Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t

The Community of the Dead.

[Anyone seeing anything?]

[Nope, can't see a thing. I can only hear the sound of weapons clashing.]

[Wow... The metal clanging hasn’t stopped once. Feels like a legit battle.]

[I’m an archer who died on the ninth floor. I can barely sense their movements, so they must be moving super fast.]

[Stop with the bullshit. How could an archer who died on the ninth floor sense anything in the dark? Even Su-Hyeok only started training for that on this floor.]

[Lol, but I can’t peel my eyes away even though I can’t see anything. Watching Su-Hyeok makes you not want to watch anyone else. He’s on a whole different level.]

[That’s true. After watching him fight, the others seem like kids playing around.]

[I don’t know about that, Ha Hee-Jeong is beautiful today, just like always. She’s like the goddess of fire. Watching the monsters burn up in flames… it’s like a painting. You all should check out Ha Hee-Jeong.]

[What’s so exciting about some brute? Magic’s where it’s at.]

[Lol, these guys are hilarious. Dead on the lower floors but here they are judging the survivors. Ridiculous.]

[So, what floor did you die on?]

[Me? First floor.]

***

[A door leading to the twelfth floor has appeared. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has one hour to enter the door. Time remaining: 59 minutes 59 seconds.]

As soon as the notification popped up, a big black door popped up across the room.

What now…?

I sighed under my breath. My mana was practically zapped after those last few fights, and physically, I wasn't faring much better. Battling against the tutulli guardians and the unknown enemy had knocked the wind out of me.

Even though I had wiped off the worst of the blood and gore, I still felt gross. I would do anything for a hot shower and a bed.

Ah, well. There’s nothing I can do. The floors are connected, so I probably won’t get much rest at this point.

Luckily, I wasn’t completely out of resources. On the off chance I would get stuck on a floor, I had prepared plenty of food and water inside the mimic.

Fortunately, the tower had given me a brief hour of rest. Mana recovered faster when a climber rested, so the short rest was welcoming news.

I needed to eat and hydrate since it would restore my stamina and mana.

As for checking the equipment from my last opponent, that could wait until after my break. It felt like too much effort to think about that right now.

“Mung-Chi, get me some water and jerky.”

Mung-Chi is what I had named my mimic companion. The name came from the way it had run away adorably in a panic the first time I encountered it.

I opened the lid and spoke to it, but received no response. Well, I didn’t think mimics could talk, but it wasn’t even spitting out what I needed.

Hmm...

Funny how it eagerly swallowed up everything I put inside it, but when it came time to return the items, it clammed up. When I had been selling my junk back at the rest area, it had no issue spitting out stuff.

So, what’s your problem now? Oh, maybe it’s because Ha Hee-Jeong isn’t here?

She had been the one to knock the mimic out when we first captured it.

I was pretty sure Mung-Chi was afraid of Ha Hee-Jeong. Now that she was gone, it seemed to think it could slack off and didn’t need to obey me anymore.

Maybe Ha Hee-Jeong had been right about needing to discipline it. A little shaking seemed to keep it in line. But honestly, I was too exhausted to deal with its stubbornness.

Mung-Chi’s defiance only added to my frustration. Sure, a good smack might solve the issue, but I didn’t want to resort to that. I was trying to raise it with good intentions and care. Still, I decided to give it one last chance before I resorted to rougher measures.

“Come on, spit out the water and jerky. You know what happens if you don’t, right?”

“Kiiiik!”

“Ah, so you're throwing a tantrum now? Do you remember what Hee-Jeong said? She told me to knock you out if you misbehave. I’m trying to be nice here because I want to be friends with you. But if you keep this up, you leave me no choice.”

“Kiiiik...”

In the darkness of the box, Mung-Chi’s eyes flickered. It was clearly hesitating, torn between its pride and fear. Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned that mimics were proud creatures, and it seemed like she was right.

Still, I couldn’t quite understand its thought process. Mung-Chi would spit everything out eventually, so why bother with the unnecessary resistance?

Thinking about it a little more, I realized that humans acted similarly, so maybe it wasn’t too unreasonable for Mung-Chi to be so stubborn.

After a brief pause, it finally gave in and obediently spat out the jerky and water.

“Screech!”

“See? If you were going to do it anyway, why not just listen the first time? Doppy, hold this for me.”

I handed the jerky to Doppy before grabbing the two-liter bottle of water and dumping it over my head. Though I couldn’t fully wash myself, at least I would freshen myself with a quick rinse. Cold water trickled down my scalp, and I ran my hand through my hair to wipe it away.

After quickly rinsing my face, I drank from the bottle, greedily slurping the water down. The cool liquid felt refreshing and soothed my dry throat.

Once satisfied, I poured the rest of the water over my shoulders, continuing to wash off as much grime as I could.

One bottle wasn’t nearly enough for a proper wash, though. After emptying the bottle, I tossed it aside with a sigh.

“Mung-Chi, more water.”

***

[A door leading to the twelfth floor has appeared. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has one hour to enter the door. Time remaining: 9 minutes 41 seconds.]

I had a light meal with Doppy, though I didn’t have much of an appetite with all the blood splattered over me. I nibbled on some jerky, just enough to keep me going.

Doppy, on the other hand, enjoyed a nicely grilled steak. It was still growing, so I figured it needed a good meal. Watching the pure joy on its face as it ate gave me a small sense of satisfaction. Maybe I should prepare a wider variety of food next time.

Afterward, I found a bit of the arena free of bloodstains and laid down to rest until it was time to leave. Although I barely had a quarter of my mana, my stamina was fully restored.

It was time to finally examine the loot from the boss room. Since the opponent had exploded upon dying, there was no notification window to read through. I couldn’t tell who it was or what it looked like—other than a few black scales and what seemed to be a tail.

Judging by this, it’s likely a reptilian humanoid… but I can’t be certain.

I figured the tower would reveal its species after I cleared the twelfth floor.

Other than the scraps of flesh, all that remained were two daggers and a torn cloak. The fact that these items were unscathed even after the body had been blown apart made it clear they were no ordinary pieces of equipment.

I picked up the daggers and cloak, both streaked with flesh and blood.

[Lung Shark’s Dagger (Replica)]

- Replica of a unique-grade dagger.

- Separates into two daggers on command.

- Automatic defense against one physical attack (Cooldown time: 150 hours).

- Grants Agility +2 while carried.

- Grants Shadow Veil lvl 1 while carried.

[Cloak of Locomos (Damaged)]

- Provides excellent resistance to magical attacks.

- Due to its damaged status, excellent resistance becomes some resistance.

These were practically overpowered items!

Oh, no wonder the fight was so tough.

It seemed like the enemy wasn’t as strong as I had given it credit for—it simply had overpowered gear. If I had known what the daggers and cloak could do, the fight would have ended much more easily.

Sigh.

Looking at the torn cloak filled me with regret.

According to the dagger’s description, their bizarre defense was a one-time skill that took a while to recharge. I should have used my Flash Strike skill again, finishing it off with my axe… The cloak could have stayed intact if I had.

Resistance to magical attacks was a rare and valuable trait, and it was a shame I had somewhat ruined it.

... But what’s done is done. At the time, I had no idea the enemy’s weapons were responsible for the majority of its strength. I had made the best decision I could with the information available.

Still, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the dagger. It was technically a single weapon but could be split into two.

That would explain why I only heard my opponent draw one blade earlier.

Even though it was a replica, there was nothing ordinary about this dagger. Agility +2 was nice, but the real prize was the Shadow Veil skill and the ability to block a physical attack once.

Now I understood the eerie darkness that had filled the floor and the enemy’s strange movement. The skill was likely responsible for shrouding the area in darkness, so when it died, the darkness dissipated.

It also explained the rapid block after I activated Flash Strike.

If this is just a replica, how powerful must the original be?

The original was unique-grade, the same tier as Lightning Essence.

I strongly desired to track down the genuine article, but for now, I would settle with what I had.

Even as a replica, it’s more than enough.

Since gaining Axemanship on the eleventh floor, I started to appreciate the importance of daggers. Since I had already planned to upgrade mine, it was fortunate I had found the perfect replacement.

I tucked my old weapon into Mung-Chi and fused the two daggers back together. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but they merged seamlessly as soon as I brought them close.

I also draped the tattered cloak over my shoulders. Sure, it wasn’t as effective as before, but as the message said, it was still somewhat effective. Everything was ready, and it was time to move again.

“Doppy, you all set? Need anything else?”

“Kriee! Goblin! All good!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Kriee! Let’s go!”

Doppy grinned up at me, infecting me with its enthusiasm.

Honestly, bringing it along felt like carrying both a living inventory and a giant healing potion. Watching its innocent smile, I realized it would need to learn how to fight sooner rather than later. I couldn’t always be the one protecting it.

If we ever found ourselves up against a large group of enemies, defending it could prove to be too difficult.

Sure, I gave it the shield, but that’s not enough.

That was only a temporary measure. While the shield would provide Doppy with a short reprieve if it was in danger, I needed to figure out a long-term solution.

It wasn’t like priests were forbidden from defending themselves. If Seo Ha-Rin wielded a mace as a priest, Doppy could handle it too.

It did have a crossbow on the first floor, so its got some basics down.

But now wasn’t the time to bring it up. Talking about it here wouldn’t change anything, and waiting for a comfortable discussion in the waiting room would be better. Right now, I needed to focus on the twelfth floor.

I turned my gaze to the black door on the opposite side of the room. Unlike before, it didn’t seem like the tower would teleport me.

Am I going to face more guardians?

The significance of the guardians had been bothering me for the majority of the eleventh floor, ever since I noticed the commonality between the enemies. I had expected to reach whatever they were guarding after this dark chamber, but with the unknown enemy dead, my questions would remain unanswered.

Considering it called me a thief, there had to be something, but the final room had been empty of anything important.

Since the tower had announced the eleventh and twelfth floors were connected, maybe I would find answers after stepping onto the next floor.

I cautiously opened the black door.

Huh?

The first thing that caught my eye was a small desert. A massive hollow—about the size of a soccer field and made entirely of sand—spread out before me.

The unexpected sight threw me off for a moment, but then the notification window popped up.

[Welcome to the twelfth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Pearl in the Sand.]

[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 1 hour 59 minutes.]

I had two hours. It wasn’t a lot of time, but for a space the size of a soccer field, it could be just enough. I assumed the enemies would spring up from beneath the sand.

The floor was called “Pearl in the Sand.” By now, I was somewhat familiar with the tower’s cryptic names.

So, the guardians were protecting this pearl?

The sand likely referred to the desert before me, though whether the pearl was a metaphor or a physical object remained unclear. Killing every enemy would likely teleport me to a waiting room, so I had to find the pearl without eliminating them all.

Alright, I had a plan for the twelfth floor. Glancing back at Doppy, I warned it to stay alert for any enemies emerging from the sand.

“Doppy, stay close by—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the small desert in front of me suddenly trembled as if it had been struck by a mild earthquake.

The source of the tremor came from the center of the desert. Sand exploded upward like a geyser, scattering everywhere. I couldn’t see much through the newly formed sandstorm, but I made out a massive shape rising through the dust.

“Krrooooaaarrr—!”

A chilling roar echoed, sending a shiver down my spine.

As the sand settled, the creature’s enormous form became clear. It was a black dragon, eyes locked onto me in a predatory manner.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!