Chapter 33 - The Summons (1)
So.
After stripping Adelbach of everything I could, she disappeared beyond a portal as the emergency quest ended.
“You, just die! You must die and fall into hell! That's a promise!”
“…”
It seemed she was so aggrieved about having all her equipment taken that she vanished while spewing such a fierce curse.
Aren't you some kind of Tower guard?
Where did all the dignity you had when you first appeared go?
I let out a deep sigh and scanned the items I got from her.
[ Mysterious Mask / Rare ]
[ A mask to which high-level magitech has been applied. It increases the wearer’s mana cap and gradually increases recovery speed. ]
[ Cloak of Darkness / Rare ]
[ A robe made by gathering the essence of darkness. The wearer possesses high resistance to the dark attribute and can temporarily generate a force field that can defend against one attack of any kind. ]
A nice haul.
What I got were two ‘finished product’ Rare items, not even ‘materials’.
Generally, finished products were things that required gathering at least five or more materials of the same grade to craft.
In other words, if I disassembled and processed these well, I could get a dozen or so Rare materials.
‘I don’t need that much, so…’
I felt it would be better to have Ironclad disassemble the Mysterious Mask and for me to wear the Cloak of Darkness.
I already had Gnosis's Heart for mana-related equipment, and if I could finish crafting it, I probably wouldn’t need any other items at all.
I also coveted the force field on the Cloak of Darkness that could block one attack.
Being able to defend against any kind of attack was an invaluable ability in Conqueror, where the compatibility relationships became more clearly intertwined as you progressed.
As I was making those decisions in my head, sentences appeared one after another before my eyes.
[ You have successfully completed the emergency quest. ]
[ Important Notification ]
[ The Guardian of the Tower shows interest in you. ]
[ The ‘Round Table’ has been added to your relationships. ]
This was also the same progression as the system in the original work that I remembered.
But.
‘This is a little strange.’
Originally, if you cleared a Disciplinary Action like this, the Guardian of the Tower’s ‘Vigilance’ would increase, not ‘Interest’.
The former was a hostile value and the latter a friendly one.
Considering I had practically picked a fight with her, it was a situation where my favorability had gone up instead.
‘Still, well.’
There was no need to pick a fight with something that was rolling in my favor.
If I could make contact with the Guardian or the Round Table early on, I could unlock various special events.
We would probably get involved soon enough.
[ Level Up! ]
[ Lv.20 → Lv.22
Stat Points +4
Skill Points +2
All status ailments are cured. ]
And the level up that would be disappointing if it didn't follow.
But considering the number of demonic beasts I took down, it was a pitifully small amount.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Just like any other level system, Conqueror also followed a scaling system.
No matter how many guys with lower levels than you, you kill, the speed of growth was bound to slow down.
The section where the growth curve truly eased up was after the ‘First Ordeal’, which was not far from starting.
“…”
Speaking of which.
A big incident related to that was scheduled to happen soon.
***
[It’s a catastrophe.]
The anchor holding a microphone opened his mouth with a somber voice.
The old TV in the lodging, with which I was starting to feel an over-the-top level of inner intimacy, was broadcasting news about the 11th Floor Conquest Team dispatched by the Hunting Alliance.
[Today, the Hunting Alliance officially announced the failure of the 11th Floor conquest of the Tower. 80 percent of the total personnel suffered serious injuries…]
“…It’s terrible.”
Seo Ah-in, who had been watching silently, opened her mouth with a slightly trembling voice.
She seemed shocked by the sight of people with injuries so severe that she couldn't bear to watch them being urgently transported.
Although most of it was mosaicked, the atmosphere conveyed from the scene was filled with a level of tragedy that pierced through such things.
“That’s the third time already, right?”
Seo Ah-in nodded her head at my question.
“Still, all the people who participated there must have been quite experienced, but to be annihilated without even being able to enter properly… It’s a relief there were no casualties.”
“Yeah, I know.”
As I answered while staring intently at my phone, Seo Ah-in turned to look at me with narrowed eyes.
“…Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, you knew in advance that the expedition would fail, right?”
“Yup.”
“Did you perhaps also know that there would be no casualties?”
“What do you think?”
“…”
A genuine laugh escaped me as I saw Seo Ah-in shut her mouth with an expression that looked slightly creeped out.
“Right now, Gusegyo is becoming a huge hit just for the reason that they inherited the prophet’s legitimate line, but I don’t really understand why people are so enthusiastic about them, leaving Mr. Kim Gyu-sik aside…”
“I wonder. I don’t really want to become famous for the time being.”
“Huh? Why?”
I answered her question with a big smile.
“It’s easier to backstab others when they underestimate me.”
“…”
I chuckled at Seo Ah-in, who shut her mouth with a speechless expression.
Anyway.
If it had come to this, people who had begun to realize the seriousness of the situation would slowly start to emerge.
Even though a large guild like the Hunting Alliance had formed an expedition for conquest several times, they had been annihilated multiple times without any proper results.
This suggested more than one might think.
If the conquest difficulty was on a completely different level from floors 1-10 like this, other large guilds would also think that conquering it alone would be difficult.
“…People seem to be getting serious.”
Seo Ah-in said so and changed the channel a few times.
As the countdown floating above the Tower decreased, videos were repeatedly broadcast that made you feel the overall atmosphere of society rapidly sharpening.
Well.
At first, they just wondered what it was, but as the numbers continued to decrease without any sign of a solution, they were probably getting anxious.
‘So…’
When the social atmosphere is unstable and the means to calm it down don't seem easy, somewhere, a person with a good head on their shoulders is bound to summon their courage and say a word.
Like, ‘Shouldn’t we start joining forces?’
-♬
A melodic ringtone sounded from my phone.
The caller was Mr. Kim Jae-han.
Seeing that, I nodded and stood up.
“Hey. Let’s start turning off the TV and getting ready.”
“Huh? Ready for what?”
Hearing her say that, I checked the content written in the text.
[ There is an important meeting. I request your mandatory attendance with the young lady. ]
Right. That meeting.
“There’s a place we need to go.”
It was a place where a large number of faces who would appear throughout the entire main Chapter - would show up.
***
An itchy level of silence had descended upon the round table.
The atmosphere was one of everyone watching each other, but there was no one who was intimidated.
That was understandable.
Each and every person here was someone who represented a large group that could shake the Climber society with their every move.
The Hunting Alliance’s ‘Sword Demon’ Seo Hye-in.
Jeokpungdae’s ‘Smoker’ Jeong Min-woo.
Both were faces representing dinosaur-class guilds that were particularly the subject of much talk among the guilds in Korea.
‘And even that person…’
Seo Hye-in cautiously glanced at the person occupying the third seat.
A small frame. Noticeably pink hair. Red irises.
And a ‘staff’ made of old wood that couldn't be thought of as equipment used by a Climber.
On the outside, she seemed to be the most insignificant person here, but conversely, there would be no one in this room who could ignore this woman.
Lee Si-yeong. A 3rd-rank mage officially certified by the Magic Tower.
Considering that 1st-rank was only the Tower Master of the Magic Tower himself, and 2nd-rank was a title given only to the members of the Pentagram who could be called executives, she was, in effect, the pinnacle among mages that could be generally contacted.
‘The spokesperson for the Magic Tower…’
Among the Climbers, where all sorts of superhumans were rampant, ‘mage’ was an extremely rare profession, and the Magic Tower, which served as its headquarters, in line with that image, made extremely few official appearances.
But, even such a Magic Tower had sent a spokesperson in the current situation.
It was a feeling that indirectly revealed how important the agenda to be dealt with now was.
“To everyone who has attended this summons, thank you all.”
The person from the Climber Association who was sitting at the head of the table opened his mouth with a heavy voice.
“I presume you all know the reason we have gathered this time. It is for the conquest of the Tower’s 11th Floor.”
As soon as he brought that up, a heavy atmosphere flowed around.
Everyone already knew how things would turn out.
Considering the rapidly deteriorating situation, let's all cooperate to overcome this difficulty... that kind of story.
“First, I have invited someone who will be a great help in resolving this situation.”
So, it was only natural for everyone to be taken aback when such words suddenly came out.
No, in the first place, where were there people more authoritative and influential than the ones here?
Unless they brought in the heads of large guilds who had never once revealed their faces to the public, or someone like Kim Kang-in, the dean of the boot camp.
As the people were thinking that, a woman dressed in a neat priestess’s habit walked in.
“I am Darien Anfeld of Gusegyo. May the Savior’s protection be with you all.”
But as soon as they heard that introduction, an atmosphere of understanding dawned on everyone’s faces.
The group that had inherited the legitimate line of the ‘prophet’, which was currently gaining a lot of stock.
Considering that they had accurately predicted the situation that would occur after the 1st Floor, inviting the Saintess representing that cult here now was a pretty rational choice.
“Then, Saintess. If you please.”
As the person from the Association said that, Darien nodded and opened her mouth.
The words left by the prophet who belonged to Gusegyo were simple.
The conquest of the 11th Floor could never be achieved by normal means, and it could only be achieved if only the ‘chosen’ people entered.
“By chosen people, you mean?”
Seo Hye-in asked cautiously.
To this, Darien nodded and continued.
“The Savior’s light, for one, points to you.”
“…Yes?”
As Seo Hye-in answered bewilderedly at the sudden words, Darien slightly turned her head to look at Lee Si-yeong of the Magic Tower.
“You too.”
“…Heh.”
As Lee Si-yeong snorted as if it were ridiculous, Darien’s gaze reached Jeong Min-woo of Jeokpungdae.
“You as well.”
“So, Saintess. That’s all well and good.”
Jeong Min-woo said, pushing up the sunglasses he was wearing.
It was an impression that strangely matched the aloha shirt he was wearing.
“You’re not saying the three of us are supposed to conquer an entire floor, are you?”
“Of course not. There are additional personnel.”
The Saintess smiled and continued.
“They will undoubtedly be of great help in this holy war.”
Seo Hye-in was a person with good intuition.
So, it meant that if she got a bad feeling as soon as she heard those words, she was sure there was a reason for it.
You could say she benefited from it.
“…”
Thanks to that.
When she faced Kim Gyu-sik, who came in dragging her younger sister with a mentally broken expression a while later.
She was barely able to keep from screaming.