I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 68

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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 68

A small alchemical workshop in England, owned by a man named Lowell.
In contrast to the dreary rain pattering against the windows outside, the workshop was bathed in warm light.
There sat a middle-aged man with silver hair neatly swept back—Lowell himself.
His sharp eyes gazed upon the flickering flame of a candelabra.
He was once a national-level alchemist who climbed the mysterious Tower with nothing but pure curiosity and a sense of justice, second to none.
But he grew sick of the inter-national power struggles and dirty politics surrounding the Tower.
Eventually, he retired from active duty and now ran a small alchemical workshop, scraping by with modest earnings.
He could reclaim all the wealth and fame of the world at any moment if he wished, but he no longer wanted to witness such ugliness.
His only solace now was his disciple, Jeong Min-hee, who possessed natural talent.

Zing—
His phone on the desk rang.

“Min-hee?”

Startled at the thought it might be his disciple, he checked the screen in alarm.
But upon seeing the caller’s name, his face darkened.

[Old Fat Fox]

“…Yun Tae-sik.”

Lowell growled and checked the message.
It was the usual nonsense about fixing the Association’s training bot again.
His scheme was transparent—use this as a pretext to summon him to South Korea and persuade him to naturalize.
Instead of replying, Lowell closed his eyes for a moment.
Memories from long ago seized him.

-Lowell! This thing’s broken!
-You dumb brute with nothing but strength. You have to turn it on!

“Heh heh.”

With a soft exhale, a faint smile spread across Lowell’s lips.

“South Korea, huh. I suppose I should go.”

However, I couldn’t muster the confidence to face Yun Tae-sik. He was a symbol of my ‘failure’, after all.
That wasn’t all.
Among my old companions who had climbed the Tower together, some had died from illness, and others had lost their lives in accidents during the ascent.
I had once tried to protect them and heal them, but no elixir or remedy could save them.
Heartbroken by that loss, I abandoned alchemy entirely, even setting aside my own conviction that alchemy held infinite possibilities.
It was my young disciple Jeong Min-hee who made me stand again. I passed everything I knew to her, blessed as she was with natural talent.
Of course, there were times when I sorely missed those days when I pursued knowledge with boundless curiosity.

‘That ancient manuscript on alchemy I fortunately obtained during the climb. It was that which led me down this path.’

Lowell carefully retrieved a worn, tattered book from the drawer.
Though it appeared to be carelessly scribbled notes, to Lowell it looked like a treasure.
It was the only object that could remind his aged self of his ‘original purpose’.
In his youth and ignorance, every page of this book had been inspiration and sustenance to him.
He had devoted himself to research and eventually came to understand all its contents.
Though he had never met the author—a person from a different world and era—Lowell revered him as his mentor.
Though aged and worn, the book was maintained without a speck of dust, and the author’s name was written on its cover.
That name was….

Ding—!

“Tsk. That old fox again.”

Just as Lowell was about to turn off his phone entirely, disturbed from his reverie.

[Jeong Min-hee: How are you doing, Mentor?]

Whoosh—!

“Min-hee!”

Lowell sprang from his seat.
To him, who had no children, Jeong Min-hee was as precious as a daughter—a beloved disciple.
With a bright smile spreading across his face for the first time in a while, he began typing slowly.

Ding—! Ding—!

Vibrations rang out in succession. Photos of appetizing dishes from an expensive restaurant appeared, along with a picture of a sun pendant she had recently made.

“Hmm.”

I had seen it in articles before, but viewing the photograph directly like this, it looked quite impressive.
While I gazed intently at the pendant, pleased by my disciple’s growth.

“What!?”

Lowell’s brow furrowed sharply.
In the restaurant photograph and on the pendant’s smooth surface alike.
The same silhouette was reflected.
Unmistakably a man.

“…A man?”

A bitter taste rose in my throat in an instant.
Lowell grabbed his coat and searched for flight tickets to South Korea on his phone.
However.

Tap.

“Sigh.”

Min-hee is no longer a child.
She must have found someone good on her own.
After all, I’ve drilled the standards for a good man into her ears since she was young.
Lowell took off his coat again.
However.

Zing—!

Another message arrived, setting him in motion once more.

[Jeong Min-hee: Oh, that’s right. Do you happen to know Barkalor?]

Clang!

A ‘CLOSED’ sign hung on the door of the small alchemical workshop.
It was the first time in a year since the funeral of a long-time colleague.

* * *

Ding—!
【You have cleared the 11th Floor!】

“Is it really this easy?”

I let out a hollow laugh as I gazed at the message window floating in the air.
Ever since receiving Thanatos’s mark, the Undead-themed floors had become trivially simple.
The mark had completely settled into my body.
The excruciating pain from the initial imprinting had vanished.
Now I only felt a moderate warmth each time I activated it.

【Would you like to use a Clear Time Reset Voucher?】

I fell into thought upon seeing the message.
My original plan was to use the reset vouchers liberally to climb faster.
It was because Association President Yun Tae-sik had previously informed me of intelligence that Ahn Jae-jun was attempting to cause a Tower Break.
But now there was no need to rush like that.

[Ahn Jae-jun of Taesan achieves perfect clear of the 53rd Floor! Truly South Korea’s pillar!]
[I knew it!]
[Kang Ha-jin? He’s trending lately, but I’ve always been team Ahn Jae-jun.]
[Classics are eternal.]
[Why are Ahn fans dragging in Kang Ha-jin, who just climbs well?]

The news of clearing the 53rd Floor had begun generating positive sentiment toward Ahn Jae-jun on Hunter Net’s public opinion.

‘Did Yun Tae-sik overreact? Or did his plans change for some reason?’

If the plans had changed, it was likely triggered by my unexpected return from the Special Dungeon Layer, where I was thought to be dead.
Though I couldn’t know the exact reason,
in any case, this had bought me additional time before the Break, so there was no longer any urgency.
The backing forces of Lin Xiao-wei and Li Wei, presumed to be China’s Five-Star Guild, remained quiet without making any official statements or expressing anger.
On the surface, peace had returned.

‘But I’m not fooled.’

Not every incident that has occurred so far came with a courteous warning.
Even now, beneath the surface, someone might be laying groundwork to target South Korea or me.
Besides, regardless of that, I need to grow stronger anyway.

‘Basement 100F Tartarus. That’s where my true enemy awaits.’

My eyes gleamed as I responded to the message floating in the air.

“Use the Clear Time Reset Ticket.”

【Using the reset ticket.】
【Entering the 12th Floor.】
-12th Floor Clear Condition: Defeat 50 Skeleton Soldiers.

Clatter, clatter!

Fifty skeleton soldiers approached with the sound of rattling bones.
Immortal warriors who never ceased their battle even after death.
It was a sight that could send chills down anyone’s spine.
If this were Hyeon-jun, who couldn’t even watch horror movies, he would have trembled.
But I was different.
Especially after receiving Thanatos’s mark.

“Die.”

At my single word, the approaching skeletons seized their own necks and twisted.

Crack!

【You have defeated 50 Skeleton Soldiers.】
【You have cleared the 12th Floor.】
-Time Elapsed: 2 seconds.
【You have become the fastest clear record holder for the 12th Floor.】
【A new record holder has emerged, and a system-wide notification has been sent to all hunters.】

Just 2 seconds.
A record of extraordinary magnitude, unprecedented in speed.
By now, Hunter Net must be in an uproar.
And I had no intention of stopping here.

“Once more. I’ll use the Dungeon Clear Time Reset Ticket.”

【You have cleared Floor 13.】
【You have 3 Dungeon Clear Time Reset Tickets remaining.】

“Once more.”

Ding!

* * *

[This call cannot be answered. After the beep…]

Click.

“Sigh. Ugh. I really didn’t want to come.”

After arriving in South Korea, Lowell couldn’t reach Min-hee, so he reluctantly sought out Association President Yun Tae-sik, who had been pestering him.
Even though he’d already arrived, he really didn’t want to go in, so he tried calling one more time as a last resort.
If Min-hee answered, he wouldn’t have to go inside at all.
But in the end, the two old friends were destined to reunite.

“Hahahaha! You came! You really came! You didn’t die!”
“…You block me, and I just create a new phone number. And another. It’s been driving me crazy. But don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come to South Korea because of you.”
“Got it, got it. Just come in.”

Lowell spoke Korean fluently as he tossed his coat onto a chair.
Not out of respect for Yun Tae-sik, but simply because Yun Tae-sik couldn’t speak English.

“You think I flew all the way to South Korea to fix this hunk of junk?”

Lowell grumbled as he repaired the training bot scattered on the floor.
Yun Tae-sik, sitting comfortably on the sofa sipping tea, casually brought up a topic.

“Would you believe me if I said that thing broke a Level 10?”
“…That’s impressive.”
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
Lowell replied matter-of-factly, deliberately hiding his interest.
But internally, he was astonished.

‘This? A Level 10?’

I had assumed the Association President or some high-level hunter destroyed the training bot out of frustration.
But Level 10?
The training bot wasn’t made from simple materials.
It was primarily constructed from a special alloy created through alchemy.

‘And it doesn’t even look like they struggled much.’

The wound that appeared to be made by a blade was clean.
It was severed in a single strike.

‘Yun Tae-sik talks nonsense often enough, but he’s not a man who lies.’

I had to accept it as truth.
My reason for coming to South Korea was entirely different, but I couldn’t help becoming interested.
Yun Tae-sik, having seen through Lowell’s true intentions, smirked and struck the mark.

“I know why you came to South Korea.”
“…Yes. Because of my disciple Min-hee.”
“No. I know you care for Min-hee, but not this time. Isn’t it because of Barkalor?”

He froze.

Lowell’s hands stopped.
And soon his expression hardened rigidly.

“…You didn’t trick Min-hee into preparing this cheap play to bring me here, did you?”
“No. Barkalor is real. I saw him with my own two eyes.”

Lowell’s eyes trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.

“What? What are you talking about? You didn’t just see some artifact or grimoire Barkalor left behind, did you?”
“Hard to believe, right? Let me say it once more.”
“Once more? Then could it be…!”

Yun Tae-sik delivered the finishing blow.

“Yes. The same person. The Level 10 hunter who destroyed this training bot you’re repairing, and the one who knows Barkalor’s whereabouts.”

“What the—!”

Lowell’s jaw dropped.

“Oh, by the way, I’m level 14 now. I leveled up while you were doing that long-distance flight.”

That was when it happened.

Ding!

A cheerful notification sound rang out from the monitor displayed on one side of the Association President’s office, and a red popup appeared.

【A new fastest clear record holder for the 15th Floor has been born.】
– 15th Floor Fastest Clear Record Holder: Kang Ha-jin (new!)

Association President Yun Tae-sik, who had confirmed the system-wide announcement, chuckled and corrected himself toward the dazed Lowell.

“Ah, you’re level 15 now.”

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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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