Chapter 08
[All of you who are currently alive have cleared the 2nd Floor.]
[After a short settlement period, you will be sent to the 3rd Floor.]
—57 rare monsters and 1 boss monster.
“You really killed a lot.”
If calculated by total time, that was one monster every two hours.
If counted only while awake, it was almost one per hour.
“Nice to meet you.”
A voice that should not have been there suddenly spoke.
—Don’t be startled. He seems to be the administrator of the 2nd Floor.
Right. There was no way Lucy would fail to detect a normal climber approaching.
Relaxing a little, I turned toward the voice.
A human man in a neat suit was looking at me.
‘So there really are people who can pull off that hairstyle.’
Administrator or not, his hair was so bright green that I couldn’t stop staring at it.
“There’s no need to be so surprised. I am the administrator of the 2nd Floor.”
“Yes.”
With hair that unusual, wasn’t it partly his responsibility if people stared?
Still, it felt rude to keep looking, so I forced my eyes away.
“You must be wondering why I came to see you personally.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all. Among the climbers currently participating on the 2nd Floor, you achieved the best results. Even compared to recent climbers I’ve observed, you are quite outstanding. Of course, that is not the reason I came. An administrator cannot approach a climber simply because of excellent performance.”
“Then why did you come?”
“To adjust your reward. The original clear reward for the 2nd Floor is designed as physical enhancement… but you don’t need that, do you?”
—It’s not that we don’t need it!
The administrator showed no reaction at all, as if he couldn’t hear Lucy.
“It’s not that I don’t need it.”
So I spoke for her.
“Let me correct that. Receiving all rewards as physical enhancement would be excessive.”
—That’s true.
After losing my main weapon and spending two days without it, I clearly realized that a firearm suited me best.
I could fire mana bullets in a magic-like way, but compared to using an actual weapon, the efficiency was far too low.
Close combat using Lucy’s calculations was also problematic.
Lucy’s combat simulations were nearly perfect, but my body was not.
In the end, sniping—where almost all information could be displayed visually—was the most efficient method.
Of course, shooting still required physical ability.
But there was no need to take all the rewards, including the boss reward, purely as physical enhancement.
“My proposal is to slightly increase your physical abilities and, in exchange, grant you a small firearm-related trait.”
I was only a rookie climber who had cleared just the 2nd Floor, but I knew very well that traits were not easy to obtain.
Unless it was specialization of an ability you originally possessed, gaining one outside of the Tower’s reward system was impossible.
“Must it be a firearm-related trait?”
“Yes. You used firearms the most on the 2nd Floor. Granting a different trait would break plausibility.”
—With me here, do you really need another trait?
Exactly.
Unless it directly enhanced the power of bullets, a simple shooting-support trait could never outperform Lucy.
“If it’s firearm-related, can I receive something other than a trait?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’d like a firearm. Preferably one that can grow.”
Guns were extremely minor weapons.
Not just compared to swords, spears, or magic—
they were less common even than spears, and rarer than knuckle-type weapons.
High-quality ones were rarely sold in shops, and other climbers seldom made them.
Why?
Because while master dwarf swordsmiths occasionally got dragged into the Tower, gunsmiths were far less likely to appear.
And even if they did, guns couldn’t be made alone.
So I thought it would be reassuring to secure one at an opportunity like this.
“That is a wise decision. Receiving a weapon rather than a trait would likely be more convenient for you.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed possible.
“I can also grant you mana as part of the reward. Would you like to divide the reward, or invest everything into the weapon?”
—All into the gun. You can increase mana anyway.
The improved breathing method Lucy refined from what Sword Demon had given me was quite efficient.
I could feel my mana increasing day by day.
“I’ll invest everything into the firearm.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment. I will get approval.”
With those words, the administrator vanished completely.
As if he had never been there.
[Reward settlement complete.]
[The reward has been placed in your inventory.]
The moment the blue window appeared, I checked my inventory.
‘It’s there!’
I immediately took it out.
“Wow… this looks cool.”
It was slightly larger than my previous rifle.
—Click.
I lightly shouldered it.
The stable grip in my hands felt perfect.
The Tower did not provide a status window for weapon information, so I would have to test it myself.
But since it was a reward for holding 92% contribution in defeating the boss, its performance was surely guaranteed.
—Shall I summarize the information I’ve analyzed?
‘I’d appreciate that.’
A moment later, a silver window appeared before me.
It wasn’t from the Tower.
Lucy created it.
[Compatible with all types of ammunition]
[Bullet attack power +30% (estimated)]
[Recoil reduced by 50%]
[Noise reduced by 30%]
[Power can be amplified using mana.]
—If you want detailed information, you can press each item.
When I touched the attack power section, a long calculation formula began scrolling rapidly.
“…That’s enough. Lucy, I trust you did the math properly. But why is the weapon’s name Lucia?”
—I named it after myself. Do you dislike it?
“No, just curious.”
Lucia.
Not a bad name.
[Welcome to the 3rd Floor.]
While I was checking the rifle, the surroundings had already changed.
[The theme of the 3rd Floor is Cooperation and Defense.]
Looking around, I saw a castle that was on the verge of collapse.
—Let’s put on the mask first.
“Yeah.”
Cooperation.
That sounded like I’d have to work with other climbers.
[We understand that most climbers don’t particularly enjoy group assignments. However, you must participate. As you climb higher, you will eventually reach your limit alone. Many climbers also build good relationships during cooperation missions. So please participate earnestly.]
Even though it was written text, I could almost sense the administrator’s personality behind it.
[Each castle will be assigned ten people. Work together to defeat the incoming monsters. On the 3rd Floor, there is no such thing as failure. If the castle walls are destroyed, that’s the end! You can still move on to the 4th Floor, but your rewards will be reduced.]
—Ten people is quite a lot.
‘Think positively. Imagine if it were only two people. That would be even more troublesome.’
With around ten people, I could quietly blend in.
There would likely be room for individual activity too.
[As before, a shop will be available for purchasing consumables and food. Now, do your best.]
—Whoosh.
Looking around, nine other climbers had appeared.
[Time remaining until next wave: 1 hour]
That was enough time to scout the area and find a suitable sniping point.
“First… shall we introduce ourselves? We need to know what each of us can do before we cooperate or defend.”
The first to speak was a woman wearing a striking purple hat.
Thanks to her gentle and careful tone—or perhaps we were just lucky not to have any troublemakers—the introductions went surprisingly smoothly.
“My name is Lamia. As you can see, I’m a witch. My results… I killed about two rare monsters on the 2nd Floor.”
“I’m Han Cho. As you can see, I’m a shield user. I didn’t manage to kill any rare monsters.”
“I think I’ve seen that guy before.”
One by one, introductions continued.
Eventually, it was my turn.
It wasn’t because I couldn’t speak.
Everyone just seemed eager to promote themselves.
“Call me the Black Reaper.”
Since I was wearing the mask, I couldn’t show my usual self.
After maintaining such a strong presence in front of Kim Taehyun and Narsa, it would ruin the atmosphere if I suddenly acted like a normal college student.
From what I heard, most of them came from the same field.
What if someone knew Kim Taehyun?
“…Excuse me? The Black Reaper?”
“That’s what people around me call me.”
The reaction was split evenly.
Four normal people who seemed to share my embarrassment.
Five who looked at me with fear and awe.
“Are you really the Black Reaper?”
“That’s what people call me.”
They looked at me with doubt.
“What’s the Black Reaper? A famous assassin in your world?”
“He’s a climber who became quite famous on the 2nd Floor. I heard he killed dozens of rare monsters alone, even the boss.”
“I didn’t kill it alone.”
“I didn’t kill it alone.”
There was no benefit in continuing this conversation.
“Let’s end introductions here and start scouting the area. We need to know the terrain to defend properly.”
“That sounds good.”
I immediately turned and climbed to the highest nearby point.
—From here, you should be able to intercept all approaching enemies.
‘Okay.’
—Shall I spend a little mana to scan the surroundings thoroughly? There could be holes in the walls or tunnels underground.
‘I trust your judgment, Lucy. Do as you see fit.’
—Initiating exploration protocol.
Lucy, an artificial intelligence and a spirit, could easily scan even areas blocked by walls.
—I found something interesting.
‘Interesting?’
—Yes. It looks like there’s some kind of siege weapon hidden down below.
It seemed this floor wasn’t meant to be defended purely by the climbers’ abilities alone.
