Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Pride's Equipment
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When he opened his eyes, he was already on the 5th floor of the Tower of Pride.
While he had been unconscious, Adora had hunted the floor guardian and climbed the tower on her own.
'The number of boxes given as rewards has increased.'
He nodded in satisfaction after checking the top of the floating message.
Eight Coins and 21 Pride's Boxes.
It was a reward beyond imagination.
That brought his total Coins earned from the Tower of Pride so far to 33.
And the Pride's Boxes numbered 30.
'No wonder creators are willing to hang themselves over it.'
It was a quantity of Coins that even most creators wouldn't dare dream of.
The tower practically showered them just for climbing.
That was the reason countless creators were obsessed with the name "Pride."
Incarnations shared a certain percentage of their Coins with their creators, which was enough to strengthen their authority.
And that wasn't all.
Pride's Boxes were rewards just as crucial as Coins.
'The more Pride's Boxes you collect and open together, the better the rewards. Once you hit over 40, the chance of Legendary grade items skyrockets.'
The more boxes you had, the higher the grade of rewards you'd get upon opening them.
In the past, the person who collected the most boxes from the Tower of Pride was Han Shin.
He gathered 50 boxes and obtained the "Gloves of Prajna."
A Legendary grade item, no less—one of the higher-tier treasures—which Han Shin cherished for quite a while.
Levels and equipment were just as important as Coins.
Pride's Boxes offered rewards on an entirely different scale the more you accumulated, so there was no harm in hoarding them.
Already 30. Just 10 more, and he'd have enough to seriously challenge for Legendary grade.
"Hm...?"
The problem was the message that followed.
Park Chan-woo frowned as he read the text after the rewards.
"What's wrong?"
Adora asked when he turned serious.
"No... it's nothing."
Park Chan-woo shook his head, trying to brush it off.
But no matter how many times he looked, the message's content was shocking.
'A trade?'
That was the proposal from the Tower of Pride.
It was beyond shocking—it was outrageous.
50 Coins, 100 Pride's Boxes.
And.
'Pride's Equipment...!'
...Insane.
Pride's Equipment.
And not just handing it over outright.
It was offering him the choice of equipment bearing Pride's name.
'One of Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo's cherished blades was the Sword of Pride.'
It was one of the five blades in Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo's collection.
The Sword of Pride was the second-best among them.
Lee Hyuk-soo only drew the Sword of Pride against enemies he was determined to kill with, and whoever he drew it on died without fail.
That earned it nicknames like the "Blade of Desperation" or "Blade of Instant Death."
Lee Hyuk-soo also switched between his five swords depending on his opponent's strength.
When he clashed with Park Chan-woo, he'd only used the fifth in his collection, the Greatsword of Ghaz Knight.
'Japan's Spear Ghost Seiichi was famous for wielding the Spear of Pride.'
Seiichi was called the ghost of the spear.
He died before reaching level 99 and became a real ghost, but even Park Chan-woo acknowledged his promising talent.
Japan's high ranker whom everyone believed would hit max level without a doubt.
When Seiichi gripped the Spear of Pride, he was like a goblin unleashed.
If he hadn't lost his mind and gone mad, his end would have been glorious.
In the end, his madness led him to death at Han Shin's hands.
'Iron Monster Alexei... the giant clad in the Breastplate of Pride. Right, that guy too.'
A monstrous fellow.
His attack power was abysmal, but his defense was downright miraculous.
If asked to pick someone from the frontlines you never wanted as an enemy, Alexei would be in the top three without question.
Once he charged in wearing the Breastplate of Pride, there was no answer.
He too was a prime candidate for max level, but fell to Han Shin.
'Come to think of it, every holder of Pride's Equipment except Lee Hyuk-soo died to Han Shin.'
And it wasn't just Pride's Equipment holders.
Most prime candidates for max level had died to Han Shin.
That was why there were only five level 99 achievers.
Of course, he didn't kill without reason.
Under pretexts like "gone mad," "heinous crimes," or "worst incarnation," Han Shin launched massive hunts.
Back then, the vast majority believed him.
But it was all blatant lies.
'Pride's Equipment is a kind of potential. A name granted only to those with the talent to reach level 99. And Han Shin is the worst attention whore who can't stand anyone stealing his spotlight.'
Only those who posed no threat or drew no attention survived.
For example, Park Chan-woo was a Magic Swordsman.
Even if he walked the path of magic late and reached level 99, it wouldn't easily threaten Han Shin's position.
What about Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo?
A hermit who had no intention of stepping into the light.
The other two were similar in nature.
All eyes naturally fixed on Han Shin, and he reveled in that attention.
A psychopath who believed all his actions were justified.
A madman who thought only he deserved the spotlight.
A bastard who thoroughly destroyed anything he couldn't have.
That was Han Shin.
Accepting the offer here would make him the first human to claim Pride's Equipment, a way to screw over Han Shin.
'50 Coins and 100 Pride's Boxes alone are enough to make my head spin.'
It'd be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
No, refusing would earn him ridicule as a fool.
Even climbing safely with Adora's help, this place was full of variables.
There were enemies even she had to tense up for.
If she got distracted for a moment, he'd become a guest who never returns.
Park Chan-woo thought.
'The Tower of Pride wants Kahnkun and Adora to fight at their absolute best.'
To that end, it sent him to Adora's side.
It wanted Kahnkun and Adora to overcome their weaknesses and clash in peak condition.
But now it was telling him to leave.
'I see. It thinks my presence hinders their fight.'
He could guess why the offer was made.
Adora planned to overcome death and even attempt reconciliation with Kahnkun.
If she could fully control and dominate death, that attempt wasn't impossible.
Now, his presence was seen as interference.
...Accept or refuse?
The tower's configuration had changed abruptly.
It seemed intent on forcing his choice.
If inventory use was impossible from the 5th floor and everything carried poison and curses...
'Water and food will be the issue.'
The biggest problems were drinking water and rations.
Humans had to eat to live.
He couldn't survive without food and water.
Thanks to "Immunity to All Poisons," he could handle most toxins, but curses were different.
Excluding death-related curses, he was vulnerable to all others.
"What are you pondering?"
Adora spoke again, sensing something off.
She seemed to instinctively realize he was debating whether to leave the tower or not.
'I should leave.'
All things considered, leaving made sense.
Beyond the offer, the Tower of Pride no longer welcomed him climbing higher.
Forcing his way up would provoke a bigger backlash.
"Planning to leave the tower?"
Adora's intuition was razor-sharp.
She immediately grasped what dilemma he faced.
"......I'm thinking it over."
He answered honestly.
Lying here would only disappoint Adora.
Adora responded calmly.
"I won't stop you. This is enough."
As if saying she'd helped plenty already.
She accepted him leaving.
Turning back here, she wouldn't block him.
The conditions were set for him to exit without interference.
After deep thought, Park Chan-woo spoke.
"Dagon."
Pfsh!
With a puff of smoke, Dagon appeared in an awkward pose.
The demon merchant Dagon let out a deep sigh.
"Aren't you summoning me too often? And who's that next to you... Gah! Wi, Witch?!"
The moment he realized Witch Adora's presence.
Dagon's eyes bulged as he hastily stepped back.
Park Chan-woo said politely.
"Don't worry. As long as you don't attack, you'll be fine."
"Wh-what are you saying! Witches are an untrustworthy breed! Abyssal scourges!"
"Only to demons, maybe."
"......What did you summon me for?"
Dagon forced himself to calm down and asked.
This wasn't his first brush with such eccentricity.
Besides, Dagon was convinced Park Chan-woo was "Dragon God Sepiro."
It was well-known that Dragon God Sepiro was unpredictable.
Getting flustered or annoyed would only hurt himself.
Business first.
When Dagon asked, Park Chan-woo replied nonchalantly.
"I'll need you to work hard for a while."
"Me? What kind of work?"
"Cooking."
"......?"
"Cook the monsters we hunt so I can eat them."
"Pardon...?"
"Consider it agreed."
"Pardooon...?"
That was the birth of Park Chan-woo's personal demon chef.
Park Chan-woo didn't give up on climbing the tower.
'The fact that it's offering me to quit means there's a chance I could get something even bigger.'
Because he'd grasped that possibility.
The tower's proposal.
From another angle, it was no different from a creator on the brink of bankruptcy.
Don't creators twist themselves into knots to lower rewards when facing ruin?
What if the Tower of Pride's offer was in the same vein?
'Worth a shot.'
The fruit at the end would surely be sweeter than the proposed payout.
"Delicious."
Park Chan-woo gave a short murmur of admiration while eating a dish made from the Blue Beholder that had ruled the 5th floor.
Blue Beholders were blue-eyed monsters that fired blue beams from their eyes, making them tricky opponents.
Dagon had butchered the one Adora hunted, selected curse-free parts, removed the poison, and turned it into something quite edible.
"Please keep this secret from the other demons......"
Dagon, suddenly a monster chef, sighed.
If word got out that a demon was cooking for a human, he'd be the laughingstock of all demonkind.
"...Anyway, glad it suits your taste."
Still, the praise didn't feel bad.
Few demons had a hobby of gourmet cooking.
Dagon enjoyed experimenting with all sorts of ingredients.
Thanks to that, he could process even absurd ingredients to suit Park Chan-woo's palate.
"Here."
Ting!
After finishing his meal, Park Chan-woo snapped his fingers.
Dagon's eyes widened as he caught what popped out.
"Th-this is a Coin...!"
"I'll be counting on you from now on too."
"Leave it to me!"
Dagon bowed his head.
Park Chan-woo was a client with guaranteed rewards.
His real identity was Dragon God Sepiro anyway.
Not human, so bowing was no big deal.
The real Sepiro was a monster Dagon wouldn't even dare look in the eye.
Thinking that way made expressing gratitude effortless.
Park Chan-woo pulled another Coin from his pocket.
"Mind if I ask one more favor?"
"Yes! Anything!"
His motivation was sky-high.
For Coins, a bit of embarrassment was forgettable.
Park Chan-woo pointed at Adora.
"Try shaking hands with Adora."