Sea of Corpses and Blood
“This one, and this one.”
“That’ll be 1,000 coins total!”
Fifty health potions, a hundred mana potions, plus dried jerky, bread, and water. As Kim Jun took the bag the shopkeeper held out, he gave a small nod.
Not enough?
This time, he had no intention of returning to Thebes for a while. If that was the case, then he had to be thorough in his preparations.
As he packed the supplies away, he replayed the recent months in his head. There was no question he was moving at an overwhelming pace compared to before his regression. And yet, while he dealt with the tangled variables and kept his comrades moving forward, the other guilds had somehow caught up to the 16th floor.
Of course, the reason they’d gotten this far was Kim Jun himself. He had already taken care of every boss, and most of the traps and hazards had been neutralized. They had simply followed the comparatively safe route and climbed in comfort.
But there was one problem.
I can’t afford to miss the first-clear rewards.
It might sound arrogant, but Kim Jun was certain of it. In the end, he was the only one who could bring down that monster on the 100th floor. To do that, he needed to secure as many resources and rewards as possible.
He opened his subspace pouch and checked the supplies he’d prepared. Combat rations, high-grade potions, spare equipment, backup items—everything was there, complete without a single omission.
Now I just smash straight through to the 25th floor.
There were a few annoying floors that tended to drag on for ages in the middle, but with his current strength, he could break through them without issue.
Just the 18th and 19th floors alone took over a year, back then.
Even before his regression, those floors had simply taken a long time; they had never been impossible barriers. The Kim Jun of now was level 57, and he had awakened to a new hidden class: Dragon Blood Diablo.
With the power of both demons and dragons in his grasp, he had already surpassed the simple numbers attached to his level. On top of that, thanks to Lee Seoyeon’s top-tier healing and recovery every night, his condition was close to perfect.
It wasn’t just healing his wounds, either. It felt as if every muscle and nerve in his body had been set in order. He couldn’t remember the last time his body had felt this light.
It’s a shame I couldn’t do more quests.
The Tower wasn’t just about climbing floors. If the vertical ordeal was the main content, then each floor also offered a variety of missions and requests—horizontal content, in other words.
Especially on the 5th floor, Thebes, where countless residents and NPCs lived. Taking their requests granted not only simple experience points, but also special items, hidden skills, and even affinity rewards.
In fact, before his regression, one hunter had completed hundreds of quests in Thebes alone and earned the rare title Friend of NPCs.
Wasn’t that a 1% boost to all stats?
That was how much horizontal content helped hunters grow. Every floor had hidden rewards, special quests, and secret items waiting to be uncovered. If you searched carefully enough, there were mountains of things to gain.
But Kim Jun didn’t have the luxury of picking through every little thing right now.
I’ll do it later.
He could always come back down whenever he wanted, and there would be other chances. The only thing that mattered right now was one simple truth.
Keep going up.
Higher, faster, and harder.
In fact, now that he had already reached level 57, the experience he could earn on these floors was negligible. The gap had widened so much that even if he killed monsters, almost no experience trickled in.
That was all the more reason to move quickly. He had to reach the upper floors to truly grow.
Ding!
Floor 17 Conquest - The Blood Arena
📍 Location: 17th Floor
🎁 Reward: Clear the arena and defeat the final boss
The barren land shuddered violently.
Rumble—
The ground split open, white marble surged upward to cover the earth, and a circular wall shot toward the sky. In an instant, all four sides were sealed, and a massive arena steeped in the stink of blood took shape.
“I never get tired of this kind of entrance.”
Kim Jun grinned and laid a hand on the shadows.
“Diablo-Andras.”
Grrrroooom—
Black-red flames burst from the shadows, and with a sound like the earth itself being torn apart, a gigantic demon crawled up from within.
“Master.”
It was Andras.
“Wipe them all out.”
“As you command.”
Kwaaaaaah—!!!
At the demon’s monstrous howl, the arena gates opened and tens, then hundreds, of monsters poured out at once. Warrior-type monsters armed with spears and swords, beasts bred for the arena, and all manner of twisted hybrids came flooding in.
But the outcome was simple.
Crack!
Fwoooosh—!
The instant Andras swung his sword through the air, dozens of heads flew off at once, and black-red flames swept through the arena floor, staining it with the fires of hell.
“Grrrroooorgh—!”
“Kyaaaagh!”
The arena filled with shrieks so wild it was impossible to tell whether they were cries or roars. Andras ran across the battlefield as if he were savoring every moment of it.
“Kihahahahaha! This is fun, this is fun, Master!”
“Yeah. Go ahead and play a little longer.”
Kim Jun folded his arms and watched the spectacle.
And then, at last—
Thud.
At the center of the arena, a warrior wearing a massive golden helm appeared.
He was a heavily built figure, well over four meters tall, and countless scars were carved into the golden armor covering his body. Every step he took made the arena floor tremble.
The 17th floor boss, the Gladiator King Carser.
“I am the master of this place! You will all become offerings to my blood!”
His roar shook the arena, but—
Swish—
The crimson eyes of Kim Jun and Andras turned toward him at the same time.
“...?”
In that instant, the giant froze in place.
Cramp—
Cold sweat slicked the hand gripping his spear, and the eyes beneath his helm trembled violently. The ones who should have feared the challengers were supposed to be the monsters—but somehow, it looked like it was the other way around.
“Don’t be ridiculous...!”
He couldn’t accept it. To flinch from a mere aura like this?
Carser laughed like a madman and drew a huge nodachi from his waist.
Shrrk—
A liquid that might have been blood dripped steadily from the blade. The edge twitched on its own, as though it were alive.
Shisan Hyeolhae.
A sword steeped in the corpses of tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, whom he had slaughtered until now. A blood-drinking nodachi that grew sharper the more demon blood it absorbed, while the wails of cursed souls echoed every time it was swung.
It was because of this weapon that he had been able to trample challenger after challenger and ascend to the throne.
“I said don’t be ridiculous!!”
The two who watched it all.
“Master.”
Andras turned to Kim Jun with a troubled look.
“That guy’s talking to himself. He’s weird. Can I just go easy on him?”
“Yeah. Kill him.”
Kim Jun looked at the tip of Shisan Hyeolhae and curled one corner of his mouth.
That’s a pretty useful weapon.
He hadn’t been able to forget the name of that weapon for a long time. Before his regression, it had been the blade Kim Jun used for a short time up to the 30th floor.
Its grade was B. But its performance was monstrous—something that couldn’t be judged by grade alone. Back when most weapons dulled almost immediately even from the attacks of trash mobs, Shisan Hyeolhae only became sharper as it drank more blood.
I was more comfortable with greatswords, but even then I had no choice but to wield a nodachi.
That was how powerful it was. It was the kind of weapon you simply couldn’t ignore in the early floors, a blade that stood far above anything else.
But Kim Jun didn’t need it now. He already had Dragon Eater, and there was another being who suited this nodachi far better.
I should give it to Andras.
Kim Jun smiled.
“Kihihihihihi!!!”
Andras’s thunderous laughter filled the arena.
“D-dieee!!!”
Carser raised his nodachi high and charged.
Slash—
As the blade tore through the air, droplets of red seemed to scatter from each arc, as if blood itself were spilling from the trail. Even the air turned heavy with the stink of iron.
Swish—
Every swing sent streams of blood flying, soaking the marble floor with wet slaps.
“This is... the fate the Administrator chose for me!”
Clang-ka-ka-kang!!
Andras’s massive greatsword and Carser’s nodachi collided head-on. Their blood-colored arcs and black-red flames tangled together, warping the air as though it were boiling.
“Kraaaahhh!!!”
Andras roared wildly, but—
Slash!
The arc of Shisan Hyeolhae twisted the greatsword aside and, in the same motion, sliced through Andras’s arm.
Pshuuuuk—!
Scalding blood burst forth like a fountain, and the severed forearm rolled across the marble floor with a heavy thud.
“Hahahaha! Crumble, demon!”
Carser’s voice echoed across the entire arena. Confidence that he had seized the upper hand filled his face.
And yet—
“Ghk, ghk! Kihihik! Kihehehehehe!”
“...?”
The moment he turned his head, Andras, staggering with one arm cut off, was already walking toward him.
Crimson blood dripped steadily to the ground.
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!”
He burst into wild laughter.
“W-what? He’s still moving...?”
Carser raised his nodachi again, but—
Swish—
Andras had no arm left to wield a sword with.
So instead, he opened his enormous mouth wide.
Grrrkk—!
“G-graaaagh—!”
His teeth tore clean through Carser’s neck.
Carser thrashed desperately and shoved harder into Andras’s abdomen, but—
“Kihehehe! Ughhh! Kihiiihhh!!”
“No, no, I can’t die here...”
Crack—!
Head and torso were severed, and Carser’s body collapsed helplessly to the ground, still clutching Shisan Hyeolhae.
Boss monster 'Gladiator King Carser' has been defeated!
Floor 17 cleared!
◈ Attack Power +30
◈ A chance to inflict Bleed on hit
◈ Blood flows along the slashing arc, dealing additional area damage
Andras remained standing, blood still streaming from his severed shoulder. The sight of a demon who had won by tearing out an enemy’s throat with no arms left at all was terrifying beyond measure.
“But say... you know.”
“Speak, Master.”
“You’re letting yourself get your arms cut off on purpose, aren’t you?”
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. That had clearly been an attack he could have avoided, but Andras had thrown his body into it anyway. If he’d wanted to, he could have regenerated instantly.
“That’s right.”
“It is?”
“I have the same Berserk skill as you. It’s a little different, though.”
Kim Jun’s eyes narrowed.
Even though he hadn’t said it aloud, Andras knew the skill’s name and nature.
“I can read my master’s thoughts.”
“Even without you saying anything?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
The ability to communicate without words would be a tremendous advantage in battle.
Still, I should take what’s mine.
Kim Jun walked over to the fallen Carser and picked up the blood-red nodachi. It was heavy in his hand, and a faint crimson aura still seeped from the blade.
“Here.”
As he held out the nodachi, Andras’s eyes widened.
“?! ”
“It’s yours.”
“A gift?”
“Something like that.”
Item transfer complete.
Shisan Hyeolhae has been bound to Andras.
Kim Jun wore a satisfied expression. Shisan Hyeolhae was a growth-type weapon, one that evolved alongside its user and became stronger over time. Andras, too, was a demon capable of leveling up. If the two of them grew together—
This should be fun.
Kim Jun smiled faintly and moved on to the next floor.