Chapter 36

036. 7th Floor (1)

"......"

The result was so unbelievable that it seemed to be rigged.

To obtain the highest-grade item from a single draw......

Since entering the Tower of Trials, I had felt that my luck had improved to an unusual degree.

But I never expected it to have such a significant impact on this draw.

'......No, perhaps I've always had good luck.'

Maybe I had just been unaware of it due to various events.

Otherwise, this incredible streak of luck wouldn't make sense.

"Regardless, this is quite an unexpected gain."

It's a B-grade item, so I don't know what exactly was drawn, but it's bound to be excellent.

There's a reason items and skills are given grades.

The grade indicates the level of effect.

If the item I drew is truly B-grade, it's sure to be worth its value.

「Pendant of Tempered Steel」

「Grade: B」

「A steel pendant imbued with the spirit of a blacksmith who spent a lifetime working with iron.」

「+7% increase in the effects of metallurgy and sword skills.」

「Activates the exclusive effect ‘Blessing of Steel’ when infused with mana.」

「In exchange for a constant infusion of mana, there is no cooldown for the exclusive effect.」

Just the phrase "imbued with the spirit of a blacksmith who spent a lifetime working with iron" suggests that this is no ordinary item......

But what's even more astonishing are the descriptions below.

The corners of my mouth turned up at the phrase "all effects of metallurgy and sword skills increase by +7%."

'There's no additional explanation like increased cutting power or attack speed......!'

In other words, it increases all effects of the skill by +7%.

"......Indeed, it lives up to being a B-grade item. It has such an effect."

It might even be one of the top-tier B-grade items.

However, the part I don't understand is the exclusive effect called ‘Blessing of Steel’.

'Hmm, Blessing of Steel.'

Given that it's imbued with the spirit of a blacksmith, it can't be an ordinary effect.

Typically, exclusive effects of items don't have names.

Most of the time, they are simply described briefly, with no additional details.

But......

If an exclusive effect has a name, it means it's not just an ordinary item effect.

'Most of those are items with special abilities.'

I've never seen one in person, but they are often referred to as dream items among hunters.

So, I've memorized all the information about them.

'The only drawback is that it's B-grade, but it's quite good.'

It might even have better abilities than some A-grade items.

My anticipation grew even more.

Ah, this really feels like a big win.

"I didn't really expect much......, but I got a huge jackpot."

Honestly, I wanted to burst into laughter, but I restrained myself.

It's important to maintain composure no matter where or when.

'Phew, I need to calm down.'

I quickly regained my composure and put on the Pendant of Tempered Steel.

Clank.

The pendant's gemstone, which looked like silver but was actually quite transparent and bright, settled near my heart.

It wasn't bad to look at, and by my standards, it was almost perfect.

And the properly named exclusive effect......

「The exclusive effect ‘Blessing of Steel’ of the Pendant of Tempered Steel (B) has been activated.」

「A property that absorbs 10% of all physical damage is imbued in your skin.」

This was a capability that could be considered an advanced form of physical resistance.

'Crazy......'

It's even more practical than the physical resistance of a Doppleganger.

While physical resistance only provides resistance to physical attacks......

"‘Blessing of Steel’ just absorbs physical damage."

I never really valued the physical resistance skill much.

That's because I don't have a body like a Doppleganger.

Even if I had resistance to physical attacks, it wouldn't do much good without a body that can withstand them.

Of course, it would still provide some protection against certain impacts.

But I never thought it would be important in any other way.

However, this ‘Blessing of Steel’ is different.

The ability to absorb 10% of physical damage is clearly overpowered.

'I wonder if there's another ability as cheaty as this.'

Of course, as a B-grade item, the additional effect of ‘+7% increase in the effects of metallurgy and sword skills’ might not be as strong as A or S grades.

"Still, this is definitely a B-grade, or even better, ability."

Even if I can't use it anymore as I grow, I can always sell it.

Given that it's worth at least several billion, my satisfaction quickly soared.

'Even without additional breakthrough rewards, I got such an item unexpectedly.'

I might have already seen all the benefits that can be gained on the 6th floor.

Of course, that doesn't mean there are no drawbacks.

「Your mana has been completely depleted.」

「The exclusive effect ‘Blessing of Steel’ of the Pendant of Tempered Steel (B) has been deactivated.」

"......It's a mana-draining exclusive effect."

In the blink of an eye, it consumed enough mana to use ‘Instant Acceleration’ a few times, quickly depleting my mana.

Well, I can increase my mana later, but it's still a drawback.

'I need to conserve mana and use it sparingly at crucial moments.'

However, if I can't activate it at the right time, the loss will be significant.

"I need to find a skill that reduces mana consumption later."

As I muttered this, a bitter smile crept onto my face.

What, do I need to acquire so many skills......?

"Ah, if only I had a skill affinity, it would have been easier."

Since I can't acquire any skills no matter how many times I repeat the actions related to skill acquisition.

The more skills I need to acquire, the more my head ached.

It was a moment of realizing my miserable talent once again.

'......But since I have no other means, I need to endure until I reach the 8th floor.'

When the system expands, I can buy skills, so I have to endure.

Even if not, I might gain new skills as I progress to higher floors.

"Well, let's check the other things now."

First, I need to check the ‘Necromancy’ that I absorbed and grew with on the 6th floor.

『Unique Trait – Necromancy (D)』

『Proficiency – 0%』

『Basic Effect – Absorb the spirits of the dead to enhance or replenish abilities or mana.』

『Detailed Effect (1) – The amount of permanent ability increase is proportional to the rank of the trait and the quality of the spirits absorbed.』

『Detailed Effect (2) – Spirits can be stored and used later. The storage capacity limit is proportional to the rank.』

『Detailed Effect (3) – When absorbing the spirit of the dead, there is a certain probability to learn a skill imprinted on the spirit.』

『Detailed Effect (4) – Use the spirit of the dead to protect the body. However, the amount of spirits consumed by the protective shield is proportional to the impact.』

A new detailed effect has been added, and the description of the basic effect has changed.

'Enhance or replenish abilities or mana......'

It's not just about enhancing abilities but also converting spirits into other things.

If I lack mana, I can replenish it.

If I want to increase my abilities, I can do that too.

Additionally......

'I have a new means of protection.'

I can now use spirits to protect my body.

I thought it might increase the skill absorption rate or allow me to absorb unique traits.

'It seems that's not the case.'

It's not a bad ability, but it's a bit disappointing that my expectations were off.

Given my lack of talent, I've relied on unique traits for growth, so it's natural.

'In the end, I can't rely solely on unique traits for all growth.'

I need to grow in other ways as well.

And the key to that lies in the Tower of Trials, not in me.

Whether it's the ‘Pioneer’ or the ‘Aureole,’ if I can gain benefits and buy skills......

Then I won't have to rely solely on unique traits.

"I can afford to be patient since I'll be able to progress soon."

If I can endure the 7th floor trial, things will be smoother afterward.

So, it's best to focus on the 7th floor trial for now.

'Actually, I did need a way to protect my body.'

It would be problematic if a challenger from another world, like the one on the 5th floor, intruded into the floor.

Even if not, there might be challengers coming from the upper floors.

The only problem is how to activate this ability.

"I don't know how to do that."

Ideally, the usage method should come naturally, but it didn't.

That means......

'Is it a passive effect?'

I've heard of such unique traits before.

There are passive effects that increase abilities among the detailed effects.

If my fourth detailed effect is one of those......

It means the ability to protect the body is already active.

'I'll find out by testing it.'

With that thought, I turned off the recovery effect in the waiting room and pressed the blade against my arm.

I did this to prevent the recovery effect from interfering with the test.

Due to the increased durability, the blade didn't cut easily......

Crunch!

But it wasn't impossible to harm myself.

After all, the Thunder Sword is a C-grade item with excellent cutting power, and my strength is higher than my durability.

Of course, I had to be careful due to various skill enhancements, but I didn't stop the test.

'The increased cutting power and skills like Triple Slash or Electric Shock could be problematic......'

Electric Shock activates on impact, so it wouldn't trigger just by pressing the blade.

Some of the increased cutting power is passive, but I can control it to some extent.

Triple Slash won't cause much damage if I don't activate it.

So, I pressed the blade against my forearm without hesitation......

「The spirit absorbed the damage inflicted on the user.」

「Player ‘Song Jin-wook’s’ spirit has been consumed.」

「Current number of spirits – 3/30」

The blade, which should have cut my skin, was pushed back by black smoke.

The area that should have bled was completely unharmed.

"Whoa......"

One of the spirits I absorbed on the 6th floor evaporated, but that was fine.

I was more amazed by the incredible protective ability of Necromancy.

"......Beyond my imagination?"

The defensive ability was even better than I thought, leaving me in awe.

'With this, I should be fine even if a Black Knight comes again.'

It depends on the next trial, but for now, it's useful.

"I don't need to absorb all the spirits."

I decided to keep some for defense.

Especially for player spirits, which have a low chance of skill absorption.

『Skill – Weakling Annihilation (F)』

『Proficiency – 2%』

『Effect – If the opponent does not surpass any of the user's abilities, the user's strength increases based on the ability gap.』

This was the achievement skill I gained from the 6th floor trial.

Since I had expected something like this, I could remain calm.

'Even though it's a low grade, it's a useful skill.'

It will be helpful when facing weaker opponents.

Of course, I need to increase its proficiency and grade to make it more effective.

'Now, this is the end of the checks.'

I've confirmed all the rewards, so the only thing left is to wait for the ‘trial’ and check the community.

Yes, that's what I should do......

"......What's this?"

An unexpected event occurred.

「Do you wish to take on the 7th floor trial?」

The ‘remaining time’ I was supposed to wait before challenging the trial has disappeared.