The slumped corpse of the orc warlord caught my eye.
Something was wrong with my body, too. I started to feel as if my body was shattered into pieces.
My consciousness suddenly faded.
And just as quickly, it surged back.
[Level up!]
[Lv.6 → Lv.8]
[‘Strength’ has increased by 11.]
[‘Agility’ has increased by 11.]
[‘Vitality’ has increased by 12.]
[‘Mana’ has increased by 8.]
A two-level increase.
Not even when I defeated ‘Queen Anthslanslropf’, the boss of the first stage, did this happen.
Considering the fact that I gained two levels just by killing a warlord who wasn’t even a boss, it was clear that if I hadn’t managed to acquire the skill ‘Doom Bringer’, I’d have been definitely dead.
I hadn’t yet hit the plateau phase of stat growth.
I wasn’t able to check my status window. I could feel someone’s gaze.
Both orcs and humans were staring at me like a monster.
Pruu—uuu!
The sound of a horn echoed in my ears. The orcs began to retreat en masse. After killing two with thrown spears and one with my straight sword, I stopped the pursuit. This was because the orcs had fled on giant wild boars they had hidden in their encampment. Perhaps it was because their commander, the warlord, was gone. The orcs retreated much faster than expected.
Why doesn’t completing the second stage by killing a warlord-level enemy end the stage?
Pandemonium.
This damned difficulty.
I inspected the corpse of the orc warlord lying before me. Despite all the effort, there didn’t seem to be much I could take from this guy.
The axe he wielded was too big for me no matter how I looked at it. It was annoyingly so.
My gaze shifted to the warlord’s waist. Ah, there. I finally found something that might be useful. There was a one-handed axe attached, which I could use fairly easily. I removed it from his waist and put it into my inventory.
Also, since the terminal is invisible to NPCs, there was no way I could miss taking a screenshot after defeating the orc warlord.
I took a picture of the warlord’s corpse and put the terminal away.
I sensed movement near me.
“Yusung.”
The person calling my name was Risclein. Risclein slowly scanned my body from top to bottom. She probably found it strange that I seemed unharmed after a battle where I looked like I was struggling.
“…Are you not injured anywhere?”
Yes.
I was sure I was injured somewhere.
But all signs of it are completely gone.
“At any rate, now that the warlord’s dead, the orcs are retreating. Let’s head back inside the castle for now.”
“Understood.”
As we entered the castle walls, I could feel the gazes of the people around me. Actually, I’d been feeling these stares ever since I killed the orc warlord.
I looked to the far right corner of my vision, where a message was displayed.
5 days remaining until the exchange conference.
I still had plenty of time, but as the days passed, I’d soon be pressed for time.
It didn’t seem like any more orcs or other monsters would appear today. After all, this should conclude within 3 days at the latest.
That’s when I noticed Risclein lowering her guard.
“By any chance, what is the honorific name of the former commander of the Lukeerna Mercenary Corps?”
“…All of a sudden?”
Risclein’s eyes widened in surprise. Yeah, it was bound to feel strange. Asking such a thing. But I thought it was appropriate to ask now since I’d already proven myself somewhat in the battlefield. I’ve at least proven that I’m not a weirdo.
“Yes, Lukeerna Mercenaries. I thought I’ve heard of it somewhere.”
I decided to flesh out the story a bit to avoid being treated like some weirdo.
“The name of the former mercenary captain is Delisa. She’s my mother. It was a somewhat famous mercenary corps, thanks to the legacy of past achievements. Now she’s just relaxing in her hometown.”
One of the members of the Lukeerna Mercenary Corps who had been standing nearby chuckled wistfully after hearing Risclein’s words.
“Isn’t it just natural that we’d end up looking pathetic when we’re compared to the old days? That was back when we had the Great Hero Helion with us.”
The soldier with a fancy mustache added, and then suddenly bowed to Risclein.
“I apologize. That was a slip of the tongue.”
Despite clearly being older than Risclein, he still showed respect for her position as the commander of the mercenary corps.
Before I could wonder why that comment was considered a slip of the tongue,
“It’s fine. Father passed away a long time ago. It was when I was ten”
Helion.
I etched the name in my mind. To tell the gallery goers.
There was one thing I forgot to ask.
“Is Ed okay?”
Upon hearing my question, Risclein let out a soft sigh before nodding gently.
“He is being treated at the moment. Thanks to you, his life was saved.”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I thought I might’ve pushed him too hard.”
Lukeerna slowly shook her head.
“Not pushing him enough like that might’ve killed him. Ed is grateful too.”
Lukeerna pointed at one of the tents on her left. When I peeked inside, I saw Lukeerna’s attack squad leader, Ed, sleeping. The bandages wrapped around his torso made it clear he was not to be disturbed.
I was given a private tent on the castle walls. It seemed to be a gesture of deep impression from killing the warlord earlier.
I lay down in the sleeping bag. Although my wounds were fully healed due to the level-up effect, the mental fatigue wasn’t completely gone. Well, if suddenly rising spirits accompanied a level-up, that would be strange.
I was about to open the gallery but remembered something I needed to check first—the status window.
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Han Yuseong
Race: Human
Lv.8
Strength: 47
Agility: 45
Vitality: 46
Mana: 26
Skills: Pain Suppression Lv.3 Calmness Lv.3 Concealment Lv.1 Danger Sense Lv.2
Extended Vision Lv.1 Enhanced Concentration Lv.2 Projectile Movement Lv.3
Mana Body Reinforcement Lv.2 Doom Bringer Lv.1
Considering my level was 3 when I entered the second stage, it was an alarming rate of growth. I wasn’t sure if the reason for this rapid growth was because of the Pandemonium difficulty. I’d have to ask the gallery about that.
I pulled out the terminal and opened Elysian Gallery.
Title: Fellow Gallery Members, I killed an orc warlord. Wasn’t this guy supposed to appear on the 2nd Stage?
Writer: ㅇㅇ
-It was almost certain death. Barely managed to kill him. But ironically, what’s shocking is that the warlord isn’t a boss monster. Even with the kill, the stage doesn’t end. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
As soon as I posted, replies flooded in like rain.
? n
?? n
Are you trolling? n n
???? ㅔ? n
Why is a warlord on 2nd floor ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It’s because your difficulty is Pandemonium, duh. n
Wow, the world sure wants you dead, eh? And yet, you survived, impressive ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
pioneer) Hmm, Pandemonium’s legit tough. I encountered the warlord on the 5th floor.
sword of light) Same with Hard difficulty. Though I may have noted it in the appendix. Hmm, you missed that because you were occupied with the training golem mk.2 I sent?
Ah, I remember now. There was a list of monsters with a high probability of appearing on the 2nd floor. But at the time, I was too distracted by getting my ass handed to me by the golem you sent…
Should I maybe start getting a list from gallery members of the monsters that appear starting from the 3rd floor?
sword of light) Hard difficulty is crazy, too. I encountered a warlord on the 12th floor in my normal difficulty game. Even that encounter was quite terrifying.
He saw you on 2nd floor? And you killed him? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Must be a genius climber, this guy.
He’s just blessed with talent, for a 21st-century Earthling.
Archmage) I said before, didn’t I? Only people with a genuine chance to clear the tower are summoned.
Huh. This time, I almost died for real, so the Archmage’s words didn’t resonate much.
sword of light) Well done.
ㅇㅇ) If it weren’t for your advice, I’d have lost. Had I not obtained Doom Bringer, I would’ve been split in two immediately.
Ah, you’ve obtained the Doom Bringer skill? Of course, you’d achieve something like that for someone so talented.
Wait, isn’t Doom Bringer just a skill you automatically acquire when you reach level 3 in Projectile Movement?
Not really~ For Easy and Normal difficulties, Projectile Movement rarely even shows up. Even those who manage to get it, none have reached level 3 in Projectile Movement and obtained Doom Bringer~
Even with Hard difficulty, while there are quite a few who acquire Projectile Movement, only a few obtain Doom Bringer after reaching level 3 in it.
Hmm~ So achieving level 3 in ‘Projectile Movement’ doesn’t automatically lead to obtaining the ‘Doom Bringer’ skill?
Yeah, I’ve gotten Projectile Movement and reached level 10 in it but still haven’t obtained Doom Bringer.
Archmage) There’s no definitive skill that players are guaranteed to obtain in the tower. Even if two people go through the same experience, what they take away from it can vary greatly.
It dawned on me that I possess an answer to one of the hottest topics in the gallery right now.
Title: Found out the name of the Lukeerna Mercenary Corps Commander’s father.
Writer: ㅇㅇ
-Helion, it seems. Do you know who he is?
After a brief silence, comments started pouring in.
크ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 천출! 당첨!
Oh my~ You must be the chosen one! Jackpot!
야, 그래도 평기사는 아니네 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ칠영웅이네
Well, even if it is, it’s still the legendary Seven Heroes, no?
응~~ 그래봤자 천출이야. 군주<<<<<<<<<<<<평민
Yeah~ But in the end, just a chosen one. Lords and rulers are way above normal folk.
Absolute Monarch) …Indeed. Helion is someone worth blessing.
sㅂ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAnyone would think you’re not a hero who’s overcome hardships together with her but a father looking to marry off his daughter ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Isn’t it strange that not just the Lord but even Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties got affected, yet everyone’s reacting so cheerfully?
르금 누구는 안 빼앗긴 것처럼 말을 하네 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Haha, someone’s acting like they didn’t lose anything, ain’t they?
창왕) It wasn’t stolen… This is the flow of life, the destiny of existence. Just a natural meeting and parting, that’s all.
Bullshit
Sewer Sword Sage) Are Helion and Delisa living well, you said?
궁창이형…그만하자, 너무 추하고 슬프다 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Sewer Sage bro… Let’s stop. It’s too cringey and sad ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Sewer Sword Sage) No, I was just asking…
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThis isn’t cringey, it’s just uncomfortably weird, right? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅇㅇ) Delisa seems to be living well since she’s in her hometown… But Helion… he died when Risclein was 10.
헉
エ? 엄…
Tch. That’s rough; he suffered and died.
Isn’t it a rule that the legendary heroes die young? What’s so surprising?
Tower scenario special. The good guys die young, it’s just the way it goes.
Female Sorcerer) Hahaha, Helion… I once fought a demon with him. I hope he found peace in his fate…
Sewer Sword Sage) I wasn’t asking about his life or death, but how is he doing?
My bad, that was clumsy of me. Lololololol
Seemingly not. Was asking how he’s doing.
Really? Thought you were inquiring about life and death.
Absolute Monarch) Is that so… Helion is dead then. Delisa must be lonely.
씨이발, 형들 그냥 자판에서 손을 떼!!!!!!! My perception of you guys is getting warped.
That last comment rang true for me too.
ㅇㅇ) So, are warlords on 2nd floor in Hard difficulty rare too?
Absolute Monarch) First off, I never encountered one.
Archmage) I did encounter one, and it was a boss monster.
sword of light) The warlord was indeed the boss. Killing him ended the floor.
Demon Dragon King) Beltu- also had a warlord appear on the 2nd floor. And in Beltu-, it was also a boss monster.
So, in Hard difficulty on the 2nd floor, when warlords appear, they’re always bosses. This cursed Pandemonium difficulty.
There was one unfamiliar username though.
Demon Dragon King?
ㅇㅇ) Who’re you?
Demon Dragon King) I’m the dormant Dragon who has awakened from Beltu-. Happy Beltu- Hello Pandemonium.
Alright, this guy seems strange.
Anyway, ㅇㅇ) What kind of monsters could be the boss on the 2nd floor besides the orc warlord?
Archmage) Orc Great Warrior, Orc Shaman, there’s also the Orc King but probably won’t show up.
sword of light) A Great Warrior can be defeated in the same way as the warlord.
Archmage) If a Shaman appears, having a mage would make it easier. Although, such knowledge might be unavailable to the mage NPCs. They’d learn if you teach them. At least a 3rd tier mage could.
Oh, let’s start with that then.
Yet, given there’s a mage around me, ㅇㅇ) but isn’t Archmage usually stubborn?
Archmage) Stubborn? Nah, just beat ’em up until you take control of the atmosphere.
Very decisive…
Why is someone named Archmage also carrying a prejudice against fellow mages?
Archmage) If no logic comes to mind to persuade, then force should be used to do so.
Seems like just his personality.
