I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 27

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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 27

Forty-eight hours had passed since I cleared Basement 7.

Ding!
【You have cleared Basement 8.】
Ding!
【You have cleared Basement 9.】

Thus, I had cleared two basement floors in succession.

‘Ugh, I’m sick of pigs now.’

From Wild Hogs to Strong Hogs, and Iron Hogs.
Over the past three days, I’d hunted more than a hundred hogs.

‘And fresh meat only dropped from the Wild Hogs on Basement 7.’

Strong Hogs were packed with muscle instead of fat, making them far too tough.
Iron Hogs, too, had skin made of iron.

‘That’s why I obtained a large quantity of Sunlight Iron on Basement 9.’

Sunlight Iron.
It was iron that monsters possessed, transformed by the addition of sunlight into a material with altered properties.
I first discovered it on the crude dagger wielded by the sun-infused goblin on Basement 2.
Elder Barkalor had confirmed that this would be the key to conquering the special dungeon layers.
Crafting it would require a blacksmith of considerable skill.
But that was merely a matter of time.

Bzzt—

Just then, my phone rang.

[Caller: Hyeon-jun.]
-The Association President asked me to relay a message to you.

It was Hyeon-jun calling after a long time.

I heard you’ve been busy with rehabilitation exercises lately.
It’s been forever since I’ve seen you too.
Your condition keeps improving as you keep visiting our place.
I think dungeon raids might become possible for you soon.

This was good news.
Had it progressed that far already?
Elder Barkalor had been treating the Association President on my behalf while I was occupied with other matters.
Though it was a shame to waste the Darkness stat that would come from it.
Considering the time remaining before we could tackle the special dungeon layer.
It was more advantageous to clear at least one more basement floor.

‘The Association President was said to be an incredible hunter, after all.’

Korea’s number one hunter before Ahn Jae-jun’s era.

‘During that chaotic time, he supposedly prevented Tower Breaks several times.’

Videos from back then still circulated on Hunter Net.
The Association remained standing despite his deteriorating health making raids impossible and despite making enemies of the guilds holding real power—all thanks to the achievements and public opinion he’d built up back then. Of course, that was only in the early days after the Tower appeared.
But setting that aside, he was undoubtedly a strong hunter.
Regardless of that, it was clear that he was a strong hunter.

“I wonder if I’ve just created an unnecessary rival.”

As I grew stronger, I’d somehow adopted the same mindset as the guilds.
As I grew stronger, before I knew it, I had come to share the same way of thinking as the guilds.

I am different from Ahn Jae-jun.

Crushing threats before they bloom.
Here I was, once a victim of such thinking, now following the ways of the strong.
I once fell victim to that way of thinking, and now I’m trying to follow the ways of the strong.

“Let’s get a grip on ourselves.”

I have no desire to rule over everyone.
My only goal is to protect my home and the family that will live within it.
And to possess the strength to do so.
That was all.

‘Of course, I would never forgive anyone who laid a hand on my family.’

Even if such a decision meant turning my own countrymen into enemies.
Even if it meant waging war against the powerful of foreign lands.

‘Well, such a thing won’t happen anytime soon anyway.’

I had never revealed information about the Underground to anyone.
Not even to Hyeon-jun, who had helped me during my most difficult period.
The Association President and Gu Jang-hun had met with the residents, but that was all.
They would simply regard them as foreign hunters with some connection to me.
Even if they sensed something amiss, without knowledge of the Temple’s existence, they could never approach the truth.

‘Unless they possessed a mind as brilliant as Elder Barkalor’s.’

In any case.
If Hyeon-jun had sent me an official contact at this timing.

-We’ve rescued the craftsmen.
-Mm, though apparently not all of them will be cooperative…
-Anyway, we’ll do our best to persuade them on our end, so don’t worry too much.

As expected, the only news was about rescuing the craftsmen.

“Not all cooperative, huh…”

It wasn’t particularly surprising, given what I’d heard from that man Park Jin-woo of the Sage Guild.

‘If they knew another source of fresh material had appeared, they’d be clutching their chests in despair.’

Assuming the Underground Layer also had 100 floors as its limit, just like the Surface Layer.
There were still over 90 floors remaining.
Dozens of monster species alone would be producing new material.

‘It’s not just meat.’

The deeper I go—not higher, but lower into the basement layers—the better the rewards should become.

‘Don’t worry about losing your job.’

With rewards that good, I’ll monopolize them all.
I tucked my phone away.
There was no point in choosing right now.
Only one floor remained until the next objective.
First, I’d confirm which residents appeared there.
Then I could gather the necessary personnel.

‘Hmm. But what if they all refuse?’

The Association said they’d handle it themselves.
But I felt uneasy about sitting idle and doing nothing.

‘I’ll figure it out later.’

I could ask Elder Barkalor when the time came.
If a blacksmith or alchemist appeared among the residents, I’d ask them.
They’d be craftsmen themselves, so they’d know how to properly treat artisans.

“Phew. You’ve worked hard, my lord!”

Yahwi approached, brushing dust from his hands after moving the sunstones to one side of the Temple.

“Shall we head up now?”

The Underground Layer could be conquered once every 24 hours, and we’d just finished.
He seemed to think there was no reason to remain underground for the rest of the day.
But.

“No.”
“Pardon? Oh, no. Then…”

I smiled wordlessly at Yahwi.
Just as I had once before.

“No way. Not again!”
“Yep. Overtime it is.”
“Damn—!”
“Entering Basement 10F!”

Ding!
【You have used 1 Dungeon Clear Time Reset Ticket.】
-Remaining: 1.
【Entering Basement 10F.】

* * *

Whoosh!

I entered Basement 10F.
The scenery transformed in an instant.
The Surface Layer’s 10th Floor had an undead cemetery theme.
Since the Underground Layer and Surface Layer shared the same monsters and themes aside from difficulty,
this time would be no different—

“Who’s there?”

A voice suddenly pierced the silence.

“…!”

Something I hadn’t anticipated.
Though startled, my body moved with practiced ease into combat stance.

Shing—!

I drew my jet-black longsword.

Ding!
【Activating skill: Black Armor.】

Clang!

I activated Black Armor, manifesting a suit of obsidian plating.
In a single moment, I achieved an armament capable of hunting dragons even in an unarmed state.
That was all the time I needed.

Crack!

I pointed my blade toward the source of the sound.

Clang!

A sword strike came hurtling back at me immediately.
I channeled my reaction speed to deflect the assault.
My opponent used the recoil to create distance between us.

Whoosh.

It was not a skeletal soldier—it was a person.
A person wielding a sword, clad in armor.

‘…The sun?’

Armor bearing the emblem of the sun, no less.
A memory surfaced in my mind.
It was from when I first obtained the basement key from the Treasure Chest on the 4th Floor.
When I completed my first objective.

Eliminate the Shadow of the Sun Knight.

‘The Solar Knight.’

This was somewhat different from what I’d seen in shadow form.
Now that I beheld it in reality, it was hardly a medieval European knight.
Rather, this was—

“…Egyptian?”

Armor designed to withstand the scorching sun of the desert and the harsh winds of sand.
A curved blade resembling a scimitar far more than a longsword.
Even someone like me, unremarkable in historical knowledge, could recognize the distinctly Egyptian aesthetic.

“….”

We stood facing each other in silence, swords drawn.
How much time had passed?
My opponent slowly parted their lips.

“That drab color. The Darkness wrapped around your body. You… you follow the night.”
“Drab? Come on, Black. You’re practically naked and you’re criticizing my fashion sense?”
“….”

Whoooosh—

A sandstorm swept through, obscuring my vision.
Now that I thought about it.
This wasn’t a cemetery.
I was in the middle of a desert.
How strange.
Until now, the Underground Layers and Surface Layers I’d conquered resembled each other with only slight differences.
But the 10th Floor was different.
There were living people here, not undead.
And I’d landed in the middle of a desert, not a cemetery.

‘Ah, perhaps…’

A possibility flickered in my mind.
But the Solar Knight cut off my train of thought.

“Ever since we were trapped in that dark underground prison beyond her reach, we have burned with rage. We waited and waited for you to come.”

He glanced briefly toward the sky.

【Nix’s Authority, Solar Eclipse, is now active.】

“And now, the apostle of our enemy has walked right into our grasp.”

Shhhhk—

His blade moved in a smooth, graceful arc.

“Haha.”

A familiar movement.
It was swordplay I had already crossed blades with before—not obscured by shadows.

“The Underground Dungeon, is it.”

I adjusted my grip on the jet-black longsword.
Recalling the entity I called “that one” when witnessing the eclipse.
On nights when darkness reigns, some call them the apostle of vengeance.

“I don’t understand why you describe the Dungeon of the Tower that way.”

Whoosh!

I swung the longsword in a wide arc, its tip aimed directly at him.

“If you’re trapped in a dungeon, that makes you a prisoner, doesn’t it? Whatever you are, you and your ‘that one’ must have wronged my god.”
“You wretched fool…! Blasphemy! How dare you insult the Sun that illuminates all things!”

Grrgh!

He gnashed his teeth and stamped the ground.

Splash!
Sand scattered violently.
He was clearly enraged by my mockery of the Sun he revered.
And I was no different in my fury.
Even though I had never once met Nix.
Even though I had no religion and was Korean, making this deity feel distant to me.
Still, she was the benefactor who granted me and my precious family an extra life.

“Raaaaaaagh!”

Clang!

He brought his sword down in a vertical slash.
Was he excited?
I didn’t even need to meet his blade.
Simply stepping aside by one pace was enough to evade the trajectory of his sword strike.

【Nix’s Blessing is now active.】

It was thanks to my agility stat increased by 500%.

“Ha! Are you trying to suppress me with your divine authority, Apostle? Very well, let’s see what you can do! I am the proud Solar Knight’s blade!”

Whoosh!

The sword that had clearly missed suddenly changed direction sharply, thrusting toward my flank.

“…!”

Clang!

My high-grade Black Armor defended against his thrust.

Screech.

“…Huh.”

The slash was a feint.
So the thrust was his true target from the beginning.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve fought someone who wields a sword.’

In that moment, I recalled when I first came to the Underground.
The vow I made while defeating the Shadow of the Sun Knight.
When we meet again, I will stand above him with the sword as well.

“…”

Yes, I had declared it just like that.

“Why are you hesitating? Are you afraid? Trembling in the shadow I cast? Come at me!”

As I was pushed back, he flourished his sword toward me.

“The sun never sets.”
“Hahaha!”

I let out a hollow laugh.
Was it the exhilaration of combat, or his provocation?
Or perhaps the insult toward Nix?

‘Time is on my side anyway.’

I found myself wanting to approach this battle with greater seriousness.

“I’ll release Nix’s Blessing and the Black Armor.”

Ding!
【Nix’s Blessing is being released.】
【Your stats are returning to normal.】
【The Black Armor does not wish to be released.】
【The Black Armor is resisting.】
【The Black Armor—】

“I can’t rely only on you. This is training for a situation that will inevitably come.”

…

【The Black Armor is released.】

The Black Armor released reluctantly after a moment.

Whoosh—.

Now there was no darkness surrounding me.
My weakened aura instead caught the attention of the Solar Knight, whose eyes widened.
The Solar Knight’s eyes widened.
Then he stopped his provocation and took on a serious expression.

“A true warrior.”

Clang—!

We threw ourselves at each other.
We had confirmed each other’s resolve.
There was no need for further words between us.
We exchanged blows only a few times.
The result was clear.
Victory and defeat, life and death—the line was drawn.

Thud.

The Antagonist’s head rolled across the ground.
Since he lay face-down in death, the sun emblazoned on his armor was hidden from view.
Thus the sun had set.
Yet the sky remained shrouded in night.
I drew ragged breaths, wiping away the blood that had splattered across my cheek.

“Return to the Temple.”

Perhaps I had wanted to prove something to Nix.
That her eye in choosing me as her apostle was sound.

Ding!
【You have cleared Basement 10F of the Tower.】
【You may now challenge the Third Trial.】

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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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