The Square
“So, now that we’ve built up this much hype, isn’t it about time you told us what’s on the 15th floor?
I want to know too!!”
A user who had been enjoying the gallery to the fullest finally couldn't hold back and threw down a gauntlet to Wine-jwa.
They were beings born with the fate of eventually dying and fading away.
Even if they hoped for graduation, the possibility was slim.
In truth, they knew.
That their lives, cobbled together as they were, were destined to be toyed with by the Tower like playthings before being discarded.
That was the reason why most of them held a favorable view of the newbie’s existence.
For a mere hunter to not only touch a Gate Break but also influence the Master of the Tower? From the perspective of those who had been bound to the Tower for a long time, it was an overly excessive speculation.
In the midst of all this, Doyun, who had entered the 12th floor, made his presence known.
“What the.”
Amidst the usual madness of the gallery, Doyun closed the window and watched the scene.
‘The 11th floor was Lycans, and next is.’
If the theme of this stage was anecdotes about demon hunters, it was highly likely that related monsters would pop out again.
The Alchemist of Oblivion and the Demon Hunter Arcein were not boss mobs active in the gallery. It seemed they were entities bound to quests arranged directly by the Tower.
‘That’s a shame.’
It was the same reason why objects like Aira didn't exist in the gallery.
Doyun thought it was about time for someone to appear. A situation where he could easily clear the floor through the favor of someone who actually existed in the gallery.
-Krrrk...
With the mysterious crying sound in the distance, now feeling strangely familiar, as background music.
-Step.
Doyun began to move forward.
“Hmm.”
Among the stats that were nicely averaging in the 30s, one stat stood out as lacking.
Doyun happened to have the reward he’d obtained from clearing the previous floor.
‘Is that so?’
Certainly, rather than simple physical specs, thinking in terms of potential didn't seem bad.
Doyun had unintentionally caused quite a stir between the Mana believers and the martial arts faction.
‘This isn't what I wanted.’
What he wanted was feedback exchanged within a perfectly healthy range.
Will you use the Stat Enhancement Selection Ticket?
“Yeah.”
At those words, Doyun immediately used the ticket and looked at the four stat options.
Will you enhance 'Agility'?
Warning! Once a stat is selected, it cannot be undone!
It was a recommendation from none other than the Master of this Tower, who had helped him several times.
-Swoosh...!
'Agility' stat increases permanently.
Agility: 27 → 33
The increase was a whopping 6.
“Oh.”
An exclamation of admiration escaped Doyun’s lips. He lightly stretched his body, but he couldn't quite feel the difference yet.
‘They’re still doing this.’
Doyun felt dizzy at the sight of them still fighting over their ideologies. Wasn't it enough to just get stronger, in any way possible? It was a thought that would make other hunters grab the back of their necks, but no one could stop Doyun.
‘For now.’
Doyun checked his gear again and took out the map from his inventory. It was the half-destroyed village map he had obtained through the battle with Arcein. The drawing, which had observed the vast scenery of the ruins from the sky, was revealed in fragments.
“This is much better.”
It was much better than when he didn't know anything and just followed Rakia Belz’s back. The space inside the map was much wider than Doyun had expected.
However.
“What is this?”
At Aira’s question, Doyun observed the map and replied.
“A village map. But there are areas I can’t see.”
True to its name, ‘half-destroyed,’ some areas were faded and crumbling. And naturally, the exact location of the boss room was not specified.
Abandoned well, shopping district, square.
The locations in the village that Doyun had passed through, or had yet to pass through. The area identified as the boss room would be one of those places.
“Gyaaaa...!!”
As he was pondering where to explore first, someone’s scream rang out from afar. It was a man’s voice.
‘A hunter?’
Whatever it was, the probability that it would be too late by the time he arrived was very high. Doyun checked the map again. Judging by the location, it seemed to be the square.
“Are you going?”
“Might as well.”
Doyun decided quickly and moved to the scene immediately. However, what he encountered was.
“Gyaaaaa...!”
It was a monster of a terrible form, luring him by borrowing a human voice.
-Krrrk.
“P, please save me...!”
The moment it encountered Doyun, it changed its staggering gait and revealed its true colors. A being that gave off a rotten stench, still imitating the face of its victim in its maw.
“That’s fucking malicious.”
The monsters forming the 12th floor were clearly of a more terrible form than before. Had he seen them in the gallery? In the memory of the terrible photos he had seen countless times, a strangely familiar energy was felt. Perhaps the reason he didn't panic the moment he first saw it was the same.
“Hup.”
With the thought of badgering the gallery again, he decided to focus on the battle unfolding before his eyes for now.