Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: The Guide
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After clearing the 9th floor and returning, the once pristine white waiting room had vanished, replaced by the solemn sight of a castle.
"Wh-where is this place?"
"There are two ways to exit the Ancient Tower. One is if you fail to clear it."
In any case, the Ancient Tower was an artifact existing within Blackout.
Thus, failure meant death, and the corpse would be ejected outside.
"The other is to exit through the reward room prepared every nine floors."
As Jun spoke, he pointed to the back, where instead of the black door they'd seen before, there was a space connected to the desert.
"Once you claim the reward and go out there, the Ancient Tower is done. It just disappears."
"Ah......"
At that moment, Eleanor pointed to the throne at the end of the corridor.
"Is that box under the throne the reward?"
"Yeah. Open that and you're out."
However, Jun's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the box on the throne.
'The box I knew from before was a fairly ornate treasure chest.'
But now, it looked like a mechanical device made of gears, nothing like what Jun remembered.
'Is it related to that thing I saw heading to the 9th floor?'
A phenomenon that couldn't be found anywhere in the game. What on earth was it?
'The one certainty is that it's connected to something otherworldly. According to the game's lore, the Ancient Tower was built in the past to select heroes.'
So, did this tower judge them not as mere visitors, but as having the qualities of heroes?
'Because of Aiden? Or some other reason.'
He'd never heard of this phenomenon in the community either.
'Whatever it is, since the reward box has changed, maybe other rewards will be different too.'
With that thought, his companions arrived at the box with a hint of tension, and Aiden stepped forward to open it.
"Wh-what's this?"
What ended up in Aiden's hand was...
"A gem?"
A single gem shining brilliantly in a light green hue.
"What are we supposed to do with it... Huh?!"
At that instant, the light green gem slipped from Aiden's hand on its own and flew toward Jun's arm.
By the time the startled Aiden had half-drawn his sword, the gem had already seeped into Jun's arm.
Jun frowned slightly and looked at his arm.
There was the dimensional bracelet he'd received from Shylock, and the light green gem had entered it.
'How did it get into the dimensional bracelet that won't open without the owner's permission?'
Ever the mage, he was more interested in the process than the result for a moment.
"This energy feels kinda familiar."
"You felt it too, Senpai?"
But it wasn't just the two of them who sensed it.
"It feels like that World Tree thing the leader brought last time."
"I felt the same."
The pure energy of a forest.
When Jun opened the dimensional bracelet and took out the World Tree's essence, sure enough, there was a change that hadn't been there before.
"The pattern seems a bit different."
"A bit? Try a lot."
As Eleanor said, a pattern matching the gem they'd just seen had been added to the one engraved on the World Tree's essence.
"It seems like it's added some kind of effect... Hold on."
As Jun focused his mana into his eyes, Eleanor, who had been watching beside him, spoke first.
"Something's been added to the energy connecting us."
"Ah."
Jun nodded as if he'd realized something upon hearing that.
"It's a mental defense function."
The mental defense artifact he'd longed for.
And it was of a higher level than Jun had imagined.
'This... it has amplification tech?'
Based on principles similar to ancient magic, it had the property of amplifying its power the more people it was connected to.
'Jackpot.'
An artifact of this caliber was priceless.
He'd been agonizing over whether to spend time heading to a hidden piece location since they weren't flush with funds yet, but this made him grin ear to ear.
"He's thrilled."
"Haha... Seeing Senpai this happy makes me satisfied too."
"But how do we use it for mental strength stuff?"
If Jun was this excited, there had to be a reason.
To that, Jun answered as if it was a great question.
"First off, it's a ability we all need. In my case, it boosts resistance to my innate ability..."
The [Demon God Body] that always tried to drag the user's mind into the flow of mana.
There was no stat more crucial for resisting it than mental strength.
And that was just the start.
"Maya, for you, it'll let you converse more deeply with your ancestral spirits."
"...!"
She hadn't mastered properly communicating with her ancestors' spirits yet, but the moment she could, it would be like unblocking a meridian—exponential growth.
"And Aiden, you remember that possession incident in the alchemists' city? This'll give you resistance to that."
"Ah!"
"Finally, Eleanor. You know without me saying."
"Resistance to that outer god bastard's interference?"
"Exactly. Higher mental strength means more freedom from outer god interventions, and you might even be able to take off that eyepatch."
"Hm......"
Did that mean it wouldn't help in battle?
Far from it.
After intense fights with massive monsters like now, it would help alleviate fatigue.
"The higher your mental strength, the better your endurance gets."
Only then did his companions look at the enhanced World Tree's essence with curious eyes.
"Well, anyway... it was worth the ordeal."
They'd gained a lot from this expedition.
Aiden got a wind spirit, Maya a clue to communicating with ancestral spirits, Eleanor [Basic Magic Talent].
"I wish every mission was like this."
Maya muttered wistfully, but whether it would be was anyone's guess.
It was right after they'd each rested and exited the Ancient Tower.
"I've been waiting for you."
No sooner had they stepped out than a figure in a deep hood appeared before them.
His companions immediately went into combat stance, but the hooded man spoke again.
"Your thoroughness is exactly why the Count trusts you. Please, lower your weapons."
"...The Count—you mean Count Mordain?"
Jun's question made the hooded man nod.
"How many people would stumble upon the Ancient Tower in the middle of this desert and wait for you?"
"...Then, what brings you here?"
"The Count has an urgent commission for you."
"Commission?"
If it was that important, he could've mentioned it last time they met.
Had something new cropped up?
"You'd best hear the details in Bijou City."
"But it takes months just to get from here to there."
Even descending from the 5th stratum to the 1st took ages.
Then, the hooded man lifted his head with a faint smile.
"No need to worry about that."
"...You're."
Only then did Jun recognize the face, a flicker of tension crossing his own.
He was an NPC Jun had known since his 'Lee Jung-jun' days.
"The Guide?"
"Ho. You know me? That's unusual. My name isn't exactly well-known..."
The man seemed surprised by Jun's reaction, but not as much as Jun was.
'The only person who can wield space magic proficiently.'
A mere human leaping through space.
No one knew how it was possible even now.
'In the game, he appeared before players when a great crisis hit the Empire.'
He could even create passages linking the surface and ground.
Naturally, Jun's eyes sparkled with curiosity for space magic.
"Haha, as expected of the mage the Count has his eye on. You already know my abilities?"
"Just rumors."
"I'd love to know the source... but anyway, will you answer the Count's summons?"
"Give us a moment?"
Whatever it was, consulting his companions came first.
"The Count summoned us? But who is this guy?"
Even Eleanor, well-versed in the Empire's leadership, didn't know the man, so Jun explained briefly.
"Call him the Guide for now. Doesn't have a proper name, as far as I know."
"The Guide...?"
Even imperial Aiden looked puzzled, while Maya narrowed her eyes and turned toward him.
"Is that thing even human?"
"Why do you say that?"
To Jun's question, Maya replied.
"He's clearly here, but it feels like he's not."
"Yeah, I get the same vibe."
Eleanor agreed with Maya.
Apparently, only those sensitive to spirits sensed something.
"I don't know about that part either. Anyway, he's a mage who handles space magic."
Allegedly tied to the Imperial Family for generations.
"So, like a spy or something?"
"Pretty much."
When a major Imperial crisis arose, he'd bring forces from Blackout to the surface.
But from game info, his abilities had many restrictions.
"For someone like that to greet us personally..."
Sensing the gravity already, Eleanor's expression grew serious.
"Doesn't matter to me."
"If it's an Imperial issue... I can't take it lightly either, Senpai."
The two nodded, and Eleanor let out a small sigh before replying.
"If something's happened, better to be at the center than caught up from the outskirts."
Making the same call as Jun in the past, Eleanor cast her vote in favor.
"All settled?"
"Fortunately, my companions agree. Lead the way?"
"Haha, good. Everyone, step back a bit?"
As the Guide instructed, the group took a step back.
"To the Count's reception room."
Then, mana began warping around the Guide.
Jun's eyes lit up at the sight.
'The mana is distorting space itself.'
It looked like folding a long cloth over and over, bringing the endpoint closer.
'Is this even possible?'
How much mana to warp space that much?
Jun couldn't even estimate.
'Maybe the amount of mana stones the Empire uses in a year.'
An astronomical sum.
'And he's using it on us...'
This mission was definitely no walk in the park.
"Phew. It's ready. Note it might be a bit dizzying going in."
The portal thus created.
His companions gazed at it in wonder before stepping through one by one.
"Until we meet again, Mage."
"...Thanks for the show."
Finally, Jun gave a mage's courtesy and stepped through the portal.