I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 33

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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 33

Thus, the third task came to an end.

‘What I obtained: 1,000 Moonlight Stones, a Black Dragon’s Fang Necklace, an Inventory, and the right to choose an Artifact-grade Resident.’

Just listing them out, the harvest was considerable.
Beyond the selection rights and Moonlight Stones I’d originally targeted, I’d gained two additional items.

‘Moreover, one of them is an item related to Darkness.’

I felt it after fighting the Solar Knight on Dungeon 10th Floor.

‘Surely, they were serving a god.’

The heretical cult leader from the second task who wielded ‘Radiance’, the Solar Knight on Dungeon 10th Floor, the mages of the White Tower from the third task, and Ahn Jae-jun.

‘All my enemies are connected to the sun, light, and radiance.’

It was clear that I would face more battles against those related to light in the future.
Whether through tasks, dungeon floors, or threats from the outside world.

‘This Black Dragon’s Fang Necklace will prove invaluable in such encounters.’

After all, it increased light attribute resistance by a full 100%.

【Black Armor pats the Black Dragon’s shoulder repeatedly, praising its good work.】
【The Black Dragon trembles and nods its head repeatedly.】

‘….’

Now it had become quite the amusing sight.
Had Black Armor not been there, I might have been devoured by that creature as a penalty and never escaped the task.

‘No, I wouldn’t have even been able to bring it out of the task in the first place.’

In any case, it was proving to be quite useful.
Well, this was all thanks to Elder Barkalor’s advice to create a means of defense.

“…It feels like it’s been a long time since I returned.”

In a corner of the Temple, Elder Barkalor surveyed his surroundings with an enigmatic gaze.

-It’s truly a shame that the young body has disappeared.

When the stage of the third task vanished into Darkness.
The Elder’s voice from that moment remained vivid in my memory.
He had said he was satisfied to have returned, even briefly, to his younger days.

‘Still, I have to admit—I’m most comfortable with Elder Barkalor in his original form.’

That young nobleman’s gaze, the one that had been fixed on me, was truly breathtaking.

“Thanks to your great benevolence, I’ve had a truly wonderful experience. My gratitude knows no bounds.”

Elder Barkalor rubbed his hands together and bowed deeply.
Yes, this was it.
Relic-grade flattery born from overwhelming experience.
Just hearing it made the corners of my mouth twitch upward uncontrollably.

“…Sigh.”

Meanwhile, there was one resident in the Temple with a darkened expression.

“Again, only Rare-grade for me.”

It was Yahwi, who had been sighing so deeply the ground seemed to crack ever since learning of the ‘Relic-grade Resident Selection Right’ received as a reward.
Understanding his feelings was easy when recalling how Relic-grade Barkalor treated him.
Especially since he had been far stronger in his previous life.
The weaker he became, the more it must sting.

‘The Fourth Technique is truly—’

Just thinking about it made my chest swell with emotion.
A technique that sliced through everyone who entered the domain at speeds too fast to even follow with the eye.
I found myself naturally curious about Yahwi’s ultimate technique, his final secret art.

‘I can’t keep Yahwi, the founding contributor—no, the founding contributor of the Temple—at Rare-grade forever.’

“Subspace. Moonlight Stones.”

Ding!
【Black Armor opens the inventory.】

Whirrr—.

At my command, the air tore open.
One thousand Moonlight Stones cascaded from within, spilling across the floor.

Crash—.

‘Convenient every time I see it.’

Glancing to the side, Elder Barkalor had both thumbs raised in approval.
He marveled at how quickly I’d mastered its use—truly the mark of a great master, he said.
In any case, I now had a considerable stockpile of Moonlight Stones.
The third task had demanded much of me.
It was time I rewarded him generously.

‘He’ll be absolutely thrilled.’

Already picturing his delight, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh, even smiling! You’re too much, my lord! Hehehehe.”

Maybe I shouldn’t give it to him after all.

* * *

Moments later, I reviewed the list that Association President Yun Tae-sik had provided.
I had one resident selection token.
I needed two master craftsmen: a blacksmith and an alchemist.
This meant one of them would have to come from the Association’s wanted list.

“Let’s see. Who would be the best choice…”

The list contained the names of many skilled craftsmen.

‘There are far too many.’

Identifying each person individually was itself a tedious task.
Fortunately, the Association President had thoughtfully organized them by affiliated guild and recent achievements, making verification straightforward.
At the end came those they recommended based on that data.

‘They certainly know how to do their work.’

Of course, I had no intention of blindly trusting their word alone.
There was a risk that the existence of the Basement might be exposed.
Even careful selection felt insufficient.

“In times like these, Hunter Net is the answer.”

[Hunter Net.]

I scrolled through the list and entered the names of those who caught my interest into the search bar.

[Filter out Choi Da-hyeon. I gave him a job last time, and it took six months just to get a simple repair done.]
[Han Ba-reum didn’t live up to his name. I just commissioned a simple potion, but he kept sighing heavily and seemed incredibly anxious.]

‘This one lacks skill, that one can’t be trusted.’

Time was limited, and conducting interviews each time was difficult, so this was the best approach available.
But I couldn’t judge based on a single person’s opinion.
I selected candidates using the most diverse criteria possible.

“There’s someone from the Sage Guild too. I’ll exclude them.”

Park Jin-woo, the man the Association President had recommended.
I disliked how he spoke informally on first meeting, but more than that, he was unqualified.
No matter how skilled, I couldn’t collaborate with someone who harbored such hostility toward me.

“Hmm?”

I discovered a name in the Sage Guild roster.

[Jeong Min-hee.]

It wasn’t an unusual name.
But what caught my attention was that she was skilled enough for the Association President to recommend her.

‘…Should I search for her?’

“Search for Jeong Min-hee.”

[Search results for Jeong Min-hee.]

“Oh?”

There were quite a lot of results.
Until now, I’d only gotten around ten reviews at most, but Jeong Min-hee was an exception.

[Ah~~ she’s good.]
[Review after receiving item attribute enchantment from Alchemist Jeong Min-hee. 5 stars.]
[Satisfied customer: Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof!]

‘I see.’

The general consensus was dominated by praise for her skills.
Moreover, while searching for information about Jeong Min-hee, I discovered something new.
The Sage Guild was apparently quite skilled in the field of alchemy.

‘Then why the hell did she pull that stunt?’

A moment of doubt crossed my mind, but I shook my head and dismissed it.
After all, every company eventually produces one incompetent fool after a few generations.
A spoiled heir, something like that.

[Rumor has it that Alchemist Jeong Min-hee is leaving the Sage Guild?]
-Huh? Why?
-I work at the Blacksmith Guild ‘Anvil’. This time Kang Ha-jin shut down all his personal workshops, blacksmiths, and recruitment across the guild. We got a business proposal too.
-For real?
-People in the know think our Anvil Guild will probably take it. Kang Ha-jin is already in the 10th floor range now. It’s about time he needs weapons. Same with this special dungeon layer.
-That guy sure talks a lot of bullshit. So why is Jeong Min-hee leaving the Sage Guild?
-Apparently he got a reality check? The Sage Guild rejected the half-baked business proposal that Hunter Kang Ha-jin suggested out of pride. Was it Park Jin-woo? He apparently clashed with Kang Ha-jin one-on-one at the Association and got crushed. Seems related to that. Don’t know the details though~.
-Wow;; The Sage Guild sure earned their name. They really lived up to it.

The Blacksmith Guild’s Anvil was certainly on Yun Tae-sik’s recommendation list.
But I haven’t decided anything yet.
I might not choose either the Blacksmith or Alchemy guild at all.

‘By the way, she’s withdrawing from the Sage Guild.’

Hmm, my personal favor for her is rising.
No.
I can’t make a decision based on something this personal.

[Jeong Min-hee, the alchemist. Who is she?
An alchemist who only conducts research in her workshop, yet possesses a beauty that puts most idols to shame—a member of the Sage Guild…
…Moreover, her skills are exceptional, earning her a place in the Top 10 of the Support category in ‘Hunter Magazine,’ the hunter industry publication.
…Her recent achievement includes successful creation of holy power items in response to the Taesan-bal Special Dungeon Layer. Expert consensus overwhelmingly identifies her as a core talent of the Sage Guild project.
Above all, her appearance is truly outstanding.]
-Is half the conversation just about her looks?
-She’s pretty though, let’s have a drink.
-That’s true.
-But her skills are insane; I cleared the 19th floor that I couldn’t break for a year after taking Jeong Min-hee’s elixir. I’m level 20 now. I love her.

“…!”

My eyes snapped open.
Naturally, it wasn’t because of her appearance.

‘A core talent of the Sage Guild project?’

-Pfft! Us? You and us!? We’re already in the process of creating items that raise holy power!

That’s what Park Jin-woo had said in the Association training grounds.

“…Hmm.”

Jeong Min-hee.
The more I learn about her, the more drawn to her I become.

‘Then it’s time for final verification.’

I pressed the button to write a post on Hunter Net.
The secret to obtaining quality information from a community like Hunter Net was simple.

[Everyone, isn’t Han Ba-reum really the best among production-type hunters?]

It was provocation.
Indiscriminate provocation directed at an unspecified multitude.

-?
-?
-What the hell is Han Ba-reum? Never heard of them.
-Are you perhaps level 1?
-Ba-reum, take the post down.
-Is Ba-reum your father?
-What about Jeong Min-hee?
-Moru is the best though.
-Ugh, keep seeing that guy. Might just smash him with a hammer.

“Hmm, quite satisfactory.”

Responses began pouring in like bamboo shoots after rain.
If I left it alone for a while, I’d be able to extract quality information born from their anger.

“As expected of my lord. This old one never would have conceived of such a wise method!”
“I agree with what the elder says. My liege is truly the most cunning in all the world.”
“Hey, that’s practically a curse.”

I made the decision to postpone Yahwi’s promotion by another day and drew my sword.

“When there’s time, training is always best.”

The Fourth Form.
I had already grasped its principles through observation.
All that remained was practice, practice, and more practice until I mastered it.

“Let’s go to the Swordsmanship Hall.”

* * *

Three hours had passed since I finished my training.

Huff, huff.

As I wiped away the sweat streaming down my face, Yahwi brought me water.

“Here, my lord! Please have some!”

Somehow, his demeanor was far more disciplined than before.

“Ah, thanks, Yahwi.”

Gulp, gulp.

As the cool water rushed down my throat, I felt myself coming back to life.

“W-well then, I’ll clean everything up! Please go inside and rest!”
“Clean up? Ah.”

As I wiped the water from my lips with my sleeve, I finally took in the state of the surroundings.
The Swordsmanship Hall, which had been pristine since only Yahwi used it, was now utterly devastated.

The training straw dummies had been scattered into the air, the word “obliterated” being the most fitting description.
Across the floor, long gouges and cracks from my sword strikes were visible everywhere.
The aftermath of the Fourth Form.
Still, at this level—
That’s when part of the roof collapsed.

Crack!

Thud.

As if on cue.
I glanced at Yahwi’s expression.
Even if he was a Temple resident, this place was essentially his home.

“…I’m sorry. Since this is my first time, I haven’t quite gotten the hang of it yet.”
“No, my lord. You must surely be a genius!”

Meanwhile, Yahwi moved the rocks on the ground with an expression brimming with sincerity.

“To recreate 10% of the Feast of Eternal Night on your first attempt!”
“Hmm, about 10%, then.”

Yahwi’s level felt even more impossibly distant.
However, Yahwi’s opinion differed.
He shook his head vigorously.

“No, my lord. You need to recognize yourself as a genius a bit more.”

He cast a gaze of reverence toward me.
Sometimes it was hard to tell whether it was an act or genuine.
Though one tier below Elder Barkalor, his flattery was also world-class.

“Well, isn’t it all because our master taught us well?”
“Hehe. Thank you for saying so.”

I turned my shoulders as I watched the pleased Yahwi.
I wasn’t sure why I felt warmer, but I should accelerate his promotion.
Not because of his flattery, but because the Fourth Form required seeing more demonstrations of the original.

‘That feeling just isn’t coming out.’

The Sword Master invites me at night.
With my current physical level and draw speed, I can’t achieve the velocity needed to generate a black dome.
Still, if 10% on the first attempt is considered good.
I shouldn’t rush and should take it slowly.
I helped Yahwi organize a bit before heading outside.
Partly because he insisted on doing it himself.

[Look at that guy who was asking who the top production-type was earlier.]

The fishing line I’d cast earlier got a bite.
So, let’s see who took the bait.

—————
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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