Chapter 72

After burning the monsters at the western edge of the stage, Idy and I had been aimlessly flying around the stage to pa.s.s the time.

As we flew around, we could occasionally find monsters that survived the fire.

Now, Idy was completely used to flying. She didn’t completely hate the new daily routine.

It wasn’t that she liked flying. She didn’t like touching down on a barren ground.

There were just black charcoals and white ashes. The desolate field was uncomfortable and an unpleasant environment to stay in. Also, it was icky from mental health perspective.

There was an old saying about how one who hurt others won’t be able to sleep, and the one who was hurt will be.

Those wise ancestors were completely right.

I was the one who caused the fire, and I couldn’t even walk around the ground without of feeling awkward and leery. On the other hand, the ones who were hurt were sleeping soundly.

Although technically, they were all sleeping because they were dead.

“Keruk. Captain, we don’t have water anymore.”

I came to my senses at her alarming words.

The huge fire completely evaporated all streams and ponds that could be seen occasionally in the stage.

We don’t have water.

On the large lake on south west region, a bit of water was left. However, because of monsters who jumped into the water to escape the fire and drowned there, the water there was contaminated.

“Let’s try enduring it…”

“Keruk…”

We were no different from the stranded survivors.

We lost the vacation life and became stranded survivors.

To begin with, I didn’t bring a lot of food in the dimensional bag.

There were little bits of meat jerkies and spices that I placed in there long time ago.

After all, why would I pack any food when Idy cooked delicious meals every day?

d.a.m.n it all.

With everything burned away in the jungle, finding food was f.u.c.king difficult.

There were other corpses in better conditions, but it already had been a while since they died.

We occasionally found live monsters and obtained meat. However, it was incredibly rare.

It was hard to find a single living monster after flying around whole day.

Ah, I should have just continued training at that cave instead.

“Keruk. It’s too late to realize that now.”

Idy disappeared.

Because I did not have the moment to spare to think about the duration at the time, we ended up parting ways before I even had the chance to properly say goodbye.

Should I summon her again?

Um…

Let’s do that next time.

I should summon her again if I need to challenge the 12th Floor again or when I need her in some other floor.

Even if I summoned her now, there is nothing she could do here; she wouldn’t like it here either.

With Idy gone, my life here became harder.

I figured I should know how to make a fire and roast the meat. However, I didn’t think it would taste this bad.

Just what’s the difference between Idy and I?

While I spent days with Idy, my senses opened to delicious meals. This was coming to haunt me now.

Whenever I closed my eyes, I could see the cooking that Idy prepared.

UUUUUuuuuaaaaaaaaaa!

Like that, for the first time, I learned just how fearsome the desire for food was.

A new problem surfaced.

The leaves, which I had been using as toilet papers, were burnt away. All of them.

I don’t even have water.

Kuruk Kuruuuuk.

My stomach was making noises. I searched the inside of the dimensional s.p.a.ce bag as I held my stomach.

Tissues… I don’t have any.

Armors… That’s not appropriate.

Ugh!

I felt a sudden pain. I urgently tightened my sphincter.

[PR Note: Sphincter is, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an annular muscle surrounding and able to contract or close a bodily opening. In this case, he’s just clenching his a.s.s super hard.]

Ugh… This is crazy. I had been holding it for so long. I feel dizzy.

I want to go take a dump soon and relax.

Like that, I was searching the bag, and what I found was the m.u.f.fler.

It was the handmade m.u.f.fler that I knit for myself while I was at the 2nd Floor’s waiting room.

Looking at the fluffy fabric, I agonized over the idea.

Could I use this lovely m.u.f.fler as toilet paper?

This is no ordinary m.u.f.fler.

To me, this is no different from Wilson.

[TL: He is referencing Wilson, the volleyball, from the movie Cast Away.]

Actually, this m.u.f.fler even has a name.

For my convenience, could I sacrifice Hororong?

I really could not decide.

[Lee Ho-Jae, 12th Floor: Hey, between a human’s dignity and a precious memory, which one is more important?]

[Kim Min-huk, 30th Floor: I’m busy.]

You heartless rascal.

I have to make a decision now.

It was like Hororong was looking at me and crying. I tightly held the m.u.f.fler in my hand and firmed my heart.

At Tutorial, 12th Floor, h.e.l.l Difficulty, Hororong was killed in action.

[Congratulations. You are the first one ever in the history to clear the 12th Floor Stage by conquering it.]

I buried Hororong on the ground and even placed a partially burnt piece of wood that was a half-charcoal as a replacement for a tombstone. I was in middle of a prayer when the message appeared.

It was a conquest clear message.

Now?!

I just sacrificed Hororong and even made a grave!

If clear condition was met just 10 minutes sooner, Hororong didn’t have to die!

d.a.m.n it.

Despite the large fire that burned down the entire forest, there were quite a few monsters that survived.

I thought such monsters were the last hindrances to the conquest clear, so I had been going around and hunting them down.

Just now, the last surviving monster died.

Although I was not the one who hunted it.

The life system inside the stage was completely decimated after the fire.

It is a sealed environment surrounded by invisible walls.

Along with this special characteristic, the fire completely obliterated the life system inside.

When I, the one who could fly around the entire stage, was struggling like this, how would the other monsters fare in this situation?

They didn’t even have meat jerkies packed inside a convenient dimensional s.p.a.ce bag.

Considering the time frame, it is about time when all monsters would have died from starvation.

In the end, only Hororong suffered needlessly.

[You acquired Fire Element Resistance Lv. 1]

[Heat Resistance Lv.6, Burn Resistance Lv.12 were combined into Fire Element Resistance Lv.1]

[You cleared 12th Floor, h.e.l.l Difficulty.]

[You acquired 3000 points as the clear reward.]

[Many G.o.ds are showing positive responses to you. You acquired 5100 points.]

[You will be given additional reward based on your play record.]

[You acquired 4400 points.]

Usually, that should have been the end of the messages. However, it was a little different this time.

Numerous messages continued to pop up.

[All G.o.ds in the White Holy Temple is watching you.]

[G.o.d of Duel is hating you.]

[G.o.d of Life is looking at you negatively.]

[G.o.d of Pain is smiling toward you.]

[G.o.d of Games is entertained from watching you.]

One by one, numerous messages about G.o.ds’ responses showed up.

There were exactly one hundred messages like that.

This was the first time for me to see something like this after clearing a stage.

The number of G.o.ds who were interested in me steadily grew since.

It might be that there are total of one hundred G.o.ds in the Tutorial.

I don’t think I can gain anything from this information.

Information about G.o.ds are expensive.

More importantly, I should check the rewards.

Instead of skills or items, I got points.

Because of that, I wondered if I could get more skills from here and even thought about repeatedly challenging the 12th Floor.

I cleared the stage in quite a grandeur way, yet I only got points.

As I thought, instead of repeating the stage, aiming for the conquest clear was the right choice because I honestly thought this might happen.

Now, regarding the Fire Element Resistance Skill that I got as the reward for the conquest clear…

It was the only immunity skill that I had. Also, it was a great skill that affected my overall mentality.

Considering that I got it at the Second Floor, I could even say that it was like a cheat skill.

Because I had received such a great skill in the past for the conquest clear, I had high expectations for the reward.

[Fire Element Resistance (Lv.1)]

Explanation: Provides resistance to fire element.

What is this?

Why is the explanation so short?

Resistance to fire element…

I think it is a pretty high-level skill in comparison to the Heat Resistance and Burn Resistance.

I had level 8 Heat Resistance and level 12 Burn Resistance, yet I only obtained level 1 Fire Element Resistance.

I think I should check out its effectiveness when I get the time.

Now, it is time for me to go meet Kiri Kiri.

Hm Hm… I know this, but I am not a person with a great character.

That’s how I am honestly.

I looked at the grave in front of me and thought about the vow I made when I entered the 12th Floor’s Stage.

For one last time, I paid respects to Hororong’s grave. Afterwards, I stepped into the portal.

Farewell… Hororong.

I’ll definitely avenge your death.

“It’s been a long time! This time, it has been a very long time!”

As soon as I teleported through the portal, I could see the green field and Kiri Kiri.

Kiri Kiri was hopping and busily yapping away.

“Hooowwwjae… Are you not going to cry this time either? It’s all right if you cry! Ah hahat.”

I didn’t say a word. I merely opened the store window and purchased a cake.

“Ahhhhang! Give me! Don’t take what I was eating!”

Kiri Kiri’s face was soaked in sorrowful tears. I looked at her face and put up devious smile.

You rascal. ‘Ah hahat’ you say?

“Hey! You should have at least told me to pack some toilet papers! Where’s your sense of common decency?”

“Ahhhang! It would have been no fun if I told you that!”

I, the judge, found no ground for mitigating factors, hence I shall execute the sentence.

To make sure Kiri Kiri could not chase me, I used the Talaria’s Wings and Blink to fly up to the sky.

Kiri Kiri hopped from her spot and raised her hands toward the cake that was flying away from her. Kiri Kiri shouted,

“NOOOOOOO! I am sorry! I was wrong! Please don’t fly away! Give me the cake and then fly away!