I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 73

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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 73

“The Lord’s Baptism.”

I slowly savored the description of the evolved skill floating before me.
A power that went beyond merely boosting my allies’ morale—it granted them my special stat, ‘Darkness,’ temporarily.

‘…When would I ever need to grant Darkness to anyone?’

Even thinking about it now, I couldn’t come up with a clear answer.
Let me head out and think about it later.
I gazed at the skeletal soldiers and Death Knight I had resurrected through necromancy.
It would be wonderful if I could take these creatures outside with me.

‘Wait. I’ve encountered a similar situation before.’

During the third trial.
There was a method I had attempted back when I regretted not taking the Black Dragon’s fang necklace.

‘Perhaps.’

I opened my spatial pouch.

“Go inside.”

Fzzzt—!

The moment the command left my lips, the Death Knight and skeletal soldiers’ bodies dissolved into black mist before being sucked into the vast spatial inventory.

“Oh.”

It worked.
While I couldn’t store living, breathing creatures, these beings were nothing more than aggregates of magical power animated by the power of death, so storage was possible.
In this moment, my own dependable undead legion—deployable whenever needed—was being stored in my inventory.
This reward alone was more than enough compensation for conquering Basement 15F.

* * *

Whoosh—!
In one corner of the Underground Temple, a portal shimmering with dense magical power opened, and an exotic elderly man stepped through.

“Oh my…!”

It was Lowell, Britain’s national-level alchemist.
When the purification tree planted in the heart of London had fully grown and established Nix’s sacred domain, Elder Barkalor immediately opened a direct portal by connecting the space.
Lowell gazed around the wondrous temple with an expression full of emotion, then urgently began searching for someone.

“Where is Master Barkalor?”

The way he sought out his mentor before his disciple Jeong Min-hee upon arriving in Korea was truly scholarly.

“Barkalor is always busy. He despises being disturbed by anyone but me. If you go in now, you’ll be thrown out.”

At my response, Lowell’s shoulders visibly drooped.

“Besides, Chef Ahn Yeong-jae’s food is all gone today.”
“…I see.”

As Lowell genuinely deflated, Jeong Min-hee watching from the side stifled her laughter.
But the disappointment was short-lived.

“Well then, let me show off my skills a bit!”

When Yahwi, donning a large apron, quickly prepared dishes using Kobold meat, Lowell’s eyes sparkled once more.

“Oh! What is this aroma! A wild, untamed flavor I’ve never encountered in England!”

Munch, munch, smack, smack.
Lowell devoured Yahwi’s cooking ravenously, all dignity forgotten.
Despite being such an intelligent scholar dealing with the complex truths of alchemy, his simple joy before delicious food was remarkably similar to Jeong Min-hee’s.
After finishing his meal with satisfaction, Lowell immediately sought out his disciple’s workstation.
There, piled high like mountains, were the “Solar Equipment” that Jeong Min-hee and Eltos had created over the past several sleepless nights.

“Hmm.”

Lowell adjusted his monocle and examined the pendants and armor from various angles.

“Excellent. Truly masterful craftsmanship. It seems our Min-hee has become quite adept at producing holy power items.”
“Hehe. It’s all thanks to your teachings, Mentor.”

Min-hee rubbed her nose with a grin, beaming with pride.
However, Lowell set down the item and offered counsel that was soft-spoken yet carried weight.

“But do not grow complacent. If you are to be an alchemist, that is. Merely continuing to excel at what you’ve already mastered makes you a craftsman, not one who walks our path of pursuing truth. You must always challenge the unknown.”
“…Yes! I will take it to heart, Mentor!”

Min-hee straightened her posture and bowed deeply.
Listening to their exchange, I nodded in agreement. He was certainly right.
As long as hunters continued to attempt breaking through the Undead zones of the 10th Floor and beyond, holy power items would remain a steady seller that flew off the shelves.
They were undoubtedly the goose that laid golden eggs, bringing immense wealth.

‘But I can’t use them myself.’

To be precise, it was more that I ‘wouldn’t’ use them.
No matter how much holy power and attack power they granted.
Equipping gear imbued with solar essence caused Nix’s blessing and Black Armor—my very nature—to react violently in rejection.
Moreover, my ultimate enemy was the God of the Sun.
Items crafted using his power would never work against him.
What I needed was equipment of an entirely different attribute—one that could amplify Nix’s authority.

‘If only Min-hee could create items related to Darkness as well.’

The reason Min-hee and Eltos could craft solar equipment was because sunstone, the primary material, was a mineral that had mutated within monsters’ bodies, infused with the Sun God’s power.
Then conversely—what if someone processed that material while directly imbuing it with pure ‘Darkness’?

“Hm?”

…Like this, for instance.
I raised my hand and murmured quietly.

“Lord’s Baptism.”

Ding!
【Activating skill ‘Lord’s Baptism’.】

Whoooosh—!

In that instant, a pitch-black darkness surged forth from my fingertips.
Like a living creature tearing through the void, it split apart and scattered toward everyone within the Temple, dividing itself among them.

“Kyaa, kyaaah!”

Jeong Min-hee cried out in surprise as the dark energy engulfed her, shielding her face with her arms.

“What…!”

Lowell also flinched in alarm, reflexively reaching for the weapon at his side.
However, Yahwi and Eltos, along with the other residents of the Temple, made no attempt to evade. Instead, they spread both arms wide with bright expressions, willingly embracing the darkness.

Ding!
【You temporarily grant all allies within a wide range the special stat ‘Darkness’.】
-Duration: 59 minutes 59 seconds.

“Huh, what? This power is…?”

Jeong Min-hee, who had been keeping her eyes tightly shut, cautiously opened them when no pain came.
She gazed down in a daze at the deep, undulating darkness enveloping her hands.
It was a night’s mana unlike anything she had ever felt before—endlessly profound and comforting.
In the next moment, her instinct as an alchemist blazed to life. She looked at me with wide, astonished eyes.

“Boss, could this possibly be…!”
“It may not work, but please try. After all, as you just heard from Lowell, an alchemist’s true calling is to challenge the unknown.”

At my suggestion, Jeong Min-hee’s eyes began to sparkle with wild excitement.
Lowell, observing the situation from the side, also grasped what was happening and burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! The more I see, the more I like you, friend. Now I finally understand why that old man Tae-sik holds you in such high regard and trust.”
“Then you didn’t care much for me before this?”

I asked with a playful tone, and Lowell stroked his mustache as he replied.

“Well, it’s not that I disliked you. To be honest, my insistence on opening a portal was largely motivated by wanting to see our Min-hee’s face one more time.”

Lowell then removed the fine jacket he had been wearing and rolled up both sleeves of his shirt.
In the eyes of the retired scholar, the passionate flame of inquiry that had burned in his youth as he climbed the mysterious Tower now blazed anew.

“But not anymore. Alchemy that manipulates Darkness itself. Yes! This is the kind of thrilling challenge that gets my blood pumping after so long!”
“Then, I humbly ask for your assistance. By the time I return, I should be able to bring you and Lowell some excellent materials for your experiments as a gift.”
“Hmm? Where are you suddenly heading off to?”

I nodded and adjusted the jet-black longsword at my side.

“Yes. Because I too have something. A task that demands my immediate attention.”

Leaving the bewildered Jeong Min-hee and Lowell behind, I turned with a smirk on my face.

“Let’s go, Eltos. This time I need to hear your story. Yahwi, you come along too. And bring Elder Barkalor as well.”
“Yes, my lord!”

* * *

Ding!
【Entering the fourth task of Nix.】

… Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!

Before my vision even cleared, I opened my eyes to the heavy, rhythmic sound of hammers striking against my eardrums.
A tremendous wave of heat rushed toward me, stealing my breath away.

“Hey! You there! Stop spacing out and move faster! The hero will be arriving soon!”

Someone’s sharp command echoed from all directions.
As I surveyed my surroundings, I took in the sight of a vast, bustling forge with crimson flames blazing on all sides and metal clashing against metal.
But I wasn’t alarmed.
I had already anticipated this scene before entering, based on what I’d heard.

‘Just as Eltos described it.’

I slowly examined my surroundings, trying to discern whose body I was currently inhabiting.
This time too, I must have been assigned a role from someone’s past.
That’s when it happened.

“My lord!”

Someone tapped my pants leg softly and whispered in a small voice.
Looking down, I saw a dwarf of remarkably short stature standing before me—barely reaching my waist.
His face was rough and intimidating, marked by a thick, unkempt beard and a leather eye patch covering one eye.
His appearance matched exactly what Eltos had casually mentioned about the ‘dwarf mentor’ who had taken him in and raised him.
But judging by that familiar accent with which he addressed me as his lord.

‘It seems Yahwi has inhabited the body of Eltos’s mentor for this trial.’

I looked down at the diminished Yahwi and asked.

“Where is Elder Barkalor?”

Naturally, the Elder had entered alongside us.
But Yahwi raised his short arms and shook his head vigorously.

“Haven’t seen him. I looked around the moment I opened my eyes, but he doesn’t seem to be anywhere nearby. That old man must be off somewhere shirking his duties!”
“I see.”

I narrowed my eyes as I listened to Yahwi’s complaint.
In my assessment, the Elder wasn’t shirking at all—there was a very clear and different reason for his absence.
Let me recall when Eltos was first summoned to the Temple.
Eltos had said he felt a strange familiarity upon seeing Barkalor’s face.
Eltos had said he once forged the ‘Hero’s Sword’ that pierced the Demon King’s heart.
Barkalor had said he became the Demon King by the Emperor’s hand and fell to the Hero.

‘If the Demon King appearing in both their stories is the same person.’

Then it was painfully obvious what body Nix’s task of reconstructing past memories would have placed Barkalor in.

‘That’s precisely why he’s not here.’

Then for this trial, I should proceed assuming Barkalor is absent.
At this point in time, Barkalor would be alone in the distant Demon King’s Castle, researching alchemy and dark magic while awaiting the Hero.
He would have no knowledge of this location in the Ignar Mountain Range forge.
Even if the current Barkalor retained all his memories from the Temple.
Whether he could find this place without knowing its exact location remained uncertain.

“My lord! Look over there.”

As I was gathering my thoughts, Yahwi, inhabiting the dwarf’s body, poked my arm repeatedly with his stubby fingers.
Looking in the direction he was pointing, I could see someone bounding toward us from a great distance, causing tremendous tremors with each thunderous step.

“Dad! The Hero’s Sword is almost finished being forged! Come see it right away!”
“….”

It was Eltos, a giant whose massive frame rivaled a house in size.
He came running with bright, innocent eyes and called out “Dad” to Yahwi.
Yahwi’s expression twisted as though he’d been struck in the solar plexus, letting out a pained grunt.

“The youngest is calling me Dad? No, my lord. I’m a man who died without ever getting married! Moreover, my original height was considered tall even by martial world standards, yet I couldn’t have fathered such a giant with that body. And now, with this halved dwarf form, it’s physically impossible!”

Yahwi grumbled awkwardly.
Without hesitation, I smacked the back of his small head sharply.

Whack!

“You tactless fool. Don’t say such things in front of Eltos himself.”
“My apologies!”

As Yahwi clutched his head in pain.
I slowly turned my gaze toward the massive Eltos who had approached before me.

‘….’

The rough Eltos I knew from the Temple bore countless scars across his back along with horrific burn marks.
Yet the Eltos standing before my eyes now, within this task, was unmarred by a single burn—just clean and smooth.
I recalled the bitter story Eltos had once shared with me before entering this task, and slowly surveyed my surroundings.
Why this place, the sacred mountain range of the dwarves, Ignar, was called the “Spine of Flames.”
The massive lava and active volcanoes bubbling on all sides, their gaping red mouths ready to overflow at any moment, were foretelling the tragic future that would soon befall this young giant.

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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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