Chapter 79

Chapter 79.

[Confirmed that normal progression of the 94th Floor has become difficult.]

[Proceeding with “Interim Settlement.”]

Then large golden messages appeared in succession in midair.

[94th Floor Strategy 1 - Offense: “Elimination” of the Outer God’s Shell]

[Judged as a “success.”]

[94th Floor Strategy 2 - Defense: Protection of the Core]

[Core collapse confirmed.]

[However, force majeure caused by the armed intervention of an external being is acknowledged.]

[Judged as “pending.”]

[Therefore, the 94th Floor theme: “Degradation” will be reattempted.]

***

After Ha Seong-un vanished while emitting golden light…

Cheol-su, left alone in the dark space, was drifting aimlessly through an empty, pitch-black void.

Cheol-su knew that he had been given a role.

And he also sensed that the role had not yet begun.

Judging by the ominous silence now, something had clearly gone wrong, but…

“…Hmm.”

Cheol-su trusted Seong-un.

If it was that bastard, he must have guessed even this much and prepared for it.

That was why he did not panic and calmly waited.

And before long, just as he had expected, “something” approached to break that silence.

In the darkness, an eye flashing with ominous blood-red light opened.

Would this be how it felt to face a blazing sun with the naked eye in the middle of space?

Just meeting that red gaze, which filled his vision, brought a suffocating pressure that seemed to crush his entire soul.

“Ghk.”

His vision flipped with a ring.

When he opened his eyes amid a splitting headache, he saw the blood-red eye again, and then his consciousness abruptly cut off once more.

In an instant that felt like eternity, Cheol-su’s consciousness kept plunging into the abyss every time he breathed.

“Grrr.”

At that moment, the blood-red eye floating in the air rolled grotesquely, then focused precisely on Cheol-su.

Faced with that blatant and arrogant gaze, as though it were observing a struggling insect, Cheol-su gritted his teeth and bluffed.

“What are you staring at… you son of a bitch?”

Humans were not insects!

Even amid the instinctive fear that made his breath catch, it was a spiteful stubbornness that forced him to raise his head.

He had thought there was no way human speech would get through to a being of this grade.

[What an amusing child. Heh heh…]

“…!”

A response came back.

It was the voice of an old man who sounded as though he might crumble away.

[I wondered why you would not die. That extraordinary shell you are wearing… is protecting you.]

‘The Immortal Vestment.’

Only then did Cheol-su realize why his consciousness had kept cutting off every time he breathed.

He had lost his life dozens of times to the aura emitted by that red eye.

And each time, the Authority of the clothing gifted to him by Nebula—

The blessing of “ageless immortality” had forcibly revived him.

The moment Cheol-su’s entire body stiffened at that horrifying truth…

Grin.

The blood-red eye floating in the air curved into a crescent shape.

It was a soundless sneer.

It was disgusting and revolting.

[Bringing one to degradation without killing them has its own… amusement.]

‘Degradation?’

A chill ran down the back of his neck.

The power of the clothes Seong-un had given him was agelessness and immortality.

Thanks to that, he could escape the threat of death inflicted by that red eye, but…

He had never heard that these clothes could block “degradation” as well.

In fact, even when the grotesque god in that world had bitten his neck, saying it would corrupt him, the clothes had not protected him at all!

[Now then, the “scapegoat” of this Floor… I will receive it properly.]

Along with that declaration, a blood-like, viscous gaze poured down from the red eye.

“Ugh!”

At the pain that felt as though the jaws of an invisible beast were tearing into his heart, Cheol-su reflexively let out a blood-mixed groan.

It felt as if a swarm of repulsive insects were crawling beneath his skin.

A terrible malice struck his entire body, as though his soul would blacken and fester at any moment, mutating into a grotesque monster.

And then…

“Hm?”

That was the end.

The pupil of the red eye floating in the air contracted in a malformed shape and trembled finely.

[Error! Degradation judgment for entity “Kim Cheol-su” has failed. Retrying.]

“Aaaagh!”

A chilling energy that could not even be compared to before gouged into his heart.

Just as Cheol-su tore at his chest and vomited blood—

[Error!]

Several times, the blood-red gaze poured down like a waterfall and crushed Cheol-su’s soul, but there were no further changes.

[…Another “Fall” has been planted in him?]

In that instant, the image of the Fallen God flashed through Cheol-su’s mind.

Paradoxically, the “Fall” he had received back then had become a shield that blocked this being’s interference.

The moment Cheol-su realized that absurd contradiction, the red eye also faced the enraging truth.

[Error! Degradation judgment for entity “Kim Cheol-su” has failed.]

[Error! Death judgment for entity “Kim Cheol-su” has failed.]

[Retry count exceeded.]

[Warning! An infinite loop has occurred in the 94th Floor theme “Degradation.”]

BEEP-BEEP! BEEP! BEEP-BEEP-BEEP—!

Sharp warning sounds struck his ears one after another, and dozens of red System windows poured down like a waterfall between Cheol-su and the eye.

[Haha… Hahaha!]

A disbelieving laugh burst out as though it found this absurd.

However, before that laughter could even fade, the space-time around the eye began to twist and churn violently.

From the blood-red pupil, which had swollen as if it would burst at any moment, a crimson gaze erupted in a rampage.

[“The First!” This insect dares…!]

RUMBLE—!

When the killing intent bursting from the red eye took physical form and slammed down, the surrounding dark space itself cracked like a pane of glass and screamed.

[I will kill them all…!]

RUMBLE—!

[Warning. Cease armed action immediately.]

The moment a brilliant golden message filled his vision, the world came to a stop.

In the silence where even the violently beating heart and the crushing killing intent had halted, only the conversation between two transcendent beings circled through the air.

[According to our agreement, one of the beings on the 94th Floor must be offered to me!]

[Question. Was one not offered?]

[Did you not see it? A defective product blocked against both death and degradation…]

[Rebuttal. Entity: Ha Seong-un clearly performed his role by presenting “Human001” as the scapegoat for the 94th Floor theme “Degradation.” From the point “Human001” was handed over, responsibility lies with the “Outer God.”]

[Yes, but “the First” tampered with it…]

[Rejected. Entity: Ha Seong-un identified the 94th Floor theme, anticipated a future event, and prepared for it. This should be regarded not as “tampering,” but as a legitimate “strategy.”]

RUMBLE—!

The red eye’s pupil turned even redder.

[You bastard… So this is how you want to play it?]

[Rebuttal. You crossed the line first.]

The red eye seemed to fall silent for a moment, then let out a sneer.

[Fine. It is true that our “little one” made a mistake, so I will let it pass this time. A “strategy,” you say? Hah! How amusing. A mere insect dares to strategize against this body? Hahahahaha!]

The killing intent that burst out along with that maddened laughter began tearing space apart like paper.

CRAAACK!

However, the moment the collapse began, golden light poured out and forcibly bound the collapsing gaps, restoring them.

At that ironclad defense, the red eye growled low.

[I will watch closely to see how long you can preserve your life while hiding behind this trifling System.]

[Scoff. Judged as a meaningless threat from an “Observer” who cannot even physically manifest within the rules of the Tower.]

[You damn—!]

[To prevent the collapse of the 94th Floor, an exceptional “clear” of the corresponding Floor will be forcibly executed.]

[Forcibly expelling the intruder (Outer God). Access authority blocked.]

KWAAAAANG—!

Along with a flash that devoured his vision, the red eye was forcibly erased from the air.

***

The world that had been stopped began to flow again.

This time, too, I clearly recognized that the world had stopped, and I had read every word of the argument between the golden text and the red text that appeared in midair.

‘The Tower is favorable toward strategy.’

This information would be a tremendous help to my future course of action.

Until now, I had thought the Tower’s rules were absolute.

But the current me was different.

I was the “All-New Ha Seong-un,” built from the long years I had lived as an Awakening Failure.

The disposition to avoid and break through even fixed rules by sheer numbers of workarounds…

And in the end, to “strategize” against them.

In other words, the instincts of a gamer were installed as a default.

After eavesdropping on that conversation just now, I became convinced that my method had never been wrong.

‘If the System knew I was listening in, it would not have leaked things this easily.’

I will “strategize” against you as much as I want from now on.

You arrogant bastards.

***

Ptooey.

The Outer God’s core, which had swollen grotesquely, shrank back to its original size and spat out the limp Kim Cheol-su.

The core, reduced to a hideous lump of meat, beat a few more times as if giving its final death throes.

Thump! Thump!

Then it fell silent.

The sacred clusters of light from “Kyrie Eleison,” still filling the air, gently wrapped around Cheol-su’s collapsed body.

Amid the miracle that rapidly restored his wounded soul and depleted stamina, Cheol-su gasped and staggered to his feet.

“…What happened?”

“You do not remember?”

“…”

Before answering, Cheol-su looked around.

Thanks to the Potions and Divine Power, their external injuries had healed, but Han Seol-ah and Yeriche, exhausted by terrible fatigue, were barely leaning against the fortress wall and gasping for breath.

Lee A-un was also sitting blankly with a dazed expression.

After quickly scanning that grim atmosphere, Cheol-su cleared his throat and spoke in a stiff voice.

“That is correct.”

I could clearly see that he had narrowly swallowed the casual speech that had almost come out by habit.

‘This bastard is incredibly quick-witted.’

With Cheol-su’s safe return as the final step…

The 94th Floor strategy finally came to an end.

‘Haa…’

Now it would be over once the clear message appeared.

[Notification: The Republic of Korea Tower’s 94th Floor has been “cleared.”]

Yes, that.

[Multiple Hidden Quests have been completed.]

And then came the Hidden Quests.

[Hidden Quest 1. Perfect Defense]

[You went beyond perfectly defending against the Monster Wave and annihilated it in return.]

[Reward: The Blessing of the Tower seeps into your entire body.]

‘It is here.’

What makes a Climber stronger?

The answer is, “A Climber becomes stronger by climbing the Tower.”

A clear objective is given for each Floor.

Once it is achieved, that Floor is over.

Then one becomes able to climb to the next Floor.

This “ordinary clear” is easy, fast, and convenient, but it has one fatal weakness.

It does not make the Climber stronger.

On the other hand, if one exceeds the objective or clears hidden elements…

If one clears a “Hidden Quest,” then depending on what was accomplished, the “Blessing of the Tower” seeps into the Climber’s body.

After clearing the 1st Floor tutorial…

All the way until clearing the 93rd Floor…

I had tenaciously cleared Hidden Quests.

Each time, I had steadily accumulated and refined the “blessings” I received, creating a single form of energy.

That was Internal Energy.

A pure and powerful source of power, different in nature from Mana.

The golden blessing seeped in from the crown of my head and poured heavily down into my Dantian.

As heat swept through my entire body, as though the turbid impurities inside me were burning away, the amount of Internal Energy I had accumulated visibly increased and filled my Dantian without a gap.

It was a wondrous fullness, as though my body’s durability and senses had been sharpened to another level.

[Hidden Quest 2. Perfect Offense]

[You went beyond defeating the “Outer God’s Shell” and completely extinguished it.]

[Reward: The Blessing of the Tower seeps into your entire body.]

I had cleared the second Hidden Quest as well.

‘Krrr.’

Since the 94th Floor’s theme was Defense and Offense, clearing one Hidden Quest from each element made this a truly perfect clear.

Now, once I left outside, it would be over…

‘Hm?’

…Or so I thought, but the messages continued below.

‘There is one more?’

[Hidden Quest 3.]

‘?’

But something was… strange.

It displayed “3” properly, but the flow felt as though it had lagged.

‘What is this?’

The Tower’s System had never displayed messages this slowly before.

[Hidden Quest 3. Apology Gift]

‘?’

[We apologize for the appearance of an unexpected variable.]

“Oh.”

I was surprised enough to speak aloud.

This was the first time the Tower’s System had conveyed its intent in this manner.

‘…It looks like the conversation with the red text earlier got under its skin a bit.’

There was nothing bad about it.

[Reward: The Blessing of the Tower seeps into your entire body.]

After all, rewards were sweet.

Then now, outside—

[Hidden Quest 4.]

‘?’

There is another one?

[Hidden Quest 4. Welcome Back Gift]

[Entity: Ha Seong-un’s return was awaited.]

[Sincere congratulations.]

‘…’

What is this?

[Reward: The Blessing of the Tower seeps into your entire body.]

…Anyway, thanks for the reward.

***

Hanam Fortress became an impregnable iron fortress.

The massive fortress wall raised by the S-rank Earth Mage Happy.

The Highest-grade Potions that Golden Mine Lee Hyeong-je was handing out.

And even the support of the masked Black Market employees had joined the defensive line, creating an unprecedented battlefield that no nation in the world could dare imitate.

However—

The despairing modifier “unlimited” was slowly gnawing away even at that miraculous power of enormous wealth.

“Hah, haaah…”

Kim Tae-wan, the Tanker Squad Leader, let out rough breaths while holding a broken shield.

His physical wounds had healed after Potions were poured into him, but his Mana Circuits, burned out to the limit, and his extreme mental fatigue were areas that could not be patched up even by pouring money into them.

“Squad Leader! A-ahead…!”

Kim Tae-wan lifted his heavy head.

“Shit…”

The waves had already continued nearly twenty times.

The next offensive, which rushed in without even giving them a moment to catch their breath, was on an entirely different level from the ordinary Monster Waves they had experienced so far.

Along with hordes of Green Skins made up of Goblins and Orcs from the 30th to 40th Floor range, higher-ranked Demonic Beasts that inhabited the 50th to 60th Floor range had begun to appear mixed in.

Powerful enemies that most countries had never even experienced were gathering in groups of hundreds and charging toward the fortress wall.

“We will rotate again.”

Red blood seeped from Min Ji-hee’s lips as she watched the monitors in the situation room.

However, without realizing it, she held her breath and watched the terrible scene reflected on the screens.

Happy, who had been repairing the fortress, had long since collapsed with symptoms of Mana exhaustion.

Jin Cheon-jin, Kang Hyo-jun, Jang Ho-hyeon, and the other members of the Special Operations Team, who had been deployed as firefighters, had already suffered injuries of varying severity, and their combat power had dropped greatly.

The Healers’ Divine Power had been completely exhausted, and they were barely keeping the Tankers alive with Potions.

A dam on the verge of collapse.

That was the current state of Hanam Fortress.

Just as even the sturdy Jin Cheon-jin clenched his fists with a hardened expression and prepared for the final resistance—

RUMBLE—!

The sky split open.

The gray sky that had been pressing down on the Republic of Korea cracked like thick glass and collapsed.

“Kraaaagh!”

Just as the greedy roars of the Demonic Beasts trying to climb over the fortress wall were about to swallow the battlefield—

A clear System notification sound that struck everyone’s eardrums rang throughout the entire area.

Ding!

[Notification: The forced termination condition for the “Unlimited Monster Wave” in the Republic of Korea region has been achieved.]

“…Huh?”

Min Ji-hee doubted her own eyes and ears.

She thought it was an auditory hallucination created by extreme exhaustion.

However, thousands, tens of thousands of Monsters had stopped right before the fortress wall.

FSSSH—

Soon, that countless army of Demonic Beasts began collapsing like a sandcastle, turning into golden powder.

The moment disbelief changed into shock, an unbelievable silence settled over the battlefield.

And then came the next message.

And the brilliant, sacred golden light announcing the end of the war…!

Soon, a message that seemed like a lie appeared in everyone’s vision.

[Notification: The Republic of Korea Tower’s 94th Floor has been “cleared.”]

“…Cleared?”

In the end, Min Ji-hee’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor.

The tears she had been holding back poured from both eyes.

Two hours after the wave began.

The Apostle had led his party inside, shattered the ten-year yoke that had bound the Republic of Korea…

And truly cleared the 94th Floor.

BOOOOM—!

In the middle of the battlefield…

Through the ashes of the crumbled Demonic Beasts, a pillar of light so dazzling that no one could open their eyes slammed down.