By chance, the elf Norha, who got swept into this situation, turned out to be an entirely unexpected figure.
Moreover, she wasn’t a complete novice; she had already reached past the 10th floor of the tower.
In other words, there was something more she was hiding.
“So, you have to tell me first. I even saved your life.”
Cornering Norha in a back alley, I pressed her to answer.
Unlike Eden, who had a different approach, Norha succumbed to my pressure without much difficulty and started spilling her story.
“I used to be a climber who graduated from the training institute like any other and belonged to a faction while climbing the tower—until I was branded as a traitor.”
“The Darkblood Gang? That’s quite a troublesome group.”
As expected, she had been marked by a faction and had fled to the lower floors.
And the faction hunting her down was none other than the Darkblood Gang, a well-known mid-tier faction.
Notably, their reputation wasn’t for stellar achievements but for their relentless grudges.
“Did you really embezzle the rewards and betray them?”
“No, absolutely not! I didn’t do anything!”
At Eden’s innocent question, Norha shook her head vehemently, visibly agitated.
The story she poured out next was more like a venting of grievances built up over time.
She swore she hadn’t embezzled anything and had no idea how evidence of theft ended up in her quarters.
She seemed utterly desperate to convince us of her innocence.
‘Just one of the usual schemes.’
Norha’s pitiful lament didn’t seem like a lie.
In a place like this, where many madmen caused trouble by betraying factions, internal conflicts driven by envy, jealousy, and competition were all too common.
The possibility that someone had deliberately framed her with malicious intent was highly plausible in this tower.
“The larger the group, the more lunatics it’s bound to have.”
“Ah, thank you for understanding. I promise I won’t tell anyone about what happened here, so please let me go.”
“Nope. Based on what you said, it seems like you’re at the bottom of the barrel with nowhere else to go.”
Norha avoided meeting my eyes, nervously asking to be let go, but I smiled instead, curling my lips upward.
There’s no one easier to handle than someone cornered at the edge of a cliff.
At this point, it felt like adding her to the team would be perfect to balance things out.
Having a fixed party member would make it easier to avoid entanglements with groups like Barnald’s gang and clear trials quickly.
“I’m being hunted by the Darkblood Gang. The moment they catch wind of me, bounty hunters or assassins might come running. I… I can’t burden my comrades anymore.”
Clearly terrified, Norha eventually mentioned the Darkblood Gang’s name with a lonely expression.
This was starting to annoy me.
Why was she so insistent on refusing?
“Did you forget that we’re black mages, the ones shunned by everyone? Besides, this works in our favor. You could serve as a bait to keep attracting usable prey.”
“Ah…”
I had no intention of letting her go.
Smiling as if this was a good thing, I watched as she closed her eyes tightly, resigning herself to the situation.
Two black mages and an elven archer—it was shaping up to be an interesting team.
If a necromancer fills the vanguard with resurrected wraiths, it would make for a decently functional party.
“Are you telling me that a group who claimed they were just ‘sampling’ things actually went to the Garden of Banquet, one of the hardest trials? Are you planning to skip straight to the 3rd floor?”
“Well… we happened to meet a fairly capable companion,” Eden replied briefly to Leoden’s inquiry, earning his admiration.
Eden’s pale face betrayed the intensity of what he had experienced, even as he recounted the events with some truths withheld as per my instructions.
“So, was it worth it?” Leoden asked.
“Yes, just as I expected,” I answered without hesitation.
Though I wasn’t proficient in necromancy, I still had much to gain from Leoden, especially since my witch’s dark magic was still at a beginner’s level.
Since Eden and I planned to use the 2nd floor as our base for the foreseeable future, we had no room for unnecessary distractions.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do,” Leoden said with a click of his tongue, seemingly disappointed.
It was as if he had hoped I’d struggle with adjusting and reconsider other pursuits.
He probably still clung to the idea of me working as a servant.
“It’s foolish to invest all your enhancement stones into magic. Even if you’re a mage, you need to maintain basic physical abilities, so distribute them wisely,” Leoden advised.
In the past, I had learned more than just necromancy from him.
As someone who had climbed the tower long ago, his experiences were filled with valuable tips that were always worth remembering.
“Master’s advice is valid, but I think it depends on the situation,” I countered.
“You’re saying to invest everything into magic?”
“Master is thinking of the long-term, but we’re not alone anymore.”
Building on what I had learned from him, I added my own experiences.
As the only necromancer to have ever worked with heroes called the “Ten Strong” in a party, I knew the value of having trustworthy allies.
Even though I was ultimately betrayed, tarnishing that legacy, it still proved that a necromancer could focus on one path if they had dependable comrades.
If Eden followed my guidance and grew accordingly, I believed he could take on the role I once held.
“Alright, I understand,” Eden nodded, accepting my words.
Seeing him trust me so readily was a strange feeling.
I couldn’t even trust my own words right now.
But for that very reason, I knew I’d never betray Eden.
“There are five advanced trials and ten intermediate trials on the 2nd floor. We won’t bother with the lower-tier trials that only reward basic enhancement stones,” I explained.
“You’re planning to tackle them all? Just the three of us?”
“As you know, clearing every trial on each floor at every difficulty within a set period is recognized as an achievement. That’s what we’re aiming for. Both Eden and I, as well as Norha, meet the requirement since her highest floor is only the 15th.”
It hadn’t even been a full day since we faced a grueling advanced trial.
Yet here we were, preparing for the next mission without delay.
This was entirely under my leadership, and both Norha, who had reached the 10th floor, and Eden, her senior, seemed content to follow my plan.
“Is that even possible? Even with you here, that achievement isn’t easy. Even the elites handpicked by training institutes and those from higher floors struggle with it,” Norha expressed her doubts.
Her concern wasn’t just about the difficulty; it was about stamina management.
Clearing every trial at every difficulty in such a short time would be exhausting, and entering a dungeon in a fatigued state often led to accidents.
This was even more true for beginners trying to dominate the 2nd floor.
But the rewards are just as great.
Rewards that even I, in my past prime, never obtained.
Moreover, earning these rewards is a true indicator of a rising star’s potential.
“For most people, stamina issues caused by low stats are the biggest problem, regardless of skill.
But for necromancers, it’s possible.”
Naturally, I had my reasons for confidence.
Even though I was aware my current power wasn’t what it used to be, necromancy was a force born to make the impossible possible in the first place.
“Advanced Trial: The Ruined Mansion.”
If the Garden of Banquet was a trial centered on defense, this time our task was to breach defenses and attack.
Within the time limit, we had to break through monsters, locate the target deep within the mansion ruins, and destroy it.
“The dungeon core, the target, is in the mansion’s basement. The monsters are undead wraiths,” Norha briefed us.
Though I already knew this, I decided not to interrupt her, letting the experienced Norha explain.
She mentioned the undead, glancing at us hesitantly.
It was a common prejudice people had, and I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“Necromancers can’t control every undead they encounter. We can only command the undead we’ve personally raised.”
“Oh, I see. I thought necromancers were friendly with all undead,” Norha replied, nodding awkwardly at Eden’s explanation.
“Well, it’s true that we’re immune to the cold aura and dark magic that undead naturally emit.”
“This mission is straightforward, and brute force is key. There’s no need to waste time if we’re aiming for the achievement,” I concluded.
With that, our preparations were complete.
Armed with her new bow, Norha stood ready, while Eden was visibly tense.
Together, we stepped into another world.
「Wraith Resurrection」
As Norha said, time is precious.
The moment we entered, I summoned my wraiths without hesitation.
They took their positions as our solid vanguard.
‘So, the grind begins.’
Climbing the tower was, in essence, a cycle of challenges and strategies repeated endlessly.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of the tedious tasks ahead as I ordered my soldiers to charge forward into the ruined mansion.
Zombies swarmed from all directions, but thanks to our wraiths, we weren’t outnumbered.