Chapter 53

053. 8th Floor (1)

I quickly decided which of the three powers to choose.

After all...

There was only one power that I could possibly use in my current situation.

"‘Power: Clear Mind (C-)’ has been purchased."

"1,000 SP has been deducted."

"Of course, this is the best choice."

I smiled bitterly as I looked at the message that I had spent 1,000 SP to purchase the power.

I judged that buying the power of Clear Mind was better than not buying anything at all.

Originally, I thought I could just challenge the 8th floor without any preparation...

But I need to be more cautious.

My thoughts changed a bit after meeting the Iron-Blooded Monarch.

I need to be prepared for the interdimensional challengers who will soon come, as well as for sudden intrusions into the floors.

"Even if I can't use items properly right away, the power is different."

The power of Clear Mind, which allows for rational judgment in any situation.

It won't directly increase my combat power, but it's not a bad ability.

At least it provides a foundation for making decisions without wavering.

"Better to do this than to not prepare at all."

"Status window."

『Han Sungyun』

『Aura – Ruler』

『Strength – 63』 『Stamina – 61』

『Agility – 63』 『Magic – 59』

『Endurance – 58』

『Unique Trait – Necromancy (D)』

『Unique Power – Skill Synthesis』

『Power – Clear Mind (C-)』

『Skill – Detailed View』

"Hmm..."

I was satisfied with the increased stats, which were higher than I expected...

But I focused more on the 'Power' listed below.

『Clear Mind』

『Grade: C-』

『Allows for rational judgment in any situation. Reduces the effects of anger and confusion during battles and increases battle immersion.』

"It's not much different from what I saw in the contractor-exclusive shop."

The only additional description was that it 'increases battle immersion.'

Otherwise, it was not much different from the basic description I saw in the shop.

"I wish it were more useful than a mental resistance skill..."

I would have to see how it performs in actual trials.

I was a bit worried, but not too uncomfortable.

"Well, a power named as such can't be bad..."

With that, I needed to regain my composure.

"After all, what I need to do is already decided, whether it's an interdimensional challenger or anything else."

Apart from climbing the tower, there was nothing else to do immediately.

I couldn't do anything about the fact that I would eventually compete with challengers from other worlds.

Moreover, it was said that notifications would appear when interdimensional challengers appeared.

"So, even if it's not me, others will soon know about their existence."

And the same goes for preparation.

I stopped just as I was about to challenge the 8th floor trial, suddenly remembering something I had forgotten.

"No, thinking about it, it's not like there's nothing at all."

I hadn't yet gathered information through the tower's community.

"Hmm... Maybe it's not bad to check the community once."

Perhaps someone who met the administrator might have mentioned the 'interdimensional challenger.'

「You have entered the community.」

「Difficulty – Hard」

「8th Floor Community (377/521)」

- Jjamppongbowl: Wow, are they really trying to find Tower of Trials graduates? They're running around the Hunter Association and guilds.

The chat window was filled with content different from what I expected...

"Oh?"

I was curious about this topic, so I watched quietly.

- Wagjag: When I went to the association out of the blue, they asked if I was a Tower of Trials graduate and tried to make a contract with me.

- Danpungip: Yeah, my original guild asked if I wanted to be a team leader.

- Jjamppongbowl: What team leader? Ah, are they trying to recruit challengers?

- Danpungip: Yes. They said they need a few people, and they'll provide plenty of money.

- Wagjag: Haha, sir... How much is the guild's contract fee?

- Danpungip: Do you think I'll tell you how much the contract fee is for a 800th place finisher? Just give up.

- Wagjag: What a bastard?

"Hmm..."

I came in thinking there might be some information, and I saw quite interesting content.

"Are the Hard difficulty challengers starting to raise their value and look for affiliations?"

When I was outside, it seemed like Lee Hyeon was struggling...

But now, it seems the atmosphere is shifting towards rewarding challengers, so they are announcing themselves.

"Many of them were originally hunters, so they might be switching affiliations."

If Lee Hyeon were to conduct recruitment activities here, she could bring quite a few people.

However...

"Other than that, there's not much information to gain."

Most of the people who left were low-ranked in the settlement.

"Should I really enter the 8th floor now?"

Just as I was about to turn off the community, I saw this.

- IiIiIiIiIiiI: What are the pioneers doing now? They must have received some kind of reward...

- SlimeOverlord: Who knows? But I heard from someone that the 'Aura' is some kind of unique ability.

- NoodleShopYoungestSon: Yeah, I heard that too. They said they can choose an 'Aura' and level up.

- BbapbbapE: I heard that some people can even synthesize skills...

- SlimeOverlord: That's not just a rumor... A previous ranker, Oh Chunseok, said he got the skill synthesis ability.

- BbapbbapE: I saw that too. Oh Chunseok, being a regular person, was quite generous with information.

- TofuLover: Anyway, it means the Heaven Realm rankers got a lot. I haven't even fully restored my skills yet. I'm envious.

"This is unexpected..."

I frowned as I saw the sudden discussion about 'pioneers.'

I didn't expect information about 'Auras' to be released...

It was more suspicious because it didn't happen before.

"I don't know if it's due to carelessness or if it's intentional."

There was talk about the unique powers of the Aura 'Hunter' and the Aura 'Ruler.'

"Someone among the pioneers must have released this information."

So, detailed discussions about Auras and unique powers might soon follow.

As time passes, rumors will grow, and there will be many speculations.

The true nature of Auras and unique powers will be revealed soon.

"Well, it doesn't matter much to me..."

Knowing this won't cause me significant harm.

I don't know about leveling up, but...

"Skill synthesis" is not something you can deal with just by knowing about it.

It's simply a power that allows you to create new skills by combining existing ones.

Of course, there seems to be a combination formula, which can be studied.

"Hold on... Can I ask Lee Hyeon about the skill combination formula later?"

Knowing the skill combination method would be beneficial.

Moreover, it's not just that.

Recruiting more challengers might help me learn about other Auras.

"When I return, I might gain a lot of useful information in the real world."

I was quite satisfied with this thought.

- ChickenDuck: Speaking of which, many rankers talk a lot... But the challenger with the nickname 'Hunter' never speaks.

The topic changed again, and now it was about me.

"...Out of the blue?"

The changing topics were confusing...

But they started talking about me as if it were normal.

- UnemployedHunter: Really... I've never seen Hunter speak. I can vouch for this, as I've been watching the community for 12 hours. He never chatted.

"That's true."

I only glanced at the community with my eyes and never typed anything.

There were no records of me being particularly active in the community.

- Gurururit: He must be cautious. He's always been in the top 10 in the settlement rankings. He probably doesn't want to reveal anything to others.

- YagadaKun: That Hunter kid is a monster... Just a monster. What the hell, how can his settlement rank be like that? It's unbelievable.

- BrainFictionMage: Yeah, I think Hunter was one of the top 10 domestic hunters. If you disagree, he's an F-rank hunter.

- MadDog: BrainFictionMage is at it again. Haha, top 10? No way.

- BrainFictionMage: No, top 10. Isn't he the Thunder Emperor? The clear speed suggests he's a speed-type hunter. I heard the Thunder Emperor suddenly disappeared recently...

- Pudding: Maybe not that high, but he could be a guild leader of a medium-sized guild.

- YagadaKun: Ah, because of that monster, my settlement rank is like this. Please go back to Earth quickly.

"..."

Honestly, I thought my identity might be revealed a while ago...

But seeing the community chats, my anxiety disappeared completely.

"Top 10 domestic hunter, guild leader of a medium-sized guild, or even the Thunder Emperor..."

I don't know what they imagined from my settlement rank, but they were all wrong.

I'm just a C-rank hunter, and they couldn't figure out my true identity...

"My identity won't be revealed anytime soon."

At least, not unless I give them a clue.

After watching the silly conversations for a while, I turned off the community.

I didn't think there was any more information to gain.

「Do you wish to challenge the 8th floor trial?」

And...

「You are entering the 8th floor of the Tower of Trials.」

「Difficulty – Hard」

「The theme of this trial is 'Annihilation'.」

「May the chosen hardships lead to a satisfactory result.」

I then entered the portal for the 8th floor trial without hesitation.

Then...

"..."

Clank, clank...

In the night grassland, dozens of skeletal soldiers came into view.

They all stared at me and slowly approached with their bone-only bodies.

「The 8th floor trial has begun.」

「Trial completion condition – Defeat the Lich that summons skeletons.」

「Trial failure condition – The challenger's death.」

「Trial completion reward – All stats +2.」

「Trial failure penalty – Death.」

"Is this a numbers game?"

I frowned at the skeletal soldiers, which didn't seem particularly strong.

"It's a bit ambiguous."

These creatures wouldn't help much in increasing the proficiency of Necromancy...

And it wouldn't be easy to increase my stats either.

In a sense, this could be considered a resting stage.

"This trial doesn't seem to offer much benefit."

But I had something I was secretly hoping for.

To increase the proficiency of Necromancy.

"If I can increase the proficiency by about 20%, that would be great."

That alone would soon lead to another growth in the level of Necromancy.

Of course, it would depend on how much proficiency these skeletal soldiers provide...

But with such a large number, it might be possible to increase the proficiency of Necromancy to 100%.

"Then there's no need to hesitate."

I smiled and ran towards the skeletal soldiers.

The long-awaited 8th floor strategy had finally begun.