The Skill Collector

A ritual preceded the succession of the throne is mandatory for those who become kings of Kenukesib, the kingdom of piles, a great power in the heart of this continent.

It is a white and shining tower attack that rises toward heaven from the time of ancient civilization, which also became the source of what is known as the land of piles.

Candidates for the King can climb the tower with one companion and reach the destination where the altar is located.

This ritual is a dangerous one in which a number of historical king candidates have lost their lives, and will receive praise from the people that they are brave princes just to challenge.

The interior of the tower was known only to the royal family and some, and was whispered among the people that vicious demons roamed and trapped to train the king.

The day before the tower attack, the whole country became a festival.

From the balcony of the royal castle, the king's candidate proclaims grandeur and is sent out to the people to travel.

"Congratulations on the throne succession"

"I'm quick, collector. After the attack on this tower, we will follow the formalities and take over the throne."

One step forward the prince looks back over his shoulder and puts in a correction.

In the direction of the path, the tower where the tip pierces the cloud rises.

There are only two of us on this occasion. Because I was the one the prince chose to accompany him in the attack on the tower.

"I'm glad you took it on quickly. If they'd turned me down, I'd have hired a Kingsguard captain or Leondold."

"Are you a champion? He's a whim, so I think he's more likely to say no."

You don't even ask me to do funny things, but you stick your neck in them, no matter how much money they pile up on things you're not interested in, no matter how powerful they shake you, you never shake your head vertically.

"I was hoping for a collector's accent.... because in the unlikely event of a failure in this situation. I wanted to make sure it was all right. As I'm sure you know, the situation in one country is frigid."

"Is it the Queen's neighbor?

I almost got naked on my head, but I can hardly stand it.

"That's great."

After all, is that the story?

I have information from the informant Maekil and Sleep Princess.

"Were you recently in the midst of taking control of your neighbor's military power and hanging on to other countries, even though it was originally a dictatorship ruled by an incompetent king?"

"Oh, that's right. The king was the prime minister's puppet, but he began to speak to the military, and all the resistance forces were dominated by force. They even executed the Chancellor."

Since it was a stinking country, I had visited it several times while gathering information, but the majority of the inhabitants of that country were brainwashed and sanctified the king.

The actual king is a chunk of fat fat, the only skill he possessed was a high level 'appetite', a man not a king's vessel.

"The Chancellor was only obsessed with manipulating power as he thought it would be with small things, so I didn't expect this to happen if he left it harmless. Was the king false in his nature, or did another man appear to manipulate the king..."

Put your hands on your forehead and sigh loudly, prince.

I know the answer is the latter, but keep quiet.

It is... my sister who is pulling the thread behind the puppet king.

Next to the king there is always a beautiful woman refraining, smiling constantly without a mouthful. It seems that when the minister asks about the woman, she will be executed immediately, and now everyone is talking.

It matches my sister by the time the woman's appearance is stunning. Are you unwilling to hide it or do you not even care?

It's unclear what you're up to, but it's definitely not a lot.

"There are rumors that a new concubine is threatening the king..."

Will you change the subject because the story is going to be suspicious?

"Speaking of which, I hear you're engaged. Congratulations."

It was months before the prince, who could read his mind, and the queen, who always looked naked, announced their engagement.

The two peoples had sincerely blessed the engagement between those who had been single for a long time.

"Thank you. Do you feel sorry for me for making a slight change of heart while Sumire took my mind away?

"No, that's not true."

I knew the prince was in love with Sumire, who works in the inn, but there is a great wall of difference in identity.

"I'm not saying I didn't have a political decision, but it's also true that I fell in love with the cuteness of her heart. Besides, you can't challenge a battle you can't win as a king. Because judgment is an essential gift as a king."

That said, smiling a little lonely.

After I understand what the prince has to say, I shut up and keep my feet shut.

"How familiar are you with the inside of the tower?

"There are many layers, and I've stepped from the ground floor to the third floor. Sometimes the festival takes place there. From there, it's untouched. I hear the altar of purpose is on the tenth floor. The hierarchy along the way is staffed with Guardians questioning the power of the King."

"I see."

I nod and show, but I actually grasp everything.

This ritual of inheritance is also part of the Tower Strategy - because I accompany it every time.

The present king, his predecessors, and even before that... I accompany him from generation to generation.

Even this time the prince had not asked me, I had received a request from the king beforehand.

I know all about the inside of the tower if I'm on my way.

I've explored the inside without permission, and it went up fine to the fiftieth floor, but I couldn't go any further.

An invisible wall existed and could not destroy it, either by force or skill. Sooner or later, we plan to invite Ariaria to attack the tower here.

"Who's in martial arts, by the way?

"You'll be seeing skills. I own swordsmanship, cleavage, fighting."

The level is not low either. Besides, if you have a 'psycholeptic' that can read the other person's mind, is there just enough skill to beat the other person in character?

"That's usually fine, but it's a little special here."

"You think a doll with no heart is arranged?"

"Right. I heard there was a golem created by the ancients."

Inside the tower, as far as I know, there are no creatures.

It's safe up to the third floor, but there are many golems wandering from the fourth floor to the top.

The problem is that the same individuals are created again, even if destroyed.

The same individual appeared flat when he challenged the previous king candidates, even though he crushed all the golems on each floor when accompanying the previous king candidates.

"Only the royal family and some associates know the information, but you knew it well."

"Secrets are something that leaks. There are many ways to know."

Smile to look meaningful. I've just seen it with these eyes.

There are soldiers from the first to the third floors of the tower, so they are allowed to pass undisputed.

The door leading to the fourth floor opened and me and the prince stepped into it.

"Was it like this..."

There is nothing in the spacious space in vain, and there is a staircase that leads to the fifth floor at the far wall.

The prince takes the walk as he looks around inside the tower.

A floor a few steps away emits sudden light.

"Hello, Guardian."

The prince who pulled out the sword that was on his waist takes the stand that went into the hall.

Is it the mould of those who have learned orthodox swordsmanship?

When the light flooded out of the floor went out, there was a white man-shaped golem there.

The body parts are quadrangular columns and the joints are connected by spheres.

The weakest Guardian most often in this tower. That's the type of guy who doesn't have a weapon.

"Shall I?

"Shall I leave this place to you? Unlike my father, I have confidence in my arms. It'll help if you give me a hand when it's dangerous."

Unlike my father?

For a moment, but you got a frown root.

"Understood."

Let us identify physical abilities that cannot be judged by skills alone.

My predecessors had terrible motor nerves. All I had was character, but how about the next king's candidate.

At the same time as you step sharply, stick your slender sword out of your opponent's chest.

Kang, and a hard object hits me, and the prince's sword is played.

Not a single scratch on the Guardian's chest. It's a stiffer material than iron, so it didn't seem to pierce it with that much power.

"Oh, my God, is it so hard"

The Guardian now strikes at the prince who can't hide his surprise.

As he approached him in a agile motion unworthy of a puppet-like appearance, he stuck out his left fist.

He was a prince who cringed it, but the spinning kick of the Guardian, who half-rotated his body where he collapsed, comes to mow his side head.

When I slipped in between, I slammed my palm bottom into my waist and blew it.

The Guardian, flashly rolling down the ground and stopped moving, disappeared as a particle of light.

"Apparently, you're not destructive enough. Do you want to use this?

I took out a mace with an iron mass on the tip from my backpack.

These enemies are more suitable for blunt weapons.

"... I'll borrow it"

Did you get it? My predecessors forced me to fight because I wasn't willing to fight from the beginning, crying out, "Help me".

This time the king's candidate has bones.

This ritual also has the purpose of re-educating those who will be kings, but it looks like it could be easier this year.

Sell some skills that are missing from battle and give advice on battle.

I helped multiple enemies when they showed up, but the prince is basically dealing with them alone. It's a fine thing. My predecessors... is it rude to analogize?

"But I wonder what this tower is. A long time ago, the ancients are said to have made it, but its purpose is unknown. All I know is that it's called a pile."

A prince who gestured barely so that Mace was familiar with his hand spoke such a question.

"It is also funny that I tell the Prince of the Country that originally this was a wasteland, reborn into a land enriched by ancient technology. The device is this tower."

"I've heard that rumor before. And then there's the evil beings sleeping deep in the ground, poking and sealing this huge pile. The priests are eager to push the theory."

Make sarcastic remarks by distorting your mouth. Does the prince not believe the story at all?

"If that's true, there's going to be a magnificent story. It's a story that the captains and writers I know are going to jump on."

"It would seem interesting to see the Archbishop once and for all."

With such a light slap, a new Guardian shows up.

Now it was time to look on the back of a new king candidate with Mace in his hand and wish him good luck.

Attack the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth floors sooner than expected.

I was prepared for two months lightly, but it's only been about two weeks. Fighting skills are required on the fifth and sixth floors, and riddles on the seventh and eighth floors require wisdom.

And the ninth floor combines both as finishes, but you're doing it without difficulty.

My predecessors took six months to get here...... The future of this country seems bright.

"Phew, thank you for staying with us so far"

"No. Well done."

A prince who bows his head deeply.

Don't take care of yourself if the people and those under your command see you like this.

Apparently, my position has improved in him over the course of two weeks, making him an esteemed person.

It even changed my tone towards me.

"My predecessors struggled a lot,"

"Please don't be with my father. I will try to make this a better country for my people than it is now."

It's a declaration full of confidence.

The days here have been more successful than before, and the King's style has emerged.

After spending two weeks together, I found out that the prince despises his father rather than respects him.

If only the talented self and the unremarkable personality compare to the king of the handle, there's no reason to think so either.

Nowadays the appreciation of the people to the king is a mediocre king with no more prominence than the kings of history.

Expectations are concentrated on the talent of the next king's candidate, the prince, and the majority of the people will wonder if he will succeed to the throne soon.

"You have an altar at the end of this door."

"Yes, it is."

You remind me of all the hard work I've had so far, holding my fist and giving me an emotional look.

I know what lies ahead, so my mind is complicated.

When I pushed the door open, it was a gray space.

The ceilings, floors and walls are gray and unified, with huge, circular tables in the centre. It's what the kings call the altar.

The statues are arranged at equal intervals so as to surround the altar.

There are not enough stone statues to circle the altar and only about two-thirds of them are enclosed.

"This is a precision statue, isn't it? It's like he's alive."

I am approaching the statue of stone that was in front of me and raising my admiration for its sophistication.

The prince stopped on his feet as he moved to that next statue, again, and peered into the face of the stone statue.

"I've seen this face in a portrait... Is it the statues of the kings of history? I see."

The stone statues lined up here give the kings of the history of Kenukesib, the land of piles, two appearances of melons.

If he succeeds to the throne, it will be the next king in line.

"Do you swear to be king before your great ancestors?"

The prince, impressed, bows his head as he moves in front of the unity of the standing stone statue.

The prince, who stood in front of the rest of the whole thing, confirmed his familiar face and reached for the stone statue.

"Again, was your grandfather there? When I was a child, my memory faded, but I remember the wound on my cheek and the eye area."

He was an emotionally grunting prince, but when he leaked the word "eh," he retreated from the spot.

My hand, which was touching my grandfather's stone statue, swayed into small pieces, holding my face with the other hand.

The complexion you can see from between your fingers is pale and you are losing your mind about blood.

"What do you mean... Why do you hear your grandfather!

The prince who shakes his hair and stares at me.

They are poking their intentions and losing their sanity to the shock.

"Please calm down. 'Cause I know it's impossible, but you're gonna need an explanation."

"Grandpa says," It's been a long time, collector "! How did Grandpa know about the collector? And how did Grandpa end up in a stone statue!

"That's because I've been associated with the ritual of succession to the throne of this country for generations."

The mouth that opened to further shock did not appear to be blocked, and the movement stopped completely.

Reveal to him everything that he has lived for hundreds of years, in fact, deeply involved in the royal family.

"I'm not entirely convinced, but there will be good. But why is your grandfather in a stone statue?"

It seemed to calm down a little and the words calmed down.

"Do you remember the chat we had on the first day we entered the tower? Rumors about this tower."

"Oh, I remember. Talk about the tower enriching the wasteland and that it's a pile that's sealing an evil existence... no way, is either of that a true story?

"Yeah, both of them are true, to be exact."

"Become ⁉"

How many times will the prince be stunned just today?

I keep talking because I don't even seem to have words.

"A long time ago, they said there was an evil being sleeping here. It is unclear whether that is the Demon King or the Evil God, or whether it is yet another being. The ancients built this tower to seal it. This tower has become a giant magic purifier that absorbs a little bit of magic from the presence of evil and transforms it into beneficial magic."

When you activate "Signal Detection" at the highest level, you feel something mighty beneath the tower.

It was too black, too deep, too starving.

So much so that 'Intuition' makes the biggest alarm noise that it shouldn't be involved.

"Land rich in magic grows well in crops, and people improve their physical abilities even though they are marginally affected by magic..."

"That's right. You know this place is more magical than any other land."

There's no basis for rumors. See, stories exist, but many are based on facts.

Rumors of the former are forgotten over time, but in the latter case they continue to be told.

"The first king of this country made a covenant with the ancients. For generations, this pile... I mean, instead of continuing to protect the ancient devices, trying to give riches to this country"

"... let's give up a hundred steps and say yes. What does that have to do with your grandfather who became a stone statue?"

It's hard to say I'm convinced, but I push my emotions to kill them and encourage them to talk.

Just don't mess around here, but I think it's splendid.

"This altar is a place of contract. The person who entered into the contract to succeed will return to the site within thirty years and will be the controller of this device. And until the next generation arrives, we will continue to breathe magic so as not to revive evil by integrating the tower and spirit."

"If I succeed to the throne, Father..."

You turned your head on the worst prediction, and now you turn your weak face to me that's about to cry out.

I nodded heavily because I'm not even willing to lie here.

"It will be a stone statue here, and it will just continue to maintain the device. Your predecessors will be freed when they finish their roles. Apparently, you can't keep people's spirits for more than thirty years, and it's like a contract for up to thirty years."

"The collector... I know that and I'm helping!

"Yes."

A prince pulls out his sword at the same time as he answers instantly.

There's no reason to be alarmed.

"Try to hear the voices of your predecessors. I'm just accompanied by all of you asking me to. So there's nothing to be forced upon. It is your freedom to make a contract and to refuse. I only watch my decisions."

Show your willingness to raise your hands and not resist.

Did you hear my grandfather, the prince lowered his sword?

"You don't seem to be lying. I'm sorry. … what happens if I don't sign the contract"

"The magic of this land will run out, and the earth will be desolate, and evil beings will only be freed"

Tell only the facts.

The lost prince stares at the floor and contemplates.

"Few of the kings candidates in history have resigned knowing it. You know the current king is the youngest son of six brothers."

"Oh, oh...... I hear he died in an unfortunate accident or in the middle of this trial... if"

"Everyone, you're dismissed. Ladies and gentlemen, we live in peace and quiet without any difficulty in the hiding of distant lands. Don't worry, I'll be in charge of getting you there."

Knowing this secret, the prince is upset, and he has a bum.

For thirty years, we must continue to live here in stone. Only a few can withstand the fear.

Some candidates suggested that we should sacrifice someone else instead, but that does not apply.

Only those who have received the blood of their covenant predecessors are entitled, and if the covenant does not take the throne, the tower stops moving.

"I have always scorned my father for... no majesty, no martial talent, not worthy of being king. But did my father accept this contract?"

"I wasn't lost to your father. If the talent was so scarce that he could feed the people, he'd never be so happy."

"Eww..."

He was a prince who held his trembling hand strongly, but his gaze remained pointed at the floor.

Mouth another request, which the king had asked me to make when pressing for this choice.

"It's a message from the king. I never mind running away. It's my life, live without remorse. It is."

"Father, …"

How long have you been doing this?

When the tremor stopped, the prince raised his face and spoke of his will.

The great cheer of the people welcomes the prince who has successfully completed the ritual of succession to the throne.

After that, the prince made a pact and decided to become king. The formal procedure for succession to the throne will be several years later, but now it has been decided that the Prince will inherit the trace.

In doing so, he made another contract - with this me.

"Collector. I know this is an impossible favor, but could you uncover the secrets of this tower? It doesn't matter how to destroy the evil beings who sleep underground, or how to defend this country without dedicating a king! My father's deadline is three years later. Can't you figure it out by then!

I snorted at him once begging.

Tell him I'll do everything I can.

He said he would pay as much as he wanted, but he couldn't accept it.

"I don't care if it takes thirty years. I want you to make sure you find a way to help your son without becoming a stone statue!

and because my father, the king, asked me to, and I had already received an advance.