Chapter 78

Translator: Penny

Chapter 78

[Welcome to the 14th Floor.]

I moved my legs.

I slowly walked forward, sat on the chair in front of me, and leaned forward.

"……."

Cold sweat formed on my forehead.

I couldn't think of anything.

The headache was gradually spreading.

My senses were becoming duller, and the world seemed to be drifting away.

My body was here, but I felt a sense of alienation, as if my mind was being sucked into a deep swamp.

My vision turned black.

Why.

Why did Ban give up the duel for me?

[You have been awarded 2000 coins as a reward for clearing the 13th floor.]

[An item has been awarded as a reward for clearing the 13th floor of Pandemonium. Check your 'Inventory'.]

['Player - Han Yoo-seong' is tallying the score for the 13th floor Stage.]

Originally, immediately after clearing the Stage.

The notification windows that had appeared before my eyes before leaving that place were now beginning to come to mind.

The existing 13th floor ranking window floated in the corner of my vision.

1st - Union Leader: 956 points

2nd - Black Star: 901 points

3rd - Black Hand: 879 points

4th - Chasing: 841 points

5th - Sinclair: 813 points

⋮

⋮

Of course, as always, I wasn't interested in other people's ranking scores.

[Han Yoo-seong: 5,786 points]

Now, even my score window just seemed like a useless game of numbers.

[Would you like to register your 13th floor ranking score?]

[Y / N]

Without a moment's hesitation, I pressed 'No'.

From the 13th floor onwards, there were no rewards based on ranking, they said.

There was no need to put my name and score on the ranking board.

I took a dry towel from my Inventory and wiped away the sweat.

The conversation I had with the Level 2 Administrator Flishek a little while ago was swirling in my head.

The 13th floor is a Stairway that is absolutely impossible to clear alone, so Ban Ineoreu was revived only for that Stairway?

That statement itself was full of errors.

From the beginning, the Tower, Pandemonium, had a 0% survival rate.

[Pandemonium] was so difficult that you couldn't even think of attempting it alone, and that wasn't just the case for this 13th Stairway, but for all 13 Stairways.

To that reaction of mine.

Flishek agreed with me and added.

Those words kept swirling in my mind.

I mulled over those words.

Tower.

The system of the Tower itself must be spewing out these ridiculous notification windows.

Even the sentences in the notification windows, which I had taken for granted until now, began to feel disgusting.

What the hell did you call me to this damn Tower for?

Even though I clearly had the strength to move my hands.

I didn't feel like doing anything.

Ban.

We had only been together for a few days.

Why did you give up the chance to live again for me?

Of course, that time was precious to me too.

So much so that I couldn't waste a single moment.

But people. Shouldn't a person's own life be important?

Suddenly, Ban Ineoreu's voice came to mind.

Along with the conversation I had with her.

The conversation took place two days ago.

I thought the smile you showed then was just because you were in a good mood.

But now that I think about it, it didn't seem like that kind of smile.

You put your arm around my shoulder and answered like that.

You must have already known that we couldn't be together even if we successfully defeated the sixth Root.

Suddenly, a red-layered notification window that I had never seen before appeared in front of me.

[Warning! 'Player - Han Yoo-seong' Emotion - 'Depression' level has increased rapidly.]

[There is a player mental care service available from the 14th floor of Pandemonium onwards!]

[An emotional healing administrator will be dispatched to the Stairway waiting room.]

What the hell is this nonsense?

Immediately after the notification window disappeared.

Crackle!

A fissure appeared in the air.

[Level 3 Administrator - Yuerit]

An entity surrounded by a barrier similar to the one that had blocked me in the duel arena a little while ago appeared.

The layers of barriers completely obscured the shape of the entity inside.

My hand moved reflexively.

'Administrator'.

I reacted to that damn word.

Kwaaaang!

The barrier shattered into fragments from my outstretched right fist.

Unlike the damn wall from before, it was quite easy.

The inside was not yet revealed.

Jjeoeong!

Only after breaking one more barrier with my left hand did I see the figure of the entity inside the shattered barrier.

It was a woman with her eyes covered by something like a white cloth blindfold.

I could see her long pink hair fluttering.

"Who are you?"

"I am an emotional healing administrator who can be dispatched from the 14th Stairway of Pandemonium onwards. I am mainly dispatched to treat players' depression or trauma."

Yuerit added.

"Currently, drug treatment is recommended for Han Yoo-seong Player. The first consultation is free. I recommend Smile Compound. In any situation, the happiness level will exceed all emotional levels."

Smile… what?

I was dumbfounded.

"...What criteria do you use to prescribe the medicine?"

"I don't know what Han Yoo-seong Player has been through. I only calculate based on the emotional levels you are currently experiencing and prescribe the appropriate medicine."

The administrator named Yuerit continued in a consistently low pitch.

"You are free to refuse the prescription."

So mechanical, it felt.

"Emotions can eventually be diluted over time."

That made me feel even more unpleasant.

There was no reason to waste time with an administrator who knew nothing about me.

"Get lost."

Yuerit lowered her head.

"I apologize for being summoned without respecting the player's wishes for my first dispatch. If you press the emotional healing request button, which has been newly added to the lower right corner of the Coin Shop from the 14th floor onwards, you can have an interview with me at any time."

I wondered how much information this administrator had.

"Then, forget that crap. Can I ask you something else?"

Yuerit nodded.

"Originally, it is impossible for me to have a conversation with you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other than about emotional healing, but Han Yoo-seong Player is a player of special attention grade, so some Q&A is possible."

Yuerit added.

"From the perspective of 21st century Earth, you are a VVIP member. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Whatever the name, it didn't sound good to be so highly regarded.

"If the Tower itself is a living being, does that mean I can talk to that bastard if I keep climbing?"

"That is a question beyond my area, but I think you will find out if you continue to climb."

It was a vague answer, but it was closer to a yes.

I brought up the question I originally wanted to ask for the second time.

"Is there a way to revive a dead player?"

Yuerit's answer did not come as quickly as before.

"That is beyond my authority, beyond my knowledge."

This time, it was an answer that went beyond vagueness.

But that was enough.

It was better to have that kind of answer than to have a completely impossible answer.

For now.

"If you have no further questions, I will withdraw now."

"Yeah, go."

"You can call me at any time while you are in the Stairway waiting room."

Yuerit said that, but she was still standing there without disappearing.

"It has been numerically confirmed that depression is rapidly being converted into anger."

She said she was leaving, but it seemed like she had remembered something else to say.

"Anger is effective in overcoming depression in the short term, but if it continues, it will eat away at you."

Yuerit then tore through space and disappeared.

Converting depression into anger.

I couldn't deny that point.

Because that's what I was actually doing.

In order to pull up the emotions that were being dumped into the sewer, I had to set a goal.

I'll go up for now.

I have to keep going up and have a conversation with that living Tower bastard.

I picked up an item that was at the front of my Inventory.

It was a quiver.

The quiver that Ban Ineoreu had given to me.

Thud.

I picked up the quiver and looked inside.

I touched each of the arrows in the quiver.

"What."

There was something else besides arrows.

In the corner of the quiver.

I took out what I had grabbed.

It was a very small, pure white pouch.

[Small Hyperspace Pouch]

You can check the items in the pouch by untying the knot.

I had never put such a thing in the quiver.

I had never even acquired a Hyperspace Pouch in the first place.

I remembered the moment when Ban had brought me this quiver before entering the sixth Root.

I untied the knot of the pouch.

Then, the pouch opened and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠items inside poured out.

The most noticeable item inside was a book.

The Sword Manual of Pielburt, the swordsmanship that Ban Ineoreu used.

I opened the first page of the Sword Manual.

There was writing on the first page.

These two lines.

That was all there was to the writing. A hollow laugh flowed out on its own.

It was such a clear sentence that I could imagine her saying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.

It was a sentence that was so like Ban Ineoreu that it was clear that Ban had written it.

"I don't know. Not yet."

Why you gave up so easily on a duel where you had a chance to survive.

If there was something left on the first page, would there be something on the last page too?

That hunch was right.

"Yeah."

Of course not.

I reviewed the battle on the 13th floor alone.

I couldn't help but have the existence of Ban Ineoreu lingering in my mind.

And every time, I couldn't help but hesitate to think.

But I thought it was something I had to keep thinking about.

A day passed and it became morning.

Even after waking up.

My head didn't feel so refreshed.

I fiddled with the baseball I took out of my Inventory.

I calmed my mind.

I'm moving forward.

I have to move forward again.

Now, I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slowly starting to think about taking out the Transcender Gallery Terminal.

"It's a mess."

─Are you alive???? Climber??

─14th floor? 14th floor? 14th floor? Life?

─Seriously, just put a period in the title and content, please, okay??

─Damn it, come out, come out if you're not dead!!!!!!!

─Hoe eee eee, hoe eee eee, there's someone here.

The titles of the posts were all wondering if I was alive or dead.

I started writing a post.

This post was disorganized in many ways, but the Transcendent Gallery seniors would still understand.

Because they are more delicate counselors than I thought.