“If it’s the Vatican, could it be…?”
– “Yes, it’s the Saintess. The one called the world’s best holy-type Hunter.”
It was impossible not to know her.
While she might not be considered the strongest overall Hunter, the Saintess of the Vatican was undisputed as the most powerful among holy-type Hunters.
However, he had heard the Vatican rarely allowed her to leave the city unless the situation was dire.
The current circumstances must be truly urgent.
– “But it’s a bit of an ambiguous situation. It would be good to have a healer in Master Vulcanus’s party, but his soldiers don’t actually need healing.”
That was the problem.
The way his soldiers recovered their health was through the [Repair] skill, not healing spells.
Casting a heal on them would have zero effect.
Still, why did he feel so uneasy just brushing it off?
“Could you send me her information first? And combat footage, if possible.”
– “Yes, I’ll send it right away.”
As expected of Nam Bora, the Saintess’s information arrived immediately.
Previously, his knowledge of the Saintess was limited to her image as an ‘excellent healer,’ so he took this chance to examine her more thoroughly.
The more he looked, the more a specific thought took hold.
‘She’s pretty good.’
First of all, her health recovery ability was superb.
She truly lived up to her title as the world’s best healer.
If she joined the party, the survivability of all party members, including himself, would undoubtedly skyrocket.
With the worry of health depletion gone, his combat style could become more aggressive, and his strategic options would expand.
But above all else, one thing stood out.
‘Buff abilities.’
These were holy buffs, distinct from the buff magic used by Cheongryong.
For instance, there was [Bless], which increased an ally’s health, magic power, and vitality.
There was [Medication], which restored magic power and seemed like it might even work on his soldiers.
[Divine Armor] increased defense, [Holy Weapon] boosted attack power, and [Holy Shield] was a sacred barrier that could momentarily block powerful enemy attacks.
There were many skills that would be helpful even without considering health recovery.
Furthermore…
“Is this person’s weapon a spear?”
– “Hmm, it doesn’t have a blade, so calling it a spear is a bit difficult. Actually, on second thought, she can manifest a blade using holy power, so a spear might be accurate.”
The Saintess was not a Hunter who simply provided support from the rear.
She wielded a long spear—or perhaps it was more accurate to call it a staff—and engaged enemies directly.
Simultaneously, she freely utilized holy skills for long-range attacks.
She was a true all-rounder.
She was a Hunter who could perfectly fill the missing elements in his party.
“I’ll go with her.”
– “Really?”
“Yes. Please relay the message and let me know her answer. If she refuses, I’ll have to look for another Hunter immediately.”
– “Understood!”
Nam Bora immediately relayed his decision to the various nations.
Fortunately, the response from everyone was an immediate “yes.”
From their perspective, this was a massive gain.
Currently, his party was the only hope for resolving this catastrophe, so joining the party meant getting a foot in the door.
It meant that when the Tower disappeared, they could say, “Our nation’s Ranker participated in the party.”
Once the party was finalized…
“Since it’s come to this, it’s better to gather quickly. Tell everyone to be ready; we’ll meet in one hour.”
He immediately prepared for the Tower Entry.
***
The hero of the United States and the number one Hunter in the world ranking, Elvin Douglas.
A long-awaited message appeared before his eyes.
[A party proposal has been received from ‘Vulcanus’.]
[Would you like to accept?]
It was a party proposal from Vulcanus.
Having been informed of the news in advance, Douglas accepted the request immediately, but his reaction was stoic.
“What does he mean by ‘get ready’? He hasn’t even given a location.”
Forming a party didn’t mean you could enter the Tower immediately.
Even in a party state, all members usually had to gather near the Tower to enter.
However, there had been no such instruction.
He had been told there was no need to gather at the Tower; he just needed to equip his gear and prepare himself mentally.
That wasn’t the only issue.
“Entering the Tower with ten people? What kind of nonsense is this?”
Korea had previously been climbing the Tower with a full party of five people.
Now, they were supposedly adding two more Korean Rankers, himself, and one Ranker each from Taiwan and the Vatican.
In other words, a party of ten was entering the Tower.
Did that even make sense?
Even if it was Vulcanus, none of this was logical.
Still, since it was Vulcanus’s proposal and a request from the United States Government, Douglas equipped all his gear, summoned his familiars, and waited for the appointed time.
The moment the clock struck the hour, he checked his surroundings.
[Welcome to the Tower.]
“Wait, what?”
Douglas’s vision was sucked into a void.
It was a first for Korea, but it was something he had already experienced in the United States—the slight dizziness felt when entering the Tower.
Before long, Douglas’s body had completely transitioned into the Tower, and familiar faces appeared around him.
“Oh, Sword Saint!”
“Elvin Douglas, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
The Korean Rankers, including the Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra.
He remembered looking them up out of curiosity when he heard the news that Korean Hunters had suddenly become incredibly strong.
He didn’t know how he did it, but Vulcanus had truly brought him into the Tower without needing to gather the party members in person.
This alone was amazing enough, but…
‘One, two, three… ten? Is it really ten?’
When he counted, the number of party members who had entered the Tower was indeed ten.
The system’s party limit was definitely five people.
He didn’t know what kind of trick had been used, but ten people had entered the Tower simultaneously.
Thinking simply, this would make conquering the Tower at least twice as easy.
No, considering party synergy and strategic diversity, it was likely even more than that.
The probability of a successful climb had increased drastically.
‘That person is the Taiwan Ranker. And that one… the Saintess? Even the Vatican stepped up?’
He saw familiar faces.
However, what caught Douglas’s eye more than anything was the Sword Saint.
To be precise, it was the equipment she was wearing.
“Th-that! Isn’t that L-rank armor?”
He wasn’t talking about a single piece.
Every part of the armor the Sword Saint wore was L-rank.
Having once had an L-rank saddle crafted by Vulcanus, Douglas recognized it instantly.
Furthermore, the weapon hanging at her waist…
“What on earth is that…!”
It wasn’t an L-rank item.
It was something more.
He couldn’t verify the information, but as someone once called the strongest Hunter, he could estimate just how much power that sword held.
This wasn’t the only shocking thing.
“Everything…”
Cheon Seung-heon, the Blue Dragon’s Staff, and even the Shadow King’s Hood.
All of them possessed proper EX-rank weapons.
Looking at that, he felt he finally understood how Korea had climbed the Tower so quickly and successfully defended against the Monster Wave.
“I’m sure everyone has a lot to say, but please be quiet for a moment.”
At the Sword Saint’s words, Douglas fell silent.
Simultaneously, Vulcanus revealed himself from among the numerous soldiers engraved with volcano patterns.
He wondered if he would finally see Vulcanus’s true face, but unfortunately, Vulcanus was completely hidden behind full-body armor.
From within that imposing figure, Vulcanus spoke, “Thank you all for participating in this Tower climb. I look forward to working with you.”
‘Was this the courtesy of the ‘Eastern Land of Courtesy’?’
Douglas thought someone of Vulcanus’s stature might be arrogant, but he was more polite than expected.
He thought there might be a time for introductions, but there were none.
After finishing his greeting, Vulcanus pulled something from his robe and distributed it to his original party members.
Their eyes widened as they received them.
“This is!”
“I’ve crafted armor for you as promised. If you wear these, you’ll be able to secure both combat power and survivability.”
“Thank you, Master Vulcanus!”
“I will definitely live up to your expectations.”
“Yahoo!”
Cheon Seung-heon, Cheongryong, and Shadow King.
Vulcanus handed equipment to all three.
Douglas wondered what kind of items he could possibly give them when they were already wearing SSS-grade set equipment, but upon closer inspection…
“L-rank set items?”
They were L-rank.
Did this make any sense?
While Douglas was still treasuring his one and only L-rank saddle like a sacred relic, Vulcanus’s party members were not only armed from head to toe in such items but were also wearing powerful equipment that looked even higher than that.
Even more…
“And, Shadow King.”
“Yes!”
“This is a new weapon, so use it well.”
“Whoaaa! An EX-rank weapon! My god!”
He was handing the Shadow King a dagger that looked even more powerful than L-rank.
An EX-rank item.
It was a grade Douglas knew of—an out-of-spec rank that was extremely rare to obtain.
Among EX-rank items, some were as weak as F-rank, but on the other hand, they were items with no upper limit.
Since it was an EX-rank item made by Vulcanus, it surely possessed incredible power.
Based on the energy it radiated, it was definitely above L-rank.
“Leave it all to me! I’ll stab everything now!”
The Shadow King puffed out her chest, now wearing two EX-rank items.
Looking at her, Douglas couldn’t help but feel a surge of envy.
He, the Lightning Caster from Taiwan, and even the Saintess of the Vatican all held out hope that items might be given to them as well, but…
“If everyone is ready, let’s begin the trial immediately.”
Unfortunately, no such thing happened.
Before they could even feel disappointed, Vulcanus continued, “This is the Trial of the 85th Floor. Since the difficulty is high, I hope the newcomers will exercise sufficient caution.”
“The 85th floor?”
“Are you saying you’ve already climbed that high?”
“My god…”
The 85th floor.
As expected, Vulcanus’s party was the only way to eliminate the Tower.
Even with all their efforts, the United States had barely reached the 30th floor.
The 85th floor was beyond imagination.
[Starting the Trial of the 85th Floor.]
[85th Floor: Master of Gold]
As the trial began, Vulcanus spoke his final words, “Be careful, but please show me your full strength. If your capabilities fall short, I will have to replace the party members.”