Chapter 196.

[You are the first Player to enter the 8th floor!]

[Welcome to 8-1F, ‘Field of Trials’ . ]

[You gain the first-entrance rewards . ]

—Your bones become sturdier .

—Your muscles become thicker .

—Your spirit power capacity increases .

[The news of your advancement will be announced to all Players in 12~36 hours . ]

[This is the ‘middle stage’ of the Tower . ]

[You can advance to 8-2F when you reach the end of the Field of Trials . ]

[Be careful! There are those who despise outsiders at the end of the Field of Trials . They will try to hinder your advancement . ]

[But when you reach the end after breaking through all obstacles, they will acknowledge you . ]

I arrived at the 8th floor, or more precisely, the floor 8-1 . I was close to the half-way mark of the Tower of Wish . Strictly speaking, I had climbed about 40% of the whole thing .

But in a way, it wasn’t wrong to call it 60~70% as I would climb much quicker after the 9th floor .

In the original story, the 9th~14th floors ended in about 7 chapters . Of these, about three were about the 9th floor’s ‘calamities’ .

“Huu…”

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes .

A beautiful scenery spread out before my eyes . A vast grassfield, blue and clear sky, sunlight streaming down from cracks in white clouds… Staring at the horizon, I examined Aether, which was fully fused with my body .

===

[Aether Infused with Neurotech Chip – Awakened, Fused] [Mystic – Formless] [Evolving]

A corporeal but formless weapon . Adheres to its master or his weapon, reinforcing their strength .

A portion of its potential was awakened through a mystical elemental’s power .

○Master Selection

*Will not adhere to another being once a master is chosen .

○Physical Body Reinforcement

*Increases all variable stats of its owner by 0 . 7 points .

○Weapon Reinforcement

*Adheres to its master’s weapon and strengthens the weapon’s attack power . Aether itself can also form a weapon . (Current weapon-form Aether rank – ‘high rank’)

○Detail Materialization

*Aether can manifest color and texture (cannot be too complex) .

○Evolving Weapon

All of the above functions evolve with its owner . Depending on the state of Aether’s awakening, other functions can develop .

▷Mysteries of Science

—Fused with the Neurotech Chip, Aether has been connected to your veins and internal organs .

○Internal Strengthening

—Increases physical stats by 1 . 4 points .

○Battle Sense

—Aether can support you in battle .

○Mechanical Movement

—Can concentrate your body’s kinetic energy to desired parts of your body .

===

While I was tracking Jin Sahyuk, I was able to experience firsthand the benefits of the new Aether .

“…It sure is amazing . ”

The new Aether had completely changed my body’s mechanism . I felt the change when I sniped Jin Sahyuk from a distance . As common sense would show, humans were incapable of shooting a target from 3 kilometers away . The same applied to superhumans in this world . This was precisely why archers used ‘magic arrows’, which had almost zero air resistance .

However, I was able to hit such a faraway target with a physical arrow . This couldn’t be explained with just a Gift . Having to see the target was one thing, but to shoot an arrow that far, one’s bowstring also had to be strong enough . If a bowstring was strong, the ‘strength’ needed to pull the arrow also increased drastically . That was why such a shot was normally impossible without the help of Stigma .

But after Aether fused with the neurotech chip which was connected to my body, my body moved like a machine when I was pulling on the bowstring . With Mechanical Movement, I was able to display power that surpassed what I could display alone . At the same time, I could feel that an invisible force was helping me move .

“…By the way, can I take this with me when I return to Earth?”

I asked the system .

[Yes . A few special items acquired inside the Tower can be brought to the outside world . ]

[TIP! The same applies to the ‘Mysterious Pouch’ in your inventory . ]

“Thanks . That’s good to know . ”

With this, my strength was greatly enhanced .

‘Let’s worry about the outside world later and focus on clearing the 8th floor . ’ I surveyed the surrounding area and muttered quietly .

“Summon . ”

In an instant, a black clump of light descended from the sky . This acted as a portal that transported a black horse to this floor .

—Prrr .

Sannuri snorted unhappily as she was wet with warm water .

“…You were taking a bath?”

—Prr .

She narrowed her eyes and nodded .

“Sorry, but there’s something for you to do right now . ”

I took out special pieces of armor that I made for her to wear . They were also made with dark ore and each piece easily reached Lv . 5 .

Click, click .

Chest, back, head… . Soon, most of her body became covered in armor . I even fed her ‘body strengthening medicine’ just in case .

“All done . How is it?”

—Prrr, prrr .

She seemed to like it as her eyes arced to a smile .

“Nuri, this field stretches for about 200 kilometers . ”

This floor was fairly simple . We just had to travel through the field and reach the end . Of course, that didn’t mean it was easy . The world looked bright and beautiful from the starting line I was standing on, but the moment I took a step forward, the earth should turn black, the sky should turn red, and unimaginably powerful blasts of magic power should rain down on me .

However, I believed in Sannuri .

“You think you can do it?”

—Prrrrr .

As expected, Sannuri was full of confidence .

Before setting out, there was one last thing I had to do .

I took out the [Special Skill Acquisition Book – Lv . 4 Algorithm] from my inventory .

“Use . ”

I learned the special skill without hesitation . Since I just experienced Aether’s power firsthand, this skill was worth the investment .

With this single skill, Aether would reach a whole new level of power .

[You acquire Lv . 4 Algorithm . ]

[Lv . 4 Algorithm]

[Equipment you wield will become stronger and more precise . ]

[You can now set or change your body’s physical response algorithm . ]

“Algorithm set, Aether, automatic defense . ”

[‘Aether’ is connected to your body . ]

[‘Aether’ will now defend against hostile attacks on its own . ]

“Algorithm set, Aether, skill delegation, [Extraction and Permanent Materialization] . ”

[‘Aether’ has been delegated a skill . ]

From now, Aether should cleverly protect me from any attacks coming my way .

As for its power… I could start testing it now .

I jumped on Sannuri .

“Nuri, run to the end of this world!”

—Prrrr!

She responded enthusiastically .

Since she was so confident, I wasn’t worried either .

I pulled on her rein .

—Hiiing!

Sannuri shot forward like the wind, stepping into the field . At the same time, the scenery changed, and arrows began to rain down on us from the distance .

Sannuri zigzagged masterfully, and Aether blocked any attacks that Sannuri couldn’t avoid .

“Hiyaa!”

Sannuri reacted to my spirited shout . At the same time, magic cannon shells shot up from the horizon . Their goal was to blow up the ground to force me to stop .

This time, Aether reacted first .

Using [Extraction and Permanent Materialization], Aether crystalised the magic cannon shells before they touched the ground . The explosives were no longer a threat, and Sannuri charged forward without hindrance .

Meanwhile, I stared into the horizon at the ones firing arrows and magic…

“Wait a minute . ”

Suddenly, I felt a bit drowsy . Strength left my body, saliva leaked out from my mouth, and the world spun .

‘…Why is there an illusion circle there?’

The moment I laid my eyes on the illusion circle in the distance, my mind fell into chaos .

“Urgh… . ”

Normally, I wouldn’t have fallen for such a thing so easily . However, my Thousand-Mile Eyes could see the illusion circle clearer than anyone else, and when the circle entered my eyes, my body stopped . I had to drink a potion to cure myself, but I couldn’t remember which one I needed .

My head turned blank .

I leaned against Sannuri’s back .

Thankfully, Aether’s automatic defense was still working, and Sannuri was unhurt .

As such, I could only trust in them for now . That they would protect me until I woke up…

**

[Lv . 8 Chameleon Troupe’s Hideout]

Prestige’s Players thought this building belonged to a rich NPC . Naturally, it was the best-looking building outside of Medea’s palace .

Currently, a discussion was being held regarding the ‘rest day’ suggested by the Tower’s main guilds .

“Are you also returning?”

Boss asked Jain .

“Yep~ ah, by the way, take a look at this, Boss~”

Jain took out a small box as she grinned ear to ear . The box was filled with shiny jewels .

“…What are these?”

“Jewels I can take out of the Tower~”

Items that could be taken to Earth . Such items were called ‘effective goods’ and were sold for a high price . Most effective goods were ores or gemstones . Jain had refined bought gemstones from the auction house and turned them into jewels .

“What are they good for?”

“I’m going to keep a few of them for viewing only and turn the rest into necklaces and other accessories~”

“…Ask Hajin to do that for you . ”

Hajin’s craftsmanship was far superior to most artisans .

“Ah, good idea~”

“Rather than that, where’s Gyeong and Jin Yohan?”

“Cheok Jungyeong is training his special skill right now . Secret March, I think it was called…? Jin Yohan’s been having fun training a basic skill too, so I don’t think either of them are leaving . ”

Boss nodded . Then, she thought about her position for a moment before looking at her messenger .

Extra7: 「Boss, when you get to the 7th floor, don’t skimp out and buy the 5000TP chip . You can go to the bank there and tell them my name . I left a currency called Cash for you, so you’ll be able to buy the 8th floor ticket immediately . 」

Tap, tap .

While Boss was typing up a response with her inexperienced fingers, Spartan’s eyes suddenly shot open .

“PIEEEEEK—!”

“Kyaak!”

Jain jumped at Spartan’s sudden shriek and fell on her butt .

However, Spartan’s rampage didn’t stop .

“PIEEEK—! PIEEEK—!”

“W-What’s going on? What’s wrong with him?”

“PIEEEEEEK—!”

Taken aback, Jain blocked her ears and tried to drown out the sound . On the other hand, Boss calmly examined Spartan .

PIEEEK— PIEEEK—

Not only was Spartan shrieking, but he was also pulling on her clothes . He seemed to want to take her somewhere .

“What’s…”

Then suddenly, Boss was struck with a bad feeling . She quickly opened her friendlist and looked for Extra7’s location .

[Current location – ???F]

Question marks . It meant he was at least on the 7th floor . Spartan seemed to be going crazy because he had lost his connection to his master .

“…Don’t tell me . ”

The small ripple in Boss’ heart quickly grew bigger .

“Jain, wait for me here . ”

“What? Why? What happened?”

Boss didn’t reply .

She put on the most serious expression she’d had in 3 years and tore up the ticket to the 7th floor .

**

[6F, Splendor]

Woong .

Magic power undulated like falling cherry blossom petals .

A longsword transformed into several blades, stabbing a black bear . Neck, stomach, arm, leg… the parts of the body touched by the longsword immediately froze cold .

The bear’s injury would have easily been critical for a human .

KUOOO—!

Even so, the [Lv . 6 Gem Black Bear] moved . It brandished its claw to wound its opponent .

Clang—!

A longsword clashed with its claw .

On the moment of impact, the magic power condensed around the longsword exploded once again . KWANG—! The explosion swept the black bear’s face, putting an end to the fight .

“…Hua . ”

Immediately afterwards, Chae Nayun wiped off her sweat with a sigh . A mountain-sized bear promptly fell next to her .

A one-on-one victory .

The monster she had been chasing for two days had finally been killed .

Speed of growth was indeed unimaginably fast inside the Tower .

Chae Nayun turned back without much thought when a system window popped up .

[Pick up the items, will you?]

“Hm?”

Chae Nayun turned around, hearing the system message . Indeed, an item list was projected above the bear’s corpse .

“Oh right, thanks . ”

She thanked the system and put the items into her inventory .

===

[Lv . 5 Invitation Letter to the Love Room]

○Summoning

—You can summon a chosen Player to your location . Note, you cannot be in a battlefield when using this item .

[Lv . 3 Infinitely Multiplying Origami Letter]

○Lv . 3 Delivery of Feelings

—You can send a letter to a Player whenever you wish .

[Lv . 6 Gem Black Bear’s Gall Bladder]

○Lv . 5 Medicine

—Eating this will probably increase your stats .

===

Consumable items that randomly dropped from monsters such as the [Heart-Piercing Magnifying Glass] and [Card of Fate] often had amazing and mystical effects .

“…Are any of these good?”

At least for Chae Nayun, the item drops this time didn’t seem all that useful . She didn’t want to summon anyone, and she didn’t want to send any letters either .

“Guess I’ll sell everything other than the gall bladder…”

When she was about to take her leave, she was struck with a sudden flash of insight . Rather, she remembered the reason she entered the Tower of Wish in the first place .

“… . ”

Chae Nayun looked at the [Invitation Letter to the Love Room] .

—You can summon a chosen Player to your location .

Its description made her think of only one person .

After staring at the item with trembling eyes, she clenched her teeth with a light sigh .

“I don’t know his nickname anyways . ”

Faulting her stupidity, Chae Nayun began to walk back to her companions . She left the Dark King Mountain Range and headed towards the Hot Spring of Peace .

Soon, she discovered Yi Jiyoon and Kim Suho, who were busily chatting by the hot spring . She was about to call out to them when she overheard their conversation and quickly hid herself .

—…Really?

Kim Suho had a surprised expression . Next to him, Yi Jiyoon was making a mischievous face .

—Yeah~ really~

—Wow… ha… ha .

Kim Suho then returned an astonished laugh .

‘What are they talking about…?’ Chae Nayun wondered . However, the words that followed prevented her from speaking out .

—Hajin really came to see Chae Nayun?

—Ah, quiet! Keep your voice down . It’s still a secret… .

**

I opened my eyes .

To my surprise, I was looking at an unfamiliar ceiling . It was okay that the ceiling was unfamiliar, but why was there a ceiling on floor 8-1?

“…?”

And why was I lying down on such a comfy surface?

Looking around, I realized that I was on a bed . There was even a blanket over me .

‘Where am I? There isn’t a system alert, so I couldn’t have died . ’

“You’re awake?”

At that moment, a low, scary voice rang out . I glanced towards the direction of the voice . A muscular man was standing by a door .

“…Who are you?”

“If it were up to me, I would have let an outsider like you die outside, but…”

The man began to mumble about something that had nothing to do with my question . This guy… he was a proper NPC .

“Consider yourself lucky . The Ironblood Duchess wished to keep you alive . ”

“Ironblood Duchess?”

I asked with genuine curiosity . Who the hell was that?

“Right . ”

“Er, who’s… or rather, where am I?”

“This is the Crevon Frontier . ”

“…?”

I fell into greater confusion .

Crevon? That was the name of the second residential area, a civilized world with magic and science . Furthermore, the ‘World’s End Bridge’ I needed to protect was also located at the eastern end of this residential area .

“How is your body?”

The NPC suddenly asked how I was doing . Before replying, I checked the NPC’s information fist .

[Lv . 8 Royal Guard]

“Ah, yes, I’m fine… . ”

“Then get up . Ironblood Duchess wishes to see you . ”

“…Yes, sir . ”

I got up without much thought . Since I was unhurt, I wanted to satiate my curiosity first – finding out how I came here and about this ‘Ironblood Duchess’ .

“Oh right . ”

When I came out to the hallway, I suddenly remembered about Bucephalus . She was most likely 80% of the reason I was alive .

“Where’s my horse?”

“In the stables . ”

“…Is she getting along?”

“No, all the other horses were kicked out by her . She’s quite a violent one . She’s galloping around the front lawn right now . ”

“…Kuhum, sorry . ”

Considering her personality, I wouldn’t have believed him if he said she was getting along with common horses . Only a horse on a similar level like Red Hare should meet her eyes .

In any case, I followed the NPC and walked forward .

But even after walking for several minutes and opening door after door, no end came to sight . Was I in a maze, or was this a prison? After passing through dozens of doors, I finally arrived at a giant door .

“It is my honor!”

The NPC guiding me greeted the two knights guarding the door .

[Lv . 12 Moonlight Knight]

The two knights in full platemails lightly nodded in response .

“…You may leave . ”

“Yes!”

The NPC backed off respectfully . After he left through the door, the knights grabbed the doorknob .

“The Ironblood Duchess wishes to…”

—Geez, just let him in already .

Before the knights could carry out the formalities, an annoyed voice rang out from the other side of the door .

The knights coughed awkwardly, then opened the door .

“You may go in . ”

I walked through the door .

Despite the flamboyant decorations on my way here, the reception room was rather informal and empty . In the center of the room was a long wooden table, and a person was sitting at its head .

“Hiya~”

When she spoke, my mind blanked for a moment .

“…Eh?”

I couldn’t think of anything as though the neurons in my brain were malfunctioning .

“Where’s your reply?”

“…Eh?”

Slightly brown skin, athletic figure, and a beautiful foreign look .

The woman sitting in front of me was unfamiliar yet all too familiar .

“…Heh, I’m… hehe, the Ironblood… hehe, Ironblood Duchess . ”

I stood dumbstruck in front of the woman who introduced herself as the Ironblood Duchess .

How was she here? She was someone who shouldn’t be here!

As my head spun with countless questions, she continued .

“Don’t tell me you forgot about me?”

I didn’t reply .

I couldn’t .

I was incapable of understanding what was going on .

“We went to the same school together . ”

The questions filling up my mind all boiled down to a single one .

How was she here?

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