The Bizarre Potion Box
Dordal gazed down at Jinhyuk in silence.
He had never imagined it.
That such a small and fragile existence could shatter his shield.
"What is that sword?"
"The Engraved Sword Kamachi. As you just saw, it's a sword that can startle someone."
He explained it nonchalantly, but honestly, it would be hard to unleash that level of destructive power again.
In a typical battle, stacking hundreds of layers in the same spot was next to impossible.
Dordal, who had been staring at Kamachi, twitched his eyebrow.
"You... what have you done?"
Looking closer, it became apparent.
The utterly absurd level of curse embedded in Kamachi.
He couldn't tell what kind it was.
But he could sense that every time the wielder swung it, there would be an enormous backlash on the user.
"You swung that thing hundreds of times? Just to pierce a single shield like this?"
"That's how much I want to go up. Upward."
"Do you even know what's up there?"
A clear smile formed on Jinhyuk's face.
"That's why I want to go—because I don't know."
The gap between mindlessly clicking away at the keyboard in front of the monitor and actually climbing the tower was ridiculously vast.
It wasn't just about knowing a floor or not; it was about whether your heart raced or not.
Even setting aside the pleasure of growing stronger, anticipation was already building.
The Mythical Tower that no one had ever climbed.
The unknown world that unfolded above, a sight never revealed to anyone.
"I see."
Dordal fell silent.
He had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Why this human had been chosen as the sole climber of the tower.
But apart from that.
"My name is Dordal, Gatekeeper of the Glacier Prison. I wish to offer you my sincere apologies."
"Apologies for what?"
"For breaking my promise and having no choice but to block your path."
He couldn't let him through.
Dordal picked up the massive hammer beside him.
The proof trial was nothing more than a hastily contrived excuse.
He was the being who had to guard this path from everything.
From the start, he had never been given the right to let anyone pass or not.
"I see."
Dordal's eyes twitched.
A reaction completely different from what he had expected.
Jinhyuk didn't scream that it was cowardly.
He didn't deny Dordal's decision, claiming it was absurd.
He simply nodded, as if to say it could be that way.
"Are you giving up on climbing?"
"No. It's just... since you broke the rules first."
Jinhyuk took a few steps back.
"I don't think I need to follow the existing rules anymore either."
Shwaaaaa!
A jet-black aura emerged from behind Jinhyuk.
Dordal instinctively raised his hammer.
Up close, the certainty settled in.
That thing was dangerous.
Kaaaaang!!
The sword, swung with blinding speed, clashed against Dordal's hammer.
'What is this...!'
Seira, with a frame far smaller than Dordal's.
Yet for some reason.
In just one clash, Dordal's balance crumbled.
Of course, the hammer couldn't withstand the force and was flung backward.
And just moments ago, Seira had swung the sword with one hand.
Crunch.
"You shall not pass!!"
Gritting his teeth, Dordal swung the hammer once more with all his might.
Seira, gazing impassively at the hammer, gripped the sword with both hands.
And with a light downward slash from above.
Crack! Crackle!
The hammer, which seemed unbreakable, shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.
A question mark floated across Dordal's face.
This was merely the 2nd floor—why on earth was something so absurd here?
Boom! Boom!
Before he could seek an answer to that question, an immense physical force struck the backs of both his knees, shattering his center of gravity.
Dordal dropped to his knees and closed his eyes.
A chillingly intense energy overwhelmed his body.
Even a fool could tell.
That death was upon him.
But.
"...?"
The expected blade did not come flying.
Only the sound of small footsteps approached.
Dordal opened his eyes again and looked to the side.
Jinhyuk was passing by calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Sensing the gaze, Jinhyuk lifted his head.
"You're not going to kill me?"
"Come on, why go that far."
From the beginning, Dordal had no intention of killing Jinhyuk.
The fact that he hadn't swung the hammer until Seira arrived was proof of that.
Therefore, Dordal was not an enemy that Jinhyuk needed to kill.
"See you later."
Jinhyuk waved as he walked away.
"Gatekeeper. Do not forget the mercy bestowed by my lord."
With those words, Seira sheathed her sword and slowly turned her body.
"Hey, you lying old geezer! You should be grateful for your luck!! Our captain has a soft heart, that's why he spared your life! Ptooey!"
Kanchō, glaring with all his might and chattering away, hurried after Jinhyuk.
No matter how many times he saw it, this party was utterly impossible to get used to.
"...I suppose so."
Dordal murmured softly and stared at Jinhyuk, who had walked far away.
'A soft heart?'
Dordal slowly shook his head.
Nonsense.
Jinhyuk hadn't spared him out of weakness.
He simply hadn't felt the need to kill.
If he had judged that killing was necessary, he would have thrust the sword in without a moment's hesitation.
"Huuuuuuh."
Letting out a deep sigh, Dordal looked up at the ceiling.
The first and last tower climber being such a monster.
At this point, he had no choice but to admit it.
That winds of change had begun to stir in the tower, silent for eons.
Ding!
[You have passed through the Path of the Glacier guarded by Gatekeeper Dordal!]
[The Mythical Tower's 2nd floor has been cleared!]
[The player's level increases by 4! Current level: 27!]
[Strength, Stamina, Agility, Vitality, and Mana stats increase!]
"Huh!?"
Startled, Jinhyuk checked his status window.
'Four level-ups?'
The 1st floor hadn't given much experience at all, but suddenly this massive level-up.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, the numbers were hard to believe.
'Anyway... insane nice!'
Jinhyuk threw an uppercut into the air.
This meant a lot.
Even if other players were on the same floor of the Tower of Despair, he could pull far ahead in terms of growth.
It probably wouldn't keep giving this much experience, but it was worth hoping for.
[You have defeated Gatekeeper Dordal, who has never once fallen!]
[The experience of Seira Kinkayton, Captain of the Black Knights who brought Dordal to his knees, increases by 30%! Current experience: 41%]
"Wow."
He turned to look at Seira.
In the Tower of Despair, it had taken until the 20th floor for her to gain just 11%.
This explosive growth was more than deserving of the name.
[The experience of Yodle Ranger Kanchō increases by 50%! Simply intimidating the already defeated Dordal counts, but having strong party members is also an excellent virtue! Current experience: 80%]
For some reason, Kanchō's shoulders were puffed up high.
He gave a thumbs-up to such a Kanchō.
[The Undefeated Gatekeeper falls! Achievement unlocked, granting a special privilege!]
[You acquire the Millennium Glacier Fragment! It does not melt in any heat! It can maintain low temperatures within a certain range! Can be used outside the tower as well!]
He opened the box that appeared in his hand.
A fragment emitting a refreshingly cool chill as soon as it was exposed to the air.
If compared to a refrigerator, it seemed about 1 degree Celsius.
'Suddenly I got a fridge?'
It was a bit out of left field, leaving him momentarily stunned, but Jinhyuk quickly swallowed hard and came to his senses.
An item that could be used even outside the tower.
No matter where he put it up for sale, it would easily fetch billions.
"The captain's eyes just turned scary."
"Quite greedy."
"Was it obvious?"
Grinning, Jinhyuk quickly stowed the box away.
If money got too tight, he'd have to sell it, but if possible, he planned to use it as a portable refrigerator.
Being able to drink cold beer and cola anytime, anywhere—there was no luxury greater than that.
"The next floor is this way, right?"
Jinhyuk looked straight ahead.
An enormous mass of ice blocked the staircase.
Ding!
[This is a glacier that cannot be pierced by any physical force or magic!]
[To melt the glacier, 'Hot Potion to Melt the Millennium Glacier' is required!]
A strangely shaped box appeared before Jinhyuk's eyes.
[The Bizarre Potion Crafting Box is granted! Remaining uses: 3/3. Once uses are depleted, it can be used again after paying an enormous fee!]
[Entry condition for the Mythical Tower's 3rd floor: Possession of 'Hot Potion to Melt the Millennium Glacier.']
[You exit the Mythical Tower's 2nd floor!]
Shwaaaaa.
The space shifted, and Jinhyuk's party returned to the officetel.
'B-boiler!'
He dashed to the room and cranked the temperature to maximum.
The sweat from swinging the sword had cooled, and he nearly froze to death.
Wrapping himself head to toe in blankets, Jinhyuk shivered.
The trembling Kanchō slipped in there too, starting to warm up.
"It's nice and warm."
"Yeah. Feels like I might live."
Jinhyuk, hugging Kanchō, pulled out the box he'd just received and unfolded it.
The box unfolded into a rough triangular shape.
There were three rectangular slots around the edges, and in the center, a slot shaped like a potion bottle.
[The Bizarre Potion Crafting Box]
A box that can create any potion.Synthesizes the properties of 3 ingredients to generate a potion. Ingredients cannot be duplicated.Remaining uses: 3/3.To reset uses, 20kg of gold is required.
"Luckily, there's a way to reset it."
Even if he failed three times, it didn't mean he couldn't climb the Mythical Tower.
Feeling a slight sense of relief, he checked the gold price on his phone.
20kg of gold, 3 billion.
Nodding at the price, Jinhyuk confirmed it.
The reset method was gone.
'I have to finish it within three tries, no matter what.'
He didn't even have 3 billion, let alone 30 billion.
That was like winning the lottery first prize twice—no, four times considering taxes.
At this point, even the goddess of fortune would advise him to give up for lack of conscience.
'Maybe robbing a gold shop would be faster.'
In the worst case, he'd have to use Stealth to pull off a heist.
Of course, if he did, it'd be with Yodle Ranger Kanchō.
"Your shoulders feel heavy, Kanchō."
"Huh? Why suddenly?"
"Should we order some late-night snacks?"
"Sounds good!"
"I agree too."
Even as he browsed the delivery app, thoughts of potion crafting wouldn't leave his mind.
To melt the Millennium Glacier, it was clear that top-tier hot things would need to be the ingredients.
'Flames... can't really contain those and move them. If I bring lava or something, will the box hold up?'
Three ingredients, no duplicates.
Whether from a lack of imagination or not, it wasn't easy to think of them.
Casually adding a burger and shake to the cart, Jinhyuk hit the order button.
After finishing the order, he pulled out his desktop computer from the moving boxes and started setting it up.
After eating the late-night snack, he'd probably have to search in earnest.
For the three hottest things that could serve as ingredients, that is.
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T/N:
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