A few hours after returning from the Player Hunter Bureau.
A cheerful alarm announced midnight.
*Now I can climb without worry.*
Jinhyuk opened his eyes and looked around.
The tower-climbing dedicated room, which had received the most attention during this remodeling.
Every possible reinforcing material had been applied to handle whatever state he came out in.
Easy to clean, of course, and equipped with the best ventilation system.
*Thud thud thud thud thud thud!*
Rough footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The door swung open and the Kanmo Duo appeared.
"It's tower climbing time!"
"We gotta go up!"
Both were soaking wet, as if they'd been playing in the pool.
"Where's the Today-Tomorrow Duo! I'll go catch them!"
"No. I told you I'm going alone today. Doesn't seem like there'll be any fighting."
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
Kancho and Momo looked at each other in surprise.
They must have been having so much fun they forgot.
"Since you're here, let's go together."
"Great!"
"I love towers!"
Seven section reinforcement tickets and one Tower of Despair ticket.
All the materials needed to generate a floor were gathered.
He used the Saintra Final Siege Creation Ticket.
*Ding!*
[Using this will generate the unique floor 'Saintra Final Siege'!]
[Once generation is confirmed, the ticket will be consumed!]
[Entry is possible without ticket consumption until clear success or failure!]
[Floor time only flows while the player is inside!]
[Would you like to use the unique floor 'Saintra Final Siege' creation ticket?]
A smile crept across his lips.
If that last clause hadn't been there, he would have had to delay using the ticket for days.
No need for that now.
"Use."
[The ticket is being used! Generation will take a few minutes!]
Seven spheres materialized in the air.
Each sphere looked different, representing floors 74 through 80.
Bright light surged from where the creation ticket had vanished.
The light covered the mixed spheres, shifting into an eerie color.
Soon the mixture was complete, forming a sphere that was clearly ominous — a dark crimson.
*Ding!*
[The unique floor 'Saintra Final Siege' has been generated!]
[You are the first player to generate a unique floor!]
[This record will be inscribed in the Book of Achievements!]
[The fall of Saintra and the history of the century's necromancer, Mortarion, are recorded!]
[New floor information has been updated! All players can now check information related to this floor!]
Even though it was a floor that would disappear upon failure, the system put considerable effort into it.
The tower site was going to explode into chaos again.
[You may now enter Saintra Final Siege.]
[Would you like to enter?]
He firmly tucked Kancho and Momo under each arm and nodded.
The scenery shifted instantly as they scattered into fine particles.
The holy nation of Saintra's capital city, Solaum, revealed itself.
Kancho and Momo climbed onto his shoulders, looking around.
"Something feels gloomy!"
"Momo feels like she'll get depressed too!"
The atmosphere had definitely darkened.
Several times more than when he'd visited floor 72 last time.
Back then, at least there was a will to fight to the death.
Now everyone was staring at the ground with faces that looked like they'd lived their whole lives.
*Ding!*
[72 hours remain until the century's necromancer Mortarion and his legion arrive!]
[The final countdown begins!]
A massive hourglass appeared in the air.
Red sand dripped down as if it were blood made manifest.
"Commander. There's something up ahead. For some reason, my fist is itching."
He looked up at the wall.
The guide, Konuda.
What a surprise.
Instead of sprawled out in a sleeping bag, he was actually keeping watch outside.
Jinhyuk pushed off the ground and landed beside Konuda.
"Hey, Konuda."
"You've arrived."
"Seeing you a lot lately."
Konuda put on a sad expression and spoke.
"I was camping by the river. Caught a big fish. Salted it nicely, roasted it over a campfire, and was just about to take a bite."
Jinhyuk looked down at Konuda's hands.
Nothing there.
Guess he didn't bring it.
All he had was the dried drool around his mouth from imagining the taste of the fish.
*Click!*
Instead of comfort, a slingshot aimed at Konuda's side.
"So what's that supposed to mean! You got a complaint or what!"
"Eeek! A complaint? I was just saying I'm totally happy to serve you again!"
"Then say that from the start instead of laying bait!"
The Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho, strictly maintaining discipline as always.
Jinhyuk looked at poor Konuda and made a promise.
Next time he came in, he'd bring fresh fish and roast it for him.
"Konuda, what's with the city's atmosphere? Looks like everyone's already greeting the apocalypse."
"It's been like this since the scouting party returned."
"What scouting party nonsense are you talking about? The floor was just generated."
"Is that so? I've been here since yesterday."
It seemed the guide had been given a bit more time.
"Did the scouting party come back badly injured?"
"No, that's not it. But they say something unbelievable is approaching. Apparently, a certain area is visible as pitch black. I think Sir Roberto has the crystal ball with the scouting information... Ah! Sir Roberto!!"
Konuda jumped up and raised his voice.
The holy knight Roberto emerged from the palace and raised his head.
As he approached, his face was clearly marked with sorrow.
"You've arrived, Hero. I'm truly ashamed, even after you risked your life to obtain the operation order. The army is beyond anything we can handle."
Roberto held out a palm-sized crystal ball.
The memories of the ball slowly flowed out.
Recorded by Saintra's scouting party.
*Wow.*
He could see why everyone was so gloomy.
Mortarion's legion stained every place the eye could see.
An overwhelming number, so vast that even as they marched, the end was nowhere in sight.
*Kraaaaaaah!!*
A fierce roar erupted.
Holy Knight Roberto instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.
The nearby holy knights reacted similarly.
"It's over... We're all going to die."
"Oh God, how could you abandon us?"
The battle hadn't even started yet, and morale was already on the floor.
Roberto finished taking a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
He couldn't bring himself to lift his head.
Because he was afraid of what he'd see.
The last hope — the Hero — swallowed by despair.
*There's no way around it this time.*
The Hero who had saved him with overwhelming martial prowess, rooted out spies, and even stolen the operation order.
But no matter how exceptional, he was still just one human bound by the categories of possible and impossible.
Dozens of Skull Dragons — each one alone called a disaster — were marching forward wrapped in Deathfog.
He could swear this was not a force any living being could handle.
"What's this? Aren't those dragons?"
"They're so tiny! Must be babies!"
"Momo, are you dumb? What kind of dragons are those? They're way too small compared to the last ones. They're just winged worms."
"Momo is not dumb!"
"Then instead of dumb, I'll give you an IQ of 10."
"What's that! Smaller numbers are better, right?"
"The smaller the number, the closer to being an idiot."
"MOMO IS NOT DUMB AAAARGH!!!"
The Kanmo Duo tumbled together, rolling along the wall.
Was this reaction unexpected?
Holy Knight Roberto watched with a blank face.
"Ahem!"
Jinhyuk cleared his throat twice and smiled.
"There are quite a lot, but it's not unwinnable."
"Pardon...?"
Roberto kept his dazed expression as he shifted his gaze.
He knew the man before him was the Hero.
Still, he was confused.
Whether he was speaking sincerely or lying to reassure him.
"I've caught things several times bigger than these. Mooomooo!"
"Why are you calling me!"
Momo, covered in dust, came running.
Kancho was slumped in a corner of the wall, exhausted.
"Open the Infinite Storage for me. Let me show them the Black Dragon scales."
With Momo's help grunting, he spread out the scales of the Black Dragon Drakhan.
"!!!"
Seems he was quite shocked.
Roberto stepped back with his mouth open.
The nearby holy knights gathered one by one.
Even the high priests who had been having despairing meetings with Roberto emerged from the palace.
*Gulp!*
The guide Konuda looked at Jinhyuk with trembling eyes.
So this was what he'd been doing while he was gone — hunting monsters like this.
"A... A Dragon Slayer."
"The Hero was... a Slayer."
"If he's a Slayer, maybe he can cut down Skull Dragons too?"
Murmurs spread everywhere.
Soon the ranks parted, and Saintra's King Johan appeared.
A handsome middle-aged man with brilliant blonde hair.
The knights knelt on one knee to pay respects to the king.
Jinhyuk's eyes shook violently.
*Should I just follow along!?*
"The Hero need not lower himself. Please, remain as you are."
Johan nodded lightly and stood beside him.
He bent down and touched the scales.
"Unbelievably hard. How did you ever defeat such a monster...?"
"It took quite a while. As you said, the Black Dragon's scales are incredibly tough. So tough that all blades bounce off."
He didn't explain further.
What King Johan and Saintra's knights needed wasn't a story — it was a spark of hope.
He pointed at the crystal ball Roberto was holding.
"Skull Dragons, on the other hand, are just bones. You can cut them with a sword, or smash them with your fist. So."
A smile touched his lips.
"No matter how many come, there's no need to worry. As the Hero, I dare to promise you this — not a single one will reach Solaum. I'll take them all down before that happens."
King Johan's eyes twitched.
A voice with not a single tremor.
Maybe that was why.
Something that had gone cold began to come back to life.
"I can handle the Deathfog too. But I'll need a little help from Saintra for that."
Johan rose and spoke with a solemn face.
"Just say the word. I swear in the king's name. I will do anything to aid the Hero."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
The answer he'd been waiting for.
"I need equipment imbued with holy power. Can I take as much as I need?"
"Of course. Solaum has the largest armory in all of Saintra. I'll have it opened for you immediately."
"Is it okay if I take quite a bit? I need a *loooot*."
"Aside from consumables like arrows and javelins, everything else has already been distributed. What's left in storage is surplus. You may take as much as you need."
*Gulp!*
The guide Konuda broke out in a cold sweat.
Because he was looking up from his small height, he could see it.
The moment King Johan's answer came, the corners of Jinhyuk's and the greedy collector Momo's mouths shot up like they'd ascended to heaven.
The sheer, vicious greed radiating from them.
What were they plotting this time?
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T/N:
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