‘Is this the end of the Information on Floor 3?’

I gathered every scrap of Information regarding Floor 3 by exchanging messages with three Hell Players. The placement of Traps and the types of Monsters that appeared—it was a massive amount of data to memorize all at once. Fortunately, it seemed that carrying notes on Paper wasn't an issue, even on HELL Difficulty.

‘Anyway, setting that aside.’

I lay on my bed and organized my thoughts.

‘I need to earn points before I start the Floor 3 Clear.’

I could still earn points by clearing Floor 2 on the three difficulties I hadn't finished yet: EASY, NORMAL, and HARD. There was a specific reason I had to scrape together as many points as possible.

【HL】 Last Chance

— There is a Device at the final point of Floor 3 on HL+ Difficulty that can summon the Dark Merchant.

Floor 3 was a place where I was Confirmed to meet the Dark Merchant. I had learned what the Dark Merchant was through the Community.

A special merchant inside the Tower who could only be met with extreme luck.

‘And that meeting is Confirmed on HL+ Difficulty.’

This Information was incredibly useful. Since HELL Difficulty only allowed trades with NPCs, I needed everything right now: potions, armor, Skills, and more. I couldn't afford to be short on points.

I got up from the bed. There were two days left until the forced entry to Floor 3. It would be best to stay busy until then.

‘Let’s collect some points.’

I pulled the Dagger from my Inventory and gripped it. It was the unique Item, Aknir’s Dagger, which I had received as a Clear reward from Floor 2. I gave it a light swing. Swish, swish—. The sharp blade cut through the air with a menacing sound.

‘It definitely feels different.’

Instead of staying in my room, I decided to head into the Tower.

‘I’ll need to get used to the Dagger.’

After warming up, I entered EASY difficulty. Naturally, I didn't forget to use my Stealth Skill.

Kirek, kirekek!

Two Goblins stood on the bare ground. They weren't even properly armed. It wasn't called EASY difficulty for nothing. Compared to HELL, these Goblins looked almost cute.

Kieeeek!?

There was no need to drag this out. Stab, slash! I quickly eliminated the two Goblins.

Next was NORMAL.

I finished this one as quickly as possible, too. They held crude blades, but it made little difference. Since they couldn't see me, they lost their lives without putting up a proper fight.

Finally, HARD.

The sky, which had been blue in the previous difficulties, was now stained red.

‘One warrior Goblin and two Archers.’

The composition was quite similar to HELL Difficulty.

Kirek, kirekek...

Their intelligence didn't seem high. Although they looked around, they didn't communicate with each other. Their only equipment was leather armor.

‘Should I take out the Archers first?’

I prepared to use Ambush.

Slice—.

The Dagger, shrouded in smoke, cut through the Archer without any resistance. The leather armor the creature wore was sliced like a piece of Paper.

Spurt!

To give the enemy no time to react, I immediately swung my Dagger at the Archer on the left. The smoke trailing from the Dagger drew a trajectory as it flew forward.

Thwack!

The Archer Goblin collapsed, spraying blood.

Kirekek?!

Only the warrior Goblin remained. Sensing something was wrong, the warrior raised its sword, but it was looking in the wrong direction.

I was on its right.

Slash! I drove the Dagger straight into its neck. The warrior Goblin fell to the ground without even a death rattle. I inspected the Dagger in my hand. Not a single drop of blood stained the pitch-black surface of the blade.

‘Is it because it's a unique item? The feel is definitely different.’

Fighting the armed Goblins made it clear. The sharpness was incomparable to the standard Dagger I used before. Of course, it also felt powerful because my Stats had increased.

While clearing HL+ Floor 2, my growth rate was a staggering four times the norm. Since it had increased by three times on Floor 1, a simple calculation suggested...

My current Stats were equivalent to someone on the 8th Floor of NORMAL difficulty. With the added effects of my Artifact, it was safe to say I was on par with a Player who had climbed to the 10th Floor. It was only natural that HARD difficulty Goblins were no match for me.

Adding up all the points I had gathered so far, the total was as follows:

Considering you only get a mere 200pt for clearing NORMAL Floor 2, this was a massive amount. HL+ Difficulty certainly handed out points generously.

Returning to my room, I realized something new.

‘There’s no blood.’

Not a single drop had splattered onto my clothes. It was different from before when I would be a mess from Goblin blood. The difference was, of course, the unique Dagger. It fit perfectly in my hand and felt like an extension of my will. I realized just how important Item performance was.

“...”

Checking the clock, I saw that not even an hour had passed. Surely, NORMAL or HARD difficulties weren't supposed to be easy, but compared to HL+ Difficulty, I didn't even feel a hint of tension.

Of course, that was largely thanks to Stealth...

‘I originally planned to enter EASY.’

I would have regretted it if I had. Not that being in HL+ was "good," per se.

‘Well.’

I sat down and turned on the TV. It was something I had picked up cheaply at a secondhand market. I figured I'd rest for a bit and decide whether to challenge Floor 3 early.

— Player Cheonha, the world's first to challenge HL+ Difficulty...

My Nickname was appearing on the news. They even had an expert on to talk seriously about HL+ Difficulty.

— You must all realize that every time the highest difficulty of the Tower is cleared, it has a significant impact on reality.

Special veins of ore and resources appearing all over the World. The emergence of new materials that defied conventional logic. The generation of a mana atmosphere that hadn't existed in reality before. These were all things that happened as progress was made in the Tower. It was also why the whole World was focused on the Players' progress.

‘I am curious.’

What would happen if HL+ Difficulty was fully cleared? Usually, those benefits manifested in the Player’s place of origin. Thinking that far made it certain.

...That’s for sure why the whole World was looking for me with such intensity.

It seemed Last Chance hadn't been making things up.

‘Once I reach Floor 5 quickly, I’ll manage somehow.’

Contacting the administrator to lift the Penalty was the priority. After that, I could decide whether to stay on Floor 5 and clear it safely or join a guild—I'd think about that then. Ultimately, I had to stay alive to do anything.

“Hello?”

I made one last call to my parents.

“Me? I’m doing well.”

I couldn't bring myself to say I had become a Hell Player. Telling them would only cause worry, and if my Information was leaked, even my parents could be in danger.

“I think I got the job. Not at the big corporation I was at... somewhere better. I’ll tell you later.”

I told them I was doing fine and mentioned I might be too busy to call for a while. After hanging up, I stood up.

‘...’

I intended to enter the HL+ Tower. To be honest, I didn't want to. I wasn't obsessed with clearing the game like other Hell Players. Having the Stealth Skill didn't make me invincible, either. In the end, if I died, none of it mattered.

But...

‘If I have to do it anyway.’

It was better to get it over with as quickly as possible. I had always lived quietly, blending in because I lacked presence. But that was different from turning my eyes away and avoiding what I had to do. The reason I could land a big corporate internship despite having no presence was that I had worked hard in my own way.

‘Let’s just close my eyes and do it.’

The goal was Floor 5. I just had to push through until then, even if it felt like I was dying. Lifting this damn Penalty as soon as possible was my only way to survive.

Floor 3 of HELL. Rather than waiting to be dragged in by the Penalty, I would go myself.

I was inside a stone chamber.

‘This is Floor 3.’

Directly in front of me was a pillar rising to waist height. As I placed my hand on it, a heavy sound rumbled, and the stone door ahead began to open.

Rumble...

Soon, a long corridor revealed itself. It wasn't dark, but it was incredibly long.

‘It’s daunting.’

There would be countless bizarre Traps laid out in there. Still, I had to do it. The Clear reward was a Skill enhancement scroll. And the Dark Merchant. This was a Clear I absolutely had to succeed at. Though, failure meant nothing but death anyway.

‘Let’s see.’

I checked the notebook I brought. It was packed with Information about the Traps. It was all the data I had transcribed.

‘The first Trap is a pressure plate arrow.’

Last Chance had told me the types of Traps and the triggers that activated them.

‘I didn't expect the Information to be this detailed, though.’

Knowing about HL+ itself wasn't the issue. While our Civilization didn't have any HL+ clears, I heard there were HL+ conquerors in other dimensions. Last Chance was probably interacting with other dimensions, just like Mad Dog. However, the sheer level of detail in this Information was different.

‘I guess it’s only natural for someone who cleared HELL solo to have that kind of intelligence network.’

As long as the Information was accurate, the source didn't matter.

‘Let's see.’

As a test, I picked up a stone rolling around the chamber. it was heavy enough to trigger a Trap. Was it because it was HL+? There wasn't even a trace of the pressure plate. One meter from the entrance. The entire floor.

Whish— thud.

I tossed the stone as an estimate and simultaneously hid behind the door frame. In that exact moment—

Psh-sh-sh—!

Arrows flew from the front at an incredible speed. Thud-thud-thud! Five arrows embedded themselves into the back of the stone chamber. Head, heart, chest, and both legs. If I had walked normally, those arrows would have pierced those exact spots and killed me. It was a speed that was impossible to dodge by reaction alone.

‘Crazy...’

Since you couldn't get potions until Floor 3 on HELL Difficulty, a single mistake was as good as death. I stepped into the corridor and picked up the stone that had fallen on the plate. At least once a Trap was triggered, it didn't reset.

‘It’s exactly according to the Information Last Chance gave me.’

Even if it took time, it would be best to proceed slowly, checking everything like this. However, I soon had no choice but to give up on that idea. Going slow might have been possible on regular HELL Difficulty, but this was HL+.

Thump— Growl—!

From the top of the stone chamber I had just left, a wolf Monster dropped down and began charging through the corridor.

‘...’

Either pass through the corridor or kill the wolf. It was a binary choice. The wolf was large enough to fill the width of the corridor. It began to sprint, saliva dripping from its maw.

‘I’m in Stealth, so it shouldn't be able to see me.’

The fact that it was charging blindly anyway meant... it was a Monster designed that way from the start.

Without panicking, I quickly scaled the wall of the corridor.

‘There are no Traps on this wall.’

Despite the wall being relatively smooth, my hands naturally found grips. I reached the ceiling in an instant. The wolf, unable to stop its momentum, dashed right past me.

As a result—

BOOM—!

A violent explosion engulfed the wolf Monster. Intense flames charred the wolf's fur black. The stench of burning filled the air. The wolf that stepped on the Trap was spectacularly incinerated.

‘That’s the second Trap cleared.’

I hopped down lightly from the ceiling. The wall-climbing Skill was surprisingly helpful.

“The next one is...”

It happened the moment I moved to walk past the wolf.

ROAR—!

The charred wolf let out a howl and hauled itself up. With its jaws hanging open, it struggled desperately.

“?!”

It was alive? Startled, I took a step back and raised my Dagger. If it lunged, I had to react. But perhaps that was its final death rattle. Thump. After a brief struggle, the wolf went limp.

“That scared me...”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I was sure it was dead. From now on, I made sure not to forget to confirm the kill. With that vow, I checked the notebook.

‘Next is...’

As I compared the notebook’s Traps with the actual corridor, something felt off.

‘Wait a second.’

I slowly lowered my gaze to my feet. According to the notes, stepping on a faint red line on the floor would trigger a freezing spell that would encase the entire body in ice.

‘But I’m already standing on it?’

A chill ran down my spine. I must have stepped on the Trap while backing away from the wolf without realizing it. However, the Trap hadn't activated.

Slowly.

I cautiously pulled my foot back. Nothing happened. I backed away further and threw the stone I was carrying. The moment the stone touched the red line on the ground—

Fwoosh—!

White frost exploded, covering the corridor. The surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and white breath escaped my mouth.

“...”

I stared blankly at the scene. It wasn't that the Trap was broken. I had clearly stepped on it, but there had been no reaction. If I had to find a reason, it was that I was in a state of Stealth.

There was only one conclusion to draw.

“...No way.”

Can I even bypass Traps if I use the Stealth Skill?