Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t

The dragon stood in place, shuddering violently, while the parasite within it thrashed even more furiously. It convulsed rapidly, almost a frantic vibration, dozens if not hundreds of times in the mere seconds that passed.

For a moment, I feared the parasite’s desperate movements would damage the dragon’s brain more than the lightning.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard the parasite’s body emanate a sharp and small, yet unmistakable crack before exploding.

I stopped the flow of lightning as soon as that happened, and the dragon’s trembling ceased, finally falling still.

“Kyaaa...”

The dragon let out a low, guttural sound before its massive head plummeted to the ground, seemingly losing strength.

Thud—

The impact sent sand flying in every direction.

I had thought the soft sand would cushion the fall, but given the dragon’s sheer size, the force of the crash was much greater than anticipated.

I peered into the settling dust, and a cold wave of fear crept up my spine when I saw the dragon’s head half-buried in the sand.

... Is it dead?

Panic overtook me. I hurriedly dispelled Shadow Veil before rushing to press my hand against the dragon’s nostrils to check for any signs of life. I couldn’t feel anything.

Fuck!

I realized I was still wearing my gauntlet. I tore it off in a rush and tried again, but the result was the same. The dragon wasn’t breathing as it lay there, utterly still.

Oh no... did I kill it?

My mind raced chaotically, and for a moment, everything felt surreal. Then, I remembered Doppy was with me. Maybe, just maybe, the goblin saint could do something to save the dragon.

“Doppy! Cast a healing spell, quick!”

“Kriee?”

“Use your most powerful healing spell on the dragon!”

I was desperate, clinging to any hope. Doppy didn’t move. It stood there, blinking at me as if nothing was wrong.

“What are you waiting for? Do it! Do it!!!”

My frustration spilled out before I could control myself, but Doppy only looked at me with a puzzled look

“Kriee! Dragon alive! No problem!”

“... What?”

Alive? No problem? But I can’t feel it breathe!

I stared at Doppy in disbelief, and it let out a small sigh, almost as if I was the one being unreasonable.

“Kriee! Dragons! No breathe often!”

“Oh... right.”

It finally dawned on me. From what Doppy had said, dragons were like whales. They could go long periods without needing to take a breath. So that was all it was. I had panicked over nothing. A wave of relief washed over me. The dragon was fine, and I had likely completed the hidden mission successfully.

Just then, the sound of shifting sand reached my ears.

“Ku-ing?”

The dragon was stirring. It slowly regained consciousness, shaking its head and scattering grains of sand everywhere. Eyes still somewhat unfocused, it scanned the room for a moment before locating me. We locked gazes, but it no longer seemed aggressive—just curious.

After a brief pause, the dragon turned its head skyward.

“Kuwaaah!”

It released a low growl before letting out a weak jet of fire into the air, seemingly testing itself. The flames were much weaker than before, but this time, the black fire was laced with dark green smoke that matched the color of its eyes.

So that is the true venomous flame breath...

Though the black flames dissipated quickly, the green smoke lingered in the air, swirling slowly.

Wait… venomous breath? Isn’t that poison? Is the dragon about to poison me after I saved its life?

“Kuwaang!”

Thankfully, the dragon released a soft cry before waving the green smoke away, dispersing it almost immediately.

Ah, I see. It wasn’t trying to harm me.

Now that its intelligence had returned, it had no reason to kill the one who had rescued it. The way it handled the mana confirmed that the dragon could now cast spells, something it had been incapable of doing while parasitized.

I quickly glanced at the notification window.

[Black Dragon Herkest]

- A fully grown adult dragon.

- The parasite implanted by an unknown force has been removed.

- Regaining its intelligence.

- Capable of using magic.

- Has learned the racial ability: Venomous Breath.

The dragon had undergone a massive transformation All of the previously negative traits in the dragon’s status had disappeared.

So someone had implanted that parasite on purpose…

It couldn’t have been its mother. She wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to summon guardians to protect her offspring if she planned to restrict her child. So who had done it?

“Kuwaaang!”

The dragon’s cry snapped me out of my thoughts.

Herkest let out a small roar and collapsed onto the sand with a heavy thud. Then, it rolled onto its back like an oversized pet, before pressing its massive head against me, clearly asking for attention.

Despite the sheer size of the dragon, its gesture was strangely endearing.

Maybe its mind is still somewhat childlike, even though it’s regaining its intelligence.

I carefully extended my bare hand and gently stroked its head. The dragon’s scales were tough and slightly rough, with a faint softness underneath.

Does the texture of its scales change depending on its mood?

Whatever the case, the sensation was quite pleasant, and the dragon’s demeanor was unexpectedly charming.

As I continued to pet it, the dragon’s eyes slowly closed in contentment, its enormous body gradually relaxing.

“Kiii...”

It lay there purring softly for thirty seconds until it suddenly lifted its head and made a strange noise.

A ripple of mana filled the air. Soundlessly, one of the dragon’s scales detached from its neck and floated upward, hovering in front of me. Herkest roared gently.

“Kraang!”

The scale drifted down and rested against my right earlobe.

I chose not to react as my instincts sensed no hostility. I felt a slight prick, and the scale settled into place. Raising my hand, I touched the new earring.

“Is this… a gift?”

“Kraang!”

The dragon responded enthusiastically, confirming my guess.

I couldn’t help but smile. There was something profoundly gratifying about having saved this creature and receiving such a token in return. Although I was hesitant to inspect it immediately, my curiosity got the better of me.

I inspected the earring excitedly.

[Black Dragon Herkest’s Scale Token]

- An earring bestowed by the child of an ancient dragon upon the Earthling who saved it.

- Increases the likelihood of befriending dragons.

- Connected to Herkest by a thread of magic.

- Grants Poison Resistance lvl +4, Mana +2 while carried.

Oh?

A grin spread uncontrollably across my face. The Poison Resistance skill and mana boost were great, but the real prize was the increased chance to befriend any dragons I encountered. That would undoubtedly prove invaluable as I continued climbing the tower.

“Thanks. I’ll treasure it.”

“Krang!"

The dragon’s lips stretched into a wide grin, clearly pleased by my reaction.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. Once I had saved Doppy, it ended up climbing the tower with me...

Would this dragon accompany me as well?

No sooner had I finished that thought than the tower’s message refreshed.

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the eleventh and twelfth floors of the Tower of Ordeal: The Pearl in the Sand. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok only chose the black door. By conquering the doors’ rooms and resolving the hidden parasite he has completed the linked hidden mission ‘The Black Pearl.’ Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su Hyeok has been awarded 9,783 achievement points. Total achievement points: 11,958. He will now enter the waiting room.]

The message was different from what I had seen on the first floor. Unlike Doppy, it seemed the dragon wouldn’t be accompanying me. I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

Then again, having a dragon by my side would be far too overpowered, so maybe it was for the best.

This marked the end of my time with Herkest. I smiled as I waved goodbye.

“Take care. I hope to meet you again. Don’t forget what I did for you.”

"Kwang! Kwang!"

The dragon roared in acknowledgment, and my vision blurred as the world shifted.

***

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the eleventh and twelfth floors. He will now enter the waiting room.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok is currently ranked first. Additionally, he is the first to conquer the twelfth floor. As a reward, his waiting room will be upgraded.]

[From now on, he may request any food he desires within the waiting room. A small training room has also been added.]

[One additional companion detected. An extra bed has been provided.]

[11 hours and 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

Upon entering the waiting room, a cascade of notification windows appeared before me. I received a couple of upgrades to my waiting room, likely due to my recent conquests after reaching the tenth-floor rest area.

A reward for first-place reward, huh?

I wondered if this bonus was something the tower only offered to the climbers at the top of the leaderboard, just like the separation of zones in the rest area. Regardless, I certainly wasn’t going to complain.

Quickly surveying the room, I saw things had indeed changed. The space itself was noticeably larger, and there were now two beds.

I had been meaning to get Doppy a bed at some point… Well, this saved me the trouble of making that purchase. Doppy was clearly overjoyed as it dashed toward the new bed. It could barely contain its excitement.

“Kriee! Goblin! New bed!"

“Doppy! Wait, stop!”

“Kriee?”

I managed to stop it just in time, right before it could hurl itself onto the bed. I understood its eagerness to rest, but it was still covered head to toe in sand and dust. There was no way I could let it ruin the fresh bed like that.

“Go wash up first.”

“Kriee?”

“You’re not getting anywhere near that bed until you’ve cleaned yourself up. Now go, get washed!”

“Kriee, fine!”

Despite the sticky blood and grime caking my own body, I decided to let Doppy take the first turn. If I showered first, I didn’t doubt it would track dirt all over the room, ruining any sense of order while I wasn’t paying attention.

Grumbling under its breath, Doppy slouched toward the bathroom. The door swung open, and to my surprise, I spotted something new. There was a bathtub.

Oh... the tower added a tub.

I made a mental note to indulge in a long soak later. It would be the perfect way to melt away the exhaustion weighing me down.

Wait, what’s that?

As my eyes scanned the area, I noticed a door next to the bathroom that hadn’t been there before. It had to be the training room.

I was sorely tempted to explore it, but there were other matters to deal with first.

[Kwon Su-Hyeok (Earthling, C-66432)]

Title: Seeker of the Crossroads

Affiliation: None

Patron Deity: First class, Omniscient Thunder Axe (Share percentage: 1.09% (-?.??%) / 100.00%)

Strength: 100.6

Agility: 99.9

Stamina: 98.1

Mana: 61.9

Skills: Lightning Essence lvl 8, Sixth Sense lvl 10, Indomitability lvl 16 (+5), Combat Focus lvl 18 (+5), Bear’s Blood lvl 8… Poison Resistance lvl 9 (+4), Awareness lvl 4, Axemanship lvl 2, Flash Strike lvl 2, Mimicry lvl 1.

I glanced over my stats, feeling a small surge of satisfaction. My strength had finally surpassed 100, and my agility was just shy of hitting the same milestone. While the boost didn’t translate to any immediate or dramatic transformation, I still enjoyed seeing those numbers cross that threshold.

I hadn’t expected much given how high my stats already were, but the steady increase across the board was encouraging.

Even though my mana stat trails behind the others, it is still growing at the same pace...

It seemed the hidden mission rewards and new skills had done wonders for my overall progression.

What caught my attention most, though, was how much my agility had jumped. It had been lagging behind my endurance not too long ago.

Could the intense battles in the dark on the eleventh and twelfth floors have caused this shift? Yeah, that tracks, especially after learning Flash Strike.

There was no doubt in my mind that skill had contributed to the spike in my agility.

Shifting my focus, I focused on the skills window.

Lightning Essence, Indomitability, Combat Focus...

Most of my core skills had leveled up, but the one that really stood out was Poison Resistance. Thanks to the earring from Herkest which granted a level boost, it had climbed to level 9.

That dragon really came through for me.

A smile crept onto my face as I considered the boost.

Still, I couldn’t help but notice how cluttered the skills section of the status window was becoming. With new skills piling on top of the existing ones, it was starting to feel a little overwhelming.

After a quick scan through the newly acquired skills, I closed the window and let the information settle.

Just as I did, a message pinged through from Ha Hee-Jeong.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Thirteenth Floor): What’s up? You’re back way faster than I expected considering how long you were on the eleventh floor. Were the eleventh and twelfth floors connected or something?

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