Chapter 54: 4th Floor Hidden (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: 4th Floor Hidden (5)
I entered the Reward Room.
The 4th-floor hidden route had been a grueling ordeal. If I hadn't run into that monster of a bodyguard at the very end, the clear would have been a breeze. Well, a win is a win.
I scanned the rewards scattered across the floor.
"...Oh."
A small exclamation escaped my lips. A purple skill stone—Epic grade.
I suppose it was about time for the grade to increase, considering I was already on the 4th floor. The hidden route rewards from the 1st floor onward had consistently been Rare+ skill stones or enhancement stones.
I turned my gaze elsewhere. If the skill stone was Epic, I wondered what the item reward would be. I had a rough idea, but was this really it?
I picked up the warp device.
[Item: Top-Grade Warp Device]
Description: A warp device incorporating the concentrated magitech of the Dateian Empire. It is activated by charging it with Willpower, allowing for 10 meters of travel per 1 point of Willpower. It can be used to travel to a saved point or in a specific direction. Up to one point can be saved.
Note: Travel between the inside and outside of the Tower is impossible. Activation takes 10 minutes.
Current Charge: 0/1,000,000
I read through the long description. It was an item powered by Willpower, and apparently, 1 point equaled 10 meters of movement.
Current Charge: 100/1,000,000
The value ticked up instantly as I funneled 100 Willpower into it.
Since the maximum charge is one million...
Does that mean I can travel up to ten million meters? That’s 10,000 kilometers.
"This is insane."
I wouldn't even need to book a flight for overseas trips. That was the first silly thought that popped into my head, though I wasn't crazy enough to actually waste this just to go abroad.
What's this 'point' system?
The description mentioned moving to a saved point or traveling in a specific direction. Moving in a direction likely meant a straight-line teleport. As for the point, it functioned like a checkpoint—allowing me to mark a specific location and warp back to it later.
[Would you like to save your current location as a point?]
A notification popped up when I focused on the device. I see. That’s how it works.
I canceled the save. To summarize the Warp Device’s functions:
That was the gist of it. Plus, there was no specific cooldown. The Willpower consumption was astronomical, but for me, that wasn't much of a problem.
The only real downside was the 10-minute activation time. It wasn't something that could be used in the heat of combat. If not for that delay, it could have served as a perfect emergency escape tool.
"Now then..."
Next was the skill. I wondered what kind of Epic-grade ability I’d landed. I picked up the skill stone with high expectations.
[Skill Stone: Subspace (Epic)]
Description: Upon use, you will learn the skill 'Subspace (Epic)'.
"...Subspace?"
The term was familiar. Was it the Subspace I was thinking of? Like an inventory?
[You have learned the skill: Subspace (Epic).]
I learned it immediately and checked the details.
[Skill: Subspace (Epic)]
Description: Creates a subspace to store or retrieve objects. You must make direct contact with an object to store it; objects can be retrieved within a 1-meter radius.
Restrictions: It is impossible to store living organisms or spiritual bodies.
Capacity: Up to 100 kilograms.
Casting Time: Requires 3 minutes of mental focus.
Category: Magic-Type
Willpower Cost: 300
Cooldown: None
It really was an inventory. Since it wasn't a combat skill, it felt a bit niche, but... I decided to test it out.
I pulled out a bladeless ice dagger. I stopped time, finished the mental focus, and cast Subspace.
Pop.
The dagger vanished into thin air. To get it back, I stopped time again, focused, and cast the skill once more.
Pop.
The ice dagger returned to my hand. It cost Willpower both to store and retrieve items.
I continued to experiment. While I had to cast the skill separately for storing and retrieving, I could move multiple items at once. However, I couldn't store Diul's bracelet or Phligas's necklace. It seemed the rule against spiritual bodies applied to them.
Essentially, I had gained an inventory skill. The Willpower cost and focus time were significant, but again, those weren't issues for me. I looked at it positively; I'd gained a vital utility skill. My items were starting to pile up, and carrying them all was becoming a hassle anyway.
"I can just keep everything in here from now on."
I immediately shoved everything into the Subspace except for the necklace and bracelet.
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 5th Floor]
[Level: 60]
[Willpower: 2,100]
[Skills: Destruction Ray (Epic+), Subspace (Epic), Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+)(+2), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+), Scorching Zone (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare)(+5), Blade Gale (Rare), Exhilaration (Rare), Skin Hardening (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Common+)(+1)...]
Having finished organizing my rewards, I exited the room. The hidden route was cleared. Now it was time to diligently write the guide and post it.
* * *
After the 4th floor of Nightmare was cleared, the communication window was dominated by two main topics.
One was the Branch Towers that were rumored to appear soon. Having already experienced the "Fallen" incident, people were naturally anxious about what the Tower was planning next.
Yuseong: If more towers are appearing, does that mean we have to climb those too?
Saika: Who knows? They say the locations are random, so any country that gets hit is in for a bad time.
Hwik-hwik: They say five of them are appearing. I'm seriously worried about what kind of bullshit this is...
Pulbit: If the Branch Towers have a time limit too, then lol...
The other topic was, as it was every year, the strategy guide Saram123 would post. This 4th floor was particularly special because it was cleared after the climber had chosen a penalty.
Hawaii: When is the 4th-floor post coming up? When is the 4th-floor post coming up?
Dawn of Chaos: Saram123, hurry up and post the 4th-floor info!
Check: Is Saram123 your friend? You should say "please post it."
Pandon: Ah, the curiosity is killing me. When is it going up?
Priyan: But if he cleared it even after choosing a penalty, maybe this floor wasn't as vicious as the others?
Whistle: "He cleared it even with a penalty? Oh, this floor must have been easy!" (X) "As expected, Saram123 is a god!" (O)
999th Floor: The floor number went up; does it make sense for it to be easier? lol
The information Saram123 uploaded after a Nightmare clear was nothing short of a global event. This was especially true now, with the atmosphere turning positive after the time limit had been extended by another year.
Climbers in the communication window waited for the post, speculating on how toxic or insane the floor must have been this time. Various nations, especially those with Nightmare-rank climbers, monitored the window second by second. They had to begin in-depth analysis the moment Saram123's post went live.
Saram123: Here is the strategy info for the 4th floor.
Finally, the post appeared.
Saram123: The distance between golems, the time it takes for them to reach the exit, and the rest periods between stages are the same as other difficulties. However, in Nightmare difficulty, the golems appear in sequences of 5, 10, and 20, repeating until Stage 18. Stages 1–3 feature basic golems with no abilities. Stages 4–6 feature Blue Golems with 99% physical damage immunity...
.
.
You can obtain points by picking up the cores of destroyed golems, which opens the Shop. The shop list is as follows. The points given by golems are 50P per golem for Stages 1–3, 100P for Stages 4–6, 150P for Stages 7–9...
.
.
After clearing up to Stage 18, the final boss appears. The boss possesses all the abilities of the Blue, Red, Black, Green, and Yellow Golems encountered so far. The only way to defeat the boss is to pull the 'Ability Nullification Parts' from the Special Draw in the shop. Since it's a 1-in-3 chance, it depends entirely on luck, and your only option is to save as many points as possible...
.
.
...There is exactly one other way: using the Great Incineration and enduring it. The Great Incineration kills the boss as well. If you can survive even a moment longer than the boss, the clear is successful.
The method I used was to stack a recovery-type skill 27 times using 300% scrolls, then activate the Great Incineration to outlast the boss. It felt like it took about 10 seconds for the boss to die completely, but this part is uncertain.
Above all, this method does not guarantee success at all, so I absolutely do not recommend it as a main strategy. Use it only as a last resort if you have a recovery skill and fail to pull the Ability Nullification Parts.
The post was even longer than the one for the 3rd floor. The communication window exploded instantly.
Santa Claus: 18 stages in total? Is the Tower insane?
Snowy Mountain: 99% damage immunity, damage nullification, one-time resurrection... Wow, that's a colorful variety of bullshit.
Beluga: Still, it seems doable if you use the shop well?
Swag: The boss is the biggest problem. If you don't pull the Ability Nullification Parts, you're just dead.
Egret: Luck-based trash game;
Wagu-wagu: He said there's a way even if you don't pull it. Getting incinerated along with the boss.
Benjanu: No... but can you even call that a "method"?
Max Firepower: So Saram123 came up with that idea the moment he failed the draw and set himself on fire? Is that a thought process a normal person is capable of...?
Demigod: He's not normal, which is why he clears Nightmare every year.
Lunar Eclipse: With the penalty on top of that, the 4th floor was truly no joke...
People were beyond shocked when they saw how he had cleared the 4th floor.
* * *
At a US training facility for climbers.
Taylor, who was checking the communication window while wiping away sweat, felt her expression stiffen.
"Are you reading it now?"
Max, who happened to be visiting the facility, asked as he saw her staring into the air.
"I read it on my way here. The 4th floor is as sickeningly horrific as expected."
"I agree. Managing points seems to be the key."
Taylor let out a heavy sigh.
"This person... is truly incredible. Every time I see his guides, I feel like I'm staring at an insurmountable wall."
Reading the post, there was something uniquely different about the 4th floor compared to previous ones: the existence of the "Draw." No matter how well you gathered points, you couldn't defeat the boss without luck on your side. It felt like the Tower's malicious intent to test not just skill, but luck itself.
It seemed Saram123 had fallen into that trap as well. He hadn't pulled the Ability Nullification Parts.
What must the situation have been like? Taylor tried to put herself in his shoes. The final boss stage. The result of the draw using all remaining points was the Great Incineration switch and three 300% scrolls.
It would have been maddeningly despairing and unfair. To think that the clear failed not because of a lack of ability, but because of a simple lack of luck. Even she, who had undergone countless mental endurance drills as a former CIA SAC operative, wasn't confident she could maintain her composure in such a situation.
Yet, Saram123 found a way. He placed the best bet possible with what he had and succeeded. Burning himself along with the boss and simply outlasting it.
How on earth did he come up with such a method? And how did he actually have the resolve to execute it?
By doing so, he had saved the world once again. He was a figure worthy of gratitude and respect.
To be honest, Taylor had recently begun to feel skeptical about her reasons for climbing the Tower. The grand cause of saving humanity had long since blurred, and now it had devolved into a race against China for national interest. Even putting her life on the line, she was barely managing to follow in Saram123's footsteps. She had nearly died on the 3rd floor.
She was merely following; it wasn't as if she was being of any help to him. She felt useless.
...But after reading the 4th-floor guide, she suddenly snapped out of it.
Here was a man fighting a lonely, desperate battle at the very front to save humanity. What kind of "meaning" had she been searching for?
Why did he share strategy information every time? Why did he always provide help without asking for anything in return? It could only be to prepare for the possibility of his own failure—to leave the future in the hands of those behind him.
That was why she had to keep climbing. Usefulness wasn't something she should decide for herself. Whether she was useful or not, whether there was meaning or not, or whether she would eventually meet a futile death—none of that mattered.
She simply had to do her best to live up to his noble will.
Taylor took a deep breath and spoke to Max.
"Max."
"Yes."
"Let's devise a strategy for the 4th floor as quickly as possible."
Max looked at her, slightly surprised by her sudden surge of motivation, then nodded.
"Understood."
* * *
Downtown Chongqing, China.
Rumble—!
People walking the streets screamed as a sudden earthquake struck. The ground cracked, buildings collapsed, and something began to rise.
A massive black tower.
People who had narrowly avoided being caught in the destruction stared blankly at the tower that had suddenly erupted in the middle of the street.