Chapter 17: 2nd Floor Hidden (1)

Saturday afternoon.

I had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and didn’t wake up until nearly lunchtime.

“Did you stay up late last night?”

“Yeah, I had some things to do.”

I sat in the living room with my family, eating lunch and watching TV.

— News has reached us that the 2nd Floor of the Tower’s Nightmare Difficulty was cleared around 2:00 AM today. The identity of the conqueror remains unknown…

The noon news was broadcasting exactly what I had done.

“See? I told you someone would clear it. If they can’t handle that, the world is doomed. Imagine how thoroughly everyone must have prepared.”

My father spoke as if proving a point, but he cut himself off with a dry cough when he caught my mother’s sharp glare. Even if it were true, hearing that the world might end wasn’t exactly pleasant. My younger sibling was mindlessly stuffing their face with the side of ham, completely oblivious. Still, they’ve been in a slump lately, so it was good to see them in a better mood today.

I wondered if living with the constant anxiety of the world ending every year would just become the new normal. People might end up with bipolar disorder at this rate. Then again, maybe being able to live with that anxiety is a blessing—better than the world actually ending.

— Simultaneously with the clearing of the 2nd Floor across all difficulties, a total of 400,000 new Climbers have been summoned, just like last time. However, there is a change. New rules for the Tower have emerged.

— According to the rules, any Climbers who fail to enter the Tower at least once within three years of being chosen will perish. This appears to apply retroactively to the 1st Climbers and 2nd Climbers, starting from the moment they received the Tower’s call…

That was another problem. The Tower was trying to kill even more people with these “new rules.” Requiring a single entry essentially meant forcing people to attempt the 1st Floor. Those who had never stepped inside were now faced with a “climb or die” ultimatum. For 1st Climbers like me, who were summoned at the very beginning, we had a little over a year left.

‘The other difficulties are one thing, but…’

If someone got Easy or Normal, they might have a chance. But for those assigned to Nightmare, it was practically a death sentence.

I looked at my family and asked, “You guys didn’t happen to become Climbers, did you?”

“Oh, please. As if,” my mother replied, reassuringly.

My father shook his head, and my sibling didn’t even bother to respond.

Right, there was no way. Statistically, 400,000 out of 8 billion people? That’s about one in 20,000. I read somewhere that the odds of being struck by lightning are 1 in 15,000. This was even lower than that.

‘Then why the hell did I get picked?’

Thinking about it again just felt absurd. Then again, maybe because I was picked, the world hasn’t ended yet? Dammit, I couldn’t even rightfully complain about it. Regardless, one person in the family getting struck by lightning was more than enough.

After finishing my meal, I rolled around on my bed and checked the communication window. I needed to post information since I’d cleared the 2nd Floor, but I decided to hold off for a bit. There were still too many uncertainties. Were there more illusion platforms? Where exactly were the floor traps? Did the trap locations change with every entry? It would be better to verify everything through repeated runs before posting. I didn’t want people dying because of inaccurate info.

“Let’s focus on the hidden route first.”

Since I had to enter the 2nd Floor anyway, I might as well clear the hidden route. I’d already confirmed last time that just leaving would waste one of my limited attempts.

***

I entered the 2nd Floor that night. The moment I stepped in, the sweltering heat of the lava washed over my skin. I stared at the platforms ahead. This time, there was no fear of death; if I fell toward the lava, I could just exit the Tower right before impact.

Let’s see. The illusion platform was the fourth one.

‘Should I try jumping to the fifth one in one go?’

With my increased stats from leveling up, a combination of Leap and my teleportation skill felt like it would be enough. I crouched down, aimed, and took a massive leap toward the target.

Mid-air, I teleported onto the fifth platform. I had covered more than half the distance in a single move. I waited for my cooldown and Jumped again. Within two leaps, I reached the large central floor.

Next were the glowing platforms. Their positions hadn’t changed since last time. They were fixed. After passing them easily, I reached the path leading to the door. I moved forward slowly, one step at a time. It was right around here, wasn’t it?

Thud!

As I reached the middle of the path, the floor shot upward as expected. Okay, confirmed. I teleported back and waited for my Willpower—which now sat at 450—to recharge. With that much Willpower, I could teleport three times without needing a tedious refill. Once ready, I fired a Flame Strike at the door.

As soon as the door shattered, the lava began to churn violently. I hurried toward the stairs. Honestly, if people just had the right info, the 2nd Floor seemed more manageable than the 1st. Or maybe not. Whatever.

I climbed out the window and scaled the outer wall of the Tower. Finally, the boss. I didn’t bother picking up a weapon; I just waited for him to come out.

CRASH!

The door exploded, and the Minotaur appeared. The moment it saw me, it charged. I didn’t use Flame Strike. At Level 15, it felt dangerous, but now I had a hunch: I could win this in a physical fight.

I dodged the charge and landed a straight punch right into its torso.

CRUNCH!

The sensation of shattering bone traveled up my arm. The Minotaur howled in pain and swung its fist down. I dodged easily again, and its fist smashed into the floor.

Dodging and hitting, hitting and dodging—we engaged in a close-quarters brawl. The Minotaur’s simple, brutish attacks were hard to even get hit by, given my increased agility. Meanwhile, every one of my punches was steadily turning its body into mincemeat. With my new skill, Exaltation, active, I completely overwhelmed it.

BOOM!

The battered Minotaur took a hit to the head and staggered. I jumped up and delivered a final kick to its skull. With its head crushed, the Minotaur collapsed with a heavy thud.

“Are you dead?”

No answer. Guess so. Time to run. I snatched a Sword from the floor and bolted toward the railing. Moments later, the tremors started, and the floor gave way. I perched on the railing. As the effects of Exaltation faded, I felt the heat leave my body.

That was just the warm-up. Now, it was time to find the hidden route.

“Where would a hidden route be…?”

The Tower was currently a lava bath. The only option was down. I looked down into the abyss. It looked about as high as a skyscraper. I felt a twig of fear, but there was no reason to be scared. I jumped.

Whoosh!

I’d never been bungee jumping in my life, yet here I was. Of course, this was a bungee jump without a cord; hitting the ground would turn me into a pancake. Just before impact, I stopped time and teleported. The kinetic energy vanished, and I landed lightly on the ground.

“Whew.”

The area around the Tower was a dense forest. A pale blue moon hung in the night sky. The atmosphere was thick. Since I had no idea what might pop out, I sharpened my senses.

I circled the Tower. Lava was still pouring from the window I had escaped from, pooling on the ground like a waterfall. I eventually found a massive gate that looked like the main entrance, but lava was oozing out of it in a semi-solid, writhing state.

Was the forest the only way? A path led from the castle entrance deep into the woods.

“…This feels wrong.”

The darkness of the forest looked like the gaping maw of a Monster. It was incredibly eerie. The fact that this was the only path made it obvious I was supposed to go this way. I cautiously followed the trail, holding my Sword ready.

Inside the forest, it was even darker. However, the moonlight was bright enough that I could still see. The sound of rustling leaves and insects filled the air. It felt like something could jump out at any second. From the top of the Tower, the forest looked vast; I had no idea how far I had to go.

I moved forward, ready to exit the Tower immediately if things got too dangerous.

Crackle.

A faint sound came from behind. The sound of dry leaves crunching. It sounded too deliberate to be the wind. I whipped my head around.

A blade was inches from my throat. I stopped time just before it pierced my neck.

Holy crap… if I had been 0.1 seconds slower, I’d be dead. My heart pounding, I examined my assailant.

‘A woman?’

She looked Human, but she wasn’t. Her skin was pale, she had a Horn, and her pupils were slitted like a reptile’s. The word “Demon” naturally came to mind. Regardless, she had attacked me, so she was an enemy. Was this Demon the boss of the hidden route?

It was too late to dodge normally, so I focused. The moment I resumed time, I teleported behind her. Then, I immediately stopped time again. This time, I prepared Flame Strike. Two Fireballs streaked toward her back. In reality, it looked like I had teleported and fired simultaneously.

The Demon tried to spin around and dodge in desperation, but—

“Aaaaaagh!”

She couldn’t avoid it entirely. The explosion sent her flying into the distance. Is she dead? I approached the fallen Demon. She tried to push herself up, but the damage was too great; she couldn’t steady her body. She was already covered in severe burns.

“You… Human…!”

I stopped at a distance, wary of her struggling form. She glared at me with eyes full of hatred and shouted in frustration.

“Urgh… Just kill me!”

That was the plan. Once my cooldown was up. Without getting any closer, I waited safely for 30 seconds and fired another Flame Strike.

KABOOM!

“Phew.”

Target neutralized. That was actually kind of easy, wasn’t it? Even though I almost died at the start.

“Wait, what?”

What happened? That wasn’t it? Confused, I was forcibly ejected from the Tower.