Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 101
"Wh, who is that?"
"A floor administrator... or something like that?"
An unknown entity standing proudly, treading on the sky.
The climbers were looking up at the sky, flustered by Nimrod's appearance.
Most of them here had never even met a floor administrator directly, let alone the tower's administrator.
To ease their concerns, Nimrod politely bowed and introduced himself.
"I am Nimrod, the tower's administrator. I am a worker who acts on behalf of the tower's will. I haven't come to devour you, so please don't worry too much."
After briefly introducing himself, Nimrod also greeted the four beings seated in the VIP section.
"It's a pleasure to meet such great beings. I apologize for the sudden appearance causing confusion."
"......"
Despite saying he was sorry, Nimrod's expression and gestures didn't look particularly apologetic.
"Since I'm already here, I can't just watch quietly and leave. I'd like to add one thing as a prize for this tournament's winner. How about it?"
"A prize? What is it?"
At Talis's question, Nimrod snapped his fingers and created a crystal the size of a fist.
"It's an All-Floor Teleportation Stone."
The climbers' eyes widened at the mention of a teleportation stone.
"An All-Floor Teleportation Stone?"
"You can go to every floor?"
"That's cheating!"
"That's unfair!"
As the climbers who recognized its true value added their comments one by one, the previously quiet colosseum soon filled with complaints.
In response, Nimrod looked down at the spectator seats with cold eyes and brought his index finger to his lips.
"Shh, quiet."
As his word of power took effect.
"-."
In an instant, the vocal cords of thousands of climbers were all sealed, leaving them only able to move their mouths without making any sound.
Only then did Nimrod continue speaking.
"I called it an All-Floor Teleportation Stone, but you can't go to floors you don't have climbing authorization for. It's just a trivial item with a bit of convenience."
Though he described it as trivial, its actual value was tremendous.
For floors without a climbing management office, you'd have to buy single-use teleportation stones or travel on foot, climbing floor by floor, but with that item, there would be no need for such hassles.
Moreover, unlike regular teleportation stones that teleport to random locations, an item of that caliber would likely allow coordinate designation as well.
It was a prize that guaranteed considerable convenience.
It was worthy of being called a championship prize.
However.
"Adding a prize at this point doesn't seem fair."
Gabriel's remark.
Since Zieg, Pantheon's representative, had already been eliminated, it was a natural reaction, if you could call it that.
But Nimrod didn't care.
"So what? Actually, this isn't a suggestion. It's a 'notification.'"
Nimrod shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care about fairness or anything else.
If he wanted to do something, he could do anything. As long as it didn't go against the tower's will.
Then he looked at Gabriel with a smirk and asked.
"Ah. By any chance, do you think that if I had announced this prize in advance, your disciple would have fought harder and been able to defeat their opponent?"
At his overly blatant remark, Gabriel frowned but slowly shook her head.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then there shouldn't be any problem, should there?"
"......"
Gabriel looked displeased.
Seeing this, Nimrod changed his mind slightly.
There was no need to create friction with other beings unnecessarily, and the fairness issue wasn't completely without merit.
"If that's really the case, then regardless of tournament ranking, I'll give one extra to anyone who fights and defeats the winner. That should work, right?"
'Fight the winner...?'
'Perhaps...'
Hearing Nimrod's proposal, the light of desire gleamed in the climbers' eyes.
Having already been eliminated, they were being told they could get a prize if they could somehow just defeat the winner.
It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Setting aside whether they could actually defeat the winner, there was no harm in trying.
That All-Floor Teleportation Stone was worth at least tens of billions.
Then one condition was added.
"However, that battle will be fought as a death match."
"You die if you lose?"
At Talis's remark, Nimrod readily nodded.
"Yes, being able to directly fight the winner and obtain spoils of war is an incomparable 'special privilege.' Since you're such righteous people who care about fairness, you should gladly accept this level of condition, shouldn't you?"
"......"
Though they were already rendered mute by Nimrod's word of power, the climbers became speechless once again.
Nimrod looked over them with his eyes and smiled slightly.
"I hope only those who are truly confident will challenge."
***
After the commotion, Nimrod shamelessly created a new chair among the VIP seats and sat down.
He had even created something like a cocktail on his own and was sipping it.
A strange sight of a rolling stone acting like the master. But no one could stop him.
Gabriel, feeling slightly irritated, asked the leisurely seated Nimrod.
"You seem quite free."
It was a gentle expression of criticism about whether the tower's administrator should be coming down to such low floors just to watch games.
But Nimrod responded with a big yawn, showing he didn't care much.
"Yes, the other administrators are working hard for me."
"......"
"You're all fighting too."
Only Gabriel, whose feelings were uncomfortable, was grumbling, while the other three had no particular reason to complain and didn't bother talking to Nimrod.
Nimrod leaned back comfortably in his chair and focused on the match. More precisely, on Seo-jin's movements.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll show us this time."
***
After Nimrod's surprise appearance.
Seo-jin stepped onto the arena as scheduled.
He glanced at Nimrod, who was boldly occupying a seat in the VIP section, and frowned.
'Why did that bastard come here to cause trouble again?'
Doesn't an administrator have anything better to do?
Though he found it quite annoying, he swallowed his irritation since they were adding a championship prize.
The All-Floor Teleportation Stone had that kind of value.
Also, with his appearance, Seo-jin's performance on the 12th floor would gain even more publicity.
Since the 12th floor left no data or records, Nimrod's appearance was the best promotional tool.
Anyway, enough of the side talk.
Seo-jin looked at his opponent standing across from him.
A climber chosen by Narcissus, a higher being of the fairy realm Avalon.
'Austin.'
A blonde man dressed in a white suit.
Blue eyes and a high nose. True to being chosen by Narcissus, he had looks that seemed full of narcissism.
To put it more directly, he had the face of a gigolo.
Seo-jin, who had been silently sizing him up, nodded.
'Right, now I remember.'
Nathaniel Austin.
A British climber who had made a name for himself as a high-level spiritualist until the tower's collapse.
His ability to seduce women was as excellent as his abilities as a spiritualist, and he seemed to have a bad reputation as a playboy who hit on any woman.
However, he knew nothing about what happened after the tower's collapse.
Whether he died when the tower collapsed, or whether he was beaten to death by the husbands of his mistresses in the lawless world, there was no way to know.
He placed his hand on his chest and politely greeted Seo-jin.
"Nice to meet you. Are you the rumored rising star?"
Seo-jin answered indifferently.
"Could be, or could not be."
"Seeing you hide your real name even on a stage like this, I have my suspicions, but if you won't reveal it, then so be it."
Austin nodded as if he wouldn't press further and changed the topic.
"That aside, you seem to know that beautiful lady who performed earlier. May I ask what your relationship is, if you don't mind?"
The guy's eyes lit up as he mentioned Se-yeon.
Setting his sights even on someone around high school age. He really wasn't a normal guy.
"Mind your own business. Before I kill you."
"There's no need to be so rough about it. I just wanted to have a brief chat with her. About what kind of history she has and what pain she's going through. Perhaps... I might be able to comfort her."
"If you beat me, I'll kindly tell you."
"Oh, really?"
Austin's eyes widened.
Seo-jin nodded.
"Really."
If you can leave the arena alive, that is.
"The match will begin!"
With the start announcement, Seo-jin immediately fired black lightning.
Unlike before, it was full power with no output adjustment whatsoever.
A beam of black electrical light that tore through space.
PUEONG-!
The black lightning exploded with a blast sound and created billowing smoke as soon as it reached Austin.
"......"
But Austin appeared unharmed through the smoke.
A blue water spirit floating beside him.
Austin responded leisurely.
"Several people have been carried out charred by that attack so far, but did you think it would work on me?"
"Well, would it not work?"
PABABAT-.
As Seo-jin waved his hand, several black magic circles appeared behind him.
Soon, a bombardment-like barrage of black lightning began pouring toward Austin.
KWAGWAGWAGWA-!
A bundle of black flashes shooting at him while tearing up the arena.
Austin was momentarily flustered.
'Wh, what is this?'
He just fired that level of magic, and now he's continuously casting this kind of area magic without any delay?
To block the lightning barrage pouring down like beams of light, Austin gritted his teeth and called upon spirits.
"Sylph!"
Austin summoned Sylph along with Undine, layering spirit barriers one after another.
When two attributes are mixed, defense power quadruples.
With this level of barrier, he could definitely withstand that magic.
Even so.
KWAGWAGWAGWA-!
The power of the lightning continuously hammering the barrier didn't seem to diminish at all.
'Is his mana infinite or something?'
No matter how much of a rising star he is, as long as he's a 12th floor climber, his level should be similar—around level 100—so how is this...
"......"
Just as Austin was thinking, Seo-jin was firing black lightning without much burden.
This level of mana expenditure wasn't particularly burdensome for him anymore.
But then.
HWARYEOK-.
Suddenly, a giant of flames burst out from Seo-jin's side and swung a massive sword.
[GUOOO!]
'Ho.'
Seo-jin raised his eyebrows slightly at the sudden ambush.
So he had the leisure to summon another spirit for attack while creating a protective barrier with two spirits?
Indeed, he showed the talent worthy of someone who made a name as a high-level spiritualist before the regression.
But that was it. Even so, he was still at the level of a climber active on the 12th floor.
"Black Chain."
CHARRRR-.
Instantly, chains of reverse heaven shot up from the ground and bound the sword targeting Seo-jin.
JEOLGEOK-.
[!]
In addition to that.
"Black Thread."
PIING-.
A thin, sharp thread of mana penetrated into the giant's body.
A thread of black magic that pierced straight through the spirit's core.
PUEONG-.
The flame giant with its core pierced exploded, disintegrating into particles.
The shock of a spirit being reverse-summoned is transmitted directly to the spiritualist.
"KEUKEUK-."
With the flame giant's reverse summoning, Austin, who received a great shock, knelt on the floor.
Austin staggered in place, coughing up blood.
At the same time, Undine and Sylph, who were maintaining the barrier, were reverse-summoned one after another, and the barrier disappeared as well.
KWAGWAGWA-!
The barrage of black lightning that was about to engulf Austin with the barrier gone.
Seo-jin manipulated the magic's direction with his finger just before Austin was hit by the attack, adjusting the lightning barrage to deflect to both sides.
KWAGWAGWA-.
The black lightning that deflected to both sides thanks to Seo-jin's consideration.
Austin, who had been coughing up blood, slightly raised his head and looked at Seo-jin.
He nodded slightly as if expressing gratitude for Seo-jin's kindness.
'I don't like him, but talent is talent.'
Killing such talent would be a great loss to conquering the tower.
His flirting around was annoying, but it wasn't really his business to interfere. It was ultimately that man's personal affair.
"HUU, HUU."
Austin stood up, wiping the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief.
In front of him, Seo-jin stood confidently, looking down at him.
CHIRIK-.
Black spears floating around Austin.
Seo-jin looked down at him and spoke.
"Will you surrender?"