I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 13

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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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Chapter 13. Back to The Tower
“I see. You have no money, then… Well, that’s understandable. Most lords forget ledgers exist in the first place, so it’s only natural you might feel the same way.”
[Netanel Fragma’s favorability has decreased.]
“Thanks to Golden Scales’ blessing, it’s practically a miracle, but since we’re not in crisis now, you might not want to repay it.”
[Netanel Fragma’s favorability has decreased.]
[Netanel Fragma’s favorability is now very low!]
Netanel’s favorability plummeted into the negatives in an instant—clearly my words had done nothing to help.
I’d known this would happen, but watching her favorability actually tank like this made me a bit nervous.
At least loyalty didn’t exist as a stat, so I couldn’t be criticized on that front. Though I wasn’t sure if that counted as fortunate.
Camilia opened her mouth, affecting composure.
“Calm yourself. I haven’t finished speaking.”
“So you’re just going to exile me without repaying, or are you planning to cut off my head too? Either way, one more curse on this already cursed city…”
“I’ll pay in installments.”
Before Netanel could continue, Camilia quickly added:
“With interest.”
At her confident declaration, Netanel faltered.
She stared at the lord’s terrifyingly beautiful face—one whose thoughts were nearly impossible to read—and asked back:
“…You’ll repay it?”
“Aren’t debts meant to be repaid?”
‘…Repay it? Really?’
I’d feigned anger and disappointment, but truthfully, I’d expected exactly this outcome.
Nobility, by nature, treats the wealth of those beneath them as their own.
There was no reason to honor a mere verbal promise.
Especially not from Nidst’s lord, who was no ordinary noble—she was a heretic.
A fervent heretic who despised the gods, forbade temples in her territory, and banned priests from entering.
It wouldn’t have been strange if she’d said contracts with priests meant nothing and she’d simply roast me on a spit instead.
Yet she was saying she’d repay it, even in installments?
‘Why on earth?’
Was her health failing?
Was she trying to keep me by her side as a priest to tend to her condition?
Either way, if I could remain in Nidst, it wasn’t a loss.
If luck favored me, I might enter The Tower several more times, and then I’d have the chance to find ‘that’.
Having quickly calculated, Netanel asked with a bright smile:
“…Are you certain? The dedication fee I must pay is substantial, so the interest won’t be trivial.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Even though the principal alone is 360 platinum coins?”
In gold coins, that was 36,000—an astronomical sum approaching a small territory’s annual tax revenue.
“Is a miracle truly so expensive?”
Rohengreen’s bewilderment was evident enough that he’d voiced the question. Realizing his rudeness only after speaking, he quickly bowed his head.
“My apologies. I was disrespectful.”
Camilia waved her hand dismissively.
It was understandable to be flustered—a single dungeon expedition had already consumed such an enormous sum.
The monthly payments from installments couldn’t be ignored, so she likely worried the Territory’s finances would deteriorate further.
‘Don’t worry, Rohengreen. Your lord can handle everything.’
In fact, I could resolve it immediately if needed.
I could drop hints about ‘that thing’ Netanel was searching for—the one she was pursuing even at the cost of enduring the humiliation(?) of donation installments.
But that was merely a last resort.
To raise Netanel’s loyalty, I had no choice but to repay her with money.
Camilia tapped the armrest of her chair and opened her mouth.
“Regarding the donation payments, have my Steward discuss it with you. As for me, let’s negotiate an additional contract.”
“An additional contract, you say?”
Camilia smiled faintly as she spoke.
“It means I cannot allow a creditor’s priest to wander freely through my Territory.”
Understanding her meaning, Netanel smiled like a fox in return.
“As long as you don’t present an unreasonable contract this time, I’m willing.”
The ensuing negotiation was quite fierce. Yet ultimately, both parties reached an agreement satisfactory to them both.
[Netanel Fragma has sworn allegiance to you!]
Duration: 12 months
Loyalty: 5/100
Affinity: -5/100(…)
I’d accumulated a solid 5 loyalty points, and the affinity that had plummeted to rock bottom had risen to -5—by any measure, this was a success.
Satisfied, Camilia rose from her office chair.
“Then let’s head to The Tower.”
At that, Rohengreen Ashen asked in bewilderment.
“Pardon? You mean to go to The Tower, my lord?”
It hadn’t even been half a day since she’d regained consciousness, and the cleanup from the incident wasn’t finished yet.
Camilia spoke calmly to him, whose expression conveyed his concerns.
“As for external matters, perhaps. But only I can verify whether the seal is secure. Naturally, I must personally inspect it.”
For one day following re-sealing, all monsters and mechanisms on that floor vanished.
There was some lore about purification and temporarily recovering the original state, but it was essentially a game convenience feature designed to let players collect items and fill the dungeon map to 100%.
Floor 1’s collectibles weren’t much, but gathering them couldn’t hurt.
While I was at it, I might as well verify the glitch was functioning properly, and check the inventory and system as well.
But most importantly—
‘A special treasure chest appears after re-sealing!’
[Loading… 58%]
[Tip: Immediately after re-sealing, that floor has neither monsters nor traps. For one day, you can wander The Tower as leisurely as taking a stroll. But can that truly be called safe?
The most terrifying thing in The Tower is not monsters….]
Right, I know. In dungeons, people are the scariest.
‘But who am I?’
Despite suffering endless slander and exploitation, I am the master of this Territory and the master of The Tower.
Afraid of meeting someone else inside The Tower?
System Settings → Dungeon Management → Gate Access Authority → Floor 1, click “My Party Only” once and you’re done.
Adventurers who suddenly got ejected out of the dungeon while searching for a comrade’s remains or belongings will curse, but what can you do? The Tower’s owner wants to use it.
And so Camilia entered Tower 1st Floor, now devoid of any presence, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light.
“…Something feels different about the air compared to before.”
“Wow, there really are no monsters? Is this the effect of the re-sealing the employer mentioned?”
“Everyone, be quiet. You’re disturbing the Castle Lord.”
Of course, I’d brought my party members along carefully.
In a game where one careless moment means getting stabbed in the back, going in alone would be like offering my neck on a platter.
No matter how safe things seemed, there was no guarantee that some 0.01% probability disaster wouldn’t rear its head again.
“Let’s move out. We’re heading to the Seal Chamber.”
Having done this once before, my party members skillfully formed a formation around me.
Though our entry point was somewhat on the periphery, with no monsters present and the map function available, it didn’t take long to reach the Seal Chamber—the Boss Room.
“Oh….”
An exclamation escaped Netanel Fragma’s lips.
The Boss Room he’d first seen was merely a chamber with an enormous door adorned with golden decorations.
But now the Boss Room had transformed into an extraordinarily mystical space, surrounded by dozens of magic circles that radiated unmistakable sanctity.
‘The effects were insane even in the game, but seeing it in reality is something else.’
I marveled as well, but right now there was something more important than sightseeing.
First, I needed to verify how much of the game system was actually implemented.
“Everyone, step back.”
I pushed my party members behind me and placed my hand on the magic circle.
As if resonating with me, the magic circle blazed with light and displayed a system window.
[Seal Chamber (Floor 1)]
-This Seal Chamber is currently empty.
-No active boss effects detected.
※If there is no ‘malevolent entity’ in the Seal Chamber, experience gain rate and item drop rate will be reduced.
‘Right, exactly like the game.’
The Dark Tower’s main content, ‘The Tower,’ operates on an extremely complex system.
Clearing it wasn’t the end—it required constant maintenance.
Among these, the most insidious was this ‘Seal Chamber Management’ content.
To break through all 99 floors while gearing up and gaining experience, you needed to manage the seals carefully without breaking them.
The ‘evil’ trapped in a Seal Chamber was both a prisoner and simultaneously an energy generator sustaining The Tower.
Players typically had four management options to choose from.
First: Beat the original boss senseless and re-seal it.
Second: Capture monsters from outside The Tower and stuff them in.
Third: Create a homunculus and place it inside.
Fourth: Stuff in comrades or NPCs.
When it was just a game, I’d breezed past the system with “You can farm dungeons by grinding through comrades. It’s common sense in dark fantasy, right? (laughs),” but now that it was reality, I couldn’t laugh about it at all.
Zehar Al Rashid, worried by the frown etched on my face as I studied the seal, asked carefully.
“My lord, is something the matter…? Are you feeling unwell?”
Camilia withdrew her hand from the magic circle and answered calmly.
“No. The seal is intact. We need not concern ourselves with this any further.”
“Thank goodness. Shall we return now?”
Rohengreen asked, following Zehar’s lead. Like Zehar, he said nothing, yet his eyes betrayed his concern for Camilia’s condition as he studied her complexion repeatedly.
These fools worry so, but even a frail lord has duties to fulfill.
“No, what comes next is rather enjoyable, actually.”
Camilia smiled at them with a touch of mischief and spoke.
“Have you all ever tried treasure hunting?”

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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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