Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 70

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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 70. The Tower – Residential Floor 20 (3)

Returning to my body on Tower Floor 20, I rose and reconstructed my clone once more.
As points drained away, I felt my physical abilities surge dramatically upward.
I tested my footing with light steps and threw a punch into the empty air.
“Oh, it’s definitely different.”
The power and speed my muscles generated when I threw that punch were unmistakably superior.
With my meridians now purified, my internal energy flowed without the slightest obstruction.
It was as though I had been reborn entirely.
Of course, calling it a true rebirth would be generous given how meager my talents were.
But surely steady progress, however incremental, was the path forward.
I consulted the guidebook distributed by WPTO and made my way toward the place where I could expand my inventory capacity.
“It’s not even nine o’clock yet, so I’ll need to wait about twenty minutes.”
In the Floor 10 City, I had to visit around three in the afternoon, but here they only accepted visitors from nine to eleven in the morning.
The reason I had challenged Floor 19 so early was to arrive at Floor 20 well before ten o’clock.
I leisurely left the Inn, ate at the Climbers’ Association, and headed toward the place that expanded inventories—where I found the Old Witch Woman leaning on her staff, shuffling about as she settled herself at what looked like a vendor’s stall.
As I approached the Old Witch Woman, she looked up at me with a disgruntled expression.
“A climber, eh? Come to expand your inventory?”
I asked her curiously as I studied her.
“You were the one expanding inventories back on Floor 10, but you’re here too? The world map showed the Floor 10 District was incredibly far away—how do you move so quickly? Do you use spatial teleportation? Or are you twins?”
At my question, the Old Witch Woman’s eyebrows twitched.
“You… how do I look to you?”
“Pardon? How do you look? Well… like a grandmother?”
They say women remain sensitive about their age even in old age, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell this fierce-looking Old Witch Woman to her face that she “looked ancient.”
But at my words, the Old Witch Woman asked in surprise.
“I look like a grandmother? Not like a woman in her twenties?”
“Well, no matter how you look at it, at that age, twenties is a bit of a stretch…”
“Bah! What’s wrong with my age!”
The Old Witch Woman, excited and shouting loudly, then coughed and composed herself.
“Ahem! Have you been to the Library?”
“The Library? No, I haven’t visited yet. Since I came up here, I found lodging and… oh, I did stop by the Bank. Other than the Bank, this is my first time here.”
At my answer, the Old Witch Woman flicked her finger.
“Awoosh!”
Suddenly, I felt an impact on the back of my head.
I hadn’t sensed any magical energy at all, yet the Old Witch Woman had struck the back of my head with magic.
“You enter the Tower and never once visit the Library?”
“I did visit it when I was in the Floor 10 District.”
“Did you see an old man there, like a librarian?”
“Yes? …Yes, I saw it.”
The Old Witch Woman’s aura was unsettling, so I nodded cautiously, reading the room.
“Heh, how did I look when you were in the 10th Floor District?”
“You looked exactly the same as you do now.”
So she was asking as if she already knew—testing me.
“Hah, that old man was making such a fuss, so I was curious… but your talent is truly abysmal. Your Tower talent falls within the bottom 0.01 percent in the entire history of The Tower.”
The Old Witch Woman clicked her tongue after assessing my Tower talent.
I knew it, but I couldn’t help the surge of emotion that welled up inside.
“But how did you even make it this far? That old man said you’d be floundering around on the 10th Floor for at least three years?”
Floundering around on the 10th Floor for at least three years.
Was what he said about me having talent in magic a lie?
If I had talent, why would I spend three years on the 10th Floor?
The Old Witch Woman either guessed what I was thinking or saw it written across my face, because she let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“The 10th Floor has nothing that aids magical or mana-based growth. There’s no proper Magic Tower until the 20th Floor District. Three years for someone with zero knowledge of magic to escape the 10th Floor without a proper teacher, using only magic? Ha! Even someone called a genius would struggle for thirty years under those conditions!”
Having said that, the Old Witch Woman examined my body carefully.
“Ah, that explains it. You didn’t climb The Tower using magic at all. Could the ability The Tower granted you have been martial arts instead?”
A chill ran down my spine.
How did she know I climbed The Tower using martial arts?
“Ha! How absurd. Your physical talent is far worse than your Tower talent—you’re a dull-witted fool—yet The Tower chose you anyway. Or perhaps, seeing how desperately you’ve clawed your way up in such a short time, it’s not entirely senseless?”
The Old Witch Woman spoke with cynical mockery toward The Tower.
“Even now, abandon martial arts and switch to magic. Your talent lies there.”
“Yes, well. I’ll do as I see fit. Magic requires stamina too, so wouldn’t it be better to balance both appropriately?”
“What nonsense is th— no, never mind. I suppose you can say that. Do as you wish. If you fail, it’s your life, not mine.”
She certainly had a harsh way of speaking.
The Librarian Elder had shown me favor and tried to help me with various things, but this Old Witch Woman clearly did not.
“Right, you came to expand your inventory capacity, didn’t you? Get 100 merit points from the Climbers’ Association, 100 Shop Points, and go buy some coffee from over there. With ice in it—what do you call it, American coffee? Americano?”
“Coffee? Is that a Quest?”
To expand my inventory, I had to complete one Quest that the Old Witch Woman assigned.
Usually Quests involved hunting something or finding something, but mine was just a coffee errand.
“Don’t like it? Would you rather hunt a dragon?”
“No! I’ll go right away!”
Without looking back, I rushed to the Cafe that had just opened and bought the coffee.
It was far better to offer up one 60-credit coffee than to waste time running around annoyed.
The Old Witch Woman snatched the coffee I’d brought and sucked it down through the straw.
In the meantime, I laid down the merit points I’d prepared.
The Old Witch Woman silently extended her hand, and I respectfully bowed my head and clasped hands with her, transferring 100 points.
“There.”

[The common ability ‘Inventory’ has been expanded to 5 kilograms.]

“Thank you so much!”
Now I wouldn’t need to make so many trips back and forth through my Tower avatar just to access the hand axes I’d stashed on Tower Floor 1.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
I answered honestly to the Old Witch Woman’s question as she sat cross-legged, sipping her coffee.
“I’m thinking of visiting the place that expands mini map sizes, and then checking with the Climbers’ Association for tasks that would help me build up merit points.”
Until now, I’d only used merit points for discounts at affiliated shops, but from the 20th Floor onward, they became quite significant.
For climbers, merit points were essentially a measure of credibility, and there were places like the Magic Tower where you couldn’t even enter if your merit points fell below a certain threshold.
“Is that so?”
After a moment of consideration, the Old Witch Woman spoke.
“Well, since that old man seems to take an interest in you, I can’t just sit idle. I’ll give you two quests.”
Two quests?
“Take this.”
The Old Witch Woman handed me a sphere that resembled some kind of mechanical device, along with a map.
“This is your first quest. This sphere holds a secret. Uncover that secret and bring it back to me. You have until you reach the 80th Floor.”
The 80th Floor? That’s the upper levels.
For someone still in the lower levels like me, it felt like a distant future.
If the deadline was that far away, it meant the secret contained in this sphere was no ordinary matter.
“If you wish, you may use an appraisal scroll.”
“It seems this is an object that can’t be appraised with an appraisal scroll.”
“If you succeed in uncovering the secret, I’ll give you something nice.”
At my guess, the Old Witch Woman chuckled with a mischievous expression.
“The second quest is this place.”
The Old Witch Woman pointed at the map with her finger.
“Specifically, find an Ancient Ruin somewhere in the lower levels and bring me the artifact inside it. Whether it’s in the 20th Floor District, the 30th Floor District, or the common areas, I’m everywhere, so bring it wherever is convenient. I’ll accept it until you move past the 40th Floor.”
Ah, so it’s not spatial teleportation or something like twins—it’s more like an avatar.
“If you succeed, I’ll give you generous merit points and rewards.”
“If it’s an Ancient Ruin… would it be alright to undertake this with my companions?”
“That’s fine. However, only you will receive the reward. And don’t exceed the party size limit.”
“Yes, I understand.”
If only I can receive the reward, should I search for it alone?
Unlike me, who was lost in thought, the Old Witch Woman nodded and pointed to the cafe where I’d bought the coffee earlier.
“The chocolate cake there is delicious. Bring me one.”
“Yes!”
I’d finished my business with the Old Witch Woman, but I’d likely need to see her again later, so I could afford to gift her a cake.
When I brought back a whole cake, the Old Witch Woman extended her hand.
I handed the cake to her.
“Not the cake! A handshake.”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
As we shook hands, my shop points were deducted.

[Your shared ability ‘Mini Map’ range has been expanded.]

As I looked at the Old Witch Woman in surprise, she cut into her whole cake with a fork and spoke while eating.
“Why take the long way around? Handle it all here. Oh, and hand over the orb.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
I set the orb down on the table.
“Now get out.”
“Yes! I’m leaving!”
I bowed respectfully and turned to leave when the Old Witch Woman called out a warning.
“Right, one more thing. Don’t go flaunting that Magic Tower seal around carelessly. There aren’t many sane mages among them, and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up dead.”
Her tone was gruff, but I could feel the concern behind her words.
If I’d heard that warning earlier, I wouldn’t have had to endure what happened at the Magic Tower on Floor 10, but it’s better late than never to have someone looking out for me.
“I’ll keep that in mind! Elder!”
“What! Call me Sister!”
“Haha! But your age is… No! My apologies, Sister!”
I immediately prostrated myself before the Old Witch Woman’s murderous aura.
Even rolling in filth, this life is precious. I genuinely felt the threat of death just now.
“Remember this—what you see is not my true form, you insolent brat.”
“Yes! Of course! Shall I bring you another cup of coffee?”
“Bring it!”
“Yes, understood!”
I brought the coffee and retreated as if fleeing.
Phew! That was terrifying.

* * *

I expanded my Mini Map range and revised my plan to visit the Climbers’ Association, returning instead to the Inn.
My conversation with the Old Witch Woman hadn’t leaked out because she’d cast a sound barrier from the start, but I didn’t know how to use such techniques myself.
There was no rush to visit the Association—it could wait until after Lee Su-young and Diana climbed to Floor 20.
So I slowly observed the Quest the Old Witch Woman had given me while waiting for the two of them to reach Floor 20.
“Hmm… I have no idea what this orb is. And this map—where is it supposed to be? Should I search the Library?”
I’d probably need to examine a world map of the lower realms.
Since I was already unable to enter the 10th Floor District, it wouldn’t be there.
If my guess was right, it was probably somewhere in the public areas or the 30th Floor District.
Given how unusually eccentric her personality seemed, it was clear this wouldn’t be an easy Quest to clear.
“Since I can’t figure anything out right now, I’ll examine it more carefully later.”
With no immediate answers, let me check the third slot of ‘Multidimensional Avatar’ for now.

(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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