To be honest, I’m only saying this now, but—
After clearing the first floor,
I’d been looking for ways to raise skill levels whenever I had the time.
There were three methods I found out about in total.
1. Use the skill for a long time.
2. Absorb skills of the same type.
3. Obtain a Skill Level Increase Ticket.
The methods most people chose were the first and second.
After all, skills would naturally rise as you went about your life, and skill books were relatively easy to obtain.
Of course, for me, that was difficult.
By C-grade standards, it required either a year to pass or ten skill books.
And apparently, the required amount doubled each time the grade rose.
In other words, Seo Uri would have to become eighty-six years old, or I’d have to buy 640 skill books just to raise it by one level.
That would take far too much time and cost far too much money.
So what I was interested in was the Skill Level Increase Ticket.
The Skill Level Increase Ticket.
All that was known was that it could be obtained at an extremely low probability.
No one knew exactly where or how it appeared.
‘I heard you can get one guaranteed if you clear the tenth floor on Hard, but…’
Aside from that, it was truly in the realm of luck.
“Hehe, to think I’d get one like this.”
Some people said they’d gotten one through hunting,
while others said they’d gotten one after completing a quest.
But I’d never even dreamed I could get one as an achievement reward.
【Achievement: A Miracle Caused by the Weak】
【Don’t be too discouraged just because you’re weak. Sometimes, the underdog defeats the strong.】
【You have acquired the skill—Upset (A).】
Even the achievement reward itself was good.
But more than that, I was happier about getting the Skill Level Increase Ticket.
“Now then, shall I use it?”
If I’d had my way, I would’ve used it the moment I received it.
But I’d been conscious of Park Si-hyeok’s fans, so I held back all the way home.
『Would you like to use the Skill Level Increase Ticket?』
Just as I was about to use the bluish scroll—
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the bathroom door.
“Oppa, are you still not done?”
“…Yeah. It’s a big one.”
“Eek, okay!”
I heard footsteps moving away from outside the bathroom door.
Without realizing it, I let out a sigh of relief.
‘Why am I being so cautious?’
Maybe it was because I’d seen her crying earlier.
I was hiding in the bathroom because I felt self-conscious around Rachel.
‘She’ll be upset if I say I’m summoning another soul…’
I’d only just managed to soothe her after her self-esteem had plummeted earlier.
It had only been three hours since I told her I was glad I’d summoned her.
But then, as soon as we got home, I summoned another soul?
That was definitely something that could lead to a misunderstanding.
‘But I can’t help it.’
Since I was risking my life too, I decided to harden my heart.
I couldn’t even leave midway as it was.
If I tried to clear the Tower of Faith for no reason, my mortality rate would only go up.
It was right to eliminate any variables I could predict.
“They said it activates if I tear it like this, right?”
I took out the blue ticket I’d kept tucked away and tore it in half.
At the same time, a familiar UI appeared.
==================
【Please select the skill whose level you wish to increase.】
【Late Bloomer (SSS)】 (Unavailable)
【Soul Contract (EX)】
【Upset (A)】
==================
As expected, Late Bloomer, which didn’t have a level attached to it, couldn’t be selected.
It didn’t matter much anyway, since I’d planned to raise the level of Soul Contract.
‘Fortunately, I can check the skill information.’
Just in case, I briefly checked the information on the skill I’d gotten earlier.
=============
【Upset (A)】
Type: Passive
Ability: You do not become intimidated when facing those stronger than you.
==============
“What the hell? That’s it?”
Since it was an A-grade skill, I’d thought it might have some good ability attached to it.
But to think that was all there was.
“No need to raise this one.”
I chose Soul Contract as the skill whose level I would raise.
==================
【Soul Contract (EX)】 skill level will increase.
LV. 1 → LV. 2
- The number of people who can be summoned through Soul Summoning increases by 1.
- You have acquired the 【Possession】 ability.
==================
Congratulations! You have raised the level of an EX-grade skill.
As a reward, you have acquired 1 C-grade magic crystal.
==============
【Soul Contract (EX)】
You can form a contract between souls under mutual agreement. This contract is maintained even across dimensions.
『Soul Summoning (EX)』
You can summon those with whom you have formed a soul contract. (LV.2) (Summonable: 2 people.)
『Possession (SSS)』
You can have an unsummoned soul possess your body for 10 minutes. (Cooldown: 144 hours)
==============
“Wow….”
As expected of an EX-grade skill.
I’d only raised it by one level, but I’d never imagined a new skill would appear.
On top of that, I’d earned a hundred million won.
“This is perfect for dangerous situations.”
The cooldown was only a week too.
Of course, relatively speaking, that was on the long side, but since I had one with a cooldown of five hundred million years, anything under a month seemed more or less the same.
Well, anyway.
‘I’ll figure out how it works later. For now, should I go out?’
Originally, I’d intended to do the summoning in the bathroom too.
But thinking about it, having our first meeting here felt a little off.
And honestly, Rachel had been weighing on my mind for a while now.
- I knew you would choose me first. Truthfully, I was so anxious I couldn’t even sleep properly.
- B-but… if you were disappointed, Oppa… and thought of abandoning me again… I wouldn’t be able to endure it!
For some reason, it felt like I was betraying Rachel, who had been favorable toward me from our very first meeting.
I didn’t know what I’d done, but she seemed to have trauma about being abandoned.
If I summoned another soul without saying anything, she would definitely start imagining strange things on her own.
So I opened the bathroom door and came out.
Rachel was sitting on the floor watching TV.
Seeing the pleasant smile on her face, it seemed like she’d accept almost any request.
Good. Now’s my chance.
“Rachel, I have something to say.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m going to summon another soul.”
The moment she heard that, Rachel’s expression…
“Yes! Sounds good!”
Surprisingly, stayed exactly the same.
I’d been sure she would either get jealous or blame herself.
“You’re really okay with it?”
When I asked why, Rachel lifted her left hand.
“Yes. After all, I’m your first, Oppa.”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Hehe, no matter who gets summoned next, they’ll be jealous of me.”
Now I kind of wanted to take that ring back.
Still, thanks to that, I’d gotten her permission, so I held back.
“Now then, who should I summon?”
Before summoning, I looked at the summon list first.
=========
[Saintess of Baselheim.]
[Kkanpeu.]
[♥Super-Beautiful Mage Who Wants to Have Your First♥]
[Wuying Jian]
[Don’t Abandon Me.]
[Forget-me-not.]
[193.207.XXX.XXX]
[.] (Summoning)
[Golden Spoon]
[Demon King Waiting for You Forever on the 100th Floor]
=========
Hmm. These were still names I didn’t want to choose.
But if I absolutely had to choose one from among them, then as expected, I should choose this one.
Ignoring the heavy sensation of Rachel pressed right up against my side, I selected one of them.
『Summoning ♥Super-Beautiful Mage Who Wants to Have Your First♥.』
Phew.
Honestly, judging by the name alone, she was the one I least wanted to choose.
I mean, the name itself was full of impure intentions.
Especially with those two black hearts attached, it made me even more reluctant.
It felt like I might get kidnapped in my sleep,
and she might do something just because she wasn’t my first.
At a glance, it was obviously a bad choice.
But there was a reason I had no choice but to pick her.
‘Because she’s a mage.’
Earlier, I’d checked the information on the shaman orc’s staff.
It said it could never be destroyed by physical attacks.
There was a reason it hadn’t broken even when Rachel swung her sword at it.
If it hadn’t been made of wood, or if I hadn’t had the Woodcutter’s Ring, I would’ve died right there without being able to do anything.
Thinking that sent a chill down my spine even now.
‘Come to think of it, was my axe swing so weak that it wasn’t even recognized as a physical attack?’
That feels even more chilling.
Well, anyway.
As I climbed the tower, there was a high chance that similar situations would occur.
Just like now, physical attacks might not work, or attacks might only be possible with a specific attribute.
That was why I needed to choose a variety of occupations.
A saintess and a demon king.
A hero and a mage.
It would be especially efficient to summon souls with different attributes or different ways of dealing damage.
“By the way, why isn’t she coming out yet?”
“…Good question?”
It had already been three minutes since I pressed the summon button.
Rachel had definitely appeared the moment I pressed it, but this soul was taking quite a while.
Wondering if something had gone wrong, I checked the skill.
[♥Super-Beautiful Mage Who Wants to Have Your First♥] (Summoning)
It said the summoning had gone through properly.
There was no way the status window would lie, so what was going on?
Just as I was wondering, Rachel, who was sitting beside me, hurriedly grabbed my arm and shook it.
“O-Oppa! Look outside!”
“…Huh?”
At that urgent cry, I looked out the window—and froze.
Outside the window, which normally received no sunlight because it was blocked by buildings, was an endlessly blue sky.
And in the middle of it, ignoring gravity, lay a red carpet.
Click, clack.
The one walking atop it was a woman wearing a red robe that clung tightly to her body.
A staff that made it obvious at a glance she was a mage, and a pointed hat coordinated with her robe.
It was an outfit that looked like something out of an old fantasy movie.
“Oppa, did you know? They say it’s the trend for mages these days to dress normally, but older ones always dress like that.”
Since she watched TV often, she seemed to know about current trends.
I nodded.
“That outfit does feel a bit old-fashioned, for sure….”
Still, in a fantasy world, that kind of thing might be the standard outfit.
Of course, Rachel the hero seemed to have dressed fairly normally.
Well, anyway, everyone had their own tastes.
“They say fashion is all about confidence.”
Her confident gait felt almost like a model’s runway walk.
And on top of that, a red carpet for her entrance?
Most people would be too embarrassed to do something like that.
Just by looking, I felt like I could roughly understand that woman’s personality.
She was definitely the typical genius mage who didn’t care what others thought and lived in her own world.
“Oppa, what do we do? I think she heard us. Her face has gone completely red.”
“…Pretend we didn’t see.”
Right. How could a person live without caring about others’ opinions at all?
Still, she was definitely a mage, so she must have a perfect personality without a single mistake—
“Oh my, it looks like she twisted her ankle.”
“Pretend you didn’t see that too.”
“She seems to be getting embarrassed now and is running away crying.”
“…Can you just go catch her?”
“Yes!”
If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have summoned her.
I could feel my fantasies about mages crumbling inside my heart.