As the goblin, its head crushed, collapsed before Dal-i, the remaining two, startled, gripped their weapons anew.
“Khat?”
“Karrl!”
Effortlessly dodging a goblin’s spear thrust, Dal-i clutched a stone in one hand and plunged into the fray.
“Kak!”
With an uppercut from the stone-gripping hand, Dal-i snapped the goblin’s jaw.
‘No, this is insane. They fight incredibly well…’
Though a spirit was showcasing martial arts, it was impressive nonetheless.
Turning to a goblin belatedly drawing its bowstring, Dal-i, this time, shattered its face with a stone thrown at 100 km/h. Catching the rebounding stone mid-air, they raised a hand in triumph.
“ヾ(・᎖・)”
“Oh, you did well…!”
‘That air of nonchalance, what was that all about?’
I had been expecting Dal-i to deal with the goblins using water, but instead, they delivered a full-blown UFC spectacle. I offered my congratulations on their victory pose.
Before my bewilderment could even subside, five more goblins burst forth from the forest.
‘They said there’d only be three!’
One more? What nonsense! They’ve quadrupled!
Even with Dal-i’s impressive fighting prowess, engaging five at once seemed too perilous.
“Dal-i, step back. I’ll handle this.”
“⩌ ̫ ⩌”
‘What was that expression?’
‘Do they perhaps not trust me?’
‘Was I just disrespected by my own spirit?’
I stared in disbelief at Dal-i, who, as if challenging me to ‘just try it,’ backstroked through the air back to me. Then, I gripped my brush tightly.
‘I’ll certainly re-establish the hierarchy.’
“Fireball.”
In an instant, a flame swelled before me, flickering and licking like a greedy tongue.
I unleashed it directly upon the goblin horde, and immediately cast another, incinerating even the forest where they attempted to flee.
The land was left desolate. Soon, the familiar chime of a departure echoed.
“Hmm?”
A tickling sensation on my left fingertip prompted me to glance down, where Dal-i, radiating an adorable cluelessness, pressed their belly against my hand.
Chuckling at their display of affection, I scratched their belly.
“Let’s do well, okay?”
“٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و”
Having thus normalized the hierarchy, I gazed contentedly at the scene I had created, then promptly took a commemorative photo.
Three goblins lay sprawled, defeated by Dal-i.
‘Ah, I should have taken a picture when the five additional goblins appeared.’
‘Now, utterly incinerated and leaving no trace, there was no way to prove it—’
“╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯”
Suddenly, Dal-i, slipping from my belly-scratching hand, swiftly flew towards the edge of the devastated forest.
They then picked something up and returned.
“Is this… a magic stone?”
Four jet-black magic stones, as if etched with the cosmos.
Though merely the size of small pebbles, I had heard that even F-grade magic stones fetched a considerable sum.
It was one of the reasons hunters tirelessly cleared towers and gates.
With a joyful heart, I took a picture, and admired their luminous appearance.
“Oh, then I can use this to earn a living—”
Before I could even finish my sentence,
Crack!
Dal-i slammed the magic stone they held in both hands against a rock placed on their belly. With several sharp blows, the magic stone split in two, and from within, a vibrant blue, mana-like energy burst forth in a spherical shape.
Dal-i then swallowed it whole.
“ꉂꉂ◟(˃᷄ꇴ˂᷅๑)༡”
“Dirty! Dirty!”
Though it likely wasn’t ‘dirty’ in the conventional sense, I still watched Dal-i, who had greedily consumed the unknown substance, with concern.
Dal-i, with an innocent expression that seemed to chirp ‘Kkyu~’, smacked their lips contentedly.
“They seem to like it…?”
I watched in stunned disbelief as the other magic stones, one after another, met their demise under Dal-i’s ‘clamshell’ (magic stone) crushing technique.
‘Even so, each of those must be worth hundreds of thousands of won.’
At a time when magic stones were hailed as humanity’s new growth engine, and even magic-stone-powered cars were being developed.
To think that magic stones were my little one’s nutritional snack, what kind of absurdity was this?
‘But as a spirit, what exactly are they supposed to eat?’
‘Are they the type to grow stronger by consuming magic stones?’
Since they seemed satisfied, I simply watched as they devoured the remaining two magic stones.
From their close-quarters combat, Dal-i proved to be peculiar in many ways.
In any case, before leaving the tower, I opened the Tower Gallery.
Title: One-Second Swordsaint Report in 10 Seconds.
Author: Pikkeosot
9.
8.
7.
[One-Second Swordsaint: ???Why?? Did I do something? Tell me.]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: I didn’t think you were like that! What did you do to the newbie!]
[Pikkeosot: What? Only one more goblin appeared? At least eight burst out, and I nearly died?!]
[Pikkeosot: (Photo of three goblins and four magic stones)]
[Pikkeosot: You think newbies are a joke, huh? Good assassination attempt?]
[One-Second Swordsaint: Wait!!! I really don’t know anything about this! I’ve never heard of eight goblins on the 3rd floor! No, seriously!]
[Back-Handed Climb: 8 goblins??? On the 3rd floor, not even the 5th? No way!]
[Pikkeosot: Should I report you as a 1+1 package?]
[Back-Handed Climb: Haha;; sorry… lol!!]
[One-Second Swordsaint: No, I’m really being unfairly accused. If you ask other hunters, they’ll tell you the same thing. Up to the 5th floor, they increase in order: 1, 2, 3 monsters.]
[Pikkeosot: Hmm, then what is it…? A bug?]
Seeing One-Second Swordsaint’s genuine indignation and the agreement of other hunters, it seemed his claim was indeed true. But why was the tower so generous with monsters for me?
‘Was this tower acting up because I practiced a bit in the waiting room? Huh? This is infuriating. I feel like unleashing 5,700 Fireballs on it.’
[Back-Handed Climb: But wasn’t the newbie a fire mage? Why do those three goblins’ heads look like that…?]
As if to lighten the mood, Back-Handed Climb inquired about the true nature of the goblins Dal-i had defeated.
‘Since the tower doesn’t reveal my personal information anyway, I suppose I can disclose some details.’
[Pikkeosot: Three were handled by my spirit, and the five that appeared afterward were roasted with fire.]
[Back-Handed Climb: ??? A spirit???? No way! What kind of spirit beats up monsters like that…? Is it an earth spirit?]
[Pikkeosot: It’s a water spirit.]
[Back-Handed Climb: ?]
My Dal-i is a spirit recognized by the tower.
Of course, I was quite surprised myself, but they are indeed a spirit.
Even now, beside me, they have conjured a large water bubble, and are lounging upon it like a waterbed, proving their spiritual nature.
Though they don’t use it for fighting.
[Pikkeosot: I’ll trust One-Second Swordsaint for now. Let’s do well, okay?]
[One-Second Swordsaint: Ah, I’m super unfairly accused, but… yeah.]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: Still, it’s weird… Eight on the 3rd floor? Has anyone been to the 3rd floor recently?]
[One-Second Swordsaint: The newbie is probably the only one right now. Anyway, the 5th floor is coming up soon. Make sure you’re well-prepared for that. Floor bosses, which appear every five floors, give generous rewards, so it’s good to go that far if you’re going to do it.]
[Pikkeosot: Thanks, thanks.]
While I had gained another valuable piece of information, comments brimming with disbelief still proliferated like mushrooms after rain.
Hunter awakening was not an easy feat.
Two years had passed since the initial Gate incident.
While 50,000 hunters had been recorded, many among them had reached the limits of their abilities and either given up climbing the tower or retired. Only B-grade hunters and above consistently climbed the tower, but their numbers were exceedingly small.
Something’s wrong with the tower, aren’t we in danger too? +4
Reasons to take newbie’s words with a grain of salt +3
Showing fire mage performance and then claiming water spirit? +5
Afterward, the gallery erupted in a blaze of worry and suspicion.
It was satisfying to see them having fun with the bait I had thrown.
Since I could check the rest later, I left the tower, which was now thick with the smell of smoke.
You gained experience.
You gained quest experience.
Lv3! Your level has increased. All stats have increased.
Oh, my level increased, and with it, my stats.
A sense of lightness filled my body, accompanied by a feeling of my mana pool becoming more robust.
They said there were special rewards for defeating floor bosses every five floors, so it seemed only stats were given before that.
Should I check?
Title: Oh, leveled up and got stats?
Author: Pikkeosot
I’m super strong now!
[One-Second Swordsaint: Lol, I guess you’d be Level 2 now. Did your Intelligence stat increase, naturally?]
[Spring Breeze Scattering: Whatever it is, it seems magic-related, so probably.]
A question arose from their conversation.
My level, boosted by the quest experience, had reached Level 3, contrary to their assumptions.
But did I only get one stat originally?
Offering my silent gratitude to the tower for bestowing such precious gifts, I respectfully folded away my protest of unleashing 5,700 Fireballs.
After a satisfying settlement, Dal-i and I threw ourselves onto my precious bed. My muscles screamed in protest as they stretched.
“Ugh, I worked too hard.”
My introverted nature yearned for the energy of home.
The cozy blanket, the gentle sunlight, my comfortable space.
“Home truly is the best.”
****
Yeon Soah, who was ejected back to the waiting room after the two-hour floor time limit expired, bit her lip until it bled.
‘Damn it, how am I supposed to clear this?’
The tower resets if a floor isn’t cleared within the two-hour limit.
Yeon Soah’s frustration reached its peak, as this was her third reset. The wind spirit, Sylph, synchronized with its owner’s emotions, gently ruffled her hair and blew cool air.
“…I know, it’s not your fault.”
The problem lay with those terrestrial spiders.
Terrenaids, commonly known as terrestrial spiders, lived in colonies, digging labyrinthine tunnels underground.
Not only was it difficult for Sylph to properly wield wind power in the tunnels, but spiderwebs were also strung everywhere, making movement strenuous.
Previously, with just one or two terrestrial spiders, she had managed to clear the floor somehow. However, the floor boss, whose face she hadn’t even seen yet, cunningly laid out numerous spiderweb traps and remained hidden.
Opening the Tower Gallery in her exasperation, she found a newbie once again drawing attention.
‘A spirit? Hah, seriously.’
There was a limit to lying. They had simply beaten up goblins and then insisted it was a spirit, a water spirit at that.
At least they could have sprinkled some water around.
‘What on earth is their true identity?’
The terrain, originally a forest, was now blackened, emitting a pungent smoke. She remembered trembling and wandering around, trying to find goblins hidden in the forest, when she first ascended the 3rd floor.
It was clear they were a fire mage, and to add such deceitful lies on top of that, their character seemed quite poor.
Cheon Yiryeong, the guild leader, had told her to try recruiting any newbies who appeared in the gallery, but she definitely didn’t want someone like this.
She would much rather have the Saintess she had seen before join the guild… Yeon Soah took a short break, browsing the gallery, before challenging the 15th floor again.
