Chapter 74

074. The Ordeal of the 10th Floor (5)

"The 10th floor ordeal is about to begin."

"The remaining time will start to decrease, and monsters will appear."

"When the number of beasts decreases to a certain level, a boss monster will appear."

The moment messages indicating the start of the 10th floor ordeal appeared.

Rumble...

The ground of the field began to shake, and soon clumps of earth started rising and taking the shape of snakes.

Not only were the snakes several meters long, but the number of earth snakes being generated was alarming.

Realizing the situation immediately, I drew my Thunder Sword and prepared for battle.

At that moment.

"Conditions met."

A message suddenly appeared before my eyes.

"Special mission, 'Contribution,' has started."

"Defeating the beasts that appear in the 10th floor ordeal will grant 'contribution points' for each creature, and additional points will be awarded based on these."

"However, the contribution points vary depending on the strength of each creature."

"The level of the ordeal reward may be upgraded based on the accumulated contribution points, and the reward level will be determined by the ranking of contribution points among participants."

"…!?"

I was taken aback by the special mission message, which I hadn't seen since the competition ordeal...

"This... It doesn't seem to be a trial where we just cooperate."

I couldn't help but erase that feeling when I heard Oh Chunseok's words from the left.

"Right. This is also a kind of competition."

Whether it was a special mission or not, it was essentially a competition that had just begun.

Considering that all the participants in the 10th floor stage would be ranked by contribution points, there was no time to be surprised.

Oh Chunseok, who seemed to understand this, scratched his head and said,

"Well, we can't afford to yield to each other... Do your best."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Good to hear."

With that, Oh Chunseok immediately took a vintage cap from his inventory, put it on, and smiled.

"Then, I'll be off."

With those brief words, Oh Chunseok dashed forward, starting to emit flames from his fingertips at the earth snakes.

I had suspected he might be a mage, and as expected, Oh Chunseok seemed to be a challenger specialized in magical combat.

Of course, I wondered if he really needed to use fire magic against earth-based enemies...

Boom!

But my concerns were unfounded as the earth snakes touched by Oh Chunseok's flames exploded into pieces.

The flames spreading wherever he went indiscriminately killed the beasts, indicating a combat style specialized in mass slaughter.

I could tell that his high ranking in the settlement wasn't for nothing. Meanwhile, Kim Seunghoon, who had been standing still, started moving with a large hammer.

However...

"What is that?"

As Kim Seunghoon's battle began, I couldn't help but be shocked.

Crackle...

Lightning flowed from Kim Seunghoon's body, scattering in all directions, creating an ominous scene.

Flash.

Immediately, Kim Seunghoon's figure shattered the ground and moved at a speed that left only a blurry afterimage.

And simultaneously.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth snakes around Kim Seunghoon exploded as soon as the afterimage of his movement disappeared.

I couldn't help but tremble at the overwhelming sight.

This was...

"Top-tier challenger."

The pure might of the so-called top-tier challengers, known as rankers.

I had wondered if they might be weaker than interdimensional challengers, but watching Kim Seunghoon and Oh Chunseok in action dispelled that thought.

"This is exciting."

This ordeal was more invigorating than competing with lower-tier challengers in a territory battle.

Feeling my blood boil for the first time in a while, I gripped my Thunder Sword tightly and moved.

"Skill 'Instant Acceleration' activated."

"Skill 'Blessing of the Wind' activated."

"All speed increased by 40%."

"Current skill stacking progress: 4/7"

Whoosh...

As I cut through the wind and arrived at the center where the earth snakes gathered,

I moved toward the shadows of the creatures with a deep smile.

"Skill 'Stealthy Shadow Step (C+)' activated."

"Currently stepping on a creature's shadow."

"Temporary strength increase by +3."

Activating the newly acquired skill, I quickly moved my sword.

"Authority 'Sword Qi Wounds' activated."

I immediately activated the sword qi I had received from the White Crane Sword Immortal.

"Skill 'Lightning Sword Qi' activated."

I mixed it with the Lightning Sword Qi I had learned by absorbing the command of Baek Mu-hak, a member of the Martial Arts Alliance.

"Skill 'Frenzied Sword Technique (C+)' activated."

"Blade attack speed increased by 2%."

"Current skill stacking progress: 1/10"

Increasing my attack speed, I cleanly sliced the neck of the snake in front of me.

"Rock Snake defeated."

"1 contribution point obtained."

"Current contribution point ranking of challenger Han Seungyun: lowest."

A message appeared indicating that I had obtained a contribution point, but there was no time to worry about that.

Swoosh!

I didn't stop there, quickly moving behind the creatures attacking me, activating 'Stealthy Shadow Step' and swinging my sword.

Crack! Swoosh! Crunch!

I repeated this process several times in less than 10 seconds, and I twisted my lips.

It's not...

Not enough...

I couldn't be satisfied with this.

"To take first place, this isn't enough."

Faster, and more efficiently...

I need to hunt without any breaks, like water flowing smoothly.

Only then can I take first place in the contribution point ranking.

Repeating this to myself, I pushed off the ground.

The real hunt was about to begin.

***

―Faster, and more efficiently...

The Iron-Blooded Ruler smiled slightly at the sight of Han Seungyun muttering to himself.

"Of course, he is the contractor I chose..."

On the holographic screen, Han Seungyun was disposing of the earth snakes like a fish in water, with a deeper smile.

As if he truly found it enjoyable.

Watching this, the Iron-Blooded Ruler realized again what kind of being Han Seungyun was.

He was one of the few top-tier challengers in the Earth dimension, which had only been settled by the Tower for a few months.

As an administrator, she knew very well what this meant.

"A precious talent that is hard to find even in other dimensions."

Those who understood the structure of the Tower often feared death and ultimately gave up on climbing, abandoning their path as challengers.

Or, if they did climb, they prepared extensively and took endless time before ascending.

This was the most orthodox reaction of those who had just entered the Tower of Ordeals.

However, Han Seungyun, as seen by the Iron-Blooded Ruler, was fundamentally different from such people.

The desire to grow.

In a dimension where he knew little about the Tower of Ordeals, he climbed solely driven by the desire to grow.

A monster who focused only on growth to such an extent.

This was true even now, as he entered the 10th floor ordeal.

Despite taking all the items from Kim Seunghoon just now, he was still unsatisfied and was trying to clear the special mission in first place.

To obtain the special reward given only to the first place in public contribution.

Han Seungyun, wielding sword qi on his blade and delivering fatal strikes, was a true sword demon.

The Iron-Blooded Ruler gazed at Han Seungyun and thought to herself.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a fascinating challenger.

"This... It reminds me of the old days."

Once, the Iron-Blooded Ruler had also pursued strength alone, fighting her way through the Tower.

She had surpassed all the climbers, fighting with only a sword, like a madwoman.

In those days, she was truly the Iron-Blooded Ruler, untouchable by anyone.

Of course, that ended when she met her death near the top of the Tower...

But Han Seungyun might be different.

'Maybe I was lucky to choose him as my first contractor...'

If someone else had taken Han Seungyun as their first contractor, even the Iron-Blooded Ruler, who had never cared about contracts, would have been deeply disappointed.

However...

"This challenger with insane growth potential is my contractor..."

In the end, the Tower transferred Han Seungyun's contract to the Iron-Blooded Ruler, allowing her to form a contract with him.

She considered this fortunate.

For a challenger, the [First Contract] is incredibly important.

It unlocks a system from the 11th floor waiting room, allowing the challenger to receive substantial support from the contracted administrator.

Additionally, the administrator can interfere to some extent with the challenger's ability to form additional contracts with other administrators, which expands at that point.

Of course, the interference is limited, and the final decision is made by the challenger, so it was also a tense moment for the Iron-Blooded Ruler.

'Especially since the White Crane Sword Immortal seems to be eyeing Han Seungyun...'

Even if she was the first contracted administrator, the importance could vary based on the challenger's choice.

Administrators receive benefits from the Tower based on the growth of their contracted challengers, so if they are less important, the benefits they receive from nurturing the challenger decrease.

Therefore, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen after the 11th floor waiting room.

To martial arts dimension challengers, the White Crane Sword Immortal is almost a legendary figure, and even the recent prowler, Calean, has many followers.

In many ways, even as the first contracted administrator, she had fewer advantages compared to other administrators.

At least, Han Seungyun, with his strong desire to grow, might feel that way.

So, he would likely form contracts with other administrators to gain abilities and become stronger.

The abilities the Iron-Blooded Ruler possessed were all highly useful but hard to obtain, making it even more likely.

Certainly, even if he overcame this ordeal, the SP he would earn wouldn't be enough to buy high-quality abilities.

However...

"From the 11th floor, things will be different."

Whether it's the martial arts dimension, Calean, or Ares...

No matter which dimension's administrator, they can't match the [gift] she has prepared.

This time, she endured significant constraints from the Tower to prepare something for Han Seungyun that other challengers can't even dream of at this point.

So...

Han Seungyun, who focuses only on growth, would surely prioritize her if he saw the [gift] she had prepared.

"Let the White Crane Sword Immortal and the Prowler do their best."

Whether it's the second or third administrator, it doesn't matter how many more he contracts with; it's irrelevant to her now.

"Ultimately, Han Seungyun will choose me."

He will definitely do so to become stronger.