I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 19

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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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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 19

【Time remaining until the Purification Tree of the Black Land grows: 29 minutes, 57 seconds.】

‘The end is finally coming into view.’

Considerable time had passed since Taesan announced the failure to conquer the Special Dungeon Floor.
During the briefing, they revealed that the theme of the Special Dungeon Floor was undead, and they disclosed a single mark they had discovered there.

That’s right. This is the symbol of the Goddess Nix.

I hurriedly descended underground through a portal.
I had it confirmed by Barkalor.
The mark truly belonged to the Goddess Nix.
More precisely, it belonged to one of her children.

The great one had quite many children. This mark belongs to the god who presides over ‘death’ among them.

That’s what the old man said.
A quick internet search made it clear.

‘Thanatos, that was the name.’

He was distinctly different from Hades, who ruled the underworld—the realm of the dead.
Thanatos was ‘death’ itself.

‘Just as Nix is darkness and night itself.’

It wasn’t particularly necessary knowledge.
I wasn’t about to start studying Greco-Roman mythology out of the blue.
What mattered here was that Thanatos was Nix’s child.

This was quite intriguing.
Should I consider it mere coincidence?
That Nix’s mark was discovered in the Special Dungeon Floor of the Black Tower on the surface?

The Special Dungeon Floor this time, related to undead—death itself—was revealed to have occurred in the early stages of the 10th Floor.
And among the traits I obtained, Nix’s Blessing, which I use frequently, activates every time I—

【Nix’s Blessing Stage 2 – Unlocked at Level 10.】

This was the kind of message that would appear.

Clear the 1st Floor and you become Level 2, gaining the qualification to challenge the 2nd Floor.
Level 10 is achieved when you clear the 9th Floor and gain the qualification to challenge the 10th Floor.
Just like the Special Dungeon Floor where Taesan had failed this time.

Nix’s child. Thanatos. Death. Undead. Nix’s Blessing Stage 2 unlocked.
What connection could possibly exist between all these?

‘Who knows.’

Regardless, the fact that I needed to conquer the Special Dungeon Floor remained unchanged.

‘Apart from the mark, Special Dungeon Floors come with excellent rewards.’

Just as James from America and I discovered a Treasure Chest and obtained a Legendary item, changing our lives.
Special Dungeon Floors were another known pathway to obtain Legendary items.
Of course, my second quest took the form of a Special Dungeon but didn’t grant a Legendary item.

‘But exceptions do exist.’

In any case, Taesan, the initial discoverer, had failed to conquer it even on the second expedition.
That meant the Association was reclaiming priority rights.
And.

-Well, I’m afraid I might go berserk instead. I might casually break a few laws.

“…Ha.”

That was good news for me.
In such cases, the Association puts the Special Dungeon Floor entry ticket up for auction.
Special Dungeon Floors were exceptional in that multiple people could form teams to conquer them.
Being essentially equivalent to a raffle ticket for a Legendary item, they were traded for hundreds of billions of won at minimum, sometimes reaching trillions.
It was one of the Association’s additional profit methods.
The Association President weighed his own life and the future fate of South Korea on the same scale.
Transferring one of the conquest rights to someone like me wouldn’t be a significant problem.
He didn’t seem like the type to take promises lightly either.

‘Not just this time, but there will be many occasions requiring substantial expenditures in the future.’

Even now, I earn far too much money to be called an ordinary citizen.
Still, I should expand the avenues through which money flows in.

‘Last time, I received a call from Outtuki Hong, the PR director, regarding an expansion proposal for the meat business.’

And that’s not all.
I simply turned off notifications because they were too noisy.
Even now, my inbox was flooded in real-time with love calls from countless corporations who had caught the scent of money.
I’ll deal with that later.
For now, there was a certain way to save money this one time.

Tick, tick, tick.

The clock hands in the Basement Room moved in a steady rhythm.

【Time remaining until the Black Land Purification Tree’s growth: 5 minutes 37 seconds.】

‘I hope Barkalor’s hypothesis is correct.’

Since it’s the hypothesis of a man with a brilliant mind, it’s unlikely to be wrong.
I’ll know the outcome soon enough.
Even if it fails by some chance, I can learn the method myself.
It would just take time—there’s no real problem.
After all, I have excellent teachers who transformed me from ordinary into strong in an instant.

‘First, let me level up to 10.’

The entry restriction for this newly discovered Special Dungeon Floor is limited to Hunters of level 10 or below.

‘That’s why I formed a conquest team led by Park Seong-cheol, who was level 10 at the time.’

Though it seems he was excluded after losing to me and incurring Ahn Jae-jun’s displeasure.

‘He wasn’t even present at the briefing.’

Reluctant as I am to admit it, Taesan is a good guild. They have plenty of money and plenty of talent.
Which means they carefully assembled only the strongest Level 10 hunters for this.
And yet they still failed.
It seems that mere levels and stats aren’t enough to clear this floor.
Of course, that doesn’t apply to me.

‘Because I have Nix’s Blessing.’

Even at Level 5 now, I’m stronger than most hunters in their twenties.
At Level 10, I’ll be twice as powerful as I am now.
And Nix’s Blessing will unlock its second stage too.
I might become even stronger than that.

‘Even if I fail to clear the floor and don’t obtain a Legendary-grade item, learning about the Mark would be enough.’

Besides, they said it requires Holy Power.

‘Materials imbued with sunlight. I should discuss how to process them with Barkalor.’

I’m giving him a lot of work right after summoning him, it seems.
But that’s unavoidable given how capable Barkalor is.

‘If my hypothesis is correct and I make it back to the surface, I’ll buy him plenty of delicious food.’

Given his age, would he prefer samgyetang over fried chicken?
Ah, but he seems to be from the Western world, so maybe fried food would be better.
Thinking such things, I opened my mouth.

“Enter Tower Floor 6.”

Ding!
【Entering Tower Floor 6.】

Whoosh—!

…In an instant, the scenery of the basement room gave way to a vast grassland stretching endlessly before me.

Ding!
【Clear Condition: Defeat 20 Werewears.】

“Roooaaarrr!”
“Yeah. Good to see you too. Let’s finish this quick.”

Whoosh!

I drew my sword and simultaneously released darkness.

Crackle!
【Special Stat: Darkness released.】
【Resisting sunlight.】
【Nix’s Blessing is active.】

Good, my stats should be recovered now.
A 6th Floor level monster would fall in a single stroke with Choya Ilseom…

‘No.’

Tap.

I extended my hand instead of the blade.
There was something I wanted to test.

‘Today, I’ll do things differently.’

Crackle!
Additional darkness poured out, gathering above my palm.

“Grraaahhh!”

I closed my eyes as the Werewear charged toward me.
Recalling the teachings from moments ago.

‘So that’s how the old man did it.’

A curse utilizing darkness.
If I could master it skillfully, it would become quite a useful asset in unexpected situations.
Besides, I’m the type who needs to put what I’ve learned into practice to feel satisfied.

Ripple—

As I quietly conjured the image in my mind,
the darkness danced as if possessed by will.
Inspiration had shackled the Antagonist’s limbs to slow them down.
But that was impossible for me now.

‘Even when I tested it on Inspiration, I could only maintain it for a few seconds.’

And binding all twenty moving enemies in a single attempt?

‘No matter how much I learned from a genius master like Inspiration, it’s absolutely impossible.’

Then what would work?
What image should I conjure to effectively bind the enemies at my current level?
Tick—. Tick—.

I glanced at the timer in the corner of my vision.
Time flows even in the moment of deliberation.
I had already decided.
Since I’ve regained my wings once more,
I would soar overwhelmingly high, so that no one could follow.

‘Even if it means burning to ash in the sun.’

In that instant, something surged from deep within.
Simultaneously, countless images flashed rapidly through my mind.
Ahn Jae-jun looking down at me as if I were an insect.
The sight of the abyss I fell into after being abandoned by him.
That sticky, repulsive darkness.
And from that darkest bottom where no one even spared a glance,
the past where I struggled desperately, becoming an even darker and heavier point.

Crack—!

‘If you can never climb up, then I’ll drag you down.’

I would devour everything that way.
Like a black hole.

A condensed mass of inferiority—a darkness so thick and heavy—burst forward and descended among the Werewears.

‘Did I fail?’

Perhaps my proficiency was still insufficient for practical application.
That’s what I thought in that moment.

–!

The Werewears suddenly began retreating.

“…!”

I instinctively swung my blade.

Shwack—!

‘Yahwi-style Third Form.’

The pitch-black longsword silently carved through the empty air.

‘Night Shadow Sword.’

A long trajectory etched itself toward the nearest Werewear, and in that same instant, I kicked off the ground and charged forward.
Then I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
And soon after, she let out a stifled laugh.

“So that’s what it was.”

Why the Werewears had been retreating.
The reason the werewolves were backing away.

It wasn’t a retreat—they were being pulled in.
That wasn’t a step backward; it was being sucked in.

“Kwaaaah!”

Grraaahhh-!

A single point.
Toward the tiny black hole, no larger than a go stone, that I had created.
My grandfather’s voice replayed slowly in my ears.
Even after leaving the caster’s hand, continuing to move until the very moment it vanishes, to realize its intent….

‘-Something different from magic.’

That is a curse.

I couldn’t bind twenty creatures simultaneously.
I couldn’t convert vast quantities of darkness into a curse.
But I could certainly imbue intention into a minuscule amount of darkness.
The intention for it to grow endlessly and devour everything in its path.

Snap—

The Werewears converged into a single point.
I adjusted my grip on the sword.
Moving into the third form, then transitioning into the next strike.

“Yahwi Style, First Form.”

Whoosh—

A powerful brush stroke laden with ink cut across my vision.
It was a perfectly straight line.

“-One Stroke, One Slash.”

Crash!

Ding!
【You have simultaneously defeated 20 Werewears.】
【You have cleared the 6th Floor.】
【You have achieved the fastest record.】
-Clear Time: 7 seconds.
【Your level has….】

Thump.

I swung my sword in a wide arc, flinging blood and flesh from the blade.
My shoulder muscles throbbed with sharp pain.
It was the result of that reckless strike.

‘Still, that’s a new record.’

-Previous Fastest Clear: Ahn Jae-jun (12 minutes)

The moment I entered, I gathered twenty Werewears into one spot and cut them down in a single stroke.
This entire process unfolded in just seven seconds.
Even if there were hunters using wide-area magic skills, taking down twenty creatures at once would require large-scale magic.
Considering the casting time, it seemed unlikely this record would ever be broken.

‘Even Ahn Jae-jun needed twelve minutes.’

Click.

I sheathed my sword while watching the countless reward messages appear and disappear.
The higher the floor, the more I realize it.

‘I’m truly powerful.’

Typically, as floors increase, more difficult monsters appear and clearing speed adjusts accordingly.
But me?

‘I’m getting faster and faster.’

I looked at the corpses of the creatures I’d just dealt with.

‘This is ridiculous. They’re so mangled that even a necromancer couldn’t use them.’

Besides, I hadn’t even learned that much from Barkalor yet.

“Since we’re on the subject, I should allocate my stats. I’ll invest everything into Darkness.”

Ding!
【You have invested 3 available stat points into Darkness.】
-Current Darkness Stat: 18.

I nodded in satisfaction.
I couldn’t feel any dramatic changes right now.
But it was fine to progress slowly.
Curses, Necromancer abilities, portals—not just one thing.
The utility of the Dark stat was almost beyond words.

‘As for the remaining basic stats, Nix’s blessing would be more than enough to inflate them anyway.’

Of course, it would be good to prepare for situations where the blessing doesn’t activate.
But I couldn’t abandon my investment in the Dark stat.

‘Well, I can always raise basic stats through equipment anyway.’

I’d acquired the Jet-Black Longsword with just fifty Moonstone Shards and was still using it well.

‘Or maybe a blacksmith will appear among the new residents.’

Having tasted the schemes and strategies of an Artifact-grade butler.
I found myself increasingly anticipating the diverse residents who would arrive in the future.

“Time to head out. Exit the Tower!”

Unlike the Underground, the Surface Layer didn’t require butchering.
The meat reeked and was tough, and the low-durability hides had no demand.

【You are exiting from the 6th Floor of the Tower.】

Whoosh—!

My vision warped.
The living room of the Basement Room came back into view.

Zing—.

My phone rang at just the right moment.

[Caller: Hyeon-jun]
-Oh my, our gracious and mighty Hunter Kang Ha-jin.

It was Hyeon-jun, the guy who’d been practically singing my praises lately.
When I’d met with the Association President before, he’d been somewhat cautious.
But after hearing the full situation and future prospects from the Association President, he’d been shamelessly fawning over me.
Though I couldn’t blame him.
Unlike the meat from the Surface Layer I’d just mentioned, meat from the Underground had tremendous demand.

-The meat is completely sold out again, sir.

So it wasn’t impossible for everything to sell out in less than half a day after I’d requested the sale.

‘Hyeon-jun, who’d brokered this deal, would receive compensation proportional to his efforts.’

Whether it came as a bonus, making a good impression with his superiors, or a promotion—in whatever form it took.

‘Being friends with me from the start was like winning the lottery.’

This is why you need to cultivate good friendships.
You never know if that quiet kid studying in the back of the class will become someone important in society.

‘Though honestly, I’ve benefited far more from him.’

When I’d hit rock bottom, Hyeon-jun was the only friend I’d stayed in contact with.
He was as precious to me as the residents of the Underground Temple.

-The payment has been deposited.
-Man, I’m seriously envious and grateful. I’ll set up a time soon to introduce you to my real girlfriend.

[4,501,192,000 won has been deposited.]

“Huh.”

4.5 billion won.
I’d earned slightly more than when I’d sold the Kobold meat last time.
That made sense given the increase in stat gains.

‘Monsters with meat will keep appearing from here on out.’

The business expansion I’d vaguely sketched out earlier was taking concrete shape.
This would definitely be profitable.
And increasingly so going forward.

Smirk.

A smile bloomed naturally at the scent of money.
Of course, I couldn’t rest on my laurels here.
There were far more pressing matters remaining.
For instance, preparations for the Special Dungeon Floor.
Or perhaps—

Ding!
【The growth of the Black Land’s purification tree has been completed.】
【Purification is beginning.】
【The tree has absorbed a considerable amount of dark energy.】
【It breathes in darkness.】

Whoosh—

In an instant, my breathing opened up completely.
The dark energy I’d never quite grown accustomed to vanished entirely.
In a heartbeat, air identical to that of the Underground Temple swept through the room.

Inhale, exhale—

Excellent air.
Yes, just like the Temple.
And that meant—

Shimmer—

The portal that Barkalor had opened began to stir.

“This place! My lord’s…!”
“I report the expansion of the Underground Temple, master.”

It was the moment I’d been waiting for—the instant when the old man’s hypothesis became reality.

“Come on in. I’ve made some money, so let’s eat first. Do you even know what chimaek is?”

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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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