Episode 23: Tower of Lethe (1)

A week had passed since the Bupyeong Station underground shopping center incident.

And now.

“Wow- it’s cold. Dawn is still chilly.”

I was pacing the city center, dew on my face.

Despite the early hour, the roads were bustling with vehicles.

Every single one was a luxury foreign car starting at hundreds of millions of won.

……

As expected. 

It really feels like a rich neighborhood.

I slowly raised my head.

A dazzling building came into view.

A skyscraper so tall that even craning my neck showed no end.

A structure with a unique form resembling a magic tower from a famous fantasy novel.

The 5th tallest building in the world and South Korea’s representative high-rise.

The ‘Lethe Tower.’

Of course, I didn’t come this early for tourism or shopping.

Then why am I here?

……Obviously to farm items.

I took out an old compass from my pocket.

An artifact stored in the Safe zone of Morgue’s Magical Warehouse.

The peculiar thing was that, though a compass, it had no needle to point directions.

But it wasn’t broken. It was meant to be like this.

More accurately, a compass that doesn’t need a ‘needle.’

I gripped the compass tightly and closed my eyes.

Pitch-black darkness appeared.

But only for a moment.

Dazzling stars began to reveal themselves one by one in the darkness.

Thousands, tens of thousands of stars connecting like the Milky Way.

Soon, what formed was a massive world map made of constellations.

Red-glowing stars flickered across the constellation world map.

I closely observed the red star over Seoul, South Korea.

Then.

[Location: Seoul Special City, South Korea, Lethe Tower]

[Time: 20XXX Month XX Day 6:00 AM]

Information flashed before my eyes in an instant.

Above it, one particularly bold phrase stood out clearly.

[Calamity: Dungeon Generation]

I slowly opened my eyes.

The grand entrance of the dazzling Lethe Tower came into view again.

“So a dungeon will appear here. In…… 5 minutes.”

I stared down at the compass in my hand.

Ding dong!

<Nostra’s Compass>

-Storage Number: MRG-771

-Storage Grade: Safe

Long ago, in a city called Hectum, lived an old prophet named Nostra.

He possessed the ability to foresee the future by reading the flow of the stars.

However, one peculiar thing was that Nostra’s prophecies could only foretell impending calamities and disasters.

Tsunamis and storms, droughts and floods, famine and war.

Nostra’s prophecies were always accurate, pinpointing even the location and time.

One day, Nostra came to Hectum’s square and spoke.

‘Seven calamities will soon befall Hectum. The seven calamities will be unprecedentedly cruel and harsh.’

If Hectum’s citizens had been wise, they might have listened and prepared.

But sadly, Hectum was filled only with the ignorant.

The crowd believed Nostra’s prophecies caused the calamities, gouged out his eyes, crushed his ears, and cut out his tongue with heated scissors.

The prophet Nostra died in the arms of his only disciple.

But before dying, he handed the old compass to his disciple and whispered something, after which the disciple vanished.

And the city of the ignorant, Hectum, met a miserable and horrific end under the seven successive calamities.

“The one who possesses my compass will clearly foresee future calamities. But even if spoken, no one will believe. As was with me.” 

“Nostra”

Nostra’s Compass is an artifact that foretells future calamities.

The usage was simple.

Close your eyes while holding the compass to foresee calamities in the surroundings.

Truly a ‘calamity forecast device.’

In this world, dungeons themselves are calamities.

Thus, soon-to-be-generated dungeons are also foreseen as calamities.

However, Nostra’s Compass has one major drawback.

……No matter how much I tell others what I learn, they absolutely won’t believe.

Even Jeanne, who follows my every word without question, looked half-doubting when I said a dungeon would appear here at Lethe Tower.

Anyone else would probably treat me like a madman.

But it didn’t matter.

Whether others believe or not, as long as I know, that’s enough.

By the way, why did the Sorcerer Emperor stash this in the warehouse? 

It’s an incredibly useful artifact.

At that moment.

Fwoosh!

As if waiting, a dazzling page appeared in the guidebook.

The scrawled handwriting was undoubtedly Featherback’s comment.

-Long ago, the Sorcerer Emperor-nim often used Raginius’s Compass.

-Underworld demon kings. Ancient evil gods. Powerful beings from other dimensions, etc.

-But soon after, the Sorcerer Emperor-nim lost interest in Raginius’s Compass.

-Because no calamity could even serve as momentary amusement for Him.

-Ah! Even calamities submit like pitiful lambs!

-None beneath the heavens dare not kneel before Him!

-Revere! And praise! Eternal glory to the great Sorcerer Emperor!

The comment ended steeped in praise for the Sorcerer Emperor.

I flicked my finger and closed the page.

Anyway, the point is this.

The Sorcerer Emperor ‘T’ used Nostra’s Compass to personally visit places where calamities would occur.

Hoping the calamity might provide even slight enjoyment.

……Did he have nothing better to do?

Anyway. What matters is how I use it.

Monopolize newly generated dungeons first-come, first-served.

That’s my plan.

And one goal of this dungeon is to gear Jeanne.

She sold off all the sword and armor from her Death Knight days.

Normally, when a new dungeon generates, various complicated procedures follow.

First, the Hunter Association seals the dungeon to measure its danger level, then major guilds bid fiercely for priority rights.

As with all things in the world, the one who plants the flag first in new land takes most.

Dungeons are the same.

The guild with priority sweeps valuable equipment and resources inside, leaving scraps for lower hunters to fight over.

Thus, knowing in advance when and where a dungeon appears is a tremendous advantage!

Meanwhile, the only weapon Jeanne can use right now is one sword.

A B+ rank artifact bought at the auction house a few days ago.

Not because I lacked money.

My bank account is overflowing with spare cash.

From selling the A-rank mana stone obtained during the Cerberus incident.

The A-rank mana stone sold the moment it hit the auction house.

Even through merchant bids upon merchant bids, reaching a sum that naturally made ‘billions’ slip out.

Yet the reason for choosing a B+ rank weapon was simple.

……No stock.

From A-rank up, items are almost impossible to find at the auction house.

A-rank equipment isn’t easily obtained to begin with, and whatever appears is instantly swept by guilds with capital.

Demand is high, supply woefully low.

Thus, A-rank equipment and artifacts are worth whatever the seller calls.

In the end, a B+ rank sword is the best available for now.

At that moment, Jeanne looked at me and spoke.

[Master, I once again express my gratitude for bestowing a fine sword upon me.]

“Now you can use Seven Demon Strikes?”

[Yes. I can use it about 10 times without issue.]

“Ten times…….Is that the limit for a B-rank sword…….10 uses.”

Meaning the sword can’t endure beyond that.

According to Jeanne, Seven Demon Strikes envelops the weapon in immense magical power, so ordinary swords easily break from the recoil.

At minimum, an A-rank weapon or higher would be needed to withstand Jeanne’s techniques without issue.

Of course, even boss-level magical beasts would vaporize without a trace before all 10 uses, so it doesn’t matter.

Soon, I smacked my lips and muttered.

But with a gold mine about to open before my eyes, what worry is needed?

Getting even one A-rank or higher weapon or armor would be a jackpot.

Even if it’s a bust, no problem.

With this compass, monopolizing new dungeons is entirely possible.

At that moment.

Crack-! Craaaack~! Craaaack~!

Space seemed to dent, then cracks opened like shattering glass.

“Well then, shall we go sweep some items?”

Death Knight Jeanne and the Immortal Pseudo-Dragon.

Enough firepower to breeze through up to A-rank dungeons.

Even A+ rank dungeons feel completely manageable.

No matter what strong enemy appears, I have high expectations that those two can somehow take it down.

Soon, I stepped toward the wide-open dungeon gate.

Gugugugugu-!

A strange sensation like passing through transparent plastic wrap.

But at that instant.

Puhwaaaaaaaa~!

…!?

Suddenly, a ferocious airflow slammed into my face.

So intense I couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t even open my eyes.

Hundreds, thousands of sharp needles stabbing every nerve in my body.

Followed by headache and dizziness, nausea surging so strongly I nearly vomited everything.

T-This is……!?

Words from Professor Park Ahjeong’s lecture flashed in my mind.

When entering a dungeon through a gate, most people feel like passing through a plastic membrane. 

This is, strictly speaking, a kind of magical motion sickness felt during gate passage. 

The stronger the dungeon, the more pronounced this magical motion sickness. 

For example: dizziness, migraine, shortness of breath, nausea, and neuralgia throughout the body. 

In the case of S-rank dungeons, all these symptoms appear. 

Therefore…….

What I’m feeling now is undoubtedly magical motion sickness.

Which means.

“……!”

My mind snapped alert.

The dungeon I entered for item farming.

The dungeon foretold by the calamity-predicting compass.

“Crazy!?”

It was an S-rank dungeon.