WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

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Chapter 44: Tower of Trials, 7th Floor

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As a reward for clearing Floor 6, I received a new item and skill.

The item was the [Death Knight Greatsword], a heavy greatsword once wielded by a Death Knight, just as its name implied.

Its simple design made it look easy enough to handle, and I liked its weight and size.

[Sword Mastery Lv.1]

- One-Handed Sword Proficiency (497 / 999)

- Two-Handed Sword Proficiency (341 / 999)

My two-handed sword proficiency in [Sword Mastery] was already fairly high, so it seemed perfect as a main weapon.

The new skill was a passive called [Darkvision].

Its original name could also mean “suggestion,” so I thought it might be some kind of hypnosis, but it just helped me see better in the dark.

Giving me this after I'd already cleared the gloomy sixth floor? The system was really late to the party.

Of course, there'd be plenty of dark maps ahead, so it wasn't completely useless.

"Does this work against curses too?"

What I wanted to know was whether it would work against the vision-obscuring magic used by the Lizardman shaman on Floor 3 and the lich boss from earlier.

Apparently, the next floor had some magic-type enemies too, so I'd find out soon enough.

Seo Jinhyeok Lv.53 (Warrior)

HP: 800/800

MP: 410/410

Strength: 83 (69+14)

Agility: 68 (64+4)

Durability: 74 (68+6)

Intelligence: 62 (60+2)

Those were my stats in full gear. I'd only gone up one level, but quite a few of them had increased outside of leveling up.

Aside from Intelligence, they didn't look like the stats of a level 53 Warrior at all.

My Strength, in particular, had reached 80, putting me far beyond other Challengers at the same level.

Looking at my stats, people would probably think I had a Unique or Epic Class, but I was still a Normal Class Jeonbung-i.

[You may activate the Floor 6 Transfer Gate of the Tower of Trials.]

After sorting through the boss-fight rewards, I placed my hand on the Transfer Gate. The activation notice appeared, and I accepted immediately.

"Yes."

A slight dizziness washed over me as I crossed the Transfer Gate, and soon, a new world unfolded before my eyes.

The scenery was completely different from Floor 6's dim atmosphere. I stood in the middle of a dense forest packed with trees.

I'd been looking forward to Floor 7 for a lot of reasons.

Its map was much larger than those of other floors, and it had plenty of Non-Player Characters and quests.

It was also the floor where you could begin a large-scale faction quest connected to other floors.

Depending on how it played out, I'd heard it could continue all the way to around Floor 20.

What kind of reward would the first clear of a quest that massive give?

-Bzzzzzz!

As I walked forward, full of anticipation, I soon encountered my first monster on Floor 7.

I'd heard the first thing you encountered here was almost always a living tree monster, but a swarm of wasps showed up instead.

Naturally, these weren't ordinary wasps. Each one was about the size of a Chihuahua.

"Fucking disgusting."

If they were wasps, they obviously had poison too, right?

* * *

To get straight to the point, the wasp venom didn't help my resistance grow at all.

Their attack power was too weak to pierce my skin and drive their stingers in to begin with.

Even when a few special ones somehow managed it, I only felt a brief sting. Nothing else happened.

I'd heard these wasp-type monsters appeared all over the place, not just on Floor 7, and they all had poisonous stingers.

It didn't seem likely that these ones alone happened to be venomless, so my resistance stat was probably just too high.

Well, poison arrows were one thing, but my stat had risen a lot after getting tangled up with Zombies on Floor 6.

[Killer Bee's Stinger]

Seeing the name of the dropped item made it even harder to believe they had no poison.

-Crunch!

I brought my sword down on a wasp sprawled across the ground to finish it off. Crackling effects scattered around it.

That crackling effect came from [Lightning Charge], which I'd acquired on Floor 3.

The skill level of [Lightning Charge] had risen a little while I grinded my resistances on Floor 6, and now it even had visible effects.

I still couldn't tell if it dealt extra lightning damage or caused a stagger effect, but at least there was an effect now.

If I raised it a few more levels, maybe I could use it to build up lightning resistance.

I had just put away my sword and was about to start walking again.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!

Heavy sounds rang out repeatedly in the distance. Of everything I'd heard, they sounded most like the Goblin Lord's footsteps.

My Intuition skill was reacting faintly. A monster, and a pretty huge one at that, was coming this way.

I didn't know what it was, but a big enemy called for a big weapon.

[Death Knight Greatsword]

Attack Power +85 (Slash)

Critical Damage: x2.5

Durability 350/350

Unique Effect: Tear Wound

Damage dealt to an enemy after landing at least one critical hit is multiplied by 1.5.

Enhancement Attempts Remaining: 6

The [Death Knight Greatsword] had superior base attack power, high critical damage, and a useful unique effect.

I tried not to use items this strong, but I needed to test its performance at least once.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!

The heavy footsteps drew closer, and a monster emerged through the brush.

It was a massive bear covered in black fur. The strange pattern carved into its forehead made it unmistakable: a [Rune Bear].

A Unique Monster that appeared one at a time in every environment suitable for wild animals.

I'd heard it was harder to deal with than most field bosses because it possessed agility that didn't match its massive body.

But what did it matter if some beast was agile?

I drew the greatsword back, then charged straight at the Rune Bear as it rushed toward me.

The blade of the greatsword glowed with dark light as I activated Brave Slash, a high-powered skill exclusive to two-handed swords.

Then, just as the skill activated and the motion began, I noticed an arrow lodged in the Rune Bear's back.

What? Why was there an arrow in it?

Had it been fleeing from a Non-Player Character and run toward me? Then where was the Non-Player Character chasing it?

-Whoosh!

The moment that thought crossed my mind, another arrow flew from behind the Rune Bear, aiming between my eyes.

* * *

An arrow appeared right in front of me the moment I leaped in and activated the skill motion.

It probably hadn't been fired at me, but the timing was way too perfect.

I'd activated the skill right before it came, so I couldn't even dodge. This was exactly why I didn't like using skills.

After thinking for a moment, I activated another skill without changing my position.

[Iron Wall]

-Ting!

It was my first time using [Iron Wall] on my face, but it activated without a problem and knocked the arrow away.

The skill motion continued, and my greatsword slashed deeply across the Rune Bear's shoulder.

-Roar!

Thanks to the weapon's overwhelming attack power, the Rune Bear's shoulder was nearly severed in one blow. I immediately swung the greatsword again.

Slash! A loud red effect burst out with the strike. A critical hit.

After two attacks, the Rune Bear completely lost the strength to thrash around and collapsed. All that remained was to finish it off, but I stopped my sword and waited a moment.

"Hey, it's dangerous over there!"

The man who seemed to have fired the earlier arrow ran toward me with nimble footwork.

He was incredibly handsome, with slightly long blond hair and pale white skin.

He looked like the stereotype of a handsome blond, blue-eyed man, refined into something a little more delicate. Like a game character.

But the most noticeable feature of his appearance was the distinctive shape of his ears.

Floor 7 was massive, with an enormous map, varied quests, and many Non-Player Characters.

There were three factions at the center of its defining faction quests.

"W-What? Why is a human here!"

The elf carrying a longbow on his back glared at me with wide eyes.

* * *

Elves were a race that appeared in fantasy stories as if they were a required element.

Elves existed even in the game-like world of the Tower of Trials, and their characteristics weren't much different from how they were portrayed in fiction.

They had pointed ears and beautiful features, lived in harmony with forests and nature, had long lifespans, and were good with bows.

Of course, there were differences between individuals, so not every elf was like that. Still, at least the High Elves of Floor 7 were.

"Did you defeat the Rune Bear? Why is a human wandering around a place like this?"

The High Elf man asked, glaring at me with wary eyes.

I hadn't expected to run into an elf already. Naturally, I hadn't even thought about what I should say in a situation like this.

I paused, choosing my words. Then the High Elf man suddenly shouted as if he'd had a fit.

"W-What is that ominous black sword! I see. You're one of those evil humans who have been invading the forest!"

Then, without warning, he pulled a dagger from his waist and charged at me.

Just so we're clear, I hadn't said a single word yet.

Was it okay to attack someone out of nowhere just because their sword was a little black and had a skull decoration on it?

This was completely fucking self-defense.

Footnotes:

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