Chapter 03
‘Calm down.’
This is not an attack — it’s killing intent.
It means she has no immediate plan to attack me.
“I am not from the Murim.”
When I spoke as calmly as possible, the woman looked me up and down.
“Your bones and muscles look weak, and I see almost no trace of training.”
—The killing intent has weakened. But don’t let your guard down. She is ready to attack you at any time, Master.
“For someone like that, your swordsmanship is quite precise. Did you learn the sword from someone?”
“It’s the result of experience. I was stuck on the first floor for three years.”
This woman was clearly a newcomer who had just entered the Tower.
—Estimating her combat power. If the White Wolf’s combat power is 1, she is at least around 12.
In terms of strength, she seemed capable of easily clearing the first floor. However, she appeared to lack common knowledge about the Tower.
‘It’s not like there’s only one Murim inside the Tower.’
There are dozens of fantasy-type worlds, and several worlds similar to Murim as well.
Warriors who have stayed in the Tower for a long time have met many fighters from other worlds. They do not release killing intent just because someone belongs to a different faction.
‘Though it doesn’t look like they get along very well…’
“Three years? Do you dare lie to me? With my ability, I could clear the first floor in three days.”
“It’s true. I really had no talent for fighting.”
—Her killing intent is fading. But she still hasn’t erased her suspicion.
“That’s ridiculous. With that level of sword skill, you say you have no talent? Why not hunt with something other than a sword?”
“This may be rude, but did you perhaps enter the Tower not long ago?”
“It has been about five hours.”
That made sense.
If you don’t know much about the Tower, it’s easy to say things like that.
“If you live in the Tower longer, you’ll understand. Not everyone climbs the Tower with outstanding skill like you.”
With her level of ability — playing around in the White Wolf hunting ground only five hours after entering — she would likely clear up to the 10th floor with ease.
—Slash.
In the strange atmosphere, I finished skinning the White Wolf.
“I’ll be going now. I need to hunt diligently if I want to earn points.”
“So wolf pelts are worth money?”
“If you sell them, you can get a decent price.”
—Thud, thud.
At the sound of something pouring out, I turned my head. Dozens of White Wolves with their necks cleanly cut were falling from midair.
“You seem quite skilled. Can you butcher them for me? I will give you half of the sale price.”
I quickly calculated in my head.
—It’s beneficial for us. Considering the time spent searching and moving to hunt White Wolves, it’s more efficient to just butcher them and receive points.
A human brain cannot be faster than artificial intelligence.
Lucy reached the conclusion first.
The problem was whether I could trust this woman.
‘Murim warriors don’t cheat over trivial things like this.’
I’ve seen Murim warriors who rob others, but never one who commits fraud.
“As long as you pay properly, I’ll do it.”
—I confirm the killing intent has completely disappeared. Executing butchering protocol.
It would be more valuable if the heads were intact, but since the bodies had no damage, they would still fetch a high price.
“No heads today?”
“I didn’t hunt them myself.”
The woman who introduced herself as the Sword Demon entrusted me with the transaction.
I had no idea what she was trusting, leaving all the pelts to me and saying she would wait at the inn.
—She’s not trusting you, Master. She’s trusting her own strength. If you run, she’ll probably chase you to the end of the Tower.
“Except for the missing heads, these are top quality. I can give you up to 450 points each.”
There were more than 50 White Wolves hunted by the Sword Demon.
My share alone was over 10,000 points.
It was definitely better than hunting alone.
‘If I were a normal climber, I would have bought a new weapon with this much money.’
But perhaps due to the limits of firearms, even if the price goes up, they don’t improve dramatically.
After receiving the payment, I headed straight to the inn where I usually stayed.
“Over here.”
As soon as I entered, I heard someone call me.
When I approached the voice, the Sword Demon pointed to the seat in front of her.
“Sit.”
“It doesn’t take long to transfer points.”
“I would prefer not to repeat myself.”
I quickly sat down.
It wasn’t because I was scared.
It was just because she was the one who helped me earn a lot of money.
“I transferred the points.”
“It’s convenient not having to carry money.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Do you have something to hide? Why do you keep trying to run?”
‘Because I’m scared. I’m scared.’
After surviving at the bottom of the Tower for three years, talking with someone as strong as the Sword Demon was not comfortable at all.
“This place is very different from the world I lived in. The building styles, the menu — I can’t even tell what tastes good. Is there any food you would recommend?”
“I don’t really know what’s good either.”
“Did you not say you lived here for three years?”
“You may not believe it, but until recently I was too poor to properly buy a meal. I ate hard bread every day. I’ve never ordered food before.”
“Is that so? Then today I will treat you. I owe you, and I will owe you again.”
“Owe me again?”
“No matter how low your life was, you lived in the Tower for three years. You must know more than I do. I have many things I want to ask about the Tower.”
That was strange.
Someone confident enough to call herself the Sword Demon must have been powerful in her original world.
“When I was in my Order, I had little interest in the Tower. So I do not know much about this place.”
Was she reading my mind?
She answered my question exactly.
“How much do you know about the Tower?”
“I know as much as most people. Each floor has a main mission, and if you clear it, you can move to the next floor. If you clear the 10th floor, you can temporarily return to your original world.”
“Is the main mission about killing a boss monster?”
“On the first floor, yes. But from the 6th floor onward, I heard it’s different. The first five floors are like a tutorial.”
The Sword Demon called a server and continued ordering.
“From here to here — bring everything. I do not know what will suit my taste.”
Soon, the table was filled with dishes.
Her questions were simple — things anyone in the Tower could answer.
How to climb, whether killing the boss immediately moves you to the second floor, and so on.
“It tastes better than I expected.”
“Yes, the owner is skilled.”
The food was good.
The foreign flavor was strong, but thinking of it as fantasy cuisine made it interesting.
“With my level of skill, how far do you think I can climb?”
“I don’t know your exact strength, but I’ve heard that someone considered strong in their original world can easily clear up to the 20th floor.”
Her appetite was impressive.
The plates were already empty.
“Thank you. I understand the Tower better now. Tomorrow I shall kill the boss and move to the second floor.”
That was a relief. I was slightly worried she would drag me along again.
“Since you helped me decide, I would like to repay you.”
She stared at me and took out a book from her inventory.
‘Is that a martial arts manual?’
“I cannot teach you the secret techniques of my Order. You are an outsider, and it is too violent for an ordinary person. This is a martial arts manual that circulates in the market, so do not expect too much.”
“Thank you, Great Hero!”
I couldn’t refuse, even out of courtesy.
Murim climbers are usually strict and never share martial arts manuals with people from other worlds.
“I will go to the second floor tomorrow. If fate allows, we shall meet again.”
“I look forward to the day we meet again.”
The Sword Demon paid for the food and went upstairs.
—This is a fortunate encounter.
“It really is.”
I butchered once and gained points and a martial arts manual.
There could be no better luck.
—Read it right away!
Lucy was more excited than I was.
The original text was written in Chinese characters, but in the Tower, all languages are translated.
“…What is this even saying?”
It talked about meridians and qi inside the body, but even though it was in Korean, I could not understand it.
—It’s a breathing technique. It explains how to build inner energy.
With artificial intelligence, I didn’t need to understand it myself.
—In the Tower, inner energy can be used like mana. If you learn it well, it will help you greatly in the long term. Just read the book once. I’ll create a Qi-building protocol by tomorrow.
“Our Lucy is so reliable!”
I bowed deeply once toward where the Sword Demon was staying and lay down on the bed.
Now that I had finally obtained a proper growth method, a smile formed on my face.
‘With this foundation, I should be able to reach the 10th floor.’
With hopeful thoughts, I fell asleep.
—Qi-building protocol complete. Total time: 3 hours. Mana has increased by 3% compared to before. I will improve the protocol based on today’s data.
It had been a week since the Sword Demon went up to the second floor.
I did not understand the manual, but Lucy understood it perfectly. Following her instructions for breathing and moving mana, I nearly doubled my mana in one week.
Why mana and not inner energy?
In the Tower, mana, inner energy, and even psychic energy are unified into one system. Murim warriors insist on calling it inner energy, but the official term is mana.
‘That’s why if a Murim warrior learns magic, they can use high-level spells from the start.’
Of course, that rarely happens.
Murim warriors don’t try to learn magic, and mages don’t try to teach outsiders.
In that sense, the Sword Demon truly was a great hero.
“Let’s go.”
I slung the rifle I bought yesterday over my shoulder.
It was a high-grade weapon that used expensive, heavy bullets and consumed mana to increase its power.
Today, I will kill the boss and go to the second floor.
