Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Translator: Penny
Chapter 42
Title: Looks like they're about to set off?
Author: Secret Room Theorist
- Hard Difficulty, 66th Floor, ᄋᄋ.
ㄴ Upvote if something that was the biggest news a month ago has now become completely irrelevant.
ㄴ Ever since the Climber ᄏᄏᄏ appeared, no one cares about the Hard Difficulty anymore ᄏᄏᄏ
ㄴ Still curious though, how many will survive?
ㄴ How hard is the 66th Floor anyway? If you can send in a large group, can't you just overwhelm it with numbers?
ㄴ Elf) The entry limit for the 66th Floor is 50 people. Even if you increase that, the results will be about the same. Only a tiny fraction will survive anyway.
ㄴ I'm asking about the difficulty, Elf.
ㄴ Elf) It's hard to explain in words. You have to experience it to understand.
ㄴ Scum Sword Saint) Imagine the difficulty suddenly jumping up about ten steps at once, instead of gradually increasing like climbing stairs.
[ Secret Room Theorist ]: It feels like climbing about 20 flights of stairs at once. This world is just one giant secret room.
[ Spear King ]: They'll all get ground to dust.
But you guys survived and cleared the 66th Floor, right? Aren't you underestimating this generation of Climbers?
[ Water King ]: These rookies haven't had enough experience fighting alone. They're not ready.
[ Shrine Maiden ]: Eek! The Hard Difficulty Climbers of this generation have been too complacent with their growth.
[ Sword of Light ]: The Tower's essence was never about cooperation.
[ Sword of Light ]: Individual combat prowess has always been paramount.
[ Ice Queen ]: Exactly! Brrr!
Targon, the guild leader of the Strategy Alliance, gazed at the players gathered before him.
They hailed from countless worlds, some from his own, others from realms where the Central Plains Murim existed. Their races were as diverse as their origins.
Targon trusted those who had rallied under his banner and the name of the Strategy Alliance.
He ascended the central dais in the 66th Floor Staircase Waiting Room.
"I believe in you all. We will conquer the 66th Floor."
Scanning the members before him, Targon continued, "The 66th Floor is notorious for never having been cleared without casualties in the Tower's history. We will breach this floor of despair with minimal losses."
As Targon finished speaking, voices rose from the crowd.
"You're just stating the obvious again, Union Leader."
Targon's lips curled into a smirk.
The speaker was Namgung Hyeon, a key figure in the Strategy Alliance.
"The previous climbers were simply weak. We will ascend without taking a single scratch."
The woman beside Namgung Hyeon chuckled.
"Such words should only be spoken after flawlessly clearing the 66th Floor and completing the ascent! That's the only way to do things properly."
The woman, her black hair tied back in a tight bun, was Moyong Hwayeon.
"We will not be defeated. Never." Moyong Hwayeon added with unwavering conviction.
Thud, thud—
Targon descended from the platform and drew the greatsword slung across his back.
"Engage."
The Hard Difficulty players who had reached the 66th Floor began to warm up, brandishing their weapons.
The effects of leveling up were truly remarkable.
My mind, which had felt on the verge of collapsing, instantly regained its composure.
After sending Carmin, my highest priority protection target, onto the carriage, I rummaged through the belongings of the cold, lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground.
But there was nothing of value to be found.
This held true not only for the rabble but also for the possessions of Callius, the Fifth-Tier Swordsman. Not a single item worth taking caught my eye.
"Tch."
The black blade Callius had wielded was completely worn down, likely damaged by the Fourth-Tier Technique I had just unleashed.
In the end, I gathered only a few items with clear utility and some potions, storing them in my Inventory.
Mounting my horse, I stroked its mane.
Clop-clop... Clop-clop...
Whenever Rengel slowed the horse-drawn carriage even slightly, the carriage's curtain would be drawn back, and I could feel Carmin's gaze fixed on me.
Until recently, her gaze had been merely friendly, but after I killed the Fifth-Tier Swordsman Callius, it seemed to have deepened with curiosity.
I had a strong intuition that there was still more to come.
My protection target, Carmin Everhart, was clearly headed for Ventura Academy.
As Rengel had said, it seemed unlikely that the Raphael Count Family would be unaware of Carmin's destination.
There would undoubtedly be enemies waiting to block us before we could get Carmin through Ventura Academy's main gate.
That would likely be the final hurdle.
I activated the Veil of Secrets, the power imbued in the back of the Binding Talisman given to me by the Shrine Maiden Senior, to prevent the Constellations from observing my Gallery posts.
Title: Finally Killed the Fifth-Tier Swordsman
Author: ᄋᄋ*
- This was the biggest crisis since the 4th Floor Golem. But this guy was a bit strange. He was grinning right up until his death. Oh, and I reached Fourth-Tier.
In terms of raw power, the Fifth-Tier Swordsman Callius was undoubtedly more threatening than the Golem.
However, my first encounter with the Golem had been far more intense, as there had been no death announcement until the very moment I checked the Gallery.
Comments flooded in as soon as I posted:
ᄂ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 미친. Killing a Fifth-Tier on the 5th Floor? Reaching Fourth-Tier on the 5th Floor? What the hell is this guy?
Fifth-Tier Swordsmen appearing on the 5th Floor of Pandemonium? That's just insane.
Ah, it's good to have a drink after so long. Don't die on me, Climber!
What are you having for snacks?
Orcs.
You crazy bastard...
What? Their ears are a delicacy.
Ugh!
It's not surprising that Fifth-Tier Swordsmen are weird... most of them were already nuts to begin with.
Scum Sword Saint: You can assume that every Fifth-Tier Swordsman or higher is missing a screw somewhere.
Archmage: It's the same with mages. Especially those above the Sixth-Tier—you can't judge them by appearances alone.
Archmage: They might look normal, but who knows what kind of shady shit they're up to?
Sage: True enough.
Mages objectively admitting they're all a bit off their rocker. LOL.
[ Spear King ]: Fifth-Tier... He killed it on the 5th Floor? That's an terrifying rate of growth. [ Heavenly Demon ]: Excessively rapid growth tends to breed arrogance. That's what worries me. [ YY* ]: It's not like he has any room for arrogance. He could have died just now, and no one would have been surprised. [ Sword of Light ]: The Heavenly Demon is right. His growth is far faster than I anticipated. You've been through a lot. Was the fight worth it? [ YY* ]: I got my ass kicked until Doombringer activated, barely managed to hold my own, and then killed it with Fourth-Tier Swordsmanship. [ Sword of Light ]: Well done. [ YY* ]: How does it make sense that he used Fourth-Tier Swordsmanship immediately after reaching Fourth-Tier? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [ YY* ]: Doesn't your output double right before you die?
It was a close call.
Again.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*) But looking at other posts, it seems like they're entering the 66th Floor on Hard Difficulty.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ A post just went up on the Climber Gallery. Those guys must be on the 66th Floor right now.
ㄴ Water King) They're probably struggling and constantly facing death. You should climb easily.
ㄴ 애도 must be struggling and constantly facing death too.
ㄴ Water King) Hmm! Still, we took down a Fifth-Tier opponent. Surely another one that strong won't appear, right?
ㄴ This bastard is probably going to make another Fifth-Tier opponent show up. ᄋᄋ
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*) But does Ventura Academy just let anyone in who wants to join?
ㄴ The Ventura Headmaster must have changed by now.
If he hasn't changed, we'll let in anyone desperate enough.
YY: Desperate enough?
Shrine Maiden: Hawaa, I tend to help those in truly desperate situations.
He's the kind of person who gets a perverse pleasure from helping those in pain.
Shrine Maiden: What was it again? I think there was a nickname for Headmaster Ventura back on the DC Gallery.
YY: What was it... Ah, right! They called him a patient with Savior Complex.
Archmage: That's right, a patient with Savior Complex. Just experience a crisis near the Academy's main gate. He might come to rescue you.
Archmage: If the Headmaster is still the same, his name is Mandels, and he's a mage.
Just hearing about him, it sounds like a completely deranged lunatic was sitting in the Headmaster's seat at the Academy.
N ᄋᄋ*) By the time we get through this forest, there'll probably be enemies waiting for us again. Senior Light Sword, you wrote Qi Perception in the Sword Art Manual in just one line. Can you tell me how to properly manifest it?
N What? You explained it in just one line? How carelessly did you write that?
N ᄋᄋ*) What was it... something about channeling magic and then spreading it out across the ground like a flowing stream. Something like that.
N That's so vague it's practically useless.
N At that level, you'd need at least a Heavenly Martial Body to even understand it, ᄋᄋ.
N Heavenly Demon) A Heavenly Martial Body could actually achieve it with just that.
N Hmm... It would be strange if a Climber wasn't at least at the Heavenly Martial Body level.
N ᄋᄋ*) Yeah, I'm not.
Sword of Light: I was a bit sloppy with that explanation. I think I was half-asleep at the time.
Ban: Half-asleep? LOL! Unnecessarily honest, LOL!
Scum Sword Saint: Don't just let your senses flow along the ground. Extend them outward in all directions.
Heavenly Demon: Think of it like spreading something out in a whoosh.
Spear King: It's similar to projecting killing intent, except without a specific target.
The explanations were hitting home perfectly.
I was starting to get a vague sense of it.
Just as I was about to post a farewell comment and close the Gallery...
Jjuhdak: What's the Constellations' reaction?
Ban: They're just amazed by everything.
Ban: Kia! How could they not be amazed? Constellations or not, they're terrified!
- Any cute reactions?
- Water King: I'm actually curious about that too.
- YY*: ...Honestly, I was just pulling down the notification bar and fighting, so I didn't even see the Constellations' reactions.
I didn't have the leisure to even notice their cuteness.
- YY*: I'm going.
- Don't die.
- If you die, the Gallery will get boring.
- Ice Queen: Brrr! You must survive!
I closed the Gallery and stored my terminal in my Inventory.
The dense forest still stretched endlessly before me.
Mounted on my horse, I activated my Qi Perception.
Sssssssss...!
A gray Qi current, visible only to me, swept through the forest like a mist.
The current carried my will—to pierce through this dense forest with my gaze and envelop it entirely.
A tremor ran up my shoulder.
Movement.
A scout?
I peered into the distance.
High in the branches of a towering tree, I spotted a shadow crouched like a spider. It was so perfectly camouflaged that I almost mistook it for a mere shadow and passed by.
The wind rustled the leaves.
I felt a gaze piercing down from above.
Our eyes met. The figure, perched on a branch, twisted his body in a desperate attempt to flee.
This was my only chance.
Now.
My right arm moved with lightning speed.
Whoosh!
I hurled the Black Javelin.
The target: the scout.
If he died, so be it, but I didn't intend to kill him.
No scream followed.
Crash!
Instead, I heard something slam into the ground.
I dismounted and sprinted toward where I'd thrown the javelin.
"Ugh... ugh..."
A man in black writhed on the ground like a worm. The Black Javelin was embedded in his left hip.
How much did this man know?
I decided to start with an interrogation.