Chapter 182: Floor 33: The Beast
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: Floor 33: The Beast
An impossibly deep underground.
With enough experience, you can naturally predict these things.
Just by looking at the outside, you can tell if it's big or small.
And I'm not talking about dick size.
'A massive door, a massive corridor, weak gravity...'
It was obvious just by looking. I got the feeling some giant creature or machine was sealed down here.
'Is this a trial where I just have to retrieve the item without breaking the seal?'
I've done so many of these trials, even before the 33rd floor, that I'm sick of them!
"Lee Do-hee, the Tomb Raider King! Heading out!!"
- Tomb Raider King my ass
- She's gonna get caught in a trap and get fucked like a dog
- Aphrodisiac trap, let's gooo!
- More like the Sex King lol
- Is a Facehugger gonna pop out?
- Looking forward to her getting tied to some unknown machine and getting pounded hehe
- Hehehe...
*
One hour later.
Lee Do-hee had brilliantly bypassed every single trap!
- ???
- What the?
- Where's my porn?
- How is this real
- Did this bitch used to be a real tomb raider for a living?
- So she wasn't a cum thief, but a real thief, whoa
- Hey, give me back my porn
"Hmph, this is just the basics!!"
I suffered so much because of traps in my past life.
After falling for so many traps that it made me shudder, I studied them like crazy.
Who was my teacher, you ask?
It pisses me off a little to think about it now, but my trap master was Baek Do-hyeon, the head of the Great Guilds alliance.
That scamming bastard, true to his nature, was an absolute expert at things meant to screw people over, like traps, mechanisms, and booby traps.
Back when we were on good terms, we did learn a thing or two from each other...
"Ahem, anyway... this seems to be my objective. I just need to retrieve it and leave, right?"
Before me, a fist-sized artifact floated above something like an altar. The artifact was an octahedron, a diamond-like shape, engraved with patterns in what looked like an unknown ancient language.
I could feel an unusual aura from the artifact.
Just in case, I spread my aura to scan the surroundings, but the walls blocked my detection again.
"Sigh... something feels off."
For the traps I've encountered so far to be the entirety of this trial, the difficulty is too low. I did a good job getting through them, but it was at a level where any rogue or ranger around the 33rd floor could have disarmed them and passed.
'Or maybe... I'm just confused because I've only faced high-difficulty trials until now...'
Still, if it's the mission, I have to take it.
"Ah, screw it!"
Swaak-
Surprisingly, the artifact let me grab it without any resistance. I was on high alert, expecting something to happen, but…
Nothing did?
“Guess I’ll just leave?”
I waddled and ran in my spacesuit. There was only one path, so leaving wasn't difficult.
‘The traps must have been much harder than I thought, so I guess this is the end.’
- The moment I thought that!
Ruuuumble!!!
Hearing something collapse, I looked back to see the floor starting to crumble, beginning from where I took the artifact.
“Huh…? Aaaah!!!”
I reflexively started running toward the exit.
The spacesuit was thick and cumbersome, but I ignored it and sprinted with long strides!
Kugugugugugu!!!!
The floor continued to collapse as if it were being sucked into a black abyss.
“Gasp...!”
I dashed past the trap-filled zone.
Ruuuumble!!
The ground collapsed behind me as if a black energy was devouring the world.
‘What the hell is this! What's happening!!’
I ran like mad, without even a moment to think.
And just as I saw the giant staircase leading up, the ground beneath my feet gave way.
"Oh, no!!"
I gathered my last bit of strength and jumped for the stairs.
Thud!
"Gak!"
After slamming my ribs against the edge of a step, I looked back and saw that the seemingly endless collapse had stopped.
“Phew... That scared me. What was that just now?”
My legs were a little sore from sprinting in a panic after the sudden collapse. I let out a sigh of relief and glanced at the chat.
- fr what was that
- Is this the end?
- Hurry up and run
- I'm scared something's gonna come out
- run run
- Come on out, Facehugger
- Let's bounce for now, right?
"Yeah, I’ll head up for now."
Just as the viewers said, it wouldn't be strange if something popped out of that collapsed, dark space at any moment.
Calming my startled heart, I slowly started climbing the massive staircase…
Thump... Thump...
“Huh?”
Something… I heard a sound again. It felt like it was coming from far away, but it gave me an uneasy feeling.
“Dammit!”
I quickly climbed the stairs.
This was the staircase that took me almost 30 minutes just to walk down. The weakened gravity made it a bit easier, but it would still take a considerable amount of time.
‘What now? What the hell is happening in that collapsed space?’
Thump... Thump...
It sounds like... something is climbing up the walls?
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Even though I was quickly climbing the stairs and getting farther away, the thumping sound didn't stop.
In fact, it started to sound closer, and closer.
“Aaaaaah!!”
Thump, thump, thump, Krr-crack...!
‘Fuck, I don't know what it is, but it's up here!’
Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
As if it had finally reached the top, the creature let out a powerful, sharp howl.
My ears stung. It was a massive cry that would have seriously hurt the eardrums of anyone without my level of defense.
‘Should I just fight...?’
I considered fighting it, but no matter how I looked at it, combat didn't seem to be the skill this trial was testing.
Without looking back, I kept running.
The sound of something huge chasing me at incredible speed echoed from behind.
Dududududu...!!!
Even though I was pushing off and leaping dozens of steps at a time, I felt like I'd be caught in no time.
‘Wait a minute... Is this thing going to follow me outside?’
- The moment I thought that.
Kueeeeeek!!!
The creature's god-awful shriek sounded right nearby.
And then I saw the giant door leading outside.
‘If it follows me to the spaceship, won't the trial be a failure anyway...?’
If it follows me and blows up the spaceship, wouldn't that mean mission failure?
And if the trial doesn't fail, that's a problem too.
I'd be stranded on some strange, unknown alien planet.
“Hah... I have no choice.”
It's come to this. I have to fight it here.
Lee Do-hee, transform! Pink Spear!
Accepting the discomfort of breathing the alien atmosphere, I stored my spacesuit in the Illusionary Garment.
In an instant, a long pink spear was in my hand, and I was wearing a tight, form-fitting suit…
[Light]
With a loud noise, I turned to face the beast rushing up the stairs.
"Ugh, what is that thing!"
The creature's appearance wasn't like the aliens I'd always imagined.
Its front was completely filled by the wrinkled face of an old man with a bit of white hair.
It had dozens of legs shaped like human hands, like a centipede, and dozens of long, spider-like legs on its upper body.
Its torso was segmented like an insect's. It was a horrific sight straight out of a nightmare.
“A chimera… or something like it.”
Kwoooooooar!!!
The moment it saw me, it unleashed a hostile attack.
From the giant old man's face, over three meters in diameter, its eyes widened and shot out a red beam.
Vweeeeeee!!!
Kwaaaang!
As I threw myself aside to dodge, a bright red tongue shot out to stab me.
Sk-guk.
I rolled again to evade it, but a piece of flesh was torn from my side where the tongue had grazed me. Considering my defense stat, its destructive power was immense.
‘Crazy, what is this…’
I stacked all my buffs to the 10th level.
I used Heal to recover from the wound slightly and launched a counterattack.
'It's not that strong of an enemy. I'll finish it in one blow.'
The fear of the unknown and the first encounter were scarier. Now that I'm actually fighting it, it seems more manageable than I thought.
I lightly threw my spear.
Tw-kwang!
The spear, imbued with pink divine power, flew through the air, illuminating the darkness.
Clang!
One of its long spider legs swung lightly, knocking the spear into the wall.
I expected that. No, I threw it for that to happen.
Because I was running right along with the spear!
I immediately retrieved the spear and thrust it forward.
I could see its eyeball, as large as a human torso, widening.
“Haaaaaaaap!!!”
A swift, powerful thrust.
[Straight Heart One Spear]
I thrust the spear, pouring immense divine power into it!!
The creature tried to block with its thick, overlapping palms, but...
Pugagagagagak!!!!
It pierced not only its palms but also its eye and straight through its head.
“Kuh…?”
The creature's body trembled and convulsed, then quickly stopped moving.
“Phew... It wasn't a pushover.”
I summoned the spear back to me and was about to start climbing again when something else unexpected happened.
Thump... Thumpthumpthumpthump...
A sound similar to the one this creature made as it ran up echoed madly from below.
Along with screeching howls, the sound of what had to be dozens, no, hundreds of footsteps thundered from below!!
“Whoa, fuck!!!”
This time, I ran outside without a moment to look back.
“Cough!! Keuk-keuk!”
‘Dammit, toxic gas…’
I put the spacesuit back on and closed the door.
The map inside the spacesuit showed the spaceship's location, and I sprinted toward it with all my might.
[Ah. Ah. I'm getting a signal. Did you retrieve the artifact safely?]
“Fuck, just open the spaceship hatch! No, take off now! Crazy bastards, crazy things are coming out!”
I glanced back and saw the massive entrance get blown away with a Bang!, and a swarm of those bizarre creatures with old men's heads poured out.
‘Crazy... What is this fucked-up situation...’
Fortunately, the pilot must have heard me, as I could see the small spaceship slowly rising into the air in the distance.
I leaped with all my strength toward the ship, which was hovering about two meters up, and grabbed the handle of the outer hatch.
“Just go! I'm fine, so take off!!”
[Ah, understood.]
Vroooom!!!
A horde of the beasts swarmed the spot right below where the spaceship had been.
Red lasers shot from their eyeballs toward the ship, and their huge tongues flickered in and out. The sight of them crawling across the ground like centipedes, struggling desperately to attack us, was truly horrifying.
Still, they must not have been real lasers, as they didn't have enough power to shoot us down now that we had gained significant altitude.
The spaceship's own shield activated, blocking the weakened lasers as we climbed higher and higher.
Looking at the pyramid I'd just exited, a blue light was rising from its peak, clearing the dusty atmosphere, and countless grotesque beasts were standing on top of it, roaring like animals.
‘Ugh, what is all this…’
Before we entered space, I went inside the ship at a suitable altitude. As I entered, a middle-aged, bearded man greeted me.
"Hahaha! Congratulations on completing the mission. See, it was worth hiring an expensive, professional tomb raider!!"
“Phew... I was one second away from dying. What are those things? And what is this?”
I took the artifact out of my spacesuit's pocket.
The regular octahedron, the diamond-shaped piece, was glowing in my palm. I could tell at a glance that an unfathomable amount of energy was condensed within it.
“Hmm... I don't know either. We're just doing a job that pays well.”
I was curious about its purpose, but since it was a mission-specific artifact that wouldn't even be appraised as an item, I just handed it over quietly and finished the trial.
[Tiring~]
[You have cleared the 33rd Floor Trial. Your rank will increase as a reward for solo play.]
Shwoong~!
*
"Phew... That was a bit thrilling. What did you guys think?"
- Fucking put a trigger warning on that grotesque shit
- It was gross
- Where's the part where Lee Do-hee gets fucked by the giant beast?
- Fuck;;
- Why no sex
- Where's the womb-stretching pounding sex with the giant beast?
Such perverts.
"...Alright! Stop with the weird comments, it's time to see the rewards I got! Let's see!!"
The truth is, a difficult trial doesn't guarantee a good reward. For the same difficulty, some people use their heads and clear it easily, while others struggle. The trial's difficulty can also change based on a split-second decision or just plain luck.
- Was that an S-rank Trial?
- Doesn't seem like S-rank. Maybe A-rank?
- You probably weren't even supposed to kill that first one
- For trials like that, the standard strat is to sacrifice one useless party member and run lol
- If she were in a Great Guild, they would've sacrificed a useless porter and escaped
- It's A-rank
[Please select an S-rank reward.]
The rank went up by one because of the solo play bonus, so it was originally an A-rank Trial.
"Ah, too bad... I guess it wasn't an S-rank Trial. Then again, if I had to kill all of them, it probably would have been S-rank.”
So, could I have killed them all?
Well... I might have been able to handle about a hundred of them, somehow.
“Let's check the rewards right away. I'll get an SS-rank reward, right?”
- Ah...
- How does that make sense?
- It was an A-rank Trial, so why is this bitch getting an SS-rank reward...?
- This scammer bitch lol
- That trait is so fucking broken, holy shit
- Some people go through hell just to raise their reward by one rank...
- Tomb raiding, scamming, prostitution, sexual favors...
- We condemn the scammer Lee Do-hee!!!
- Just a criminal bitch...
Three cards rose up, shimmering. I lightly ignored the viewers' jealous comments…
This time, too, I flipped them all over at once with a Tadadak-!
[SS-rank Body for Space]
Changes your body to be able to survive in space.
Compresses and stores oxygen in the heart, eliminating the need for breathing for up to 1 day. Prevents blood from boiling.
When oxygen runs out, physical functions are halved, but you will not die.
◇ Defense +100
◇ Defense +100%
◇ Fire Resistance +500
◇ Cold Resistance +500
◇ Radiation Resistance +1000
<Multi-purpose Spanner>
A multi-purpose spanner that is perfect for repairing mechanical devices.
<Skill Growth Ticket> x6
“Ooh...!! This is a no-brainer, right? What a steal.”
- Ah…
- You bitch!!!
- Wow... that's fucking amazing for space trials
- With that Rocket Pussy, she could really go to Mars lol
- crazy
- Why only you!!
Today, too, the viewers' hearts were shattered.
Without giving the viewers a chance to recover, I immediately went to the 34th floor and cleared it.
The 34th floor was just a simple B-rank combat trial, and I got 9 <Skill Enhancement Tickets> as a reward.
This brings my total Skill Enhancement Tickets to 12. As expected, it's not time to use them yet.
And now... the long-awaited 35th floor arrives.
Why the long-awaited 35th floor, you ask?
The floor that made countless rich people and chaebols give up on climbing the Tower.
The floor known as the gatekeeper, second only to the 50th floor, before one can become a high-ranking Awakened.
A death rate of over 30%.
[On this floor, you will become an ordinary person.]
It's a floor you must enter as a complete civilian. What's more, it's a solo-only floor.
Considering that the death rate for a typical floor, excluding the tutorial, is around 5% to 10%, this is an enormous death rate.
The chaebols who raised their stats with money-bought equipment and elixirs are unable to overcome the demonic wall of the 35th floor. This is the reason why, in the current world, chaebol families can't dominate the ranks of the Tower's high-ranking Awakened.
Who would gamble their life on a 1-in-3 chance?
Even if you struggled and clawed your way up from the notoriously difficult tutorial floor, an irrational trial like this awaits, so few even attempt the challenge.
Broadcasting is still possible, but you can only stream your view; you can't read the chat.
Naturally, item sponsorships related to Constellation contracts are also impossible.
It's a floor that has literally sought out and blocked every possible loophole.
There is only one thing to believe in.
Myself.
That's why I was confident.
“I'll head to the 35th floor right away. I'll show you all.”
Shwoong~~!
The trial of the long-awaited 35th floor begins.
*
The 35th floor trial only takes place on a 'Second Planet' with an environment similar to Earth's past.
This means your opponents are also ordinary people.
And an ordinary person cannot defeat dozens of other ordinary people.
[You are the daughter of an ordinary Saion Cult member. Escape from the hands of the enemy and lead the holy war to victory.]
"Ah..."
The first thought that came to my mind upon seeing this was...
'I'm fucked!!!'
This trial is an estimated S-rank Trial.
The trials on the 35th floor are mostly predetermined, so I studied all of them before climbing past the 31st floor.
But why 'estimated'?
Because... no one has ever cleared it!
‘You crazy administrator!! Stop fucking me over!!’
Rumble rumble...
I was in an ordinary house in a normal residential area.
And I could hear the footsteps of dozens of men swarming toward this place.
"This is the next house!"
"Break down the door!"
'Ah... that's right!'
This trial starts with a religious conflict where members of different cults kill each other.
I quickly tried to build a barricade at the front door, but,
BANG!!
The door burst open, and male fanatics pushed their way in.
"It's open, let's go!"
"For Yula!!"
"There's a woman! Drag her out and purify her!!"
I can't let it end so futilely. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest kitchen knife, and pointed it at them.
"Fuck, come and get it, you bastards!"