Chapter 10: Latecomers (1)

I was stunned after reading the item description.

A Rare+ grade skill?

And it wasn’t just a simple Skill Stone. It was giving me a choice, asking me to pick one of five options. True to the name “Grimoire,” they were all Magic skills. I read through the skill descriptions one by one.

Lesser Mind Control. It said I could control low-level creatures. Was this the spell that old wizard used to control the Goblins?

This one was Blink. Exactly as the name suggested, it was a teleportation ability.

Flame of Decay. This looked like an offensive skill similar to Flame Strike.

Wait, is this the one? The description seemed similar to the ability the old wizard used. It felt like an Area of Effect (AoE) skill.

Finally, Life Drain. An ability to absorb vitality. The exact effects weren’t detailed. What happens when I absorb vitality? Does it heal my injuries?

—

“Hmm…”

So I had to choose one of these. I didn’t even need to consider the focus time or the willpower consumption. The only things that mattered to me were the skill’s effect and the cooldown.

I immediately ruled out Lesser Mind Control and Life Drain. First, the cooldown for Lesser Mind Control was way too long at one hour. Plus, the description “low-level insignificant creatures” was vague. If it only worked on monsters like Goblins, it wasn’t an ability worth coveting.

I skipped Life Drain for similar reasons. I couldn’t be sure what the benefits of absorbing vitality were.

‘It probably restores health or heals injuries, but…’

Seeing as it consumed 10 willpower per second, it seemed like a channeled skill. Could I use this during combat? Could I move while using it? It also required me to be close to the target. Overall, it was too uncertain and ambiguous.

That left three skills. This was where I started to hesitate, because all three seemed to have their own merits.

—

This one also consumed willpower per second. But wouldn’t that mean I could keep using the skill as long as I didn’t run out of willpower? Moreover, since the description mentioned “spraying” the fire, I could roughly guess the form of the attack. It was probably like a flamethrower.

‘An infinite flamethrower is pretty tempting.’

Since I didn’t have to worry about running out of willpower, it looked quite good. However, the catch was that I already had an offensive skill.

I had already seen this one with my own eyes. It was definitely the magic the old wizard used. To be able to use an AoE skill like this with instant casting? Man, this looked really good too. However, the cooldown was a bit long.

Finally, Blink. This was… just good.

Of course, looking at it objectively, it was hot garbage. I didn’t understand why teleporting a mere 10 meters required 30 seconds of focus. Was this even magic?

‘I could crawl 10 meters in less than 30 seconds.’

But for me, focus time meant nothing. This meant I could use Blink instantly and freely even in the middle of a fight. Especially in situations like last time, when I was faced with an unavoidable attack like that arrow while time was stopped. With Blink, I could dodge it. It meant I would gain a highly useful evasion skill.

After some deliberation, I made my decision.

As soon as I selected the skill, the grimoire crumbled away and vanished. They all looked good, but Blink was definitely the better choice. There was one more crucial reason.

Regardless of the difficulty, the Tower shares a certain theme for the same floor. Although Nightmare Floor 1 was absurdly harder than the other difficulties, the fact that I had to deal with Goblins remained the same.

And the theme for the 2nd Floor was a Jump Map. I heard something about having to climb up platforms while lava rises from below. So, considering the 2nd Floor, choosing Blink was the right call. After all, I had to pick what would be most helpful for the immediate conquest of the next floor.

I tried using Blink right away.

Flash.

My body teleported after what would have been 30 seconds of focus.

“Oh.”

I looked back to check the distance I had traveled. It was pretty fascinating. After completing my first-ever experience of teleportation, I checked the other rewards.

—

A Skill Enhancement Stone. I heard these were even rarer than Skill Stones. The only Rare-grade skill I currently had was Flame Strike. Should I use it on Flame Strike immediately? I used it without much hesitation.

‘Waste not, want not.’

I wouldn’t be getting any more skills as rewards unless I entered the 2nd Floor anyway. And if I were to enter the 2nd Floor, there was no reason for me to be cocky and not use this before going in.

—

A +1 mark appeared next to the skill name. Since the number of fireballs increased, did that mean I could shoot two now? I considered firing a Flame Strike into the empty air but decided against it. My willpower was drained from using Blink once. It’s a hassle to wait, so I’ll check it later.

The last reward to check was… a Magic Stone.

It seemed a bit larger than the previous reward.

‘It’s a useless item regardless.’

To sell a Magic Stone, one had to register as a climber and obtain selling credentials. Since I was an illegal Unregistered Climber who hadn’t reported anything, I couldn’t sell this anywhere.

Well, I never expected to make money anyway. The only reason I was frequenting this Tower, which I never intended to set foot in, was solely for the sake of world peace.

Kaa… has there ever been such a heart-wrenching spirit of sacrifice? I wonder if someone will erect a statue of me if I die like this.

‘But I feel strangely uneasy.’

Aren’t the rewards a bit too generous? Even if it’s a first-clear reward and a hidden route. The rewards I’ve already obtained from the 1st Floor alone are one Rare skill, one Rare+ skill, and one Rare +1 enhancement. Plus, I’ve reached Level 15.

…Just what kind of hellish trial is waiting for me on the 2nd Floor that they’re giving me all this? It was quite ominous.

“Can’t someone else just clear the 2nd Floor…”

I really hoped someone other than me would clear up to the 2nd Floor within the time limit. Though, we’d need at least one person to clear the 1st Floor first. I wonder if the Nightmare conquest project they’re doing in the USA is going well.

The spirit of sacrifice I had just muttered to myself had long since vanished. Honestly, it never existed in the first place. I really don’t want to do this. I already did the 1st Floor, right?

Please, someone else do the 2nd Floor for me. If they did, I was confident I could cheer for them harder than anyone else.

I finally left the Tower. I’m hungry. I should go eat some rice with the leftover braised short ribs from this morning.

***

After clearing the 1st Floor Hidden Route, time passed quickly. Whenever I had free time, I entered the 1st Floor for repeated clears. Perhaps because I had already cleared the hidden route, the old wizard was no longer there even when I went down to the underground passage.

I didn’t need the Magic Stones, but the reason I kept doing repeated clears was to keep my senses sharp. In any case, I couldn’t afford not to be prepared for the 2nd Floor.

Occasionally, I exchanged whispers with Mr. Rhino. He still consistently sought my advice. It wasn’t much of an “advice” since I was just telling him what I experienced in as much detail as possible, but it was a relief if even that helped them.

While talking to Mr. Rhino, I also added more details to my information posts. For example, whether the three Goblins appeared at set intervals or if the next three appeared only after defeating the first set; exactly how much time passed before the stone gate closed; and exactly at what timing the Crossbow Goblin appeared… and so on.

Even these minor details could play a crucial role. Mr. Rhino was just the first; many others reached out to me via whispers for advice on Nightmare Floor 1 after him. Among them were even people from our country’s Special Climber Administration. I didn’t know much, but I assumed our country was working hard in its own way.

Regardless of nationality, I helped anyone who sought advice on the 1st Floor to the best of my ability. I ignored everything else, though. I just wanted someone—anyone—to succeed in the conquest and show me some hope.

Did my wish finally reach someone?

“…Oh!”

One day, I checked the communication window and was startled by the changed number. About three months had passed since I cleared the 1st Floor. Finally, a new conqueror of Nightmare Floor 1 had appeared.