Chapter 98: 16th Floor. World of Insensibility (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: 16th Floor. World of Insensibility (1)
[Title: Ah.]
[Aaaaaah. Ah. Ah. Aaaah! Aaaaaaaaah!]
[Choi Do-woon (24th Floor): ……What’s this?]
[Jung Ji-hoo (27th Floor): Looks like someone just cleared a floor. Is it the 16th? Or the 24th?]
[Choi Do-woon (24th Floor): The 24th doesn't get that kind of reaction. You just end up steeped in self-loathing. Judging by the scream, it’s definitely the 16th.]
[Jung Ji-hoo (27th Floor): That floor is a nightmare, too.]
* * *
“Whew.”
Kang Jun-hyeok returned to Earth, a look of satisfaction etched on his face.
He had significantly increased his skill proficiencies and had even acquired the ability to undergo a True Ancestor Awakening in the truest sense. By defeating a Player at the very end, his level had also risen.
The results were more than sufficient. Jun-hyeok spoke.
“Pixie.”
[Oh, you’re alive!]
Tearing through space, Pixie popped out with sparkling eyes.
[You didn't summon me for so long that I thought you were dead. Did the second test end well?]
It had been about two weeks since he joined Eldiria. It wasn't strange for Pixie to assume he had perished. Jun-hyeok replied.
“I had things to do.”
[Things? Like what?]
Pixie, looking puzzled, suddenly froze.
[……Wait a second. You’ve changed. You’ve…… you’ve become something else.]
“You noticed immediately.”
Jun-hyeok lightly flicked his fingers. Even though no skill was activated, his blood surged and billowed.
Pixie’s eyes widened.
[The Authority of a vampire?]
“As a reward, I went to meet the Vampire Princess, Eldiria. I learned a few things from her.”
Pixie gasped.
[Eldiria…… You met her and survived? And you even got a reward?]
“Want to see?”
Jun-hyeok asked with a faint smile. Pixie snapped out of her shock.
[I-I’d appreciate that, but our contract is regarding the floors of the Tower. Even if you show me, there’s nothing I can do for you.]
“It doesn’t matter. It’s a simple gesture of goodwill.”
[Then show me!]
Pixie rushed toward him. Seeing her eyes filled with excitement, Jun-hyeok chuckled and held out a finger. His memories began to transmit through Pixie.
[……Haa.]
A moment later, Pixie let out a long sigh and looked at Jun-hyeok with a face full of wonder.
[……Eldiria. She accepted you. She gave you her True Blood.]
“That’s how it turned out.”
[Ha. Every vampire in the universe is going to try to kill you now. Even those who were courting her. Do you have the confidence to survive?]
“I wouldn’t have gone if I didn't.”
At Jun-hyeok’s calm words, Pixie wore a delighted expression.
[Hahaha. This is getting interesting. It was a personal matter, so thank you for showing me.]
Pixie’s face was full of gratitude and favor toward Jun-hyeok.
Her contract with him was bound by the Tower. She couldn't grant him Starlight just because he showed her his memories of Eldiria. However, Pixie’s affinity had increased. That was enough.
As Pixie was happily sifting through the memories, she suddenly paused.
[……Huh?]
“What is it?”
[Eldiria gave you her True Blood at the end, right? There’s something strange about it.]
Pixie looked at Jun-hyeok with a bewildered face.
The Master of All Weapons had lost his sense of self. Having lost his name, his body, and all of his power, his senses were infinitely duller compared to when he was alive. But Pixie, though she might have lost her name, still possessed the full extent of the power she had in life.
Because of that, she could sense what the Master of All Weapons could not.
She spoke with a groan.
[Eldiria. Is that you?]
[……Hmph. Your senses are as beastly as ever.]
A clear, resonant voice echoed from within Jun-hyeok.
Jun-hyeok flinched and spoke hesitantly.
“Lady Eldiria?”
[It is a simple link. I thought it would be more entertaining to watch you climb the Tower from within than to stay stuck in that place waiting for the world to end.]
Eldiria continued in a low voice.
[Unlike the Master of All Weapons or Pixie, I have no intention of interfering. I plan only to watch whether you truly run toward your goal. Do not mind me.]
The Master of All Weapons let out a hollow laugh, and Pixie wore a strange expression.
[I didn't know you were someone so interested in others.]
[Uh…… Eldiria. What is this?]
[Be silent.]
Eldiria spoke dismissively and then fell quiet. Pixie said with a mischievous face.
[Looks like you’ve gained a companion for your journey.]
“It seems so.”
Jun-hyeok shook his head. It was unexpected, but it didn't matter much. He could just think of it as having one more spectator. Pixie grinned.
[The quest she gave you is to kill the Rooting Tree alone. If you pull that off, you might win over the one called the most beautiful in the universe. Give it your best shot. Well, if it’s you, it might just be possible.]
Even as she said it, Pixie’s face suggested she didn't truly expect it. To win against a Victor alone was something nearly impossible even for them.
Jun-hyeok smiled silently. The Master of All Weapons also maintained a strange silence.
[Well then, it’s goodbye for now. See you after you clear the next floor!]
Pixie waved and vanished.
After taking a short rest, Jun-hyeok checked the state of the world through the Community and the news. During the two weeks he had spent with Eldiria, the world had changed significantly. Players who had cleared the second test began to climb the Tower even more fervently. And so did those who had failed the temporary test.
‘This part is the same as before.’
The Players who had given up on becoming stronger because they judged the penalty to be trivial were in for a shock. This time, they had experienced the penalty in its truest sense: death.
They were likely climbing the Tower now, finally feeling a sense of crisis, but it was far too late. Only a tiny fraction of them would manage to survive. It wasn't important to him.
As he scanned the news, Jun-hyeok suddenly paused.
[The Renowned Perfect Player: Is His Identity a Korean Player?]
[He Overwhelmed Yoo Jin-ha, Korea’s Strongest Player, Despite Only Clearing the 15th Floor.]
[Perfect Player: What Is His True Identity?]
All sorts of news bordering on tabloid gossip filled the screen. Looking closer, it wasn't just one article. Most of the news was about him. When he checked the Community, it was even more of a spectacle.
[Choi Ga-young (15th Floor): So you’re saying he’s a Player on the same floor as me, but he overwhelmed Yoo Jin-ha? Wow.]
[Guryong (25th Floor): Honestly, I can’t believe it. Is that even possible? Yoo Jin-ha is a 46th-floor Player. That’s more than double.]
[Pham Minh Duc (26th Floor): But…… they say it’s actually true. Unless every Player in Korea has been brainwashed, it can’t be a lie.]
“It’s a madhouse.”
When he checked his phone, there were dozens of missed calls and hundreds of texts from Kim Tae-yeon and Baekdusan. When he called Kim Tae-yeon, she picked up in less than a second.
—Mr. Kang Jun-hyeok! You’re alive! You didn't answer for two weeks, and there was no sign of anyone when I visited……
“Did you think I was dead?”
—N-no, it’s not that. I was just worried…… More importantly! What should we do about this? I’m getting an insane number of calls!
Kim Tae-yeon and Baekdusan had direct ties to Kang Jun-hyeok. Those who had realized this were hounding the two of them to somehow establish a connection. At her urgent words, Jun-hyeok gave a simple answer.
“Ignore them.”
—W-what?
After a brief silence, Kim Tae-yeon answered cautiously.
—I should…… right?
It was just that the existence of 'Kang Jun-hyeok' was being revealed to the world. That was all. Nothing would change.
“The next test will take place before long. No matter how well-known I am or how famous I become, it has no bearing on anything.”
What mattered in the tests was individual performance. That was it.
“It might be different if you were managing a guild, but right now, you are individuals. There’s no need to care about outside influence. Just climb the Tower and build your strength.”
—I-I understand. Then I’ll tell them that you don’t wish for it.
“Yes.”
Jun-hyeok hung up. As he was about to close the Community, a post caught his eye.
[Olivia Turner (48th Floor): D-does anyone know about him? I committed a rudeness in the past and wish to seek his forgiveness.]
“She’s still the same.”
He gave a short laugh and closed the Community. Whether he became famous or not, his task remained unchanged. After a brief warm-up, he entered the Tower.
[Will you challenge the Tower?]
[Floor to challenge: 16th Floor.]
Jun-hyeok’s body entered the 16th Floor.
And what he felt was—nothing.
He could not see. He could not hear. He could not feel.
Beyond the five senses, the sixth sense itself was paralyzed. The only thing he could perceive was his own physical body. It felt as if he had been cast into a hollow void.
Within that blankness, the system window calmly announced the objective.
[16th Floor Quest.]
[Live here for one week.]
* * *
‘Hmm.’
Jun-hyeok looked around. All he could see was darkness. Nothing entered his field of vision.
He opened his mouth and spoke. His voice scattered and vanished into nothingness. When he took a step forward, he could only tell that he had moved; he felt no sensation of the ground.
He opened his mouth to call the Master of All Weapons, but no answer came. He couldn't even feel his presence.
‘As expected, all connections are severed.’
Surviving for one week in a void where nothing existed. That was the 16th Floor quest.
Looking at the simple condition, it seemed incredibly easy. One could clear it just by idling away the time. But in reality, it was not.
There was nothing here. With the sixth sense itself paralyzed, the only thing one could know was their own body.
The human mind was not that strong. Being locked in a solitary cell for a week was enough to drive most people insane. Furthermore, the 16th Floor went beyond simple solitary confinement; every sense was blocked.
It was a form of death.
The 1st through 15th floors were floors that evaluated a Player’s abilities. The 16th Floor was a floor that evaluated the Player’s mental strength itself. Every Player who cleared the 16th Floor had their mind shattered and remained broken for at least a month.
‘I had a pretty hard time in my past life, too.’
It wasn't as bad as others, but he had struggled for that week.
‘Not anymore, though.’
To his current self, this level of pressure meant nothing. He could clear it just by meditating quietly. However, Kang Jun-hyeok was naturally aiming for more than that.
The objective of the 16th Floor quest was 'living' for a week. It was not 'survival.'
He slowly began to move his body.