Chapter 130: Eternal Spire (16)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 130: Eternal Spire (16)
‘He’s stronger than I thought.’
My sword pushed back the axe blade, pierced through the jet-black armor Crux was wearing, and grazed his arm. His skin was tougher than I expected, but Heukya's edge tore through it and left a gash.
"Grrrk!"
Crux roared in fury and swung his axe in a continuous barrage.
Clang! Kang! Kang!
The axe's trajectory cut through the air, surrounding me. With a sound like tearing fabric, the blade flew toward me.
I repeatedly dodged, blocked, and countered his attacks. Unable to keep up with my speed, the beast growled.
Thump-thump!
Crux slammed the floor, and once again, a red magic circle appeared.
[Summon Goblin Legion]
Hobgoblin Elite (Lv. 7) x1
Hobgoblin Warrior (Lv. 5) x10
Regular Goblin (Lv. 3) x100
‘Fewer numbers this time.’
The moment the summoned goblins charged at me, Tia, who had already dealt with most of the goblins behind me, launched a magic attack. Isia, now beside Tia, fired an arrow that struck a goblin squarely in the head.
At the same time, Yoon Jae-ho's magic washed over both Crux and the goblins.
Boom!
Yoon Jae-ho's attack was flashy, but that was all. It did nothing but enrage Crux further, leaving him unharmed.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue and fell back, unleashing his attacks on the summoned goblins instead of Crux.
I readjusted my grip on my sword as I faced Crux. I swung, sending a blade of blue aura flying toward him.
The sword aura cut through the air. It shattered his armor and drew blood, but the madness in Crux's eyes only intensified.
Thud!
Crux roared and swung his axe wildly. The massive blade sliced through the air.
A flash of light erupted as my sword met his axe. Crux’s axe cut through the air and slammed down, but I parried every attack with Heukya.
Crack!
My counterattack split his armor. The jet-black plate shattered and fell to the floor.
"Time to end this."
I lunged forward in an instant, and Crux's red eyes widened in surprise.
A sharp blade of aura cut through the air, aimed at his chest.
KABOOM!
Heukya pierced through Crux's chest. His blood ran down the blade.
I pulled Heukya from his chest and stepped back.
‘Phase two is about to start.’
In that moment, a dark red energy began to rise from Crux's body. His muscles swelled, his wounds healed on their own, and his body grew even larger.
[Crux the Ironclad is going berserk.]
"Kuaaaah!"
With Crux's roar, the remaining goblins also went berserk.
I quickly scanned my surroundings. Thanks to Yoon Jae-ho and Tia, most of the goblins had been dealt with. Besides them, a few other participants stood out.
Thud!
A massive tremor shook the ground in front of me. Crux, in his berserk state, charged at me.
Crack!
His axe split the ground where I had just been standing. The floor cracked, leaving a huge fissure.
‘His speed has decreased, but his strength has increased.’
Still, he was just a first-floor boss. As I dodged his attack and prepared to counter, I sensed magic flying at me from behind. I twisted my body slightly, and Yoon Jae-ho's wind blade grazed past me, hitting Crux in the chest.
I shot a cold glance back at Yoon Jae-ho.
‘Ha, this bastard?’
He made a gesture as if to apologize.
‘Fine, keep messing around.’
I could see the killing intent in Yoon Jae-ho's eyes. His wind blade had clearly been aimed at me. He pretended it was a mistake, but a subtle murderous glint lingered in his eyes.
Wary of Yoon Jae-ho behind me, I raised my sword toward Crux. Heukya's blade gleamed coldly, like moonlight.
‘I should stop playing around and finish him off quickly.’
I channeled my internal energy into my sword and rushed toward Crux's chest. His berserk muscles were even more swollen, but his movements had become sluggish.
Crux raised his massive axe.
BOOM!
The axe blade cut through empty air. I had already moved to his side.
Heukya's blade pierced through Crux's waist. Black blood splattered across the air. Just as I created the wound, another of Yoon Jae-ho's attacks flew toward it.
I swung my sword and deflected his attack. His spell fizzled out in mid-air. Then, I shot Yoon Jae-ho a smirk.
‘I'll monopolize all the contribution points.’
I continued to parry every one of his attacks while simultaneously wounding Crux.
Thud…
The massive body collapsed. Exhausted by blood loss and pain, Crux finally fell to his huge knees and lowered his head to the floor.
I approached slowly and raised my sword. The blade drew an arc like moonlight as it sliced through Crux's massive neck.
Shhhk!
Crux's head flew through the air and landed on the ground. At the same time, a system message appeared before my eyes.
[You have defeated the 1st Floor Boss, 'Crux the Ironclad'.]
[First Boss Kill on the 1st Floor Achieved!]
[Battle Contribution]
- Jin Seo-yun (95%)
- Yoon Jae-ho (2%)
- Yekaterina Oleg (1%)
- Others (2%)
[Dropped Items]
- Crux's Axe
- Crux's Iron Armor
- 10,000 Gold
[1st Floor First Clear Reward]
- All participants: All Stats +1
- All participants: 100 Gold awarded
As I skimmed the rewards, another message appeared.
[Achievement Unlocked! You have achieved over 90% contribution in a boss kill.]
[A reward will be granted.]
[(Title) Lonely Conqueror]
- A conqueror who needs no one's help, advancing to the top with their own strength alone.
Effect: All Stats +3, All Stats +1 during solo combat.
[Number of Survivors: 69]
Thud!
The giant goblin's corpse fell to the floor. The boss room was plunged into complete silence.
"Ha… haha… I-I'm alive!"
Someone's shout broke the silence, followed by a wave of cheers.
"Waaaaah!"
The shouts of the surviving participants filled the boss room. Some collapsed to the floor and burst into tears, while others hugged their companions, sharing their joy.
[The gate to the next floor is opening.]
Creeeeak!
With the system message, a massive iron gate appeared and began to open. Light spilling from the gap illuminated the boss room.
As the participants' cheers continued to echo, I walked over to Crux's corpse.
As I moved, the cheers died down, and the room fell silent. When I placed the equipment and gold that had dropped from Crux's body into my inventory, someone shouted.
"Fuck, you're gonna take all that for yourself?"
The man's shout echoed through the now-quiet boss room. At his words, the other participants began to murmur among themselves.
"Still, isn't this a bit much?"
"Yeah, we fought together. We contributed, too…"
Their gazes, flickering with greed, focused on me.
Tia, who had approached my side, took a step forward. Her violet eyes shone with a cold light as purple magic began to swirl at her fingertips.
"How dare you pieces of trash, who would all be dead if not for Seo-yun…"
Lauren also slowly raised her blood-soaked axe. Her eyes were filled with contempt.
"Open your mouth one more time. I'll split your head in two with my axe."
Most of the participants recoiled from the killing intent emanating from the two women. However, a few still couldn't let go of their greed and shouted with trembling voices.
"But… we fought together! Shouldn't we at least share it?"
Standing between the two women, I took a step forward, and the floor vibrated slightly. I slowly swung Heukya, carving a line into the ground. A powerful shockwave spread out, leaving a deep sword mark etched into the floor.
"If you want the rewards so badly, come and take them."
The participants flinched and retreated instinctively. I lifted my blade slightly and looked down on them.
"Don't provoke me with your pathetic greed. I'll show you exactly what the price is."
Finally terrified, the participants lowered their heads. They held their breath, and no one dared to step forward again.
I swept my cold gaze over them one last time before putting Heukya back in my inventory.
"Tia, Lauren. Let's go."
As I turned and walked toward the gate, the sound of my footsteps echoed heavily in the quiet boss room.
Tia and Lauren followed behind me.
The participants remained frozen in place, unable to say a word, holding their breath until we had passed through the gate.
*
After passing through the gate, a new scene unfolded before my eyes. It was completely different from the city on the first floor.
Tall stone buildings soared toward the sky, and streetlights decorated with sparkling crystals illuminated the city. It was a magnificent scene, reminiscent of a medieval European noble city.
"Is this… the second floor?"
Tia's violet eyes widened in surprise. Lauren also seemed to be admiring the new scenery.
A giant clock tower stood tall in the center of the city. Around it, ornate shops and inns were neatly lined up, and the streets were already bustling with people who appeared to be residents of the second floor.
"Unlike the first floor… there are so many people here, aren't there?"
Tia blinked, looking at the people filling the city.
Lauren nodded in agreement.
"It's not just the number of residents… the atmosphere is completely different. The people on the first floor were like dolls, but these people seem truly alive."
Listening to them, I thought to myself.
‘That's because the residents on the first floor weren't real humans.’
The residents of the first floor were simply dolls created by the system, repeating programmed actions. But from the second floor onward, it was a different story.
"From the second floor on, the people are real, living inside this tower."
At my words, Tia and Lauren's eyes widened as they stared at me.
"Real people?" Tia asked.
I nodded and continued to explain.
"Yes. From the second floor on, they are people who think, feel, and live just like us. They just live under a slightly different set of circumstances and rules."
Lauren tilted her head slightly and asked, "Different circumstances and rules… what do you mean?"
"The residents here live their entire lives inside this tower. They live believing this is all there is, without even knowing that a world exists outside the tower."
A subtle expression crossed Tia's face as she heard my words.
"Then… it's like a prison, isn't it?"
"In a way, yes. But to these people, this is their entire world. They don't know about the outside, so they don't feel trapped."
Tia and Lauren silently looked around the city, seemingly lost in thought. The area was full of life. Merchants were actively selling their goods in the market, the vibrant streets were adorned with decorations, and the sound of people's laughter was constant. On the surface, it was a truly peaceful city.
"You seem to know a lot about the tower, Seo-yun," Lauren remarked.
Tia nodded and added, "That's right. Watching you, Seo-yun, it's like you've already experienced the tower once before."
The two women's gazes fell on me, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in their eyes.
I stopped walking for a moment and looked at them.
"I can see why you'd feel that way. Have you ever been to the library in the eastern part of the first floor?"
"A library?"
The two women shook their heads with puzzled expressions. They looked as if they didn't even know a library existed on the first floor.
"The library in the east of the first floor contains records of the tower. I learned a lot of information there."
Hearing this, the two women's eyes widened in surprise.
"A place like that existed?" Tia asked, looking as if this was the first she'd heard of it.
"Everyone is so focused on hunting, they probably don't pay attention to places like that. But the materials in that library are quite useful."
"So you learned so much about the tower by reading those records?" Lauren asked with interest.
I gave a slight nod and replied, "Yes, there are journal-like records left by previous participants. But they're hard to find. I only discovered them by chance."
Lauren and Tia looked at each other with surprised expressions.
"Previous participants? There were others besides us?"
"Yes. We're not the first."
I paused for a moment and looked around. In contrast to the vibrant appearance of the city's residents, the situation for the participants dragged here was always tragic.
"Countless people have been dragged into the tower. And most of them didn't survive. But some left behind records of the information and experiences they gathered. They probably hoped those records would be of some help to the people who came after them."
"If records like that exist, they would be a huge help… Why has no one ever mentioned them before?" Lauren said, looking confused.
"Most people are struggling just to survive day by day on the first floor, so they probably don't even know a library exists. And that kind of information is subtly hidden."
I shrugged in response. Of course, this was the same excuse Yoon Jae-ho used in the original story. But it was true that materials about the tower were actually in the library.
"So that's how you knew so much…"
"But, your strength, Seo-yun…"
"Well, that's just because I'm special."
I gave a playful smile and brushed it off. At my words, Lauren and Tia laughed as if they found it absurd.
"More importantly, let's find a place to stay. Preferably somewhere with better facilities than the first floor."
"Okay."
We walked along the city's magnificent marble streets.