I opened my inventory and took out the most recent item I’d received.
It was the shield obtained from the Exchange Meeting.
[Fortress of a Thousand Years]
With a defense rating of 200, it had higher defense than the Mirror of Transformation, another shield item. It also had a counter-type effect that reflected a portion of incoming magical damage.
Looks like I’ll be using this one for a while.
Now it was time to move on to the 11th floor stage.
But before that, I figured I should properly get things straight about the so-called “Constellations.”
Title: Didn’t they say Constellations only interfere directly from Floor 70 onward?
—So that means they’re enemies I’ll definitely have to fight someday.
ㄴ Hard Mode climbers already know this.
ㄴ You won’t even see their silhouettes in Easy or Normal.
ㄴ Archmage: That’s right.
ㄴ Archmage: They’re enemies you’ll inevitably fight.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Which is why you shouldn’t rely on things like ‘Authority’ from Constellations. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel※fire.net
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: If your combat style depends on their boons, you’ll be helpless and die the moment you have to face them.
I’d heard this before, but now I understood why they emphasized it so much.
Plenty of previous Hard Mode climbers probably got themselves killed trying to use the Constellations’ own gifts against them.
— Admin: Another huge issue is that every time a climber achieves something using a Constellation’s Authority, that Constellation’s status—or Star Rank—rises. Their power increases too.
That part was especially infuriating.
The fact that a Constellation could profit from my hard work.
That made me feel just as much revulsion toward relying on their powers.
ㄴ Sword of Light: So you’re wondering how long you should keep showing stage progress to Constellations, if they’re enemies you’ll face eventually.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: For now, until Floor 20. Just when I feel like it. That should be enough to loot all the useful items.
ㄴ Sword of Light: Sounds like a solid plan.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: I’ve also blocked them from Floor 21 onward. Couldn’t stand the voyeurism.
ㄴ Creepy that even the Heavenly Demon hates being watched lol
ㄴ Well yeah, a peak martial artist shouldn’t be evaluated by some Constellation nobodies.
ㄴ Archmage: I used to let them observe with mana stones, but once it felt like they were peering too deep with magic, I just cut them off.
ㄴ Sword of Light: So you’re going straight into Floor 11?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Yeah. I trained hard before joining the Exchange Meeting, so I’m ready to jump in.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: Though I’ll have to prepare properly before entering that notorious Floor 13.
ㄴ Admin: Alright, everyone who wants to offer cross-dimensional items, line up!
ㄴ Spear King: Hmm, want to learn spear techniques?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: I’ve been wanting to try that.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ: I’ll see how far I get. Might consider it if I hit a wall or reach Floor 13.
ㄴ Spear King: Cool. Cross-dimensional cooldown isn’t ready yet anyway.
ㄴ Pioneer: Yup yup. Forget Authority. Just take power from us instead. Not that I’ve got anything to offer, lol.
ㄴ Archmage: We’ve got stuff to give.
ㄴ Ice Queen: Frozen! Yes! We! Will give! Frozen~!
ㄴ Shrine Maiden: Hawawawa~ this maiden has plenty to offer too~
ㄴ Dragon King: Beltui~ I’ll look for something to give~
I closed the gallery and stored the terminal in my inventory.
Today was the day the Exchange Meeting ended, so I planned to train for the rest of the day and enter Floor 11 tomorrow.
After stocking up on plenty of health and mana potions, I stuffed them into my inventory.
I opened the door to the Floor 11 stage and stepped through.
『Pandemonium Difficulty – Floor 11 is a Dungeon Type.』
A dungeon stage, huh. Been a while since I had one of those.
『Objective: Clear the dungeon “Minotaur’s Watchtower.”』
If it’s the same Minotaur from myth, this won’t be easy.
Still, with a clear enemy now, I figured I should ask the seniors about it.
Title: Got a read on Floor 11
—Dungeon name: Minotaur’s Watchtower
ㄴ A Minotaur on Floor 11? Bruh, Dekkan was a 6th-Rank Knight and he showed up on Floor 10 lol
ㄴ Honestly feels like the training weights are off now. Floor 11 might be easier than Floor 10 wtf
ㄴ And the wild part is, that might actually be true.
ㄴ Pioneer: Minotaur’s weakness is its horns. Break one and its strength drops by 25%. Break the second and it drops by another half based on the reduced value.
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Watch out for berserk mode. Sometimes, breaking a horn just enrages it instead of weakening it.
ㄴ Classic tower nonsense—either extreme, totally random lol
ㄴ Sword of Light: Minotaurs usually wield axes or spears. They’re bigger than average humans, so be mindful of the range gap.
The tips kept coming in.
ㄴ Archmage: What’s actually dangerous is the Minotaur’s racial magic. Stronger than you’d expect. That’s about it.
ㄴ Archmage: Overall, I’d place them around 5th-Rank. Should be easier than Floor 10.
ㄴ Dragon King: Beltui~ Cow heads! Minotaur purge! Let’s gooo!
ㄴ Anyway, go on in lol
ㄴ Sword of Light: Sometimes they charge in as a group. Just use an area-cleaving slash to wipe them out.
ㄴ This guy always assumes everyone knows what he does.
ㄴ Well, this climber freak probably does. It’s probably in the Dragonslayer Swordsmanship manual.
I knew exactly which move from the Dragonslayer style Sword of Light was referring to.
I closed the gallery and tucked the terminal back into my inventory.
Then I scrolled through the notification windows on the far-right side of my vision.
There they were—the cries of the Constellations.
[‘Guide of the Starbound Path’ is begging you to lift the block.]
[‘The Crimson Spear Ascendant’ is furious about the repeated rejections.]
[‘Blood Demon’ hastily orders their rage to be conveyed, mouth still open from yawning.]
But these weren’t current.
They were traces from before I shut down the Constellation feed entirely.
Since I blocked them before even entering the stage, they probably didn’t even know I was inside.
They probably didn’t even know which floor I was on.
Apparently, there’s a second-tier block that hides even these notifications.
I planned to activate that full block on Floor 20.
After draining everything I could from the Constellations until then.
Since this wasn’t a narrative quest-style stage, I decided to unseal the block for now and let them watch.
If it’s just a standard dungeon type, there’s no harm in being observed.
As soon as I lifted the block, Constellations flooded in the moment they realized I’d entered Floor 11.
[‘Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon’ shouts: “What took you so long?”]
[‘Giant Who Swallowed the Moon’ beams with joy.]
[‘Warrior Steeped in Wrath’ raises both arms and gazes at you.]
[‘Judge with a Thousand Eyes’ eyes you coolly.]
[‘Saint Who Chases the Light’ claps with a sweet smile.]
I lowered the window again.
If I acted uninterested , they’d get annoyed and start offering juicy rewards.
But I couldn’t sit around waiting for that.
Time to enter the dungeon.
As I opened the door shaped like a pitch-black slab, red glints flared in the eyes of the towering figures.
I wasn’t scared, but this definitely didn’t count as a beautiful sight.
Bull heads atop muscular humanoid bodies.
The classic image of Minotaurs came charging at me—five of them.
Reaching 5th-Rank had definitely pushed me across a threshold.
I could clearly read the Minotaurs’ movements.
I could react to their attack patterns.
Efficiently. Cleanly.
I twisted left to dodge a vertically cleaving axe soaked in dark red energy.
Then slashed my sword at the Minotaur’s neck.
Scarlet blood sprayed into my vision.
Before it hit the ground, I had already severed the neck of another Minotaur.
I swung upward to intercept a horizontal axe slash, breaking its momentum completely.
[‘Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon’ is astonished by your efficient movements.]
[‘Blood Demon’ senses the calm and confidence in your actions.]
[‘Emperor of Undying Glory’ wants to see your full power.]
[‘Watcher Swimming in the Abyss’ attempts to register a Constellation Quest for you.]
『Constellation Quest Triggered! “Watcher Swimming in the Abyss” has registered a quest.』
Quest: Clear the stage with more effort, without hiding your strength.
The determination of effort level will be judged by “Watcher Swimming in the Abyss.”
Additional condition: Constellation Block cannot be used during quest.
Reward: Authority – Submerged Shadow
Authority Description – A skill of “Watcher Swimming in the Abyss.”
Allows perfect concealment in shadows or darkness. Complete transparency; enemies cannot sense your presence. Usable until mana is depleted.
Note: Automatically deactivates if shadow/darkness disappears.
Definitely worthy of being called an Authority.
But I had no intention ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ of accepting it.
If I’m going to fight these things one day, I shouldn’t rely on tools that won’t even work against them.
And giving them something to gain from me? Hell no.
When I’d received a Constellation Quest offering Authority as a reward, I had asked the gallery the night before:
"What’s the best way to reject Authority clearly?"
Almost everyone agreed.
ㄴ Admin: Be firm. They won’t question it.
ㄴ Sword of Light: Act a little unhinged.
I decided to follow their advice.
“That kind of parlor trick doesn’t interest me.”
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Like someone obsessed with strength.
ㄴ Admin: Isn’t that basically your true self? lol
“Don’t give me cheap crap like that. Offer a real item if you want to be useful.”
ㄴ Gutter Swordsman: Exactly. Those bastards started off like us. They won’t suspect anything. In fact, some might feel a strong kinship.
“Power—comes from my own strength and effort. Nothing else.”
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: A vow they once tried to keep, but ultimately failed.
[‘Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon’ grins slyly.]
[‘Blood Demon’ agrees with you and mocks others for their useless tricks.]
[‘Warrior Steeped in Wrath’ continues to gaze at the warrior.]
[‘Watcher Swimming in the Abyss’ expresses rage toward you.]
[‘Watcher Swimming in the Abyss’ now harbors hostility.]
ㄴ Pioneer: Yeah, the one who made the offer’s gonna throw a fit. Just ignore it. They can’t do jack.
ㄴ Dragon King: Beltui~ ignore ignore~
[‘Emperor of Undying Glory’ laughs at someone and checks his relics.]
And after that, more Constellation notifications kept pouring in, showing who was rummaging through what.