243. Reward rise (1)
「Enter the common area on the 21st floor.」
In the blink of an eye, I was back at the place I had stopped before entering < The Field of Proof >.
A desolate prayer room with no one there.
I couldn’t see where Karnil, the apostle who had let me into < The Field of Proof >, had gone…
I didn’t want to pay too much attention to it.
“…”
Immediately after disabling deification, I sat down on a chair in the prayer room and stared into space.
It was worth it.
Beyond the throbbing sensation in my head, the feeling of bubbling continues.
Even the frosted ice water makes me want to chew on it.
He dismissed it as a trivial idea, since his body could no longer feel cool with such a thing anyway.
And instead of thinking about ice cold water, I turned my attention to the essential task.
Not different…
‘Do I really have to kill the administrators in the 27th floor ordeal…’
I thought about what I had heard from the God of Proof before.
Of course, this is not a reasonable doubt.
It was because I had already checked whether the words of the God of Proof were true or not with the Fire Dragon’s eyes.
And the result was a neat ‘truth’ that was not worth further weighing.
“shit….”
I knew the truth.
That this is a meaningless doubt, and 9 out of 10 probabilities the God of Proof is right.
Although the god of proof is not an ancient deity, he is a deity in a lower position…
If the future that his divine authority read through the causal law is true, then there is a high probability that it will be true.
‘And it’s not like I don’t understand why that happens.’
I frowned at him and recalled the words of the God of Proof I heard a few minutes ago.
──The trials on the 27th floor must have been prepared by the Tower to completely remove your brakes.
The ultimate goal of the Tower of Trials is to make the challenger transcend omnipotence.
In addition, in this tower, I am one of the precious candidates for the tower with an unusual growth rate.
But the top would be worried at the same time.
For some reason, it stopped growing, or it didn’t want all deities to be destroyed.
‘…Maybe the trials on the 27th floor are the tower trying to accelerate my growth.’
As a countermeasure, if the ordeal on the 27th floor was presented as a battle with the administrators, there was nothing I couldn’t understand.
A lot of things will change once you cross the last line you’ve been guarding.
Not to mention the genocide I’ve been reluctant to do so far, I can harm the innocent as much as I want.
It will reach the end of the tower with the same acceleration as if it were a cargo truck without brakes.
but….
‘It’s not very nice to go according to the tower’s will.’
If that happens, it is the picture that TOP draws, not the ending I want.
Presumably, if I reach the end of the tower as it is, I will change like a degenerate.
It was worth it.
Even if you climb the top of the tower like that, you won’t get what you want.
Oh, of course, it will be used like a tool of the tower, and it will be able to achieve the obliteration of all the divinities that it earnestly desires.
But that’s it.
You won’t get anything you want.
Perhaps that would be the worst possible outcome under the current circumstances.
‘In the end, if it breaks once, it will be used as a tool for the tower and then it will end in vain.’
After that, I leaned back in my chair for a moment and closed my eyes.
I started thinking about where I went wrong.
Then, suddenly, the words of the god of proof came to mind.
-Will new convictions dwell in you, who have no interest in anything other than becoming stronger?
“Is it a belief…”
I seemed to understand why the god of proof mentioned the word belief.
The fact that he murdered the administrators on the 27th floor and became mentally unstable must ultimately be attributed to his lack of conviction.
It is said that it is no longer a clumsy motto to actively supply power while not touching those who are not involved as much as possible.
If so, it was decided what to do.
‘From now on, I’m going to be more proactive in looking for enemies.’
So far, I’ve only picked out and dealt with those who took a hostile stance against me.
But from now on, a lot will change.
It was because the thought of promoting growth by dragging out a clumsy fight was gone.
The vigilante in the common area on the 21st floor is one such example.
‘At that time, it was like saying, ‘Come back later, or not,’ but that shouldn’t be the case.’
Even if the vigilantes guarding the common areas don’t come, I’ll put an end to my relationship with them.
That too, very thoroughly.
And get all the rewards you can get.
This is the path I will walk from now on, and it is the only path through which I can express my will as I wish in the Tower.
‘I can’t change the 27th floor ordeal anyway.’
Perhaps, if this was a device arranged by the Tower, he would have to face the ordeal on the 27th floor at least once anyway.
Avoiding the ordeal on the 27th floor as a trick is nothing more than putting off destruction for a while.
I needed the strength to fight back without backing down.
It’s also very powerful.
‘Then the correct answer is to break through head-on.’
By the time I reached the 27th floor, I had thought that I would reach a point where I could discuss negotiations with the tower.
Like the gods, they were in a position where they could exert their influence on the tower by paying the price of divine power.
And by destroying the predetermined future, I will save the iron-blooded lord and the white crane swordsman.
As they say, the simplest is the best answer…
There’s no such thing as a neat answer.
“It’s a real exhaust god…”
I smiled at him, and my eyes shone coldly.
“It’s worth a try.”
From now on, it will grow really fast.
***
After organizing my thoughts, a message from the manager appeared in my field of vision.
「The manager ‘Iron-Blooded Lord’ asked what happened to the sudden loss of sight.」
「The manager ‘Baekhakgeomseon’ expresses great concern about the apprentice’s complexion.」
That’s both.
These days, I was surprised to see him quietly watching without sending a big message.
I felt like they would keep quiet until they talked about their secret wish…
I was a bit surprised to see this message popping up all of a sudden.
But when I thought about it, I got it.
‘…Well, I must have been surprised by the sudden use of eye blocking privileges.’
You wouldn’t have thought of blackening your vision with the gaze blocking authority.
However, looking at the emotions conveyed through the system message, it seems that they do not know that I am the cause of the gaze block.
If so, it’s easier to make excuses than you think.
Just like this.
“It seems that the God of Proof temporarily cut off the administrator’s observations.”
Is it because he answered very confidently without hesitation?
「The manager ‘Iron-Blooded Lord’ advises you to speak up if you need help.」
「The manager ‘Baekhakgeomseon’ twinkles in her eyes to help with anything she can.」
These two seemed to believe that I wasn’t really the cause of the gaze block.
“I’m fine, there’s nothing to worry about.”
To that, I said that after thoroughly capturing the emotions that were revealed on the outside.
―…You lie like that without spitting.
Dam Chun-wu, who saw that, said that as if he was slightly fed up, but…
Well, if you look at it closely, you could call it a white lie.
If you tell the administrators what you heard from the God of Proof, you will make them both more difficult.
There was no need to worry unnecessarily for those who were very kind to me.
After calming down the administrators, I immediately exited the temple and then opened my inventory to check the rewards I had previously obtained.
「Specified Stat Up Potion」
「Rating: A+」
「A special potion produced by the tower that can be used on all beings with abilities.」
「When taking it, you can choose one of the stats to increase that stat by +10.」
It’s one of the rewards I got from the < Proof Stage [Step 3] >…
‘It’s intuitive.’
It had such a simple effect that I didn’t even have to look very carefully.
So there was no need to think about its use anymore.
Before long, I poured the ‘specified stat boost potion (A+)’ into my mouth.
A system message popped up and options appeared.
“You have consumed the designated stat-boosting potion (A+).”
「Choose a stat that will increase your level.」
I didn’t think that I had to pick and grow any of the abilities I had.
It was worth it.
It was because the stats he had grown through necromancy had reached a point where he couldn’t feel the lack of them.
So, I focused on the additional effects that can be obtained by raising this stat.
‘Come to think of it, it would be okay to raise the durability level.’
It reminded me of the ‘Equipment Durability Interlock (B-)’, a skill obtained after clearing < The Proof Stage [Step 2] >.
Thanks to this skill, equipment now has more profound durability, and all items that come in contact with the body have an automatic repair ability.
If you don’t have the ability to choose, it would be right to raise the durability ability.
“Selection complete.”
「Challenger Seongyoon Han’s durability increases by +10.」
‘Did I finish raising my stats with this?’
Then I took out another reward from my inventory.
Right-.
“Mirror of Faith”
「Rating: SSS-」
「Completion of Holy Relic: 0%」
“A special mirror created by the God of Proof in the hope that a certain challenger will grow in faith.”
「※When the conviction is completed by deeply responding to the emotions of the challenger Han Seong-yoon, the mirror of conviction also becomes complete as a holy relic.」
It was the final reward obtained in the < Chapter of Proof [Step 4] >.
‘I never thought they would hand over something like this.’
To be honest, I didn’t do anything in < The Field of Proof [Step 4] >, but the reward was excessive.
Even the ratings currently recorded in system messages are SSS-class.
In a word, it means that it is the second highest grade item among the relics I have seen so far…
It was a part that showed how kind the god of proof was to me.
‘…Perhaps he doesn’t want to let the tower run the way he wants.’
He was genuinely looking forward to the path I was going to take and was annoyed at the tower ruining it.
That’s why they gave such a high level of compensation.
Feeling grateful to him, I read all the explanations that popped up in the system messages.
Then I was able to figure out what type of item the Mirror of Faith was.
“Growth type item…”
no.
To be more precise, should we call it a ‘growth-type completed item’?
It was a type of item that was completed only when it grew under the condition set by the item itself.
‘It’s the completion of belief.’
It’s the first time I’ve seen this, so I was a little excited.
When the Mirror of Faith is completed, how good will it be?
Perhaps a fraudulent diversionary effect, such as a regression attached to a regressor’s wristwatch?
「The skill ‘Fire Dragon’s Eye’ is activated.」
Even looking at the detailed abilities with the Fire Dragon’s Eye skill, it was not a simple growth type completion item.
「※ The fate of challenger Han Seong-yoon is partially guided to an advantage according to various conditions.」
The Mirror of Faith had the ability to guide my fate in part to my advantage.
‘Is there such a thing as a hidden effect?’
Of course, I can’t figure out what effect this had, but…
Still, I was satisfied with this additional ability.
It was when he left the temple and walked through the forest to check all the rewards.
Suddenly, in the open street beyond the bushes, a living voice was heard.
“Stop.”
And—
Clap-!
In the blink of an eye, a knight in golden armor approached me with a sword.
“Are you the one who attacked the vigilantes in the common area on the 21st floor?”
And that, too, with the earnest shedding of life.
‘…Are you referring to the vigilantes in the common area on the 21st floor?’
I smiled at him.
It was worth it.
Even when he dealt with all of the knights in black armor, he had some intuition.
It was because he did not know that the enemy would come for revenge so quickly.
“Answer the question. If you do not respond, a somewhat coercive investigation may begin. An unknown challenger.”
I replied with a low smile at the words of the knight in golden armor.
“Come to think of it, when I entered the common area on the 21st floor, even the vigilantes said that.”
really…
“Is it characteristic of knights to hold on to anyone like this from the beginning and act as if they are justice?”
It was fun.
“…Right. Are you the worshiper of the abyss who attacked the vigilantes? Then there would be no need for long words.”
It was worth it.
“come. You evil spirit whose soul is rotten. I will judge you in the name of justice.”
Even if it’s not, I just fixed the motto that was clumsy…
Is there an opportunity to put this new motto into practice?
It was like watching a well-written script, so I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
But that was only for a moment.
“It seems that the justice you speak of is the word of the strong.”
At that, I smiled the deepest smile and held the Blood Heaven Demon Sword in my hand.
“I don’t hate that definition either.”
Guess-.
“If that’s the case, I’ll be the only justice here today.”
Today, much of this 21st floor common area seemed to change.