I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 69

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 69

Ding!
【You have cleared Floor 15!】
【You have achieved the fastest clear time! (Time taken: 11 seconds)】
【You have accumulated 5 fastest clear records.】
【You have obtained 3 Clear Time Reset Tickets as a reward.】

“Phew….”

I gazed at the message windows floating in the air and exhaled deeply.
The exhilarating rush coursing through my entire body far outweighed the fatigue from consecutive clears.
I had been forced to remain at level 10 due to the entry restrictions of the special dungeon floor.
All that frustration from those past days was washed away in an instant.

“My stats have risen quite considerably.”

I murmured while flexing my fists lightly.
My current level displayed on the status window was 15.
Five levels had skyrocketed in a remarkably short time.
The stat growth from this was palpable without needing to check the numbers.
Every time a level increased by 1, all abilities automatically rose by 1.
And with 3 additional distributable stats received per level.
A total of 8 stats increased per level-up.
With five consecutive level-ups, a staggering 40 stats rose all at once.
An overwhelming figure compared to hunters of the same level.

Ding!
【The special stat ‘Darkness’ has increased significantly.】

The growth of ‘Darkness,’ into which I had poured all my distributable stats, was particularly remarkable.
Nearly half of the 40 stats I gained—20 points—had gone into Darkness.

‘But it’s still not enough.’

Crack!

I tightened my grip on the fist I was clenching.
I had pierced through to the 15th floor in one breath.
But my ultimate goal wasn’t to simply etch my name into these trivial rankings in the teens.
There was still a long way to go before I could reach Basement 100, where Nix and the Sun God were imprisoned.

“I think I’ll stop my conquest of the upper floors here for now.”

I still had three more of the newly acquired ‘Conquest Time Reset Tickets’ remaining.
But from the 16th floor onward, the Undead theme that had continued throughout the entire ten-tier range would end.
Quick clearing would become impossible.

‘Besides, it’s about time I started conquering the basement floors.’

There were still so many talented people I needed.
Starting with the exclusive chef I had felt the need for not long ago.
All the way to specialized miners to seriously excavate the Wol-yeong-seok ore veins in the depths of the Black Land that Elder Barkalor had discovered.
Beyond that, whoever came out with whatever specialty would be of great help to the Temple’s prosperity.
I would welcome anyone with open arms.

‘…Or would I?’

The thought of Yahwi coming out by the truckload gave me a slight headache.

‘Please, let the talented people I need come out, not just anyone.’

I quickly offered a new prayer to Nix in my heart.
Though I wasn’t sure if my prayers would reach Basement 100.
In any case, the Temple’s prosperity meant my growth.
And my growth was directly tied to the safety of myself and my people.

‘Still, a brief rest wouldn’t hurt.’

Conquering up to the 15th floor in such a short time was certainly worth celebrating.
I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
The Hunter Net community was ablaze with talk about me.

“Wait, it hasn’t been that long since he cleared the special dungeon floor, and he’s already cleared floor 15? And he set new records for all of them too, crazy.”
[Kang Ha-jin’s style is insane.]
[Hmm… Is that so? I’m not really sure.]
[Making such a fuss over just the 15th floor? He still can’t match Ahn Jae-jun’s heels.]
[Are those two above you idiots? If you have eyes, look at the clear time, not the floor number.]
[For real. With that record, challenging the 20s would be a total breeze.]
[Not just the 20s. With that growth rate, even the 30s are possible.]

The public opinion that had been skeptical even when I first cleared the 5th floor had now transformed into complete awe and praise.
By now, I’ve seen my name so often that I should be unfazed, but that’s the normal reaction.

“Ahem.”

I couldn’t help the corners of my mouth twitching upward.
And on HunterNet, there weren’t just direct praises about me.

[Posting my honest review after using the full Sun’s Equipment set. (with proof photos)]
-No need for long explanations. It’s amazing. Buy it even if you have to go into debt, seriously. Because if you wear this and run through the 10s, you’ll make enough money to pay off the debt and then some. Got it? It’s a completely different dimension from that garbage +1 stuff made by the Sage Guild.

The ‘Sun’s Equipment’ business, a collaborative work between Jeong Min-hee and Eltos, was achieving tremendous success.
Of course, much of it was due to the absurdly broken performance of the equipment itself.
But the reason it was selling like hotcakes with such word-of-mouth buzz was largely thanks to the publicity from the special dungeon floor conquest team members who had originally intended to promote it.

[Yang Sang-jin: Leaving an honest review of the Sun’s Pendant.]
-Personally, I don’t like that guy Kang Ha-jin. I hate how he acts so full of himself. But I can’t let personal feelings affect my judgment of an item, so I’m just stating facts. It’s damn good. Even if I hate Kang Ha-jin, buy the pendant.
Reply: Hahaha, look how honest hyung Sangjin is.
Reply: Kang Ha-jin isn’t just pretending to be great—he’s actually genuinely talented.

Yang Sang-jin’s characteristically blunt review actually created the frame of ‘performance so good that even someone who dislikes Kang Ha-jin has to acknowledge it’.
And it produced an excellent marketing effect.

[Park Eun-ji: The miraculous pendant that saved me from death! Highly recommended!]

Park Eun-ji vividly recounted her near-death experience in the special dungeon floor.
The other team members’ heartfelt lengthy reviews also contributed greatly to pendant sales.
But the most impressive review came from a completely unexpected person.

[Jinhyeok: I don’t know about the pendant, but that oxygen mask is seriously the best.]
-Since I’m a noble and fight with a reverse spear, I didn’t really feel the pendant’s attack power increase. But in that foul-smelling cemetery, that ‘mask’ was the best. If you’re reading this, could you send one more? My little sister stole mine. I’ll pay any amount.

Jinhyeok from the Aristocrat Guild, who was obsessively fastidious, became absolutely infatuated not with the pendant, but with the ‘oxygen mask,’ showering it with tremendous praise.

“…Man, this really hit the jackpot.”

Thanks to that, not only the pendants but the masks were completely sold out—we couldn’t keep them in stock.
Even at this very moment, the leading digits of my bank account balance were changing in real time.

“Wooow! Boss! This is really my share!? It’s more than a year’s salary from when I was at the Sage Guild!?”

In the underground Temple.
Min-hee, who had just received her settlement from the pendant and mask sales, was jumping up and down with a grin stretched across her face as she checked her bank balance.
I also specially gave Eltos premium dishes packed from Chef Ahn Yeong-jae’s restaurant, piled high.
The massive giant danced merrily, shaking the Temple with his movements.

“Our customer is the best! You’re absolutely the best!”

Seeing everyone so happy made me feel good as well.
But Min-hee soon sidled up to me and began subtly appealing her request.

“But boss, the bonus is already so wonderful… Could you perhaps build me a new workshop instead of giving me cash?”
“A workshop?”
“Yes. Eltos is kind so I have no complaints, but since a human alchemist is essentially freeloading in a giant’s smithy, the workflow doesn’t match at all, the tool sizes are different… and most of all, it’s way too cramped!”

Min-hee pouted her lips and pointed at Eltos’s massive anvil.

‘A new workshop, huh.’

I stroked my chin and nodded.
Indeed, I had been thinking for some time that Min-hee needed her own dedicated workshop, watching her struggle with alchemical tools in the corner of Eltos’s smithy.
So when I had a spare moment before, I thoroughly searched through the Wol-yeong-seok Shop just in case.
And surprisingly, there was truly nothing that place didn’t have.

【Temple Building Construction Kit.】
【Temple Building Upgrade Kit.】

From construction kits that could instantly build new structures to upgrade kits that could expand existing buildings.
The prices varied greatly depending on the building’s purpose and the resident’s grade.
However, the construction kit for building Min-hee’s workshop cost 500 Wol-yeong-seok stones—the same price as a rare resident evolution voucher.

“Five hundred pieces…”

I currently possessed roughly two thousand Wol-yeong-seok, give or take.
The price for purchasing construction kits wasn’t a significant burden.
Five hundred pieces was merely a figure I could recover by having Yahwi clear Basement 4 about four times over.
However, that didn’t mean I could spend them recklessly without restraint.

‘I’ll need a massive amount of Wol-yeong-seok to purchase additional purification trees from the Black Land for Seoul’s restoration. Besides, I need to keep a reserve fund for new weapons and equipment.’

As I’d witnessed when crafting the solar equipment set this time, high-grade items often required Wol-yeong-seok as an additional medium alongside sunstone.

‘I should also gradually verify Elder Barkalor’s hypothesis that there’s a Wol-yeong-seok ore vein beneath the Black Land.’

If I could only tap into that vein, the Wol-yeong-seok shortage would be largely resolved.
For that, I’d need new personnel specialized in mining.
Countless thoughts cascaded one after another, eventually narrowing down to one clear conclusion.

‘It seems it’s about time to clear the next quest.’

Recruit new residents to expand the Temple’s infrastructure.
It was the perfect timing to secure a massive amount of Wol-yeong-seok as quest rewards.
Just as I’d evolved Yahwi to Relic-grade, I needed to consider stat upgrades for the other residents as well.
It was then, while I was mentally drafting detailed plans for the next basement level conquest and the fourth quest.

“Hm?”

Bzzt—!

My phone, tucked in my pants pocket, began to vibrate.
I pulled it out with a puzzled expression and turned on the screen.

[New email received.]
[Sender: Lowell.]

The moment I saw the exotic sender’s name displayed on the screen, I tilted my head in confusion.
It was a name I’d heard before somewhere.
Britain’s national-level alchemist and Min-hee’s former mentor, whom she’d never stopped bragging about.
But there was absolutely no reason for him to contact me directly.

“Lowell…?”

I found myself muttering the name aloud without thinking.

“Pardon?”

Jeong Min-hee, standing beside me, reacted.

“My mentor, sir?”
“Yes. He’s sent a message.”

I nodded in acknowledgment.
She stripped off her work gloves and approached me.

“My mentor contacted you, sir? He’s never shown interest in worldly affairs. You must be quite famous, sir. But what could the reason be?”

Min-hee’s expression turned puzzled.
Yet the one truly curious was me.
We had no connection whatsoever.
Driven by curiosity, I opened the email.
There was an unexpected message written inside.

[Lowell: I wish to meet Barkalor. Where should I go?]

“Barkalor?”

How on earth did this man know about Elder Barkalor….
Ah.
There was only one possibility that came to mind.

“…Min-hee, is it possible that…”

I fixed my gaze on Jeong Min-hee as if interrogating her.
She had gone pale and was covering her mouth.
Her hand holding her phone trembled.

“Did you tell this man Lowell about Barkalor?”

I had just told her that everything about the Basement was classified information not long ago.
I had even confirmed the contents of the message myself.
So how on earth did she find out?
Her lips trembled slightly.

“…Should I… be burying my head in shame right now?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————