Chapter 15 : Daily Dungeon (5)

Monday arrived.

“Why is it so soft……..”

A mumbled pronunciation.

I want to bury my face in the blanket like this.

But.

I got up without even wiping the sleep from my eyes.

!!!

It’s time to eat well and grow a lot.

I can’t resist stretching.

“Ugh, I’m sleepy.”

I rubbed my eyes and slowly stretched my body.

Slowly. Lazily. Like a cat greeting the morning sun.

It may look like a simple stretch to others.

But it’s a little different.

Opening of the core.

Blood circulates, nerves awaken.

A feeling that something is spreading to the end of my body.

Sleep fled in an instant, and the body schema unfolded.

It’s not just the arrangement of skin, muscles, and bones.

It was everything that made me up.

It was as if a map explaining myself was unfolded, including not only my body but also my mind and even the essence of my existence.

But that map was incomplete.

Black mist, covering places everywhere.

From head to toe.

Most of my body was still covered by that fog.

‘I can’t control all areas.’

Because my Ideation is insufficient.

What if I try to forcibly remove it?

What a disaster while stretching.

I couldn’t even scream properly.

I felt a pain close to phantom pain as the senses of my nervous system were clearly felt.

My hands and feet curled up and I was about to faint when Achilles’ voice was heard.

[Do not try to forcibly remove it. The core is opened through your spirit and narrative. One who has not completed one’s own narrative can never handle the great flow of Ideation. It is natural for one who has not cultivated the Way to be swallowed by the river if one tries to cross it.]

“What happens if I try to forcibly expand the core?”

[The core cannot be handled with skill alone. Ideation will reject you the more impatient you are. If you try to expand the area recklessly, Ideation will run wild, penetrate the five voids , and you will die spitting blood.]

“That’s brutal.”

[Do not deceive yourself or try to dig it out by force, complete your narrative. The state is not revealed by force, and true wisdom is quietly reflected in the water. It is not something that you are familiar with. It is Ideation itself.]

I guess I can’t get it for free.

Of course.

I observed the body schema with my eyes.

Black mist?

I could see through all of that.

But.

Being able to see everything with my eyes was not an area that could be reached.

‘Just looking at a high mountain doesn’t mean you can stand on top of it.’

The total amount of Ideation is also a problem.

A kind of inner breakthrough was needed.

Leveling up alone cannot solve it.

[In the end, the Ideation of a person with a poor narrative is nothing more than an empty shell.]

“Then, should I beat up monsters or do a lot of good deeds?”

[That is not a narrative. You are thinking too lightly of the hero’s path. A narrative is not a mere list of actions. It is a process that a great soul goes through, a trace engraved in the deepest part of the inner self.]

I don’t understand.

The path of a hero is rough and mysterious.

Hunters just have to go up the tower and level up.

[It’s a pity that you don’t know the true meaning of the narrative. Your soul has not yet built a dwelling, and the resonance of Ideation has not yet reached your steps. But, in this world, such things are not of great importance. You are a hunter. A hunter was a being who climbed the tower with only a sword in hand, driven by Ideation. We carved our stories on the road. Our story followed the Way, and the footsteps of the hero were the salvation of the world.]

“Wow, that’s really amazing.”

[Why is your tone like that?]

“What do you mean? It’s a compliment.”

“It’s true.”

[That’s enough. What can I say to you.]

Are you sulking?

It’s cute to see him in Hayang’s body, even with the eyes of suspicion.

It’s not that I don’t acknowledge it.

Every time I hear Achilles’ story, I can’t help but close my mouth.

He said he climbed the tower with his bare body.

With nothing, with his own two feet and hands.

There was no [system], no martial arts, no magic.

Only, with one lofty spirit.

He was truly a hero.

A being who climbed the tower, carrying everything on his shoulders to save the world, in a place where no one could replace him.

If.

The result is obvious.

No one would have been able to climb the tower.

An ecosystem of monsters, not humans, would have spread on this earth.

Forests, rivers, and cities would all be trampled under the claws of beasts.

Humanity would have disappeared without a trace.

Just thinking about it made my spine shiver.

“…I’m awake, so let’s do what I have to do.”

I slowly raised my body.

My body was light.

The stiff joints were already free.

My senses were clear.

‘The effect is amazing. I should do it every morning.’

Then I think.

I am a hunter.

Hunters are different from heroes.

The way to get stronger is not only in Ideation.

Something came to mind.

Geomryong.

I remembered his body.

Steel-like muscles drew clear curves, and nerves and blood vessels embraced each other as if dancing.

Life that moves like starlight under the skin.

It wasn’t a body.

It was a masterpiece with God’s intention.

On the other hand.

Compared to that, my body was small, fragile, and insignificant.

But I wasn’t disappointed.

Every morning, I train my body and muscles, and distribute my blood and spirit.

Every moment. I become my own creator.

Towards Cheonmujiche.

I’m twelve years old now.

Still insignificant and fragile.

But will it continue to be like that in the future?

I can become a masterpiece that even God will envy.

If I have my eyes, Ideation, and elixirs.

These eyes told me everything.

‘If I lack enlightenment, I just have to make up for it with my body.’

My blood boiled.

Desire soared.

“Let’s go. To get the potion that makes you grow taller.”

The task was clear.

[Today is Monday of Growth.]

[Today, you are given the opportunity to become stronger.]

[Growing pains will cover you. You may feel pain, confusion, and limitations.]

[Everything depends on your capabilities.]

There were words of intimidation, but I didn’t care.

Seven Days Elixir.

I must get it to complete Cheonmujiche.

I entered the daily dungeon.

Brilliant light spread through the crack in the door.

[Goal: Sunbathe for 1 hour.]

[Failure condition: Death or giving up the mission]

I took a step.

It was an empty space.

Everything was white. There was no ceiling, no walls.

Just light.

Sunlight was pouring down.

The golden waves touched everything and invited me.

It looked warm.

‘I just have to sunbathe for 1 hour?’

I laughed.

Is this like photosynthesis?

I reread the conditions.

Death.

I had a question.

What is there to die for just in the sunlight?

‘Is there a trap?’

I recalled that.

‘All kinds of traps came out.’

The tower is not easy, so you shouldn’t let your guard down.

This place will be no different.

I opened my eyes to identify the risk factors.

A status window popped up.

[Monday’s Sunlight]

[Description: A special sun that appears only in Monday’s ordeal. The sorrowful light, born when the sun embraced the moon, illuminates the essence of all living things.

[Effect: When exposed to light, status ailment ‘Photosynthesis’ and status ailment ‘Growing Pain’ are stacked.]

[Photosynthesis: When stacked for 1 hour, a random stat increases by +1.]

[Growing Pain: Causes extreme pain per stack. If you can’t stand it, there is a risk of life disappearing.]

[Caution: The longer the growing pain lasts, the deeper and sharper the pain. For the weak, this light is simply execution.]

I carefully looked for traps, but there was nothing but sunlight.

I let out a small exclamation.

“Wow. Can I even see through light?”

But, my eyes can also see Ideation.

While I was surprised by the performance of my eyes.

The phrase that stat is a reward caught my eye.

‘Even if I don’t level up, my stats go up?’

What a windfall.

Still.

The fact that the reward is sweet means that the process will not be easy.

I slowly put one finger into the light.

At first, there was no feeling.

It was like normal light.

It was quite warm, so I thought about taking a nap for a moment.

But, suddenly.

Flames engulfed my finger.

A feeling of skin burning.

An illusion of every bone breaking covered my eyes.

Unbelievable pain came to just one finger.

“…!”

An unrefined, raw groan came out.

Rather, something screamed inside me and struggled even more.

Pain as if my finger would break in the light.

This is, growing pain?

I stepped back and pulled out my finger.

“Ugh.”

I held back a retch and looked at my finger.

It was fine.

The skin wasn’t burned, and the bones weren’t cracked.

A throbbing fingertip.

I moved my finger.

The remnants of intense pain remain.

As if embers spread from the fingertips to the whole body.

I wondered if the sensation of being alive could be so alien.

I raised my eyes again.

The light in front.

It was still shimmering calmly like a golden wave.

‘It’s so painful, how can I stand this?’

It’s not even at the level of growing pains?

I took a deep breath and clenched my hand.

‘If it’s this much with just one finger, what will happen if I put my whole body out?’

Really.

I might be executed by the sunlight.

Then.

I thought of this.

What about using this on me?

[Negation of Existence]

[Grade: S]

[Type: On/Off]

[Description: Nightmares were born to negate all existing things. Makes your existence a nightmare.]

[Effect: While the skill is active, all damage is accumulated on the target.

[Accumulated damage is not immediately manifested, and is applied all at once when the skill is deactivated.]

The effect is eerie.

It suits the title [Reaper].

Black mist wrapped around my body.

Cold and sticky.

The skill swallowed me.

Am I existence or negation?

Only the footsteps of death followed me.

But, I couldn’t use it on myself.

It stings.

“Ow.”

I pinched my thigh, and it hurt.

But.

There was also a way.

What if I tune my Ideation to block the path where nerves transmit pain?

I took a breath.

Slowly and deeply.

All the flows flowing inside me gradually became clear, and the senses began to be organized.

Ideation began to flow through the nervous system of my whole body.

Each nerve was placed under the control of Ideation.

I opened my eyes in that state.

‘It’s disgusting, but pain is basically a reaction of the nervous system.’

I don’t know medical knowledge.

But if you look directly with your eyes, you can’t help but know.

I could intuitively understand the process in which the pain signal starting from the wound site is converted into an electrical stimulus and transmitted to the brain through the nerves and spinal cord.

Following the path shown by my eyes, I closed all the nerve receptors that cause pain one by one.

‘Pain is just a scream sent by nerves. I just have to not allow it.’

Self-anesthesia complete.

The pain disappeared.

I put myself in the realm of light.

The sunlight poured down warmly.

But it was different from before.

It didn’t burn, it didn’t hurt.

I lay down as I was.

On the grass.

I close my eyes and feel the warm energy soaking my skin.

“This is great.”

It got too hot.

As I dozed off like a cat, an hour passed.

Daily dungeon clear notification.

Agility stat +1.

And.

First clear reward.

[※This is a crafting material for the Seven Days Elixir※]

[If you collect all six elixirs from Monday to Saturday, you can craft it on Sunday of Creation.]

[There are not enough materials to craft the Seven Days Elixir.]

[List of currently held material items]

[Current inventory: Monday 1, Friday 1. Insufficient materials: 4.]

“This is it.”

If I keep this pace, I will have enough time to complete my body.

I got out of the dungeon and logged into Hunternet.

Come to think of it, I needed money.

Originally, I was going to go up to the 2nd floor.

But is there any reason to take that risk?

I had something that I didn’t need right away, but could be exchanged for money.

Going up the tower can be done in earnest after graduating from the academy.

I turned on Hunternet.

Direct trade, that was the fastest way.

The keyword I searched for was ‘scroll’.

As I looked through the chat, it seemed like this was something that people couldn’t buy even if they wanted to.

[I’ll buy all the urgent items at the highest price]

[Fck I failed life enhancement]

[Be good to your parents]

[A tower newbie turned his life around]

I don’t know well.

Anyway, I get that it’s an item that many people demand.

I opened the inventory and checked the items.

Skill Enhancement Scroll (1%/Fail) 1 sheet.

Skill Enhancement Scroll (10%/Fail) 10 sheets.

Equipment Enhancement Scroll (1%/Fail) 1 sheet.

Equipment Enhancement Scroll (10%/Fail) 10 sheets.

The stock was sufficient.

But releasing them all at once was dangerous.

What if someone notices? It’ll be annoying then.

I only registered 1 sheet.

I don’t need a lot of money.

Just enough to wear, use, eat, and live.

‘Only I know that it will explode.’

I pressed the register button and closed the screen.

And I leaned back slowly.

Ding!

The notification rang immediately.

It was 10 seconds after the sale registration.