Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 196

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 196. The Tower – Treasure Island (1)

With the Old Witch Woman left behind in our inventory, we’d decided to spend a day on the 30th Floor City to commemorate reaching the 30th Floor and familiarize ourselves with its layout.
Besides, we needed to grow closer to Rachel.
The 30th Floor City was considerably larger than the 20th Floor City, which meant there was no shortage of entertainment.
After spending the entire day playing and getting to know each other, we challenged the 31st Floor around noon the next day.
The quest on the 31st Floor was to escort a pair of young siblings, abandoned in the Witch’s Forest by their stepmother, out of the forest.
The Witch’s Forest had its visibility obscured by fog, and chimeras in human form that the witch had released roamed about.
But Rachel purchased the Fog Clearing spell and pushed back the mist, while I cast the Mage’s Eye, a reconnaissance magic, above the forest to find our way without much difficulty.
The chimeras were ferociously strong, befitting the 30th tier, and without spells like Fog Clearing or the Mage’s Eye, I would’ve wondered if this was really a 31st Floor difficulty—the challenge would’ve been that high.
Fog Clearing, no less—it looked like a Class 2 spell, yet such magic existed. The world of magic truly is vast.
I’d been anxious about encountering the witch midway, but thanks to the fog being pushed back, the witch never appeared.
After six hours of safely navigating out of the Witch’s Forest, we delivered the young siblings to their uncle rather than their stepmother, and he gratefully gave us a pouch of gold coins as thanks.
According to the uncle, the witch’s dormancy period was ending soon, and if we’d wandered in the forest for even a few more days, the situation would’ve been terribly dangerous.
I’d worried the siblings might be abandoned in the forest again, but seeing their furious uncle send their stepmother straight to prison using his authority, we immediately headed for the 32nd Floor.
The quest on the 32nd Floor was similar to the 28th Floor’s quest—exploring an ancient ruin in the desert—except the difference was we had to go from inside the ruin to the outside, rather than from outside going in.
An explorer who had lost all his companions on the way from the ruin to the destination and was despairing made one final wish to the Tower.
Having to carry the label “explorer” while escaping the ruin was troublesome, but we couldn’t abandon him when a life was at stake.
In the end, it took us about four days of hardship to reach the outside of the ruin.
Honestly, the ruin itself was nothing special. Just dark, with undead wandering around.
The problem was the explorer we had to move with.
The explorer was in such a weakened state—ravaged by prolonged hunger and dehydration—that restoring him using Diana’s Holy Power and Rachel’s Catalog Magic was far more difficult.
Catalog Magic contained all manner of spells, and there were several that could restore what Holy Power couldn’t.
After leaving the ruin, the explorer thanked us and gave us a hefty statue—roughly the size of a basketball—that he’d excavated as a gift.
When I appraised it secretly with the Appraisal Glasses, it turned out to be a statue-shaped secret safe filled with gold and jewels inside.
I suspected the explorer would feel some pangs when he found out later.
After clearing the 32nd Floor, we stopped by the 30th Floor City on our way to visit the Climbers’ Bank.
Back on the 30th Floor, Rachel asked with a tone that showed anticipation.
“You’ve cleared the three floors we promised—what do you think?”
In response to her question, Lee Su-young, Diana, and I exchanged glances, then Lee Su-young smiled and extended her hand formally.
“We’d be grateful to have you work with us going forward.”
Considering her firepower on the 29th Floor and the diverse spells she’d wielded on the 31st and 32nd Floors—some we wouldn’t have expected to exist—she was talent we couldn’t overlook.
Rachel, you’ve passed. You can continue on with us.
“I’m the one who should be grateful.”
Rachel shook Lee Su-young’s hand with a smile.
Exhausted from clearing the 32nd Floor, we decided to rest thoroughly and challenge the 33rd Floor the next day.

* * *

As we ascended to the 33rd Floor, a thick, briny sea smell hit my nostrils.
Turning around at the sound of waves behind me, I realized we were at a beach, and aside from the four of us, there were no other climbers—no one at all.
“Seems like we’re alone?”
It appeared the Tower had sent us here of its own accord, not in response to someone’s wish.
I checked the quest for the 33rd Floor through my Crystal.

[Recover the treasure of the notorious pirate Red Beard.]

Lee Su-young laughed playfully at the quest and jabbed my ribs with her elbow.
“If it’s treasure hidden by a pirate, there must be incredible gold and jewels, right? Truly a man blessed with Fortune of Money~!”
“Ahem! Do thank me.”
I humored Lee Su-young’s teasing and checked my Mini Map.
On the Mini Map appeared a marker the Tower had given us.
“Hmm? The treasure’s location is close?”
It wasn’t far away at all—just a few hundred meters distant.
Looking at the position coordinates, it didn’t seem to be hidden deep underground either.
What’s this? A Tower quest can’t be this easy.
We headed in the direction the Mini Map indicated.
The location marked on the Mini Map was a peculiarly shaped rock in the forest, set back slightly from the beach.
“Is there treasure beneath this rock?”
I used my Internal Energy to push the boulder aside gently.
But there was nothing under it but bare earth.
That’s when Lee Su-young, studying the Mini Map intently, spoke up.
“Could we need to dig into the ground?”
At her suggestion, I retrieved the shovel I’d used on the 20th Floor and began digging enthusiastically around the boulder.
After excavating about a meter down, the shovel struck something solid.
“Oh! A box. Though it’s rather small, isn’t it?”
The moment I uncovered the box, the marker on the Mini Map vanished.
I dug out the small box, brushed away the dirt, and examined it—it was locked with a key.
“I suppose we should check what’s inside?”
When I sought everyone’s agreement, they all nodded in consent.
I forced it open, and inside the box lay a cloudy glass vial containing a rolled, worn treasure map.
“This couldn’t be….”
“…It seems like we’re supposed to find it ourselves using this map?”
The 33rd Floor clearly wasn’t going to be cleared overnight.
I carefully unfurled the map, taking care not to damage the brittle paper—it was an island map.
Though there was no X marking where treasure lay buried like a typical pirate’s treasure map, there was text written on the back of the map.
“When a skull’s crimson gaze gleams bright, look where his stare meets its end. As I gaze upon the abyss, so too does the abyss gaze upon me. It shall guide thee to the lair of sleeping evil spirits. Future self, blessed with the gift of forgetting, cast aside thy greed and sleep. And may a curse befall that bitch who deceived me.”
The first passage likely described where the treasure lay sleeping, while the latter seemed a warning not to disturb it.
From what I could infer, the map’s owner had hidden the treasure, then—through some means—erased their own memory, and now warned their amnesiac self not to find it.
Yet why write down where the treasure lay at all?
Rachel studied the map and spoke.
“A skull’s crimson gaze gleaming bright—it sounds like a typical cipher pirates used when hiding treasure.”
Lee Su-young nodded at Rachel’s words.
“Since it mentions the pirate known as Red Beard’s treasure.”
I examined the map as I spoke.
“Looking at it, I don’t see any skull-shaped rocks or anything like that. Locating the treasure seems like it’ll take considerable time, so first let’s investigate whether this island is dangerous, then decide on a base camp location.”
Everyone nodded at my suggestion, and I conjured the Mage’s Eye, floating it into the air before us.
Rachel showed interest upon seeing my magic.
“What kind of magic is this?”
This wasn’t the first time I’d used it since Rachel joined the party, but perhaps this was the first time she’d seen it performed directly in front of her like this.
“It’s called the Mage’s Eye. It’s a spell that lets me see through the eye’s vision as well. This way, I can cover blind spots behind us and scout distant areas.”
As I sent the Mage’s Eye here and there, Rachel gestured into empty space, her eyes moving as if reading something.
“The Catalog has a similar spell. It’s rare to find one with active manipulation capabilities.”
It seemed she had access to a separate magic shop window, much like the Tower Shop.
“The price isn’t that steep.”
“It’s only a first-class spell, after all.”
For reference, the Mage’s Eye was one of the application spells my magic instructor, Andromallius, insisted I master.
“What’s the maximum range of your spells?”
“As far as my Magical Power allows—there’s no limit to distance.”
“The farther the effective range, the more expensive the spell becomes.”
I raised the Mage’s Eye high into the sky as I asked.
“Would you like me to teach you? It’s not particularly difficult.”
Rachel’s eyes widened at my offer.
“Really? The fact that there’s no spell like the Mage’s Eye among the references taught at the 20th Floor Magic Tower suggests it’s a rare spell acquired while climbing the Tower?”
Ah, so she’d already visited the 20th Floor Magic Tower.
I suppose no matter how many spells you can buy and use with money, if you had to pay for every minor spell, it’d become unaffordable.
According to the Community, the Magic Towers in public areas only teach reference-level spells in exchange for Merit Points and money from Climbers—they don’t teach special application magic.
If you wanted to learn magic beyond reference level, you had to either join a separate sect or undertake commissions posted by the Magic Tower.
Essentially, you had to earn Magic Tower Merit Points.
Joining a sect came with many entanglements, but the commissions were invariably difficult and demanding, and you couldn’t freely learn all spells, so most chose to join a sect.
I hadn’t visited the Magic Tower yet myself since I’m currently learning magic from another world.
“Well, I do think it’s better to receive some compensation, even within the same party.”
Being overly kind without any compensation tends to damage relationships instead.
Since we weren’t family, maintaining some distance worked better for everyone.
“Since Shop Points and Credits are critical to Rachel’s abilities… wouldn’t it be better if we instead took a share of the Ability Stones that drop from here on?”
Lee Su-young and Diana had also paid for their martial arts instruction with Ability Stone shares.
Diana nodded at my words as well.
“That seems reasonable.”
“So what percentage of shares should we settle on? One Ability Stone per spell might be a bit steep?”
Magic, unlike Martial Arts, offered an endless variety of spells to learn.
Martial Arts had growth limits, but with enough obsessive effort, it was possible to transcend those limits and reach higher Realms.
In the history of the Galaxy Martial Arts World, there were even Warriors who had reached the Death-Transcendence Realm using only the foundational techniques—the Galaxy Three Talents Qi Art and Galaxy Three Talents Sword Technique.
Lee Su-young shook her head at my question.
“It shouldn’t be that excessive? I’ve been reading the Community, and it seems like if you want to properly learn magic by joining a Sect, you basically have to live like a half-enslaved graduate student. So Ability Stones seem much fairer than that.”
“Is that so? What do you think, Rachel?”
At my question, Rachel stared at us as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“…Wait, Ability Stones are already so rare, and you’re saying you’d accept them on a deferred basis? What if none drop—you’d just take the loss?”
If it were me, I’d jump at the offer without hesitation. But she was worried about whether I’d get paid.
My impression of Rachel ticked up a notch.
At her words, Lee Su-young and Diana exchanged glances.
“Are Ability Stones really that rare? Honestly, as we’ve climbed, haven’t we gotten almost ten of them?”
“Right.”
At their words, Rachel looked flustered.
It was the look of someone seeing people with entirely different common sense.
“We’re formal Party members now, not a temporary group. If we keep playing together, a few should drop naturally.”
I nodded at Lee Su-young’s words.
“The Mage’s Eye isn’t particularly difficult or high-level magic either, so there’s no need to feel burdened. It’s not good to be stingy with fellow Party members.”
Though I’d never extend such goodwill to someone outside the Party.
More than anything, the Mage’s Eye, for all its convenience, consumed a great deal of Magical Power when used properly.
If someone could share that burden, it worked in my favor.
Magical Power recovery potions didn’t come cheap either. Besides, to get good use out of someone, you have to teach them first.
“Will you learn it?”
When the three of us turned our gaze toward Rachel, she looked momentarily confused before seeming to give up on understanding and answered.
“…If you’re willing to teach me, I’ll be grateful to learn it.”
“I’ll teach you after we explore the island first.”
Clearing Floor 33 came first.

(To be continued in the next part)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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