.
.
.
[Level up.]
[First ever clear of Nightmare difficulty Floor 3.]
[Floor 3 Hidden Route unlocked.]
[Transferring to the Reward Room.]
The sensation of falling vanished, and my body was transported to the Reward Room.
My injuries began healing in an instant.
My twisted ribs realigned on their own, flesh knitting shut and bloodstains vanishing without a trace.
I’d been unconscious during Floor 1, so I’d missed this, but so this was how it worked.
The agony that had felt like my entire body was being crushed evaporated as if it had never existed.
“Haaaaah…”
Finally, I could breathe again.
Once I confird my body was fully healed, instead of getting up, I flopped onto the floor and sprawled out on my back.
“…Mission complete.”
I mumbled the words to no one and let out a weak laugh.
I survived.
Sohow, once again, I’d managed to survive.
[All difficulties for Floor 3 have been cleared.]
[The Tower calls for new Climbers.]
More ssages appeared in succession.
When Floor 2 was cleared, new rules had popped up, so I’d half-expected the sa this ti.
But aside from the announcent about new Climbers being added, there were no additional ssages.
So not every floor adds new rules… maybe it’s every other floor?
I mulled it over for a mont, gave up, and pushed myself upright.
“Seriously thought I was gonna die this ti…”
Floors 1 and 2 had been bad enough, but Floor 3 was an absolute nightmare in the truest sense.
Seriously, what the hell kind of boss was that supposed to be?
A house-sized undead ball of corpses that moved more nimbly than I did.
If my theory was right, going underground early to activate the Sun Emblem would probably spawn a much weaker boss, but still.
Clearing this with zero intel on the first attempt was essentially impossible.
How the hell did I even pull that off?
It was all thanks to Diul. Every last bit of it.
I looked up at Diul hovering above my head.
“You’re the best, Diul.”
Hiding from the undead, hiding from Plligas.
Over seventy percent of this clear belonged to Diul.
God, it was so cute I could die. I reached up to pet the little thing, but Diul dodged my hand with cool indifference and bobbed around in lazy circles.
What a little tsundere. Acted all aloof, but still ended up unlocking a new ability when things got dangerous.
“But hey… didn’t you get a bit bigger?”
I tilted my head and studied Diul more closely.
Originally about the size of a baseball, but now it seed slightly larger.
Its shape had been a perfect sphere before, too, but now I could see the edges rippling faintly.
‘Is it evolving or sothing?’
Maybe the change ca hand in hand with the new ability unlocking.
More than anything, the ntal connection between us felt a step stronger.
“Alright, get so rest. You earned it.”
I could feel Diul’s exhaustion, so I sent it back into the bracelet.
I glanced down at the necklace.
‘And then there’s this…’
The system had said the attempt was nullified.
The necklace hadn’t been destroyed, either, which ant I’d gotten a free use out of it with zero penalty. A real bargain.
Plligas… if I won, I could bind a monster like that as a Familiar?
I’d seen firsthand just how powerful it was, so I decided to save that challenge for another day.
I rose to my feet.
It felt like a lie that I’d been on the verge of death just monts ago; energy surged through every inch of my body.
Another ten levels gained, my body a whole tier stronger.
Pow! Bam!
I threw a few one-two jabs at the air, then turned to check the rewards.
There was one Skill Stone and one Skill Enhancent Stone.
[Skill Stone: Rapid Regeneration (Rare )]
Upon use, grants ‘Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare ).’
[Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare )]
Consus all remaining Willpower and instantaneously amplifies the body’s regenerative ability beyond its limits, proportional to the amount consud.
Type: Physical
Willpower Cost: All remaining Willpower
Cooldown: 24 hours
Rare grade. Not bad.
Floors 1 and 2 had only given Rare-grade rewards outside of Hidden Route clears.
So the grade went up once you hit Floor 3.
“A healing skill?”
Reading the description, it seed like a recovery ability.
Consu all current Willpower to amplify regeneration.
This was the first skill I’d seen with a chanic that burned through all Willpower at once.
I didn’t have any healing skills, so of course it would be nice to have one, but… a twenty-four-hour cooldown?
‘Is the effect that good to justify it?’
Considering it drained all Willpower on top of that.
It was probably the kind of skill designed to save your life once when you’re critically wounded.
Not bad at all.
Besides, I could refill my Willpower right away even after burning it all.
I wanted to test how effective it was, but it wasn’t like I was going to hurt myself on purpose.
Well, next ti I’m on the brink of death, I’ll give it a try then.
[Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare ) acquired.]
Next, the Skill Enhancent Stone.
This one was Rare grade.
Part of wanted to dump it into Fla Strike and take it all the way to 3, but I decided to hold off for now.
And lastly, the Supre Magic Stone… tossed into the corner.
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 4]
[Level: 40]
[Willpower: 1,000]
[Skills: Teleportation (Rare ), Sixth Sense (Rare ), Rapid Regeneration (Rare ), Fla Strike (Rare)( 2), Blade Storm (Rare), Exaltation (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Normal )( 1), Minor Poison Resistance (Normal ), Leap (Normal)( 1), Swing (Normal), Thrust (Normal)]
Checking the Status Window, my Willpower had gone up from 600 to 1,000.
For reference, Willpower scaling increased by ten per level for every ten-level bracket.
Levels 1 through 10 gained 10 per level, levels 11 through 20 gained 20 per level, and so on.
[Nightmare]
Climbers: 250,152
Ti Limit: 1 year, 20 days, 9 minutes, 57 seconds
Current Floor: 4
With the rewards sorted, I checked the Nightmare Ti Limit.
“Another year earned, just like that.”
If there was one silver lining to the Tower’s Ti Limit, it was that it made you live each day with gratitude.
The downside was everything else.
I’d scraped through again, sohow, but the thought of what Floor 4 might hold, of how much longer I could keep this up… it was overwhelming.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘What happens if you climb to the very top of the Tower?’
Does the Ti Limit just disappear?
Or is it still inevitable destruction, even if you reach the summit?
No one had yet discovered how many floors the Tower had, so there was no way to know.
[Would you like to exit the Tower?]
I shoved aside the bleak thoughts about the future and exited the Tower.
I’d been through enough… ti to rest.
*
Since the Day of Upheaval in 2025, Earth had what could only be called one massive annual event.
Would humanity et its end this year, or wouldn’t it?
The year 2028 had sothing the previous two hadn’t.
The Climber who had achieved the world-first clears of both Nightmare Floors 1 and 2, Person123, had publicly declared his intention to climb Nightmare difficulty. He’d even specified the exact timing of his attempt.
True to his announcent, on October 23rd, the precise mont the Nightmare Ti Limit hit exactly twenty days remaining:
[Firetung: Think he went in just now?]
[QuickFla: He hasn’t yet, has he? There’s still 30 minutes left]
[FlatBread: Didn’t he an he’d enter when only the 20-day number was left, with no other ti units? Anyone know for sure?]
[Yeokcheon: Just sit tight and wait, damn;]
[Hohohu: Ugh, honestly would’ve been less nerve-wracking if he’d said nothing at all]
[Phillop: Instead you’d be drowning in despair. Knowing the result is coming soon, I actually feel relieved]
So anxious, so desperate, so paralyzed with fear.
Civilians, Climbers, people across the entire globe, all waiting for the one result that would decide the fate of the world.
“I’m curious whether your opinion has changed since last year, Arlo.”
The podcast show The Jude Noise.
A guest who had appeared around this ti last year was invited back on the air. He was Arlo, influencer and self-proclaid doomsayer.
Just before Nightmare Floor 2 was cleared last year, Arlo had gone on a caustic tirade on the show insisting there would be no more miracles, only for the Nightmare clear to happen live in real ti. The mont had beco a viral sensation, equal parts spectacle and mockery, all over social dia.
This ti, the broadcast was a special live production staged like a talk show on a wider set. Host Jude and guest Arlo sat facing each other, while a massive screen behind the stage displayed the Nightmare difficulty’s remaining Ti Limit, ticking down: [20 days, 15 minutes, 56 seconds].
“Do you think Person123 can clear Nightmare Floor 3? What’s your take?”
“Heh, it seems like you’re just dying to make a fool of again, Jude.”
“Ha ha, not at all. I simply want to hear your honest opinion, Arlo. As do the viewers.”
In response to Jude’s question, Arlo appeared unchanged in his stance.
“Of course I pray more fervently than anyone that Floor 3 is cleared. But I believe it’s only right to separate that kind of vague hope from reality.”
“I see. And what does that reality look like?”
“As I’ve always said, the odds of it not being cleared are far higher than the odds that it will.”
Arlo crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee.
“Let’s say you roll a die twice and get a six both tis. Jude, how much of your personal fortune would you wager that the next roll is also a six?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure I’d want to bet even a dollar.”
“And that’s perfectly rational. Nightmare difficulty isn’t even a standard die. It’s no different from a die with sixty sides. Just because the number sixty ca up once, and then miraculously a second ti, I have no desire to expect it will co up a third.”
Jude nodded with a smile.
“So your position remains the sa. But Arlo, Person123 is an extraordinary individual, soone who solo-cleared both Floors 1 and 2 as world firsts. Couldn’t the expectation that he has the ability to keep climbing Nightmare be more than just vague hope?”
“Two tis can easily be coincidence. But more importantly, the real problem lies elsewhere. Every other Nightmare Climber besides Person123 is still struggling just to follow in his footsteps. And that’s with every last piece of strategy information being made public!”
Arlo shook his head.
“I don’t an that as any slight against those heroes who sacrifice so much for humanity. Nightmare difficulty is horrific. It’s so absurd you have to wonder if it was even designed to be cleared. It feels outright malicious.
How on earth is Person123 managing to clear sothing like that? At the end of the day, he’s only human, just like the rest of us. Perhaps we’ve already placed far too heavy a burden on the shoulders of a single person who may well be at his limit.
That’s what it cos down to. Earth has long since beco a sandcastle that could collapse at any mont. What’s the point of holding on, hoping the next wave will be just a little weaker? One big wave, and humanity is finished. All I want is for everyone to accept that the end could co in the very near future, perhaps even today, and to live without regrets…”
Just then, a staff mber ca rushing over.
Arlo, mid-sentence, flinched at the sight and muttered.
“…Why does this feel like déjà vu.”
“Floor 3 was just cleared!”
YEAAAAAH!
Nightmare difficulty Floor 3 had been cleared.
News outlets across the globe blasted the story as breaking news.
[ReaperScythe: It’s done, it’s done… We’re alive!]
[Toyo: Earth’s subscription renewed for one more yeaaaar! Never doubted it for a second!]
[BaekDohyeon: Is Person123 actually a god???]
[IceWall: Has to be. If this isn’t a ssiah, then what is!]
[WokDirigShon: But seriously, it’s awe-inspiring… how is he this far above everyone else?]
Cheers erupted in the streets, and so cities broke into outright celebration.
People clinking glasses and toasting in bars, families quietly pulling each other into embraces, commuters checking the result on the way ho and sighing in relief.
And so people…
“He has delivered salvation unto us once again.”
A cathedral-like space. A solemn gathering of the faithful.
“Behold! After declaring resolutely that He would stand against that wicked Tower and protect our world, He has kept His promise without fail!”
“Ahhh…”
“Dare not doubt any longer. Simply believe. And He shall grant us another year. For it is unmistakably clear that He is the angel sent to redeem humanity, the ssenger of God.”
“Person123! Person123!”
At the man’s words from the pulpit, the crowd erupted in cheers or bowed their heads in prayer. So wept openly.
In any case, everyone celebrated and felt relief in their own way.
The world had been granted another year’s reprieve.
*
“I’m ho.”
“Oh, Seo-hyeon! Welco back. Did you have fun?”
I smiled as I swapped my shoes at the front door.
“Yeah… I had a blast.”
Have that much fun twice and I’d actually die.
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