Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 68

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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 68. The Tower – 20th Floor Residential Level (1)

After clearing the 19th Floor, I considered going to the 10th Floor to tell Lee Su-young that I was heading to the 20th Floor, but decided against it.
I could easily convey the news of clearing the 19th Floor through a private Community message, and I didn’t want to seem like I was rushing her.
Floors ending in nine were notoriously difficult, and I had no intention of pushing her into a challenge without proper preparation.
So I sent her a private message about clearing the 19th Floor, warning her that it was incredibly challenging and to take several days if needed to prepare thoroughly and approach it cautiously.
The message showed as read immediately after I sent it, but there was no reply right away.
“Ah, the time difference.”
Since my current location was the 19th Floor, the time difference with the 10th Floor would be roughly 2.3 times.
The Community was unusable outside the Tower’s jurisdiction and in the Reincarnation Clone’s body or on Earth, but since each floor’s world belonged to the Tower, the Community functioned there.
However, due to the significant time differences between floors, there was inevitably a delay when communicating across different levels.
About fifteen seconds after I sent my message, Lee Su-young’s reply appeared.

-Got it. I’m preparing right now, so it might take a while!

It seemed she’d composed it in about five seconds.
After confirming her message, I immediately headed toward the 20th Floor.
The vast grassland disappeared, and upon arriving at the 20th Floor, I found myself inside a building, just like on the 10th Floor.

[You have reached the 20th Floor. A new function of ‘Multidimensional Avatar’ has been activated.]

[‘Avatar Customization’ has been activated.]

[The function of the shared ability ‘Tower Shop’ has been unlocked. The ‘Auction House’ has been activated. The items in ‘Tower Shop’ have been updated.]

Reaching the 20th Floor didn’t unlock a new avatar slot.
But avatar customization! Could I finally absorb my reincarnation clone?
And every time I created a new clone, could I stop the digital combat suit from appearing underneath the clothes?
Eager to check the avatar customization ability, I glanced around and noticed a Nun who appeared to be my age diligently mopping the floor nearby.
Upon spotting me, the Nun set down her mop with familiarity and made the sign of the cross toward me.
“Welcome to the 20th Floor, Climber. WPTO has left some pamphlets over there—please take a look.”
“Thank you.”
I left the Cathedral while reviewing the pamphlet.
The 20th Floor City was considerably larger than the Floor 10 City.
“Let me find an inn first.”
I’d been rolling around in the dirt fighting the Orc Warrior.
I should wash up and check my abilities somewhere safe.
I consulted the pamphlet, located the Climbers’ Association, and decided to find an inn nearby.
“Actually, should I visit the bank first?”
My space-expansion crossbag had weight reduction, but it was still heavy.
I couldn’t keep carrying something this heavy indefinitely, and leaving it at an inn felt risky, so it was better to sell unnecessary items or store them at the bank immediately.
The Climber-Exclusive Bank could be used not only in other cities on lower floors but also in mid and upper floors, so depositing items there seemed convenient.
“I’ll handle washing with a magic tool.”
Since I hadn’t created a new clone, fatigue had accumulated and I did want to soak in hot water, but using the cleansing magic tool—which I could use up to three times daily—would handle the immediate discomfort.
It was better than wandering around covered in dirt.
I turned toward the bank and sent Diana a private message saying I’d arrived at the 20th Floor.
But the read receipt didn’t appear immediately.
“Oh, is she challenging the 19th Floor? I shouldn’t have messaged her.”
I felt slightly apologetic for potentially distracting her.
But soon the read receipt appeared and a reply came through.

-I’m still not used to using the Community. I’m about to challenge it now.

Ah, I see. I was just bad with technology, so I was late in checking.
It seemed I was still on the 10th Floor.
The 20th Floor existed in the same world as the 10th and 30th Floors.
Climbers couldn’t enter each zone due to an invisible barrier, but through the native residents’ postal service, it was entirely possible to send letters or packages.
Even if that weren’t an option, it was still possible to meet in the common areas, though dangerous.
Since reaching the common areas required nearly crossing an entire continent, it was faster to meet on the 20th Floor.
But could someone who becomes a doctor after graduating from graduate school really be this inept with modern technology?
Nowadays, don’t people use computers for everything, even charts?
Well, given her diligent nature, she’ll pick it up eventually.
I stepped leisurely into the bank.
The Climber-Exclusive Bank looked like an enormous temple.
Upon entering, despite its size, there was only a small hall with waiting seats, an information screen, and doors marked with numbered tickets.
Literally, there were only doors floating in empty space with no walls.
As I entered, someone who looked like a Security Guard was providing guidance.
“Welcome. Is this your first visit?”
“Yes.”
“Then please take a number ticket here and wait a moment. Your number will appear on the information screen next to those doors. Simply enter through the door with your number.”
Enter? By opening one of those doors that lead anywhere, with nothing but doors?
I took a ticket, bewildered, and waited. Before long, door number 20 opened and a Climber emerged.
They came out of literally nothing but empty space.
Then with a “ding!” sound, my number appeared on the information screen, directing me to door number 3.
I opened the door marked with the number 3, following instructions.
Inside was an ordinary room with a reception desk.
“Customer 27. Is this your first visit?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Then please close the door and have a seat in front of me.”
At the courteous employee’s request, I sat in the chair.
“Please read through these precautions.”
The precautions contained a warning that abusive language, profanity, or violence toward employees could result in immediate restraint, and that all items entrusted to the bank would be forfeited to The Tower if one lost their Climber status.
“Can one really lose their Climber status?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Typically, Climber status is lost when one exits The Tower. Beyond that, Climber status can be lost if certain rare and difficult-to-achieve special conditions are met.”
“So in other words, you’re saying that when leaving The Tower, I should stop by the bank and take my valuables with me. Even if I were to re-enter The Tower, I couldn’t retrieve what I left here.”
“Exactly right. However, those who have exited The Tower can never re-enter as Climbers.”
There were people on the Community boasting about being on their second run through The Tower, but it seems that was a lie.
The Community really wasn’t trustworthy.
“Then let me help you open an account first. Please sign where I’ve marked with the highlighter.”
I signed the account opening contract as instructed and listened to the explanation.
“The bank account is linked with the Tower Shop and can be used like a debit card at the native residents’ stores.”
That would be convenient. It was nice not to end up with unnecessary change.
“Items entrusted to the bank can have their ownership transferred between Climbers through a handshake, just like trading points. However, you must visit the bank in person to deposit or withdraw items, and since the bank doesn’t guarantee the value of those items, you should proceed with caution in your transactions.”
I also received explanations regarding security measures and how to use it like a check card.
The bank was essentially a convenience system.
Unlike my inventory, I couldn’t pull items out and use them instantly, but it had the advantage of being able to safely and securely conduct transactions anywhere after depositing heavy items.
Banks outside the Tower could only handle currency transactions, but the Tower bank had the advantage of being able to trade goods as well.
“And as you climb the Tower, you’ll occasionally encounter places that don’t use Credits, the Tower’s common currency, or remote areas beyond the Climber-Exclusive Bank’s reach. I recommend always carrying extra Credits or alternative currencies for such situations.”
“Alternative currencies, you mean….”
“Like these.”
The Bank Employee pulled out gold coins, gold bars, gold ingots, and golden toads.
“Besides these, things like water, food, fabric, and potions or other medicines can also serve as decent alternative currencies.”
Then I should hold onto the gold coins I was planning to sell on the 20th Floor for now.
I could purchase gold or silver through my reincarnated clones, but since I hadn’t yet achieved financial independence, it seemed better to let each clone handle their own financial matters.
After signing all the thick documents, a personal account section appeared at the bottom of the Tower Shop.

[0 Credits]
[Stored Items: None]

I immediately deposited my Credits and items.

[500,000 Credits]
[Stored Items: Kagul’s Great Sword, Goblin Shaman’s Cursed Staff 1… 【More】]

The 500,000 Credits came from selling the Chimera to the villagers and the money I received from the General’s appraisal on the 18th Floor.
Though it was only a few days, I’d swept through Goblins as morning exercise and earned quite a bit in achievement points and Credits—I’d left that money as emergency funds on Tower Floor 1.
Tower Floor 1 had become cluttered with various miscellaneous items, so this worked out well.
I would have needed to build storage, but it seemed unnecessary for now.
“By the way, the names of the deposited items appear too?”
“Yes, so many customers use our bank as a substitute for appraisal certificates. Unlike appraisal certificates, you can’t know the item’s history or effects, but you can see the name.”
If I knew the name, I could use the Library to learn about the item’s history and effects.
Of course, the Library’s information wasn’t omniscient, so nothing was as reliable as an appraisal certificate.
“But why can the bank only be used from the 20th Floor onward?”
“Well, someone at my level finds it hard to know the Tower’s intentions. My personal thought is that perhaps people appreciate things more when they experience scarcity?”
No, what kind of money-obsessed game company talk is that.
“Or it could be to help people who struggle when given too much information all at once.”
The follow-up explanation was at least understandable.
Not everyone adapted quickly to new things.
But was a bank really something new?
At my question, the employee smiled and replied.
“In your world, a bank isn’t new, but in some worlds, it could be.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Banks themselves existed since medieval times, but modern banking systems didn’t emerge until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Internet-based systems didn’t become established until the late twentieth century when the internet was widespread—at the earliest, the 1980s.
The system I used with such familiarity had only been operating for roughly half a century.
“My, isn’t it surprising that other worlds exist?”
“If you’ve climbed this far and that still surprises you, how little attention do you pay to your surroundings?”
“Contrary to what you might think, many people are quite astonished. Some climbers even treat this place like a game, viewing all the locations you’ve visited as nothing more than stages or instant dungeons.”
There were certainly people who thought that way.
Just browsing the Community, I could easily find plenty of them.
“Still, I’m relieved you don’t seem to share that perspective. We’ve completed your account opening and provided all necessary explanations—is there anything else you’d like to use our services for?”
“Oh, one moment.”
I retrieved Kagul’s greatsword once more.
Then I used the Appraisal skill.

[Kagul’s Greatsword: Forged from an adamantium and mithril alloy, wielded by the Orc Warrior Kagul.]

I confirmed the details and entrusted it to the bank once again.
I’d melt this greatsword down later to craft a blade suited to my own style.
With my bag empty, my body felt lighter.
Storing the bag in my inventory made it even lighter.
From building a tomb on the 19th Floor and collecting the remains, I’d acquired quite a lot.
There were several items comparable to Kagul’s greatsword, and since most weighed over a kilogram, I’d deposited them all at the bank, though once my inventory expanded, I planned to store the most precious items on Tower Floor 1.
Items like the Goblin Shaman’s cursed staff would naturally be deposited at the bank or sold off.
With these thoughts in mind, I rose from my seat.
Now that my body felt lighter, I needed to secure lodging and check out my new avatar customization options.

(Continued in the next chapter)

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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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