Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Proof of the Tower
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As expected, this space was a fake world created by magic.
I placed my hand on the scorching floor.
The moment I did, the burning pain in my palm made me grit my teeth.
“Guh!”
It hurt.
But I had to endure.
Until I fully disarmed the trap in this space!
The entire blazing floor emitted a blue light.
[Prove yourself.]
‘Yeah, I’ll prove it.’
My unique talent.
Unlike other support wizards, I couldn’t create magic formulas, but I was more confident than anyone in deciphering them.
—Zzzt...
I kept injecting mana into the floor, altering the magic formula.
The light spread from the floor to the ceiling and walls—everything glowed.
And after a moment.
An achievement window appeared before my eyes.
Ding!
[You have achieved the ‘One Recognized by the Tower of Proof’ achievement.]
[You have obtained 10,000 points as a reward.]
...Did it work?
“Hah... hah...”
I exhaled ragged breaths and looked around.
The flames that had been raging were gone without a trace, and it had returned to the beautiful flower field as before.
[You have proven yourself.]
The tower’s will echoed once more.
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered the hidden floor, ‘World of Imagery.’]
[The Tower of Proof bestows its blessing upon you.]
[The adaptive trait, ‘Tower’s Proof (D),’ has been added.]
[Magical power increased by 5.]
[Mana recovery speed increased by 20%.]
[Magic power increased by 10%.]
[The Reward Room opens.]
“Alright!”
Relief washed over me, and I flopped down flat on my back.
The story had veered slightly from the original novel, but since I’d conquered it, I was satisfied.
After a short rest, I stared at the ornate door that had appeared in the air of the hidden floor.
Beyond it, there was nothing—just the door floating there alone.
“This must be the Reward Room.”
I admired the massive door for a moment before slowly opening it.
Creeeak...
As the door swung open, a magnificent structure came into view.
It felt like stepping into a temple from mythology.
Especially the pair of giant goddess statues holding swords in both hands—they really drove that feeling home.
“Wow.”
Awed by the overwhelming atmosphere, I slowly stepped inside the Reward Room.
I’d visited reward rooms in other towers a few times before, but I’d never seen one as grand as this.
As expected of a hidden floor.
Even the reward room was on another level.
I walked straight ahead along the path.
At the end of the path stood a massive altar.
“Is that it?”
I approached the altar slowly.
The hidden floor’s rewards totaled three items.
And just like in the original story with the protagonist, there were three items on the altar.
I first picked up the long spear glowing with red light.
To check an item’s stats, you normally needed an appraisal office. But thanks to my regressor’s perk, I could view the spear’s details right away.
［Soul of the Crimson Dragon (B)］
Classification: Spear
Description: A spear made from the bones of a crimson dragon. It contains the dragon’s energy.
［Continuous Effect］
►Blazing Aura
Fire attribute.
Increases stamina and strength by 25.
Deals 30% additional damage against water attribute monsters.
Durability: B
Attack Power: B
« o »
The main reward was exactly the spear I’d seen in the original story.
Its stats weren’t exceptional, but with no downsides and only upsides, it’d probably fetch a good price at auction.
Around 30 million won, maybe?
“Got my seed money at least.”
I picked up the next item.
It was a magic scroll inscribed with special characters.
[Enchantment Scroll: Spell Barrier (B)]
Classification: Enchantment
Description: Designate a tool to enchant it with magic.
［Usage Effect］
►Spell Barrier
Deploys a barrier that blocks one spell.
*Cooldown: 12 hours
An enchantment scroll adds a new effect to a tool of your choice.
It’s always a solid reward since it’s so straightforward to use.
A spell barrier would come in handy someday, so I’d hold onto it.
I should use this one myself later.
“And the last...”
I picked up the five plants topped with red flowers on the altar.
Beside them was a small pouch containing their seeds.
[Sacred Herb (C)]
Classification: Material
Description: A plant infused with mysterious power. If processed well, it could yield a special elixir.
Sacred Herb.
It was a bonus item that came along with the hidden floor’s rewards.
Its rank was barely C, but its rarity was insane—you couldn’t get it anywhere else.
Sacred Herb was an elixir ingredient.
Uniquely, it was useless on its own as an ingredient. That’s because it acted as a catalyst, amplifying the effects of other herbs.
Mixing Sacred Herb with other ingredients produced high-performance potions or elixirs.
The problem was that the crafting method was tricky, so I couldn’t just hand it off to anyone.
I needed to entrust it to a skilled alchemist.
And I knew a group that could handle it reliably.
I carefully packed the Sacred Herbs and their seeds into my bag so they wouldn’t get damaged.
“What time is it?”
I checked the time.
8:29.
About an hour until the demon Janghan went berserk.
Time to head out.
“Ugh. So heavy.”
The spear slung on my back was killing my waist.
I waddled my way out of the tower.
As I emerged, I spotted the Wizards’ Association staffer who’d let me in that morning.
It was about time for them to clock out, yet they were still holding the fort. Kinda pitiful.
The staffer greeted me upon seeing me.
“Hello.”
“Oh, hi. Hello.”
The staffer, who’d been smiling brightly, eyed the spear on my back.
“Oh, that spear. You got it as a tower reward, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Um, you’re Kim Jinwoo, right?”
They even remembered my name. Good memory.
But why ask?
“Yeah, that’s me. Why?”
The staffer smiled and replied.
“Just now, word spread that someone conquered the Tower of Proof’s hidden floor, and the conqueror’s name was Kim Jinwoo. It’s a huge deal.”
What? The rumors spread already?
The tower records the conqueror’s name every time a new floor is cleared.
The hidden floor was no exception.
“...Yeah, that’s me.”
“I knew it! I remembered you because of your distinctive beard. Haha. Anyway, that’s impressive. I’ve climbed the Tower of Proof a few times myself, but it’s brutally tough. I gave up. And you did the hidden floor solo...”
The staffer suddenly unleashed a torrent of words.
I listened for a bit, but my head started spinning.
If I let this go on, the conversation would never end.
I cut them off.
“Excuse me, I’m in a hurry. Gotta go.”
“Oh... Sure! Take care.”
A small bustling district a short distance from the Han River in Seoul.
Thanks to today’s Han River fireworks festival, the area was packed with people.
I leisurely sipped coffee on the rooftop of a five-story building, keeping watch.
A glance at the time: 9:25.
About five minutes until the demon rampage.
Where was the demon right now?
Since this was the rampage spot, they’d show up soon.
“...Found it.”
In the distance, I spotted a man in a fedora. His eyes had turned black sclera—the classic sign of a demon on the verge of rampage.
That had to be Janghan, the first demon to appear in the original story.
“Whew.”
This was the closest I’d ever gotten to the main storyline’s combat. No wonder I was extra tense.
Once the demon rampaged, this area would turn into hell. Lots of people might die by its hand.
It could even be Lee Seojun who dies—or me.
That’s why I had to be extra careful.
“...Nervous.”
Where the hell was Lee Seojun, anyway?
Less than four minutes until the rampage, and still no sign of him.
Where could he be?
He should be showing up any second.
“Where the heck is this guy?”
In the original, Lee Seojun’s group had been enjoying their youth by the Han River, then stopped here feeling peckish—ten minutes before the rampage.
Had they arrived already and I just missed them?
...No way. I wouldn’t have.
That meant Lee Seojun wasn’t here.
“...What the hell.”
Time ticked by to 9:29.
Right on cue, Janghan’s body shuddered.
It convulsed, and he soon collapsed to the ground.
The people around him sensed something off and backed away.
Then one man approached Janghan.
From his lip movements, he seemed to be asking, ‘Are you okay?’
The guy had no clue the person in front of him was a demon.
Dangerous.
If left alone, Janghan would kill him for sure.
I was about to shout for the man to get away when a gruesome spray of blood painted the street red.
Janghan’s arm had pierced right through the man’s chest.
The man vomited blood and crumpled to the ground.
9:30.
Drenched in blood, Janghan’s body jerked. It swelled up like a monster’s, growing larger.
The blood from the freshly killed man seeped into Janghan.
His coat couldn’t handle the expanding body and tore apart. Crimson glow pierced through his pitch-black eyes.
—Kya啊啊啊!
People finally grasped the situation and started screaming.
The festive mood shattered into pandemonium.
They fled desperately from the demon.
- Run for your lives!
—It’s a demon! Everyone run!
Janghan rose, his body now over 3 meters tall. His ragged breaths echoed through the space. He’d already lost his reason to the rampage.
Now he’d launch indiscriminate attacks at anyone human.
Demons grew stronger by absorbing human blood, after all.
“Damn it!”
I gathered mana in my hand. I compressed and manifested the maximum mana I could handle.
‘I have to stop him.’
The plan had gone awry.
Originally, I’d aimed to rack up moderate contributions without derailing the main story too much and snag some points.
But things had deviated from the original.
Lee Seojun, who was supposed to stop the demon, wasn’t here.
If I left Janghan alone, he’d keep absorbing blood and grow uncontrollably strong.
In the end, to avert the worst outcome, I had no choice but to step up myself.
But demons were tough.
Janghan’s threat level was at least B-rank.
Pre-regression, maybe I could’ve handled it, but my current self was outmatched.
‘I have to take him down in one shot.’