Chapter 73

Chapter 73.

I felt the sensation of my body floating.

***

Why did the Tower start on different floors for each country?

Everyone in the world wondered about this.

Some regarded it as a blessing.

Some regarded it as a curse, or as absurd unfairness.

I knew the answer.

And aside from me… the 13 people qualified as “First Climbers” probably knew it too.

To explain that, I first had to explain what a First Climber was.

Before the Tower had appeared.

In other words, to use a comparison, before its official launch.

The Tower selected 14 Earthlings as “beta testers,” or perhaps as a “trial group.”

From America, from China, from Japan, from Italy, from India…

And from Korea.

The 14 First Climbers were suddenly summoned to the Tower one day, without any warning whatsoever.

And they were given the objective of “climbing the Tower.”

So everyone did exactly that.

They opened the door of the Tower.

They cleared the 1st Floor, the tutorial, and headed to the 2nd Floor…

Most of them died there.

For example, the Italian Tower.

Laura, who had been summoned there, was a 30-year-old lawyer.

When I met her in the Tutorial Room, she was brave and lively.

She said she learned jujitsu as a hobby.

She died without overcoming the 2nd Floor.

…That was why Italy.

When its Tower was first summoned, it started from the 2nd Floor.

This was the truth the world did not know.

In other words.

The reason the Republic of Korea’s Tower started from the 94th Floor was…

Because the Republic of Korea’s Tower’s “First Climber” had failed to overcome the 94th Floor.

—And I, Ha Seong-un, was the Republic of Korea’s Tower’s “First Climber.”

Failing to clear the 94th Floor and “escaping.”

…That was my “original sin.”

That was why, when the Tower appeared all over Earth.

I was inside the Tower.

Not on Earth.

That was why I did not receive the Blessing of the Tower, and remained in the body of an “Awakening Failure.”

That was the truth.

Of course, there was one more hidden truth here.

I had not “failed” to clear the 94th Floor.

I had “put it on hold.”

…This was a much greater difference than one might think.

***

It had been a momentary spatial transfer, but to me, it felt like an eternity in which the past 10 years flashed by.

The familiar air of the Tower seeped deep into my lungs.

Air with a strange scent of disinfectant.

And high-purity Mana slumbering within it.

…This was the 94th Floor waiting room.

The spatial transfer was complete.

Feeling my feet touch the floor, I opened my eyes.

“….”

It was an empty white room.

A spacious cube-shaped room that looked large enough to hold about 50 people.

Light came from every wall, making it a strange structure with no shadows.

‘…This was the place everyone said would make you go insane if you stayed too long.’

“Wh-Where is this?”

“It is a waiting room. Though it is incredibly spacious.”

Though it had been on a low floor, Yeriche, who had experience conquering the Italian Tower, was the only one who recognized it.

“A waiting room?”

Yeriche answered Lee A-un’s question.

“It is a place where you can stay and rest for a while before challenging a floor. Normally, we should rest sufficiently and accumulate plenty of Mana from the Tower, but….”

“We do not have time.”

Han Seol-ah’s eyes were burning with impatience.

The tips of the fingers gripping her staff were trembling faintly.

“Even if we stay in here, time flows outside. We need to hurry as much as…”

“Calm down.”

This was not the usual cool and composed Han Seol-ah.

The Republic of Korea’s crisis seemed to have made her blood rush to her head.

That kind of attitude would not help the strategy.

“If we rush in and get wiped out, it really will be the end. Do not mistake our priorities.”

At my cold rebuke, Han Seol-ah’s shoulders flinched and stiffened.

After taking a short deep breath and forcibly cooling her heat, she soon stopped trembling and answered.

“…Yes.”

Han Seol-ah obediently lowered her head.

‘Of course she is anxious.’

I tapped the wall.

[Will you enter the 94th Floor?]

A notification window appeared for both me and my “party.”

Han Seol-ah, Lee A-un, and Kim Cheol-su all turned their eyes at once toward the place where the notification window had appeared.

On the other hand, Yeriche stared blankly at me with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘What on earth are they looking at?’ as she watched the others staring into empty air.

I had deliberately not invited Yeriche to the party.

I had to check whether my “ability” worked properly even inside the Tower.

‘It worked well outside the Tower, but it is unknown whether Synchronization or the party function will work fully inside the 94th Floor, where the Tower’s system rules. If I discover a variable too late, it will be a wipeout.’

After entering the 94th Floor, we would not have the leisure to experiment with whether it worked or not.

It absolutely had to be now.

At that moment, my gaze reached Yeriche.

“…….”

Yeriche had clearly been wearing a mace, a shield, and a Saintess Robe outside.

But now, she was empty-handed and dressed in comfortable everyday clothes.

The Tower did not allow equipment or tools that failed to be judged as “Artifacts” to be brought inside.

‘So those were not Artifacts, you rice-farming Saintess….’

Realizing the meaning of my gaze, Yeriche’s face flushed red.

As if embarrassed, she wrapped her empty arms around herself and made an excuse.

“A-Are you looking down on me right now because I am a pauper without a single Artifact…?”

“No.”

“You suddenly spoke casually…! So you do think I am a pauper….”

“I said no.”

Leaving the indignant Yeriche behind, I opened my bag and took out the one resting quietly inside it.

‘Phew.’

My laptop.

Nopi.

Thankfully, this thing had also been properly judged as an Artifact and had been brought in safely.

‘Snowy… is not here.’

My AI secretary Snowy was not an Artifact.

That was why my wrist was empty right now.

I opened Nopi.

Then I connected to Lost Honor.

‘…Let us see.’

As I watched Nopi tremble with all its might while loading…

I gulped down dry saliva.

If Lost Honor connected…

Then it was just as I thought.

If it did not?

I would think about that when the time came.

DUN-DUN!

Lost Honor’s majestic background music struck my ears.

“Phew.”

It connected properly.

Before turning on Synchronization, first…

[Party]

CLICK.

I pressed the party icon.

[Party] (4/5)

[Me]

[Han Seol-ah]

[Lee A-un]

[Kim Cheol-su]

[Empty]

[Party Invite]

[Leave Party]

It was working properly.

I entered [Yeriche] into the party invite.

“Ah!”

When a transparent window suddenly appeared in the empty air that she had been unable to see before, Yeriche widened her eyes in surprise.

“Press yes, Yeriche.”

Nod.

Yeriche nodded boldly and pressed her finger against the air…

[Party] (5/5)

(…)

[Kim Cheol-su]

[Yeriche]

‘Done.’

Yeriche had joined the party.

And immediately after that.

A quest completion message appeared.

[Hidden Quest: ‘Let’s Make a Party’ has been completed]

[Reward]

[‘Party Chat’ unlocked]

“Done.”

The party had been unlocked.

And five people made a full party?

Given Lost Honor’s characteristics.

Filling all five slots was the condition for the Hidden Quest.

And considering that chat functions such as “Party Chat” had already been prepared in Lost Honor…

This was within the range I had expected.

I immediately typed.

[/p Raise your right hand if you can hear me.]

POP!

Three people raised their right hands in perfect unison.

“Huh?”

POP.

Yeriche raised her hand belatedly.

I observed her with hawk-like eyes to see if she had merely followed the others.

“Did you really hear it before raising your hand?”

“Yes. Someone suddenly spoke as if whispering, so I was startled and raised it a little late.”

Confirmation complete.

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

With this, half the strategy was complete.

Nopi had been brought in properly.

It was possible to connect to Lost Honor through Nopi.

And I confirmed that the functions could be used normally.

Only one thing remained.

‘Synchronization.’

CLICK.

The ability I had activated in advance through the Corridor was…

“Frost Sorcerer.”

The moment Synchronization activated.

WHIRRR!

Nopi began trembling…

“Phewww.”

And EX-rank Frost Type Mana filled my entire body.

‘Done.’

With this, the final check was complete.

The possibility of success… was 99%.

I turned off Synchronization to let Nopi rest and put it back in my bag.

“I will explain the operation.”

When I tapped the wall again, the question [Will you enter the 94th Floor?] appeared.

This time, Yeriche seemed to have confirmed it properly as well, her gaze fixed in midair.

“Look here.”

With a humming vibration, two Gates formed in the white wall.

Both were pitch-black and emitted a terrifying energy, as if we should never enter them.

The only slight difference was that from the left Gate, something strange was crawling out—whether it was tentacles or roots.

Lee A-un made a “Blegh” sound and turned his head away.

I briefly explained that “Defense” and “Offense” had to be done simultaneously in each of these Gates.

“The right Gate is the place you will enter and conduct the ‘Defense.’”

Fortunately, the place the four people other than me needed to enter was the right Gate.

Lee A-un, who had been staring at the grotesque entrance, carefully asked.

“What about the left?”

“I will enter this one alone.”

At those words, Han Seol-ah’s brow narrowed.

“The 94th Floor of the Tower is dangerous. Going alone is…”

“I know.”

I looked Han Seol-ah straight in the eye.

I conveyed with my gaze that I had to control the most dangerous variable alone.

And that I held a firm conviction that I would not die pointlessly.

After staring into my eyes for a while, Han Seol-ah let out a heavy sigh and soon nodded in understanding.

It was an acceptance that would have been impossible without blind trust in the Apostle.

“I will handle the left side on my own. You focus only on the right.”

“What exactly do we have to do?”

Having grasped the situation, Yeriche stepped forward with her arms crossed.

“Once you enter….”

I chose my words for a moment.

“There should be… a fortress.”

“A fortress?”

Lee A-un asked back.

If things had gone well… there should be one.

But there was a small chance that there might not be.

Until they went and saw it, there was no way to know for certain whether it existed or not.

It was Schrödinger’s fortress.

However, the important thing was not whether there was a fortress or not.

Because the Defense Team’s task was clear.

“There will be a core in the center. You will know what the core is as soon as you see it. You just have to protect it until I return.”

“You mean we are to use the fortress to fight a defensive battle.”

Yeriche nodded, placing her empty hands on her waist.

“Yes. Probably.”

Perhaps because she had experience in the Tower.

Yeriche understood quickly.

“How long will it take until you return?”

“It will not take long. And….”

I looked at Cheol-su.

Ever since entering the Tower, Cheol-su had been standing silently without saying a word.

Perhaps his mouth was dry, because he had been licking his lips. When he received my gaze, he snapped back to his senses.

‘….’

I had not yet told Cheol-su that “something” would happen.

Cheol-su was perceptive too, so based on the things he had experienced after I possessed him through Lost Honor, he probably had a rough guess…

Normally, this was where I would have to offer Cheol-su as a sacrifice.

But…

‘…Immortal Vestment.’

The Genesis-rank item Cheol-su was wearing, the Immortal Vestment…

And though making him fall had failed, the power of “Firmament” that he had gained in return—“Inverted Divinity.”

With those two things, it should be possible to clear the gimmick.

But even this was only a possibility.

What if it was not?

What if “sacrifice” was not a gimmick, but an absolute rule…?

Thoughts whirled through my head.

Nod.

Seeing me like that, Cheol-su silently nodded.

So that the others would not see, Cheol-su slightly raised his thumb…

Giving me a thumbs-up.

Even though he knew he had to cross the threshold of death by his own choice, an unwavering resolve rippled in his deeply sunken eyes.

“…After some time passes, the core will swell greatly, and a new Gate will be created.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cheol-su answered firmly.

“…Kim Cheol-su, once you jump into that place, it will be over.”

“Yes, sir.”

With this, the briefing was over.

I held Nopi firmly in my left hand and turned my gaze toward Lee A-un one last time.

The moment his stiff eyes met mine, his hesitation vanished and they became firm.

As if soothing the heavy responsibility weighing on his shoulders, I met his gaze, then looked straight ahead.

“…Do not die.”

I announced the start of the operation.

Then I launched myself toward the Gate where the tentacles were stretching out.

***

With the Apostle throwing himself into the left Gate as the signal, the remaining four party members also threw themselves into the right Gate without delay.

As she felt her body floating, Yeriche quickly organized her thoughts.

Guardian Han Seol-ah.

Lee A-un.

Kim… Cheol-su?

She had briefly heard each person’s specs.

And Yeriche realized that in this “Defense” with these four people, she would have to take the role of leader.

Han Seol-ah was a Hunter who lacked nothing as a leader.

But she had no experience conquering the Tower.

Lee A-un was young…

And Kim Cheol-su was B-rank from the outset. Coldly speaking, he was outside their combat power.

Yeriche was used to being a leader.

After all, the Italian Tower conquest had all been carried out under Yeriche’s command.

Experience in defensive battles?

Of course she had it.

And that was Yeriche’s specialty.

‘Defense using Lee A-un and his summons. Kim Cheol-su will back them up… and Han Seol-ah freezes and kills everything. That will be the end.’

Since they had such an exceptional Hunter as Han Seol-ah, this might actually be easier than conquering the Italian Tower.

‘The 94th Floor, a hell-difficulty floor where not a single person in history has returned alive… But this time is different.’

Special One. No, the Apostle.

He was aggravating… but they had a leader whose ability alone was beyond all standards.

The most dangerous thing in the Tower was the absence of information.

When one entered the Tower through a waiting room, if one did not know what would happen, the success rate of the strategy fell below half.

The greatest reason the 94th Floor had been called “hell” until now was that no one knew how to clear it.

That was obvious.

After all, not a single person who had entered the 94th Floor had returned alive.

Yet for some reason, the Apostle clearly knew how to clear the 94th Floor.

The strategic objective he had clearly specified was only one.

Hold out until the Apostle returned!

‘It is possible. If it is me!’

It was not that she felt no fear.

Even now, one corner of her heart was tingling with terror and despair.

To be honest, if someone asked whether she trusted the human being called the Apostle 100 percent, the answer was no.

She had merely numbed her fear by forcibly believing in the miraculous deeds he had shown until now.

Yeriche gritted her teeth.

‘If we just overcome this crisis… hope will appear for Italy as well, even as it collapses!’

Artifact Holy Water!

With that alone, her homeland could now live a different life.

She would survive no matter what!

***

In the brief moment when they threw themselves into the Gate that emitted an ominous energy, the other party members were also reaffirming their own sense of mission.

Han Seol-ah quickly accepted the fact that she had to be in charge of this party’s “offensive power.”

However, this operation was not extermination, but endurance. So she intended to make active use of “frost,” the power she had newly awakened.

A more efficient battle with less power.

Fear was also present in Han Seol-ah’s heart.

But Han Seol-ah pushed it away with her absolute faith in the Apostle, her bond with her partner Frozen…

And finally, with her sense of mission that she would definitely return before the Republic of Korea’s candle went out.

That was why Han Seol-ah was now burning fiercely.

Lee A-un was so afraid that his body trembled, but he endured with the single blind desire to absolutely be of help to Brother. Before he knew it, Ratty, who had entered his pocket, gave him courage with the encouragement, [Succeed, insect!]

Lastly, Kim Cheol-su…

Stopped thinking.

He would simply do his best with the task entrusted to him.

Then, the 94th Floor transfer ended.

Tap.

The four people’s feet touched the ground.

“The core first!”

At Yeriche’s command, shouted like that, everyone looked around.

“…Huh?”

“Eh?”

“What is this?”

All four of them froze stiff.

Contrary to the Apostle’s explanation that there would be a fortress…

It was an empty, wide-open field with nothing in it.

Thump— Thump—!

There were no stone walls or wooden fences, of course…

Not even a large rock or a barricade to hide behind.

Only a single huge, crimson, beating heart sat alone in the field…!

KYAAAAAAH!

A Monster’s roar sounded from far away.

A sinister Demonic Energy, the kind one might feel only when facing an overwhelmingly powerful Demonic Beast, surged from beyond the horizon like a distant tidal wave.

And not just one or two of them, but in legions too numerous to count.

Moreover…

“…Scathach?”

As Han Seol-ah’s murmur made clear.

The Boss with “Frost Immunity” that had once driven the Republic of Korea to the brink of destruction!

Even Scathach’s presence could be felt!

Yet the surroundings were a vast empty plain without even a raised ledge to hide behind, let alone a defensive wall.

“….”

Even Yeriche, an S-rank Hunter, froze as her breath caught in her throat.

At that exact timing.

The Apostle’s “Party Chat” came to their ears.

[There may not be a fortress, so somehow hold out well. I will be there soon.]

“Fucking hell.”

Yeriche let out a thick curse.

You want us to hold out?

…Against that?