Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Tower of Proof (1)
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“Counterattack!”
The Twin Head Ogre’s battle axe cleaved toward Rokan’s forehead. A few strands of hair fluttered away. But in exchange, the beast had to pay a far greater price.
Thwack!
Rokan’s strike, launched simultaneously with his evasion, shattered the creature’s skull.
It tried to dodge in a panic, but its body, dulled by barrages and regular attacks, couldn’t keep up.
Kreee!
But the beast still had one head left. Just as Rokan had survived thanks to his two hearts, the remaining head—sluggish but functional—issued a command to shake Rokan off.
Groooar!
And at the same time, both of its eyes glowed red.
For a berserker-type monster, that effect meant only one thing!
Rokan locked eyes on the axe blade plummeting toward him like sudden acceleration and roared back.
“Berserk!”
Rokan’s body seemed to swell slightly, and the Twin Head Ogre’s battle axe bounced off lightly.
Buffed in that instant, Rokan trusted his defense and swatted it away with his fist.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Then came the ten-hit combo!
Rokan shredded the Twin Head Ogre’s body in a flash, then hurled himself even deeper instead of retrieving the battle axe.
“Wild Slaughter.”
Rokan’s ultimate move, unleashed without a thought for mana cost!
It was powerful even under normal circumstances, but in his Berserk state, it unleashed maximum devastation.
Gro... ugh...
The ten-hit combo, amplified by the critical strike, tore its limbs apart like nothing. Even as a field boss, the Twin Head Ogre couldn’t resist and was effortlessly neutralized—its immortality powers rendered meaningless.
“Whew, can’t use this too often.”
But Rokan’s expression wasn’t exactly pleased after using the skill.
Its power was undeniable, but the post-skill stiffness, along with the massive drain on both mana and stamina, was no joke.
Even in Berserk state it was like this—normally, he figured it’d only be usable in truly decisive moments.
“Still, not bad!”
No big deal, though. Isn’t that what ultimates were? Skills meant to kill the enemy outright. Who cared about vulnerability afterward?
‘If it doesn’t finish the job, it’s just a slightly stronger move anyway.’
Otherwise, it wouldn’t deserve the name.
“Oh, jackpot!”
With that, he ended the writhing beast—now missing its limbs—and something great dropped into his inventory.
He’d hoped, but with his drop luck being poor lately, he’d half-given up on it!
[Twin Head Ogre’s Battle Axe][Rare]
The battle axe wielded by the Twin Head Ogre. Immensely powerful, but probably impossible to even lift without ogre-level strength.
-Attack Power: 1,200
-Durability: 1,000/1,000
-Equip Requirement: Pure Strength 600+
-[Overwhelming Power] effect: 20% increased attack power against targets with lower Strength than user
The Twin Head Ogre’s battle axe was twice Rokan’s size, but size adjustment made it fit perfectly the moment he gripped it.
“Nice!”
A rare-grade axe, no less!
Rare axes were hard to come by since few monsters used them, and this one’s high-level specs were icing on the cake. But the option? Perfect.
It was like it was made for him.
Who else could hit 600 pure Strength from stats alone?
Even among Dwarves or Trolls who got Strength bonuses at character creation, only a tiny fraction—and only if they dumped everything into Strength.
“Overwhelming Power? That’s top-tier among options.”
Plus, once the equip requirement was met, gear options stacked with Overwhelming Power. Who could outmuscle Rokan in Strength?
Effectively, he’d scored a 1,440 attack power weapon instead of 1,200. Mood lifted instantly.
“This’ll make things even easier.”
Grinning contentedly, Rokan hurried back to Taimura.
The real busywork started now.
* * *
“I’d like to request custom gear crafting.”
Back in Taimura, Rokan’s first stop was the blacksmith.
Taimura boasted five massive smithies, but he chose ‘Hammer and Anvil.’
Places like ‘Unyielding Flame’ or ‘Relentless Wind’ evoked specific attributes and could add extra options, but Rokan picked this plain-named one for one reason.
“Sure, what gear you wanna craft?”
“Custom-made.”
It offered custom crafting.
Others randomized remaining options for those extras, but here, you could lock in one specific option.
The rest were random, and your choice counted toward the total option slots—a downside—but the ability to choose was hugely appealing.
That’s why plenty of players seeking concept gear came here later on.
Of course, only those with ‘Dwarf affinity.’
Two of the five smithies were Dwarf-run; the rest by Gnomes, humans, and half-elves.
All required racial affinity for repairs, enhancements, or crafting requests.
‘Dwarf-made is still the best, though.’
Skill gaps existed between smithies.
But since each pursued different goals, raw attack or defense didn’t tell the full story.
Half-elf smithies often added elemental attack power; Gnome ones mechanical sub-skills.
Human ones?
‘...Cheap, at least.’
A sad reality, but reality nonetheless.
“Custom, huh? That’s pricey. You look loaded, though. Fine, what option you want?”
The Dwarf eyed Rokan up and down indifferently, but it meant he’d do it.
Normally, Rokan could only commission up to level 170 items from Dwarves, but side quests during downtime had raised that limit.
‘Around 250 maybe?’
Not sure exactly, but probably that range.
Even level 200 gear would be thanks enough. He’d just level up if short.
And the option was decided.
“Critical hit chance, please.”
“Crit chance? Unusual pick. Got it. What parts?”
“All armor except helmet.”
He hated scrapping the mana alloy gloves’ force enhancement and mana cost reduction, or the berserker chestplate’s intimidation, fear boost, and attack/defense gains on chain kills.
But the power of newly crafted gear outweighed it.
‘At least I can extract these.’
Small mercy: unlocking ‘Option Extraction’ upon reaching Central Continent.
Extract one option without destroying the gear—pricey, and random which one, so still regrettable.
“Alright, neck, shoulders, hands, chest, pants, shoes—six pieces. Five per day max, so come back in two days. Or tomorrow for partial pickup.”
‘Kondol, you bastard...’
Hearing the Dwarf smith, Rokan realized something was off.
Unlimited crafts for a fee had become five-per-day limited.
Supercomputer Kondol must’ve preemptively tweaked based on past Crossroads data.
“Understood.”
Nothing for it now. Hope for a perfect one-shot pull.
Reselling to users? No thanks.
‘Why give anyone else the good stuff?’
Better vend it or melt it down. With that, he headed to the ‘Tower.’
Official name: Tower of Proof.
Proof of what?
For users, only one thing: strength.
“I want to challenge the Tower of Proof.”
The tower spawned stronger monsters per floor as levels rose; clear them all to advance.
No item drops from kills, so purely for proof and honor—though top 100 got monthly rewards, making high ranks worthwhile.
‘That’s not all.’
But Rokan knew the tower’s secrets.
Titles exclusive to it, and easy ones via the tower.
Some downright excellent.
“You qualify. Good. Entry fee: 5 gold. No extras regardless of floors cleared or retries.”
Steep for one challenge, but no-death unlimited retries.
Rokan paid gladly and entered.
[Tower of Proof Floor 1. Trial begins. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
Flash!
The summoned monster eyed Rokan.
With blazing eyes...
Squeak-squeak.
Nope. Level 1 squirrel.
Even floor 1 was pathetically weak.
“Whew, here we go.”
But Rokan’s eyes burned as he stared it down.
Hidden powerhouse in squirrel skin?
No time for doubt—his battle axe swung.
Thwack!
[Cleared Tower of Proof Floor 1.]
[Move to Floor 2/Retry/Quit]
Over just like that. It was a plain squirrel.
It’d slipped him up in Pocket City, but at level 200, wind pressure alone would kill it.
Rokan casually selected.
[Tower of Proof Floor 1. Trial begins. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
Retry. Summon squirrel again.
‘999 more to go.’
One reason: unlock a title via special condition.
For that, Rokan repeatedly summoned and one-shot the insta-kill squirrel.
Once, ten times, a hundred. Mechanical swings crushed each palefaced squirrel.
Small size, but Rokan’s focus never wavered.
One-shot, one-kill.
No misses, straight through a thousand insane reps—then, change came.
He acquired a terrifying title optimized for ‘farming.’