68. 11th Floor, Penalty Play (2) The Dwarf, seeing the Ghost, momentarily grimaced.
“That tiresome fellow followed me all the way here.”
He didn't seem surprised by the Ghost's arrival. Rather, his calm demeanor, as if he had expected it, prompted the Ghost to speak.
[You, you knew.]
“I knew. So what?”
His indifferent words echoed. The Ghost, instead of showing anger or irritation, clicked his tongue and retreated as he always did. The Dwarf also did not react much and turned his gaze to Taesan.
“You’ve finally set foot in a proper Labyrinth. It’s not that everything until now was a lie, but those who pass the 10th Floor can be counted on one hand out of a hundred.”
The Dwarf’s eyes, looking at Taesan, were filled with a sense of pride.
“So, from here on, I can show you Items befitting that level. Go ahead and check.”
The Dwarf opened a space and took out pieces of equipment. The shape, the color, the aura they exuded—all of it was on a different Dimension from the equipment he had seen so far. Taesan whistled as he checked them one by one.
He picked up a dark-ink colored chain mail.
[Unused Dark-Ink Chain Mail] [Defense Power +33] [Damage from enemy weapons -5] [An armor that has never seen the world, kept within the workshop of an artisan. Only the artisan knows the reason why.]
“Hah.”
Taesan couldn’t hold back his laughter. What is this insane performance? The armor he currently had was 10 Defense Power and 2 Agility.
It was by no means a low-grade piece of equipment. In Easy Mode, the leather armor he was wearing was good enough to be used until clearing the Tower. But now, an armor incomparable to that had appeared in the Shop.
Furthermore, it reduced damage from weapons by 5. Considering it wasn't situational or conditional, it was a much better effect than 5 Defense Power. Equipment that could only be obtained in the Depths, even in Normal Mode. And such things were appearing from the 10th Floor.
It was only natural, but the price was by no means cheap.
[30,000G] It wasn't just 'not cheap.'
Taesan was at a loss for words after checking the price. The Dwarf smirked.
“Not bad, right? That’s on the cheaper side.”
“...I’ll look at some more.”
He checked the other equipment, and all of them had outstanding performance.
[Gauntlets of the Strong One] [Attack Power +34] [Additional Damage +5] [Gauntlets used by a little-known Fighter. A Mage who was his fan prayed for a blessing.]
[50,000G] [Shoes of Starlight’s Call] [Defense Power +2] [Movement Speed +15%] [Shoes imbued with the breath of nature. The entire energy of a forest is contained here.]
[40,000G] [Jan-Chiyang: Helmet] [Defense Power +3] [Strength +10] [The helmet from a set the Dwarf King made for fun. A hidden ability is revealed when the set is collected.]
[70,000G] [Poem of Death] [Magic +20] [A book containing death.]
[66,000G] “What is this...”
No matter where he looked, there was only equipment with insane performance, and prices to match.
“There are set Items too.”
The pieces of Jan-Chiyang. A single piece had good performance, but there was also a hidden ability. It was worth collecting, aside from the ridiculously high price.
That was the problem. The prices were far too high. The Gold Taesan currently had was 15,000. Even if he emptied his pockets, he couldn't afford the cheapest item.
As he continued to look around, Taesan let out a dry laugh at a certain ring.
“What is this now.”
[Purple Ring: Hongyeong] [Strength +3%] [Intelligence +3%] [Agility +3%] [A ring that has received sunlight for the time it takes for a water droplet to make a hole in a rock.]
[100,000G] All Stats +3%.
It was a percentage-based Item. Moreover, it was a ring, not armor or a weapon. A ring, of which he could wear ten, had a 3% ratio bonus.
The price was also significantly higher than the other equipment, and it was worth it. He wanted to buy it. But he had no money.
As if guessing Taesan's feelings, the Dwarf smiled brightly.
“You want to buy it, don’t you?”
“Of course I want to.”
He just didn't have the money. It was a pie in the sky.
“There is a way to buy it, though.”
“Yes?”
Taesan looked at the Dwarf in surprise. The Dwarf spoke with a mischievous face.
“Of course, it’s not just about buying it. It’s not for nothing that I’m showing you this on the 10th Floor. There’s a way.”
“What way?”
This was something he hadn't heard from Lee Tae-yeon. The Dwarf continued with a broad smile.
“You can think of it as a kind of challenge. Every time you accomplish something, I’ll drop the price accordingly.”
“...What kind of challenge?”
“It’s simple.”
The Dwarf raised a finger and pointed to the entrance.
“It’s a kind of Penalty Play.”
The Dwarf began to explain. Taesan listened with a serious face. A moment later, after the explanation ended, Taesan stroked his chin.
“So I offer up my Stats.”
“I like it when you adventurers take on challenges. The more difficult the challenge, the better. You might risk your life, but you’ll become that much stronger for it.”
It wasn't wrong. At the end of life-or-death battles, they did become stronger. The problem was that they could lose their lives in those challenges.
“You don’t have to worry about that, do you?”
The Dwarf said with a laugh. Taesan shrugged at the words filled with trust.
“That might be so.”
“Then I guess I misjudged you.”
The Dwarf chuckled. Unlike usual, his face was full of laughter.
Penalty Play.
To summarize the Dwarf's words, it was simple. Opening the Status Window revealed various stats. The stats that directly affected combat were Health, Mana, Strength, Intelligence, Agility, Attack Power, and Defense Power.
Seven in total. The Dwarf told him to choose which of those stats to set to its base value. And he said he would discount the price for each stat.
“How much per stat?”
“10%.”
10%.
It wasn't a small ratio. But compared to the price, it couldn't be called large either. If Health became its base value, he would die after being hit just two or three times.
If Mana became its base value, he could only use skills two or three times. If Strength changed, he couldn't even clash swords, and if Agility changed, he couldn't block the opponent's attacks. Attack Power and Defense Power went without saying.
‘I see why he didn't mention this to Lee Tae-yeon at all.’
It was because he was sure she wouldn't accept his proposal. Even if it wasn't her, almost no one would accept. This was Alone Mode.
In a situation where everyone was risking their lives to barely clear one floor, no one was bold enough to offer up their Stats.
‘What?’
But Taesan looked at the Dwarf with a bewildered face. The Dwarf was still smiling broadly.
Taesan realized.
The Dwarf was mistaken about something.
“I’ll offer them.”
The Dwarf's smile grew even wider.
“What will you offer?”
“Can I offer my Shield too?”
“That? It’s a stat, so sure.”
“I’ll offer my Shield, Health, Mana, Intelligence, and Defense Power.”
The broadly smiling Dwarf flinched.
“...Five?”
“Yes.”
“Uh, I mean, I’m fine with it, but are you sure?”
“Yes. Please do it.”
As Taesan urged him, the Dwarf reluctantly stretched out his hand. A great power settled there.
[Transaction established. Your Shield, Health, Mana, Intelligence, and Defense Power will become their base values.]
A sense of exhaustion washed over Taesan. When he checked his stats, he saw a truly sad sight.
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 24] [Shield: 1/1] [Health: 100/100] [Mana: 10/10] [Strength: 406] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 332] [Attack Power +45] [Defense Power +0] [The target is in Optimal Condition.]
“Your stats will return to normal when you clear the floor. The stats you gain during that time will be applied normally upon clearing, so don't worry.”
“Understood.”
It was incredibly pathetic. It would be dangerous if he got hit just twice. But Taesan headed towards the Labyrinth with a joyful face.
“I’ll be going then.”
“...Wait. Come to think of it, that guy’s stats.”
The Dwarf, realizing it too late, muttered, but Taesan had already passed through the door.
“This is a jackpot.”
He broke through the room with a joyful face. It wasn't long before he met the enemy of the 11th Floor.
[A Skeleton Warrior has appeared.]
With a clattering sound, a fleshless Monster appeared. From the 11th to the 20th Floor, the dead appear. It was a fitting Monster for the theme.
Clank.
The Skeleton swung its rusted sword at Taesan. It was a decent sword strike.
‘It’s definitely strong.’
Upon entering the 11th Floor, the increase in strength when going up a floor was much greater than the ratio so far. It was funny that a monster of only bones was stronger and faster than an Ogre, but since it was a fact, it was hard to say anything. But that was it.
Just a degree of being stronger. Taesan put strength into his sword. The Skeleton's sword broke, and its bones shattered.
[80 damage dealt to the Skeleton Warrior.]
The attack, including a Vital Strike, landed. Since it was just bones, it was convenient that shattering them counted as a Vital Strike. He struck it one more time and knocked it down.
[You have acquired a Bone Fragment.]
[You have acquired 453G.]
“Easy.”
[Of course.]
Changing his Health and Defense Power to their base values was meaningless. He wasn't going to get hit in the first place. Returning his Mana to its base was also meaningless.
There was no problem even if he didn't use skills. His stats were overwhelmingly superior overall, so the penalty was of no concern. Taesan broke through the Labyrinth, beating down Skeletons.
In the middle of it, Insight’s Premonition activated, and he quickly found a Secret Room and received a reward.
[Bracelet of Counter] [Defense Power +5] [1% chance to Counter an opponent’s attack.]
For a bracelet, it had 5 Defense Power and a special effect. It wasn't bad equipment. Since he could wear two bracelets, there were no Items to take off.
After that, he searched for various things, but perhaps as a consideration to slowly adapt to the new theme of the 11th Floor, or maybe by chance, there was nothing particularly special. So he immediately entered the Boss Room.
[A Skeleton Knight has appeared.]
It was a Knight, not a Warrior. It was that much faster and stronger. But it was just at the level of the 11th Floor's boss.
He dealt with it without any problems and received his rewards.
[Ring of the Dead] [Damage to the dead +3] [The ring of one who led the dead.]
The damage increases by 5. Not bad. With this, he had now equipped all ten ring slots. And the Secret Reward.
[You have used ???.]
[You have obtained ankle guards made of bamboo leaves and soaked in magical liquid.]
[Ankle Guards made of bamboo leaves and soaked in magical liquid] [Defense Power +12] [Agility +7] [Ankle guards the Magic Merchant intended to sell. Not a single one was sold because the price was too high.]
A good Item. For ankle guards, the Defense Power was high, and the Agility bonus was also high. It was worth the Secret Reward.
Upon reaching the 11th Floor, the overall rewards had also been enhanced. The minor Items dropped by monsters weren't good enough to use, but they were significantly better than the ones he had obtained so far. It was a satisfying outcome.
He had gained 2 levels, and his stats had risen quite a bit due to the effects of various skills. Taesan descended from the 11th Floor.
[12th Floor Quest begins.]
[Defeat the boss of the 12th Floor and pass through.]
[Reward: Staff of the Necromancer.]
[Secret Reward: ???]
It didn't even take an hour to clear one floor. He went down to the 12th Floor and met the Dwarf. The Dwarf's face was completely soured.
“Five of them, so that’s 50%. Right?”
“...Right, you damn bastard.”
The Dwarf stared at Taesan. It was a similar gaze to when he had first noticed Taesan had a Shield. A moment later, he let out a dry laugh.
“How did you get so strong? I knew you were strong, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.”
“You see it now?”
“Yeah, you damn bastard. I practically gave this away for free, didn’t I?”
He complained endlessly, but Taesan was pleased. He had obtained a 50% discount with almost no cost.
‘A gold mine.’
While he was enjoying himself, the Dwarf couldn't hide his admiration. Though he acted nonchalant on the outside, he was quite shocked. In his experience, Taesan's stats were something that couldn't be achieved at this point in time.
‘Is this even possible?’
Leveling up through battle.