Chapter: 10
In the end, it was decided that Citadel would move the furnace himself later.
There was no reason for Eugene to help with that, and honestly, he didn’t want to.
Give and take.
He had done what Citadel wanted. Now it was Eugene’s turn to receive what he wanted.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring them out.”
Citadel had a rough appearance and an equally rough personality.
But once he gave his word, he was the type to see it through to the end.
In a tower where even NPC guards would stab players in the back, someone with that much integrity was worth keeping around.
“…If only his skills were a little better, I might’ve considered training him.”
NPCs could grow stronger too.
Of course, they couldn’t use the Akasha System, but as living beings, it was only natural that they could improve.
Unlike players, who specialized almost exclusively in combat, NPCs had tremendous potential in crafting professions.
‘That’s why, during my first playthrough, every guild rushed to recruit master craftsmen.’
There was a saying: One well-trained NPC is worth more than ten players.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Though Citadel certainly wasn’t one of those NPCs.
“His skills are far too lacking to keep using him.”
The entire Citadel’s Golden Hammer workshop was filled with nothing but F-rank junk.
What use was there in taking along someone that incompetent?
“I’d rather recruit one of the decent NPCs on the upper floors.”
If he made good use of his knowledge from his first playthrough, obtaining one or two craftsmen with enormous growth potential wouldn’t be difficult.
“I don’t plan on creating a guild, but having people to support me definitely makes things easier.”
Just as the vague plans in his mind were gradually taking shape—
The back door opened, and Citadel returned.
“That was quick this time.”
It had taken forever for him to fetch the furnace.
“These were hidden nearby.”
The thing Eugene had wanted most upon arriving on the first floor.
“‘Black Wing [C].'”
With a strained expression, Citadel held out the long sword in his hands.
From the scabbard to the hilt,
the entire sword was a soft, matte black, as though it had been carved from the night sky itself.
Its overall design was simple.
Except for one part.
The guard connecting the hilt to the blade had an unusual shape.
“A black wing.”
It resembled the wing of a fallen angel stained in darkness.
“That’s why it’s called Black Wing [C].”
As Citadel finished speaking, Eugene reached out and grasped the sword.
It was heavier than he expected.
“It’s forged from black iron, so it’s quite heavy. Unless you’ve leveled up a fair bit, you won’t even be able to swing it.”
That sounded about right.
If Eugene hadn’t obtained Body Blessed by the Gods [S], he probably wouldn’t have been able to lift it this easily.
“Other than that one flaw, it’s worthy of being called a masterpiece. And if you’re someone who defeated an Earth Dragon, you’ll have no trouble using it.”
Citadel spoke with obvious pride.
He wasn’t wrong.
In reality, Black Wing [C] was such an exceptional sword that finding another like it below the 50th floor was nearly impossible.
‘…This is the first time I’ve actually held it.’
■ Black Wing [C]: A remarkable sword containing the sealed power of a fallen angel. Its true power still slumbers.
Honestly, it was tempting enough to keep for himself.
The Flame Dragon Sword [E] he had obtained on the tutorial floor wasn’t bad for the early game—
but it couldn’t compare to this.
And its true power?
‘So it’s sealed.’
That wasn’t surprising.
Items with sealed power occasionally appeared inside the Tower.
Most of them possessed extraordinary abilities.
Several of the weapons Eugene had used during his first playthrough had been sealed items as well, so he knew exactly how valuable they were.
‘I really want to try using it.’
But…
“This isn’t a sword meant for me.”
“What?”
Citadel’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Then why had Eugene gone through the trouble of killing an Earth Dragon just to obtain it?
“There’s someone this sword belongs with. Think of it as a bribe. I’m trying to get close to them.”
“…You’re completely insane.”
Citadel let out a hollow laugh.
Giving Black Wing [C] to someone else?
On the very first floor?
If the other NPCs heard that, they’d whisper behind his back.
“What an unbelievable sucker.”
“You should think it over carefully. Black Wing [C] isn’t an ordinary sword.”
I know.
People who didn’t understand would say,
“It’s only C-rank. What’s the big deal?”
But—
‘Getting anything D-rank or higher in the Tower is like plucking a star from the sky.’
Whether it was a skill, a trait, or an item.
There was a reason why even Eugene had only managed to collect two A-rank items before defeating the End during his first life.
A C-rank item on the lower floors was practically endgame equipment.
Even so, Eugene didn’t change his mind.
“The person I’ve chosen as this sword’s owner isn’t ordinary either.”
Someone worth befriending even at the cost of giving away an item like this.
That person was the Sword Empress—
the original owner of Black Wing [C] during his first playthrough.
From the day Citadel gave it to her in return for her kindness,
until the day she died,
she never once let go of Black Wing [C].
“Who is it?”
Citadel asked.
Eugene simply shrugged.
“Someone.”
The most useful fool among all fools.
Aside from Eugene himself, she was the greatest sword genius alive.
Pure.
Noble.
The kind of fool who would sacrifice herself for others.
The same fool whose climb ended on the 64th floor because of that.
‘This time… I’ll save her no matter what.’
This time they’d climb all the way to the 100th floor together.
Cut off that damned End’s head together.
Stop the world’s destruction together.
Black Wing [C] was simply the first move toward making that happen.
After gently stroking the black scabbard, Eugene looked up at Citadel’s other hand.
Noticing his gaze, Citadel suddenly remembered.
“Ah! The second item you wanted.”
Unlike Black Wing [C], it was tiny.
Barely the size of his palm.
Eugene smiled.
“Grace [C], huh.”
“That’s right. This is Grace [C], you robber.”
Ignoring Citadel’s grumbling, Eugene accepted the item.
It was the complete opposite of the sword.
A brilliant white bracelet radiating elegance.
‘Lucky. I actually got it.’
Unlike the sword,
this one was for his own use.
“How in the world did you even know about this?”
Just like Black Wing [C], Grace [C] had been a family heirloom secretly passed down through Citadel’s lineage.
Yet Eugene knew about it as if he’d been looking directly into the man’s palm.
It was suspicious to an almost frightening degree.
“You don’t need to know.”
Chuckling, Eugene fastened the bracelet around his left wrist.
■ Grace [C]: Slightly increases mana.
For Eugene, whose level was still low, it was exactly what he needed.
The description merely said slightly,
but the actual effect was on an entirely different level.
Fwoooosh—!
It felt as though a powerful wind was surging through his body.
Like a tiny stream suddenly swelling into a mighty river.
The increase in mana was every bit as dramatic as it felt.
‘Good thing I asked for this too.’
Like Black Wing [C], Grace [C] hadn’t belonged to Eugene during his first playthrough.
But he knew perfectly well how incredible its effect was.
Its original owner hadn’t amounted to much anyway.
It was better for Eugene to keep it himself.
Now there was nothing left for him to obtain here.
“Well then, I’m leaving. Take good care of the flame. Don’t let it go out again.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Eugene turned and waved.
“H-Huh? You’re leaving already?”
“What? Were we supposed to hold hands and throw a celebration party?”
“Well… no, but…”
Citadel clearly felt uneasy about sending away the man who had saved him like this.
Eugene didn’t.
He had a mountain of things to do.
There would be plenty of time to relax and build friendships after crushing the Tower and preventing the end of the world.
“See you again if we get the chance.”
Though he doubted that chance would come.
Leaving Citadel, who looked ready to stop him once more, Eugene walked out of Citadel’s Golden Hammer.
Fresh air greeted him outside.
He’d apparently spent longer inside than he’d realized.
“Haaah!”
Taking a deep breath, he cleared the lingering smell of iron from his lungs before continuing on.
“Should I get the Subspace first… or a horse?”
Both were important.
But considering the route,
the Subspace was a little closer.
“Subspace it is.”
He knew the way so well he could have walked it with his eyes closed.
As he headed toward the main road,
he noticed an enormous crowd.
“There are a lot more people now.”
It seemed the real influx of players had begun.
Hundreds of clueless newcomers wandered around the streets in confusion.
How many of them would survive this time?
‘If everything goes according to my plan… quite a few of them should make it.’
He wasn’t working this hard for their sake.
But that would be the result nonetheless.
After silently watching the bewildered players for a while, Eugene resumed walking.
‘With this many people, how is there not a single useful one among them?’
Wouldn’t it be nice if the Sword Empress appeared right in front of him?
It would save time.
He could befriend her from the very beginning and help her grow.
But finding her across this enormous world of Terra was like searching for a needle in a desert—
“Huh?”
Someone caught Eugene’s eye.
Short bobbed hair.
Large eyes.
A youthful face that looked no older than twenty.
An expression filled with tension.
“…It’s the Sword Empress.”
So much for searching for a needle in a desert.
He found her immediately.
Seeing her cautiously walking alone through this unfamiliar place, constantly watching her surroundings, Eugene found himself unconsciously walking toward her.
‘She’s younger than I remember… but it’s definitely her.’
She looked like this now,
but in only a year’s time she would become one of the Tower’s greatest players.
Flinch!
Perhaps she noticed Eugene staring directly at her while approaching quickly.
The Sword Empress tensed up and moved her hand to her waist.
‘A sword?’
She had probably found it during the tutorial floor’s treasure hunt.
Finding a sword there too…
Maybe she really had been destined to become the Sword Empress from the very beginning.
“…Please don’t come any closer. If you keep approaching, I’ll draw this.”
Her stance was incredibly awkward.
It was obvious she’d never handled anything sharper than a kitchen knife before.
Even so,
the sharp sword aura she unconsciously gave off was enough to reveal her extraordinary talent.
Wanting to ease her guard, Eugene carefully approached.
“Ah, I’m not a suspicious person.”
At that moment,
Eugene remembered a famous pickup artist’s advice from years ago.
“How to naturally start a conversation with a woman you’ve never met.”
Man: “I think you dropped something.”
Woman: “Huh? What do you mean…?”
Man: Pretends to pick something up. “Here. You dropped your beauty.”
Woman: “Haha!”
Man: “Actually, I couldn’t help noticing you. Could I get your number?”
Woman: “Do you say that to every woman you meet?”
Man: “Not every woman goes around dropping her beauty.”
Woman: “Oh my… what are you even saying?”
‘Perfect. I’ll use that.’
Compliment her.
Lighten the mood.
Introduce himself naturally.
As far as Eugene could think, it was the best possible approach.
After organizing the words in his head, he smiled and spoke.
“You seem to have lost your beauty.”
“…Excuse me?”
No.
Damn it.
That wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
