The Tower King

"Uh, but what's this reward?

Only 2 leather écus?

Why is it that only in the leather class the rewards are so low?

Just in the obsidian class, rewards are multiplied by at least four.

Well, one thing at a time.

I first need to indicate that I want to take this mission."

...

"Hello again, ma’am, I’d like to take this mission."

"Alright, were you able to find a mission that suited you?"

"Not really, but this one should do the trick."

"Oh, killing Assassin’s Nettles.

Even someone with an USHI as low as yours should be able to handle it without too much trouble.

Just be careful not to get within reach of their teeth, or you'll definitely feel it."

"I don’t really know how I should take that, but thanks for the advice, I’ll make good use of it.

And where exactly do I need to go for this mission?"

"You just have to follow the map on the back of the mission notice."

"That's convenient. I’ll be back once I’m done."

"Try not to die, unless you want to set a posthumous record."

...

"A posthumous record?

Why did she say that?

There’s no way I’d die to a bunch of simple toothy plants."

...

Following the map on the back of his mission notice, he found himself in front of a small house where an elderly woman was waiting for him on the doorstep.

"Hello, young man.

Are you the one who accepted the mission?"

"Hello.

Yes, I’m here to rid you of these Assassin’s Nettles."

"Oh, I’m delighted.

Please follow me."

Sora followed the old woman and soon came face-to-face with 20 Assassin’s Nettles.

Each plant was roughly 1.5 meters tall and about 80 centimeters wide.

If one were to compare it to a plant on Earth, it would look like a giant carnivorous plant with teeth two to three times larger than the thorns of a bramble.

"Whoa, I wasn’t expecting them to be this big.

They’re huge!!

I’m sure if one of them bit my arm, it would rip it off in just two seconds."

"Yes, they've grown quite a bit since I first made this request to the Order.

Back then, they classified it as a leather-class mission, but now I think it should be iron-class.

But I’m sure you’ll manage."

"Yeah, no problem with that.

I just have one favor to ask."

"Go ahead, tell me what you need."

"I’d like to borrow a broom, if possible."

"A broom?

Are you planning to clean my yard?"

"No, no, it’s to fight these plants."

"You want to fight them with a broom?

But don’t you have a sword or your USHI?"

"If only I could use USHI, this would be so much easier."

"Unfortunately, I don’t have enough money to buy one yet, and my USHI would be completely useless in this situation.

I have a plant-type USHI, so it wouldn’t do anything to them if I used it.

That’s why I’d like to borrow a broom."

"Oh dear, I’ve got a real clown here.

Alright, don’t move, I’ll go get what you need."

...

"WOW!!

This is even better than a simple broom."

"You seem like a decent person, so I think I can entrust this to you.

But be careful, I cherish it a lot.

It belonged to my husband when he was a Climber."

"Oh, your husband was a Climber?"

"Yes, but we’re not here to talk about that.

Please focus on the plants."

"Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.

And thank you so much for this sword."

"Hey, System0, can you scan this sword?"

[ Affirmative ]

[ Does the Climber wish for System0 to activate the ability: Equipment Scan? ]

[ Accept / Decline ]

"I accept, System0."

[ EQUIPMENT SCAN ]

[ - Type: Sword ]

[ - Name: Marc’s Striker ]

[ - Condition: Worn ]

[ - Level: LV.6 ]

[ ATTRIBUTES ]

[ - Strength: +0.15 ]

[ - Agility: +0.10 ]

[ SKILLS ]

[ - Big Cutting Edge ]

"Wow, this is awesome, I feel way stronger all of a sudden.

System0, use Stat Scan."

[ STAT SHEET ]

[ - Name: Sora ISOSHI ]

[ - Age: 17 ]

[ - Gender: Male ]

[ - Status: 89% (89 HP) ]

[ - Level: LV.0 ]

[ - EXP: 2/100 ]

[ ATTRIBUTES ]

[ - Strength: 0.55 ]

[ - Intelligence: 0.6 ]

[ - Agility: 0.55 ]

[ - Speed: 0.45 ]

[ - Vitality: 0.21 ]

[ - Magic: _ ]

[ - Magic Resistance: 0.1 ]

[ SKILLS ]

[ - The Collection ]

[ TITLE ]

[ - The Climber ]

"It actually modified my stats, that’s so cool.

System0, what is the ‘Grand Slash’ skill?"

[ The Climber must discover its effect by using the weapon. ]

"Alright, thanks."

"Be careful, ma’am, things are about to get bloody."

Approaching the plants,

Sora first stayed two meters away to avoid being within their reach.

Thanks to the stat boost from his weapon, he could feel that his agility had improved, making it easier to dodge their attacks.

He moved toward the first Assassin’s Nettle and attempted to slice it at the stem, which seemed to be its weakest point.

And indeed, with a single strike, Sora cut the plant in half.

The plant’s head, which fell to the ground, let out a strange noise before withering and disappearing within seconds.

"It’s done, ma’am. I’ve killed the first one.

This shouldn’t take too long."

"I’m glad to hear that, young man.

Just be careful not to be too reckless.

A bite from these plants can be quite debilitating—potentially fatal, depending on where you’re bitten."

"Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind."

Seeing the remaining 19 plants still moving, Sora approached one that was slightly apart from the group.

Just as he was about to strike its long stem, he abruptly stopped and stepped back,

having entered the range of another plant that was about to bite into his thigh.

"Phew... That was close.

The old lady’s right, I should focus instead of charging in blindly."

Thinking of a better way to defeat the plants, he noticed that the spot where he had killed the first one was now completely empty, creating an opening for an attack.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he quickly moved toward it, dodging one or two attacks along the way.

Once in range, he slashed again.

For the second time, a plant’s head fell to the ground, let out a strange noise, withered, and disappeared just like the first one.

Satisfied with his progress, Sora quickly retreated and flashed a wide grin at the old woman.

"Alright, two down. I’m doing better than I expected.

Unfortunately, I think I made them angry. They’re getting faster.

Too bad this sword doesn’t boost my speed—I could’ve finished them off more easily."

Targeting a third plant that wasn’t focused on him, Sora prepared his strike.

But just as he got close enough, he suddenly felt sharp pain in multiple spots on his left arm, forcing him to jump back.

Looking at his wounds, he saw three Assassin’s Nettle teeth embedded in his arm.

"AH, DAMN IT! WHAT THE HELL?!"

[ This is the plant’s skill: Assassin’s Nettle. ]

[ Skill name: Piercing Teeth. ]