Chapter 39: 7th Floor. Yulsir (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: 7th Floor. Yulsir (1)
[Topic: What’s the deal with the 7th Floor?]
[User: I cleared it, but I have no clue what just happened. It doesn't even feel like I did anything.]
[User: And what was with that look of pure disappointment at the end? I cleared the floor, but it doesn't feel like a victory at all...]
[Pham Minh Duc (23rd Floor): It’s a bizarre place. Even now, it remains one of the strangest floors in the tower.]
[Albert Lutan (11th Floor): More importantly, look at that clear condition. Is there anyone who can actually satisfy it?]
[Kang San (14th Floor): Doubt it. No sane person would actually read all that crap.]
* * *
While Kang Jun-hyeok was busy climbing, the world outside was in an absolute uproar.
It was only natural. Previously, there had been no penalty for refusing to climb the tower. Most people assumed there was no reason to risk their lives unless they craved power or wealth. The vast majority had simply given up on the tower to live ordinary lives.
Then, out of nowhere, the "Test" was announced.
A declaration that those who failed to produce results would be penalized.
It was a bolt from the blue. The Community was going up in flames.
[Kang Ji-an (2nd Floor): No, what the hell is this?! You said we didn't have to climb!]
[Luton Oliver (1st Floor): Fuck! What is this! What do you mean you're suddenly handing out penalties?!]
[Arein Alibana (1st Floor): Someone save me. Please.]
The Community was flooded with desperate posts from players stuck on the 1st and 2nd Floors—the people who had long since abandoned the climb.
High-ranking players like Olivia Turner and Kim Tae-yeon tried their best to calm the public, but their words fell on deaf ears. The world was plunged into instant chaos. Those who had tried to ignore the tower were now terrified, scrambling to begin their ascent.
“What kind of bullshit is this?!”
Baekdusan was no exception to the panic. He stared at his secretary in horror.
“You! You’re climbing the tower, right?!”
“Ye-yes, sir! I am!”
“What floor are you on right now?!”
“The 3rd Floor.”
“The 3rd Floor...”
Baekdusan ground his teeth. His secretary had only recently obtained the right to challenge the tower. According to the System’s explanation, there would be "reasonable judgment and coordination," so such cases would likely be taken into account.
But even considering that, her floor was too low. Baekdusan spoke urgently.
“There are only two weeks left. Don’t rest for a single day—climb! During the three-day grace period between floors, I’ll train you as much as I can!”
“U-understood!”
The secretary nodded, her face deathly pale. Baekdusan slumped back into his chair.
“...What’s the status of the others?”
“Our guild is doing relatively well. We only have members who were already actively climbing. But the Verdant Guild is...”
“Must be turned upside down. What on earth is happening all of a sudden?”
Baekdusan could feel it instinctively. From this moment on, the common sense they once knew would be shattered to pieces.
At the same time, a memory surfaced.
— If you truly cherish your secretary, you should have her start climbing the tower now.
Those were the last words Kang Jun-hyeok had said to him.
‘...Did he know this was coming?’
Just who was that man? Baekdusan felt a chill run down his spine once again.
* * *
As if the commotion outside didn't concern him, Kang Jun-hyeok stood calmly on the 7th Floor. He found himself standing before a long bridge.
[7th Floor Quest]
• In accordance with Yulsir's Law, respond to those crossing the bridge.
• The quest will begin when you approach the bridge.
The 7th Floor quest: Respond to those crossing the bridge using Yulsir's Law.
The Master of All Weapons muttered within his mind.
[Yulsir, eh? It’s been a long time.]
“I guess you know them.”
[Of course I do. We’re acquainted. That is the God of Law, Yulsir.]
Yulsir—a being referred to as a god.
[I assume you know about gods.]
“I know as much as anyone else. It’s just that there weren't any on our planet.”
[Was it a world beyond the gaze of the gods? How peculiar. Then it would be easier if I gave you a brief explanation. Gods are Transcendents who emerged at the very birth of the universe.]
From the empty void, a great explosion occurred, and the universe was born. In the process of creation, various concepts emerged. Cosmic beings who were the physical manifestations of those concepts—those were the gods.
[Each presides over their own concept, protecting and granting power to the believers who follow them. Originally, they were the closest things to the masters of the universe. Well, they’re nothing more than 'Losers' now, though.]
Even those mighty gods had ultimately lost in the Great War. Yulsir was one of those fallen deities.
[But to think the first god you’d encounter is Yulsir. Hmm.]
“What is it?”
[Nothing. It’s just that fellow isn't exactly a normal god. Gods are beings obsessed with their own concepts... but that guy takes it a bit too far.]
The Master of All Weapons spoke with a hint of distaste. The reason was immediately apparent.
Thump!
With a heavy sound, a massive book dropped at Kang Jun-hyeok’s feet. Jun-hyeok let out a short laugh.
“It’s damn big.”
The book was gargantuan. It was about three times the thickness of a standard law book, and its dimensions were twice as large. The title was written in a strange language, but he could read it without issue.
[This is the Scripture of the Lost God, Yulsir's Law.]
When he opened the book, the pages were packed tight with text the size of ants, leaving no gaps. Reading through the contents, they were roughly as follows:
“Good grief.”
Kang Jun-hyeok chuckled. The Master of All Weapons spoke in a reluctant tone.
[Laws for a god are natural, of course, but this guy takes it way too far.]
A believer serving a god had to follow the laws created by that god. Failure to do so meant losing their qualification as a believer. That was perfectly normal. However, the God of Law’s mandates were excessive. There was a law for every possible situation, and they numbered in the hundreds of thousands. It was impossible to remember and follow them all.
[Because of that, he is one of the least popular gods. The number of his believers can be counted on one hand.]
Kang Jun-hyeok looked up at the sky. He could feel a gaze from above. There was no need to wonder who it belonged to. It was likely Yulsir.
“So he’s watching to see if I follow the laws.”
[He’s probably looking for someone in the tower to take as a believer. That’s likely why he entered this place. Though I doubt he’ll have much success.]
There was no way a player entering the tower could read all these laws. It was a volume that would take months just to read. To memorize it would take dozens of times longer. No one was going to sit still and read a law book for that long while climbing.
The condition for a Perfect Clear of the 7th Floor was to perfectly implement the contents of the laws. It was a condition bordering on the impossible.
[But for you, it might be different.]
If it was Kang Jun-hyeok, he would somehow find a way to achieve a Perfect Clear. There was a sense of anticipation in the Master of All Weapons' voice.
Even the light in Yulsir’s downward gaze held a faint expectation. Word of Kang Jun-hyeok had spread among the Losers. Yulsir was likely aware of him as well. A glimmer of "just maybe" was visible.
To clear the floor, one first needed to read the book of laws. After all, if you didn't know the laws, you couldn't follow them. The Master of All Weapons expected Kang Jun-hyeok to sit down and begin reading.
However, Kang Jun-hyeok didn't even spare the book a second glance. He shifted his weight and began walking toward the bridge.
[Hmm? You’re not going to read it?]
“No need.”
[7th Floor Quest Start.]
The quest began as he reached the bridge. The emotion in the gaze from above wavered for a moment before turning into disappointment. Yulsir assumed Kang Jun-hyeok had given up on following the laws and began to withdraw his gaze.
Ignoring this, Kang Jun-hyeok stood guard at the bridge. Before long, a person appeared.
It was a merchant dressed in red, sweating profusely while carrying a large backpack. He spotted Kang Jun-hyeok and his eyes widened.
“Wh-who are you?”
Instead of answering, Kang Jun-hyeok observed the merchant. He was wearing red clothes. He looked like a merchant, but he had no pack horse or servants. His age was estimated to be in his 40s.
In that case...
Kang Jun-hyeok lowered his left hand and raised his right. He stepped back with his right foot. He lowered his waist and bowed his head slightly. He greeted the merchant in a very peculiar posture.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, O merchant who walks the path alone.”
* * *
At that moment, the gaze descending from the sky wavered, as if it couldn't believe its own eyes. The merchant’s eyes went round.
“P-pleasure to meet you. May I ask who...”
“I am the Bridge Keeper of the Law, stationed here by the command of Lord Yulsir.”
“Ah, ah... Lord Yulsir.”
The merchant flinched at the name. He had a very awkward expression, as if he knew of Yulsir’s reputation.
“Is there a problem?”
“May I ask you a few questions?”
“Uh... yes.”
Kang Jun-hyeok calmly questioned the merchant.
“First. What is your age?”
“Second. What is the cargo you are carrying?”
“Third. What is your purpose?”
The merchant answered the three questions honestly.
“I am forty-four years old.”
“The cargo I’m carrying is mostly bowls and ceramics.”
“I’m heading to the city to sell my wares.”
Hearing this, Kang Jun-hyeok nodded as if he understood.
“Confirmed. Then, in accordance with Lord Yulsir's Law, I shall take one strand of your beard.”
“O-oh, okay. That certainly is unusual...”
The merchant reluctantly plucked a strand of his beard and handed it to Kang Jun-hyeok. After the merchant departed, the Master of All Weapons asked quietly.
[...What did you just do? And Yulsir—why is that guy looking at you like that?]
The gaze from the sky had transformed into something incredibly intense. Kang Jun-hyeok spoke matter-of-factly.
“I responded according to the law.”
[The law? You mean that behavior just now?]
“Yeah.”
By following those three laws, Kang Jun-hyeok had greeted the merchant in that bizarre posture. The Master of All Weapons let out a groan.
[Wait a minute. Then the questions you asked after that...]
“Those were also the law.”
If the goods the merchant is selling are daily necessities, do not take payment. If the merchant's destination is a city, take a part of their body.
Those were Law 563 and Law 1124, respectively. Kang Jun-hyeok had responded to the merchant while following five different laws simultaneously. The Master of All Weapons gasped.
[You... Did you already know Yulsir's Law?]
Kang Jun-hyeok appeared to know the contents of the hundreds of thousands of laws by heart.
Kang Jun-hyeok said softly.
“I have a rather tiresome connection with him.”
Yulsir's Law was excessively fastidious and vast. That was why the number of his believers could be counted on one hand. And in his past life, Kang Jun-hyeok had been involved with one of those few believers.
It was a long, exhausting connection. It was hard to even count the time they spent together. As a result of having Yulsir's Law preached to him incessantly every time they met, he had ended up memorizing every single law.
“Life really is unpredictable.”
To think that the laws he used to beat the guy up for—telling him to shut the hell up—would come back to help him like this.
‘Next time we meet, I should listen a bit more kindly.’
[Good heavens.]
The Master of All Weapons could not hide his wonder. The gaze of Yulsir descending from above began to grow so powerful it felt as if it would pierce through the heavens.