Chapter: 24
āHmm.ā
Eugene nodded as he looked at the two slaves covered in blood.
‘They’re definitely useful.’
There was no need to even mention the Sword Empress, Isia.
There was a reason he had placed her in the absolute top recruitment tier.
It was hard to believe that someone whose only passive skill was Basic Swordsmanship [D] could display such refined swordsmanship.
Of course, her movements were still clumsy overall.
Even so, the fact that she could cleanly decapitate a Red Goblin in a single strike despite that…
‘If she keeps growing like this, she’ll be more than enough help.’
Floor 64.
Compared to the time when she had stood alone against the Demonic Dragon before burning herself out, Eugene intended to raise her to an entirely different level.
He had both the knowledge and the ability to make that happen.
‘And…’
His gaze shifted.
To the exhausted boy still gasping for breathāPark Jihoo.
Even now, he already possessed combat ability worthy of the title Battle Demon.
Skills? None.
Traits? None either.
The only things he had were those enormous metal gauntlets and sheer grit.
‘This guy isn’t bad either.’
Unlike Eugene or Isia, luck didn’t seem to be on his side.
Even after leveling up, he hadn’t received any notable reward.
Despite that, he never stopped beating Red Goblins to death.
He tired quickly since he hadn’t fully matured yet, but every single punch he threw carried frightening power.
‘He’s like a wild beast.’
Both Isia and Park Jihoo fought by instinct.
But the two were fundamentally different.
Isia’s instincts were those of a swordsman.
Park Jihoo’s instincts resembled those of a predator.
A beast that mercilessly tore into its prey the instant it spotted an opening.
His movements were crude and completely unrefined…
‘But that also makes them deadly.’
Eugene liked what he saw.
Finding one promising candidate already felt good.
The fact that the boy was worth even more than he’d expected made it impossible not to be pleased.
‘Though he’s still got a long way to go.’
Right now, this level of strength only worked on the First Floor.
Actually, it wasn’t even enough for that.
If Eugene hadn’t helped, they would certainly have died to the Red Goblins.
‘How long is it going to take to raise these brats?’
His expectations grew…
Along with a growing sense of exhaustion.
To raise those kids until they could stand at the top of the Tower and hold back the apocalypse…
“Gah… My back’s going to break.”
While developing himself, he’d also have to train those two.
It looked like he’d have to work even harder than he had during his first run.
“What level are you now?”
He asked Park Jihoo.
“L-Level 10.”
“Hmm. What about you?”
“Same here.”
Level 10.
Compared to the other players, the difference was heaven and earth.
Ninety-nine percent of players were probably still Level 1.
Only a handful of exceptional individuals might have reached Level 2 by now.
Numerically, they were already five times ahead.
In terms of actual combat ability, the gap was even larger.
Objectively speaking, it wasn’t slow progress.
But Eugene wasn’t satisfied.
‘I let them farm three whole Red Goblin waves, and they’re only Level 10?’
Since experience had been shared, Eugene himself hadn’t gained many levels either.
He had only managed to level up once.
He had barely reached Level 14.
‘This isn’t enough.’
If he were alone, it would be one thing.
But if he intended to grow together with these burdens, he’d need something drastic.
‘Which monster on the First Floor gives the most experience again?’
For a single monster, it was obviously the Earth Dragon.
It was the boss monster guarding the First Floor.
The problem was that its respawn time was one day.
It gave a lot of experience, but that also meant its efficiency wasn’t particularly good.
‘There aren’t enough Red Goblins to split between three people, and the Sulfur Deer don’t give nearly enough experience.’
He frowned.
He ran through every monster living on the First Floor in his mind.
But no method surpassed the Red Goblin wave.
‘Is this really the limit here?’
Objectively, they weren’t progressing slowly.
But it still wasn’t fast enough for Eugene.
“Tch. Can’t be helped.”
If there was no answer on the First Floor…
Then there was only one option left.
“We’re going up tomorrow.”
“…Up?”
Unable to understand what he meant, Isia looked upward.
“I mean we’re heading to the Second Floor.”
“Oh.”
Isia and Park Jihoo’s eyes widened.
The Second Floor?
Was that even possible?
“But… we haven’t even been here for a full day.”
“I-I heard you have to defeat the boss before you can move to the next floor.”
The two cautiously replied while watching Eugene’s expression.
After all, they’d been worked to the bone under him all day.
Naturally, if all of it had simply been abuse, they never would have obediently followed him.
The same went for both Park Jihoo and Isia.
Given their personalities, they would have risked their lives resisting Eugene.
Whether they were stronger or weaker didn’t matter.
At the very least, they would have fought back.
So why hadn’t they?
There was only one reason.
‘Because it helps us grow.’
Compared to hunting with the shield user, the spearman, and the healer…
The hunts under Eugene’s relentless pressure were on an entirely different level.
There wasn’t even time to celebrate leveling up or think about killing one more monster.
The Red Goblins radiated murderous intent and madness.
Kill one, and two more charged in.
Kill two, and four more appeared.
Every single one was stronger than they were.
Hundreds of them.
Without Eugene’s assistance, they would have certainly died.
It wasn’t hunting anymore.
It was a desperate struggle for survival.
That was why…
Even as both their bodies and minds were pushed to the breaking point, they still listened carefully to Eugene.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ve already opened the path.”
“…What?”
Isia looked at him in confusion.
“I already killed the Earth Dragon. The path to the Second Floor has been opened. Of course, no one else can go up yet.”
Good grief.
The players had only been summoned into the Tower one day ago.
And Eugene had already defeated the Earth Dragon?
‘Is that even possible?’
Just what kind of person was he?
It was impossible to believe he lived through the same twenty-four hours they did.
“Anyway, we’ll level up much faster on the Second Floor than here, so that’s where we’re going.”
It wasn’t a discussion.
It was a one-sided decision.
And so, Isia and Park Jihoo had no choice but to follow Eugene to the Second Floor.
“Tch.”
After securing a room at an inn and washing the blood from his body, Eugene dried himself with a towel and clicked his tongue.
“My plans got a little messed up.”
Originally, he had intended to stay in Terra until reaching Level 30.
The Second Floor wasn’t nearly as player-friendly as this place.
Not only were there no inns like this…
There weren’t any NPCs at all.
Sure, the stronger monsters meant faster leveling.
But it certainly wouldn’t be as comfortable.
“It’s basically pure wilderness.”
If his slaves were going to survive there, they needed several things first.
Food.
Tents.
Equipment.
Clothing.
Basic survival supplies.
The problem was…
“I need money.”
The Tower’s official currency was, naturally, Coins.
But their value was simply too high.
You couldn’t exactly buy a loaf of bread with a Coin.
It wasn’t as if you’d receive 0.999 Coins in change.
That’s why everyday necessities weren’t bought with Coins.
Instead, people used Gold and Silver.
They weren’t officially recognized by the Tower.
They were currencies created by the NPCs themselves.
Essential for ordinary NPCs who didn’t go hunting monsters and still had to survive inside the Tower.
“I’ll just sell all the junk.”
He had gathered quite a bit while clearing today’s Red Goblin waves.
Material items.
Two useless skill books.
Even one E-rank item.
Selling everything for gold should earn him a decent amount.
“Then I’ll buy everything we need…”
His thoughts drifted toward the two burdens.
‘Come to think of it, there were a few things on the First Floor that would suit them.’
To Eugene, they weren’t even worth a single silver coin.
But for Isia and Park Jihoo, it was different.
They weren’t earth-shattering treasures.
Still, there were several items that would greatly improve their chances of surviving the early stages.
“I should get those before we leave.”
It wasn’t impossible to come back later.
But he didn’t have enough spare time to waste doing that.
“Sigh…”
He let out a long sigh as he stood up.
Did those idiots even realize?
That he was running around without sleep just for their sake?
“I should work them even harder.”
Now that he thought about it, it was annoying.
All they’d done was kill a few monsters.
Yet the moment they entered their rooms, they washed up and went straight to sleep.
Starting tomorrow, he’d push them so hard they wouldn’t even have time to think about bathing.
With that resolution, he walked toward the door.
“Kyaaaaanng!”
“You think so too, huh?”
Hearing Chunbae’s cry, Eugene nodded and gently patted the creature’s head.
Even this bizarre little monster agreed with him.
Maybe it was fine to cross the line a little.
Meanwhile, Isia and Park Jihoo had already collapsed into a deep sleep, completely unaware that a decision determining the course of their future had just been made.
“Let’s see.”
Leaving the inn, Eugene surveyed his surroundings.
The very first thing he needed to do was leave Terra.
There was no other way to obtain the items he wanted to give Isia and Park Jihoo.
“Tch. I never expected I’d recruit two people on the First Floor.”
Because of that, his entire schedule had become hopelessly tangled.
Still, it was better than never finding them.
The earlier he started training them, the stronger and more dependable they would become.
That would naturally increase their chances of conquering the Tower.
There was no reason to refuse.
That didn’t mean it wasn’t a hassle, though.
“Yeah. Let’s get moving. No point standing around.”
Grumbling to himself, he looked toward the South Gate.
Before dawn, he had to obtain what he wanted, sell the junk items for money, and buy everything they would need on the Second Floor.
He had no time to waste.
“Summon.”
With a quiet murmur, a horse appeared before Eugene.
Mounts could be summoned and dismissed at will.
Thankfully.
If they couldn’t…
Eugene looked back and forth between the horse and Chunbae with a troubled expression.
“Just imagining it is horrifying.”
Shivering at the thought, Eugene mounted the horse and rode off beneath the pitch-black night sky.
