NoveLight ™
I never thought I would lose.
“I didn’t expect to reveal my true nature like this. I’m a bit surprised.”
There’s a difference of 6 points.
If I lose to Park Ji-hoon, it would mean that the Tower of Struggle system is poorly designed.
“It’s not bad to drive after a long time.”
I lightly tapped my feet.
The recoil felt quite nice, bouncing back with a good rhythm.
“I really didn’t expect it. This feels pretty good.”
Should I raise my agility?
Or is it thanks to my surreal recovery?
Whatever the reason, my knee feels better now.
For now, I’m satisfied.
“Assistant!”
I was left alone. Shouldn’t there be something to say?
I was waiting for a message, but there was no response.
“You bastard.”
I didn’t like him throughout the tutorial.
Swallowing my annoyance, I picked up the sword that Park Ji-hoon had wielded.
[Longsword (purple)][F]
Where on earth did he get this?
As I examined the longsword, I found an old book where Park Ji-hoon had fallen.
“Hmm?”
As I picked it up, the information about the item came to mind.
[Illusory Old Book][S]
Type: Growth Artifact
Attributes▼
【Intelligence: +1】
【Wisdom: +1】
【Durability: ∞ (Indestructible)】
Options▼
【Devour Lv.1】
【Block Lv.1】
【Illusion Lv.1】
An artifact that increases spell power and resistance.
It’s not immediately useful, but items that raise attributes are always welcome.
“What are these options?”
I skimmed through the text.
[Devour Lv.1]
Each time an artifact is absorbed, intelligence and wisdom attributes grow by 『12』.
“Is the classification as a growth-type artifact due to the devour option?”
[Block Lv.1]
Blocks when targeted by a vision-type skill.
“Not bad, huh?”
What caught my eye was the last option.
Illusion.
[Illusion Lv.1]
The gold technique of Void Astra, the creator of reality manipulation magic.
LV.1 - Can edit the owner's information.
Lv.2 - Seal.
“Edit information?”
I decided to test what it felt like.
“Ah!”
Information editing.
The information referred to my status window.
“Is this incredible?”
My attributes, skills, even my race.
【Race – Orc】
I look human, yet it shows Orc in my status window.
“Literally an illusion. A fabrication.”
Just because I raised my strength to 100 doesn’t mean I truly became stronger.
It’s disappointing, but it’s not bad.
I restored the information and grabbed the Illusory Old Book.
“A gift for my troubles caused by Park Ji-hoon.”
Considering the value of the solo clear bonus of 6 points that he ate and died for…
This artifact felt a bit lacking.
“Tsk.”
6 points.
Points that can be used to genuinely become stronger, not the manipulated attributes through illusion.
If I invest in strength, my attack power increases; if I invest in health, my life force increases.
That precious point was taken by that guy.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
I sighed deeply and kicked his corpse with my foot.
This doesn’t help ease my anger.
“Am I a psychopath?”
Seeing the corpse without any emotion.
I began to question my nature.
“…I don’t seem to be a psychopath since I feel bitter about it.”
Not far away lies Lim Su-jin's corpse.
Lim Su-jin, sprawled in a pool of blood, unable to even close her eyes properly.
When I looked at her, I felt entirely different emotions than when I looked at Park Ji-hoon.
“She wouldn’t have lived long anyway.”
After finishing my cleanup, I waited for the assistant.
“Nice to meet you.”
What arrived after my wait was not the assistant's message, but a strange voice.
“What, what’s this?”
“I am Administrator Chirak.”
Turning around, I saw an orc in a suit with a bow tie standing there.
Administrator Chirak spoke.
“To summarize the situation briefly, there was a small mistake during the tutorial progress.”
“…Mistake?”
“Yes. You could say bugs got involved? That bastard that Error-in killed.”
Chirak pointed at Park Ji-hoon and continued speaking.
“He shouldn’t be in the 0th floor at all. Somehow, during the transmission process, an error occurred, and they ended up being summoned to the 0th floor as participants.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“Park Ji-hoon and Mori.”
As Chirak gestured, space tore open.
He reached into the torn space and pulled out a person.
“It means they are not new players. The two tried to kill new players to obtain the hidden piece of the tutorial. As a result, real new players, including Error-in, suffered.”
“Ah….”
They are not new players.
I sighed.
“I thought something felt off.”
Everything began to make sense.
“Tutorials are being conducted simultaneously in multiple locations. Sometimes, things like this happen.”
“……”
“When they realize they are found out, those who engage in such tricks know they will be severely punished. They must be that desperate.”
Chirak smiled.
His smile as an orc looked anything but pleasant.
“…Wait a moment.”
“Please go ahead.”
“So, what about my rewards?”
Chirak’s eyes sparkled.
It seemed he didn’t expect me to ask at this timing.
Still holding onto his smile, Chirak spoke.
“Hoho. I didn’t think you’d get straight to the point. You almost died, and you’re completely unfazed?”
“…I almost died, but I’m not dead, am I?”
I need to prepare for what’s next.
If I don’t, I might end up dead like Lim Su-jin over there.
“Encountering someone stronger than me without being able to resist….”
That kind of death is unacceptable.
What if the administrator becomes displeased?
I did have similar worries.
But I trusted the tutorial design that felt somewhat kind.
If he’s truly the administrator responsible for the tutorial, he would compensate me for the losses I suffered.
“Just as I expected.”
Chirak chuckled and said.
“I checked your performance. You managed to earn the solo clear bonus a whopping four times. If those bugs hadn’t been there, I believe you could have secured the remaining bonuses as well.”
“Hmm.”
I messed up because of Park Ji-hoon.
“It’s the administrator’s fault for missing Park Ji-hoon.”
That fact is important.
Perhaps I could use this as a justification to get more.
“I understand. The bonus that the bugs stole. This should be doable within my authority.”
[0th Floor, Prove It]
Solo Clear Bonus +6
“…This message. Isn’t it a message sent by the Tower of Struggle?”
“It’s a message from the administrator.”
Strange.
“That message also appeared when those bastards were there earlier.”
“That was probably a saved message. It’s an automatically sent message for specific situations.”
“……”
“I understand what the Error-in player is saying. I apologize, but I was not aware of the existence of this tutorial. It was beyond my control.”
Is it enough to just say sorry?
“There’s a saying where I come from. Why do something you should apologize for? It’s somewhat like a proverb…”
“Haha.”
Chirak laughed.
“So, you mean receiving only the standard rewards is insufficient? Since you almost died?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
I need to tread carefully to avoid provoking him unnecessarily.
“I understand.”
Contrary to my worries, Chirak gladly accepted my discontent.
“It’s understandable for Error-in to feel wronged.”
“Hmm.”
I almost nodded.
“If the exam had proceeded normally, I would have skipped the crew-making process with the hometown dimension players I met in the tutorial. However, due to my mistake, you were forced to participate.”
“…Crew making?”
“It’s also referred to as team building. The first mission on the first floor is crew making.”
“……”
Chirak grinned.
As he snapped his fingers, a box appeared in the air.
I reached out to grab the box.
[Skill Random Box][C]
What’s this?
I looked at Chirak.
“It’s a token of apology.”
“……”
“You can open it here. Once you go upstairs, you’ll have to participate in crew making right away.”
“…Then.”
Without declining, I opened the box in front of Chirak.
Light burst forth, and a message appeared.
[Hatchling Breath][C]
The breath of a newborn red dragon. It emits breath forward, dealing 『51,003%』 fire attribute damage.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Mana Cost: 1000
《Race Specialization》
For a moment, I was amazed at the excellent specs.
【Skills Held - (1/1)】
【Strong Strike (F)】
The number of skills I can acquire is holding me back.
[Do you want to delete Strong Strike (F) and acquire Hatchling Breath (C)?]
Damn it.
I can’t throw away Strong Strike.
There’s no other skill with such versatility; how could I discard it?
“…It says I have to delete the skill I currently have. What should I do?”
“You can raise your wisdom attribute. Skill slots expand by 10 units, and your maximum mana increases. Additionally, your mana regeneration rate also rises.”
“……”
I checked my information window.
The available points were 6.
Even if I invested all in wisdom, expanding the skill slot wouldn’t be possible.
“I should have saved some points.”
No.
That was the best option at the time.
If I lost to Park Ji-hoon, it would be over, and there would be no room to save points.
While I was contemplating what to do.
“Do you perhaps need assistance?”
Chirak spoke to me, handing over a contract.
“If you sign here, I believe I can help you with the points.”
“……”
The smile on Chirak’s face, which was somewhat mischievous, made me wonder if it was just my feeling.
Error-in ascended to the upper floor.
As he transformed into particles and vanished, Chirak let out a sigh of relief.
“That could have been a real disaster….”
Being an administrator doesn’t mean one is an otherworldly being.
Rather, they are more bound by the rules of the Tower than the players themselves.
Those who chose to become part of the Tower, thinking they could no longer ascend, were perhaps just following the natural order.
Chirak was among the more diligent administrators.
So, he did not appreciate such unfortunate incidents.
“These garbage bastards.”
Chirak muttered as he trampled Park Ji-hoon’s corpse.
Because of those bugs that should have been eliminated long ago, his immaculate record was nearly tarnished.
“If it weren’t for the Error-in player… those bugs would have taken the rewards freely.”
Thanks to Error-in, he was able to stop it.
“I’m glad we could communicate.”
Chirak understood Error-in's intentions entirely.
He was a player climbing the Tower himself, so he couldn’t have been oblivious.
That’s why he made a fair deal.
Chirak granted Error-in what he wanted within his manageable range, and Error-in signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding this incident.
“By the way, what an interesting player.”
Despite the unpleasant situation, he felt he had somewhat indulged Error-in's demands excessively.
Why was that?
“Because he’s a player from Earth?”
He wouldn’t be able to climb very far anyway; it might be okay to provide this level of convenience.
Perhaps it was due to the same complacent mindset?
“Still, I did maintain the tutorial hidden piece. It’s not a loss.”
The hidden piece given only to the group that passes all six trials solo.
It boasts absurd efficiency in the lower levels corresponding to the 1st to the 20th floors.
Chirak intentionally concealed the existence of that hidden piece.
Originally, he should have given out the hidden piece, but he didn’t.
Why?
Because he wasn’t sure if it would lead to a disadvantage for him.
What if he handed the hidden piece to Error-in and the floor master took an interest?
He would reveal his mistake.
The worst-case scenario for an administrator.
So, he offered a skill box and assisted in skill acquisition through point reset.
It was the maximum expression of goodwill he could show without drawing attention.
“Because of those bugs.”
It wasn’t a normal tutorial.
Chirak had no other way to deal with it.
“Still, I’m looking forward to it. Hatchling Breath.”
It’s extremely rare for an Earthling to have a C-rank skill and ascend to the first floor.
What kind of things would happen?
He was curious.
He wanted to watch Error-in's ascent, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.
Chirak had work to do.
“Greetings, players.”