Chapter 32
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\[Level Increased.\]
\[Achieved the first clear of Nightmare difficulty 3rd Floor successfully.\]
\[3rd Floor Hidden Route is now open.\]
\[We are moving to the Reward Room.\]
The sensation of falling vanished, and my body was moved to the Reward Room.
My injuries began to heal in an instant.
My twisted ribs snapped back into place on their own, my flesh mended, and the bloodstains completely disappeared.
I hadn't seen it on the 1st Floor because I'd lost consciousness, but this was how it worked.
The pain that felt like my entire body was breaking evaporated without a trace.
"Haaa..."
I could finally breathe.
After confirming my body was fully healed, instead of getting up, I just sprawled out on the floor.
"...Mission complete."
I muttered to myself out of nowhere and chuckled.
I survived.
I had somehow managed to survive once again.
\[3rd Floor Clear for all difficulties is complete.\]
\[The Tower summons new personnel.\]
These were the messages that followed.
When I cleared the 2nd Floor, a new rule had popped up, so I wondered if it would happen again this time.
Aside from new personnel being added, no other messages appeared.
I guess rules aren't added on every floor... Maybe it skips every other floor?
I stopped thinking about it and pushed myself up.
"I really thought I was going to die this time..."
The 1st and 2nd floors were bad too, but this 3rd floor was just fucking atrocious.
Fuck, does it make any sense to throw something like that at me and call it a boss?
An undead meatball the size of a house is moving more nimbly than I do.
As I guessed, if I had gone underground earlier and activated the Sun Emblem, a much weaker boss probably would have appeared.
Anyway, clearing this without any strategy guide on the first try was practically impossible.
How did I actually clear it?
It was all thanks to Diul.
I looked up at Diul floating above my head.
"You're the best, Diul."
You hid me from the Undead, and you hid me from Fligas too.
Over 70% of the credit for this clear belonged to Diul.
It was so adorable that I tried to pet it, but Diul apathetically dodged my hand and bobbed around.
This tsundere little guy even unlocked a new ability for me in the end because it was dangerous.
"But... haven't you gotten a bit bigger?"
I tilted my head and examined Diul.
It used to be about the size of a baseball, but it feels a bit larger now.
Its shape used to be a perfect sphere, but now I could see its edges shimmering slightly.
“Did it evolve or something?”
I wondered if it was a change accompanying the unlocking of its new ability.
*Above all, our mental connection felt even stronger.*
"Alright, get some rest now. You worked hard."
I could feel that Diul was tired, so I sent it back into the bracelet.
I suddenly checked the necklace.
“Anyway, this is...”
It said it was nullified.
Since the necklace wasn't destroyed, it meant I had gotten free use of it without any penalty.
Fligas. If I win, can I command a monster like that as a familiar?
Now that I'd confirmed how strong it was, I decided to save it for a later date.
I stood up from my spot.
As if my dying state just moments ago was a lie, my entire body overflowed with strength.
With my level going up by another level 10, my physical body grew even stronger.
Pow! Pow!
I threw a one-two jab into the air before checking my rewards.
There were one Skill Stone and one Skill Enhancement Stone.
\[Skill Stone: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)\]
Upon use, the user acquires “Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)”.
\[Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)\]
It consumes all remaining Willpower, amplifying the body's regenerative power instantaneously beyond its limits in proportion to the amount consumed.
Category: Physical
Willpower Cost: All Willpower currently remaining
Cooldown: 24 hours
A Rare+ grade came out.
On the 1st and 2nd floors, items came out as rare grade unless they were a hidden strategy.
The grade went up now that I've reached the 3rd floor.
"Is it a recovery skill?"
Based on the description, it seemed to be a Recovery Skill.
Consuming all current Willpower amplifies regenerative power.
It was my first time seeing a skill with a mechanism that consumed all Willpower.
I didn't have any recovery skills, so it was obviously good to have, but... a cooldown of 24 hours?
“Is the effect that good?”
Not to mention it uses up all the Willpower I have.
I figured it might be the kind of skill that gives you a narrow escape from death when you're critically injured.
Not bad.
Besides, even if I use all my Willpower, I can refill it right away.
I wanted to test how good the effect was, but it wasn't like I could self-harm just to do so.
Well, if I ever later end up on the verge of dying again, I'll try using it then.
\[Acquired “Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)”.\]
Next was the Skill Enhancement Stone.
This one was Rare Grade.
I thought about going all-in on Flame Strike to enhance it up to +3, but I left it aside to decide later.
And finally, the highest grade magic stone... toss it into the corner.
\[Difficulty: Nightmare\]
\[Floor: 4th floor\]
\[Level: 40\]
\[Willpower: 1,000\]
\[Skill: Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare)(+2), Blade Storm (Rare), Exaltation (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Normal+)(+1), Lesser Poison Resistance (Normal+), Leap (Normal)(+1), Swing (Normal), Stab (Normal)\]
As I looked at the status window, my Willpower had also gone up from 600 to 1,000.
For reference, Willpower increases by an additional 10 per level for every level 10 bracket.
10 per level for levels 1 to 10, 20 per level for levels 11 to 20, and so on.
\[Nightmare\]
Personnel: 350,152
Time Limit: 1 year 20 days 9 minutes 57 seconds
Reached Floor: 4th Floor
After finishing my reward settlement, I checked the Nightmare time limit.
"I've earned another year like this."
If I had to name the only advantage of the Tower's time limit, it's that it makes you live each day with a grateful heart.
The disadvantage was everything else besides that.
I had somehow managed to scrape by and succeed this time too, but.
I felt truly at a loss wondering what the 4th floor would be like, and how much longer I could hold out.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
“Then what happens if I climb the Tower to the end?”
Do the time limit and all that disappear?
Or is it destined for destruction in the end, even if I climb to the top?
It was impossible to know, since it hadn't yet been revealed which floor was the tower summit.
\[Would you like to exit the Tower?\]
I tossed aside my gloomy thoughts about the future and exited the Tower.
I worked hard; I should get some rest now.
---
You could say that since the Day of Upheaval in 2025, a massive event has been held on Earth once a year.
Will humanity meet its end this year, or will it not?
This year, 2028, was different from the past two times.
Person123, the climber who achieved the first clear of both the Nightmare 1st floor and 2nd floor, officially declared his challenge of Nightmare difficulty and even when he would attempt it.
Just as he had announced, October 23rd was the moment the Nightmare time limit had exactly 20 days remaining.
\[Hwatong: Has he entered by now?\]
\[FastFlame: Hasn't he done it yet? There are 30 minutes left.\]
\[Flatbread: Didn't he mean he'd enter when exactly 20 days are left without any other time units? Does anyone know for sure?\]
\[Yeokcheon: Just wait patiently.\]
\[Hohohu: Hah, I wouldn't be this nervous if he just hadn't told us.\]
\[Pilop: You'd be despairing instead. Thinking that the results will be out soon makes me feel relieved instead.\]
Some anxiously, some desperately, some paralyzed by fear.
The general public and climbers alike, people worldwide were waiting solely for the result that would decide the fate of the world.
"I'm curious if your opinion remains unchanged from last year, Mr. Arlo."
The podcast show, The Jude Noise.
The guest who had appeared around this time last year was invited to the broadcast once again. He was an influencer and apocalypticist, Arlo.
Right before the Nightmare 2nd floor was cleared last year, Arlo had been harshly blabbering on the broadcast that there would be no more miracles, and the moment the Nightmare was cleared in real-time became a huge topic and laughingstock on social media.
This time, the live broadcast was specially conducted like a talk show on a large stage, with the host Jude and guest Arlo sitting face-to-face, while a giant screen behind the stage displayed the remaining Nightmare time limit ticking down at \[20 days 15 minutes 56 seconds\].
"Will Person123 really be able to clear the Nightmare 3rd floor? What do you think?"
"Phew, it seems you're itching to make a laughingstock out of me again, Jude."
"Haha, of course not. I just want to hear your honest thoughts, Arlo. Both the viewers and I."
At Jude's question, Arlo seemed not to have changed his mind this time either.
"Of course, I also desperately pray for the 3rd floor to be cleared more than anyone else. But I just think it's right to separate such vague hopes from reality."
"I see. And if we're talking about that reality?"
"As I always say, the probability of it not being cleared is much higher than that of it being cleared."
Arlo crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knee.
"Let's say you roll a die twice and get two 6s in a row. Jude, if you had to bet your fortune on the next number also being a 6, how much would you want to bet?"
"Well, I don't think I'd even want to bet a single dollar."
"That's normal. Nightmare difficulty isn't even a normal die; it's no different from a die with 60 faces. Just because the number 60 came up once, and then twice by a miraculous probability, I don't want to expect a 60 to come up a third time."
Jude smiled and nodded.
"So your thoughts remain unchanged this time as well. But Arlo, isn't Person123 an extraordinary individual who achieved the First Clear of both the 1st floor and 2nd floor all by himself? Couldn't we say that expecting him to have the ability to continue climbing the Nightmare isn't just a vague hope?"
"I think two times can easily be a coincidence. More than anything, the problem lies elsewhere. Aside from Person123, the other Nightmare challengers are still finding it overwhelming just to chase after him. Even though the strategy guide is being fully disclosed without a single omission!"
Arlo shook his head.
"Of course, I by no means intend to demean those heroes dedicating themselves for humanity. Nightmare Difficulty is terrible. It's so absurd that you wonder if it was really made to be cleared. I mean, you can even feel malice from it.
How on earth is Person123 clearing such things? He is ultimately just a human like us. We might be placing too great a burden on a single person who is perhaps already pushed to his limits.
That's what it comes down to. It's been a long time since Earth became a sandcastle that could collapse at any moment, so what's the point of trying to hold out, hoping the next wave will be even slightly weaker? If a big wave comes even once, humanity is finished. I just hope that you all accept that the end could come in the near future, perhaps even today, and live without leaving any regrets in your lives..."
Just then, a staff member hurriedly ran over.
Arlo, who had been speaking, flinched in surprise at the sight and muttered,
"...This scene gives me a sense of déjà vu."
"They say the 3rd floor was just cleared!"
Waaaaah!
The Nightmare difficulty 3rd floor was cleared.
News media worldwide poured out this fact as breaking news.
\[GrimReaper'sScythe: It's done, it's done... We lived!\]
\[Toyo: Earth's existence extended for another yeaaaaaar! I believed in you!\]
\[Baek Dohyeon: Is Person123 truly a god???\]
\[IceWall: He is a god. If this isn't a messiah, what is!\]
\[Wokdirigsyong: But it's truly marvelous... How can he be this unrivaled?\]
Cheers rang out in the streets, and there were even cities that completely turned into a festival atmosphere.
There were people toasting while drinking at bars, people quietly hugging their families, and people checking the results on their way home from work and sighing in relief.
And some people...
"The One has bestowed salvation upon us once again."
It was a space like a cathedral. Those gathered were in a solemn atmosphere.
"Behold. After firmly declaring that he would protect the world against that wicked Tower, The One did not break his promise!"
"Ah..."
"Do not dare to doubt any longer. Just believe. If you do, The One will grant us another year of time. For it is crystal clear that he is the angel and the messenger of God who will save humanity."
"Person123! Person123!"
At the words of the man on the podium, people cheered or bowed their heads in prayer. Some even shed tears.
Anyway, all people rejoiced and felt relieved in their own ways.
The world was granted a reprieve of another year.
---
"I'm home."
"Oh, Seohyeon, you're back? Did you have a good time?"
I smiled as I changed my shoes at the entryway.
"Yes... I had a very good time."
If I had another “good time” like that, I'd really die.