Episode 164
164. Episode 164
“……be careful.”
“You too. Ah, don’t wait for me like last time. Go through the trials on your own.”
“Yes, I will believe you.”
Although Yu Seo-ah showed a little regret, she quickly came to her senses. This was because she had become accustomed to Se-woon’s behavior.
Besides, up until just now, the trials had been going well without Se-woon’s help. So, it didn’t seem like there would be any major problems if Se-woon were to leave.
Se-un also had that kind of thought, so he was going to leave without worry.
“Brother, don’t forget that it’s thanks to me. If you find anything useful there, please share it with me. Hehe.”
“Okay, so from now on you take the lead.”
“Huh? No, why would I… … .”
“What is your role?”
“Isn’t that your right-hand man?”
“It’s reconnaissance. Find the problem first, report it to Yusuh, and divert attention when a monster appears.”
“Hehehe, that’s a bit… … .”
“Should I get some training when I get back?”
“I will work hard, hyung!”
Only after Se-un mentioned ‘education’ did Park Jeong-pil take the lead.
Seriously, if you let him loose even for a little bit, he’s completely out of control.
Se-woon was only able to leave after telling Yoo Seo-ah to let him know immediately if Park Jeong-pil did anything stupid.
Of course, I’m talking about the ice castle on top of the snowy mountain, not the destination guided by the 18th floor trials.
‘I still don’t have enough mana… … .’
I wanted to spread Icarus’ wings and fly away in one breath, but I ended up using all my mana while using the fire cannon.
It seemed faster to run using my internal energy than to sit still and recover enough mana to fly to the ice castle.
I have no regrets, as I was able to notice the existence of the Ice Castle thanks to the use of the Fire Cannon.
– The movements of the portrait become faster through internal energy.
Se-un ran across the snow with quick steps.
It’s not perfect yet, so I left a few footprints, but my feet never sank past my ankles.
The distance between me and the Diablo clan grew in an instant.
However, the place Seun was heading to was not a straight line to the ice castle.
“Huh?”
A snowy mountain right next to the Diablo Clan’s migration path.
When you reach the top, you will see a group of monsters hiding in the hollow space between your eyes.
They looked like monkeys, with long white fur growing all over their bodies, making their eyes look like they were bulging out.
These are the ones responsible for the unnatural snowball that has been rolling down since a while ago.
Judging from its appearance, it doesn’t seem to have much fighting power, and it seems to have a habit of hunting passing creatures by rolling snowballs.
Since this is also one of the hunting methods, I can’t say anything to them… … .
Crunch.
I had no intention of passing it by leaving behind needless worries.
To begin with, their intelligence was only slightly more advanced than that of other monsters, but their fighting ability was at the level of goblins, so it wasn’t long before their blood was sprinkled across the snow.
– Completed the hidden quest, ‘Small Disaster’.
– Additional points are awarded for the trial ‘Snowfield Disaster’.
Se-Woon opened his eyes wide, not knowing that killing those guys was a hidden quest.
Who would have thought such weak guys were the ones doing the hidden quest?
Well, if Seun hadn’t stopped the heavy snow and cleared the sky, it would have been impossible to find them.
I didn’t know before returning, but it seems like there are quite a few hidden pieces on the 18th floor.
Soon the fangs of greed chewed them up and swallowed them, blood spurting into their eyes.
Intelligence only increased a little, and the increase in ability was extremely minimal… … .
– The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, is satisfied with the food here, saying that it is refreshing and special.
– The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, enjoys the dizzying pain while holding his head.
Even after that, there were monsters that occasionally blocked Seun’s path.
Before I returned, I thought there were no monsters on the 18th floor, but that wasn’t the case.
As we left the path leading to our destination, various monsters were blocking our way.
Is this the system’s way of saying to only move on the road? I don’t know why, but even so, they couldn’t stop Seun.
No matter how hard he tried to sneak a surprise attack by hiding in the snow or how hard he tried to crush it with his huge body, it didn’t work on Seun.
In the end, they were just a snack for Beelzebub.
The distance to Seolsan was further than I thought.
After crossing two more snow-capped mountains and recovering some of his mana, Seun was finally able to arrive in front of the ice castle.
“This castle smells like treasure.”
The ice castle seen up close was much more beautiful than from afar.
The ice structure sparkled in the sunlight, looking like a castle made of treasure.
It was beautifully crafted throughout, and there wasn’t even a single stain to be seen.
‘It seems like there are no monsters… … .’
I thought there would be at least some guards or guardians, but there was no sign of anything around.
It was like an abandoned castle.
Seun climbed the transparent ice stairs and approached the castle gate.
Likewise, a door made of ice blocked the way ahead.
I tried pushing the door with force just in case… … .
‘Is it locked?’
The door didn’t show any movement.
I tried again to get into position and push with force, but the result was the same.
Of course, you could use Mammon’s treasure to gain more power, but seeing as the door didn’t move at all, it didn’t seem like it was structured to be able to be opened by force.
So, there is only one answer left.
‘I’m using it here too.’
All I got from the tutorial was the master key and a small key.
As I inserted the key into the beautiful hexagonal hole like a snowflake, the inside was filled with the unique light of orichalcum, the ore from which the small key is composed.
The light soon turned a cold blue, like ice… … .
Crunch.
The key turned with a clicking sound.
– You have successfully completed the 18th floor trial, ‘Disaster in the Snowfield’.
– Calculating public figures… … .
– Time remaining: 43 hours 25 minutes
– Complete the hidden quest ‘Small Disaster’.
…
– Total accumulated merit points: 175,000 points
– Congratulations! You passed the 18th floor trial with a ranking of 3rd.
– You have earned 30,000 points as a reward.
Unfortunately, this time I had to be satisfied with 3rd place in the rankings.
I didn’t reach my destination, but I had to pass the ordeal by another means, but I thought it was still fast.
Come to think of it, if a being like Kashalakas had transformed into a dragon and crossed the snowy field, it would have been difficult to break that record.
Rather, it was not the message Se-un was waiting for.
As soon as the ice castle was opened, the 18th floor trials were over.
That means.
– Find the hidden fork in the path that leads directly to the next level of trials.
This meant that this ice castle was not just a simple hidden piece, but a hidden 19-story ordeal itself.
* * *
“The door to the ice castle… … has opened.”
“Haa… … . You said tuning? You were right.”
The management department in charge of the snowy theme of the trials from the 16th to 20th floors of the tower. They were sighing as they watched Seun open the door to the ice castle on the monitor.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
Seun’s special agent. Tuning was just laughing as if he knew Seun would do that.
“But where is that ice castle? It’s not in the manual.”
“Oh, you mean that place… … .”
The manager of the snow theme team looked at the monitor again and began to explain.
“It probably won’t be in the latest manual. That was a testing ground used when the tower was first built.”
“Is this the early days?”
“That’s right. It’s currently a closed trial because it doesn’t meet the standards.”
“Why is it closed?”
“Did you hear that when Top was first launched, the process for selecting players was completely different than it is now?”
“I know that. Unlike today, where various abilities and individuality are valued, back then, only fighting prowess was valued… … Ah. I see.”
“That’s right. That castle is a place solely for testing your potential in battle. The difficulty level is also on a different level than it is now.”
“I guess that’s why it was closed.”
“If we open up a trial like that now, players with talent in areas like crafting or alchemy will be left helpless.”
The early days of the tower. It was a time when even the management office knew very few people.
The managers who were leading the tower at that time have now risen to the positions of leadership in the tower’s upper floors.
If I had to describe the tower at that time in one word, it would be the dark ages.
They selected players solely based on their strength, with no consideration for the players whatsoever.
There were trials where players had to fight to the death, and there were also trials where they had to sacrifice their allies.
The theme of the snowfield right now was the exact opposite of learning about ‘cooperation’.
Because of this, all of the players who survived from the early days of climbing the tower maintained their ranks at the top of the tower.
There was no sense of cooperation or consideration among the survivors.
All that remains is strength.
Of course, as time went by, the system decided that climbing the tower with only individual strength had its limits, so it modified the trials to show what it is today.
“Then can I ask you something?”
“of course.”
“What on earth is that key that makes the upper level so noisy?”
The manager pointed to the key that Seun had used.
small key.
It was an item given as a reward for the tutorial, and its identity was unknown even to him, the manager.
Se-Woon was only using it as a master key, but the team leader thought differently.
I don’t think the higher-ups would be this interested if it was just a master key.
“ah…….”
Tuning hesitated for a moment to answer.
It was thanks to information that he had recently received from his superiors that he had learned the details about the key.
Until then, I only knew it as a ‘very important key’.
I didn’t even know why that was one of the rewards for the tutorial.
However, Tuning soon nodded as if he had made up his mind.
There was no mention from above to keep this fact a secret, and it was unlikely that the team leader in front of me would spread the secret.
“actually…….”
Tuning spat out the information he knew. Of course, even that wasn’t 100% perfect information… … .
“Is that true?”
That alone was enough to surprise the manager.
* * *
– Welcome to the 19th floor trials.
– Topic: Ice Castle of Exams
– Time limit: –
– While wandering through the snowy fields, you discover a tightly shut ice castle.
– Once you step foot into the Ice Castle’s entrance, you will never be able to turn back the ordeal. Do you still want to challenge it?
In the content of the ordeal, a phrase that alerts you to caution instead of a goal comes to mind.
That must mean that the 19th floor trials are dangerous.
Asking that question itself seemed like a consideration for the system. No, it seemed like a consideration for the management office.
Of course, if I had been thinking of going back because I heard it was dangerous in the first place, I would not have come all the way here in the first place.
chin.
Seun broke through the message and took his first step forward.
The ice door behind me slammed shut with a loud bang, and as bright light enveloped me, I felt my body become lighter.
‘Are you telling me to challenge it naked?’
– I challenged the ‘Ice Castle of Tests’.
– Bringing in outside items is prohibited in the ‘Ice Castle of Tests’.
– Pass the test with flying colors and reach the Lord of the Ice Castle.
All the equipment that Go Chang-seok had made, as well as Durandal, Aphelion, and Emperor Taejo Mu’s war cannons, were lost.
When the preparations for Seun were completed, finally… … .
“… … It’s been a while since I’ve had a challenger.”
The first test on the 19th floor has begun.
fantasy,
