Chapter 50: 4th Floor Hidden (1)

Returning home on a morning flight, I sat down to lunch.

– Last night, upon the clearing of Nightmare Difficulty Floor 4, the Tower’s “Three-Year Rule” was nullified. From now on, Climbers will no longer die or turn into Fallen Ones, even if they do not enter the Tower.

– In particular, Nightmare Climbers and their families are sending great praise and gratitude to Person123, who chose the Penalty. The story of Choi Wonyoung, whose high school daughter is a Nightmare Climber, has become a hot topic.

– My daughter has suffered from osteosarcoma since elementary school, and three years ago, she was even chosen as a Nightmare Climber.

…I thought it was all over. Even when the Tower’s message appeared, I prayed with all my heart, but deep down, I didn’t think anyone would actually choose the Penalty. But then this miracle happened. To be honest, I still can’t believe my daughter isn’t going to die.

I’m leaving these words in the hope that Person123 might see this interview. Thank you so much. You saved my daughter’s life. I will never forget the grace you’ve shown us for as long as I live, and I will cherish every single day with my daughter…

***

An interview with someone who had a Nightmare Climber for a daughter was playing. It felt a bit cringeworthy to watch, so I changed the channel.

“Ah, why did you change it! I was watching that.”

“Let’s watch something else. Everything is about Person123.”

At my words, my younger sibling, who was lying on the sofa, spoke up as if they couldn’t believe me.

“Nightmare Floor 4 was cleared yesterday, you know? Do you have no interest at all?”

“It happens every year.”

“Hey, it’s because of that person that the world is safe enough for ‘every year’ to even happen. If you’re a human being, you should show some gratitude.”

Good grief, “that person,” they say. My sibling gave me a look of genuine disdain.

“Now that we’re on the subject, seriously, stop it. Why do you always go on trips around this time of year? Mom and Dad don’t say anything, but honestly, it doesn’t look good. You should be at home praying with the rest of us.”

“…”

The nerve of this kid… lecturing me? Being scolded seriously by them for once in my life made me feel a bit annoyed, but from the family’s perspective, I suppose my behavior could look that way.

But what could I do? This was my routine now. Personally, before a clear, I found it more comfortable to spend time alone, even if it was just looking at natural scenery. I was definitely going next year, too.

A funny thought suddenly occurred to me, and I spoke up.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“Then do you have anything you want to say to Person123? Give them a word of thanks.”

“…? What are you talking about? How?”

“I’m a Climber. I can just send a whisper through the Communication Channel.”

My sibling’s eyes went wide.

“You said we should be grateful, right? I’ll pass it along, so hurry up and say something.”

“…Even if you send a message, why would that person see it? Are you guys’ acquaintances?”

“No. But the Communication Channel doesn’t have a whisper block function. The structure makes it so you can’t help but see the notification when you open it.”

Which is actually quite annoying. There isn’t even an inquiry function. Tower, get it together and improve the UI.

“So they might actually see it, right? Sending a whisper isn’t exactly a big deal. Other Climbers are probably sending whispers of thanks to that person too.”

My sibling was flustered by my words but seemed intrigued.

“Are you really going to send it?”

“I told you I would. I’ll relay it exactly as you say, so if there’s anything you want to say, go ahead. I’ve opened the Communication Channel.”

“Uh… wait a second. Ahem.”

My sibling sat up on the sofa, cleared their throat, and spoke hesitatingly.

“Um, I’m someone living in the Republic of Korea… and I’m always rooting for you from afar. Ah, no, I don’t know if it’s from afar or not, but anyway, I’m rooting for you.”

“…”

“Uh, it was also really moving that you chose the Penalty this time. I think your choice was really, really cool. Thank you for keeping the world safe again this year.”

“Pfft.”

“…Send it like that. Argh, why are you laughing!”

I couldn’t help but let a laugh leak out.

“No, no, it was good. I’ll make sure to deliver it.”

Ah, this is fun. Having had a good time teasing my sibling, I handed over the TV remote and cleared the dining table.

***

A timer that had been added to my vision since clearing Floor 4. Since I didn’t know what a Branch Tower was, there was nothing I could do to prepare until the time ran out anyway. I just had to do what I needed to do.

After digesting lunch, I entered to clear the Hidden route as I always did.

— Currently, the Golems inside the Workshop are running wild due to a malfunction. Employees, please carry out Disposal immediately upon discovery…

An announcement was heard. I moved toward the entrance path.

By the way, regarding Floor 4… I wondered how I should write the information post. It was a bit complicated. If you gathered points and utilized the Shop strategically, other Nightmare conquerors could probably clear it as well. I actually cleared it comfortably after reinforcing Magic Damage only five times.

Of course, other people’s base specs would be much lower than mine, but they could just use that many more points on reinforcement. They wouldn’t lose points by not knowing the gimmicks, either.

…Or would they? As you increase damage reinforcement, the point consumption becomes heavy, so it might be tough. If you were to reinforce up to 200%, it would cost over 15,000 points. At any rate, they would need to plan a strategy to use points as efficiently as possible.

Beyond that, there was one more problem. The worst part about this Floor 4 was that, in the end, there was a part that relied on luck. That damned Draw. No matter how well you saved points to reach the boss, if you didn’t draw Ability Nullification, it was over. And it wasn’t as if others could just do what I did. Honestly, even I couldn’t do that a second time.

Ding—

The entrance opened. I summoned Fliya and set her to auto-hunt. I’d think about writing the info post later. For now, it was time to focus on the Hidden strategy. Fliya moved forward, chewing and tearing apart the basic Golems that popped out.

I recovered all the cores and cleared up to Stage 3 with ease. Next were Stages 4 to 6, featuring the Blue Golems that were 99% immune to physical damage.

K-boooom!

I cleared them all by smashing them with Magic. Stages 7 to 9 featured Red Golems that were 99% immune to Magic Damage. I didn’t step in and had Fliya destroy them instead.

An experiment I hadn’t tried during the initial clear because points were too precious. I reinforced physical damage a few times to see if Fliya’s damage increased. The result was a definite increase. It seemed the damage reinforcement mechanism didn’t just apply to me, but reinforced the damage itself going into the Golems.

Stages 9 to 12, the Black Golem that ignored damage below a certain value. I finally headed down to the path to smash the Golems myself. Between being Level 55 and the physical damage reinforcement, the Golems’ bodies cracked wide open with every punch. An easy clear.

After that, I easily broke through the remaining stages while keeping point consumption to a minimum.

— The greatest masterpiece of our Workshop is malfunctioning… Employees, please be very, very careful in your response…

The final boss appeared. I opened the Shop.

Having saved up without losing a single point, I now had enough points for seven draws. If I calculated the probability of not getting it even once… was it roughly 5%? Since this was a repeat clear, I wouldn’t have to do that horrific self-immolation show again even if the Ability Nullification Part didn’t come out, but it would be troublesome if it didn’t, as I’d lose one Hidden opportunity.

But honestly, not getting it in seven tries would be ridiculous.

“Go ahead and try to screw me over again~.”

I had seven bullets. I immediately started the draw.

Trill-ill-ill—

Something like a nut the size of a fist plopped down in front of me.

“…”

It wouldn’t show up even once before, and now it appears on the first try.

“This is irritating…”

Who is the guy behind this, seriously? Letting out a hollow laugh, I picked up the part.

I jumped onto the shoulder of the boss moving along the path.

Clang!

As soon as I brought the part into contact as instructed, it stuck to the boss’s body like a magnet. A weak spark occurred. The boss flinched for a moment before starting to walk again. I punched the boss’s head with all my might.

K-boom!

A fine crack appeared on the boss’s head. Its abilities had definitely been nullified. I hopped down from the boss’s shoulder. I reached out toward the boss in mid-air.

“Goodbye.”

We had gone through a lot together, including being incinerated in a friendly manner, but business is business.

After a Time Stop and Concentration, I fired a full-charge Destruction Line. The pitch-black beam pierced through the very center of the boss’s body. The massive boss tilted and collapsed. Since the 99% damage immunity was gone, it was a one-shot kill.

Clank.

Once the boss was dead, the entrance closed. The announcements stopped as well. I mean… didn’t they say to perform Disposal on the Golems? I did it all. Shouldn’t they give me some kind of special bonus?

Shaking off the idle thoughts, I began to search for the Hidden route in earnest.

“The entrance is blocked.”

That left only the Exit. Now that all the Golems were dealt with, surely the Great Combustion wouldn’t trigger just because I went out through the Exit? I cautiously stepped out through the Exit. As expected, no announcements were made.

Beyond the Exit, a dark corridor without lights stretched out. Using Diul’s ability, I moved forward without any difficulty in securing vision. As I walked, the path branched off in complex ways, and stairs leading up or down appeared. Unsure of which way to go, I chose to go up for now.

I pricked up my ears. Faint voices of people could be heard from a distance. Had I managed to avoid taking a wrong turn?

‘A workshop, huh…’

This place was a Workshop. They manufactured Golems, and it had a bit of a cyberpunk feel. What was I supposed to do in this Hidden stage? While imagining various scenarios, I climbed the stairs and found a steel door at the end.

Creeeeak…

It didn’t seem to be locked. I quietly opened the steel door. A brightly lit corridor appeared.

“…Is it all resolved? The announcements have gone quiet.”

“The Guards must have handled it. More importantly, listen. About the DF-5 experiment, if we try lowering the Mana tension a bit more…”

Since people were about to come around the corner of the opposite corridor, I immediately went into stealth. People wearing white gowns, looking like Researchers, came into view.