Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Tower's Trials
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📰 Breaking News So what the hell is Grape Juice Lord's true identity? — Anonymous I know it's roughly Wine Lord's past self or whatever, but if our newbie keeps dragging her around like that, isn't it a total identity crisis? — Anonymous How's it a normal deal? — Anonymous She wasn't even interested in us to begin with, so why would she give a shit about some random hunter lol — Anonymous Remember how even the armbands were banging on her door and she didn't react once? — Anonymous That's the level we're at? — Anonymous If the lord's a retard, upvote lol — Anonymous For real, root of all evil bastard... the psycho perv who set up ejections and graduations and everything — Anonymous Fact is, if we jumped her now, she couldn't even resist and it'd be graduation lol The gallery buzzed back to life once more.
As always, the overwhelming interest in the newbie was the main bait.
📰 Breaking News Getting sick of all this newbie bait, it's fucking annoying? — Anonymous Not just once or twice, but endless real-time newbie posts spinning nonstop Can we really call this healthy bait for a gallery meant for boss mobs?
Can't even tell if this is a fandom gallery or a survival gallery lol
Has everyone forgotten who the newbie even is?
That fucker's a hunter. Aren't hunters the ones we need to keep the closest eye on more than anyone?
— Anonymous Yeah, starting to get sick of it lol — Anonymous Gallery identity? Whatever, it's all boring as shit. — Anonymous Shit posts with shit comments under them — Anonymous This is... a hate post? — Anonymous Upvote rigging is fucked lol 📰 Breaking News Here's why the post above is pure bullshit. — Anonymous The newbie's just a hunter? She's a hunter who can communicate with us and actually has some common sense when it comes to raiding the tower. And if you're a mid-to-upper floor boss, can you really disagree with that gut punch? Aren't most users active in this boss gallery trembling in fear, not knowing when they'll get ejected? — Anonymous This is spot on lol What boss pride bullshit? Just let us graduate already, we'll do anything — Anonymous Personal opinion) From the moment the hunter entered the boss room, she got forced into it and is basically a puppet now lol — Anonymous Fr, just shells that look strong... Wait, that's me — Anonymous What sudden self-reflection lol 📰 Breaking News Suppressing bait posts Nickname: Paper Enthusiast* — Paper Enthusiast If it bothers you that much, grab an armband. You can always just leave the gallery too lol Me and the other armbands discussed it, and we figured the newbie's activities have solid potential as a boss mob and could actually help. Instead of spinning bait like this, what else are we supposed to do? Go back to lining up like "I'm the boss, no you're the boss" and turning this into a shitshow jungle like old times? No one doesn't know about that era, right? lol — Anonymous Bosses yaaack — Anonymous What? What're you even saying? — Anonymous Back in the day, a few crazy bosses pretended to be anon and challenged the armbands — Anonymous Does that even make sense? Just a few bans and it's over — Anonymous If it was just chopping heads a few times it'd be fine, but lower floor bosses had ears so thin they got totally suckered by the agitation — Anonymous Oh; — Anonymous So they just went full strict parent mode, wrecked them in a concept fight, then perma-banned lol — Anonymous Yeah, straight-up observed and wrecked lol 📰 Breaking News The arena was the first and last time lol — Anonymous No one's challenged an armband since then. — Anonymous Armbands aren't handed out lightly lol — Anonymous Even if other boss galleries' rumors are filtered, we trust and follow armband rumors for a reason — Anonymous Picking a concept fight with the tower's owner who has way more authority than us was peak comedy lol — Anonymous Not entirely, the guys who agreed with the suppression back then are probably still lurking fine — Anonymous Look at that black heart — Anonymous What's the difference between this and hunters? 📰 Breaking News Hooee...! Paper Lord is mad for once...! — Anonymous Scary, so scary...! An angry armband is super rare..! Everyone, don't miss the chance—meme this and preserve it forever...! — Anonymous This guy's just pouring oil on the fire www — Anonymous The happy ones are scarier than the angry ones lol — Anonymous Paper Enthusiast*) Instant PTSD, logged off; — Anonymous Fact: Paper Lord didn't get one-two'd by Wine Lord either, so he dodged well lol — Anonymous That's a pro move lol Having revisited the gallery's intense history after so long, everyone returned to the original topic.
Grape Juice Lord—who the hell is she, really?
Separate from her cuteness, her very existence sowed confusion among them.
Part of the tower's system? Or a monster?
Someone who was Wine Lord, yet now lived a different past from her.
📰 Breaking News But for the newbie, this isn't such bad news, right? — Anonymous Her combat power aside, clearing the tower isn't all about brute force anyway. She'll be a huge help when we hit the mid-to-upper floors for real. Not just anyone—Wine Lord's past self right by his side? My brain theory checks out. — Anonymous Yeah, true — Anonymous ? Isn't it just brute force the floors then bye? — Anonymous Upper guy's floor estimate drops immediately? — Anonymous Sigh, this is why lower floor scrubs — Anonymous From certain floors up, condition clears come first — Anonymous What, if it was just headbutting dinos why have theme stages? Think a bit — Anonymous Whoa, why's this guy so pissed — Aged Wine is... She's no help..! Don't package baseless hypotheses like facts..! — Anonymous Grinding teeth and slamming Grape Juice Lord — Anonymous Yeah, deleted? Muted—(Account banned.) ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Heehee."
A familiar voice—his body reacted on instinct.
"Huh?"
A familiar presence.
How could he forget? The one he'd resolved to stay with no matter what.
Right in front of Do-yoon stood Eira's true form.
The being tortured mercilessly by the cult's schemes, twisted into a monster.
In the original timeline, this would have been the catalyst for her to gain the qualities of a true progenitor.
But Eira's fate had been warped.
By Do-yoon, the system, and Wine Lord's interference.
"You."
"Oppa!"
A small body crashed into him with a thud.
Do-yoon caught her with familiar ease and hurriedly looked up into the air.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Special perk resonates with skill 'Progenitor's Memory'. A new possibility has been reached. Special perk selected! Special Perk: Progenitor's Contractor (EX) "....?"
The special perk message that had appeared right when he hit level 10.
He knew about the perk itself.
Senior hunters had shared the info countless times.
"Did you miss me?!"
A cute little thing with sparkling eyes taking in Do-yoon's face.
Eira asked in a tone brimming with anticipation.
Did he miss her?
'Of course.'
He had.
He didn't know when he'd stopped being fully human, but back then, Do-yoon had definitely been influenced by something.
He'd resonated with Eira's progenitor past, forming a deep bond and sympathy with her.
Without that chance, the theme stage would have ended in spectacular failure.
Eira's existence was utterly irreplaceable to Do-yoon—nothing could compare.
Thump! Thump!
His heart raced.
Things working out so suddenly like this?
'Good's good.'
Do-yoon smiled purely at Eira, delighted.
"This is really Oppa!"
"Yeah."
"We're together forever now?!"
"Yeah. From now on, we'll climb the tower toge—"
-Screech.
Suddenly, as Do-yoon opened his mouth with a light heart, he sensed something off.
The world tilted. No—Do-yoon's vision was tilting.
"Wha..."
"...?!"
Eira startled like a frightened rabbit and shouted something, but it sounded muffled, like he was underwater.
'Ah.'
In that split second, Do-yoon realized.
This can't happen.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Warning! Afflicted with abnormal status! Abnormal Status: Mana Exhaustion 'Do-yoon oppa. No matter how urgent, never deplete your mana completely.'
Why?
Why at this timing of all times?
Do-yoon's gaze turned to Eira.
'Because you'll automatically enter mana exhaustion and pass out.'
'Not just a little—you straight-up can't use it all.'
He'd heard that from Jeong A-hyeon and felt a chill.
'Haha... That's why mana-heavy hunters are basically forced to the back. Just in case.'
And the situation A-hyeon had worried about had hit Do-yoon.
To use even part of Eira normally took no small amount of mana.
Now, Eira had manifested her true self right in front of him.
In other words, the one bearing the heaviest burden to summon her true form was—
'Me.'
No time to celebrate the new perk tied to her.
Reuniting after so long was heart-pounding joy, but he hadn't anticipated the risk.
-Shhwick.
Eira, teary-eyed, dissolved into mana.
Just like at the end of the theme stage.
The glow that became of her seeped back into Do-yoon's chest.
'Sorry I'm so weak.'
Ruining this touching reunion like this.
He cursed the system and his own frailty.
"...."
Do-yoon's consciousness cut off cleanly in that state.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "....! .....!"
How much time had passed?
In his hazy consciousness, a dull impact registered.
His body was being shaken roughly.
"...Yoon! Do-yoon!"
"Oppa!"
Two women's voices.
Both belonged to people he'd heard before.
One was Eira.
And the one shaking his body like mad right now was—
'Rakia.'
The hunter who'd declared she'd head to the next floor first—her voice unmistakably.
'She hasn't gone yet?'
He forced his blurry vision to clear.
Amid sharpening senses, that question arose.
Had she stayed behind waiting for him?
Why?
Even if perceptions had changed, he hadn't thought they'd closed the distance this much.
"You coming to?!"
"...Ugh."
Freed from temporary mana exhaustion, Do-yoon looked at Rakia Bells.
"Why're you still here."
"Y-You came!"
"Me?"
"Yeah! This is the 7th floor non-combat zone! You suddenly collapsed into mana exhaustion..."
"No, I cleared the 6th floor boss and—"
He'd only confirmed the level-up before retiring from mana exhaustion.
And then straight to the 7th floor?
What about his rest? Return to Earth?
"...If you let the choice timer run out, it auto-moves you to the next floor."
"Ah."
The harsh reality hit, and Do-yoon's mind went blank.
"...But things aren't that bad. Could even work in your favor."
"...."
"Leaving the tower dulls your senses, and teaming up with another hunter in the same boat is definitely helpful experience."
Seeing Rakia Bells' gaze—unreadable—Do-yoon let out a hollow sigh.
"Ugh!"
For some reason, cheeky Eira's reaction bubbled up in his mind.