Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Temporary Alliance with Lily Rose
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I quickly gathered mana without panicking and strengthened my body. Then, calmly manifesting small spells, I took out the monsters approaching me one by one.
Kwang! Kwang!
The monsters were around D-Rank, so dealing with them wasn't much of a problem.
Of course, I couldn't use mana elixirs freely here, so I didn't forget to distribute my mana carefully.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
—Kuh-eung!
The monsters collapsed one by one in front of me.
But handling the endlessly surging monsters was quite overwhelming.
Due to the nature of my magic, I was at a disadvantage in battles against groups that required a lot of mana.
In the end, to conserve mana, I mixed in close combat as I fought.
...About 10 minutes passed like that.
[The event 'Placement Exam' has ended.]
With the sudden voice of the Tower's Will, all the monsters in this space turned to dust and vanished.
[The rankings will now be announced.]
[1st Place: Yu Ara (Kills: 102)]
[2nd Place: Lee Seo-jun (Kills: 85)]
[3rd Place: Lily Rose (Kills: 74)]
[43rd Place: Kim Sun-woo (Kills: 32)]
A long ranking list floated before my eyes.
I stared at it in a daze.
As expected, Yu Ara, specialized in wide-area combat, had taken 1st place by killing a whopping 20 more monsters than Lee Seo-jun.
Lily Rose in 3rd.
It all followed the original story.
And my ranking... 43rd.
"43rd..."
It was a bit disappointing, but considering there were 300 participants total, it wasn't a bad rank.
43rd out of 300.
It was certainly worthy of being called upper ranks.
And while this event had been disadvantageous for me, there were surely events ahead that would favor me.
I just had to wait for the right moment and seize it.
Then the Tower's Will spoke again.
['Kim Sun-woo', your rank is 43rd.]
[You have earned 320 points for killing 32 monsters.]
[You have earned an additional 120 points as a ranking bonus.]
[Moving to the 8th floor.]
At the same time, a bright light flashed.
Meanwhile, Lily Rose had arrived at the 15th floor of the tower as a result of this first event, the 'Placement Exam.'
Looking around, she found herself in a lush space overgrown with green trees. It felt just like a forest. Looking up at the sky, a dazzling sun hung there.
She felt a brief wonder at the sight of a sun rising inside the tower, but she was already familiar with the tower's many 'mystical powers.'
After marveling at the sudden new scenery, she recalled the ranking list she'd just seen and hardened her expression.
"Me in 3rd?"
Lily muttered in disbelief.
Of course, she'd considered the possibility of losing to Lee Seo-jun in the first event. But she'd expected 2nd at worst—she hadn't even imagined 3rd.
To think someone other than Lee Seo-jun had taken 1st.
"...Yu Ara."
So the hype about her being a once-in-a-generation genius alongside Lee Seo-jun wasn't exaggeration.
An unexpected dark horse.
"Tch."
It was a bit regrettable, but truthfully, the results of this first event weren't important to her.
Because she had no intention of challenging the 30th floor.
In the past 50 years, only one person had reached the 30th floor in this exam.
So she didn't think anyone else would aim for the 30th floor either.
"Anyway, I need to start earning points soon."
As expected, nothing beat plundering for point farming.
But it wasn't time yet.
Day 2 of the exam.
The moment other students' points started piling up.
That was the safest and most efficient time to strike.
"Shall I hunt first?"
That seemed best.
Lily pulled out her smart student handbook and checked the tower map.
The nearest massive monster zone from this 15th floor...
"Found it."
The 14th floor's 'Rock Field.'
Thanks to the Placement Exam clearing up to the 15th floor, she could move to the 14th floor via a portal somewhere in the tower without any additional tests.
"Alright, to the portal then."
Lily checked the tower map and started walking.
About 4 hours after the exam began.
I'd reached the 14th floor.
Starting from the 8th floor after the Placement Exam, that meant I'd climbed 6 floors in just 4 hours.
Actually, there was a specific reason I was rushing to clear floors quickly.
Pre-clearing floors widened my options when using the tower's 'portals' for movement.
Considering the upcoming events and incidents, having as many cleared floors as possible offered various advantages.
"Fwaaah... I'm tired."
Yawning, I looked at my smart student handbook.
Time was already 12:10 AM.
Midnight had passed before I knew it.
I should probably get some sleep soon...
But sleeping just anywhere worried me about other students plundering me.
The safest option was the 10th floor's 'Midway Safe Zone' where fighting was prohibited, but entering the 10th floor cost 300 points.
In a place where rankings shifted dramatically in 100-point increments, burning 300 points just for sleep was way too inefficient.
"That place seems best after all."
There was a small cave I'd spotted earlier while passing by.
That should let me sleep safely out of sight.
As I walked along the 14th floor, I sensed a faint presence from the bushes in the distance.
Tension rippled through my body.
The other person might attack to plunder me.
The mysterious presence drew steadily closer. Soon, it rustled through the grass and revealed itself before me.
"Kim Sun-woo?"
A blonde woman calling my name.
It was Lily Rose.
As soon as Lily Rose appeared, I gathered mana in preparation for any contingency.
According to the original story, Lily Rose was a potential 'red player' in this exam.
She might attack me suddenly, so I had to be ready.
But Lily Rose waved a huge chunk of meat in one hand and greeted me cheerfully.
"Whoa, what a coincidence. I was getting bored—perfect timing."
Lily Rose approached me acting all friendly.
Wondering what her deal was, I stared at her. Of course, I didn't let my guard down.
"Oh, were you tense thinking I'd plunder you? Heh heh. Don't worry. I don't plan to right now."
Lily Rose grinned slyly. It was like she was saying she could plunder someone like me anytime if she wanted, but was showing mercy.
It was absurd, but that was her character, so I let it slide.
"Why."
"Just... I was happy to see someone I actually know after entering the tower."
Then she stretched her back with a big yawn.
"It's about bedtime. Got a spot in mind to sleep?"
"More or less."
"Yeah? Oh right, you got perfect theory scores? Smart guy like you must have it all figured out. Wanna team up with me for a bit?"
Team up? Tilting my head at her unexpected proposal.
"What kind of team-up?"
"I'll share this meat, you provide the sleeping spot. We take turns on watch. Sound good?"
Food and watch duty. Not a bad deal. I hadn't prepared any provisions anyway.
And Lily Rose's skills were reliable enough to trust with watch.
The only concern was her betraying and plundering me. But I decided not to worry about that.
If she intended to plunder me, she would've attacked already.
"Sure, sounds good."
At my words, Lily Rose smiled brightly.
"Nice, we communicate well."
And so our sudden alliance with Lily Rose began.
I led her to the cave I'd scouted earlier, and she looked satisfied.
"Oh, nice find."
"Let's just sleep. Who's on first watch?"
"Huh? No meat first?"
"It's late. Save it for tomorrow."
It was 12:15 AM now.
Midnight snacks were tempting, but with a packed schedule ahead, no time for that.
Lily Rose nodded at my response.
"Got it. Then I'll take first watch. Cool?"
"Fine. I'll sleep first?"
"Yeah, yeah. Trust me and rest easy. Wake you in about 4 hours?"
"Yeah."
I lay down on the ground right away. The hard floor was uncomfortable. Gathering some nearby leaves helped a bit.
Sleep came quickly.
Gotta stock up on stamina for tomorrow's event.
The next morning.
Waking up, I sat up with a blank expression.
Turning to the cave entrance, bright morning sun streamed in. Across from me, Lily was leaning against the wall, asleep.
"...What the."
I blinked at her.
My mind was briefly confused.
She was supposed to wake me for watch shift midway, but I had no memory of it.
We'd agreed to take turns.
No way she stood watch the whole time instead?
"No way."
She looked uncomfortable propped against the wall—clearly she'd dozed off mid-watch thinking 'just a few minutes.'
I could picture it without asking; it was ridiculous.
"Tch."
She sure lived carefree.
Lucky no one attacked, or it could've been dangerous.
Just then, Lily's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"...Hm?"
Waking up, she stared at me blankly. Then, as if remembering something, she flashed an awkward smile.
"Y-You're up?"
"You looked so tired, so I covered watch for you. Haha. No need to thank me."
Now she was blatantly lying without shame.
It was absurd, but since nothing happened, I'd let it go.
And I'd gotten a full night's sleep out of it—net positive.
I got up and tidied the area.
Lily, who'd been watching me, picked up the big hunk of meat beside her and spoke.
"But hey, no breakfast?"
"Gotta eat."
"I'm starving—let's eat now. Grill it up?"
"Of course. Already got it going."
At my words, Lily snapped her fingers, igniting a flame spell on the firewood.
"Oh..."
I let out a small exclamation, and Lily smirked.
"What, impressed by this? Wait till you see my real skills."
Soon, we started eating.
The meat wasn't bad. In my hungry state, it melted in my mouth. Midway through, Lily tossed me questions.
"So, what's your plan for today?"
"Earn points."
"Monster hunting?"
"Don't worry about it."
"...Brat."
She frowned at my curt reply, looking annoyed.
Ignoring her, I finished eating and stood.
"Gonna head out."
"Already?"
Lily looked up at me.
"Yeah, you're busy today too. No time for this."
"...True."
Nodding at her words, I tossed out casually.
"See you soon then."
Lily smirked at that.
"See you soon? We might be enemies next time. You okay with that?"
She said it in a sly tone, trying to spook me.
I gave her a light smile in return.
The meaning of my "see you soon."
Naturally, as enemies.
About 18 hours left until the exam ended—6 PM.
Lily was in the midst of the 4th event on the 18th floor's forest zone.
The event was called 'Hidden Treasure Hunt.'
Exactly as it sounded: find treasures hidden across the fields to earn points.
In this event, illusions and barriers sprouted across all floors, making it quite hard to locate the hidden treasures within.
"Found it~"
But Lily was unearthing gems at a rapid pace despite the harsh conditions.
Thanks to special training in such environments through her family's education.
"Wow, pretty."
Lily peered at the sparkling purple gem.
That made 12.
Nearly an hour since the event started— one every 5 minutes.
This secures 1st, she thought with a smile.
"How much time left?"
Lily checked her smart student handbook.