Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Unexpected Hospitality on the First Floor
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The first floor of the tower was renowned for its exceptional stability compared to the other floors.
There were no threats from monsters, and with the Red Flame Guild patrolling regularly, it was relatively safe from crime as well.
As such, not only low-floor climbers but even high-floor climbers mostly came down to the first floor to sleep or rest.
Tak.
"It's a general."
"I told you, it's not a general—it's checkmate."
"You get the point. Just move on."
"It's not the first time, that's why. And if I do this, then you're in checkmate."
"What?!"
And there were people on the first floor who weren't climbers.
Right away, the shop owners of the various stores on the first floor and the tower's residents.
A few climbers even gave up climbing the tower and opened shops, but since the entry costs were so high, such cases were extremely rare.
"Ugh."
"Should we just skip to the next game?"
"Tch, you always roll your brain for these useless tricks."
"Talk after you win first?!"
And very occasionally.
There were special types who came to the tower despite not being climbers or residents.
Like the imoogi currently sponsoring Soha from behind the scenes, for instance.
Of course, they were nothing more than uninvited outsiders who showed up on their own.
"By the way, do you know who's been lurking around here?"
"Probably just some random riffraff who heard the rumors."
In the courtyard of a house decorated in traditional style.
The two people playing chess there were also outsiders, belonging to that special category who had come to the tower from elsewhere.
"Why don't we just give it to anyone and be done with it? This place is getting boring."
"It's still not something to hand over to riffraff."
"Since when did you start caring about others? And it's not even our stuff—it was already here. You were going to pretend not to know and pass it on, but every night you mumble about missing your disciple..."
"Hey! Enough chit-chat. Make your move."
One wore an atmosphere and attire reminiscent of a martial artist from wuxia tales, a woman with a fancy black mantle draped over her shoulders. The other looked human overall, but the fox ears sprouting from her head and the tail swishing behind her back marked her as anything but ordinary.
Tak.
"What was that aura earlier, though?"
"It had a presence too refined for an ordinary climber. High chance a constellation intervened."
"A constellation meddling this much is a first... Heh?"
Mid-sentence, sensing something, the fox-featured woman let out a peculiar laugh.
She glanced toward the door, licking her lips naturally.
"Looks like this one's not riffraff, at least?"
The presence that had been lurking nearby finally approached.
It had reached right in front of the door.
"Must not be your average nobody, then."
"Up you go. Time to prepare a welcome for our guest..."
Anyone who could find them without falling for the illusions spread around deserved guest treatment.
Just as she rose to prepare some simple tea—
Kwang!
"Come out here!"
A mana-infused kick shattered the door.
"Sorry..."
Soha felt something was off about this situation.
What could be the problem?
Before her regression, someone she could call a friend had appeared just like this.
And back then, unlike now, she had welcomed the boldness, played chess, and casually tested skills.
"Listen properly."
"Hiiing."
"Who told you to bust down someone else's door?"
So why was she kneeling here, hands raised above her head?
"You don't even know what you did wrong."
"Sigh. Why do all climbers lack basic common sense?"
At those words, Soha flinched involuntarily.
Indeed, by normal standards, it was weird for a stranger to kick down a door and demand chess.
She was lucky not to have been chased out immediately.
"Anyway, you're not here just to play chess. You came for that, right?"
"Yes!"
Soha nodded vigorously at the presumed martial artist's words.
But it wouldn't be easy.
Even before regression, she had endured various trials to obtain it.
With her stats far lower now, the difficulty would be doubled.
But she had steeled herself for that before coming.
She would pass, no matter what.
"Fine. Take it."
"Pardon?"
But contrary to Soha's resolve, the response was a casual permission.
Was it a joke?
"Here, catch."
"Ah, ahh!"
Only after catching the object arcing toward her did she realize it wasn't a prank.
The item cradled carefully in her arms was unmistakably her reason for coming here.
"Weren't you just saying you wouldn't give it to riffraff?"
"That's why I'm giving it to you."
In other words, in the martial artist woman's eyes, Soha was no riffraff.
Did she even realize how remarkable that was?
Among those who had sought this place before, there were climbers already bearing famous titles.
Yet she had rejected and chased them all out. To think she now approved a girl presumed to be a fresh tower entrant.
"Why so surprised? You've already sensed it too—the existence watching over that child from above."
"...You approved her just because of the constellation?"
Of course, Soha had detected the presence watching protectively over the girl before her.
And she knew that constellation's power was among the tower's elite.
Doubtless, it was the source of that chilling mana that had blanketed the entire first floor earlier.
But still.
Handing it over based on a constellation's presence rather than the climber's talent? That seemed off.
'No, that's too presumptuous.'
No matter how reckless this woman was outside of her disciple, she wasn't that mindless.
She was the one who had just argued to pass it to anyone.
If anything, she was one eagerly hoping for this outcome.
Clap clap clap.
"Congratulations, sincerely."
"Wait, I can really take this? Just like that?"
Eh? If it was this easy before, why the ordeal in her past life?
Soha felt a pang of grievance despite knowing she shouldn't.
"Haat!"
Chalala.
Ten days had passed since Soha entered the first floor.
She obtained her goal on the first day, then spent time readjusting to the power and planning future tower acquisitions—now ten days were gone.
Chalala.
"Kaaak! Damn lunatic!"
"How do you even fight that?!"
"I've never heard of magic like that!"
Sparring in the training grounds to familiarize herself with the power.
I watched Soha dominate everyone with overwhelming skill on the screen, wearing my usual proud smile as I sorted sponsorship items.
I had sponsored Soha with three elixirs so far.
In that process, her stats had easily surpassed first-floor climber levels.
Other climbers even mistook her for someone who had cleared at least the fourth floor.
Oh, and those two women who helped her gain that power?
They vanished in the blink of an eye the moment she obtained it, as if their role was complete and they were returning whence they came.
'I asked the goblin, and he said no such beings exist in the tower.'
He mentioned outsiders occasionally sneaking in at will, so they were probably among them.
Since they vanished entirely from the tower, they likely wouldn't return.
"Hum hum~."
Rustle.
"La la la~."
The past ten days had been a period of explosive growth for Soha.
But unlike her, they had been utterly exhausting for me—thanks to the woman humming beside me right now.
"What's got you staring at me all day today?"
"So you're saying my voice is that captivating?"
The woman beside me was Aphrodite, the constellation titled "The Most Beautiful Goddess," representative of the Greek pantheon who had previously invited me to meet.
Three days after Soha entered the first floor, she barged in uninvited and had been squatting here without permission ever since.
'I want to kick her out for good.'
But the goblin begged desperately, even offering his neck, pleading for me to calm down.
Plus, as the Greek representative, using force rashly would likely get me blacklisted by the entire Greek pantheon, her included.
'Fine on my own, but I can't put Soha at risk.'
So I wanted to persuade her verbally to leave.
"What can I do? This is more fun than those kids~."
"No? Surprisingly entertaining to watch. Especially that girl's face. Beauty like that thrills just to behold, right?"
"Ah~ This sinful constellation has charmed yet another star. But I won't coldly spurn one who loves me, so rest easy. While I'm here, I'll accept your love fully."
This constellation was no ordinary bet.