I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 4: Difficulty (2)

Even after Han Yuseong exited the Transcendent Gallery and hurried his steps, the conversation in the <Transcendent Gallery> continued to revolve around him.

Title: But even if we help that guy somehow, is there anything we gain from it?

Author: Room Conspiracy Theorist

Sure, it does kill boredom, ㅇㅇ. But aside from that, is there anything else?ㄴ Isn’t having fun enough?

ㄴ Since when did the demon guy start thinking about meaningful things? Now you’re looking for profit? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴ Admin: There might actually be a benefit.

ㄴ ?? A benefit?

ㄴ Shrine Maiden: Admin-kun, explain yourself!!

ㄴ Admin: We can trade amongst ourselves, right? We might be able to trade with climbers, too.

Interdimensional trading was possible in the <Transcendent Gallery>.

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist: We have a lot to give him, but what could we possibly receive from him... oh. Oh, wait.

ㄴ "Oh, wait." ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴ Pioneer: Hmm, if it’s possible, there’s actually a lot we could gain. Even without reaching the higher floors, just getting past Floor 30 would be enough. Some people would definitely want things like Phantom Wood or Wraith Reunion Rune...

ㄴ Pioneer: And even before reaching Floor 30, the climber coin shop opens as soon as he gets to Floor 2. He could get food from there.

ㄴ Pioneer: I don’t remember much from the tower, but I still crave the food from the Murim Zone. I keep trying to make mapo tofu, but I can’t replicate the taste.

ㄴ I’m a martial artist, but that red, cursed wheat... Pasta. I still think about it sometimes. Eating a bowl after each floor became a ritual for me... I don’t get why food disappears when we trade interdimensionally.

ㄴ Admin: Oh, right. But if he buys it directly from the coin shop, it should be stored in a special container. That shouldn’t disappear.

ㄴ Heavenly Demon: So, Admin. Have you attempted interdimensional trade with that climber?

ㄴ Admin: ㅇㅇ I tried, but it said the target lacked the qualifications, so interdimensional trade was disabled. That means there’s a chance it’ll be unlocked. He might activate it as soon as he reaches Floor 2.

ㄴ Sword of Light: I could give him a swordsmanship manual.

ㄴ Divine Archer: I went for some mountain training... and now there’s some weird stuff going on. If trading works, we could also give him weapons, right?

ㄴ Won’t they have level restrictions anyway?

ㄴ Divine Archer: Hmm, that’s true...

ㄴ Shrine Maiden: Hawawa, I shall give him talismans.

ㄴ Pioneer: So? Girl

ㄴ Shrine Maiden: Silence, old man.

ㄴ Absolute Monarch: A swordsmanship manual, huh. Sword of Light, you really seem to be treating that guy like a disciple. You’re giving him the most advice, too. I’m curious about your reasoning.

ㄴ Sword of Light: No particular reason. It’s just fun.

ㄴ Sword of Light: From Floor 2, where scores are tallied per floor—if the climber I helped ranks high across Easy, Normal, and Hard modes, that would be very entertaining.

ㄴ Sword of Light: I don’t like the people currently dominating the rankings. I’d love to scare them a little.

ㄴ Sword of Light: Besides, in just a few days, we’ll have the Tower Exchange Meeting that happens once a month. He might be alone now, but that picture will change soon. I’m curious about that, too.

ㄴ Archmage: Do you really think he’ll do that well? That guy?

ㄴ If it goes the way Sword of Light says, that would be crazy fun. But it’s scary to think there’s a chance he might have already died while we’re talking about this.

ㄴ Ice Queen: I made an Iceberg of Prayer for the climber’s safety! Don’t say things like that! Frozen! Frozen!

ㄴ Admin: Ah, right. I haven’t even asked the climber’s name yet. I’ll ask when he makes it back alive.

ㄴ Admin just dropped a death flag ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ

ㄴ The climber activated the death flag before Admin did. What kind of "Let’s meet again alive" nonsense was that? Sounds like he’s doomed.

ㄴ Admin: You’re getting muted until the climber comes back alive.

ㄴ Ah.

***

Crack.

The spear shaft shattered.

In front of me stood a monstrous, dark green creature, its hands drenched in blood. Judging by its appearance, it was probably a goblin.

The goblin swung its axe, and I barely managed to block it by holding the broken shaft horizontally. Rolling across the ground, I grabbed the remaining spearhead like a dagger.

Thrust.

Raising my body in one motion, I drove the jagged spearhead straight through the goblin’s throat.

"Keeuugh!"

A faint groan slipped from the goblin’s lips, now inches away from mine. Bright red blood gushed from its neck. Its body slumped forward.

[Level Up!]

[Lv.1 → Lv.2]

[‘Strength’ has increased by 4.]

[‘Agility’ has increased by 5.]

[‘Stamina’ has increased by 3.]

Several other notifications popped up, but my attention was elsewhere.

Someone was dying in front of me.

A woman lay dead, her long hair splayed across the ground. Her thin armor had been useless—her abdomen was completely soaked in blood.

I knew exactly why she had such a wound. I had witnessed the goblin’s sharp, sword-like claws rip into her stomach and twist inside her, all in real time. The screams echoing through the floor hadn’t faded yet.

But when I had faced that situation, I had been too far—dozens of steps away, unable to reach her in time.

A mouthful of blood spilled from her lips as her head fell limp. The faint movement in her body came to a sudden halt.

Above the corpse, glowing letters still lingered.

[NPC – Fleeing Mercenary]

At this moment, anger outweighed fear.

Why was I constantly being forced to see corpses? If they were going to place NPCs right in front of me, at least give me a proper chance to save them.

Even if they were just illusions, I’d rather be saving people than watching them die.

What pissed me off even more—

Was the fact that I was looting this mercenary’s belongings.

To survive.

Srrng—

I picked up the sword that had clearly belonged to the mercenary, replacing my broken spear. I also took the leg guards, fastening them around my ankles.

Her waist pouch held two third-class recovery potions—the same kind that had been on the [Fleeing Citizen]. There were also real bandages, not just strips of torn cloth.

I closed the mercenary’s eyes. It wasn’t out of kindness—it was simply because I had met those eyes. It unsettled me too much to leave them open.

"Status window."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

<Player Status> Name: Han Yuseong Race: Human Lv.2

Strength: 16

Agility: 18

Stamina: 14

...Easy Mode climbers only gained 1 stat point per level-up. Normal Mode climbers got 1, and sometimes 2 in one of the three main stats.

My Strength had increased by 4. Agility by 5. Stamina by 3.

This lined up with what Hard Mode veterans had predicted.

Sword of Light: If you’re on Hard Mode, your stats will skyrocket early on. For knights and Murim warriors, their base stats are already high, so they barely grow. But since you’re from 21st-century Earth, you’ll see massive gains.

Admin: It’s the gap between your past life and surviving in Hard Mode. Those who manage to live in Hard Mode receive rewards proportionate to their struggle.

Admin: Most Hard Mode summonings don’t happen to ordinary people, so they don’t really notice the difference. But if you’re in Hard Mode, you’ll probably feel it.I spread my hands wide, then clenched them into fists.

I could feel it. Clearly.

Even after quitting baseball, I had stayed in decent shape, but all I ever did was go to the gym. Yet now, I could feel the difference—my muscles were both denser and more flexible. The sensation ran from my shoulders down my arms, all the way to my fingertips.

So, this confirms it. Hard Mode.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

I unwrapped the cloth I had tied around my shoulder.

One of the benefits Sword of Light had explained about leveling up—complete health recovery—seemed to have kicked in.

I had made it halfway through the first floor.

That was the only way to describe the scene in front of me.

A long bridge stretched between two cliffs, linking the ground on either side. Below, a sheer drop awaited. The only railings were steel plates on either side—if they could even be called railings.

This was one of the structures Absolute Monarch had warned me about.

Absolute Monarch: When arrows come from the left, use the steel plates on the left for cover. If there’s nowhere to hide, block with a shield or deflect with a weapon. I had a rectangular shield, so it was relatively easy for me, but... you don’t have one, do you?I had hoped he’d offer some other solution, but Absolute Monarch crushed that expectation without hesitation.

Absolute Monarch: You’ll have to figure it out.Absolute Monarch: Trust your instincts.Bullshit.

I moved forward, forcing down the lingering unease from the NPC I hadn’t even had the chance to save.

Creak—

I stepped onto the bridge.

A gust of wind blew from the right.

Fwhhhhhhhhhh!

Three iron arrows shot toward me from the right.

I threw my body to the side, pressing as close as possible to the steel plate for cover.

Clang!

One of the arrows ricocheted off the steel.

But another—

Ka-CHING!

I swung my sword and deflected it.

There was no time to wonder if I could do it. I just had to.

Thud!

One of the arrows hit me.

Just like when I was attacked by the three-headed Anthranthrope, an unreal pain shot through me.

The iron arrow had lodged itself in my thigh. It felt like my entire leg was about to be ripped off.

I had no choice but to force myself into that same old self-hypnosis.

This is the mound.

This place is the pitching mound.

Take a deep breath.

A place where no matter how many times I tensed up, I had never collapsed.

A place where no matter how many defeats I suffered, I had never given up.

Gulp—!

I downed the remaining half of my potion. Then, after swallowing, I yanked the arrow out. I poured the third-class healing °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° potion I had taken from the [Lv.2 Fleeing Mercenary] over the wound, then wrapped it in bandages.

[Skill ‘Pain Suppression’ has leveled up. Lv.2]

Ssssshhhhh—!

This time, the wind blew from the left.

That meant one thing—iron arrows were about to rain down from the left.

I moved.

I avoided what I could by using cover.

Clang!

I deflected what I could with my sword.

Thud!

This time, my shoulder?

[Skill ‘Composure’ has leveled up. Lv.2]

Dodge what I can. Block what I must. Endure what I can't avoid.

The process repeated.

[Acquired skill: ‘Crisis Detection Lv.1’]

I anticipated the countless arrows. I struck down the chains that came crashing down from above.

[Acquired skill: ‘Expanded Vision Lv.1’]

How many minutes had passed?

[Acquired skill: ‘Enhanced Focus Lv.1’]

Finally.

Finally, through the mist, the end of the long bridge began to emerge.

Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kak—! Ka-kak!

And then, a chilling sound.

Like something was being vigorously sawed apart.

As the mist slowly cleared, I saw it.

A towering Anthranthrope, nearly as tall as an adult man, stood there, swinging its arms, hacking away at the massive stakes that supported the bridge.

That bastard.

Above its head, words appeared.

[BOSS MONSTER]

Boss Monster.

[Queen Anthranthrope]

Not a bastard. A bitch.

I yanked the arrow out of my shoulder and chugged another potion. The searing pain pounding through my skull was drowned out by adrenaline.

My body moved on its own.

Kill.

[Skill ‘Enhanced Focus Lv.1’ activated.]

I tracked the trajectories of the four incoming iron arrows rushing toward me from the right.

Ka-kak! Kaang!

I deflected two. Dodged the other two.

All the while, the Queen Anthranthrope continued her relentless sawing with both legs.

Kaaaaaaaak—!

The moment I kicked off the bridge’s edge and leapt forward, the long bridge collapsed into the abyss.

Kiiiiiieeeeek!!

Unlike the Anthranthropes I had encountered before, the Queen had only one massive head.

A head covered in what looked like a thick, armored shell.

My entire body was ablaze with pain, but my mind was sharper than ever.

Fwhhhhhhh!

I parried her lunging left leg. Twisting my body to the right, I slashed my sword down in a vertical arc.

One of her six legs—

Kiiiiek!

I stayed calm. I focused entirely on dodging her attacks.

Pwoosh!

I took a blade to the abdomen.

I clenched my teeth and endured.

Then I cut off the remaining five legs.

Kiiiiiieeeeeek!

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Boom—!

I brought my sword crashing down on her head. Again.

Boom!

Hard enough to make my arms feel like they were shattering.

Boom!

Crack—!

A sound like an eggshell splitting apart echoed through the air.

Fragments of the Queen’s shattered skull pierced the back of my hands, but I ignored them.

Beneath the broken shell, a pulsating, violet brain was exposed.

A grotesque, beating mass—more like a heart than a brain.

I drove my sword straight into it.

And then, notifications flooded my vision.

[You have defeated the Boss Monster!]

[Level Up!]

[Lv.2 → Lv.3]

[‘Strength’ has increased by 4.]

[‘Agility’ has increased by 3.]

[‘Stamina’ has increased by 4.]

[You have cleared Floor 1.]

[Proceed to Floor 2.]

The thick mist ahead slowly began to dissipate.

Rumble—

What I had thought was a wall was actually a door.

As it opened, a long staircase was revealed.

An arrow and a number were inscribed on the door.

【 2 】↑

According to Admin, the difficulty level should be written next to the number.

And sure enough, there were letters beside it.

Letters with an overwhelming, devastating force—enough to shatter any relief I had felt after surviving the boss fight.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Nothing had changed.

"......."

The text remained the same.

【Pandemonium】

Pandemonium.

I had assumed, at worst, I was in Hard Mode.

When my stats kept soaring after crossing the bridge, I had resigned myself to being in Hard Mode.

But the tower I had fallen into—

Was something far beyond Hard Mode.

Admin: Pandemonium has no survivors.Archmage: The clear rate is 0%.I’m fucked.

Well and truly fucked.