Chapter 17: 2nd Floor Hidden Route (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: 2nd Floor Hidden Route (1)
Saturday afternoon.
I had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning and didn't wake up until nearly lunchtime.
"Were you up late last night?"
"Yeah, I had some things to do."
I sat in the living room with my family, eating lunch while the TV hummed in the background.
- News has reached us that the 2nd floor of the Tower’s Nightmare difficulty was cleared around 2 AM today. The identity of the Climber has not yet been revealed...
The news was reporting on exactly what I had done.
"See? I told you someone would clear it," my father said with a 'told-you-so' attitude. "If they don't do something about that thing, the world is doomed. You think people haven't been preparing thoroughly?"
He cleared his throat under my mother's sharp gaze. Even if everyone knew it was true, hearing that the world might end wasn't exactly pleasant conversation for the lunch table.
My younger sibling was silently devouring the ham side dishes with a blank expression. They had been in a foul mood lately, but today they seemed to be in better spirits.
From now on, would it be normal for everyone to live with the constant anxiety that the world might end every year? At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire population developed bipolar disorder.
I suppose being able to live with that anxiety is a blessing in itself. It’s certainly better than the world actually ending.
- Along with the clearing of the 2nd floor across all difficulties, a total of 400,000 new Climbers have been summoned, just like last time. However, there is a difference this time. A new rule of the Tower has been established.
- According to the rule, any chosen Climber who fails to enter the Tower even once within three years will face immediate death. This appears to apply to the 1st and 2nd generation Climbers as well, calculated from the moment they were first called by the Tower...
That was another problem. The Tower was trying to kill more people with these new rules.
Requiring people to enter the Tower at least once meant, in the end, they had to attempt the 1st floor. The 1st-floor Climbers who had been too terrified to step inside would now die if they didn't take the challenge.
Even for 1st-generation Climbers like me, who were called at the very beginning, it meant we had a little over a year left.
'The other difficulties are one thing, but...'
If someone was assigned Easy or Normal, they might be okay. But for those stuck with Nightmare, there was truly no hope.
I watched the news and glanced at my family. "You guys didn't happen to become Climbers, did you?"
"Oh, please. Of course not," my mother answered, as if telling me not to worry.
My father shook his head, and my sibling didn't even bother to respond.
Right, there was no way. Statistically speaking, 400,000 out of 8 billion people... what were the odds? It was about one in 20,000. I read somewhere that the probability of being struck by lightning in your lifetime is about 1 in 15,000. The odds of being a Climber were even lower than that.
'Then why the hell was I picked?'
Thinking about it now, it was just absurd. But then again, because I was picked, the world hasn't ended yet. Damn, I can't even feel like a victim.
Anyway, it was enough that I was the only one struck by this particular bolt of lightning.
After finishing my meal, I rolled around on my bed and browsed the Communication Window. Since I'd cleared the 2nd floor, I needed to post information. I decided to do it a bit later, though.
There were still too many uncertain details. I didn't know if there were more illusion platforms besides the ones I’d stepped on, exactly where the traps that made the floor rise were, or if the trap positions changed with each entry.
It would be better to organize and post the information after confirming everything through repeated clears. I didn't want people dying because they relied on inaccurate information.
"Let's start with the Hidden Route."
If I was going back into the 2nd floor anyway, I had to clear the Hidden Route first. I'd already confirmed last time that just leaving would waste the opportunity.
* * *
[You have entered the 2nd floor of Nightmare difficulty.]
That night, I re-entered the 2nd floor.
As soon as I spawned, the oppressive heat of the lava washed over my skin. I looked at the platforms ahead of me. This time, even if I fell, I could just exit the Tower right before hitting the lava, so the pressure was off.
Let's see... the illusion platform was the fourth one.
'Should I try jumping to the fifth platform in one go?'
With my physical abilities enhanced by leveling up, combined with the Leap and Teleportation skills, it felt doable.
I crouched down, aimed for the target, and took a massive leap. After soaring through the air, I used Teleportation to land squarely on the fifth platform. I had covered more than half the distance in a single move.
I waited for the skill cooldown and jumped again. With two leaps, I reached the large floor that served as the midpoint.
Next were the glowing platforms. Their positions hadn't changed since last time. Are they fixed?
After passing through them easily, the path leading to the door appeared. I moved forward slowly, one step at a time.
It was around here, wasn't it?
Thump!
As I reached the middle of the path, the floor rose up exactly as expected.
'Okay, it's exactly this spot. Confirmed.'
I teleported back and waited for my depleted Willpower to refill. Now that my Willpower was 450, I didn't have to worry about running dry until I'd used Teleportation at least three times.
Once refilled, I unleashed a Flame Strike at the door. As soon as the door shattered, the lava began to surge violently, and I went whistling toward the stairs.
Honestly, if people just have the right information, the 2nd floor might be more manageable than the 1st. Or maybe not. Whatever.
I slipped out through the window and climbed up the outer wall of the Tower. Finally, the boss. I didn't even bother picking up a weapon; I just waited for the creature to emerge.
CRASH!
The door was smashed to pieces, and the Minotaur appeared. As soon as it saw me, it charged.
I didn't use Flame Strike. When I was level 15, this thing felt dangerous, but now? I had a feeling I could win this in a fistfight.
I dodged the charge and landed a straight punch right into its torso.
CRACK!
The sensation of bones shattering traveled through my fist. The Minotaur roared in pain and swung its massive fist down at me.
I dodged easily. Its fist smashed the floor where I had been standing a split second before.
Dodge and strike, dodge and strike—we engaged in a brutal close-quarters brawl. For someone like me, whose agility had skyrocketed, the Minotaur's simple, brutish attacks were easy to read. On the other hand, every one of my punches was steadily tenderizing the beast's body into a lump of meat.
Furthermore, with my newly acquired skill, Exhilaration, activated, I soon completely overwhelmed the monster.
BAM!
The battered Minotaur staggered after taking a heavy hit to the temple. I leaped into the air and delivered a roundhouse kick to its head. With its skull crushed, the Minotaur collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Are you dead?"
Since it didn't answer, I assumed it was.
If it's dead, time to bail. I picked up one of the swords dropped on the floor and sprinted toward the railing. A moment later, the floor vibrated and collapsed entirely.
I perched on the railing. As the effect of Exhilaration slowly deactivated, I felt the heat leaving my body.
That was just the warm-up. Now it was time to find the Hidden Route.
"Where would a Hidden Route be..."
The Tower had become a lava bath. The only way was down.
I looked into the dizzying depths. It looked to be about the height of a skyscraper. I was a little nervous, but there was no reason to be. I jumped straight down.
Whoosh!
I had never even done a bungee jump in my life, yet here I was experiencing the ultimate freefall. Of course, since this was a bungee jump without a cord, my body would be spectacularly shattered if I hit the ground.
Just before reaching the surface, I stopped time and teleported. The kinetic energy from the fall vanished instantly, and I landed lightly on the ground.
"Phew."
The area around the Tower was a dense forest. A pale blue moon hung in the night sky, casting an eerie glow. The atmosphere was perfect for a horror movie.
Since I had no idea what might pop out, I heightened my alertness. First, I circled the Tower to investigate. Lava was still pouring like a waterfall from the window I had escaped from, pooling on the ground.
I discovered a massive gate that looked like the entrance, but even there, the overflowing lava had become a viscous, writhing sludge.
As expected, the forest was the only way forward. There was a single path leading from the castle entrance into the depths of the woods.
"...This feels ominous."
The darkness of the forest felt like a monster with its maw wide open. It was extremely unsettling, but the fact that this was the only path made it obvious that I was supposed to go this way.
I moved cautiously, holding my sword ready. It was even darker inside the forest, though the moonlight was bright enough that I wasn't completely blind.
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, the chirping of insects... the atmosphere felt like something could jump out at any second. When I had looked down from the top of the Tower, the forest looked vast. I wasn't sure how far I had to travel.
I moved forward, prepared to exit immediately if things got dangerous.
Rustle.
A faint sound came from behind. The sound of leaves being stepped on. It was distinct from the wind, and I whipped my head around instantly.
A blade was already inches from my face.
Just before the steel could pierce my throat, I stopped time.
Holy crap...
If I had been even 0.1 seconds late, I would have died. With my heart pounding, I checked the entity that had ambushed me.
'A woman?'
She looked human, but she wasn't. Her skin was deathly pale, she had horns, and her pupils were slit like a reptile's. The word 'Demon' naturally came to mind.
Regardless, she had attacked me. She was an enemy. Was this demon the boss of the Hidden Route?
It was too late to dodge the attack normally, so I focused. The moment I resumed time, I teleported behind her.
Time Stop again, immediately.
This time, I prepared a Flame Strike. A pair of fireballs flew toward the demon's back. In reality, I had fired the fireballs almost simultaneously with the teleportation.
The demon tried to turn around in a panic to dodge, but she was too slow.
"Aaaah!"
She was caught in the explosion and sent flying.
'Is she not dead?'
I approached the demon lying on the ground. She struggled to pick herself up, but the damage was significant. She was severely burned and couldn't steady her body.
"You human...!"
I stopped, keeping my distance. I watched the writhing demon warily. Glaring at me with eyes full of hostility, she shouted in frustration.
"Urgh... Just kill me!"
I was planning to. As soon as my skill cooldown was up.
I waited safely for 30 seconds without getting any closer, then unleashed another Flame Strike.
BOOM!
"Phew."
Success. That was a bit easy, wasn't it? Though I did almost die at the start.
[You have failed to clear the 2nd floor Hidden Route of Nightmare difficulty. (2/3)]
[You are being ejected from the Tower.]
"Huh?"
What? This wasn't it?
I was kicked out of the Tower, utterly bewildered.