I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 28

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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 28

“You called for me, Master?”

It was Elder Barkalor.
Despite the toll of his long duties, there wasn’t a single thread out of place in his demeanor or appearance.
The sharp gleam in his eyes behind his polished glasses remained equally unwavering.

“If you require a status report, first regarding Association President Yun Tae-sik—his treatment is nearly complete.”
“Ah, I’ve already heard about that.”
“I see. As for the Moonlight Stones, we’ve discovered a vein in the Underground Temple. With proper tools and labor, it appears we can secure our own supply without needing to conquer the Underground Layers.”
“Really? Seriously?”

The surprised voice wasn’t mine.
It was Yahwi beside me.
He’s a resident just like me—how could he not know something this important?
And he seemed so unbothered about it too.

“….”

I found myself staring at him for a moment.
Yahwi flinched and took a step back.

“Ah, well. Everyone has their own strengths, you know? Hehe.”

An impulse surged through me to ask this fumbling Yahwi which of his skills—swordsmanship, cooking, or butchering—was actually his specialty.

‘No, don’t do that.’

Poor Yahwi.
He’s trying his best.
And it’s probably because he still hasn’t shed that ‘Sealed’ tag.

【Current Moonlight Stones Possessed: 800.】

‘Hmm.’

I’ve accumulated quite a bit now.

‘When I cleared the second task, I obtained five hundred Moonstone Shards.’

If I clear this third task, I’ll receive even more Moonstone Shards than that.
According to Elder Barkalor’s report, this Underground Temple also contains Moonstone Shard veins.
If I can recruit residents related to that afterward, I’ll be able to secure far more Moonstone Shards.

‘It’s time to stop hoarding resources from my founding members.’

It had been weighing on my mind anyway.
Especially since he wanted to become an Artifact-grade so badly.
Of course, I wasn’t judging based on sentiment alone.

Click.

I grasped the handle of my jet-black longsword.
I hadn’t shown it to Yahwi, but I felt it while fighting the Solar Knight on Dungeon 10th Floor.
Yahwi’s swordsmanship was far more exceptional than I’d anticipated, and I wanted to learn his other techniques as soon as possible.

‘I made a promise too.’

“…And finally, regarding the crafting of sacred power items for conquering the Special Dungeon Layer.”
“That’s exactly why I called you here, Elder.”
“As expected, Master. You’re truly remarkable. Not long after awakening the Underground Temple, and you’ve already conquered ten floors both above and below.”

Elder Barkalor bowed deeply, expressing his admiration.

“Thank you.”
“It’s no flattery. Even my intellect could never have predicted such a pace.”

His expression seemed quite sincere.

“Heh, I suppose I should look into Elder Barkalor’s evolution rights soon.”
“Hehehehe. This old man is truly honored.”

Barkalor’s eyes split wickedly, as if seizing the moment.
So much for sincerity.
Even his flattery is Artifact-grade.

“Huh!? Master!”

Yahwi’s eyes widened, unable to discern my jest.

“Of course it’s Yahwi first.”
“Ah! Ahahaha! No, no! How could I impose a choice upon my lord….”
“Alright then, Elder.”
“My lord, would it be permissible to impose upon you just once?”

The atmosphere loosened further with the banter.

“So, Elder.”

Deciding that was enough, I opened my mouth with a serious expression.

“Tell me. About your past life. And. About your death.”
“….”

I had deliberated on this extensively.
Whether I should bring Elder Barkalor to the third trial, or not.

‘During the second trial, I didn’t understand the mechanics.’

I had decided to bring Yahwi, my greatest asset, merely to reduce the difficulty.
But entering the second trial that way had staged Yahwi’s death, and
I managed to barely clear it by discovering the trial’s loopholes within that scenario.

‘But the third trial is different.’

I could excuse my ignorance then.
Now was different.

‘If I bring Barkalor, the trial will reconstruct his death—the memory of being saved by Nix.’
That’s why I wanted to ask Elder Barkalor beforehand so we could clear the trial with ease.
There was no greater power than information.

‘If that happens, this third trial will be a breeze.’

Elder Barkalor let out a long sigh upon hearing my reasoning.
Barkalor made a clicking sound as he removed his glasses.

“This will be quite a long story.”

With that, he pulled out a lens cloth from his pocket.
His eyes, which rarely grew weary despite arduous duties.
Were now tinged with exhaustion and regret.
An emotion similar yet different from Yahwi’s.

Click.

At last, his thoughts seemed fully organized. He put his glasses back on.
And he looked at me with eyes filled with firm resolve.

“Would you care for some coffee?”

….

Three hours had passed before all preparations were complete.
Three hours is quite a long time.
Though it would hardly be enough to fully understand a person.
At least I had heard enough about what he had endured in the past.

“Well then, is everyone ready?”

Thump, thump!

I patted the Black Armor to boost morale.
Barkalor adjusted his glasses.

“Yes, Master. Please trust this old man.”
“…Aye! My lord!”

Yahwi blew his nose loudly.
His eyes were red.
Ever since hearing Elder Barkalor’s past, he had been holding back tears.

‘He cries easily, doesn’t he.’

And that wasn’t all.
Throughout the entire story, he had listened with intense focus and reacted dramatically.

So, so you’re saying you were a Demon Lord, old man!? Like a Celestial Demon? No, even if it’s all a misunderstanding, that’s still insane!

…or something like that.

In the end, I was defeated. Ugh, sob. Those cowardly hero parties! Don’t you have any respect for your elders!

…and so on.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed Yahwi’s gaze toward Elder Barkalor softening slightly.
Without stopping there, he even began patting Barkalor’s back repeatedly.
Unable to hold back any longer, the elder finally spoke.

“Listen. This is getting uncomfortable, so drop that look.”
“Heh. You should rely on your senior, yeah? Huh? I might actually be older than you?”
“…Ugh. Receiving pity from you of all people. This is the most unpleasant I’ve felt since arriving at the Temple!”
“What!? You should be grateful that your senior is worried about you!”

I chuckled at their bickering.
It felt good to have this lively atmosphere.

“Well then, let’s get going.”

Ding!
【You are using 1 Clear Time Reset Ticket.】
-Remaining: 0.

I used the last reset ticket I’d been saving.

“I’m challenging Nix’s third task.

Ding!
【Will you challenge Nix’s third task?】
【The Special Dungeon’s third task allows party play.】
【Will you select the members to enter with?】

“These two.”

【’Yahwi’ has been recognized.】
【’Barkalor’ has been recognized.】
【Total members: 3. Confirmed: ‘Kang Ha-jin’, ‘Yahwi’, ‘Barkalor’.】

Okay.
So far, no problems.
It’s identical to before.
Now I just need the Special Dungeon to probe Nix’s memories.

【The Special Dungeon probes Nix’s memories.】
【The task related to ‘Yahwi’ has already been resolved.】
【Searching for Nix’s memories related to the target, ‘Barkalor’.】

Yes, like this.
Now if I resonate with this memory….

Ding!
【Error occurred.】

“What?”

My jaw dropped at the status window that appeared.
Wait, this is outside my calculations.
How could such a thing happen?
No.
In the first place, it was only Yahwi’s memory that resonated with Nix’s memories.

‘Was it arrogance to think I understood all the tasks from just one piece of data…!’

A misjudgment.
I’ll need to start over from the planning stage.
It’s not too late even now.
I need to cancel this immediately—.
But.

Ding!
【Detected the memory of the target, ‘Barkalor’.】
【The Special Dungeon responds to this.】

Whether it was the status window, or perhaps the Temple, or perhaps Nix herself—none of them tolerated this shortcut.
Once the Special Dungeon began its manifestation, independent of my will, it continued generating without pause.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

The ground near the Temple trembled violently.
My body, along with Yahwi and Barkalor, was engulfed in darkness.

“…Master. Do not panic.”

Barkalor held his glasses in place with his finger to keep them from flying off.
His eyes remained calm and sharp as ever.

“I have told you everything I experienced. There must be a hint hidden within it.”

Whoosh—!

After that, all of our bodies plunged into the darkness below and vanished.
My vision was instantly consumed by shadow.

“I shall see you there.”
“My lord! I shall see you there as well!”

【Prepare yourself for the third trial.】

‘…Alright.’

Elder Barkalor was right.
I won’t panic.
I entered the second trial unprepared as well.
This time, I have Yahwi with me.
I can do this.

‘This time, I cannot rely on Nix’s power.’

That’s all there is to it.
A trial of this magnitude—I can overcome it without question.

Ding!
【Special Dungeon Trial Three commences: “The Butler Called the Demon Lord.”】

* * *

Boom!

“This is an insult to our Sage Guild!”

Sage Guild Meeting Room.
A middle-aged man sitting behind the nameplate reading “Guild Master Park Min-hu” had his face flushed red with fury.
Then, Jeong Min-hee, an alchemist working in the Hunter Item Crafting Division, let out a sigh.

‘It’s an insult to your son, really.’

Dad! Dad! I’m telling you, let me join the Special Dungeon Layer conquest team! We’re the Sage Guild! We have money! Can’t you do this one thing?

Though not publicly acknowledged, everyone knew as common knowledge that Park Jin-woo was Park Min-hu’s son, and that he had caused a scene in the Guild Master’s Office one day.
Thus, the agenda that brought them together today stemmed from none other than an official document from the Association.

[Collaboration Request for Holy Power Item Crafting Project in Preparation for Taesan-bal Special Dungeon Layer.]
[Responsible Party: Kang Ha-jin.]

It was questionable why the responsible party in the official document from the Association was Kang Ha-jin, an individual hunter.
Full research funding support and constant provision of undisclosed materials.
Patent transfer of the relevant technology upon successful new material processing.
Even approximately 20% equity share of subsequent sales revenue.
The conditions were so extraordinary that it hardly seemed concerning.
Jeong Min-hee pressed her temples with her fingers repeatedly.
The Sage Guild’s own research into holy power items was already facing setbacks.
What good was being the youngest A-rank alchemist?
Her superiors were stubborn old-timers who either dismissed her or looked down on her for being a woman.
Above all else.

‘You can’t create anything without a budget.’

The Sage Guild was no longer an alchemy guild—it had become an entertainment guild.
Just recently, they had made subtle requests for her, a skilled technician, to attend a meeting with Taesan.

‘I got scolded for refusing.’

She gazed at Park Min-hu, whose hair had turned red.
There was a time when he still commanded some respect.
That was back when Park Min-hu’s hairline hadn’t receded.
But after earning substantial sums of money a few times, Park Min-hu lost his original passion.
Money became more important than research.
He had lost his fervor for new materials and techniques entirely.

‘An undisclosed new material, you say. If he kicks away the opportunity to process it out of pride, then he can no longer call himself an alchemist.’

Of course, the Sage Guild had produced something worthy of being called an achievement.
A ring that increases Holy Power by +1.
…merely one.

‘Well, of course that’s impressive.’

There had never been an item that increased Holy Power before.
But it wasn’t enough.
This was a dungeon that even Taesan had failed.
If a mere increase of one Holy Power would guarantee success?
Then failure wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Still, as long as success was possible, Jeong Min-hee couldn’t easily give up.
But receiving such an extraordinary official notice had drained her resolve.

‘Pass up this opportunity?’

Just to preserve the face of a guild member’s son?

‘If this talk of a new material is really true.’

She swallowed hard.
Could I really process it?
The mere thought made her heart tremble.
As her thoughts reached that point, she grasped the resignation letter envelope she always carried with her.
Of course, as someone in this industry, Jeong Min-hee didn’t view Kang Ha-jin favorably either.
But.

‘Perhaps it’s time I left the Sage Guild.’

She was still an alchemist.

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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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