Chapter 2: Nightmare 1st Floor (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: Nightmare 1st Floor (1)
“Goblin. Estimated height: 150cm to 160cm. Physical strength: roughly equal to or slightly less than an average adult male. In Easy and Normal difficulties, unarmed goblins primarily use teeth and claws. In Hard difficulty, the danger level spikes as they are armed with iron longswords...”
I had absolutely no intention of ever entering the Tower.
That didn't mean, however, that I had been sitting idle.
“...Even Hard difficulty is insane. What kind of people actually attempt this?”
Information about the Tower’s 1st floor was everywhere if you spent even a little time searching the internet. There were established strategy manuals considered mandatory reading for any Climber.
Of course, none of that applied to me.
No one knew what obstacles awaited on the 1st floor of Nightmare difficulty because there wasn't a single survivor. The more I researched, the more I concluded that entering simply meant death.
They say you can become a superhuman by climbing the Tower? That you can make an astronomical amount of money from the rewards found within?
Many people were supposedly tempted by such things, and some even seemed to envy the chosen Climbers.
But so what? I only have one life.
I wasn't particularly adventurous, and I knew the value of my own skin. I was the exact opposite of those "chosen" types. Even if the difficulty assigned to me had been Easy, I wouldn't have given it a second look. I was already living a perfectly decent life.
And yet, I was assigned Nightmare difficulty—the one with a zero percent survival rate.
Unless someone held a knife to my throat, I would never have entered of my own volition.
Still, I figured you never know what life might throw at you. Whenever I had a spare moment, I looked up information about the 1st floor and memorized it. I told myself I’d never enter, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get in shape while I was at it, so I started exercising too.
Actually, if I really wanted to prepare properly, there were specialized training facilities for Climbers. But going to a place like that felt like volunteering for the draft, so I stayed away. Instead, I took up kendo and boxing.
Boxing is common enough, but there was a specific reason I chose kendo.
They say you can't bring electronic devices or any outside weapons or armor into the Tower. The only things you can use are the weapons provided by the Tower itself. It was common knowledge that the standard weapon given to Climbers on the 1st floor was a sword.
I had long suspected that I could use my Time Stop ability for physical combat. After attending kendo and boxing gyms for over six months, I confirmed it: it was incredibly effective.
I felt a twinge of regret, thinking I should have trained even harder if I’d known things would turn out like this, but well...
The enemies encountered on the 1st floor were almost always Goblins, regardless of difficulty.
Easy Difficulty: One unarmed Goblin.
Normal Difficulty: Two unarmed Goblins.
Hard Difficulty: Two Goblins armed with swords.
If so, what on earth awaited in Nightmare difficulty?
[You have entered the Nightmare 1st Floor.]
I was about to find out.
The scenery before my eyes shifted in an instant. As soon as I arrived, I stopped time.
I scanned the environment. The space looked like the interior of a massive cave. Minerals embedded in the walls glowed like lamps, brightly illuminating the area. There was a straight passage ahead, and no enemies were immediately visible.
I repeatedly toggled my ability—starting and stopping time—as I surveyed my surroundings: front, back, left, and right. For now, the layout matched the manuals. I’d heard that all other difficulties involved fighting Goblins in a cave-like setting as well.
...What should I do?
Now that I was actually inside, the weight of it hit me. Regret began to gnaw at my gut.
No, I can't be like this.
‘Get it together.’
Since I was already in, I couldn't afford to wallow. I can do this. I will definitely clear this and get out alive. They say those who seek death shall live, and those who seek life shall die. If others can do it, so can I.
I took a deep breath—well, time was stopped, so I couldn't actually draw air. After taking a mental breath to steady my nerves, I released time.
I picked up the sword resting on a cube-shaped rock nearby. It was a Western-style longsword. I had worried they might not even give me a weapon since it was Nightmare difficulty, but thankfully, the Tower wasn't that heartless.
Gripping the hilt with both hands, I faced the passage ahead. Soon, Goblins would emerge. The fact that they appeared from that specific tunnel was a constant across all difficulties.
As I waited, breathing in the musty, damp air... the creatures stepped out.
I immediately stopped time again.
I counted them. Three in total. Two were armed with swords similar to mine, and one carried a spear.
...So I have to kill those things.
Even though I’d prepared myself, my resolve wavered.
You idiot, get a grip.
Since I had an infinite amount of time to think, I calmly formulated a strategy. Obviously, taking on all three at once was madness. The one with the sword stood at the very front, while the other two were slightly further back.
‘The manuals say they’ll charge and attack immediately.’
The space was wide enough. Would it be possible to fight them one by one using hit-and-run tactics?
‘As long as I don't get surrounded...’
If I utilized my ability to its fullest, I could make it work. I had been honing my combat sense through boxing and kendo for this exact reason. But this was the real deal. Even the slightest slip-up would be fatal.
‘I can do this.’
I forced myself to shake off the fear. With one final surge of determination, I released time.
“Kieeeek—!”
The Goblins charged.
The Sword Goblin in the lead was the fastest. A chance presented itself immediately. I could take this one out first and then pull back. When the creature was almost on top of me, I activated my technique.
I repeatedly released and stopped time in rapid succession. It was like watching a video and rapidly double-tapping the play/pause button. The Goblin moved in tiny, stuttering increments.
It was a technique I had dubbed ‘Time Splitting.’
The limit for quickly toggling the stop was about 0.02 seconds. In other words, I could split one second into fifty distinct parts.
Time Stop isn't omnipotent. My body and reaction speed were, in the end, merely those of an ordinary human. What good does it do to stop time when a blade is already an inch from my gut? I wouldn't be able to dodge it; I’d just be pierced the moment I released time.
Therefore, Time Splitting was the only way to move in "real-time" while maintaining a massive advantage.
‘...His face is freaking hideous.’
I realized then that the Goblins in games and manga were heavily beautified. This thing was a monster.
The Goblin approached me sluggishly. My own body felt equally heavy and slow. However, I could easily predict its trajectory.
‘It’s a stab.’
The Goblin pulled the hilt of its sword back, the tip aiming for my midsection. This was definitely a thrust.
I began to evade, shifting my back foot and hips to the side. At the same time, I extended my sword to counter. In the slowed time, we both moved as if our frame rates had dropped to near zero. Moving while toggling time for mere fractions of a second was a bizarre sensation, but I had practiced enough to keep my movements fluid.
‘Good.’
The evasion was a success. By the time the Goblin thrust its sword, I was already completely out of the path of the strike. Conversely, the tip of my sword was aimed precisely at the Goblin’s throat.
I thrust forward.
I felt it. The sharpness of a real blade pierced through the creature's hide much more smoothly than I had expected.
“Keck—”
With my sword lodged in the Goblin’s neck, I stopped time again.
...I actually did it.
Since I’d stabbed it in the jugular, this one was finished. I calmly planned my next move. I needed to pull the sword out and retreat. I had all the time in the world to get my footing right.
Once I was ready, I released time.
“...!”
I stopped it again immediately. The blade didn't come out as easily as I’d thought. Dammit.
What should I do? I tried twisting the blade while pushing the Goblin’s chest away with my foot.
Thwack!
Fortunately, the sword came free. The Goblin collapsed with a heavy thud, clutching its throat. I quickly turned and ran. The remaining two Goblins chased after me, letting out unpleasant, high-pitched screeches.
I was faster than they were. First, stop again.
I froze mid-sprint.
Wait, this is actually doable.
My ability was working perfectly in actual combat. I felt a surge of confidence. I just had to deal with the other two the same way.
The Sword Goblin was closing in. It was on the left, while the Spear Goblin was on the right and further behind. If I ran to the left, the distance between the two would widen even more.
I released time and sprinted. As I curved toward the left, the gap between the Goblins grew. The Sword Goblin and I drew closer.
Now.
I came to a sudden halt, bracing my feet. The charging Sword Goblin didn't stop, as if it had no concept of a coordinated attack.
Even better. Come at me.
When it was right in front of me, I started Time Splitting again. Release, stop, release, stop. Watching the Goblin’s movements stutter, I predicted the attack.
‘A downward strike.’
The sword was raised high above its head—a very honest, telegraphed overhead swing. Timing it right, I swung my sword as well. As I parried the descending blade to the side, my palms stung from the impact.
I stopped time again and prepared the counter. The advantage I had was that even in the heat of combat, I had infinite time to think. The Goblin’s reactions simply couldn't keep up.
Puchi!
My sword pierced the Goblin’s wide-open neck. Second one down.
I pulled the sword out and retreated more calmly than before. The Spear Goblin, which had been trailing behind, flinched upon seeing its comrade collapse.
Was this one a coward? Or was it just smarter?
The Spear Goblin didn't rush in recklessly. It hovered at a distance, wary.
“Whew...”
I caught my breath while keeping my eyes locked on it.
...Wait a minute. I shouldn't be celebrating just because there’s only one left. The spear was leveled at me, and its reach was much longer than my sword's. The pressure from that distance was more intense than I’d expected.
If I closed the distance carelessly, it would skewer me. Dodging while being the aggressor was much harder than dodging a charging enemy. It would be easier if it attacked blindly like the others, but this one was being pointlessly cautious.
The 'evade and counter' pattern that killed the first two wouldn't work here.
‘I’m not comfortable initiating...’
I maintained my distance and slowly circled the Goblin. Fine, there’s no reason for me to rush. Are you going to keep doing this? Then you come to me.
I focused my nerves, ready to stop time the moment I saw a tell. After circling each other for a long minute, the Goblin let out an angry screech, its patience finally snapping.
“Kieek—! Kieeeek—!”
The cry was grating, like metal scraping on metal.
Wait, should I try provoking it? Seeing how annoyed it was, maybe it would charge if I needled it.
“Hehe. Pfft.”
I made the most obnoxious face I could and let out a mocking laugh, even sticking my tongue out. Fortunately, the Goblin seemed to understand the insult. As soon as I noticed its weight shifting forward, I stopped time.
Here it comes.
The spear approached slowly through the Time Splitting. Predicting the path of the thrust, I twisted my body and stepped inside its guard.
Dodge, close in, and stab.
It felt like my senses had sharpened after the first two kills. I executed the counterattack exactly as planned. After driving the sword into the Goblin’s neck, I kicked the corpse away and pulled my blade free.
The creature's twitching soon ceased.
I looked around. The Goblins I’d taken down earlier were now cold corpses. I had killed all three. It was over.
“...”
Or was it?
I’d heard that the 1st floor ended once all Goblins were defeated. However, no message appeared. No "Clear" notification, nothing.
It meant there was more.
“Yeah, I didn't expect it to be that easy.”
Three Goblins. Of course, even this would be incredibly difficult for a normal person, but I didn't think Nightmare difficulty would end there. If it were this simple, it wouldn't make sense that tens of thousands had died here.
“Phew.”
I sat down to let my muscles recover.
[Nightmare]
Participants: 76,526
Time Limit: 3 hours 1 minute 42 seconds
Current Floor: 1st Floor
I checked the status window. Not even five minutes had passed since I entered. Because I fought while stopping time, it felt much longer to me.
“Good... this is doable.”
I muttered, glancing at the corpses. Had I really just done that? Even to me, it felt like a brilliantly executed battle.
See? I can do it if I try.
My spirits lifted, and a sliver of hope began to bloom—the hope that I could actually conquer this Nightmare difficulty.
Kererek—
The sound of a Goblin’s cry echoed through the cave. I scrambled to my feet.
Dammit, they won't even give me a proper break.
More Goblins were emerging from the passage. I stopped time.
There were three this time as well. However, their equipment was different. One had a sword, one had a sword and a shield.
And... oh, shit.
I felt a cold sweat break out. One of them was holding a bow.