I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 4

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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 4

Ding!
【You have entered Underground 2nd Floor.】
【Clear Condition: Defeat 30 Cave Goblins infused with sunlight.】

“This place…”
“You must be familiar with it. It has the same structure as the 2nd Floor of the Surface Tower.”

Yahwi was right.
Floors 1 to 4 of the Surface Tower all had a cave theme.
Only the monsters that appeared were different—it was the same cave I had cleared so many tedious times before.

‘In fact, the 2nd Floor’s clear condition was also defeating cave goblins.’

The only difference was.
‘Infused with sunlight,’ perhaps.

That’s what was written in the clear condition status window.
Infused with sunlight, they said.
My curiosity was piqued, but it was soon answered.

“Master. They’re coming.”
“I see them too.”

From the edge of my vision.
They were emerging from the goblin settlement.

“Kiirik?”
“Kekeke! Humans!”

Their height was about half that of an adult man.
Their appearance was grotesque.
Yet their bodies glowed with a soft luminescence, true to their name.

Ding!
【You have been exposed to faint sunlight.】
【The special stat, Darkness, attempts to resist.】
【Partial resistance successful. Current value: 1】
【Stats will not decrease.】
【Nix’s Blessing deactivates.】

‘Damn it.’

All the strength drained from my body.
The inflated stats had reverted to my original Level 4 stats.

‘Well, at least there’s that.’

The buff had been dispelled by the Darkness stat’s effect, but my abilities remained undiminished.

The approach would differ greatly from my previous strategy of relying on stat advantages.
Still, with a two-level difference, I wouldn’t lose.

“Master, I am behind you. Feel free to unleash yourself without restraint.”

Right.
Yahwi was with me.
If things went wrong or danger arose, Yahwi would step forward.

“Hoo.”

I took a deep breath.
With his reassuring presence at my back, confidence surged within me.
No matter how enhanced, a goblin is still a goblin.
If I keep my wits about me, it’s entirely possible.

Whoosh!

“I’m counting on you to watch my back, Yahwi.”

The fact that The Tower has a Dungeon beneath it.
The fact that I can descend floor by floor and conquer it just like the Surface Tower.
I don’t even understand why the monsters down here possess characteristics imbued with sunlight.
Perhaps I’ll learn the answer someday as I continue conquering.
But right now, none of that matters.

“I’ll trust only you.”
“M-My lord…!”

Yahwi nodded with a grave expression.
He promised not to intervene unless I fell into direct danger, and stepped back from the Settlement.

“I wish you fortune, my lord!”
“Very well.”

Clang.

I leveled my sword at the goblin horde.
They cackled in response.

“Keke. Stupid human. We are many. You come alone.”

Whoosh!

Then, wearing the expression of a human hunter, they drew out crude daggers.

“Stupid human. Today you become our meal.”

The one who appeared to be the leader of the pack flicked his dagger.
The remaining goblins surrounded me in a circle.
Small in stature, but monsters nonetheless.
Though their appearance was quite menacing, I did not retreat.

‘Sunlight.’

I had sworn never to tremble before it again.
Instead, I leveled my sword at the leader who had given the command.

“Why are you hesitating, you lot? Got cold feet with all those numbers backing you up?”
“Krik…!”

The provocation worked. The creature’s already hideous face twisted into an even more grotesque grimace.

“You dare tremble with that head of yours? Listen here. Don’t pretend to be clever with a brain that can’t even speak properly. Just come at me.”
“Kaaak! Kill it!”

Finally, they all rushed at me in unison.

“Exhale.”

I maintained my composure and gently closed my eyes.
Back when I first entered the 2nd Floor.
Recalling Yahwi’s teachings before arriving at the Settlement.

– I’m not sure if you’ll be able to replicate it immediately, but I’ll teach you the fundamentals of the Yahwi School. The First Form.

Whoosh.

I felt the sword’s movement and closed my eyes.

– The sword principle of the First Form is…

“Yahwi School.”

– Just as all changes have a beginning, so too does the first thread of darkness when night arrives. Thus, its name is…

“First Form.”

Crunch.

After tensing the muscles necessary for a single strike, I snapped my eyes open.
That was the reason I maintained my composure.
Fear would only waste strength on unnecessary muscles.

“Kieeeek!”
“Kaaack! Die!”

Even so, a goblin steadily approaching came into view directly before me.
A crude dagger with all its teeth missing was right in front of my nose.
Rather than surprise, I grinned wickedly.
It had entered my effective range.
I stepped forward with the rear leg I had been putting my weight into and opened my mouth.

-This is Choya Ilseom.
“Choya Ilseom.”

This was.
My first step toward transformation.
The first thread of darkness announcing the arrival of night.

Shwiiik-!

Darkness descended all around, following the blade’s trajectory.
The sword traced a brilliant arc as it passed through the goblin’s body.

“K-ki, kee?”

Confusion painted across its face, but only for a moment.

Craaack-!

Its entire body was cleanly split left and right.

Thud thud.

Blood and entrails scattered across the ground.

“K-ki, kieek?!”

One stroke, two halves.
My stats hadn’t been inflated by Nix’s blessing.
With swordsmanship alone, I had killed the enhanced goblin in a single strike.
The goblins who had been dismissing me by sheer numbers stirred with unease.
They must have felt it instinctively.
That the corpse lying at my feet could become them.
Goblins seized by fear were nothing but easy prey.

“Is this… Yahwi-style swordsmanship?”

Ding!
【You have defeated a Sunlit Cave Goblin.】
【Swordsmanship Skill, Incomplete Yahwi-style (Rare) has been acquired.】
【Special Stat, Darkness has increased by 1.】

A satisfied smile spread across my lips.
A tingling sensation rippled from my heart to the tips of my toes.
It was far more exhilarating than simply raising stats through points.
As expected.
Yahwi is truly a genius swordsmanship instructor.
Teaching me so clearly like this.

“Hey, Yahwi! Did you see? Thanks!”
“…U-uh. Yes, my lord.”

However, Yahwi seemed to be lost in thought, his mind elsewhere.
He managed to raise a single thumb with a dazed expression.

“Hmm? Well, doesn’t matter.”

I turned my gaze back to the remaining goblins—or rather, my reserves of Darkness stats.
My stare was so blatantly covetous that anyone who saw my eyes would have read the word ‘greed’ written there.

“What are you doing? Come in quickly.”

Moreover, the reward for perfectly cleaving the goblin didn’t end with acquiring Yahwi-style.
The additional Darkness stat of 1 I had obtained earlier.
With that, my Darkness stat had become 2.
And.

Ding!
【Darkness Stat attempts to resist Sunlight.】
【Success. Current value: 2】
【Skill, Nyx’s Blessing activates.】
-Ability increased by 500%.

Kugugugugugu—!

My stats amplified fivefold.
A surge of power flooded through me, filling me with exhilaration.
The goblins surrounding me were no longer a threat.

‘Their attacks can’t wound me anymore.’

The moment that thought crossed my mind.
Even the last shred of tension vanished.

“K-kiek! Human, perhaps we could talk….”

The goblin leader spat out words in desperation.

“Talk? That’s something only the strong get to decide.”

Of course, I had no intention of entertaining such a notion.

“K-kieek!”

Whoosh—!

The human before him wasn’t prey. He was a predator.
The leader, instinctively grasping this truth, began to flee.
I let out a cold laugh at the sight and adjusted my grip on my blade.

“If you won’t come willingly, then I’ll come to you.”

From that point on, it was simple.
It mirrored my conquest of the Surface Floors.
Enemies fleeing in terror, and me cutting them down faster than they could run.

Splash—!

“Choya Ilsseom.”

The only difference was that my sword strikes grew more refined.

Crash!

“Kieeeek!”

The severed edges of the Vein Goblins simply became cleaner.

“Let’s finish this now.”
“Kiieeeeek-!”

Swoosh!

Ding!
【You have defeated a Sunlit Cave Goblin.】
【You have defeated a Sunlit Cave Goblin.】
【You have defeated a Sunlit Cave Goblin.】
【You have defeated a Sunlit Cave Goblin…】

And so, only I and the vacant-eyed Yahwi remained in the Cave.

Ding!
【All enemies have been defeated.】
【You have acquired 1 Darkness Stat.】
-Current count: 3
【You may now exit.】

I had acquired an additional Darkness Stat.

‘So it’s not guaranteed to drop from every enemy.’

Perhaps I was just lucky when I defeated the first Goblin.
Of course, even if I hadn’t obtained it then, it would have simply taken more time—I could have eventually killed them all regardless.

Swipe.

I wiped away the Goblin blood that had splattered across my cheek.
Filthy, and I couldn’t even wash it off.

“Yahwi.”
“….”
“…?”

When I called out to Yahwi somewhat indirectly, he didn’t respond.
Looking back, he stood rigid in that same spot, trembling violently.

“Hey, Yahwi!”
“Huh? Ah, yes! Master!”
“Why can’t you get your head straight?”
“That is… well…”
“Never mind.”

Whoosh—

I hurled the goblin corpse lying on the ground toward Yahwi.

“Butcher the dead bodies. They’re still faintly luminescent even in death. They don’t seem like ordinary materials.”

Thunk!
Squelch.

I sliced open the goblin’s skin.
And collected its rotted teeth.

Ding!
【You have obtained a Sunlight-Infused Cave Goblin’s Decayed Fang.】
-Imbued with a subtle sunlight essence.
【You have obtained a Sunlight-Infused Cave Goblin’s Crude Dagger.】
-Iron infused with sunlight has transformed into Sunstone.
-Stat increase when fighting Dark attribute monsters.
-Enhances Light attribute-related traits.

I hadn’t bothered with butchering in the Surface Tower.
Apart from the mana stones obtained from clearing floors, there was little value in it.

‘But this is different.’

It would be impossible right now, but investigation was necessary.
The visible effects alone seemed to hold considerable value.
If I could extract the Sunstone in its complete form.

‘…Ahn Jae-jun.’

Those with light-related traits or stats would certainly fetch quite a high price.

‘Besides, I can’t leave right now anyway. If I put an item like this out into the world, people would question its origins.’

That would be dangerous.
When I could protect myself later on my own.
I’d dispose of it then.

“I’ve finished, my lord!”
“Well done.”

As expected, he’s fast.
I entrusted the spoils to Yahwi.

“Exit.”

Ding!
【Exiting Underground 2nd Floor.】
【Moving to Basement 1st Floor, Nix’s Temple.】
【Obtained 20 Moonlight Stones as clear rewards.】

I had escaped from Underground 2nd Floor.

* * *

After escaping, I devoted myself to shopping for Moonlight Stones.

【Time until next entry to underground: 19 hours 20 minutes.】

With plenty of time before tackling the next floor, I had started window shopping in earnest.

“Oh, they have this too.”

But as with any shopping mall, time flew by as I browsed the merchandise.
I had placed items that caught my eye into my cart.

【Shopping Cart List.】
【1. Black Land Purification Tree: 100 Moonstone Fragments.】
-When planted, it absorbs the magical energy of nearby Black Land.
【2. Rare Resident Evolution Right: 500 Moonstone Fragments.】

These two items caught my eye.
First, the Black Land Purification Tree.

‘Seoul’s Black Land—land that won’t sell even at rock-bottom prices.’

If I could just purify it?

‘Land values would skyrocket again.’

If I could secure it first, I could accumulate substantial wealth even after paying off the penalty fee.
Of course, like the goblins’ spoils, this felt risky at the current moment.

‘Besides, I don’t have the budget for it anyway.’

Next was the Rare Resident Evolution Right.

‘Even the Yahwi-type that sealed Yahwi taught me was at that level. If the seal were broken?’

My mouth watered at the thought of how powerful Yahwi would become if he reached Unique rank.

“Still, I’m far short on Moonstone Fragments.”

Everything costs a hundred or five hundred.
I only have thirty.
It’s nowhere near enough to supply through floor conquests alone….
Considering I’ve already mastered incomplete Yahwi-type techniques, it’s as if I’ve earned hundreds of Moonstone Fragments already.
But more was never a bad thing.

‘There was definitely a production category among the residents.’

Combat is handled by Yahwi.
For the next resident, I’d prefer someone focused on production or someone with a sharp mind.
When I asked Yahwi, he said the next objective was Underground 5th Floor.

‘I need to get accustomed to the Darkness stat by then.’

Ding!
【Special stat, Darkness, has been unlocked.】

Whoosh!

Not fire, but a black aura bloomed from my fingertips.
The black aura writhed for a moment before moving exactly as I intended.

‘This seems to be my limit for now.’

I asked Yahwi what the Darkness stat was, but he shook his head, saying he didn’t know either.

Perhaps the second quest is the answer.
To accomplish that, I’ll need to conquer the Underground, but I’m not particularly worried.

“If monsters similar to those on the Surface of the Tower appear, the next ones would be Kobolds.”

Wolf-type beasts.
A feast of meat after so long.
There’s still time before I can enter, so I should finish my Yahwi-style training in the meantime.

Swoosh!

Ding!
【Skill, Yahwi-style proficiency has increased.】

—————
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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