Chapter 459: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Waiting Room (2)

[65 hours 11 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

I spent about five minutes scrolling through the shop menu, debating what equipment to buy. Before long, I realized it didn’t really matter. At my current level, nothing sold in the shop would make any meaningful difference. Their cost-effectiveness was poor, and besides, nothing there could possibly compare to the cloak I had just obtained.

It was a shame to have lost the armor and the Mana-Accumulating Gauntlet of the Underworld, though.

As I had realized on the ninety-fifth floor, my equipment wasn’t truly essential. In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what the tower had intended—to give me a kind of enlightenment, a lesson about letting go of reliance on equipment. Although the trial hadn’t been about me abandoning my gear, it felt connected.

I had intentionally entered trials without equipment before, all to push my growth further. That was that, though. I had no reason to hoard points when there was no need.

From the ninety-sixth floor to the one-hundredth. This is where the final battles begin.

Not once, in my battles against the Feast, Kalain, or the Furnace, had I found myself wishing for a single extra point of strength. That only made me less interested in spending forever getting new gear. That time would be better spent gaining new understandings and insights.

Still, it never hurt to have an edge. There was no reason to refuse any advantage I could take.

Thunder Axe kept his attire simple, but both Eternal Feast and Endless Furnace were well-equipped.

Eternal Feast had looked especially grand in his ornate armament, fitting for a god of indulgence. It was a pity his corpse had disintegrated into fragments before I could recover any of it. As for Thunder Axe, perhaps I had only seen him during his moments of rest. For all I knew, he could have proper battle equipment as well.

Either way, walking around in just a climbing suit isn’t ideal.

On the ninety-fifth floor, I had fought wearing only the climbing suit and Soulbound. To anyone else, it would have looked rather unbalanced. I decided to stop overthinking it and decided to buy the most expensive gear available. I had more than enough achievement points anyway.

Of course, those points probably wouldn’t vanish after conquering the tower. They could still serve some purpose later. Perhaps they were tied to divinity or something similar. Rather than saving them for an uncertain future, though, it would be better to use them now.

Among the higher-end items, I will go with those that are light yet durable.

Their durability was very important. Even my armor, Guardian’s Will of the Underworld, had shattered helplessly in a battle against a god. Something that wouldn’t restrict my movement and wouldn’t crumble after one blow would be ideal.

This one and that one.

I picked a few of the pricier items that caught my eye.

For the armor, I chose a type of enhanced leather for ease of movement, and the gauntlets and boots were both sleek and functional. To match the cloak and Soulbound, I went with black tones. Once I put them on, the overall look turned out surprisingly good.

Hmm. I guess I have rested long enough.

Now that I had chosen my new gear, it was time to adapt to it and resume training.

***

[2 minutes 48 seconds until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

After ruminating for a while, I decided to go with the first name I had come up with for the forced awakening skill, Thunderbird. It wasn’t the most inspired name, but nothing better came to mind. Constantly calling it “the forced awakening skill” felt awkward, and since it did manifest in bursts of lightning, the name seemed fitting enough.

Either way, I had tested it again in small bursts, but I still hadn’t found any way to lessen its recoil.

The training spring had helped me recover somewhat, but not nearly to the level I had reached after the trial ended. With so few floors left, Thunderbird was something I could only use when I knew a trial was nearing its end, when the tower’s healing would soon follow.

After that, I turned my focus to the Heart Sword. There was much to learn from my battle with Kalain, particularly in the way he had delayed its strike. Depending on how I applied it, the possibilities were endless.

Kalain truly was remarkable.

Even though we had cleared the same number of floors, my technique appeared simple compared to his—I was basically just cutting in comparison. That didn’t mean my talent was any worse, though. I simply hadn’t had the same amount of time to refine my mastery of the Heart Sword since first awakening it.

Besides, from what I had seen in his memories, on average, he had faced far harsher trials than I had. If I had challenged the older version of the tower in my current state, I would have reached or even surpassed his level.

It would have been frustrating along the way, of course.

Perhaps the tower had adjusted its difficulty downward over time. Still, given that we had met on the ninety-fifth floor, it was fair to say his base skills and stats surpassed mine.

Regardless, in the end, I had won, and that was what mattered.

Beyond that, sharing Kalain’s memories and emotions had given me more than just insight. I had witnessed his growth firsthand—including his skills and techniques. That had allowed me to study, from the start, the martial arts of a warrior whose skill slightly surpassed mine. That alone gave me an immense potential for further growth.

However, as always, there was never enough time to train.

Even so, I managed to test the cloak’s durability in the meantime. According to its description, it possessed outstanding resistance to both physical and magical damage. I had wanted to gauge exactly how far that resistance went so that I could use it properly in combat.

To be honest, it exceeded my expectations.

I had planned to bombard it recklessly and then restore it with divinity, but when I followed through on my plan, my lightning-infused divinity had only managed to singe it slightly. Even my Aura hadn’t managed to cut through it in one blow.

If I added causality to the equation, then of course I could cut it, but that was acceptable. Kalain was the only god I knew who wielded causality, after all. Against ordinary gods, it would be more than sufficient.

The newly purchased equipment wasn’t as extraordinary as my old set, but it wasn’t lacking either. Given the price, it was comfortable and well-balanced, and I adjusted to it quickly.

I was ready to face the next trial.

“Send me to the ninety-sixth floor.”

This time, no confirmation message appeared asking me if I was certain.

I could have sworn it used to. Is this a new feature?

Perhaps it was because only I remained, allowing the tower to observe me directly. It almost felt as if we had developed a strange sort of familiarity. Not that it mattered.

As usual, weightlessness came first, followed by darkness washing over my vision. The notification window appeared almost instantly, faster than usual. I kept my eyes sharp, focusing so that I wouldn’t miss a single word.

[Welcome to the ninety-sixth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Divine Armament.]

[The first-class god ‘Hammer of Vulcanalia’ will forge equipment for you. Assist him with his work.]

What? Assist a god? And he is making me a weapon?

The trial was nothing like what I had expected. I wouldn’t have to fight, solve a puzzle, or help the oppressed. If anything, the trial was designed to help me, and more than anything, it caught me off guard.

Before I could think further, the sensation of weightlessness vanished.

What the heck is going on?

I found myself in a world bathed entirely in crimson light. Even with the cloak, waves of searing heat crashed into me. Their origin was imbued with divine power.

Before me stood a massive giant, easily four meters tall, and a woman about half his height. At a glance, I knew who they were—a god and his apostle.

The title in the message confirmed it.

The first-class god, Hammer of Vulcanalia, and his apostle.

I didn’t think I would have to fight them, but I didn’t let my guard down. The tower loved to trick climbers. For all I knew, they were concealing something. Contrary to my worries, however, the towering god broke into a broad smile and raised his hand.

Instinctively, I flinched, half-prepared for an attack.

“Welcome!”

The god’s booming voice echoed through the crimson air as he clapped a massive hand on my shoulder. Laughter spilled freely from him.

I flinched again and immediately felt awkward for overreacting. Then again, with a giant nearly four meters tall, his hand alone was large enough to crush me if he wanted to. Having it come down so suddenly would have startled anyone.

He looked genuinely delighted to see me, so much so that it left me more flustered than the message itself had.

He isn’t planning to backstab me later, is he?

I leaned back slightly and braced myself without realizing it, before forcing a polite smile and straightening my posture. “

Erm

, it’s good to meet you.”

The god let out a hearty laugh at my hesitant tone.

He scratched his cheek with a thick finger, looking almost embarrassed. “My apologies. I’m not usually like this, but I got a little carried away. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the first-class god, Hammer of Vulcanalia, Vulcanus!”

Vulcanus extended a broad, calloused hand toward me. He wanted a handshake. I hesitated briefly before cautiously taking it. Our hands were drastically different in size, but I managed to clasp his hand, and we exchanged a firm handshake.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He smiled broadly before glancing toward the woman standing behind him. “You won’t need to talk with me right now. It’ll be easier for you if my apostle explains things instead.”

“

Ah

, understood.”

That made sense. The tower had only tasked me with assisting him. It hadn’t explained what that would entail.

“Vironus, fill him in! We’ll talk later.” With that, he turned and strode toward a building radiating deep red light.

I stood there, momentarily at a loss for words, as his apostle approached. She, too, seemed somewhat taken aback by her god’s behavior. Two small horns, each about the length of a finger, jutted from her crimson hair.

“Hello. I’m Vironus.”

“I’m Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

For some reason, I had a feeling we would communicate just fine.

I hesitated before asking, “Is he always like that?”

She quickly shook her head. “No, not at all. Lord Vulcanus is usually quite temperamental. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him greet someone so warmly.”

Hmm. Is he acquainted with Thunder Axe?

As the thought crossed my mind, she glanced in the direction Vulcanus had gone and softly stated, “It’s probably because of the reward.”

“The reward?”

“Yes. Lord Vulcanus forges divine weapons for other gods. However, since he creates such exceptional armaments, no one ever commissions him twice.”

“I see.”

That made some sense. If a god dedicated to forging became a first-class god, they would produce unbelievably high-quality weapons. Once made, they would hardly ever need to be replaced.

“So, usually, he forges weapons for new gods and receives compensation from the tower. But lately, there hasn’t been much work.”

“

Aaaah...

”

That helped me understand. Considering that approximately four thousand years had passed between Kalain conquering the tower and me entering it, of course, this would be an exciting event. Well, that was only accounting for challengers, but that interval had been a result of the existing gods’ interference.

I also felt confident that fewer and fewer gods had appeared over time.

“Besides, you’re a challenger. Your reward will be extraordinary.”

“That makes sense.” I nodded slowly as I realized belatedly that I had misunderstood the purpose of the previous floor.

It hadn’t been trying to teach me to let go of equipment—it had been preparing me for this trial.

Though I am not sure this even counts as a trial.

No matter what, I was on one of the tower’s floors. That meant it wouldn’t be as simple as it appeared. Come to think of it, Eternal Feast had wielded a whip that perfectly suited his abilities. Perhaps he had acquired it here.

“

Haaaaa.

”

The more I thought about it, the more I regretted buying new gear earlier. It hadn’t been cheap either, as I had deliberately chosen some of the most expensive items.

Whatever. Everything I gain here will surely surpass anything I bought.

That was only natural. I had no way of knowing what lay ahead.

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel thrown off by how drastically the tone of the trials had shifted. A first-class god personally forging my equipment and asking for my help hardly felt like a trial at all.

Or maybe it is preparing me.

When I thought about it more, I would have to enter the domain of the gods once I cleared the tower. That would require me to form relationships, navigate politics, and grow my influence. Some level of preparation was necessary.

Perhaps these upcoming floors served that very role, readying me for godhood itself. Although it could also be testing my qualification. Of course, that was only an assumption. It could just as easily mean that the remaining trials would be far more grueling, and this was merely a calm before the storm.

Either way, all I could do was see it through. If I gave my all on every floor, that would be enough.

“By the way, the tower said I was supposed to help. But how exactly am I meant to assist?” Despite our conversation, I didn’t have a clue about what the trial required.

Vironus smiled faintly. “It’s simple. You just need to gather the materials required to forge the divine weapon.”