Chapter 11
A staggering amount of money was deposited into my bank account.
I had no idea the magic stones obtained from clearing the fifth floor were worth so much.
My hands trembled as I stared at an amount I’d never seen before, but I quickly collected myself and contacted Capital to pay off all my remaining loans and interest.
Good riddance, you bastards. Go to hell.
How much interest were they even charging me? Keep that up, and you’ll explode from overindulgence.
Although my account has reverted to being empty, my heart feels much lighter.
Should I cook something delicious for my younger sister today?
On my way home, I stopped by the market for groceries and wandered over to the butcher’s section—a mistake I’ll regret for the rest of my life.
“Oh, look who it is! Isn’t this the guy who almost hit the jackpot? What happened?”
“Ahaha, still almost there.”
“Ha! You crack me up, kid. Here, have this on the house!”
Only in this country could you buy pork belly and receive soup meat as a bonus, thanks to the generosity of the people.
Blushing, I thanked him and bolted out of there, but it was already too late.
Apparently, all the market employees knew.
Ah, the power of the auntie network is incredible.
At this point, it’s a blessing that I didn’t change my membership card nickname from “Lottery Runner-Up.”
There aren’t many floors left before the tenth.
Once I pass the tenth floor, I’ll finally be acknowledged as an awakened individual, and I’ve heard that my abilities will also improve significantly.
Is that true?
I want the association to reevaluate my rank and certify me as S-rank. Would this be enough?
If I become an S-rank hunter, I could receive government support and start my sister’s rehabilitation.
And not just anywhere—under the care of the best medical team in South Korea.
Considering how strong Veronica’s power has become, capable of hunting variant monsters, reaching S-rank should be within reach, right?
The tenth floor.
Let’s clear the tenth floor first and head straight to the association.
Instead of joining a guild, I’d rather sign an exclusive contract with the association and have them accommodate my needs.
Unlike guilds that are profit-driven, the association is nonprofit, which makes it relatively better.
Though the salary might be lower, there are other advantages.
For instance, the association could provide an elixir.
That would eliminate the need for arduous rehabilitation treatments, allowing me to heal my sister’s legs and… No, it’s better if she don’t gain any abilities.
Focus.
“Are you ready, Veronica?”
【Yes!】
I patted Veronica’s head, which always answered cheerfully, and entered the tower.
“Enter!”
【Entering the tower.】
Upon reaching the towering entrance, I opened the door and stepped inside.
A message appeared.
【Would you like to enter the seventh floor?】
Accept / Decline
“Accept!”
【Entering the seventh floor.】
───────────────
【Seventh Floor Mission: Hunt 10 Rabbit Shamans!】
【Time Limit: Within 5 hours.】
【Restrictions: None.】
【Restricted Equipment: Gauntlets.】
───────────────
This is insane. Now they’re restricting equipment too?
Are they trying to make this impossible? Or do they expect me to keep retrying every week until I get favorable conditions through random rolls?
Well, it doesn’t matter to me.
I’m not even wearing armor. One hit might be enough to kill me.
I should save up and buy some armor later.
Where am I, anyway?
I landed in the middle of a dense thicket, and there’s not even a single ant in sight.
Rabbit Shamans? Do they use magic or something? And there are ten of them? Lucky me.
“Veronica.”
【Yes!】
With a protective shield forming around me, three Veronicas dashed out to hunt the Rabbit Shamans.
One of Veronica’s new abilities is creating a protective shield around me. If the shield is about to break, Veronica automatically gets summoned to my side, allowing me to hunt without worry.
On top of that, her clone ability increased from two to three.
How much stronger is she planning to get?
She’s already overpowered. At this rate, she’ll become some planet-destroying powerhouse!
It’s about time for a kill log to pop up, but there’s no sign of it.
Did something happen?
I searched through the thickets for monsters, but there wasn’t a single ant in sight.
This can’t happen. My master will be disappointed.
Disappointing my master? Over my dead body.
I kept searching the thickets, determined to find monsters, and finally discovered a small crack emitting dark magic.
A Shaman, was it? What could they be up to?
There’s no time to wonder. I need to kill them quickly to please my master.
When I squeezed through the crack, I stumbled upon a suspicious ritual scene where all the Rabbit Shamans I was looking for were lying on the ground.
They didn’t seem dead—more like in a state of suspended animation. But that doesn’t matter.
I swung my claws to kill them, only to be deflected by something.
Feeling a chill, I took a step back, and something fell right where I had been standing.
A grotesque figure stared at me, and I could tell my master would definitely be terrified if they saw this.
I have to deal with it before my master sees.
Calling my clones together, we attacked simultaneously, but the creature easily blocked us.
This didn’t happen when I climbed the tower before. Something’s off.
Why is there a being like this on the seventh floor?
As the creature deflected my attacks, it stepped back and opened its mouth. Something began to gather inside.
Sensing danger if I got hit, I rushed to interrupt it, but it shot upward, smashing into the ceiling and causing debris to rain down.
───────────────
【5 monsters eliminated.】
───────────────
───────────────
【9 monsters eliminated.】
───────────────
Unfortunately, one monster remained.
It’s all because that thing is guarding it.
【Hand it over.】
The creature smirked at my words.
Have I ever been this angry in my life?
Slowly, my body began to transform, and my clones followed suit.
My master would definitely be frightened by this appearance.
That’s why I’ll only use this where my master can’t see.
【Special Mode: Nika ver. 0.2.】
My body wriggled, returning to its primal state, creating something out of nothing.
Black energy filled the space, blocking any chance of escape.
Then, one by one, eyes began to appear.
Gigantic eyes filled the space and glared at the monster, which began to panic, but it was too late.
【Become one with us.】
It tore at the black tentacles stretching from all directions in resistance, but it didn’t take long before it was swallowed whole.
───────────────
【10 monsters eliminated.】
───────────────
I could feel something within me.
When I looked into its memories to learn more, they were shattered.
Just like mine.
But that doesn’t matter right now. I need to hurry back to my master and receive praise.
【Mission cleared!】
Rewards will be distributed.
【New record on the seventh floor!】
Registered in the Hall of Fame.
【Would you like to proceed to the next floor?】
Accept / Decline
Was I worried for nothing? Not long after, a notification popped up announcing the elimination of one, then two monsters, followed by a mission-clear message.
But it felt like this took longer than usual. Were the Rabbit Shamans really that strong?
Oh, here it comes.
Soaring through the sky, the terrifying-looking Veronica swooped toward me, but the moment she spotted me, she let out a pop! and transformed into her adorable self, landing in my arms.
【Master! Praise me! I worked hard!】
“Aw, did you? Great job.”
I gently stroked Veronica’s head with my fingers, sensing her joy.
How could such a cute creature exist? I hope she stays like this forever.
“Shall we head out now?”
【Yes!】
【Exiting the tower.】
With a bright light, we left the tower and returned to my room.
Now, let’s see what the reward for clearing the seventh floor is.
I handed the growth stone to Veronica, put the magic stone up for sale in the Black Market, and pondered what to do with the 【Essence of Origin】.
…Wait a minute. What did I just say? Essence of Origin?
【Essence of Origin】
[A material that contains the energy accumulated since the birth of heaven and earth.
Used as an ingredient in precious elixirs.]
“It’s one of the elixir ingredients.”
My hands trembled as I pinched my cheeks, but this wasn’t a dream.
There are a few more materials needed, but this is the hardest one to obtain.
It feels like a foggy road ahead has suddenly cleared.
If I gather the remaining materials and take them to an alchemist, I can have an elixir made.
Then, I can heal my sister’s legs and recover her abilities…
…But if she regains her abilities, wouldn’t she want to climb the tower again?
I didn’t know before I entered, but now I understand.
The tower is far too dangerous.
Sending my sister to such a perilous place…?
I’d rather enter myself than let that happen to my sister.
Two years ago, at the young age of twenty, my sibling became an S-rank Hunter.
If only that accident hadn’t happened…
What should I do?
My mind is a tangled mess.
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