573 Final Preparation (4)

* * *

The waiting room on the 15th floor of the Spirit's seal.

There was a waiting room at the back of every floor of the stamp, but the 15th floor of the waiting room structure was special.

It was because the gatekeeper on the 15th floor, the painter, lived in a room on the other side of the waiting room.

Charlion, the painter guarding the 15th floor of the stamp.

And Ian came into his room and was talking to Charleon with a happy face.

“Huh, I told you I'd be nervous, right? ”

“I was nervous enough, and I took you seriously. ”

“Hehe.”

“Perfect defeat for me. Congratulations on becoming the first honorary palace. ”

Charlion smiles bitterly and gives Ian the scabbard.

It was a small object of similar texture and size to the wooden paddle that Charlon had received.

- Tyring!

- You received the 'Honor Vessel's Token (Beginner)’ item.

- You became the first honorary conduit.

- You have successfully completed the 'Chalon's Quest'!

- 500,000 Reputation.

- Permanently increases Amity with the Goral by 10.

- You won the 'Protector's Mask’ item.

Seeing the successive rewards with the quest completion message, Ian couldn't hide the sheer laughter that was pouring out.

Miscellaneous items called 'Tokens of Honor Conduit’ were also items with better options than I thought.

-A Token of Honor Conduit (Beginner)

Classification: General Goods

Rank: Rare (Superior)

A token that proves that it has become the "honorary conduit" of the Spirit's stamp in Pneumatic Village, south of Mount Spirit.

If you have this token, you will receive minimal recognition from the middlemen.

You can also try again at any time from the 16th floor.

* Options

Leadership: +10 (transcendent)

All Combat Abilities: +10 (transcendent)

Transcendence: +50 (Impair)

(The sealed option will not be activated until the ‘middleman’ is compromised.)

* This item belongs to the user ‘Ian’.

Not transferable to another user or available for sale, and will not be dropped even if the character dies.

‘Olstat 10 on transcendent leadership 10. Besides, reputation is transcendent... ’

Ian has never seen the concept of transcendence.

However, I was able to guess which stat this was.

‘Looks like you have a different reputation stat that applies in the midfield. Somehow, my reputation is over 10 million units and I was ignored by the NPCs here……. ’

In addition, the description written in parentheses gave us more information.

The stat of transcendence is the ability to open after becoming a "mediator."

However, the token of this honor conduit was encouraging in that it was a ‘unexpected harvest’, but there was another reason why the real Ian was happy.

"Hehe, this is really my item now. ’

Ian rubs his white mask on his face.

From now on, this mask will be a great help to Ian's spirituality.

Ian looks down slightly toward Charleon, feeling better.

“I'll be very good with masks, Charleon. Thanks to you, I got a valuable item. ”

And in Ian's thank you sign, Charleon's expression that looked bitter was a little brighter.

“No. As expected, goods have their rightful owners. ”

Charleon's gaze was fixed on the guardian's mask.

And his words continued slowly again.

“If you wear that mask in the future, don't lose to anyone. That's what protects our Goral honor. ”

With a solemn look on Charleon's face, Ian laughs deeply and gives a joke.

“Very well, Charleon. If you're going to lose, I'll take it off. ”

“ ……. ”

Anyway, in a warm atmosphere, Ian had some conversations with Charleon.

And in it, I could also find out what the "hidden conditions" were.

“Do you know what the Hall of Fame means, by the way? ”

“Well, I don't know... ”

Ian's eyes began to twinkle, hearing Charleon's words.

It was because his voice sounded like an important story was about to begin.

A few moments later, Charleon opens his mouth again.

“First, I have to explain the concept of conduits. ”

Charleon's explanation lasted quite a long time.

However, the content could be summarized briefly.

First, "conduit" means all the apprentices who protect each layer of the seal of this Spirit.

However, conduits can only be Goral.

Second, "honorary conduit" is an institution designed to give the conduit's position to anyone who is competent enough to admit that he is not a "Goral".

Third, although not all of the duties and privileges of the conduit are given to the honorary conduit, it may serve as a true conduit with the permission of the master painter.

“So what I'm saying is, you will be appointed as our true conduit. I've never actually assigned a conduit to a being other than a middleman, but I think you could. ”

After hearing Charleon's explanation, Ian's eyes widened.

Although it seemed like something interesting, it was because the constraints felt too big.

“So, Charleon, I have to protect this stamp like the rest of the trainees? ”

“Exactly. ”

Ian looked even more embarrassed and said.

“365 days I have to stay here and accept challengers.... Is that what you're saying? ”

Seeing Ian's embarrassed expression, he made a real impression on Charleon's wrinkled mouth.

It was because I knew what Ian was misunderstanding.

“Hehe, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry. ”

“Hmm…? ”

“Have you ever spoken to other trainees besides me? ”

Ian looked at his memory once.

And soon I was able to come to a conclusion.

“Oh, no. I don't think so. ”

Charleon grunts and continues to explain.

“Yes, of course. They are, in fact, fiction copied by the power of a spirit. ”

“Aha!”

Ian quickly understood the system, and Charleon cleaned it up once more.

“From now on, you will be a conduit protecting one floor like the rest of your trainees. To be precise, your delusions are being replicated by the power of a spirit. ”

“I understand, Charleon. ”

“Let's see……. You could be a conduit on the ninth floor. What do you say we give it a try? ”

“Yeah, sure, sure. ”

With Charleon's offer, Ian nods without a thought.

‘It's not like I have to be here myself or anything. ’

And after the conversation with Charleon, Ian notices new system messages.

- Tyring!

- Appointed as Gatekeeper of the Seal of Spirits.

- You are a gatekeeper on the ninth floor because you are a level 'level 9' transcendence.

- Clones all stats in the current state to create a 'Spirit Shape' (even if your character's level or stat increases, it will not be reflected in the Spirit Shape).

- Each time your 'Spirit Shape’ wins against a challenger, you earn 9 hero points.

-If your 'Spirit Shape’ is defeated by the user, you will be disqualified as a Gatekeeper.

- In order to regain your position as a 'gatekeeper’, you need to find the painter who controls the section.

Ian, who had read the entire message, had a slightly regrettable look on his face.

"Tsk, that's more rewarding than I thought. ’

Getting a hero score of 9 was, in fact, too easy.

Of course, it is not a one-time reward.

But Ian thought the number of challengers who challenged the stamp was too small.

Needless to say, the number of users who could come to the Spirit Realm had never seen an NPC challenger before.

Moreover, if I lost to the user once, I would be disqualified from the gatekeeper, so I was actually lucky to receive the reward three or four times.

‘Still, it's only a matter of time... ’

Ian thought comfortably and said goodbye to Charleon.

“Well done, Charleon. I'm gonna go now. ”

With Ian's greetings, Charleon looks surprised.

It was because Ian, who beat himself with a penalty, thought he would be able to go up to about 20 floors.

“Oh, are you just going to leave without a challenge on the 16th floor? ”

Ian nodded and replied.

“Yes, I have a lot to do from now on, and I'm going to challenge you later on the 16th floor. ”

“Aha, you've been busy. ”

Seeing Shalion's regretful expression, Ian smiles deeply.

He also had an appetite for more than 16 floors, but too much time had passed.

‘I can go straight out and sleep for only five hours. ’

I was supposed to meet with the guild members 12 hours after recharging, because I spent 7 hours because of the unexpected 'Chalon's Quest'.

‘Let's log out and get some sleep. You don't have to rush it unless you can break 30 floors anyway. ’

After clearing his mind, Ian came out of the stamp without a clue.

And I ended the game right away.

* * *

“Yes, Chesk! Nice cover fire!”

“This much gum! ”

“Inisco, stop them from retreating! ”

“Got it, bro! ”

Ralph's group has come to get enough sleep to heal their lost mental health due to a mysterious (?) challenger.

They were clearing the seal, at a pace consistent with the word "doom."

- Tyring!

- You won against a trainee!

- You have successfully cleared the 6th Floor of the Spirit's Stamp.

- This interval has already been cleared, no additional rewards can be obtained.

- You got 5 hero points.

…… approximate……

- You have successfully cleared the 7th Floor of the Spirit's Stamp.

- You have successfully cleared the 8th Floor of the Spirit's Stamp.

And thanks to their relaxation, their combat strength and teamwork were clearly better than ever.

“Well done, Chesk. You should have done this a long time ago! ”

“Haha, I wasn't really in the mood yesterday. ”

“Yes, Chesk. It's totally different from yesterday. I should have taken a break and tried. ”

As soon as Ralph's group enters the waiting room on the eighth floor, they make their way to the next floor.

It was not difficult to clear up to the 12th or 3rd floors even when the condition was bad, and it seemed like it would be possible to clear up to the 14th floor quickly.

As Ralph, the leader, stepped foot on the ninth floor, a system message appeared in front of three people at the same time.

- Tyring!

- You have reached the 9th Floor of the Spirit's Stamp.

- The number of party members is three, so the conduit's stats are adjusted up accordingly.

- In a moment, the battle begins.

After seeing the message, Ralph's group looks forward, eager.

“What was the ninth floor? Was it the Berserker Warrior class? ”

“That's right, brother. I've memorized every one of them by floor now. ”

“He didn't have to be so difficult, let's get rid of him quickly! ”

“Okay!”

The three people who were motivated again got into a posture like they were going to run away soon.

But next time.

Whoo-hoo!

Seeing the silhouette on the other side of the arena with the resonance, the three of them were forced to solidify at the same time.

“ ……? ”

“What's going on? ”

“Is this... a true story? ”

A silhouette so familiar, so familiar, so unforgettable.

I was wearing the same mask on my head for the first time, but three people could clearly tell.

This is the man who appeared before them, the man who turned their mental faculties into powder.

Ralph, the first to find peace, deals with Chesk and Inisko.

“Come on, don't be afraid. The silhouette is definitely similar.... Maybe it's not the same guy, right? ”

“Mmmm... ”

“And even if he is, this time he's our best condition. Unlike then, his vitals were at their peak. ”

The two who heard Ralph's explanation were able to regain their morale.

Because, as he explained, things were definitely different from then.

‘Yes, it was hard to fight after losing strength on the 14th floor. ’

‘Good. Let's do it before the ceremony...! ’

Unlike the Goblin who quietly waits for the count, Ralph the Three-Two stirs up motivation.

But these three people overlooked one part.

That's the guy they're dealing with. It was also not the level of specs they were dealing with at the time.

A line of messages that came to mind as soon as I entered the ninth floor.

- The number of party members is three, so the conduit's stats are adjusted up accordingly.

The shape of Ian in front of their eyes now was at least twice the shape of a replica with a popcorn stain.