[Greedy Collector Momo's Unique Trait 'Rights Usurpation' is activated!]
[The rights to the ancient tome held by the Necromancer of the Century are transferred from the Tower of Despair to Player Yoo Jin-hyuk!]
'Take care of the tower.'
After leaving a brief farewell, I took possession of the mysterious ancient tome.
I carefully flipped through it, but it was filled with nothing but unreadable characters.
The fact that auto-translation didn't work was proof that it wasn't a language from our world.
"Ssssssh! Eliaaaaaaak!!"
Maybe it was because I called for help a second time.
My friends from Solaum began to manifest one by one.
"Master, you called... Ooh?!"
She must have spotted what was in my hand.
Elia rushed over in a single bound and hovered around the ancient tome.
"This is an incredibly old book, huh? I can smell treasure on it."
"Sharp, aren't you? The Great Empress Dowager picked it out as the best one. What do you think? Can you read it?"
"Ahem!"
She cleared her throat and spun around once, showing off.
"Who do you think I am? Hand it over."
"As expected of the Star Alchemist!"
I carefully handed over the ancient tome.
She opened the pages with bravado, but only for a moment.
Elia rubbed her chin.
"Hmm. Huh?! Hmm."
Seeing Elia let out strange noises, I cautiously spoke up.
"You can't read it."
"Busted, huh? But there's no need to despair! There's nothing I can't decipher."
Elia gave a thumbs-up and opened the workshop door.
Through the open door, objects came tumbling out in a flood.
Just how messily piled up does it have to be for this to happen?
No, first of all, where and how does she even make potions?!
While a multitude of question marks popped into my head.
Elia, who had been buried and sifting through things, straightened up.
"Alright, alright. Found it."
"Oh? The letters look similar to what's in the ancient tome? What book is that?"
"Roughly, it's like an ancient script that ancestor necromancers used to encrypt things? Even necromancers from a certain era onward didn't know about it?"
Encrypted ancient script.
It sounded incredibly impressive, making a proud snort escape me.
And since the Great Empress Dowager Teacher had verified it as the best, it couldn't be an ordinary item.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Elia."
"Leave it to me! Just feed me every now and then. Oh, and tea and coffee too. And some sweet desserts would be nice."
"I'll make sure to pack it all in."
She shot another thumbs-up and slipped back into the Star Workshop.
The door wouldn't close, so I had to push it shut from the outside.
Thud!
As soon as the door closed, I went back to Momo.
I didn't say anything.
The Great Empress Dowager Teacher was in hyper-focus mode right now.
Step by step.
I looked at Kancho, who had walked up beside me.
"Kancho."
"Yodel Ranger Vice-Captain Kancho!"
"Why is your fur all torn up?"
Kancho shook his head as if there was no point in explaining.
Seems like a lot happened.
"While I was firing the heavy machine gun, Momo kept pulling my ears like joysticks."
"So you moved the barrel to match."
"If I didn't move, she pulled like she was going to rip them off. Commander, are my ears okay? One might have gotten pulled out."
"They're perfectly fine. Don't worry."
I quickly smoothed down the fur sticking out in all directions.
His perky ears were a mess from all the pulling.
I'd have to manage them with some supplements when we got back.
"Alright! I took everything!"
Momo stood up abruptly, wiping her forehead.
I quickly bent down to examine the items she had taken from Mortarion.
Two rings and one oddly shaped sphere.
Ring!
[Acquired the Necromancer's Ring 'Soul Veritas'! / Grade: Unique / Level Requirement: 100]
Mana Increase: 100.
Unique Skill: Interrogation.
Forces a soul to answer.
The soul cannot refuse and cannot speak falsehoods.
Usable outside the Tower of Despair as well.
[Acquired the Ring of Authority 'Deathmandate'! / Grade: Transcendence / Level Requirement: 1]
The ring that made Mortarion the Necromancer of the Century.
There were many necromancers more skilled than Mortarion.
But they could never defeat Mortarion.
Unique Skill: Absolute Command.
Commands forced death upon undead-type beings.
No matter who commands the undead, or by what means they were revived, they cannot defy the authority of Absolute Command.
As it is a mighty authority, a powerful curse of corrosion imbues the user with each use.
Usable outside the Tower of Despair as well.
My heart pounding, I placed my hand on it.
I could accept Soul Veritas.
But with the next item, I had to rub my eyes.
After blinking a couple of times, I checked the item description again.
Transcendeeeeence!?!?
I hadn't misread it.
It really dropped.
And it was usable outside the tower too.
I took a deep breath and checked the item's options.
Level requirement 1, no additional mana.
The single unique skill attached to it was absurd.
Pronouncing forced death upon all undead.
It was an item that would make every necromancer class in the world lose their minds.
If I put it up on the auction house, it would probably fetch an astronomical price.
Both necromancers and those who had to deal with necromancers would come running, foaming at the mouth.
Of course.
'Yeah, not selling.'
I had no intention of selling it.
I quickly equipped it.
[The Transcendence-grade ring Deathmandate becomes bound upon equipping. Binding is released upon the wearer's death. Would you like to equip it?]
Equip!
[Deathmandate is now bound to Player Yoo Jin-hyuk!]
[From now on, you can use the authority 'Absolute Command'!]
[A terrible curse of corrosion will imbue you immediately upon use! You will have to endure unimaginable pain for this authority!]
It's a ring that's not easy to use unless you're a skeletal necromancer like Mortarion.
Because every time you use it, your flesh would rot away.
I reached out my hand.
[Absolute Command]
Ring!
A blood-red message window appeared the moment I used it.
[A powerful curse of corrosion imbues you!]
Of course, within a second.
Ring!
[All Status Effect Resistance SSS+ is activated! You are immune to the curse!]
The curse of corrosion was deflected.
A satisfied smile spread across my lips.
I couldn't help but praise myself once again.
My own judgment for choosing this trait among the many options.
Ah, and also the advice of my master, Seira, who cut through my worries in one stroke.
'I don't need mana right now.'
After assessing the options, I walked over to Kamela, who was still blowing smoke.
"Kamela. How's this ring?"
"Hm? Why aren't you using it, Master?"
"I can't handle alchemy well enough to need mana yet. And the option seems perfect for you."
"Oh?"
Kamela examined the ring and nodded.
"It's an interesting ring. I'll use it well."
She gave a thumbs-up, and I examined the last item.
No matter how I looked at it, I couldn't figure out what it was for.
The system's description was also vague.
[Mysterious Sphere]
A sphere that came out from somewhere.
Contains a power of unknown origin.
Requires appraisal from an excellent appraiser to identify its function.
From the mysterious ancient tome to the sphere.
Maybe because he was a necromancer who had lived for a long time, he spat out a lot of strange things.
'Hmm. Which one could it be.'
The unique skill I acquired after achieving the Collector-grade rare, Card Finder.
Card Finder had informed me that the trace of the next card was in Saint-rat's Last Siege.
So far, nothing definitive had come up.
I figured I might find it in either the tome or the sphere.
"I never got to use an assault rifle."
Kancho fiddled with the gun, looking disappointed.
Still, maybe because he got to blast away with the heavy machine gun, he seemed to have relieved his stress.
I brushed off my hands and looked around at my friends.
"We cleared the floor, but we still have a crucial mission left."
"Is it to destroy the castle too since we cleared it?!"
Kancho swallowed dryly as he looked at me.
As expected, he's the smallest but the scariest friend.
"You remember the things we threw around and placed everywhere, right?"
"Hwiiiiiiing!!!"
Momo, the first to react, snorted.
"How were the statues placed around Solaum?"
Seira shook her head.
"Death Fog came right up close. The golden statues absorbed it, so there was no damage, but."
Ssssh!
Still, it's too early to give up hope.
"Most of them are probably contaminated and unusable, but there should be some intact ones. Let's search every nook and cranny and take as much as we can. Even a little."
"We have to take it! Gold is super expensive!"
Gold prices are skyrocketing these days.
I can't afford to miss even a single gram.
"Alright! Let's go! Gold Excavation Team!"
"Woooo!"
"Moving out!"
They seem to be getting excited.
Momo and Kancho led the way, reacting more enthusiastically than anyone else.
Just as I was about to follow, a hand landed on my shoulder.
"You're getting stronger by the day, Master."
Seira was looking at the undead corpses still lying around.
As a Sword Master, she had noticed it immediately.
How one-sided the battle here had been.
How everyone had been cut down with a single clean sword strike.
"Of course I have to get stronger. I'm being taught by a great master."
Why is it?
I was definitely thinking about the lessons, but only the memories of being beaten with a wooden sword flashed through my mind like a panorama.
Seira shook her head.
"Accepting teachings patiently without rushing is also an innate talent. I don't think I need to worry about you anymore."
"That's not allowed."
"Hm?"
I pulled Seira's arm and clasped it tightly with both hands.
"I want you to worry about me always, no matter where or when. And if it looks dangerous, come rescue me right away!"
I meant it.
I still only have one life.
I need looking after.
A bright smile spread across Seira's lips.
"Your master's needs are a knight's great joy. I will always watch over you. From the beginning, unchanged."
"Good, good."
I gave a thumbs-up while still holding her arm and started walking.
Let's hurry too.
To pick up gold.
* * *
Seoul Central Player Hunter Agency.
Everyone stared blankly into space with stunned faces.
What on earth had happened?
There were still three or four hours left until the Necromancer of the Century, Mortarion, was supposed to arrive.
Time had been flowing faster at some point, but it was still before the timeout.
Yet, for some reason, the system began broadcasting loudly.
Announcing the clear of the Unique Floor, Saint-rat's Last Siege.
"Uh... This is a clear, right?"
"It says clear... but did the battle even start?"
Yoon Mi-ri, tapping on her keyboard, brought up the Tower Site.
"The Honor Roll just updated. From floor 74 to 80, all SSS+. It seems the battle ended normally."
"Which means."
Cheon Se-yeon and Jin Yun-ho looked at each other's faces.
It pointed to one thing.
Before it even properly began, Runner Yoo Jin-hyuk had finished it off.
The Necromancer of the Century and his undead army.
Just as they were about to let out a hollow laugh.
Ring!
A new message appeared.
And everyone was left speechless.
It was something they had never expected at all.
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T/N:
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