Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 98

102

– Welcome to the trial of the 3rd floor.

– Theme: Mountain Climbing

– Time Limit: 8 hours

The Tower’s trials were composed of various themes.

For example, crossing a river on the 2nd floor and climbing a mountain on the 3rd floor, illustrating how the challenges could be interconnected.

There were ten trials between each shelter, with some floors having separate themes and others having connected themes.

Moreover, some floors had branching paths depending on the player’s choices.

Because of this, there was speculation that the trials were not simply taking place inside the Tower but were connected to other dimensions.

Of course, only the system knew the truth.

Taat!

As soon as the trial began, Se-un quickly moved his feet.

The trial of the 3rd floor: mountain climbing.

A trial that could only be conquered by utilizing all the strength, experience, and knowledge gained from the tutorial, including the player’s endurance, perseverance, and ability to assess danger.

‘Before the regression, just climbing was enough to leave me breathless.’

A slope reaching 45 degrees.

Even just walking with the intention of climbing would be suffocating, considering the time limit.

Moreover, like the previous trials, the trial of the 3rd floor did not leave the players in peace.

“Kuooh!”

A bear as big as a house would appear and swing its forepaws.

“Krrreung!”

A beast hidden in the bushes would suddenly jump out and ambush.

Of course…….

– The second form of the Blood Wolf Sword Art, Blood Wolf Fang, is enhanced through internal energy.

Swish-

It was not a significant threat to Se-un.

Having passed the tutorial, Se-un’s martial prowess had already far surpassed the level of the Tower’s lower floors.

The reason he was bothering to defeat even the monsters that were not worth fighting was to gain contribution points and to fill Beelzebub’s belly.

However, this time as well, Se-un did not climb the mountain in the usual way.

Before the regression, he had to find the hidden piece, the ‘tree,’ which he had discovered through the Guide of Journey while avoiding monsters and climbing the mountain.

“Found it.”

Se-un approached a small tree.

It was almost embarrassing to even call it a tree; it was only about 1m tall, and so thin that it seemed like it would break if you touched it.

He remembered being flustered before the regression when he discovered this tree with the Guide of Journey and didn’t know what to do with it.

But now, he knew.

Using Mana Searching, the flow of mana around him came into view.

‘It needed mana.’

This tree was absorbing the surrounding mana.

However, because the surrounding mana was so weak, it had not been able to grow properly and was in this state.

In other words, if it was properly supplied with mana, the tree would grow into its true form.

Wuoong!

As Se-un pushed in mana, the tree’s thin branches trembled.

Starting slowly.

The more the tree’s vibration subsided, the more mana he pushed in.

He could hear a ‘creaking’ sound from below, as if the roots were widening, and soon changes began to occur in the visible parts as well.

Crack!

The tree trunk thickened, and more branches grew.

As green leaves sprouted from the barren surface of the branches, the tree, which had already grown taller than Se-un, cast a shadow over Se-un’s head.

‘The consumed mana is… about 2 circles worth.’

A hidden quest on the 3rd floor’s trial that required 2 circles worth of mana.

Well, it wasn’t a quest that was impossible to succeed in.

Even if the mana was low, if you took the time to recover and supply mana repeatedly, you could grow the tree sufficiently.

Moreover, there were several players who were blessed by mana, like elves or fairies. They would have been able to grow the tree sufficiently even without reaching 2 circles.

However, there was one point that was puzzling.

‘When am I supposed to stop this?’

It was clear that the growth was over, but the tree was still absorbing Se-un’s mana.

As he was wondering whether to stop, a small fruit appeared among the leaves.

‘What’s that?’

It was no ordinary fruit. The more mana he pushed in, the larger the fruit became.

He thought that perhaps that was the reward for this hidden quest.

‘Then I should do it until the end.’

Se-un continued to push mana into the tree without stopping.

As the five circles rotated intensely, the surrounding mana reacted and surged along with them.

Even in the long history of the Tower, there had never been a 5-circle mage appearing in the 3rd floor’s trial.

Even an elf or fairy would not be able to push in this much mana.

To the endless wave of mana, the tree rustled its leaves as if it was pleased.

‘Could it be that even 5 circles of mana is not enough?’

Already, the mana in the fourth circle was running dry.

The fruit had grown to some extent, but it didn’t seem to be completely ripe yet, with a bluish tint.

‘Then…….’

– The Vault of Greed(眞) has been opened.

[ Dew of the World Tree ]

– The dew of the World Tree, which is said to form only once a month on the foggiest day. It contains a vast amount of mana and is used in the coming-of-age ceremony of elves.

Se-un urgently opened the authority of greed.

It was a treasure owned by Mammon, permitted by the recent contract.

Gulp, gulp!

Before the mana ran out, he swallowed the dew of the World Tree in one gulp.

Unlike the refreshing potions he had drunk so far, he felt a thick, foreign sensation that stuck to his throat.

It was proof that the mana concentrated in the dew was that dense.

Wuoong!

As soon as he drank the dew, new mana quickly filled the emptying circles.

The replenished mana was once again absorbed by the tree.

How long had it been?

Not only the five circles but also the mana recovered by the dew of the World Tree were all depleted, and even the internal energy in his dantian [energy center] was converted into mana and invested in the tree.

Just when his body was completely empty of mana and he felt dizzy…….

– Hidden quest, ‘Parched Tree’ has been completed.

– Additional points will be awarded for the trial ‘Mountain Climbing’.

– Acquired ‘Ripe Tree Fruit’ as a reward.

Finally, the hidden quest came to an end as the fruit turned red.

Thud.

“Haa…….”

Se-un collapsed from his spot, feeling a distant dizziness.

What was he thinking when he made this quest?

5 circles of mana, internal energy equivalent to one cycle, and even the mana recovered using the authority of greed…….

The fruit only ripened after sacrificing all of that.

No matter how he thought about it, it was not a normal quest.

Frankly, it seemed like an impossible quest unless you were a dragon, who was blessed with mana, or Riel, who had a contract with Freya and received the blessing of abundance.

“Time or whatever, I should rest a bit before going.”

Dizziness due to rapid mana consumption.

Fortunately, he was able to suppress mana backlash thanks to the excellent stability of the Blue Tower’s training method and the Three Disasters Art.

Breathing in the clear air of the mountains, he checked the fruit he had obtained as a reward.

[ Ripe Tree Fruit ]

Category: Elixir

Grade: C+

Description: A fruit created by an unknown tree that has extremely concentrated a tremendous amount of mana.

Ability: 1. Essence of Mana – Greatly increases the absorption rate of mana upon consumption.

‘Another elixir.’

Although the description was different, the fruit’s ability was the same as the ‘Sparkling Fruit’ he had obtained at the shelter.

However, the process itself was vastly different.

The fruit obtained from the Sparkling Hill was a crystal obtained by the tree absorbing the hill’s mana for a long time.

In other words, it was a reward that only one person among many players who discovered that quest could obtain.

On the other hand, this tree fruit was a quest discovered in an individual trial, so anyone could acquire it if they had the ability.

Of course…….

‘Most players wouldn’t be able to get it even if they knew about it.’

As Se-un had been before the regression, there would be almost no players who had acquired this level of fruit.

‘I should use this later when building my dantian.’

Since Se-un used both martial arts and magic, it was necessary to match the levels of his dantian and circles.

If one side was too strong or weak, there was a risk that it would suppress and absorb the other.

One cycle of internal energy was certainly a great number, but it was not a balanced number compared to the five circles surrounding his heart.

He thought that he should train his mind and method when he had a break after this theme.

“Well, shall we go again?”

As soon as he had recovered enough energy, Se-un got up from his seat.

Resting was enough after the trial was over anyway.

If he had even the minimum amount of energy to move, the correct answer was to finish the trial first.

* * *

Taat!

The more he climbed the mountain, the more obstacles there were.

Attacks from various beast-type monsters continued, and towering cliffs blocked the way.

However, Se-un did not bother to go around the path. Monsters were not a threat, and he had become accustomed to climbing cliffs.

As time passed, his internal energy filled up, so far from being exhausted, his speed increased even more as he climbed the mountain.

Not long after…….

– The trial of the 3rd floor, ‘Mountain Climbing’ has been successfully completed.

– Calculating contribution points…….

– Time remaining: 7 hours 02 minutes

– Number of monsters hunted: 29

– Hidden quest ‘Parched Tree’ completed.

…

– Total accumulated contribution points: 195,100 points

– Congratulations! You have passed the trial of the 3rd floor in 3rd place.

– Acquired 30,000 points as a reward.

Arriving at the entrance of the cave, the final destination, he was able to finish the trial of the 3rd floor.

However, unfortunately, he failed to achieve 1st place in the ranking.

He thought that the hidden quest would have a higher bonus than he expected.

He opened the 3rd floor’s ranking to see who was above him.

– 3rd Floor Trial Ranking

[ 1st place: Karsalakas 211,050 points ]

[ 2nd place: Riel Refrain 208,700 points ]

[ 3rd place: Jeong Se-un 195,100 points ]

…

Two familiar names came to mind.

‘Riel.’

He expected Riel to be ranked high.

She was an elf known for her high mana affinity, and she had even received the blessing of abundance from Freya.

She probably harvested the tree’s fruit with ease and climbed the mountain quickly.

The problem was the name written above it.

‘Karsalakas…….’

It was a name he couldn’t help but know because she was so famous.

She was a dragon who had far surpassed the limits of players from the moment she arrived at the Tower.

There was no player who didn’t know the story of her climbing from the 1st floor of the Tower to the upper floors without stopping in less than a month and reaching the ranker’s seat.

‘Well, it’s natural for a dragon.’

As a dragon blessed with mana, it would not have been difficult to see the flow of mana, find the parched tree, harvest the fruit, and reach the summit by spreading her wings.

It was a pity, but he had no choice but to accept this result.

‘Should I recover my mana first and then go up?’

Se-un took a stance in front of the cave and closed his eyes.

Even if it was the trial of the 4th floor, it wouldn’t be too difficult, but it was better to challenge it in perfect condition if possible.

Se-un’s goal was not simply to climb the Tower but to find the hidden pieces on that floor and achieve a high ranking.

As he breathed in the cool air of the mountain and filled both his dantian and circles…….

[Park Jeong-pil: Hyungniiiiiim! I miss youuu!]

[Lee Haneul: Is anyone hurt? It seems like we can’t gather this time and have to go straight to the next trial. If I had known this would happen, I would have made more medicine for you…….]

The clan chat of the people who arrived began to appear.

It didn’t seem like anyone had experienced great difficulties this time either.

The trial was not easy. It was only because the Diablo Clan’s level was high.

‘The next trial is probably…….’

Before going to the next floor, Se-un recalled his past memories.

If the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors were individual tasks to weed out the mediocre who had climbed the Tower with the help of others without skills, then from the next floor onwards, it was a joint task in which two players who had been recognized for their skills would proceed together.

‘Who will be chosen?’

Hoping that Park Jeong-pil wouldn’t be chosen, Se-un headed towards the next trial.