Chapter 28: Before the 3rd Floor (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Before the 3rd Floor (2)
The deadline for the Nightmare difficulty was less than three months away. The 3rd floor remained unconquered, and...
Time really does fly.
The weight of the pressure was finally starting to settle in. Though this was only my third time facing a deadline, this crushing sense of responsibility was not something I could ever get used to.
If I fail, the world ends. I die.
Since I was just an ordinary person, the fear of my own death felt far more immediate. The sensation of dying on the 1st floor was still vivid in my mind, even years later.
In the end, all I could do was prepare as thoroughly as possible.
I moved in and out of the Tower, grinding to increase my proficiency with my newly acquired skills. Blade Gale didn't require much practice, but Fairy Light Bullet was a different story. Controlling and firing multiple light orbs at will definitely required dedicated training.
* * *
[Skill: Fairy Light Bullet (Common+)(+1)]
Fires small bullets imbued with the power of light. Up to five orbs can be created; for each additional orb, the Willpower consumption stacks by 5. Requires 10 seconds of Mental Focus to cast.
Category: Magic-Type
Willpower Consumption: 20, 45, 75, 110, 150
Cooldown: 5 seconds
* * *
I used the Common+ Skill Enhancement Stone Villon gave me on Fairy Light Bullet. I did have the Lesser Poison Resistance passive, which was also a Common+ skill, but prioritizing my Magic-type offense was the obvious choice.
After the enhancement, the maximum number of light orbs increased to five. The Willpower consumption increased accordingly as well. Interestingly, Flame Strike hadn't increased in cost when I enhanced it.
I thought the enhancement efficiency was a bit poor, but since Willpower wasn't an issue for me anyway, it didn't really matter.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
I spent a significant amount of time "playing" with the Minotaur, raising my proficiency with Fairy Light Bullet until I became quite adept at handling the five orbs freely.
"Mooooooo...!"
The Minotaur staggered after being pelted by the light orbs. I finished it off with a Flame Strike.
K-Boom!
For the record, Flame Strike was also stronger now than when I first acquired it. Aside from direct skill enhancements, it seemed that Magic-type skills grew more powerful in proportion to my level. It wasn't a dramatic increase, but the growth was definitely there.
Since most Physical-type skills scale with a Climber's physical stats, it was only fair when you thought about it.
[You have successfully cleared the 2nd floor of Nightmare difficulty.]
I finished my repeated clears and stepped outside, opening the Communication Window.
[Hondo: Is the world really ending this time? Is it over?]
[SunAndMoon: Saram123! When on earth are you going to clear the 3rd floor?!]
[Dalikanwas: Stop overreacting. Last year, the 2nd floor was cleared with only about 20 days left on the clock.]
[FryingPan: I believe in Saram123. He’ll clear it this time too.]
[PadThai: But what if he’s already failed and died...?]
[FaithOfDestiny: Then we’re screwed, what else?]
[Hera: Wasn't that person who dropped from the Nightmare count last month from India?]
[GreatWhiteShark: How would we know unless something gets posted in the Nightmare chat? That place is a vow-of-silence room 365 days a year.]
[SnailHorn: Lol, the world can end for all I care. I’m gonna be part of the 1% that survives.]
[Ghost: This guy’s lost his mind.]
The deadline for the Nightmare difficulty was now less than three months away. Around this time, an atmosphere of anxiety always began to permeate the Communication Window.
[Nightmare (11)]
For reference, the number of Nightmare Climbers had increased to eleven. It had actually reached twelve, but one person died last month while attempting the 2nd floor, so the count dropped.
Furthermore, two more people had cleared the 2nd floor. I knew this because the US and China had officially announced their success.
In other words, there were now three people, including myself, who were qualified to challenge the 3rd floor of Nightmare.
Human nature is a fickle thing; even though I had made up my mind to do this alone, seeing a glimmer of hope made me wonder, Maybe? and start to expect something from others.
No, let's not do that. I wasn't going to rely on anyone else anymore. I had already decided that I would be the first to go.
I planned to enter with 20 days left on the clock. And I intended to make that clear to everyone.
I was going to announce via the Communication Window: "From now on, I will challenge the next floor whenever there are 20 days remaining."
There were two reasons for this.
First, for the sake of the other Nightmare Climbers. Since I was going to challenge it anyway, someone else might try before me and die in vain. This was a courtesy—telling them they could wait until after I failed to try for themselves.
The second reason was for the sake of the world.
One only had to look at the news to see that the world turned into a mess as the Nightmare deadline approached. The crime rate would skyrocket, the stock market would go wild... It was a miracle the world was still functioning at all.
But if I set a definitive time for my challenge and announced it, wouldn't the chaos be reduced, at least until then?
Ultimately, it was the uncertainty of the world ending that made people anxious. By setting my challenge time as a benchmark, people could live with some peace of mind until the 20-day mark.
Of course, on the flip side, if I failed, the remaining 20 days might become even more of a disaster. But I was in a position where I could only think about success; worrying about what happened after my failure was a luxury I couldn't afford.
When I asked Villon for his opinion, he agreed it was a good idea.
[Saram123: From now on, I will challenge the next floor whenever the Nightmare difficulty deadline reaches exactly 20 days. The same applies to this 3rd floor.]
[Saram123: If I am unable to challenge it at the 20-day mark due to unavoidable circumstances, I will notify you in advance through the Communication Window.]
That should be enough. I finished the short post and closed the window.
* * *
To clear the 2nd floor of Nightmare, the US Tower Climbing Management Bureau had installed a training set that almost perfectly replicated the conditions of the 2nd floor based on Saram123’s information.
After training and retraining, undergoing thousands of simulations, and receiving massive support from the Bureau, Taylor finally succeeded in clearing the 2nd floor of Nightmare.
However, that success only served as a moment where she felt her limits once again.
Despite knowing all the information about the 2nd floor and preparing so thoroughly, she had succeeded by the narrowest of margins.
The final boss, the Minotaur, was utterly despair-inducing. Its overwhelming tenacity showed no signs of faltering even as she exhausted all her Willpower on skill attacks. If the creature had possessed the strength for even one more dash, she likely would have died.
Taylor had long since accepted the truth. She could not be the vanguard of the Nightmare difficulty.
"It seems the Bureau's policy is about to change. We won't be aiming for the first clear anymore."
Taylor nodded as she drank coffee with Max.
Even though she had cleared the 2nd floor, the initial goal of the Nightmare Project had effectively faded. Originally, the US had intended to cultivate a Climber who would stand at the very front of Nightmare, not follow in someone else's footsteps. Perhaps they had set an impossible goal from the start.
More than that, their concern now was China.
Shortly after Taylor cleared the 2nd floor, China announced their own success as if refusing to be outdone. The competition between the two nations' Climbers was intensifying every year. China had already achieved the record for the highest floor on Hard difficulty. The US government seemed unwilling to tolerate falling behind China, even in Nightmare.
Well, even that was ultimately a race for second place.
"Are you still in contact with Saram123?"
Max nodded at Taylor's question.
"We speak occasionally. Last time, he was the one who reached out first to ask if anyone else had cleared the 2nd floor."
"...Really?"
Was Saram123 also hoping for other Nightmare Climbers to climb to the higher floors quickly? Of course he was. That was why he was posting information in the Communication Window without asking for anything in return.
Since her own confidence had waned significantly, she felt ashamed, as if she were betraying those expectations.
Taylor happened to check the Communication Window and saw a new post in the Nightmare tab. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Saram123 posted something."
"Pardon?"
[Saram123: From now on, I will challenge the next floor whenever the Nightmare difficulty deadline reaches exactly 20 days. The same applies to this 3rd floor.]
With several months left on the Nightmare clock, Saram123 had posted a new message. The world was once again thrown into an uproar by the news.
[Kram: Phew, so he is challenging it this time too.]
[1-Inch: Good luck, Saram123! You are humanity's hope!]
[Mercurian: But he’s always challenged it without a word until now. Why the sudden announcement? What changed?]
[Humanist: Isn't he just saying 'don't touch the first clear because it's mine'?]
[Panda: It’s the opposite, you idiot. He’s doing it so other Nightmare Climbers don't die trying to go first. If he was that kind of person, why would he have written the info guides?]
[PotatoPancake: He’s basically declaring that since you're all useless, he'll just do it himself. LOL.]
Saram123 had made his Nightmare challenge official. That was how people took it.
- This can likely be interpreted as an attempt to reduce social chaos. By setting a definitive time for his challenge, he is establishing a clear benchmark for the public—a sense that there is still hope until the 20-day mark.
- From now on, the fate of the world might be decided at every 20-day deadline. If Saram123 fails, is there anyone among the remaining Nightmare Climbers who can replace him...?
Time continued to flow. The eyes of the entire world were focused solely on his challenge.
* * *
The day of the decisive battle drew near.
Since obtaining Blade Gale and Fairy Light Bullet, I had received one more Skill Stone and one more Skill Enhancement Stone from Villon.
* * *
[Skill: Stab (Common)]
Instantly enhances the power of a stabbing attack.
Category: Physical-Type
Willpower Consumption: 10
Cooldown: 10 seconds
* * *
Stab was a Common-grade skill. It felt like a set with Swing. The Skill Enhancement Stone was also Common-grade. It wasn't a significant boost to my combat power, but more is always better. I used the Common enhancement stone to upgrade the Leap skill.
Then there was the Rare Skill Enhancement Stone I had obtained as a reward for clearing the 2nd floor, which I hadn't used yet. I was torn on where to use it.
Flame Strike or Blade Gale?
If I enhanced Flame Strike, the number of fireballs would increase to three. If I enhanced Blade Gale, the range would likely increase. Since there was almost no information on enhancing Rare-grade skills, especially Magic-types, there was no way to know the exact result without trying it myself.
After some thought, I decided to enhance Flame Strike. I figured the efficiency would be better since it had a shorter cooldown.
* * *
[Skill: Flame Strike (Rare)(+2)]
Fires three condensed flames to cause an explosion. Requires 20 seconds of Mental Focus to cast.
Category: Magic-Type
Willpower Consumption: 100
Cooldown: 30 seconds
* * *
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
Floor: 3rd Floor
Level: 30
Willpower: 600
Skills: Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare)(+2), Blade Gale (Rare), Exhilaration (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Common+)(+1), Lesser Poison Resistance (Common+), Leap (Common)(+1), Swing (Common), Stab (Common)
* * *
My power-up was complete with one day left before the 20-day Nightmare deadline.
This was already the third time I was writing a will. Honestly, there wasn't much to change, so it was mostly a copy-paste of the one I wrote before entering the 2nd floor.
"Well, I'm off."
"Right. Be careful and come back safe."
I went on a solo trip the day before. I felt like I wanted one last "refresh" before challenging the 3rd floor. I went down to Busan, looked at the sea, and ate a lot of delicious food.
After two days of enjoying myself, I was in my hotel room in the evening. I took out the items I had packed in my bag and put them on one by one.
The bracelet containing Diul. In the end, I hadn't been able to unlock a new ability. Maybe my method of increasing affinity was wrong from the start.
"Diul, if I die, there are no more night walks. You know that, right?"
Diul seemed to snort. Good grief. It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do.
Next was the ice dagger I had taken from Seo Dong-woo. Since it had a 24-hour cooldown, the freezing range and power were quite decent. It would be useful to use once in an emergency.
* * *
[Item: Phligas's Blood Necklace]
A necklace infused with the blood of Phligas, a predator of the Demon Realm. If you summon Phligas to the mortal world and defeat it, you can form a master-servant contract. The necklace will be destroyed if you fail. (Recommended Level: 50 or higher)
* * *
Finally, the necklace. I hadn't tried to form a contract yet, but I brought it along anyway. Who knows, maybe I could find a use for it somehow.
Lastly, I set a scheduled text message to my parents, telling them to find and read the will I had hidden in my room. It would be sent if I failed to clear the 3rd floor.
[Nightmare]
Participants: 250,161
Deadline: 20 days 1 hour 1 minute 25 seconds
Reached Floor: 3rd Floor
Having completed all preparations, I stood in the middle of the spacious room.
[Would you like to enter the 3rd floor of Nightmare difficulty?]
Alright... let's go.
To hell with it, I'll survive this time too.
"Enter."
The surrounding scenery shifted.