I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 40

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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 40

The pendant was crafted by melting pure sunstone and shaping it into a sun form.
I carved a groove and hung it from a leather cord.

【Pendant of the Sun】
-Upon equipping: Holy Power +3 increase.
-Against Undead targets: Attack Power +100%.

No matter how many times I looked at it, an extraordinary item had emerged.
Considering that the Holy Power-increasing item crafted by the Sage Guild was merely +1, this was three times more powerful in comparison.
And that wasn’t all.
On top of that, the attack power against Undead was doubled.
Thinking about how the 10th floor range featured Undead monsters with a graveyard theme, it was highly likely that the special dungeon layer spawned there would also produce Undead.

‘After all, the mark originally belonged to Thanatos, the god who governs death.’

Taesan’s first expedition, which had attempted the conquest before and failed, had strongly insisted that Holy Power items were necessary.

‘This is truly a treasure.’

Even setting aside the special dungeon layer, according to Hunter Net, items for conquering the 10th floor range had the highest demand.
The conquest difficulty suddenly skyrocketed, yet the supply of auxiliary items was virtually non-existent.
And this item appears at that moment?

‘I wonder how high the price will soar.’

When I sold the meat infused with sunlight last time.
Just the fact that stats increased upon first consumption, beyond its taste, earned positive reactions from the masses.
From a long-term perspective, I received thanks from the Association President and hunters, saying it would benefit all of Korea.
Then what about this?
If this series of Holy Power items were released?

‘I’m certain there would be no objections to the Association President’s authority to designate special dungeon layer conquest team members.’

The justification the Association President had mentioned once before would be satisfied with this.

“You did great work, Eltos. Did you see how surprised the boss was?”
“Hmm. Are you satisfied, customer?”

Eltos wiped beneath his nose repeatedly with his finger.
It seemed all the frustration from crafting the item together had dissipated.
So, was I satisfied?
I gazed at them both for a moment, then spread my arms and embraced them.

“Extremely satisfied.”
“Oh.”

Jeong Min-hee appeared momentarily flustered before leaning into the embrace slightly.

“That’s the best bonus! I’ll have to work even harder from now on.”

Actually, to be precise, I couldn’t really say I embraced both of them.
Eltos was so large that rather than embracing him, I merely draped my arm across him.
Though I’m quite tall myself, mind you.
Standing before this fellow makes me feel like a middle schooler.
In any case, Eltos seemed satisfied too, snorting heavily through his nostrils as he savored the contentment.

“I’ll try crafting everything from armor to weapons next time, customer. Well, just in case, don’t get your hopes too high. I hope it turns out well though…”
“Oh come on, Eltos. You’re doing it again. You’ll do great. Anyway, I’ll use some of the processed sunstone I have. I’ll focus on making accessories.”

They work together perfectly.
Yahwi and Elder Barkalor have been together for quite some time, yet they can’t stand each other.
I thought it was a chronic issue among Temple residents stemming from different eras and environments.
It was just a social skills problem between Yahwi and Elder Barkalor.
Well, as long as they treat me well, that’s what matters.
They’ll become close eventually.
They’ve already improved quite a bit from when they first hurled insults at each other.

“Wait, Eltos! Move over a bit! It’s too cramped!”
“Hmm! I moved as far over as I could… Besides, this is my forge to begin with.”
“What? What did you say? I couldn’t hear over the hammer noise. Phew, you really are quite large.”
“…No. I didn’t say anything. But that’s racial discrimination.”

…Hmm.
A misjudgment?
Perhaps this is a chronic problem inherent to Temple residents after all.
Anyway, Jeong Min-hee isn’t a resident—she lacks a separate workspace.
I thought the smithy was large enough, but Eltos is equally vast, making it cramped.

‘I should search the Wol-yeong-seok Shop.’

There might be items for constructing Temple buildings there.
The Wol-yeong-seok Shop has everything, after all.
What good is an alchemist without a workshop?
It’s like a chef without a kitchen.
Anyway, I picked up the pendant, watching the two of them already diving into new work so soon after achieving results.

“Before formal sales, I should test it first.”

I hesitated briefly, wondering if I should try it myself.

Ding!
【Black Armor struggles against the solar energy.】
【Black Dragon’s Consciousness groans in discomfort.】

“I wasn’t keen on it anyway.”

I didn’t equip it.
The compatibility with me isn’t good.
It was made specifically to clear Thanatos’s special dungeon floor.
There’s no way it would be compatible with me, Nix’s apostle.

‘Besides, I’ve already cleared the 10th Floor.’

If I clear the 11th Floor, my level will rise and I won’t be able to enter this special dungeon floor.
I could repeatedly clear the 10th Floor instead, but….

‘There’s someone who needs it more than I do.’

I picked up my phone after a long time.

* * *

Hyeon-jun, a Hunter Association civil servant and a Level 9 D-rank Hunter, put on his shoes with a weary expression.
Another day heading to work.

“I’m heading out.”
“You’re a civil servant, and they’re making you come in on weekends? The Association President is too much.”
“Haha. He’s a good man. You know how it is. Hunter Association civil servants have a rather special position.”
“I know. Have a good day at work.”

His girlfriend rubbed her sleepy eyes in front of the shoe rack as she saw him off.
Unlike him, his girlfriend who worked a regular job only came in on weekdays didn’t need to wake up early, yet she always came to see him off like this.
If he hadn’t rushed her this morning, she would have prepared breakfast for him as well.
She was truly a wonderful woman.
The kind of woman he wanted to hold close and make happy.
After putting on his suit and stepping outside, guilt gnawed at him as he moved away from the house.

‘…Lying all the time is exhausting.’

The claim about heading to work was a lie.
No matter how special the Hunter Association was, they would never call him in on weekends.

“Sigh. Today of all days…”

The real reason he had lied and left the house on a weekend morning was because of The Tower’s conquest.
Since he’d been caught once before and shed tears over it, he was keeping it secret from his girlfriend.

‘Still, thinking about the wedding costs, the dowry, and a house… I need to earn more.’

His girlfriend had said that given their circumstances, such extravagance was ridiculous, that it was burdensome, and that she disliked grand weddings, dowries, and honeymoons alike.
She was always like that.
She had never once made things shabby because of money.
Crunch—

‘That’s why I want to do more for her.’

That was what it meant to be a man.
Of course, safety came first, and knowing his limits well, he never pushed himself to conquer recklessly.

‘I’m not Ha-jin, after all.’

An irregular like Kang Ha-jin was a one-in-a-world phenomenon.
I was merely an ordinary office worker named Hyeon-jun.

‘…I suppose I’ll have to go to the 9th Floor again today.’

My earnings would decrease slightly.
I couldn’t reach the cursed 10th Floor today either.
But considering my girlfriend, whom I plan to marry, this was the right choice.
For me, it wasn’t easy to face the Undead—their attacks barely landed, and they always managed to survive.
I couldn’t afford to die.
And yet.

Crunch—

My clenched fist trembled as I squeezed it harder.

‘How much longer?’

Ha-jin had cleared the 10th Floor not long ago.
As an open secret, he became the target of the special dungeon floor designation authority, transforming into a crucial hunter who would determine Korea’s fate.
He had become the hope of the Republic of Korea, treated with respect by the Association President I so admired.

‘When we were young, we used to walk around together.’

One awakened as SSS-rank.
The other awakened as D-rank.
I harbored no jealousy or inferiority.
Working at the Association, I knew better than anyone that many never awakened at all.

‘And yet…’

I wasn’t foolish enough to throw away my life chasing ideals and admiration.
But knowing it was impossible, I still gazed upward with a glimmer of hope.
Dreaming of the highest peak.
…That was the heart of a man.

Zing—

At that moment, my pocket vibrated.
Since I hadn’t strayed far from home yet, I glanced around to see if my girlfriend had caught me in this state.

[Sender: Kang Ha-jin]
-Hyeon-jun, what’s your level right now?

The sender was none other than my closest friend and Korea’s greatest hope—Kang Ha-jin.

-If you’re free, are you interested in challenging the 10th Floor?

I froze.

My fingers stiffened as I read the message.
I was just about to deceive him.
And now he’s talking about challenging the 10th Floor?
It was as if this message had pierced through my very thoughts.

-I managed to get a Holy Power item this time. Since we’re challenging the 10th Floor anyway, want to bring it along and give it a shot?

A Holy Power item?

“That doesn’t make sense.”

It was impossible.
Holy Power-imbued items officially don’t exist.
Well, since I’m just a low-ranking member of the Association, there might be secret projects running at higher levels, but regardless, nothing like that exists on the market.
The only rumor going around is that the Sage Guild developed a +1 version.
Even with that equipped, the 10th Floor wouldn’t suddenly become clearable.

‘But he obtained it?’

Rationally speaking, it was more likely a lie or a misunderstanding.
But my heart reacted first.
Deep in my subconscious, I already knew.
Perhaps.

‘Perhaps if it’s Kang Ha-jin…’

The reason was that the person who said that was someone beyond common sense.
He had made a spectacular comeback, defying the experts’ opinion that he would never surpass the 5th Floor wall.
That very person who had made the Association President—someone deemed beyond recovery, beyond even improvement—capable of conquering the Tower. My most reliable friend, Kang Ha-jin.
And above all else.

‘Please exist, such an absurdly powerful item.’

I wanted to believe in that.
That’s why I wanted to surpass the wall.
Just as Kang Ha-jin had done, I wanted to do the same.

Of course, I couldn’t think only of myself.
Soon I would become the head of a household, so safety had to come first.
It was truly a tempting opportunity—perhaps one that would never come again.
I might regret it later.
But still, it seemed better to decline here.
There would be other suitable candidates anyway.

-If you say yes, I’ll send it over by courier right away. Where are you now?

I couldn’t reply because of the conflicting thoughts, but the barrage of messages that seemed oddly excited continued.
And the end of that message barrage ultimately touched something within me.

-If you’re scared, just say so. I’m not forcing you lol.
“…?”

My fingers stopped once more as I was composing my refusal.
And I deleted it all.
Scared?
Me?
If I wasn’t about to get married, I wouldn’t be agonizing over this.
I might already be standing shoulder to shoulder with Kang Ha-jin by now.
I had to make that clear.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

-I mean, the 10th Floor is pretty scary, right? You couldn’t even watch horror movies when you were little lol.

My hands trembled.
It wasn’t because of the excitement from before.

“This bastard…?”

Ever since we reconnected, I’ve been trying to treat him with respect.
Hyeon-jun’s boss also defers to Ha-jin, and he’s currently South Korea’s rising star anyway.
But I keep adding ㅋ at the end of my messages.
It’s irritating.

“Ugh, it’s hot.”

Old memories came flooding back.
Hyeon-jun suppressed his emotions and typed out his response, pressing each character deliberately.

-Send it right now. Get ready to lose the fastest clear record.

Something that doesn’t change even with age.
That’s what a man’s heart was.

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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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