Varoghan was in disbelief.
‘He cleared the second floor in just thirty seconds, and it's even on Hell mode?’
The foreigners were supposed to have a hard time clearing the second floor. In fact, most of them had already received penalties and started to nourish the Growth Devourer. But the man could clear the second floor in just thirty seconds? It should have been impossible.
‘I made using one’s artifacts on the second floor impossible.’
Varoghan was sly and petty. Although he said he had opened a path for their growth, he set the difficulty level to the highest and made it so the challengers would fail.
Varoghan, who knew the floors' levels well, hurriedly brought the crystal ball and began to watch the situation replay on the second floor.
***
Minhyuk was furious.
His master, Beradon, was a very kind man. He would teach anyone who wanted to receive his teachings and even go so far as to live for their sake. Beradon was a man worthy of respect.
When Minhyuk arrived at the Tower of Growth, he saw Varoghan, who declared he was “The Teacher.”Of course, there was a chance that the names that they used to refer to themselves were coincidentally the same. Strangely enough, Varoghan’s clothes, hairstyle, and even the kind smile plastered on his face all had Beradon's shadow.
There was just one thing that Varoghan could not remove and hide. It was his stench—the rotten stench of someone who completely imitated someone worthy of everyone’s admiration and took that name for himself!
The Tower of Growth had absorbed quite a lot of EXP from the penalties imposed upon the challengers. This was the essence of everything in the world. It was just like how the Magic Tower fostered mages so they could receive a certain amount of money from them later. Similarly, the Knight Tower raised outstanding knights so the name of their tower could reach higher and further the more their knights became well-known.
As for Beradon…
‘He cultivated and raised countless disciples.’
But what would Varoghan get by imitating The Teacher? He would not get any money, and Beradon’s disciples would not come to visit this tower.
‘There’s a high chance that the answer is in the penalty.’
As Athenae’s Supreme, Minhyuk’s judgment was sharper and keener than ordinary people's. He could see many things that most of them would just overlook.
‘Where the hell are those high penalties funneled to?’
In the end, Minhyuk concluded that conquering the tower would give him the answer to this question and even allow him to obtain the Pillar Ingredient. Also…
‘I will make you pay the price for tarnishing the name of my master.’
He intended to make Varoghan pay for that.
When Minhyuk entered the second floor, a series of notifications rang in his ears.
[You have chosen Hell as your level of difficulty.]
[You cannot change your chosen difficulty level even after you are forced to log out.]
[The Second Floor restricts the use of weapon artifacts.]
As ridiculous as it might sound, he heard Varoghan’s voice ring on the second floor.
[You rely and depend on your weapons. Sometimes, discarding and fighting your enemies without them will help you grow further.]
[This is my lesson for you.]
Minhyuk found it sickening. He was speaking as if he was indeed The Teacher. To be honest, Minhyuk wanted to slap him in the face. Still, he endured and tried to put up with him because Varoghan was the key to the Pillar Ingredient.
[You can only use the most basic of weapons.]
Minhyuk looked at the weapons that appeared in front of him. Then, he picked up a rusty iron sword. The rusty iron sword was a weapon that Level 10 players mainly used.
‘The level of players participating in the Tower of Growth’s event is around Level 550 to Level 640.’
Minhyuk estimated that the level of weapons that they had equipped would be around Level 200 or so. Perhaps it was because he chose Hell mode that he was given such an atrocious weapon.
[Your chosen level of difficulty is Hell. The Second Floor’s Predator has become stronger.]
The Second Floor’s Predator was a monster in the form of a tiger. The only difference was that it was several times bigger.
[Second Floor’s Predator. Level 798.]
The enemy’s level was very high. Minhyuk guessed players who took the normal route would probably face monsters around Level 600.
‘So, players at Level 600 will have to face monsters in the late Level 600s with these weapons.’
It was truly a very difficult task. But this trial overlooked some things. Restricting one’s use of weapons had several disadvantages.
“Roaaaaaar!!!”
The tiger, the size of a house, leaped toward Minhyuk. Flipping the rusty iron sword in his hand, Minhyuk triggered the Blade of Frenzy.
Minhyuk’s newly acquired Blade of Frenzy allowed him to pierce through the enemy’s vital point as long as he was within its eight-meter radius. When the skill was unleashed, blades flew twelve times per second and ripped apart the Second Floor’s Predator’s body. It also dealt an additional 600% damage for five seconds straight.
What about the sword’s attack power? It was extremely low. However, Minhyuk was different from ordinary players. His stats alone felt like that of a Level 800.
Why were his stats like that? The main reason was that Minhyuk was the Food God. Because he was the Food God, he obtained an incredible amount of stats far beyond what an ordinary player could imagine.
Even if his sword’s attack power was low, his attack power, influenced by his stats, could easily allow him to tear his enemy apart. What more if the opponent was just a monster at Level 798. On top of that, it was just a high-level monster, not a Named Monster.
“Roar–!”
‘The damage is lacking.’
Minhyuk grinned when he saw the Second Floor’s Predator bleeding all over. It seemed like the damage that it received was not that great. Yet it did not matter that much. After all, the second floor had completely overlooked another fact.
‘The skills that I possess.’
The skills under Minhyuk’s belt were more than twice that of an average player. And there was also the fact that they were far better than others.
“Overpower.”
Thud–!
The Second Floor’s Predator was rendered immobile.
“Intangible Sword.”
Hundreds of swords capable of ignoring the target’s defenses pierced through the tiger’s body.
“Heavenly Sword.”
A skill that could send hundreds of swords for four straight minutes fell from the sky and cut and hacked the Second Floor’s Predator.
“Graaaaa! Roaaaaar!!!” Painful screams erupted from the mouth of the Second Floor’s Predator as Minhyuk’s skills constantly ravaged it.
Minhyuk was not yet done; he immediately used the Supreme Overlord’s Technique.
Crackle–
Blazing flames crackled into life from the blade of the rusty iron sword.
[Double Skill]
The passive skill that only had a 1.2% chance of getting triggered was activated, making the already powerful force grow twice as strong.
Crackle– Boom–!
The powerful force of the Supreme Overlord’s Technique sent the Second Floor’s Predator flying, its body slamming straight into the walls.
Minhyuk, who cleared the second floor in just thirty seconds, shrugged and said, “That’s easy.”
Then, the notifications rang.
[You have made a new record.]
[You have cleared the Hell-mode Second Floor in just thirty seconds.]
[You are the first player to clear the Second Floor. You have received additional EXP.]
[You are in the middle of an event. The Double EXP effect will be applied.]
[You have gained 2,323,053,030 EXP.]
‘Woah…?’
Minhyuk was quite impressed. Obtaining more than two billion EXP in one go was difficult. It was a reward that Minhyuk could only get after hunting a few Named Monsters at the same level as him.
‘Isn’t this hitting three birds with one stone?’
Not only would he be able to go after the Pillar Ingredient, but he would also be able to gain EXP and make the bastard who defiled the name of Master Beradon eat shit.
Minhyuk climbed to the next floor without any hesitation.
[You can only use the most basic of weapons.]
“...?”
He heard the same notification. The puzzled Minhyuk then encountered ten of the same predators when he stepped foot on the third floor.
“...?”
Minhyuk was rendered speechless by the extreme level of difficulty.
“How will one clear this level if they’re not a summoner or a necromancer?”
***
Varoghan was shocked when he heard the words of the man who cleared the second floor in thirty seconds.
‘How many powers do you have in your arsenal?’
Varoghan could tell that the man’s body had already surpassed the body of an average human. After all, dealing such massive damage with just an average body was impossible.
Nevertheless, the smile on Varoghan’s face did not disappear.
[How will one clear this level if they’re not a summoner or a necromancer?]
The man’s voice rang from within the crystal ball.
‘It’s just as that bastard said. The third floor is made that way so the summoners and necromancers would have the advantage.’
Not long after, the man chuckled playfully.
[Yep~ I can clear it~ So easy~]
At the same time, twenty lights flashed around him. The lights faded to reveal twenty soldiers wearing shabby armor and weapons.
‘What can you even do with those simple and weak-looking soldiers…’
Despite Varoghan’s confidence, the ten predators on the third floor died in just twenty seconds under the blades of the twenty shabby soldiers.
“...”
Varoghan gulped dryly. He had to admit that this foreigner was strong and unique. Nevertheless, he firmly believed that he could not clear the next floor.
‘You must pull the weeds with strong and deep-seated roots to hunt the monsters.’
Not only did one need to have high attack and defensive power, but they also needed to have high DEX. Very few people met these conditions so far.
[Swoosh~]
[It’s coming out easily.]
The man, being attacked by the monsters behind him, could easily pull out the weeds one after another.
“What the hell? How high is his DEX?”
Varoghan shook his head in disbelief. This was ridiculous!
The worst part? The man did not suffer much damage even though he was being attacked by the monsters non-stop. Scratches had appeared all over his body, but no deep wounds or gashes had appeared. This was proof of the man’s high defensive power and STR.
‘A hodgepodge?’
No, a hodgepodge is a term for useless things combined together. The man was excellent in every single aspect, so he could not call him a hodgepodge.
‘How can a foreigner be so well-balanced…’
Just like that, the fourth floor was cleared in forty seconds. Then, the fifth and the sixth. The EXP the young man obtained from the second to the sixth floor had already gone over fifteen billion.
Then, someone came to report right away.
“Tower Master! The Growth Devourer’s egg has grown smaller.”
“What…?”
The Growth Devourer devoured the growth of the challengers in the form of penalties. On the other hand, it also shared its growth if the challenger could successfully clear the floor. Although fifteen billion EXP was not enough to considerably reduce its size, Varoghan knew the situation was now borderline dangerous.
Varoghan moved in a hurry. “A nasty and arrogant bastard!”
He needed to find a way to stop the damn bastard! If things continued at this rate, he could reach the eleventh floor where the Growth Devourer was currently.
‘Wait. Then, how about…?’
Varoghan considered connecting the Hell mode’s 7th floor to the Normal mode’s 3rd floor. Anyway, he was free to do whatever he wanted since he was the one who could adjust the trials of the tower. At the same time, he wanted to propose an increase in difficulty on top of the already difficult Hell mode, in exchange for an even higher EXP.
Varoghan, in a voice that imitated Beradon, spoke graciously. “Your power is extraordinary. How about you receive my teachings and take on a new challenge? Challenges can sometimes make you grow stronger.”
[I accept.]
The man, who heard his voice, immediately accepted. The man’s acceptance made Varoghan almost weep with joy. His grin could even split his face with how wide it was.
An astronomical reward? Of course. But if he failed to clear the floor because of the insane level of difficulty, the penalty that he would receive would be equally astronomical. The fact that he had already obtained fifteen billion EXP meant that Varoghan could take away more than seventy billion EXP from him once he failed.
“Fufufufufu!”
[Hey.]
“...?”
Varoghan looked at the crystal ball in confusion.
[That’s disgusting. Stop imitating Master Beradon. In my eyes, you can only compare with master’s toes.]
Varoghan wanted to be Beradon.
After all, Beradon received the respect and reverence of the members of the Eight Pillars like Athenae. He also raised the greatest of all evils, Helenia, and the Evil God Obren, who had shocked the world. Beradon’s disciples also gained shocking reputations and most cared deeply for him.
Yes, everything Varoghan did was out of a sense of inferiority. He wanted to be like Beradon, but he couldn’t, so he copied everything about him. He copied how Beradon dressed and even studied how he smiled and spoke.
[You don’t look like the master at all.]
“...!”
Varoghan’s expression grew ugly.
[Your personality, compared to the master’s excellent and outstanding personality, is nothing but a ‘fake’ personality.]
[Your smile, compared to the master’s kind and caring smile directed to his disciples, is nothing but ‘insincere’.]
[You can never become like my master.]
[You can never become The Teacher.]
[You… are nothing but a fake.]
Varoghan’s already ugly expression turned a deep hue of red. This was because he was embarrassed. After all, the words that the man said were utterly true.
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