I postponed the conquest of the 92nd Floor.
I spent my time crafting new items using the materials I obtained from the 91st Floor, and while I was at it…
“Rumble—.”
I felt a vibration signaling the third Monster Gate.
Although the Monster Waves were said to grow stronger over time, Korea had already conquered the Tower up to the 91st Floor.
I thought we wouldn’t have to worry too much, but…
“Aaaaah!”
“W-What is this?”
“I thought they said the 91st Floor was conquered? Then shouldn’t the Monster Wave be weaker?”
“Why are there so many of them?”
“Doesn’t it look like twice as many as last time…?”
“…Damn it.”
It wasn’t.
The level of the Monster Wave that appeared this time was about twice that of the second wave.
Was this really a weakened Monster Wave?
I wondered if something had gone wrong, but…
“We received word from the Association. The Towers in other countries… are already no different from a living hell.”
It wasn’t a mistake.
The Monster Wave in Korea had indeed been properly weakened.
From what I heard, the Monster Waves occurring at the Towers in other countries were literally spewing out monsters like a tsunami.
The climbing team, including myself, was ascending the Tower faster than any other nation, but the Tower was attempting to destroy the world even faster.
However, it wasn’t to the point where we couldn’t handle it.
The Hunters had been making thorough preparations to block the Monster Waves until now.
They built thick walls, created siege weapons, and produced projectiles.
Since they had also practiced formations specifically designed for Monster Waves, they were able to respond sufficiently.
“Boom!!”
Watching the scene, I also supported our allies by firing shells.
Since I now had a surplus of SS-grade materials, I was able to produce a good amount of high-quality shells.
Simply firing those shells into the right positions significantly lowered the difficulty of the wave.
However…
‘I can’t believe it’s already at this level starting from the third wave.’
I was just as nervous.
I hadn’t expected the waves to grow powerful so quickly.
At this rate, the situation was precarious, and I couldn’t be sure if we could block even the fourth wave.
In this atmosphere… perhaps, we would never be able to block the fifth wave.
And for good reason.
“C-C-Craaaaah!”
“It’s a Rank 10 Boss Monster!”
“Rankers! We’re counting on you!”
Ten Rank 10 Boss Monsters had already popped out.
Thanks to the rapid growth of my party members’ skills, we could somehow manage ten of them, but by the time the fourth Monster Wave arrived, it would be difficult to handle.
If dozens of Rank 10 Boss Monsters pushed through like a tsunami alongside lower-tier monsters during the fifth Monster Wave, it would be impossible to cope.
Still, for now…
[The Tower’s third Monster Wave has been blocked.]
[A large amount of experience is provided to the Awakened Ones who blocked the wave.]
We were able to block the third Monster Wave without significant damage.
Now that it had come to this, we had to conquer the Tower as quickly as possible.
Even if we progressed slowly by conquering one trial per day, we had to finish the entire Tower before the fifth wave began.
Otherwise, it would ultimately be the end.
My dream of living grandly as a successful blacksmith and spending money had already crawled into a corner.
First, I had to survive to enjoy anything at all.
For now, I had to do my best to prevent the apocalypse.
To do that…
‘I have to climb the Tower.’
I had to finish climbing the entire Tower as soon as possible.
Fortunately, I was able to obtain many SSS-grade items through this conquest.
Thanks to that.
[Using Crafting Skill.]
I began to attempt things I had never even imagined before.
I started making EX-grade armor for my party members.
Since I had already crafted an EX-grade weapon even for the Saintess, all that remained was EX-grade armor.
[Crafting is complete.]
[Obtained ‘Bronze Armor of Diomedes’.]
[Crafting is complete.]
[Obtained ‘Járngreipr’.]
[Crafting is complete.]
[Obtained ‘Ring of Laurin’.]
Using Myth Creation, I began to create EX-grade equipment that seemed to pair well with the SSS-grade materials I obtained this time.
Variety ranging from armor to accessories.
I had become quite accustomed to making EX-grade items by now.
After quickly finishing most of the items.
[Welcome to the Tower.]
My party entered the 92nd Floor of the Tower once again.
The Bronze Armor of Diomedes, which increases overall combat power, went to the Sword Saint.
Járngreipr, the gauntlets said to have been used by Thor, the God of Thunder, went to the Lightning Caster to boost their lightning-related abilities.
The Ring of Laurin, the ring of the Dwarf King that is said to allow the wearer to exert the strength of twelve men, went to the Berserker.
I distributed all the equipment in that manner.
“My goodness, what on earth is this equipment…?”
“Ideally, I wanted to give one person a full set, but given the nature of my skills, that was difficult. Please use them well, as I’m distributing them to those they suit best.”
“Of course! We will use them better than you expect!”
The set items they were previously wearing were also great, but they couldn’t be compared to EX-grade items.
Even if the set effect decreased slightly, switching to EX-grade items was more beneficial.
“I can’t believe this much lightning power is contained within. It feels like the lightning moves on its own even without me manifesting magical power.”
“It is good!”
“I feel like I can charge into the enemy lines with more peace of mind now.”
After everyone changed their equipment.
I steeled my resolve and began the trial of the 92nd Floor that I had scouted.
[Starting the Trial of the 92nd Floor.]
[92nd Floor: Twelve Labors]
The Twelve Labors.
The monsters appearing here were all Rank 10 Boss Monsters.
No, they possessed strength even greater than the Rank 10 Boss Monsters we had seen until now.
“How about we each take responsibility for one!”
“But, the number of enemies is…”
“I will hold back the remaining monsters with my soldiers.”
“Thank you, Master Vulcanus!”
It was difficult to face powerful enemies all at once.
So, we decided to separate the enemies as much as possible.
“Groooar!”
The Berserker brandished his Blood Flame against Cerberus, known as the gatekeeper of hell.
“Roar!”
The Sword Saint fought the Nemean Lion, exchanging sword strikes for claws.
“Skreeee—!!”
The Lightning Caster shot down the Stymphalian Birds.
Every single one of them was an enemy with power exceeding a Rank 10 Boss Monster.
To think they were handling such enemies so well.
I realized once again just how powerful they had become.
However, the enemies were also formidable beings.
Especially those except for the exceptionally strong ones, like the Berserker holding the powerful EX-grade weapon Laevateinn or the Sword Saint skillfully wielding Excalibur, everyone was struggling in battle.
In particular, it was even worse for the long-range types.
Cheon Seung-heon, Cheongryong, and the Lightning Caster.
They were all people who could only display their true skills when someone blocked the monsters in front of them.
They were barely holding on as they confronted enemies that matched their attributes, but it was a dangerous situation where they might collapse if they let their guard down for even a moment.
Fortunately.
“Boom!”
“Who’s next?”
“Please, some support over here!”
“Understood.”
-Dash!
The Berserker defeated his enemy fastest and supported the party members.
Subsequently, the Sword Saint also finished off the Nemean Lion, allowing us to conquer the trial step by step.
It seemed we were seeing the effects of distributing the new EX-grade equipment.
Even so.
‘Their condition doesn’t look very good.’
The two of them weren’t perfectly fine.
To help their allies, they had simply pushed themselves to end their battles early.
Because they overexerted themselves, they had sustained large wounds, and their health was rapidly depleting.
It was to the point where it would have been dangerous if the Saintess, who was drinking potions and standing with me to support the others, hadn’t quickly cast healing magic.
Only after barely defeating those persistent creatures, who wouldn’t fall no matter how many times they were hit, did…
[Level Up!]
[You have overcome the Trial of the 92nd Floor, ‘Twelve Labors’.]
[Evaluation Rank: SSS]
[Obtained ‘Nemean Lion’s Hide’ as a reward.]
[Obtained ‘Hydra’s Poison Fang’ as a reward.]
[Obtained ‘Hoof of Diomedes’ Wild Mare’ as a reward.]
[The trial of the 92nd Floor is conquered, and the Tower is weakened.]
We were able to complete the conquest of the 92nd Floor.
Today, it also took more than half a day to conquer the 92nd Floor.
Even that might have been impossible if I hadn’t crafted the new EX-grade items.
Though my heart was impatient, my speed was slow, and the anxiety rushed in even more.
However, I couldn’t recklessly force the climb.
“I’ll go craft some equipment, so let’s meet at the same time tomorrow.”
“Master Vulcanus, why don’t you try resting a bit while you work…?”
“As you know, we don’t have much time.”
I started making equipment as soon as we parted.
Perhaps because we were truly reaching the end of the Tower, many SSS-grade materials appeared even though it wasn’t a special floor.
Using these, I made EX-grade equipment, distributed it, and then…
[Starting the Trial of the 93rd Floor.]
We challenged the trials.
This action was a repetition.
Not only I but also all the party members had their physical strength shaved away by anxiety in a situation where death was before their eyes, but there was no time to rest.
Everyone had realized it besides me.
What would happen if we slowed down our climbing speed because it was difficult?
Right now, we didn’t even know if we could block the fourth gate that would arrive in one week.
If we dragged our feet and failed to finish the Tower conquest before the fifth wave began, the world might be destroyed without a chance.
With that mindset, we conquered the Tower desperately.
[Starting the Trial of the 94th Floor.]
We filled the deficiency in our base stats with EX-grade items.
However, a thought also occurred to me.
The limit of the item grade I could produce right now was EX-grade.
Although EX-grade was an out-of-spec rank where the limits weren’t fixed and the ceiling was incredibly high…
To actually make an EX-grade item, one needed sufficient materials and time.
And right now, I lacked both.
We had been holding on somehow until now, but what would happen when a situation arrived where those conditions weren’t met?
By what method would we have to climb the Tower?
The problem erupted on the very next floor.
[95th Floor: Ragnarok]
Ragnarok.
The day of the world’s end in Norse mythology.
The day when the Fire Giants and their king, Surtr, come from Muspelheim with a flaming sword to burn the world tree Yggdrasil, leading to the destruction of the world.
Befitting that trial name.
“Who dares stand in the way of the world’s destruction!”
The Fire Giant.
Surtr began to advance, holding the real ‘Laevateinn’ that looked much larger and more powerful than the one I had made.
It wasn’t just Surtr.
The giant serpent, Jörmungandr, crawled forward fiercely as if to swallow the world, and Fenrir dashed forth with a momentum that seemed capable of tearing even a god apart.
Besides them, blocking the army of all the beings who had been bound and were now released to destroy the world.
That was the Trial of the 95th Floor, ‘Ragnarok’.
“Thud.”
[Authority of Exit has been used.]
[Exiting the Trial of the 95th Floor, ‘Ragnarok’.]
And we failed to conquer a trial for the first time.