NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102
Chapter 102
– Welcome to the 3rd floor trial.
– Theme: Climbing the Mountain
– Time Limit: 8 hours
The trials in the Tower were composed of various themes.
For instance, crossing a river on the 2nd floor and climbing a mountain on the 3rd floor, with fields seemingly continuous.
There were ten trials between rest areas, with some floors hosting disjointed themes and others having consecutive themes.
Moreover, on several floors, players’ choices could alter the paths.
Because of this, there were speculations that the trials were not merely internal but connected to other dimensions. Of course, only the system would know the truth behind this.
Hup!
As soon as the trial started, Se-woon quickly moved his feet.
The trial on the 3rd floor required players to climb a mountain.
It tested one’s endurance, patience, crisis assessment abilities, and more, requiring the utilization of all strengths, experiences, and knowledge acquired during the Tutorial to clear.
‘Before my regression, just climbing this was exhausting.’
The slope was as steep as 45 degrees. Merely thinking of climbing with the time limit in mind could make one lose breath.
Moreover, as with previous trials, the trial on the 3rd floor did not leave players in a safe environment.
“Kuoo!”
A bear the size of a house appeared, swinging its forepaw.
“Krrrrng!”
Hidden beasts jumped out from the bushes, launching ambushes.
However…
– Through internal energy, the second form of the Blood Wolf Swordsmanship, ‘Blood Wolf Fang’, is enhanced.
Swish—
For Se-woon, these were not significant threats.
By the time he passed the Tutorial, his martial capabilities had already surpassed the lower floors of the Tower with ease.
The reason for dealing with monsters that weren’t even challenging was to gain merit and satiate Beelzebub’s hunger.
Nonetheless, this time, Se-woon did not climb the mountain in the conventional way.
Before his regression, he had discovered a hidden treasure, a ‘tree,’ through the Guidepost of the Journey while avoiding monsters.
‘I found it.’
Se-woon approached a small tree.
It was almost embarrassing to call it a tree; it was barely a meter tall and so thin that it seemed like it could break with a shove.
He remembered being bewildered on how to handle it after finding it with the Guidepost of the Journey before his regression.
But now, he knew what to do.
Using Mana Search allowed him to see the mana flow around him.
‘So, it needed mana.’
This tree absorbed the surrounding mana. However, due to the deeply faint surrounding mana, it was unable to grow properly and appeared this way.
In essence, by providing sufficient mana, the tree would restore to its original form.
Woooong!
When Se-woon injected mana, the thin branches of the tree began to tremble.
Starting slowly. As the tree’s trembling subsided, more mana was injected at increasing quantities.
It seemed as if the roots were expanding because there was a creaky noise from below, followed by visible changes.
Crack!
The tree trunk thickened, and more branches sprouted.
As blue leaves grew on the once barren branches, the tree which once dwarfed Se-woon now cast a shadow over his head.
‘The mana consumed is… approximately 2 circle levels.’
A hidden quest requiring mana of around 2 circle levels on the 3rd floor.
Still, it was not an unattainable quest.
Even with lesser mana, by taking time to recover and repeatedly supply mana, it would suffice to nurture the tree to growth.
Also, among players, there were many who were blessed by mana, like elves or fairies.
With lesser circles, they could have nurtured the tree sufficiently.
Yet, there was something puzzling.
‘When does this stop?’
Though it seemed the growth was complete, the tree continued to absorb Se-woon’s mana.
While contemplating whether to stop, a small fruit appeared among the leaves.
‘What’s that?’
It was no ordinary fruit.
As more mana was injected, the fruit grew in size.
He wondered if it perhaps was the reward for this hidden quest.
‘Well then, might as well see it through to the end.’
Se-woon continued, injecting mana into the tree without pause.
As five circles spun steadily, ambient mana responded by undulating alongside.
Even in the long history of the Tower, the appearance of a 5th circle mage on the 3rd floor trial was unheard of.
Even for elves or fairies, injecting this level of mana was likely impossible.
Swaying cheerfully in a seemingly joyful stance to the boundless wave of incoming mana, the tree vibrated its leaves.
‘Could 5th circle mana still be insufficient?’
Even the mana within the 4th circle had almost been depleted.
Though the fruit had grown to some extent, it was unclear if it was perfectly ripe due to its lingering blue hue.
‘If that’s the case…’
– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed
[ Dew of Yggdrasil ]
– A dew drop formed only once a month on the mistiest of days, containing a vast amount of mana, used in the coming-of-age ceremonies of the elves.
Urgently, Se-woon activated the Power of Greed.
A treasure recently permitted by the contract with Mammon.
Gulp, gulp!
Before his mana could be completely depleted, Se-woon downed the World Tree’s Dew in one go.
Unlike the refreshing potions he had consumed before, this had a dense, clinging texture that stuck to his throat.
This was proof of how concentrated the mana within the dew was.
Wooong!
As soon as he drank the dew, new mana quickly filled the previously empty circles.
The replenished mana was once again absorbed by the tree.
How much time had passed like that?
Not only were all five circles drained, but even the mana restored by the Dew of Yggdrasil was exhausted.
Even the internal energy within the dantian was converted to mana and wholly invested into the tree.
Just when Se-woon’s body, emptied of mana, felt dizzy…
– You have completed the Hidden Quest, ‘Withered Tree.’
– Additional points have been awarded for the trial, ‘Climbing the Mountain.’
– You have acquired the reward, ‘Ripened Tree Fruit.’
Finally, the fruit turned crimson, bringing the hidden quest to an end.
Thud.
“Hah…”
Se-woon collapsed onto the spot, feeling overwhelming dizziness.
What kind of thought process had gone into creating a quest like this?
Mana equivalent to five circles, 1 Gapja of internal energy, and even the mana restored using the power of Greed…
Only after sacrificing all of that did the fruit finally ripen.
No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t a normal quest.
Honestly, it seemed like an impossible task unless one were a being blessed with mana, like a dragon, or someone like Riel, who had contracted with Freya to receive the Blessing of Abundance.
“Forget about time; I’ll have to rest for a bit.”
The intense dizziness caused by the sudden mana depletion.
Thanks to the excellent stability of the Blue Tower’s training method and the Samjaegong, it was manageable to suppress any mana reversal.
Breathing in the fresh mountain air, Se-woon checked the fruit he had obtained as a reward.
[Ripened Tree Fruit]
Category: Elixir
Rank: C+
Description: A fruit created by an unknown tree through extreme condensation of a tremendous amount of mana.
Ability:
1. Essence of Mana – Upon consumption, greatly increases mana absorption rate.
“Another elixir, huh.”
Though the description differed, the fruit’s ability was identical to the ‘Shimmering Fruit’ he had obtained from the sanctuary.
However, the process itself was vastly different.
The fruit from the Shimmering Hill had been a crystallization of mana that the tree absorbed over a long period from the sanctuary.
In other words, it was a reward that only one player out of many could obtain if they managed to discover the quest.
On the other hand, this tree fruit was tied to an individual trial, meaning anyone could acquire it if they had the ability.
Of course…
‘Most players wouldn’t be able to get it, even if they knew about it.’
Just as Se-woon from before his regression hadn’t been able to, there were likely few, if any, players who had obtained a fruit of this level.
‘I’ll save this for later when I start building my dantian.’
As someone who simultaneously practiced martial arts and magic, Se-woon needed to balance the levels of his dantian and circles.
If one side became excessively strong or weak, it could suppress and absorb the other.
Although internal energy of 1 Gapja was an impressive amount, it was still imbalanced compared to the five circles surrounding his heart.
After this theme concluded and a resting period arrived, he thought to spend time training in mental cultivation.
“Well, time to get moving again.”
As soon as he recovered enough energy, Se-woon stood up.
Rest could wait until after the trial was over.
As long as he retained enough strength to move, finishing the trial first was the best course of action.
* * *
Hup!
The further he ascended the mountain, the more obstacles he encountered.
Attacks from various beast-like monsters continued, and steep cliffs blocked the path.
Yet, Se-woon did not bother to circumvent them. Monsters posed little threat, and he’d become well accustomed to climbing cliffs.
With the accumulation of internal energy over time, rather than growing fatigued, the further up he climbed, the faster he became.
Thus, soon enough…
– You have successfully completed the 3rd floor’s trial, ‘Climbing the Mountain.’
– Calculating merit points…
– Time remaining: 7 hours 02 minutes
– Number of monsters hunted: 29
– Completed Hidden Quest, ‘Withered Tree,’.
…
– Total accumulated merit points: 195,100 points
– Congratulations! You have passed the 3rd floor trial at rank 3.
– You have received a reward of 30,000 points.
Upon reaching the entrance of the cave, the final destination, the trial of the 3rd floor was completed.
However, unfortunately, achieving the 1st rank was not possible.
Se-woon had thought the bonus points from the hidden quest would be higher than expected.
To find out who had surpassed him, he opened the ranking for the 3rd floor.
– 3rd Floor Trial Rankings
[1st: Kashalacass – 211,050 points]
[2nd: Riel Refrain – 208,700 points]
[3rd: Jung Se-woon – 195,100 points]
…
Two familiar names came to mind.
‘Riel.’
He had expected Riel to achieve a high rank.
She was a member of the elf race, renowned for their exceptional mana affinity, and had also received the Blessing of Abundance from Freyja.
She must have easily harvested the tree’s fruit and climbed the mountain swiftly.
The problem was the name listed above hers.
‘Kashalacass…’
It was a name impossible not to recognize, given its fame.
She was a dragonkin (용종), a being who had already far exceeded the limits of ordinary players the moment she entered the Tower.
Her story of effortlessly climbing to the upper floors and securing a ranker’s position within less than a month from the 1st floor was so well-known that no player could be unaware of it.
‘Well, if it’s a dragon, that’s only natural.’
Being a dragon blessed with mana, Kashalacass would have easily located the withered tree to harvest the fruit by observing the flow of mana, and flying to the top would have been effortless as well.
Though it was disappointing, the result was understandable.
‘First, I should fully recover my mana and then head up.’
Se-woon assumed a posture in front of the cave and closed his eyes.
Even though the 4th floor’s trial wouldn’t be that difficult, it was better to challenge it in perfect condition.
Se-woon’s goal wasn’t just to climb the Tower, but to find the hidden pieces of each floor and achieve a high rank.
Taking a deep breath of the mountain’s refreshing air, Se-woon filled both his lower dantian and circles.
[Park Jung-pil: Hyuuuuuuung! I missed youuu!]
[Lee Ha-neul: Is anyone hurt? Looks like we can’t gather before heading straight into the next trial. If I’d known, I would’ve made more potions…]
The clan chat from the others who had arrived started to pop up.
It seemed that no one had faced any significant difficulties this time either.
The trials were no easy feat, but it was mainly thanks to the high skill level of the Diablo Clan members.
“The next trial is probably…”
Before heading to the next floor, Se-woon recalled the past.
The first three floors had been individual tasks to weed out those who had climbed the Tower without any real skill or only with help. Starting from the next floor, however, the trials were joint tasks, meant for two players who had proven their abilities.
“Wonder who I’ll get partnered with.”
Hoping it wouldn’t be Park Jung-pil, Se-woon proceeded towards the next trial.