ruins. I decided to take my time and wipe out every last one—that was the goal of this floor. It was a kind of benchmark: if you couldn't even clear this, you shouldn't go up. Of course, that didn't apply to me. "Crush them." I didn't need to waste time and effort breaking golems whose power I couldn't even feel. Instead, I thought it would be better to watch a monster battle, so I summoned my blood summons and advanced. From the various beast squads to the two firm blood dragons.──KOOOOO! Following my command, they rushed forward and immediately began wrestling each other against the golems and each other. The squirrel and rabbit types were stomped flat in seconds, but the lions fought bravely, and the blood dragons continued their merciless slaughter. Every time they bit down, limbs of the stone golems snapped off. "Well done, well done." Maybe I was cheering them on because I was their owner. I sat on a large pile of rubble, chewing on dried meat and clapping enthusiastically. Thanks to my passionate cheering, the stone golem army that the lower-floor newcomers had once called the scourge of the ruins was soon reduced to scrap by the blood dragons. When all the golems fell silent, a blue portal appeared on one side of the ruins, and a system message floated up. [Single target, record in just the shortest time—cleared Floor 10, Forgotten Temple!] [Achievement unlocked!] [Player, Undertaker, is recorded in the Hall of Fame.] [The Tower admires the continuous great achievements of the explorer!] [Move to the next floor?] [Y/N] Same as when I first entered the Tower. I didn't hesitate. Without a moment's thought, I crossed the portal with a cheerful heart, and a vast sense of awe enveloped me. · · · Ding! [Tutorial completed.] [The Tower calculates the explorer's achievements accumulated during the tutorial.] [The Tower is astonished and updates the information on the great explorer.] [Title "Promising" has been promoted to "Rising Star"!] [LV. 1 → LV. 2] [Explorer's rank has increased by one level!] [Mana has awakened!] · · · [Liz — Undertaker] [LV. 2] [Strength 26 → 31] [Health 25 → 30] [Agility 29 → 33] [Spirit 20 → 40] [Titles — Pioneer, Rising Star, Giant Slayer] [Traits — Immovable Mind, Sword Mastery, Heavenly Slaughter Star] [Skills — Blood Seed] · · · [Moving to Floor 11—Resting Place.] *** When I opened my eyes, a completely white world welcomed me.