Episode 107: The Successor
I looked at the woman sealed in the crystal.
Power is unleashed and information emerges.
[Penny Juster-NPC]
-Princess of the Golden Empire Gretfron
-Died.
Dead. She had no wounds, but her soul was trapped in the soul stone. It was hard to see her as alive.
Has Alios been protecting that person all this time?
-Wooooooooooo!
When the crystal and the soul stone made contact, a strong wave spread out.
The soul and body recognize and resonate with each other.
Then, a mysterious energy flows out from the soul stone.
The energy that wanders as if looking for direction and soon seeps into the crystal.
Is that Penny’s soul?
-Crispy
The soul stone with its soul removed becomes transparent, loses its power, and shatters.
On the other hand, the crystal was surrounded by a faint light.
Wiggle.
Penny Juster’s fingers twitched.
“Okay, okay! Penny is coming back to life!”
Alios hugs the crystal with an excited look on his face.
I scratched my head from a suitable distance behind.
Because now didn’t seem like the time for me to get involved.
NPCs probably have their own circumstances too.
Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen an NPC that has been declared dead. Let’s go out for a moment.
“On the track.”
Deokchun, who was on the same page as me, tapped me on the shoulder and quietly left the room so as not to disturb me.
Okay. What do we do now?
I came out but there was nothing to do.
I scratched my chin and looked down the hallway.
“Should I take a look around the mansion?”
I decided to wander around a bit more.
Do you know anything about something you might like?
I gave you the soul stone, so I guess it’s okay to take at least one gift with you.
I set out with the intention of finding treasure.
You might ask if it’s wrong to search a room without the owner’s permission.
“What’s the point of arguing about something like that between people who fought to the death?”
Unfortunately, the relationship between Alios and me was not a normal one.
Exactly 3 hours later.
I sat on the sofa in the guest room of the mansion and drank a beverage.
The mansion itself wasn’t that big, so it wasn’t difficult to look around.
It was only a three-story building. It was long compared to its height, but it didn’t take long to examine it thoroughly.
I searched all the way to the basement.
“There is something useful there.”
“Oh yeah.”
I was able to find a pair of shabby but good performing shoes.
[The Last Boots of the Opponent (A)]
-Shoes worn by Alios Perno, a high-ranking criminal of the Golden Empire.
– Allows you to move even in extreme situations.
It’s a truly A-class item.
It looks like chewed leather, but it’s of a very high grade.
The size is just right. I’ve been wearing the same shoes I wore when I came into the tower.
I was on the verge of being torn apart by frequent battles and rough terrain, so I figured I’d take this opportunity to change things up.
I smiled happily as I looked at the options.
I really like the option to be able to move even in extreme situations.
“It’s not an item with skills attached, it’s an item with will.”
Not all options are in skill format.
Doesn’t the Pelline set I’m using right now have something like that?
The properties of each part are expressed.
The same goes for the sword that cuts boundaries. It has an optional phrase that says it can cut boundaries.
“They are quite precious things, but I ended up getting quite a lot of them.”
In fact, these things are classified as artifacts.
A brooch of boiling power, like a weighted bracelet.
Usually, artifacts have no options other than effects.
But this.
[The Last Boots of the Opponent (A)]
-Strength +19
– Agility +23
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
– Stamina +49
– Defense +74
It doesn’t have any great stats.
There are a lot of good things about shoes.
I will try my best to use it well.
When I actually tried them on, I think they fit well. Hmm.
-Squeaky
The door opened just as I was finishing my drink.
The one coming in is Alios.
“You were here.”
“Are you done?”
Alios chuckles at my question.
“Thanks. My soul and body have been separated for a long time, so I won’t wake up right away, but I will open my eyes soon.”
“Good. Oh, I’m wearing these shoes?”
“Do whatever you want. I won’t use it anyway.”
A guy who waves his hand as if he’s not interested. He’s cool.
I stared at the guy sitting on the sofa across from me.
Now I see that you aren’t even wearing shoes. Your clothes are worn out.
The only thing that’s intact is the sword he’s holding?
Even the hair looks like it was roughly cut.
A vagabond. Or a criminal.
I leaned back on the sofa and started talking. There was something I had been wondering about for a while.
“I have the ability to read information about others. You are a prisoner of the empire. The person sealed in the crystal is the princess. Doesn’t that combination seem strange?”
He was given the title of Great Prisoner by the Empire and even created an S-class suppression artifact to restrain him.
The shoes I’m wearing now have the word ‘antagonist’ in them.
No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t seem like they’re on good terms with the empire.
“It’s nothing special. In a way, it’s a common story.”
“Your wife?”
Why not? The love between a prisoner and a princess. Something like that.
Alios, who coughed in vain at my words, shook his head.
“I couldn’t get married.”
“Aha, you’re my fiancé.”
“We haven’t even gotten engaged yet.”
I nodded.
The combination of a prisoner and a princess.
It’s hard to get engaged.
“We were lovers.”
“Actually, I’m not even in love yet.”
“…hmm?”
What are you talking about, you punk?
“Ahem! True feelings will eventually be conveyed. If you think about it, you could say that we’re in the early stages of a relationship!”
“Isn’t that usually called unrequited love?”
“…shut up.”
Alios, who was hit with the fact, was silent for a while.
* * *
I spent a night at Alios’ mansion and was able to hear many things from him.
First of all, the relationship between Alios and the princess is nothing.
Are we just following each other around unilaterally?
The reason why Alios, who became intoxicated with the sword and fought repeatedly and soon became a threat to the empire, was captured by the imperial army was because he admired the princess.
The reason for building a mansion on Seolsan was simple. It was said that the cold air from here was collected and used to maintain the crystal.
Even if you search for the soul, it is meaningless if the body rots.
Actually, I’m not really interested in this kind of thing. Just let other people take care of their own love lives.
There is one thing I am interested in.
“He is the successor.”
“You may not realize it, but being a successor is a tremendous coincidence.”
Alios and I came out of the mansion.
An open space created at the corner of the peak of Seolsan Mountain.
A cold wind blew, but no one complained.
“An NPC can only choose his successor once.”
“I am the object to you?”
“yes.”
“Shouldn’t you be more careful when you have one chance?”
“Penny is more important to me.”
Ah. Is this the greatness of unrequited love?
He shook his head from side to side.
“That doesn’t mean I chose you without thinking. Countless deaths. But the courage to charge forward isn’t something that just anyone can have.”
Dying is a traumatic experience in itself.
In fact, those who died on the tower often suffered from deep trauma.
Especially for those who were summoned to the tower without proper preparation.
“It’s clumsy and lacks technique. But it’s not bad to use what you have.”
Alios pauses for a moment and takes a step closer.
There was none of his usual roughness. I too looked at him nervously.
“NPCs belong in the tower. They have to pay a high price to survive in the tower.”
His eyes become serious. Why is he suddenly talking about NPCs?
“Some people become the boss of a floor, and others earn the right to live in the tower in exchange for points earned through business.”
A fact I didn’t know.
I was curious. Why do NPCs do business and earn points?
Why was the boss on the 19th floor a human and not a monster?
They had their own rules of survival.
“What happens if I don’t play my role or don’t score points?”
“You lose your ego. You completely melt into the tower. You literally become an NPC.”
“It seems like you don’t have a separate role.”
“That’s right. That’s why I can’t stay in the safe zone.”
Come to think of it, most NPCs live in safe zones.
Was there a reason?
“There is only one safe zone. But the field? It divides endlessly to fit the climber.”
That’s right. Me, Bald Man, Lick Jjak, and Nyang Pun all climbed the tower, but we never met on the field.
When 10 people enter the 21st floor, 10 21st floors are created.
Even at this very moment, someone is probably attacking another 24th floor independent of this one.
Wait a minute. What about the NPC staying on the 24th floor?
“The existence of the country is split into tens and hundreds of pieces. That is the price I must pay.”
Huge penalty.
He was calmly enduring the confusion and pain of his soul being torn apart.
“Actually, I don’t have much time. Penny will be back soon, and I intend to shoulder her share of the burden. That’s what I’ve contracted with the system to do.”
He casually blurts out serious stories.
Double the pain of a shattered ego?
Even though the NPC is strong.
“Can you hold out?”
Apart from being strong, protecting yourself was a whole other matter.
Alios chuckles at my question.
“I told you, there is no time. Ten years at most. That is the time I can maintain my ego.”
Chakang. He drew his sword.
A bloody aura is embedded in the sword.
It was simple, but just that alone made me feel how high his level was.
The aura that can be emitted by someone who has spent his entire life sharpening his sword.
“NPCs can be freed when their successor clears the tower. It’s their last chance to escape the system.”
There was no question as to what would happen if the Successor failed to clear the tower.
Losing yourself and living your whole life as a puppet of the tower. That would be the ending.
“There will be a lot of NPCs after you. Those who have already blown their chance. Those who are jealous that you have found a successor. Those who are just trying to screw you and me over for fun.”
Not all NPCs are the same.
I’ve heard that while everyone I’ve met was exceptionally nice, there are also NPCs that are malicious.
“Be strong. If you fail to conquer the tower, you too will end up following the same path as us.”
“What the heck, ugh!”
-Poohwaaaaah!
Before I could even ask what he meant, his momentum hit me all at once.
A force so strong that even standing is difficult!
Alios, who did not limit himself, had a presence that no one could even dare to surpass.
“Take up your sword, heir.”
Alios slowly takes a pose.
His face was filled with determination and determination, and there was not a shred of any intention to deal with the weak.
With each step I took, a tremendous pressure gripped my body.
In a state of tension that made even the heavens hold their breath, he opened his mouth.
“I, Alios Perno. I am the swordsman who tried to devour the empire and the last knight of the Golden Empire.”
-Wooooooooooo!
Alios’ sword vibrates.
The magical power pulsates and soon takes shape, emitting a dazzling light.
[NPC, your bond with Alios Perno becomes stronger!]
-Education rate (0.1 percent)
– The essence of Alios Perno, ‘Unyielding Swordsman (SS)’, is added to the power!
“Take everything from me, and you will see the top of the tower!”
[Alios Perno, who challenged the 99th floor, gives his successor some teachings!]
Kwaaaaang! He was running towards me.
