The Second Floor Shadow Gamble

Using shadows to process the Life Eaters was a complete gamble.

It was a risky move meant to counter an unexpected counterattack.

Fortunately, the winner at this particular gambling table was me.

I caught my breath while staring at the half-collapsed entrance.

The Life Eaters that had been hammering the black curtain only moments ago had vanished without a trace.

It was probably because the system judged them as a single entity rather than separate hosts and parasites.

Even the Life Eaters clinging to my undead had been swallowed by my shadow.

Silence settled over the shelter now that every intruder was gone.

After a brief pause, a translucent window appeared before me.

“Whew… Looks like they’re not coming back. Thank goodness.”

Honestly, if another monster wave of that scale had arrived, I would have died no matter how well the gamble worked.

It really was a relief.

I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my gaze to check the reward list.

Unlike the first floor, the rewards were split into two categories: selection and additional.

When I touched the window to check the additional rewards, something dropped from the air with a soft thud.

Three magic stones that glowed with a beautiful luster.

And a luxurious pendant that looked like the work of a master craftsman, even to someone like me who knew nothing about jewelry or gemstones.

I felt a gaze on me and turned my head.

The Black Saintess was staring intently at the pendant in my hand.

When I moved the hand holding the pendant, her ruby-red eyes followed it automatically.

“…!”

Our eyes met. The Black Saintess quickly looked away.

I barely held back a laugh and fell into thought.

So the additional rewards really are just extra rewards on top of everything.

They literally gave me every item on the list.

The difference in rewards was huge for what was only a single floor gap.

Then again, it made sense when I thought about it.

If I hadn’t taken that near-cheating gamble using my shadow, I really might have died.

What I need most right now is Recycle.

The undead infected by Life Eaters were still stored in my shadow.

Recycle was absolutely necessary to deal with them.

But when I looked at it from a different angle, I wondered if I really needed it immediately.

Even if I learned Recycle and dissolved all the undead, I still wouldn’t have enough Dead Qi to summon the Cleaner.

There are plenty of ways to gather more Dead Qi even if it takes time.

The thing I lacked most right now was a proper means of attack.

The Chain Lightning offered as a reward was a common skill any mage-class could learn.

Yet its rank was a full S-class.

With that one skill, I wouldn’t have to rely on cheap tricks like I had earlier.

Just as I made my decision and reached out to select the reward—

The Black Saintess, who had approached at some point, placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Are you certain your Necromancy is truly a ‘magic’ category skill?”

“…Isn’t Necromancy considered magic?”

“Most people would assume so. However, your necromancy uses Dead Qi as its resource instead of mana. That cannot be called ordinary magic.”

Her words plunged me back into a swamp of doubt.

“Think carefully. The Hell difficulty Tower is far more vicious than a newcomer like you can imagine.”

At the Black Saintess’s advice, memories from the second floor flashed through my mind.

Had the monsters that seemed specifically designed to counter me really appeared by coincidence?

Was the clear ‘malice’ I felt the moment I saw the Life Eaters nothing more than my imagination?

After finishing my deliberation, I made my choice.

***

Once I safely returned to the waiting room, I first summoned all the Life Eater-infected undead from my shadow.

The infected ones charged at me the moment they appeared.

But the instant I activated Recycle, they melted away on the spot without leaving a trace.

Only black energy rose from where they had dissolved and flowed into me.

Still not enough to summon the Cleaner.

It looked like I would need more than eighty—at least as much as the Black Saintess required.

That was my cautious guess, anyway.

Having keenly felt the need to reinforce my forces, I decided to delay entering the third floor as long as possible.

It would be better to revive the Cleaner first before stepping onto the next floor.

By the way, what is this thing?

I looked down at the pendant in my hand.

Normally, you would take an ‘item’ like this to an appraiser who possessed an identification skill.

What on earth is it?

Why would the usually expressionless Black Saintess show such interest in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ‘First Saintess’s Pendant’?

More than that, the young girl who had appeared as a ‘protection target’ on the second floor.

No matter how I looked at her, she had resembled the Black Saintess.

Considering the Black Saintess’s reaction upon seeing the girl on the second floor.

And how familiar she seemed with the Life Eaters.

It was safe to assume the girl and the Black Saintess were the same person.

Still, I didn’t bring it up.

She had looked like she didn’t want to talk about it.

I had no hobby of digging into other people’s scars, pasts, or secrets.

Before returning to reality to rest, I accessed the Dead Gallery.

After posting about my safe return and chatting for a bit through the comments, I logged off and turned my head.

The Black Saintess was kneeling on the pure white floor with her hands clasped in prayer.

I walked over with the pendant in my hand and placed it around her neck.

“…?”

“I don’t know the details, but it seems like something connected to you, right?”

“…”

“At least give me an answer. You’re making this awkward.”

“Yes, that is correct. But why are you giving this to me…?”

“I thought you might get bored being here alone. Wouldn’t having this be better?”

“You can use the gallery too. Besides, I am not a child who throws tantrums about being bored—”

“Should I take it back then?”

When I spoke with a smile, the Black Saintess bit her lip and carefully shook her head.

Her words said one thing, but her body was honest.

I swallowed the laughter threatening to burst out and turned away.

“Then I’ll be back later?”

I said my goodbye to the stunned Black Saintess and moved to reality.

***

Arcane Guild.

This was the place where South Korea’s S-class Hunter Han Su-hyun reigned as Guildmaster.

It was, without question, the strongest hunter organization in the entire country.

A state of emergency had been declared at that very Arcane Guild.

The cause was the incident where someone had broken the record on Hell difficulty’s first floor.

Arcane Guild headquarters building.

Guildmaster Han Su-hyun’s office.

Han Su-hyun examined the documents her secretary had handed over with interested eyes.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. There are no records of external activity or online presence during that time frame. It has been confirmed he was in the typical blank state that occurs during a Tower climb.”

“There is only one newly registered Awakener named Yohan… and he isn’t even trying to hide it, acting this openly.”

Most rankers thoroughly managed their real-world identities to avoid being tracked.

They would hire a stand-in to leave records of public activity while they climbed the Tower.

They went to great lengths to keep their real identities hidden.

But this man named Yohan was acting as if he didn’t care at all.

It was almost suspicious enough to make her wonder if it was a trap.

Han Su-hyun took a sip of tea, the corners of her mouth rising.

“How interesting.”

“Shall we prepare contact immediately?”

“No. I’ll go myself.”

“Pardon? But… there is no need for the Guildmaster to handle the contact personally…”

“Do you really think so?”

“…”

“This is the person who surpassed Rebecca’s record, of all people. It is only right that I go personally. That is the bare minimum of courtesy.”

“Understood. Then I will clear the Guildmaster’s schedule…”

Han Su-hyun gazed at the sunset beyond the window and spoke softly.

“Clear everything for the next month.”

“Understood.”

The secretary withdrew.

Left alone, Han Su-hyun sipped her tea and murmured quietly.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of person he is.”