Chapter 49: Nightmare Floor 4 (5)
“…Haa-up!”
As soon as I regained consciousness, I sat up with a gasping sound, my breath catching in my throat. Reflexively, I fumbled over my body, checking myself. My skin was smooth, without a single scratch. After huffing out heavy breaths for a while, I confirmed my surroundings were the Reward Room and slumped back down.
Wow…
Wow…
I really thought I was going to die. If one were to fall into the fires of hell, would it feel like that? It was a gruesome experience I never want to endure again. I lay there dazed for a moment before belatedly reading the messages floating before my eyes.
“…You son of a bitch.”
At least give me a moment to breathe before jumping back in. I had a feeling this might happen; the moment I nullified the three-year rule, a new one popped up.
Branch Towers, random appearances? I didn’t know exactly what they were, but the word “Tower” itself was ominous. Does this mean more towers are appearing besides the one in the Pacific?
Rules appeared on Floor 2 and Floor 4, but not on Floor 1 or Floor 3. As I suspected before, it seems rules are generated every other floor.
Ah, whatever… I’ll think about it later.
Though my body was fully recovered, the lingering sensation of the pain of being burned alive still made my skin tingle. That pain was on a completely different level than anything I had experienced so far. Look at this. Look at how my fingertips are still trembling.
I took out the music box. It was the item I obtained after clearing the 3rd Floor Hidden. Since it was an item, I had brought it along just in case. Hoping it might have some effect, I activated it.
♫~ ♪~
As the melody of the music box played, my mind and body began to stabilize.
“Haa…”
Wow, this wasn’t useless after all. They threw me a mental recovery item so I wouldn’t get PTSD while climbing the Tower. How thoughtful of them. Jokes aside, the effect was definitely real. I kept the music box playing until my Willpower was depleted.
Okay, mental recovery complete. I finally stood up.
Having gained 10 levels, I was now Level 55. I could feel my body becoming significantly stronger again.
Kwa-woong!
As I thrust my fist into the air, the sound of the air exploding was deafening. At this level, maybe I could actually go toe-to-toe with Fliya or a fully-enhanced 3rd Floor boss with my bare hands?
I checked the rewards. Skill Enhancement Stones were scattered on the floor. No Skill Stone? Just two Skill Enhancement Stones?
Two Normal+ Skill Enhancement Stones. Should I call myself lucky since enhancement stones are rarer? While more skills are always better, this wasn’t bad. Actually, it was great. I already knew that reaching +5 on a skill allowed me to acquire a higher-tier skill.
Come to think of it, I haven’t enhanced any of my Rare+ grade skills yet.
‘Which one should I do?’
Teleportation, Sixth Sense, Rapid Regeneration, Burning Zone.
Teleportation would likely increase in distance. Sixth Sense… well, wouldn’t my intuition just get stronger? It wasn’t a skill based on numerical values anyway. Rapid Regeneration would increase recovery speed, and Burning Zone would increase damage or range.
In my opinion, the safe bet was Teleportation. Although Rapid Regeneration played a huge role this time, its cooldown was too long and it was a Physical type. As for Burning Zone, I could probably get an Epic-grade fire magic skill if I maxed it out, but I already had an excellent attack skill in Destruction Line.
Teleportation seemed best because increasing movement distance is always good, and I expected a superior movement skill to appear at max enhancement. However…
‘Sixth Sense…’
For some reason, I felt drawn to Sixth Sense. There’s no skill as reassuring as this when clearing a new floor. Plus, what would be the higher-tier skill for Sixth Sense? I was curious because it felt like something quite good would come out of it.
Splitting the enhancements would be inefficient, so I had to go all-in on one. I could have decided later, but I made up my mind immediately and used all the enhancement stones on Sixth Sense.
I couldn’t feel the difference immediately. Since it only activates when there’s danger, I’d have to check it out later.
After sorting out the rewards, I confirmed that the Nightmare time limit had increased. Regardless, I had survived yet again. The world had earned another year of time. It felt like a lot happened this time, though…
‘What exactly is the Tower?’
Does it really have a personal grudge against me? The fact that the Tower offered me a penalty using the three-year rule as bait felt like an incident of blatant malice. I wondered if the Tower had tampered with things during this clearance as well, given how the Gacha… ability nullification didn’t trigger at all. Or perhaps I was just unlucky.
Thinking coldly, it was probably the latter. If the Tower truly wanted me dead and could interfere however it pleased, it could have just sealed every single exit and left me with no path to survival. The fact that it didn’t suggested that even the Tower might have rules or constraints it must follow… or so I speculated.
It wasn’t a problem I could solve by brooding over it. The Tower is an unfathomable entity. In the end, the only thing I could do was keep climbing.
‘Still…’
It certainly seems like it wants me dead. Well, I didn’t die this time either, did I? Survived even after being screwed over like that.
“I had a… great time!”
“Great time” my ass—it was a horrific clearance I never want to repeat. But hoping the Tower was listening, I intentionally mocked it out loud as I exited.
I’m tired… let’s rest.
***
After Person123 selected the penalty, the actions of people gathered in streets across the globe were identical, as if by prior agreement. Men and women, adults and children alike, held their breath and prayed.
Choosing a penalty meant he was likely entering Floor 4 and proceeding with the clearance at this very moment. Even real-time news anchors remained silent, seemingly forgetting their duty to broadcast.
One minute passed, then another. As the silent time ticked by, the faces of the people grew complex with emotions: anxiety, fear, nervousness, desperation, and earnestness.
Over an hour had passed since Person123 selected the penalty. While the Climbers in the communication channel could at least check that the numbers hadn’t dropped, ordinary people—whose information was delayed—could only tremble in increasing fear as time went on.
Some bit their nails, some bowed their heads deeper in prayer, and some frantically searched the news on their phones. There were parents soothing crying children; even a six-year-old could understand the gravity of the situation.
“…I told you he shouldn’t have picked the penalty! It’s all over!” someone shouted in despair. Others turned to condemn them.
“Shut up and just pray! He’s still challenging it!”
“If you’re going to talk shit, get out of here!”
Just as the negative atmosphere began to spread…
“Oh!”
“Ah…!”
Several people among the crowd gasped. They were Climbers—those who could see the message that the Floor 4 clearance was complete for all difficulties.
“He, he succeeded! Floor 4 has been cleared!”
That shout was the signal. The buzzing crowd soon erupted into cheers that seemed to split the streets.
Waaaaaaa!
— This is breaking news. We have just received word that Nightmare difficulty Floor 4 has been cleared!
— Also… it appears the Tower has added a new rule. Branch Towers will appear in random locations at seven-day intervals…
The news outlets broadcasted the updates. People embraced one another, shedding tears of joy. Their delight was as immense as their long-standing anxiety.
Though a new rule had popped up, no one cared about it right then; they had to savor the joy.
“Person123! Person123! Person123!”
His name was chanted everywhere. It was the name of the hero who had saved humanity several times and refused to give up even on a small number of people, saving everyone.
“Haha… You really are something…”
In Billon Must’s office, Billon burst into a hearty laugh and sank deep into his chair, his tension finally dissipating. He had hoped Seohyun Kim wouldn’t pick the penalty. From a risk-management perspective, the answer to which choice to make was clear.
But Seohyun Kim chose to save everyone without exception. And as a result, he gained everything. Even Billon, who had always chosen high-risk, high-reward paths in his own life, would never have chosen the penalty if he were in that position.
…It was incredible. Beyond incredible, it was awe-inspiring. Billon closed his eyes and quietly celebrated his partner’s safe return.
At the Climbing Agency’s Climbing Surveillance Division office:
“…Yes!”
The moment she saw the message, Shin Soojin shouted without realizing it. Kang Juhyuk, standing next to her, was first surprised by the message and then startled a second time by her shout. Belatedly, Shin Soojin cleared her throat, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Phew, he finally did it. To clear Nightmare after picking one of those penalties… he’s truly an amazing person.”
Kang Juhyuk stared at the message in constant admiration. He had successfully cleared it as if to show off, despite carrying a fatal penalty. He couldn’t even begin to guess the extent of the man’s capabilities. Shin Soojin also felt her heart racing, quietly rejoicing within. She was so relieved that he had returned safely.
“…With this, he has granted us the fourth salvation.”
Inside the dim cathedral, a much larger crowd had gathered than a year ago. A man standing on the podium spoke in a voice that sounded as if he might cry at any moment.
“The wicked Tower played its tricks. It tried to use his benevolence, holding people’s lives hostage to block the path of salvation he walks. Oh, why did you not avoid it? Why did you not bend in the slightest? He never turns away from even a single pitiful soul. He willingly shackled his own feet and dove into hell to save everyone.”
The man continued, nearly sobbing. The believers, who were listening while offering reverent prayers, couldn’t hold back their tears and whimpered along.
“No matter what vile, cowardly, or petty acts the Tower commits, it has been proven that nothing can stop him. We will believe and follow him until the glorious day he saves all of humanity.”
“We believe, we believe…”
“Please, everyone, rejoice to your heart’s content tonight. Give thanks that we can live another year through his grace. Give thanks for his endless devotion and sacrifice…”
After finishing their prayers, the people let out deafening cheers. On that day, the name Person123 and the sounds of celebration never ceased anywhere in the world.
***
As soon as I got out of the Tower, I passed out and slept until dawn. Feeling peckish, I ordered room service for a late-night snack. I sliced into the tender, perfectly cooked steak and stuffed it into my mouth.
“Delicious.”
Food eaten after completing a clearance tasted like heaven.
TL:
The glossary got messed up because the author wrote 고양 (cat) instead of the full term 고양하다 (bolster/enhancement) in the skill name.
I will fix the previous chapters.