I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 5

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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 5

Whoosh—!
Whoosh!

The sounds of training never ceased in Yahwi’s Training Hall.
My lord was at it again.

‘….’

Yahwi watched silently.
When he had founded the Yahwi School of Swordsmanship.
He had not created a technique for beginners.
It was closer to a refined, distilled form of swordsmanship.

‘But how is my lord even doing this?’

Whoosh!

Yet my lord continued to steadily increase his proficiency in the Yahwi School.
He wondered if perhaps my lord had learned another sword technique before, but that made no sense.
When he was first summoned to the Temple of Nyx.
My lord’s stance had been that of a complete novice.

—Thank you, Yahwi!

Moreover, my lord still regarded him as a genius swordsmanship instructor.
Of course, Yahwi had only.
Demonstrated the First Form, Moonlit First Flash, a single time.

‘…An unparalleled genius!’

Throughout his previous life as a swordsmanship instructor, he had encountered countless individuals.
Some he had taken as disciples, others he had fought against as traitors.
Yet he had never once witnessed talent that shone so brilliantly.

“The Yahwi Style is swordsmanship that commands the night. Is Chosya Ilseom a technique that obscures the opponent’s vision simultaneously with the attack….”
“Gasp!”
“Hm? What is it, Yahwi. When did you arrive?”
“Ah, I’ve been here since earlier.”
“Is that so? Take a look at my stance for a moment. I still have a long way to go before I can do it as perfectly as you.”
“Yes, understood!”

You’re already perfect, my lord!
Yahwi couldn’t bring himself to voice those words aloud.
In fact, just moments ago, my lord had grasped the very essence of the First Technique on his own.
Of course, compared to me, he still had much to learn.
My lord had only just begun his journey into swordsmanship.
The room for growth ahead was boundless.
At this point, Yahwi couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Of course, the Yahwi Style still held countless techniques, including the ultimate secret art.

‘But considering my lord’s current rate of learning, it won’t be long before he masters the Yahwi Style.’

And then what?
Swordsmanship would no longer be needed.
When he eventually became stronger than me?

‘…I’ll be abandoned!’

Boom.

Thunder crashed down upon Yahwi’s mind.
To be abandoned by my lord, whom I respected and cherished more than family itself.
There was no greater hell.
Of course, I wasn’t unaware that this emotion was born from Nyx’s contract.
But even considering that, it was far better than being trapped in pitch darkness, waiting for someone’s call.

‘Besides, wasn’t it just recently?’

Gulp.

Even now, thinking back to that moment sent shivers down Yahwi’s spine.
The day my lord had asked about the next task.
And the day he had questioned me about the Darkness stat.

‘I couldn’t answer…!’

Useless Stack +1 accumulated!
Seeing that you’re already thinking of the next resident, my expiration date must be running out soon!

‘Ah, since my lord is already thinking of the next resident, what good is it to live any longer!’

While my lord rested, Yahwi trudged out of the Swordsmanship Hall.

“Hmm? Yahwi, that guy. Why does he seem so listless?”

All this misunderstanding arose because Yahwi couldn’t comprehend how much his lord cherished him.
With his spirits dampened, Yahwi habitually stopped in front of the cooking tools.
Then, a chill ran down his spine.

‘Wait. Now that I think about it, haven’t I been cooking far more than teaching swordsmanship lately?’

For a moment, he considered devoting himself entirely to cooking to prove his worth.
But anxiety crept in—what if a cooking-related resident appeared in the next resident draw?

‘Ugh!’

If only my lord would use a rare-grade resident evolution right on me, but that would never happen.

‘If only I could transcend the limits of my previous life that way.’

Yahwi would undergo a second evolution.
But Yahwi was certain there was no reason to spend hundreds of Moonlight Stones on himself.
He had long forgotten that thanks to his swordsmanship instruction, his lord had saved 1,000 Moonlight Stones.

‘I too will grow stronger! I’ll return to my original resolve and dedicate myself to training! I’ll prove that I can transcend my limits without Moonlight Stones, that I have worth!’

Yet ironically, only his cooking skills improved day by day.

* * *

Ding!
【24 hours have passed.】
【You can now clear Dungeon Level 3.】

“Oh. Finally.”

I sprang to my feet.
It was about time my stomach started growling.
I’d wondered why Yahwi ate so much.
Now that I’d learned Yahwi’s techniques, I understood.
My metabolism was no longer what it used to be.
No matter how much I ate, I was always hungry.
I remembered reading on Hunternet that similar phenomena occurred with high-level Hunters.
My level remained the same, but I was undeniably stronger.

‘I should replenish my protein intake too.’

Ding!
【Your Strength stat has increased by 1.】
【Your Agility stat has increased by 2.】

I gazed down at my toned body.
Just one day.
The changes were as dramatic as the stat increases.
The systematic training taught by the great Swordsmanship Master Yahwi was incredibly effective.
Three points equaled one level’s worth.

‘And with Nyx’s blessing on top of that, it’s five times over. A total of 15 stat points gained!’

Overcoming the 5th Floor of the upper levels now felt like a matter of time.

“Well then, Yahwi. Shall we go gather some ingredients?”
“Yes!”
“Dungeon Level 3. Enter.”

Ding!
【Entering Dungeon Level 3.】

Whoosh—!

The scenery of the Temple of Nyx vanished, and we found ourselves in a cave.

【You have entered Dungeon Level 3.】
-Clear Condition: Defeat 50 Kobolds infused with sunlight.

Far more numerous than the goblins from before.
And this time, they were Kobolds.

“Grrrrr!”
“Auuuuuul!”

Wolf-like humanoid beasts greeted us with their presence.
Their claws were far longer and their fangs far sharper than what I’d seen on the surface level.
Their frames had grown larger too, standing a head taller than me.
With the goblins from the previous floor, I’d been uncertain.
But now I felt it clearly.

‘An ordinary Level 3 Hunter would have struggled to defeat even one.’

And there were fifty of them in total.
The already cramped cave felt even more suffocating.
Each one glowed with luminescence, casting an intense brightness throughout.
But there was no problem.

Ding!
【You have been exposed to sunlight.】

“Darkness.”

Whoosh!
A dark force bloomed upward from my body.

Ding!
【Your Darkness stat attempts to resist the sunlight.】
【Success. Current value: 3】
【Skill, Blessing of Nyx activates.】

Whoooosh!

The darkness rising from my body expanded in size, blocking the incoming light.
As I descended from Dungeon Level 2 to Level 3, the enemies grew stronger and more numerous.
But I hadn’t been idle either.
I had grown stronger.

“Yahwi.”

Shing—!

I drew my sword and aimed it at the enemies.

“Yes!”

Yahwi eagerly prepared for the slaughter.

“Stand by.”
“I await your command at any moment!”
“Right. I’ll call you when it’s time to butcher them.”

Thud—!

I kicked off the ground.
With my elevated stats, my body shot forward in an instant.

‘Oh.’

I could feel the effects of the Darkness stat firsthand.
I had thought it merely blocked out sunlight.
But the marks where I had kicked off the ground smoldered and lingered.
Like black flames.

“Bark, bark, bark!”

One Kobold wearing a helmet alone barked at me menacingly.
The rest then formed ranks and approached, seemingly intent on overwhelming me.

‘That one’s the leader.’

Over the shoulders of the Kobolds gradually closing the distance.
The leader, recognizing the gap between us, fled in haste.
I gauged the spacing between the cave ceiling’s height and the Kobolds’ stature.

‘I won’t let them escape!’

I could cut through them one by one, certainly.
But there was no need to follow the direction the enemies were trying to lead me.

“Kwaaaaah!”

Just as I drew perilously close to the Kobold formation.
I poured strength into my legs without slowing my pace.

Thump!

I twisted my body, narrowly evading the Kobolds baring their fangs at me by the thinnest margin, then spun through the air.

Whoosh.

My vision swept in a wide arc.
The crowns of the Kobolds’ heads came into view.
And soon I landed beyond the Kobold barrier.

Tap.

‘Without Nyx’s blessing, that would have been impossible.’

Marveling at my agility stat, I drew my blade.
Because this place was.

“Kwal?”

Where the Kobold leader stood.

“So you make your subordinates do all the fighting while you sit back and reap the rewards?”

Of course, I understood.
The preservation of a commander’s life was paramount when leading vast forces into battle.

So what? What am I supposed to do about it?
What’s justice and what’s honorable is whatever the strong decide it to be.
And at least today, the role I’ve taken on isn’t that of the weak.

‘I think I just heard Yahwi’s voice from beyond the barrier.’

That distinctive voice of his—the one tinged with reverence when he called me master—had reached my ears.

“Ahhhhowwwwl!”

The panicked leader regained its senses and let out a howl.
So that’s what the horn-call was for.

‘But what good will that do?’

I gazed calmly at the Kobold barrier.
They weren’t particularly intelligent creatures, and even if they possessed some wit, they couldn’t easily rearrange their formation.

‘If they were truly intelligent, they would have assessed the overhead space and the enemy’s strength from the start.’

They stood packed so densely that their fur brushed against one another, refusing to allow any intrusion.
And both sides were blocked by the solid rock walls of the cave.
The choice they’d made to protect their leader had become their fatal blunder.

“Then, farewell.”

Yahwi-style, First Form.

“Midnight Flash.”

My blade descended toward the Kobold leader.

Whoosh—!

Darkness infused within the blade’s edge, and shadow descended along the sword’s trajectory.

Ding!
【You have defeated the Kobold leader imbued with sunlight.】
【You have acquired 2 Darkness stat.】
-Current total: 5.

The creature never even managed a final cry before losing its head and falling dead.

‘As expected. The power is impressive, and it aligns perfectly with the Sword of First Night.’

In the past, I had seen Ahn Jae-jun infuse his special stat Radiance into his swordsmanship and wield it with devastating effect.
On a whim, just before swinging the blade, I wove Darkness into the Sword of First Night and unleashed it.
The result—the Kobold leader’s severed head spoke volumes about the technique’s success.

Ding!
【You have acquired the skill: Incomplete Yahwi-style Evolution Potential.】

“Excellent!”

And it seemed my instincts weren’t the only ones to recognize this.
The system’s reaction confirmed it.

‘An organic synergy with Darkness.’

Perhaps beyond just Yahwi-style techniques, various skills could be strengthened through Darkness.

‘And defeating the leader granted me 2 Darkness at once.’

Whoosh—!

As I wrapped Darkness around the blade once more in experimentation, a deeper shadow spread across the surroundings.

“Kuh, krrr….”

The panicked Kobolds retreating in confusion interrupted my contemplation.

“Shall we test it?”

Slash—!

A blade shrouded in darkness swept through two Kobolds.
By trajectory alone, I should have only caught one.

Crack!

Ding!
【You have defeated two Kobolds imbued with sunlight.】

The darkness spread, engulfing nearby Kobolds.

“Screeeech!”

Realizing that fleeing would be futile,
they began charging at me in unison.

“Oh. They’ve got some grit in them after all.”

Appreciating that tenacity, I brought my blade down upon them.

Slash—!
Slash!
Slash!

Ding!
【You have defeated multiple Kobolds imbued with sunlight.】
【Your Darkness stat has increased by 1.】
-Current value: 6.

From there, it was straightforward.
Just the beginning of tedious grinding, as I had done countless times before.
As I continued swinging my blade, a sudden thought crossed my mind—could I not find a way to resolve this bothersome process?

‘Just now, when I killed that Kobold, the darkness spread to the surroundings.’

Then, could I not capture multiple enemies at once?
Even as I continued slaying Kobolds, my mind was consumed with thoughts of swordsmanship.

‘If I use Nocturnal Flash consecutively? If I could only unleash sword strikes across the entire space in a short span of time….’

Let me try this.
Huff.
I contracted every muscle in my body even further.
Until now, my Choyail Ilseom had been directed toward inflicting maximum damage on a single target.

“Ten left.”

I took in all of them at once.
From here.
To there.
When I finished gauging the space to swing my blade.
I slowly released the condensed power.

Clang—!

A single sound pierced through my focused consciousness.
The only blade here besides Yahwi’s sword Yado wouldn’t exist.
The moment I unleashed my sword strike.
Yahwi’s voice rang clearly in my ears.

“That’s… Yahwi School Second Form…!”

Darkness that began as a single line multiplied its force, deepening the night.
Yahwi called this technique by this name.

“…Midnight Consecutive Slash.”

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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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