Episode 102
102. Episode 102
-Welcome to the 3rd floor trials.
– Topic: Climbing a mountain
-Time limit: 8 hours
The trials of the tower consisted of several themes.
For example, the fields are connected as if crossing a river on the second floor and climbing a mountain on the third floor.
There are ten trials between the shelters, some of which have separate themes for each floor, while others have themes that are connected.
Additionally, some floors have crossroads depending on the player’s choices.
Because of this, there was talk that the trials were not simply taking place within the tower, but were connected to another dimension.
Of course, only the system knows the truth.
Taat!
As soon as the ordeal began, Se-Woon quickly moved his feet.
The third floor’s ordeal, climbing the mountain.
It was a trial that could only be overcome by utilizing all of the player’s endurance, patience, crisis judgment, etc., as well as the strength, experience, and knowledge gained from the tutorial.
‘Before the regression, I was out of breath just from climbing.’
A slope of up to 45 degrees.
Even if you just walk with the intention of climbing, it is a place that makes you suffocate when you think about the time limit.
Moreover, just like the previous trials, the third floor trials did not leave the players safe.
“Koooo!”
A bear as big as a house appears and swings its front paw.
“Crrrrrrr!”
Sometimes, a wild beast hiding in the bushes suddenly jumps out and launches a surprise attack.
of course…….
-The first skill of the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, Blood Wolf Fang, is strengthened through internal energy.
Crunch-
It wasn’t a big threat to Se-un.
By the time the tutorial was over, Seun’s power had already easily surpassed the lower levels of the tower.
The reason for going on a journey while killing monsters that were not even worth fighting against was to gain public points and fill Beelzebub’s stomach.
However, this time Se-un did not climb the mountain normally.
Before returning, you had to climb the mountain while avoiding monsters and find the hidden piece, the ‘tree’, that you discovered through the guidepost along the way.
“found.”
Se-un approached the small tree.
It was embarrassing to even call it a tree; it was only about a meter tall and thick, so it looked like it would break if you hit it.
I remember discovering this tree as a guidepost for my journey before returning, but being at a loss as to what to do with it.
But now I knew.
Because when I used Mana Searching, I could see the flow of mana around me.
‘It took mana.’
This tree was absorbing the mana around it.
However, because the surrounding mana was so weak, it was unable to grow properly, resulting in this appearance.
That is, if you supply mana properly, the tree will grow back to its original form.
Woohoo!
As Seun pushed in the mana, the bare branches of the tree began to tremble.
Start slowly.
As the vibrations of the tree subsided, more and more mana was pushed into it.
A rustling sound could be heard from below, indicating that the roots were spreading, and soon changes occurred in the visible areas as well.
Wood crack!
The tree trunk becomes thicker and more branches grow.
As green leaves grew from the surface of the bare branches, the tree grew taller than Seun and cast a shadow over Seun’s head.
‘The mana consumed is… … approximately 2 circles.’
A hidden quest requiring 2 circles of mana in the 3rd floor trials.
Well, it wasn’t a quest that was completely impossible to succeed at.
Even if you have little mana, if you take the time to recover and supply mana, you will be able to grow the tree sufficiently.
In addition, there are many players who are blessed with mana, such as elves or fairies. They could have grown the tree sufficiently even without reaching the 2nd circle.
However, there was one thing that was questionable.
‘When does this have to stop?’
Although it seemed as though growth had stopped, the tree was still sucking up Seun’s mana.
As I was wondering if I should stop here, I saw a small fruit between the leaves.
‘That’s?’
It wasn’t an ordinary fruit. As I pushed in more mana, the fruit grew bigger and bigger.
I thought maybe that was the reward for this hidden quest.
‘Then I have to see it through to the end.’
Seun continued to push mana into the tree without stopping.
As the five circles spun tightly, the surrounding mana reacted and rippled together.
In the long history of the tower, there has never been a 5th circle wizard appearing in the 3rd floor trials.
Even elves or fairies wouldn’t be able to push in this much mana.
The tree’s leaves swayed happily in the endless waves of mana.
‘Could it be that even 5 circles of mana isn’t enough?’
The fourth circle’s mana was already running low.
The fruit had grown to some extent, but its bluish tint did not seem to indicate that it was fully ripe yet.
‘then…….’
-The treasure trove of greed (眞) has been opened.
[Dew of the World Tree]
– The dew of the World Tree, which forms only once a month on the days when the fog is at its thickest. It contains a vast amount of mana and is used in the coming-of-age ceremony of elves.
Seun urgently released the power of greed.
It was a treasure owned by Mamon, which was permitted by a recent contract.
Gulp, gulp!
Before my mana ran out, I drank the World Tree’s dew in one gulp.
Unlike the refreshing potions I’ve had so far, it felt like a strong, foreign substance was sticking to my throat.
It was proof that the mana concentrated in the dew was that strong.
Woohoo!
As soon as I drank the dew, new mana quickly filled the circle that was starting to empty.
The rising mana was once again absorbed by the tree.
How long has it been since then?
Not only the five circles, but also the mana that was being restored by the dew of the world tree was completely depleted, and even the internal energy of the danjeon was converted into mana and invested in the tree.
When the mana in my body is completely empty and I start to feel dizzy… … .
– Completed the hidden quest, ‘The Withered Tree’.
– Additional points are awarded for the trial ‘Mountain Climbing’.
-You have obtained ‘Ripe Tree Fruit’ as a reward.
Finally, the fruit turned red and the hidden quest came to an end.
dump.
“under…….”
Se-Woon felt dizzy and fell down from his seat.
What on earth was the idea behind creating this quest?
Mana from 5 circles, internal energy equivalent to one year, and even mana recovered using the power of greed… … .
Only after sacrificing everything can the fruits ripen.
No matter how I thought about it, it wasn’t a normal quest.
To be honest, it was a quest that seemed impossible unless it was a dragon blessed with mana, or Riel who made a contract with Freya and received the blessing of abundance.
“Time and all, I guess I should rest for a bit and then go.”
Dizziness caused by rapid mana consumption.
Thanks to the excellent stability of the training method of the Blue Tower and the Three Powers, the backflow of mana could be suppressed.
I breathed in the fresh mountain air and checked out the fruits I had received as a reward.
[ Ripe tree fruit ]
Category: Elixir
Grade: C+
Description: A fruit created by an unknown tree that has concentrated a huge amount of mana to the extreme.
Ability: 1. Mana Essence – When consumed, the amount of mana absorbed greatly increases.
‘Another elixir.’
The only difference was the description, but the fruit’s abilities were the same as the ‘Shining Fruit’ obtained from the shelter.
But there were huge differences in the process itself.
The fruit obtained from the sparkling orchard is a crystal obtained when the tree absorbs the orchard’s mana over a long period of time.
In other words, it was a reward that only one person among numerous players could obtain by discovering the quest.
On the other hand, since this tree fruit was a quest discovered through individual trials, anyone could obtain it if they had the ability.
of course…….
‘Even if most players know about it, they won’t be able to get it.’
Just like Seun before his return, there are probably no players who have obtained this level of fruit.
‘I’ll have to use this later when I build up my danjeon.’
Because Seun was a man who used both martial arts and magic, he needed to match the level of his Danjeon and Circle.
This is because if one side is too strong or too weak, there is a risk that the other side will be pressed down and absorbed.
Although the internal energy of one year is certainly a great statistic, it is an unbalanced statistic compared to the five circles surrounding the heart.
After this theme is over and I have some time to rest, I thought I should practice the mind method.
“Okay, shall we go again?”
As soon as he regained some energy, Seun stood up from his seat.
Anyway, there will be enough rest after the ordeal is over.
If you have at least the minimum amount of energy left to move, then the right thing to do is to finish the trials first.
* * *
Taat!
The higher we climbed the mountain, the more obstacles there were.
Various beast-like monsters continue to attack, and a steep cliff blocks the path.
However, Se-un didn’t bother to go back. The monsters weren’t much of a threat, and he was used to climbing cliffs.
As time passed and my internal energy increased, rather than getting tired, I was able to climb the mountain faster.
Not long after that… … .
-You have successfully completed the 3rd floor trial, ‘Mountain Climbing’.
-Calculating public figures… … .
– Time remaining: 7 hours 02 minutes
-Number of monsters hunted: 29.
– Complete the hidden quest ‘The Withered Tree’.
…
-Total accumulated merit points: 195,100 points
-Congratulations! You passed the 3rd floor trial with a ranking of 3rd.
-You have earned 30,000 points as a reward.
We arrived at the entrance to the cave, our final destination, and were able to complete the three-story ordeal.
However, unfortunately, he failed to achieve the number 1 ranking.
I thought this hidden quest would have higher bonus points than I thought.
I looked at the rankings on the third floor to see who was above me.
-3rd floor trial ranking
[ 1st place: Kashalakas 211,050 points ]
[ 2nd place: Riel Refrain 208,700 points ]
[ 3rd place: Jeong Se-woon 195,100 points ]
…
Two familiar names came to mind.
‘Riel.’
It was expected that Riel would rank high.
She is an elf race known for her high affinity for mana, and she has also received the blessing of abundance from Freya.
Perhaps they would have lightly harvested the fruit from the tree and quickly climbed the mountain.
The problem is the name written above it.
‘Kashalakkasrani… … .’
It was a name that everyone knew because it was so famous.
Because from the moment she arrived at the tower as a dragon species, she was a being that far surpassed the player’s limits.
Her story of starting from the first floor of the tower and climbing to the upper floors without any obstacles in less than a month to become a ranker was so well-known that there was no player who did not know her.
‘Well, that’s only natural for a dragon.’
As a dragon blessed with mana, it would not have been difficult for him to see the flow of mana, find a dry tree, harvest fruit, or spread his wings to reach the top.
Although it was regrettable, I had no choice but to accept this result.
‘I’ll first recover all my mana and then go up.’
Seun took a pose in front of the cave and closed his eyes.
Even though it was a 4th floor ordeal, it wasn’t that difficult, but it was better to challenge it in perfect condition.
Seun’s goal was not simply to climb the tower, but to find hidden pieces on that floor and achieve a high ranking.
By the time I had filled my danjeon and circle while breathing in the cool mountain air,
[Park Jeong-pil: Hyungniiim! I miss you!]
[Lee Ha-neul: Is anyone hurt? It looks like we won’t be able to gather again this time and will be going straight to the next ordeal. If I had known this would happen, I would have made more medicine for you… ]
The clan chat of the people who arrived began to emerge.
This time again, no one seemed to have experienced any major difficulties.
The ordeal was not easy. After all, it was due to the high level of the Diablo clan.
‘The next trial will probably be… … .’
Before going up to the next floor, Se-woon recalled memories from the past.
If the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors were individual tasks to weed out the hapless players who had gotten to the top with the help of others but no skills, then the next floor onwards was a joint task for two players whose skills were acknowledged.
‘Who will get caught?’
Se-woon moved on to the next ordeal, hoping that only Park Jeong-pil would not get caught.
fantasy,
