Chapter 198: Myths Begin to Walk

The one who finished off the Dragon Lord was the Berserker.

As expected of the name Berserker, he was covered in blood from head to toe in the aftermath of the long battle. 

The battle ended as he drove Laevateinn through the Dragon Lord’s Reverse Scale.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[You have overcome the Trial of the 90th Floor, ‘Master of Dragons’.]

[Clear Evaluation Rank: SSS]

[As a reward, you have been given the ‘Dragon Lord’s Heart’.]

[The Tower weakens as the Trial of the 90th Floor has been conquered.]

“Huff, huff…!”

We won.

We clearly won, but…

Not just me, but the condition of my party members didn’t look very good. 

It was only natural. 

To conquer this 90th Floor, they had spent all day trading blows between life and death with dragons, and none of them were in a normal state.

One person’s mind was worn down from the repeated cycle of losing health and recovering while being hit by the dragons’ attacks.

Another was suffering from potion poisoning after drinking too many mana potions.

Another had developed trauma after taking a dragon’s breath head-on.

The battle on the 90th Floor was that difficult.

“Could you come here one by one? I’ll treat you.”

“Thank you, Saintess.”

“It’s my role. It’s thanks to all of you that I survived to be able to treat you.”

Thanks to the Saintess, who quickly recovered her holy power using a skill, all the party members were able to receive proper treatment. 

Although their wounds were all healed, the atmosphere remained dark. 

And for good reason.

“For the 90th Floor to be this difficult.”

“Doesn’t that mean the 91st Floor will be at least harder than this?”

“Already, our combat power is at a level that can’t be compared to anyone else on Earth. To be blocked like this already…”

“The 100th Floor… will we be able to conquer it?”

It wasn’t like we were on the 95th or 99th Floor. 

Since they had experienced such a battle on the 90th Floor, it was understandable that their will was shaken.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel apologetic. 

In truth, I was the one among them who, even more than the Saintess, had been less involved in the battle and had not received a single attack.

Actually, in terms of contribution, if you counted the equipment they wore and the support using the cannons, I could be seen as having the highest, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry since I was the only one whose body was perfectly fine.

“For now, I’ll be satisfied with this for today.”

“Um, Master Vulcanus. Tomorrow…”

“I have the SSS-grade material I got today, and I think I can get more materials, so I’ll prepare as much as possible before we climb again.”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t worry too much. As I’ve told you repeatedly, if a dangerous situation arises, you can just use the Authority of Exit.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“And while we conquer the Tower and block the Monster Waves, if we can find more SSS-grade materials, I can make more EX-grade items with them.”

“Yes, we’ll get stronger too. As much as the Tower conquest becomes more difficult.”

At my persuasion, the party members still nodded and gave small smiles. 

They left the area after saying their goodbyes for their hard work. 

Meanwhile, I…

“Mining Team, start now.”

“Yes, Master.”

I instructed the Mining Team and began to extract resources. 

As expected of the Trial of the 90th Floor, quite a lot of high-quality materials came out. 

Countless S-grade and SS-grade materials related to dragons appeared.

However, I had already equipped all the party members with L-grade gear. 

Even if more SS-grade materials came out, there wasn’t much to do other than making equipment for guild members or crafting cannonballs to prepare for the Monster Wave. 

SS-grade materials were no longer of great help for conquering the Tower.

And the SSS-grade material I obtained from the 90th Floor was…

‘Dragon Lord’s Heart.’

It was this. 

Although it was called a heart, it wasn’t an actual heart. 

It was a type of Magic Stone — a body part created from the magical power a dragon had gathered throughout its life. 

It was the best item for making magic-related items. 

As such, it seemed perfect for making equipment for the Spirit Emperor or the Lightning Caster.

“Master, I found one more material that looks good here.”

“Oh!”

Remarkably, among the materials Mining 1 found, there was an SSS-grade material. 

This was the first time an SSS-grade material had been discovered through mining rather than as a reward for a trial. 

The item found was the Thunder Dragon’s Lightning Rod. 

Like the name Thunder Dragon suggests, it was a dragon specialized in lightning, so it seemed perfect for making the Lightning Caster’s equipment.

Nodding with satisfaction, I returned to my corner.

[Using Crafting Skill.]

I immediately began to create EX-grade items for the Spirit Emperor and the Lightning Caster.

***

The next day.

I succeeded in making two EX-grade items and gave them to the Spirit Emperor and the Lightning Caster.

“Thank you!”

The item given to the Spirit Emperor was the ‘Staff of Ilmatar’. 

It was a staff held by a Great Spirit named Ilmatar, who was called the primordial goddess. 

For the Spirit Emperor who handled spirits, there was no other weapon as suitable as this. 

Fortunately, because the status of the Dragon Lord’s Heart was so high, I was able to create it without much difficulty.

Next, the item given to the Lightning Caster was…

“What is this? It doesn’t look like… a staff.”

“They are drumsticks.”

“Drumsticks?”

“They’re called Raijin’s Drumsticks. In Japanese mythology, they are the sticks that the thunder god Raijin uses to beat his drums when he creates lightning.”

“Hmm, will these be helpful?”

“Even if they are drumsticks, they aren’t much different from a staff. You’ll definitely feel the difference when you use them.”

“Hmm, thank you! I’ll try to use them as best as I can!”

It was an item called Raijin’s Drumsticks. 

Although they were in the form of drumsticks rather than a staff, there was no need to actually beat a drum. 

It was an item that allowed the user to handle lightning at will just by swinging them as if hitting a drum while infusing them with magical power. 

If the Lightning Caster’s magic were added to that, he would be able to wield much larger and more powerful lightning than before.

“As I said yesterday, if the conquest becomes difficult, we can try using the Authority of Exit, so please signal me the moment you judge it’s dangerous. I’ll be watching as closely as possible too.”

“Yes!”

If it really didn’t seem possible, I even considered using the Authority of Exit as soon as we saw the trial. 

With that thought, I started the Trial of the 91st Floor.

[Starting the Trial of the 91st Floor.]

The location of the trial was a massive forest. 

It was a forest so dense that it made me think, ‘So this is what a Sea of Trees is like.’ 

What kind of trial would take place in a place like this? 

What form of monsters would appear in the trials of the 90th-floor range?

Even dragons appeared in the 80th-floor range, and from what I remembered, dragons were the strongest monsters in fantasy. 

I wondered what monsters would come next.

[91st Floor: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons]

“Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?”

A familiar phrase reached my ears. 

Anyone who had encountered various content and games would have heard the name at least once. 

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. 

It referred to all kinds of Yokai roaming around at night, a Japanese legend where Yokai or ghosts appeared in groups to wander or march in the middle of the night.

Matching that…

“Eughhhhh — .”

“Kihihihihihi!”

“Cackle cackle cackle!”

“Yoooooou.”

All sorts of Yokai and ghost-type monsters began to appear. 

However, the true identities of those monsters were unusual.

“Damn, aren’t those all Rank 10 monsters?”

“They seem to have power similar to the Dokkaebi King we faced during the first wave of the Tower…!”

“Then is the theme this time Yokai? No, is it Undead?”

“First, let’s prepare for battle!”

A monster made of massive blue flames, the Great Foxfire. 

A Yokai boasting a long nose and wearing the wind by waving a fan made of leaves, the Tengu. 

A ghost with a long neck stretched out like a snake, the Rokurokubi.

There were various types of monsters, including Yokai and ghost-type monsters I already knew, as well as forms I was seeing for the first time.

The problem was that the monsters that had previously been Rank 8 or Rank 9 — no, even lower than that — all possessed power reaching Rank 10. 

Like the name Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, a massive number of Yokai and ghosts were marching, and all of those monsters were at the level of Rank 10 monsters.

“Whewwwww — .”

“Attack!”

“Kaboom!!”

Once again, it started with the Berserker’s charge. 

The Berserker’s attack while swinging Laevateinn was powerful, and I thought the enemy would be cut down at once like the Wing Dragons on the 90th Floor, but…

“Wheww — .”

The opponent was a Rank 10 monster. 

It was an enemy even more powerful than a Wing Dragon. 

As such, even though it took a critical hit, it somehow blocked the Berserker’s attack. 

Of course, if the opponent had been just that one, this situation wouldn’t have been so threatening, but…

“Graaaakh!”

“Kuoooo — “

“Ggoong?”

“Cackle cackle cackle cackle!”

The current trial was the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. 

True to its name, a countless number of ghosts and Yokai were swarming in. 

Because of this, the party members were struggling. 

Watching the situation, I took my hammer and stepped onto the battlefield.

“Master Vulcanus, it’s dangerous!”

“Just watch for a moment! I’ll put up a wall!”

“A wall?”

“Won’t the battle become much easier just by putting up a wall so the monsters are forced into one place?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Hurry!”

“Yes!”

If the field had been a plain, I wouldn’t have made such a choice. 

However, this was a dense forest. 

Just by blocking the gaps between the trees, an excellent wall would be born. Although it would take a lot of materials.

“Mining Team, start logging the trees as fast as possible from now on, and Production Team, make the wall with me!”

“Yes, Master.”

As for materials, we could just use the trees here. 

Since the Yokai and ghosts weren’t even breaking these trees, we would be able to create a proper wall if we used them.

[Using Crafting Skill.]

Under the protection of the party members, I began to connect the trees to create a wall. 

Then, the enemies that had been attacking from all directions gradually had their movements restricted and began to enter only through the entrance we had left open. 

Since we only had to deal with the monsters coming in a single line through the entrance, the battle became much smoother.

As the wall grew longer, the number of monsters striking from the left and right decreased. 

Furthermore, once I used the scattered wood to create siege weapons and even started throwing logs…

[Level Up!]

[You have overcome the Trial of the 91st Floor, ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’.]

[Clear Evaluation Rank: SSS]

[As a reward, you have been given the ‘Yokai King’s Horn’.]

[As a reward, you have been given the ‘Hem of the Demoness’.]

[The Tower weakens as the Trial of the 91st Floor has been conquered.]

We were barely able to conquer the 91st Floor. 

The explanation was simple, but the battle was by no means simple. 

It took nearly one day to conquer the 91st Floor, and if I hadn’t built the wall, there was a high possibility we would have failed the conquest.

Even though ten of the world’s strongest Hunters were gathered and wearing the world’s highest-level equipment, for it to be like this… 

It was a level of difficulty that was completely incomprehensible.

We had wasted more time than expected, and above all, we had to prepare for the third Monster Wave now, so we had to stop the conquest here. 

However…

“I’ll use the Authority of Exit, but let’s just find out the information for the 92nd Floor before we go.”

I decided to look at the Trial of the 92nd Floor before leaving. 

Since it was hard to know the theme of the 90th-floor range just by seeing the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. 

If we saw the Trial of the 92nd Floor, we would be able to know the theme for sure.

[Starting the Trial of the 92nd Floor.]

The Trial of the 92nd Floor that started like that. 

Its identity was none other than…

[92nd Floor: Twelve Labors]

The Twelve Labors.

As soon as I heard the name of the trial, the hero who came to mind was Hercules from Greek mythology. 

It was because he was known to have performed twelve labors to atone for his sins. 

As if to prove this…

“Grrr — “

The monsters that appeared with the start of the trial were all creatures that appeared in the Twelve Labors. 

The Nemean Lion, the Hydra — a venomous snake from Lerna — the Ceryneian Hind, the Erymanthian Boar, and so on.

Upon seeing this, I was able to understand the theme of the 90th-floor range.

“…Mythology.”

That was it. 

The theme of the 90th-floor range was myths and legends. 

Just as the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons from Japanese legends was reproduced, and the Twelve Labors that Hercules performed were being reproduced.

It was certain that from now on, events that appeared in myths or legends would continue to be reproduced.