LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 58 - The 20th Floor of the Tower of Trials
Chapter 58; The 20th Floor of the Tower of Trials
The 20th-floor boss.
Dracul (S-rank) was a True Ancestor.
Unlike vampires who became such after being bitten by another vampire, he was born as a vampire.
Thus, he was far stronger and nobler than ordinary progeny.
– How dare you.
Swoosh.
Dracul, who rose from his seat, realized it.
Someone arrogant was attempting to kill him.
– Who dares challenge my authority?!
He sent his ambush squad and even his secretary, ‘Renfield’ (A-rank).
However.
The intruder was approaching at a speed that rendered his efforts meaningless.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
An overwhelming killing intent poured out of Dracul’s body.
‘It’s been a long time.’
Was it a thousand years?
It had been ages since he had personally risen from his throne.
It wasn’t that there hadn’t been challengers.
Most of them, however, were dealt with by his ambush squad or Renfield.
– Kuhuhu.
A chilling set of teeth appeared behind Dracul’s lips.
– This will be amusing. Very.
For the challenger to have reached here meant that they had defeated Renfield, but it didn’t matter.
Even if hundreds of Renfields joined forces, they couldn’t overpower him—Dracul.
– I shall bite you, drain your blood, and quench my thirst. Then, I will make you my second Renfield. If you’ve reached this point, you must at least be worthy of that…
Just as he grinned wickedly and began to unleash his aura.
– Cut the nonsense.
Something surged at an incredible speed right before his eyes.
BOOM!
What Dracul’s swiftly raised claw intercepted was none other than Hun-gyo’s sword.
– Oh? Impressive.”
Dracul expressed his admiration.
The weight behind the blow indicated this human was no ordinary foe.
– For a human, you are stron—
BOOM!
As Dracul tried to lift his other claw, Hun-gyo’s sword struck fiercely at his neck.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Not just his neck.
Without giving him any chance to react, Hun-gyo’s sword slashed all over Dracul’s body.
How could anyone stand against Hun-gyo, who had acquired a miraculous rune, gained a fortuitous encounter, and was further buffed by Lamba’s lightning speed?
– This damn…!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
– W-wait.
Dracul opened his mouth, sensing something strange.
CRUNCH!
Before he could continue, Dol-dol’s scythe plunged into his mouth and spun violently.
“No, damn it! At least let me speak, you bastards!”
Dracul’s 99% physical resistance meant he didn’t take much damage.
But the speed of their attacks was too fast for him to counter.
The erratic movements of these flies were so unpredictable it felt like trying to clap at a mosquito in vain.
BOOM!
Even when he swung his claws, their blades struck elsewhere.
BOOM!
Every time he tried to speak, his teeth and tongue were struck by the scythe.
Dracul was driven to the brink of madness.
“Are you insane?! At least be reasonably fast!”
CRASH, CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!
What’s worse, their attack speed seemed to increase as the fight went on.
‘These insolent pests!’
Finally, Dracul resolved to use his full power.
He decided to unleash Blood Space, a skill that enveloped and dominated the entire area.
– KIAAAAAAHHHH!
[‘Dracul’ (S-rank) exudes overwhelming presence.]
[‘Dracul’ (S-rank) uses Blood Space.]
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
The blood and life force he had absorbed over his lifetime transformed into energy that pressed down on the space.
– Huff…!
– Gah…?!
Hun-gyo and Dol-dol, who had been attacking him relentlessly.
– Kyaaahhh!
Even Lamba, who had been waving her staff.
Under the immense pressure, they were forced to drop their weapons and kneel.
Hummmmm…!
Dracul, gazing down at them with a triumphant expression, was utterly terrifying.
“Phew.”
From a distance, Baek Jin-woo let out a soft breath as he observed.
That’s right.
In truth, this was Lamba’s counter.
No matter how much one stacked buffs, there was no way to avoid defeat against a powerful area suppression skill like this.
What was the use of speed?
They couldn’t move.
That’s why ranged support was essential, particularly the flame of Poryong.
‘The weakness of Blood Space is its limited range.’
Information about this skill, from its duration to its range, flowed smoothly through Baek Jin-woo’s mind.
He had thus stationed Poryong outside the room beforehand.
“Poryong.”
– Yes, Jin-woo Nim. I’m ready.”
“Fire immediately.”
– Got it!”
The attack Poryong had been preparing exploded in an instant.
Explosive Dragon Art.
Ultimate Skill.
Flame.
FWOOSH!
A massive fireball emerged from outside the range, forming the shape of a dragon before surging straight toward Dracul.
– What the hell is that?!
Dracul was horrified.
Not only was he weak to fire attributes, but this skill was clearly extraordinary.
Moreover, having just unleashed his full power, he couldn’t find an opportunity to dodge.
In the end.
BOOOOOM!
Dracul was struck directly by Poryong’s Explosive Dragon Flame.
– KAAAAAAH!
Dracul’s body began to burn.
He let out endless screams of agony, a pain incomparable to Hun-gyo’s sword strikes.
His spine arched like a bow as his body convulsed violently.
‘This is absurd.’
It wasn’t an ordinary flame.
It felt as though the fire had been compressed and compressed again.
– W-who… are you people?!
In all his countless years of existence, Dracul had never encountered enemies like this.
His HP began to drop rapidly.
– KAAAAH!
He screamed in desperation, but there was nothing he could do.
Hun-gyo and Dol-dol resumed their assault, preventing him from recovering from the flames.
As the battle neared its end, Baek Jin-woo approached leisurely.
“Who are we, you ask?”
He grinned.
“What does it matter? You’ll be dead soon.”
He would die and eventually revive, knowing nothing, reappearing on someone else’s 20th floor.
After all, he was merely part of the setting in 「Battle of Summoners」.
FWOOSH!
Poryong’s explosive flames morphed, surging into Dracul’s mouth.
The flames that had pierced through burned everything inside him to ashes.
– ……!
Dracul, unable to scream or utter a word anymore, began to turn pitch black.
He was becoming ash.
It was exactly the same as what had happened with One-Eye (S-rank).
In the past, he was an extraordinary boss, but to the current Baek Jin-woo, he was nothing.
[The 20th-floor boss, ‘Dracul’ (S-rank), has been defeated.]
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered the 20th floor of the Tower of Trials!]
The 20th floor, too.
It was a smooth success.
* * *
The news of the 20th-floor conquest was delivered to only two places.
YooBaek and the Headquarters Chief.
“……Hahaha.”
The Headquarters Chief shook his head in disbelief at the report.
“Is it true? Did he really clear from the 11th to the 20th floor in just four hours?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
Even the Tower’s management staff looked incredulous.
Clearing the Tower of Trials faster than most people finish an ordinary dungeon?
Their lips itched to share the greatness of Baek Jin-woo with someone.
But?
Doing so without Baek Jin-woo’s permission would invoke the system’s curse.
The contract was absolute.
“What about the 30th floor? Is he going to challenge it too?”
The Headquarters Chief felt a twinge of excitement.
The 30th floor’s boss was so infamous that even Rachel had yet to attempt it.
For some reason.
He felt Baek Jin-woo would conquer it just as easily.
“That’s uncertain. When he entered the 11th floor, he mentioned climbing to the 20th floor, and that’s exactly what he did before leaving.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Well, then.
Does it matter either way?
The Headquarters Chief allowed himself to feel pure joy for the first time in a while.
A sense of awe that came from witnessing an extraordinary person, independent of any personal gain.
And a rush of national pride from knowing such a person represented South Korea!
‘Bit by bit, no—rapidly, everything is changing.’
As he watched from afar, like observing a forest, he could feel it.
That present-day South Korea was undergoing tremendous changes because of one individual.
* * *
Baek Jin-woo canceled all his plans.
He skipped training and went straight up to the penthouse.
Why?
After an easy Tower run, it was time to organize his rewards!
– Kkirurururu!
Baek Jin-woo gently landed on the roof with his wyvern and unsummoned it.
That’s one of the perks of a penthouse.
He could go straight home without passing through the first floor!
Swoosh!
Hun-gyo arrived and went to a corner to clean his sword, while Dol-dol perched on the rooftop and began keeping watch.
– Refrigerator! Refrigerator! Refrigerator!
Lamba dashed off in search of cream buns.
Rumble!
Meanwhile, Poryong was pouring coffee beans into a grinder and preparing to brew coffee.
It wasn’t for himself, but as a treat for Jin-woo Nim, who had worked hard.
“Haa.”
Sitting on a plush sofa, Baek Jin-woo methodically sorted through the rewards he had obtained.
[11th Floor – Universal Polish x 15]
[12th Floor – High-grade Summoning Scroll x 20]
[13th Floor – Top-grade Summoning Scroll x 5]
[14th Floor – Mind-reading Bird (A-rank) x 1]
[15th Floor – Essence of Darkness x 15]
[16th Floor – Universal Polish x 15]
[17th Floor – Top-grade Summoning Scroll x 5]
[18th Floor – Top-grade Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)]
[19th Floor – Universal Polish x 15]
[20th Floor – King’s Token (Bound) x 1, Top-grade Rune Selection Ticket (Bound) x 2]
Good.
Very good.
He had been in need of polish, and 45 units were more than enough.
The rest of the rewards weren’t bad either.
Especially.
‘A Mind-reading Bird?’
This was a summon even Baek Jin-woo was seeing for the first time.
Reading the description, it seemed fascinating.
[Summon: Mind-reading Bird]
[Species: Eagle]
[Rank: A-rank (Rare)]
– Limited to 50 creatures worldwide.
[Level: 1]
[Stats]
Strength: 1, Intelligence: 1, Stamina: 1, Agility: 1
HP: 1,000, MP: 100
Critical Hit Chance: 20%
Critical Damage: 20%
[Skills]
– Mind Reading: Once a day, it can read a target’s mind to discern the truthfulness of their words.
It was a summon with distinct features, akin to the Rainbow Snail his mother owned or the Translation Bird gifted by Ja-sim.
Wow.
A lie-detecting bird?
It seemed like a summon that would be incredibly useful for the police or national intelligence agencies.
Honestly, summons like these were far better than high-grade or top-grade scrolls.
Their rarity alone made them valuable.
However.
‘This isn’t something I really need.’
It might be useful occasionally, but not frequently.
‘Instead.’
Wouldn’t it suit Yoo Ji-ah, who often engaged in business negotiations, much better?
She had to deal with cunning individuals despite her young age.
With this bird, some of that burden could be eased.
It would also reduce the likelihood of being backstabbed.
‘She’d probably make better use of it than I would.’
Now that he thought about it.
Baek Jin-woo realized he’d often received things from Yoo Ji-ah without giving much in return.
Even though she took shares, the summons she had gifted to his family weren’t forgotten.
Especially the ones purchased out of her own pocket rather than company funds.
Alright!
This would be a gift for Yoo Ji-ah!
Baek Jin-woo decided not to summon the Mind-reading Bird just yet.
With the rewards sorted, the first thing he needed to do was clear his next objective.
‘Rune Dwarf.’
Suddenly.
Baek Jin-woo stood up.
– Jin-woo Nim, what about the coffee…?
Poryong, ever diligent, brought a steaming cup of coffee.
“Thanks, but you can drink it yourself. I’ll be back shortly.”
It was time.
Time to work on summoning another EX-class summon.
He was going to create a guaranteed B-grade Summoning Scroll!
Wait for me, Rune Dwarf!
I’ll summon you and put you to excellent use!