Chapter 16 (2/2):  You Shall Not Pass!

[You have eliminated the Nightmare of the Tower for the first time.]  

[Additional stars are awarded for the incredible achievement of defeating the Nightmare.]  

[Your current accumulated stars total 10, activating the specified cumulative reward.]  

[The cumulative reward for 10 stars on Very Hard difficulty is ‘Union Floor Party Member Increase by 1.’]  

[High scores for Very Hard difficulty with 10 stars earned by South Korea have been recorded in the Tower.]  

Cumulative rewards were nation-wide bonuses activated upon reaching a set number of stars.  

For Easy difficulty, it was debuffing monsters’ stats and enhancing Awakened ones.  

Normal difficulty enhanced the traits of Awakened individuals.  

Hard difficulty increased the rewards obtained from the Tower.  

Very Hard difficulty’s rewards had remained a mystery until now.  

But by obtaining the additional stars to reach 10, the secret was finally revealed.  

And that effect was…  

“This is going to cause a huge commotion.”  

An increase in party members in the Union Floor.  

To explain that, one had to understand the Tower’s structure.  

The Tower was divided into Union Floors every five levels.  

The Union Floor differed from individual progress in that five people formed a party to complete difficult enemies or trials.  

Hence, roles were divided into tankers, dealers, supporters, and so on.  

Only if those roles were properly fulfilled could the complex trials of the Union Floor be overcome.  

And the number of party members was fixed at five.  

But now?  

South Korea had received the effect of increasing the party size by one through obtaining 10 stars.  

That meant the party size fixed at five had become six.  

This change was bound to create a massive ripple not just in South Korea but worldwide.  

Of course, at this moment, it wasn’t a particularly significant reward or fact for me personally.  

[Having eliminated the Nightmare, Nightmare Gear is awarded.]  

The Nightmare trial was even harder than Very Hard difficulty.  

This was the personal reward for completing it.  

Yet,  there was no reaction.  

Then suddenly.  

“Could it be?”  

I stared at Krenkel’s Sword of the Retainer in my hand.  

Equipment obtained from the Tower usually disappeared immediately.  

Yet, despite Krenkel’s death, the Sword of the Retainer remained intact.  

Not only that.  

“It hasn’t disappeared?”  

Krenkel’s corpse, which should have turned to ashes and vanished, was still there.  

If the corpse was intact, then the armor he wore remained as well.  

The moment I realized this, a message rang out to announce they now belonged to me.

[You have acquired the Sword of the Retainer (Malice Krenkel) and Armor.]   

[There are now two Swords of the Retainer. Equipment of the same quality merges to form a stronger weapon.]  

“Whirr! Whirr! Whirr! “

The swords in both hands blazed with bright light, glowing as their names were summoned.  

Along with that came a tremendous force.  

“Flash!”  

As they merged, an even more intense light burst forth.  

But it lasted only a split second.  

The light faded, leaving only one sword in my hand.  

“Whirr!”  

The sword was engraved with even more intricate patterns.  

“ōtōt!”  

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.  

I had expected some new power would be bestowed upon enhancement.  

But no.  

The pale green sword, shaped like the wind, was a sword I was very familiar with.  

“Rapidi!”  

One of the shadows of the past.  

It was the sword I used during my days as Malice Paladino.  

A Knight Sword endowed with various speed-enhancing abilities, bearing the meaning of ‘Wind.’  

Yes.  

The Sword of the Retainer had been upgraded to a Knight Sword.  

“Click.”  

And on top of that, I had obtained the Retainer’s Armor Krenkel used.  

That alone was enough to significantly increase my combat power.  

[You have ‘perfectly’ cleared Floor 3 Very Hard (Nightmare).]  

[Calculating rewards…]  

[In honor of this remarkable achievement, you are awarded the ‘Night of Wind Bundle.’]  

“Thud.”  

A leather pouch dropped at my feet.  

But it was unlike the ones I saw on Floors 1 and 2.  

“A crest!”  

Astonishingly, the leather pouch bore the Malice Family Crest.  

It was likely connected to defeating Krenkel, who was of the Malice bloodline.  

Without hesitation, I untied the string.  

Light poured out from the open pouch.  

“This is…?!”  

I was once again amazed.  

“About 3%?”  

The energy granted through the pouch was a tremendous power amounting to about 3%.  

Thanks to it, my strength returned by roughly 6%.  

That was enough power to overwhelm the Malice Krenkel I had just barely fought.  

“A Nightmare, huh. Truly a reward worthy of the difficulty.”  

Indeed, it was a Nightmare!  

This reward brought me closer to my revenge.  

Moreover,   “Thud.”  

Along with the light, more than just energy was delivered.  

Colorful tickets.  

Seeing red, blue, and yellow tickets,  I couldn’t help but grin.  

***  

“Roar!”  

A massive blaze erupted, turning the surroundings into a hellfire.  

At the source stood a creature resembling a lion.  

Unlike a normal lion, it had large wings and a scorpion’s tail.  

This powerful monster was called a Manticore.  

It was the gatekeeper protecting Floor 45, commonly known as the Wall of Lamentation.  

With its tough leather that resisted most weapons and the potent poison it spewed from its mouth, this monster was a major hurdle in the Tower’s competition among nations.  

This was because whether a nation was considered an Awakened Power was judged by whether it had passed Floor 45 or not.  

You could tell just by looking at the nations that had successfully cleared this floor.  

Only seven countries: the United States, China, Russia, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and India.  

Many countries had challenged Floor 45.  

South Korea was among them.  

Shinhwa Guild’s Team 1, led by Chulwoo Shin.  

After several failed attempts, they had temporarily given up on the Manticore but were now challenging Floor 45 once more.  

Only a few weeks ago, they had declared they needed more preparation.  

Why the sudden change?  

Simple.  

The increase of one party member in the Union Floor.  

Just recently, Kim Si-won had unlocked the cumulative reward by earning 10 stars in Very Hard difficulty.  

While five was difficult, six made it possible.  

The first team, now with a newly added healer, was attacking the Manticore.  

‘Iron Wall’—  

Leading the charge was tanker Kim Wanju.  

He activated his Iron Wall trait to block the raging flames.  

But no matter how strong his Iron Wall was, the Manticore’s poison was no ordinary threat.  

“Healer!”  

At Shin Chulwoo’s shout,  Powerful healing—  

Wind of Regeneration.  

Originally a member of Team 1, healer Kim Sujeong and the newly added Seo Yuri activated their traits, lending their strength to Kim Wanju as he withstood the flames.  

“Uooooooh!”  

Thanks to them, Iron Wall grew even stronger, buying time to block the flames.  

“Now!”  

The Manticore’s poison would continue until it claimed a life.  

So they planned to use Kim Wanju as a frontline shield to endure the deadly flames, creating an opening to attack.  

‘Battery’—  

Attack power enhancement.  

Shin Chulwoo, the most essential member of Team 1, received the trait from supporter Ha Yeon Lee.  

Originally, there were two dealers, but after fierce fighting, the archer Park Ohyeon had retired due to poisoning.  

Therefore, only Shin Chulwoo could finish off the Manticore.  

“Haaah!”  

He was recognized worldwide as one of the top 10 Breakers.  

A Breaker was a term for dealers with overwhelming attack power capable of killing monsters in a single blow.  

With Ha Yeon Lee’s trait, he surged forward like he was about to cleave the Manticore in two.  

If his strike landed properly, they would quickly clear Floor 45, which had been stalled for a long time.  

“Got it!”  

No, I was already certain of it.  

Thanks to the added healer, Kim Wanju was holding firm.  

If they could just endure that troublesome, overwhelmingly strong blaze, the fight would be as good as over.  

The reward for clearing Floor 45 was more generous than ever before.  

Imagining a happy future, Shin Chulwoo closed the distance in a flash using extreme acceleration.  

‘Earth Splitter’—  

At the moment he was about to land a critical strike a message popep out:  

[Kim Si-won of South Korea has used a Debuff Ticket.]  

[There is no way to defend against the Attack Ticket.]  

[All designated targets, including Shinhwa Guild members and related parties, will suffer a 10% stat reduction penalty (72 hours).]  

They had a slight advantage.  

But if stats dropped by 10%,  

“Kyah!”  

“Wanju!”  

Screams erupted.  

The Manticore’s menacing gaze, which had been fixed on Kim Wanju, shifted toward Shin Chulwoo.  

And then—  

“Kraaaaash!”  

A powerful wave of venomous poison surged forth, overwhelming even the tanker and crashing down on him.