Chapter 14: Nightmare 2nd Floor (2)

There is a common genre of games like this.

Games where you have to reach a destination by making your character Jump across various platforms. They are usually called jump maps or platformers.

The infuriating thing about these games is that after spending hours struggling to climb up, a single slip-up can send you falling all the way back to the starting point.

In a game, at least you could try again.

In reality, it was a lethal climb where there were no do-overs.

They said no monsters appear on the 2nd floor.

To succeed, you simply had to navigate across platforms suspended in mid-air to reach the goal.

However, if you slipped even once, you would end up as a roasted pig in the lava slowly rising from below.

Take Hard difficulty as an example.

The interval between platforms is about 5 meters, and each platform is a square roughly 50cm by 50cm.

While they say the distance between platforms isn’t physically impossible to jump in any difficulty, jumping across narrow ledges over boiling lava is not something a person with a sane mind would do.

I had done my own tailored training for the 2nd floor.

Ultimately, the key to clearing it was the ability to Jump precisely and land stably.

To develop that, I spent a lot of time in the 1st-floor caves drawing circles on the ground and practicing jumping back and forth.

Of course, I practiced under conditions far more grueling than Hard difficulty.

Because I knew this time, it was bound to be unimaginably twisted.

The moment the scenery changed, a wave of heat washed over my skin.

As soon as I entered, I stopped time.

I slowly surveyed the sight unfolding before my eyes.

“Hmm…”

Twisted, indeed.

Nightmare 2nd Floor certainly did not betray my expectations.

The location wasn’t outdoors but an enclosed space.

It felt like the interior of an incredibly massive building.

Black stone platforms were lined up in the air, leading upward.

And as expected, bright red lava was boiling at the bottom. It was practically a sea of magma.

However, the size of the platforms and the distance between them were beyond excessive.

I was standing on a platform from the start, but it was barely wide enough to fit both my feet.

You know those pine boards? The ones used for breaking in Taekwondo.

It was exactly that size.

They want me to step on this and jump? To the next one?

This is really too much.

The distance between platforms looked to be just under 10 meters.

Since it felt slightly shorter than my maximum teleportation range, it was probably around 9 meters.

My sense of distance, honed through teleportation practice, was quite accurate.

It wasn’t an impossible distance to jump.

With my current physical abilities, I could easily clear that distance and then some.

The problem was that the platforms were ridiculously narrow.

If my landing was off by even the length of a 15cm ruler, I’d fall.

Was I confident? Not a chance.

But fortunately.

I had the teleportation skill.

By using teleportation alone, I could cheese my way safely to the next platform.

However, I had to consider that the lava below would keep rising, and my teleportation cooldown was 1 minute.

…Wait, I have a bad feeling about this.

It’s true I have great skills, but can I really get through this so easily?

It was a gut feeling.

I felt like I shouldn’t use my skills recklessly.

‘Or I could just keep teleportation as a lifeline.’

Basically, I’d cross by jumping and only use teleportation if I slipped.

By the way, using teleportation also eliminates the kinetic energy acting on me.

So, even if I was falling in a weird direction, I could teleport onto a platform and land without any issues.

Alright, for now, I’ll save teleportation.

After finishing my mental preparations, I resumed time.

Rumble—

Ah, it’s hot. The air is scorching.

The sound of the lava boiling below was terrifying.

I focused on the next platform and took a deep breath.

“Whew.”

One, two… Jump.

I leaned my waist back as far as I could and leaped.

My body cut through the air, flying toward the next platform.

When I was about 80% of the way there, I felt it. A success.

Thud!

I landed a bit unstably but quickly regained my balance.

“Holy…”

I actually made it.

The high-traction ridge shoes I bought specifically for the 2nd floor did their job perfectly.

Is this more doable than I thought? Maybe it’s not impossible.

I looked down.

The lava was rising quite fast.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and prepared to jump to the next platform.

They say the brain can’t process negatives, so imagining “I will succeed” has a higher success rate than thinking “I shouldn’t fail.”

I also imagined myself successfully landing as I made the Leap toward the second platform.

Wait, shit.

The moment I jumped, I knew. I used too much force.

My body flew vigorously and overshot the second platform.

Before falling down, I looked at the third platform and stopped time mid-air.

Life-chance activated.

I finished focusing my mind and resumed time.

As soon as I did, I used teleportation to jump straight to the third platform.

“Whew…”

That was nerve-wracking.

Who was the guy who claimed that “negative processing” pseudoscience? I almost died.

After blaming science once for no reason, I regained my composure.

Still, I skipped two platforms in one go.

[Willpower: 50/200]

My willpower was nearly depleted from using teleportation.

Let’s wait until it recharges.

After waiting for over a full hour with time stopped, I resumed time.

I waited an additional minute for the teleportation cooldown and prepared to jump to the fourth platform.

“One, two…”

Jump toward the platform.

This time… Good. I succeeded.

I prepared to land stably on the platform.

But the moment I landed.

My foot passed right through the platform, which suddenly became translucent, and I plummeted.

“…!”

Wha—What the.

Terrified, I immediately stopped time.

…What is this? A fake platform?

Even with time stopped, I focused my mind desperately.

I teleported immediately to escape the empty air.

I barely managed to reach the fifth platform with my teleportation range.

Standing on the platform, I looked back.

The illusionary platform had vanished, and another platform had appeared off to the side.

“Wow, no way…”

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.

Who puts a trap like this…?

I had never heard of traps like illusionary platforms.

This must be something that only appears in Nightmare Difficulty.

‘This is basically telling you to just die if you don’t know it’s there.’

Unless, of course, you have a movement skill you can use in mid-air.

Not spamming teleportation from the start was the right move.

If I had, I would have died on that illusionary platform.

It was so absurd I could only marvel at it. I felt like I knew why the people who challenged this before me died.

I kept time stopped and recharged my willpower again.

The lava had risen quickly and had now reached the platform I was first on.

I was currently at the fifth platform.

There were three platforms left.

And past the platforms, a large floor was floating, looking like the goal.

Could that be the end?

‘No way.’

There’s no way it ends with just this.

It’s probably a midpoint. I could see something more behind it.

Anyway, things were really dangerous now. No more failures.

The lava wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that another illusionary platform could pop up.

What if I failed a landing, teleported to the next platform, and that platform was an illusion?

It would be a straight dive into the lava.

I calculated the remaining distance.

‘If I just cross one more platform…’

I might be able to clear the remaining two platforms in one go.

With the Leap skill and teleportation, it looked like I could reach that large floor in one shot. No, it was definitely possible.

Alright, one platform.

I just need to succeed this once.

If I fail, I’ll really have to leave it to heaven’s luck.

…Surely the rest aren’t all illusionary platforms? For the sake of conscience.

I carefully prepared my jump.

As soon as the teleportation cooldown was up, I ran toward the next platform.

Here I go…! Success!

Fortunately, this platform didn’t disappear.

Both my feet landed stably on the platform.

“Phew.”

Wait, am I actually good at this?

Technically, I’ve succeeded every time except for that one slip.

I looked down at the lava and then up.

I prepared for the final jump. I’m going in one go.

I used the Leap skill and jumped with all my might.

My body soared explosively, passing the remaining platforms.

I almost reached the large floor. But I was just a bit short.

I stopped time in mid-air.

I covered the remaining distance with teleportation.

I landed safely on the large floor.

A perfect success.

“…So, is it over?”

I muttered to myself for no reason.

If this were Hard difficulty, it would have ended here.

Of course, no completion message appeared.

Yeah, I know. I wasn’t expecting one.

I looked at the platforms continuing further up.

Platforms floating in three rows.

One of the three platforms in each row was emitting a blue light.

The distance between platforms and their size were much more generous than before.

What? It can’t be this easy… just as I thought that.

Suddenly, the blue lights on the platforms began to fade.

I stopped time before the light completely vanished.

Ah, I get the gist of it.

Remember the positions and cross, right?

But what kind of jerk gives you less than 5 seconds to memorize? How rude.

Of course, I had plenty of time.

With time stopped, I memorized the positions of the glowing platforms and recharged my depleted willpower.

There were thirty platforms in total—ten rows of three—and there was another large floor at the end.

And I could see something like a door.

Could that be the real end? I hope it is.

Inwardly hopeful, I memorized all the positions of the glowing platforms.

From the left as 1: 1-2-3-1-3-2-1-2-3-2.

I resumed time and waited for the teleportation cooldown.

Then I jumped to the first light platform.

As soon as I landed, the platform sank. Huh?

I immediately stopped time.

I figured out what happened in an instant.

‘Is this guy actually insane?’

It seems the glowing platforms weren’t the correct answer, but the traps.

They’re using such a cheap fake?

Truly relentless.

I teleported to the next non-glowing platform.

The platform didn’t sink.

Just in case, I recharged my willpower again before jumping to the next one.

I hopped across, choosing only the platforms that hadn’t been glowing.

I easily reached the large floor.

I saw a massive gate in front of me.

Please, can this be the goal?

I prayed silently as I walked toward the door.

At that moment.

The floor in the middle suddenly surged upward, launching my body into the empty air beside it.

“…!”

I stopped time while flying through the air.

Right, so there are traps like this too.

I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

I calmly used teleportation to return to the floor.

“Let’s just take it easy, please.”

A Normal person would have died ten times already, you son of a bitch.

Fearing another trap, I had to wait to recharge my willpower and teleportation cooldown before moving.

How many times have I refilled my willpower? I’m exhausted.

In real time, less than 10 minutes had passed since I entered, but in my consciousness, I had been at this for several hours.

Fortunately, there were no more traps.

I successfully reached the front of the gate.

When I tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.

I pushed and pulled, but it didn’t move an inch.

I couldn’t even see a keyhole.

What now…

I looked around, but there wasn’t much else. The lava was still rising.

Thinking that breaking it might be the answer, I struck it with my fist.

K-boom!

The thick wooden door cracked and dented.

At the same time, a dangerous sound reached my ears.

Rumble!

“Huh?”

I looked down.

Suddenly, the lava began to surge upward at an insane speed.

Wait, holy shit, hold on.

Panicking, I started pounding on the door with all my strength.

It was breaking, but the door was so massive it wouldn’t go down easily.

The heat, as if my body were being cooked, rushed up from below.

I stepped back from the door and cast Flame Strike.

KABOOM!

The gate was blown apart satisfyingly.

Simultaneously, the surged lava flooded over the floor where I was standing.

“Aaaaaah!”

Screaming, I dove inside the door just in the nick of time.

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