Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Constellations' Favor is Excessive
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No, I'm not that depressed. I just think something's off somewhere.
Was it my tone?
Even if I spoke all cute like a real middle school girl, they wouldn't believe it, right?
They'd just treat me like some psycho pushing that concept.
That said, I don't want to film myself proving I'm a 14-year-old girl.
"Let's think positively."
What's so bad about being TOPKING?
Sure, rumors are spreading about me raw-dogging bear meat, going shirtless in the dead of winter, headbutting anything in my path or punching holes in chests if they don't, and having a terrifying, monstrous appearance that inspires fear just by looking... but whatever, let's say that's true.
The constellations are sponsoring me, and I don't exactly need government-issued gear.
I shook it off and stood up, and for some reason, the constellations seemed touched.
"...?"
I wondered what was going on, but the Constellation Gallery was spinning some pathetic delusion.
But we didn't bring her here because we wanted to.
But she's this mature? If only half of my kids took after her...
I stared at the gallery in bewilderment.
I'm not a real kid, so why would I mope about missing my parents?
Sure, I look like a 14-year-old girl on the outside.
I shook my head.
I still need to finish grinding that proficiency.
Gripping my sword, I felt the quiet ripples of the water's surface.
When I'm this immersed, my mind feels at peace.
The moment I opened my eyes, the basics of swordsmanship were perfectly ingrained in my mind and body.
"That's done too..."
I turned to check the timer.
Once I get immersed, time flies by, so I need to confirm how much has passed after focusing.
Only two hours left.
Swordsmanship took longer than mana training, surprisingly.
Or maybe real combat matters more than training? Proficiency shot up every time I fought for real.
Anyway, looks like my time on the 2nd floor is wrapping up.
A week flew by.
It had to.
Cast a line and fish bite, scout around and gather edible fruits, cook and it turns into Michelin three-star quality.
More livable than I thought.
"With these, I could survive anywhere, right?"
As long as it's not the middle of a desert or ice field.
One of my biggest gains from clearing the 2nd floor.
"Now, finally..."
Time to hunt for that hidden piece the gallery mentioned.
I was planning to anyway, but with a constellation straight-up telling me, I had to check.
Hidden piece, huh?
Is it okay to spoil it this blatantly?
They at least pretended to be fair at first, but now it's outright favoritism.
Well, it's good for me, so whatever.
Yeah, keep the favoritism coming.
"Ugh."
As I approached the bear corpse I'd killed, a revolting stench of rotting flesh hit me.
Even pinching my nose, it stabbed right through.
Normally I'd steer clear, but with a hidden piece mentioned, I had to dig through the putrid mess.
Scanning around the body, something caught my eye.
Luckily, no need to dig manually.
I have skills useful for searching.
Meaning I could spot that item hiding in the shriveled blood pile easily.
Pretty useful proficiency for Tower climbing too.
Maybe enhance it via combination or tweak its nature?
"Later for that."
First, confirm the hidden piece.
Still pinching my nose, I reached out.
Rummaging through the gore, a object gleaming silvery in the sunlight appeared.
"A ring?"
Clink—
A finger bone was caught on the ring.
Looks like it was a gift from someone, swallowed by the monster, and stayed in its gut.
Fiance's ring, huh.
A bit creepy wearing a dead person's ring, but the rank is high.
"Rank D Intermediate? Same as my reversal sword."
Not sure if it'll help climbing, but thinking back, that bear boss totally ignored me at first, making it easy to take down.
Reduced wariness sounds vague, but it's powerful in practice.
Especially synergizing with my appearance, it'll pack a punch.
Handy as combination material too. Grab another D Intermediate and I could make Superior.
I cleaned the ring thoroughly and tried it on.
Fits my finger perfectly.
Never worn a ring before, so it felt weird, but I'll get used to it.
"Hmm..."
Feeling oddly sentimental, I checked the Constellation Gallery.
There has to be a story behind it.
But isn't it dangerous? If someone else is wearing his fiancee's ring, won't he try to kill for revenge?
Can I just one-shot him?
Oh, that's how it is?
Better hide the ring then, just in case.
Unless I kill that NPC later or sweet-talk him into giving it up.
Not an item to just pop on blindly.
Whatever happens, high-rank items are always welcome for me.
Thinking that, I checked the remaining time on the floor.
Time's almost up.
Now curious about the 2nd floor clear reward.
Less important than the 1st, but still looking forward to it.
Word is, clearing under special conditions gives better rewards.
Time's up.
The surroundings began crumbling, and I watched the Tower's settlement in the void.
Obviously, boss kill counts for enhanced rewards.
Hell perks on top of boss kill bonuses.
Even Hard gives massive rewards per floor—by 20th, you're ahead of Normal clearers.
Break 30, and you're a top ranker incomparable to lowers.
So what about Hell?
A brilliant light enveloped me.
Ding—
"...What?"
My potential is OP, but not risk-free.
To make higher ranks, you grind lower materials—if unsatisfied, hard to undo.
But now decompose successes?
That's broken.
Means I can decompose equipped items/skills and recombine to taste.
My main weapon, reversal sword, is meh against non-high-rank foes.
But decompose and recombine situationally?
Insane value.
Not just me—the gallery was hyped.
At least compensating for all the bullshit this time.
Now just prep for D-rank promotion?
Keep that up and the Tower sanctions you? Spoiling the hidden piece was already pushing it.
;;;
Escaping the forest I'd grown attached to over the week, I arrived in the familiar white waiting room.
Now expanded, I could see a bathroom for washing and a kitchen for cooking.
Being cooped up like an ascetic in an empty space might drive anyone nuts.
Feels way more livable now.
"30 days is generous."
Muttering that, I glanced around and froze.
In the corner of the waiting room, unidentified junk piled up massively.
Wondering what it was, I picked one up—a worn book read:
Reading the title, then eyeing the piled clothes, books, and mystery junk, I muttered:
"No way... all this sponsorship?"
The constellations aren't going bankrupt, are they?