I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 23: Floor 3 Stage

The only worthwhile item among King Kobold’s belongings was, as expected, a sword.

King Kobold had used two swords.

What caught my interest wasn’t the massive greatsword, which seemed far too inefficient for me to use, but rather the moderately sized straight sword.

[Cursed King’s Sword]

Category: Weapon (Sword)

Attack Power: +50

Effect: Increased resistance to light-based attacks

Usable Level: 17 or higher

Grade: B+

It seemed like it was time to let go of the Nameless Knight’s Straight Sword.

I would continue using Carnavalt as my primary weapon.

This sword would serve as a secondary.

Other than that, there was nothing particularly valuable.

I pressed the flashing text in the lower-right corner of my vision.

[Would you like to leave the Exchange Event and return to the floor waiting room?]

[Yes / No]

Everyone who disappeared probably vanished with this very process.

I had expected a lot to happen during the Exchange Event, but even so, more had happened than I anticipated.

I pressed ‘Yes’ with my index finger.

A circular ring of light surged up from beneath my feet.

"......."

The light that had filled my vision faded away.

[Entering the Floor 3 waiting room.]

Once again, I was in the dull world of the waiting room.

It was still the size of a high school gymnasium, but it felt slightly larger than before.

Since the [Exchange Event Return Scroll] hadn’t disappeared, it seemed like I could use it in the next Exchange Event if I ended up entering a hidden boss room alone again.

Just because it hadn’t vanished didn’t mean I’d ever need to use it.

I glanced at the clock mounted on the central wall to my right.

Current time: February 26, 14:53.

The next Tower Exchange Event was on March 25.

I had to climb as many floors as possible before then.

Title: I’ve returned. I’m in the Floor 3 waiting room.

Author: ㅇㅇ*

- More happened than I expected. In just two days of the Exchange Event.

ㄴ You worked hard.

ㄴ No posts about you killing those two in the Exchange Event have shown up in the Climber Gallery yet.

ㄴ Spear King) I’ll let you know as soon as they do.

How reassuring.

But considering how frequently murders happened in the Exchange Event, I doubted I would be specifically identified.

Just in case, I had used the alias Jung Woo-hyun.

ㄴ Elf Guy) Ah, I finally finished restoring the Elven Kingdom... I missed watching the climber take first place on Floor 2 in real time.

ㄴ So that’s why you weren’t around until now??

ㄴ As expected, damn elf. Humans are dying, and you don’t even care.

ㄴ Elf Guy) You’re not elves, and you don’t care either!

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist) Aren’t you in a pretty high position in the Elven Kingdom’s society? Why are you handling the purification yourself? – This world is a giant closed room.

ㄴ Elf Guy) That’s because I’m not some corrupt superior like you demons. I’m a noble elf who leads by example.

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist) Why are you suddenly picking a fight? – This world is a giant closed room.

ㄴ Come on, Theorist, you know he’s always been like this.

ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist) It feels like he’s getting worse. – This world is a giant closed room.

ㄴ Must be old age.

ㄴ Elf Guy) In the name of Mother World Tree, I pray for your short lifespan.

ㄴ Speaking of elves, wasn’t there another weird elf in the Transcendent Gallery?

ㄴ That one’s different. He got blocked for posting too many selfies, lmao. Originally, he’d be flooding the chat with dopamine-fueled posts about the climber’s progress, but... blocked. No posts for him.

ㄴ Dragon King) Kyaaah! Beltui— It’s so nice to see a cute elf again! Come hereee.

Elf Guy completely ignored the demon Room Conspiracy Theorist.

ㄴ Why does he always beat up Theorist but never reacts to Dragon King?

ㄴ They’re part of the same world, remember? Along with Sword of Light.

ㄴ Elf Guy) You’re making me sound like some internet shut-in. Unlike you, if a demon is nearby, I can actually punch them.

ㄴ Dragon King) Beltui— Hit me toooo.

ㄴ Look at him gritting his teeth and pretending not to see that.

ㄴ Sword of Light) You worked hard. Now, don’t waste time and climb to the next floor immediately.

ㄴ ??? Insane... I thought I read that wrong. I rubbed my eyes and reread it, but no, he actually said ‘don’t waste time.’

ㄴ Archmage) Is the cooldown for interdimensional trade still seven days?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Yeah, seven days left.*

ㄴ Heavenly Demon) Do not forget that I am first in line...

ㄴ There is no line, dude.

ㄴ Trade is only possible with humans who can provide power needed for Floor 3 or 4 stages.

ㄴ So if you don’t trade in the waiting room, does that mean those humans will have to survive on jerky and nuts until the interdimensional trade opens again?

ㄴ Have you completely forgotten how the Tower works? Food stays fresh for a day inside the special storage box.

ㄴ As long as you trade within 24 hours, it’s fine. But yeah, with the cooldown at seven days, the timing isn’t ideal.

What the hell.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) ?? You can put the storage box directly into your inventory? Then why have I been carrying only jerky and nuts around?*

ㄴ Admin) Oh, right. Things were so chaotic in the Floor 2 waiting room that I forgot to mention it, lol.

ㄴ Archmage) LOL, for real.

‘LOL’ my ass.

They definitely knew and just didn’t tell me.

ㄴ We had to figure it out ourselves, so we’re not going to make it easy for you. At least not when it comes to food.

Look at these bastards.

ㄴ Sword of Light) More than that, a floor stage is a battlefield. Having too much to eat is a disadvantage. That’s why we didn’t tell you.

ㄴ Boomer.

ㄴ Ice Queen) Frozen! Boomer!

For a moment, I got chills.

Even through text, I could feel that Sword of Light’s words were completely sincere.

ㄴ Either way, people like us won’t get an opportunity for interdimensional trade.

ㄴ Why? If you have something incredibly valuable that even the Hard Mode climbers don’t have, you could trade with the climber.

ㄴ But you don’t have anything like that, do you?

ㄴ ㅇㅇ) Give it a shot. I have an open mind.*

Of course, it wasn’t likely that I’d be making trades with the Normal or Easy Mode veterans over just any random items.

What could I do? The hierarchy had already been firmly established in the gallery.

I would rest for a day.

Not that there was even half a day left at this point.

If I entered the Floor 3 stage right now, unless the setting was outright hellish, I’d probably pass out from exhaustion.

Both my body and mind needed rest.

My swords were still in good condition, but my armor was in complete shambles.

When I placed my hand on my armor, an unfamiliar screen popped up.

[Would you like to repair the Nameless Knight’s Armor Set?]

[Repair Cost – 15 Coins]

I repaired it immediately.

Compared to how much I had upgraded my weapons, it was a shame that I was still using the same armor from Floor 2.

If Floor 3 was a place where I could obtain new armor, I would have to try and get some.

When I posted about the repair process in the gallery, a reply mentioned that repairs could only be done in the waiting room using coins.

If I wanted to fix an item while progressing through a stage, I would either need an NPC blacksmith or to repair it myself in a smithy.

For now, I closed the gallery.

Lying inside my sleeping bag, I reviewed the desperate battle against King Kobold in my mind as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I opened my eyes.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

My body felt refreshed, and my mind was clear.

<Player Status>

Name: Han Yuseong

Race: Human

Level: 19

Strength: 107

Agility: 97

Endurance: 101

Mana: 70

Skills:

Pain Suppression Lv.5, Composure Lv.5, Concealment Lv.3, Danger Detection Lv.3,

Enhanced Vision Lv.3, Focused Reinforcement Lv.4, Warrior’s Movement Lv.4,

Mana Body Reinforcement Lv.4, Doombringer Lv.2, Mental Barrier Lv.1

Seeing my Strength and Endurance stats reach three digits was quite a moment.

If I had reached Level 20 already, I would have stayed here training my Sword Aura like I had diligently practiced in the Floor 2 waiting room.

But I was still one step away from Level 20.

As someone mentioned in the gallery yesterday, if I needed any crucial items for Floor 3 or 4, I could always use interdimensional trade.

Though, no matter how long Floor 3 turned out to be, I doubted it would take an entire week.

Organizing my thoughts, I opened the coin shop.

I had plenty of coins.

Thanks to the Exchange Event, I had earned 1,000 coins.

[Floor 3 Coin Shop]

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I restocked on the potions I had used during the Exchange Event.

Then, I checked the food section.

Last night, as a reward for my hard work, I had treated myself to instant noodles and a small amount of kimchi, a taste of home.

For breakfast, I chose stir-fried pork rice bowl, a new menu item available in the Floor 3 Coin Shop.

It was relatively expensive at °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° 13 coins, but it came with a small salad and a bowl of soup as sides.

At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder—who was preparing all this food and serving it like this?

When I asked the Transcendent Gallery veterans, even they didn’t know.

I made another post.

Title: I’m entering Floor 3 stage with cream bacon pasta, stir-fried pork rice bowl, and sandwiches in my inventory.

Author: ㅇㅇ*

- This should be enough to have proper meals for at least two days, no matter what happens.

ㄴ Look at this guy getting spoiled the moment we tell him about inventory storage.

ㄴ Well, to be fair, if you land in a place with nothing to eat, it’s a problem.

ㄴ Sword of Light) Eat in moderation.

ㄴ Admin) Sending luck.

ㄴ Absolute Monarch) Let us know where you are as soon as you enter.

ㄴ Elf Guy) Phew, now I can finally follow your progress in real time.

ㄴ Ice Queen) So exciting!

I closed the Transcendent Gallery and put my device into my inventory.

As I had done on Floor 2, I walked to the far end of the waiting room and opened the gray door.

The scenery shifted completely, as if the waiting room had never existed.

『Welcome to the Pandemonium Mode Floor 3 stage.』

This time, it was a forest.

The trees and undergrowth were stained an unnatural black, an unclean, tainted woodland.

Whooosh—

Even the sound of the wind blowing was eerie.

『Pandemonium Mode Floor 3 is a quest-based stage.』

Another quest-type stage, just like Floor 2.

But this time, the quest window popped up immediately.

『Quest! – Join the rescue squad sent to save the missing personnel stranded in the Forest of Beasts, and work together to rescue them.』

The black undergrowth rustled.

A massive figure with glowing red eyes burst out, charging straight at me.

I could smell it.

This was going to be anything but easy.