Everyone Has a Plan
When I selected the difficulty, the cramped studio apartment vanished, and a massive room appeared.
On one wall of the room, a digital clock ticked down the time remaining until the start of the first floor. Floating in the air at the center of the ceiling, giant letters glowed with the server status.
'Sixty-three people came in?'
It was a larger crowd than I had anticipated. Looking around, I saw dozens of people filling the massive room. I checked the reactions of those around me, making sure my stealth hadn't worn off, but not a single person looked in my direction.
I quietly counted the heads.
‘Sixty-one, sixty-two... Yep, exactly right.’
Fortunately, no one else had sneaked in under stealth like me. I scanned the crowd thoroughly, but no one else seemed to be counting the numbers as I was. If the group were very small, my hidden presence might be easily detected, but with a crowd this size, I could breathe a bit easier.
‘Are there... no weapons?’
Normally, on other difficulties, you could select a weapon in the safe zone. But this room didn't even have a chair or a desk, let alone weapons.
‘Well, even on Hard difficulty, they only give you a rusty sword or a sickle.’
I had already expected that weapons would either be absent or practically useless.
As I looked around, a muscular man stepped out from among the small groups gathered here and there and shouted.
"Everyone, state your abilities! Let's divide ourselves into roles!"
"Who the hell are you to order us around?"
A man covered in Irezumi tattoos approached the muscular man.
"Cooperation is essential on the first floor of the Tower. Did you enter Impossible difficulty without even knowing that?"
"I know that. I'm asking why you're acting like you're the boss."
Leaving the tattooed man and the gym rat to their squabble, I slipped away into a corner. When I opened the system window, a barrage of new text filled my vision.
You have awakened in an unknown forest. Avoid the monsters roaming the area and escape.
📍 Main Objective: Survival
🎯 Sub-Objective: Hunt as many monsters as possible
👾 Remaining Monsters: 2,372
💀 Monsters Slain: 0
📊 Contribution: 0%
⏳ Time Until Safe Zone Closes: [00:29:32]
A new icon had appeared after entering the Impossible difficulty. I clicked on the Transcendent Gallery.
There were posts presumably left by Transcendents, alongside those written by newbies. Filtering out the useless spam, I clicked on the post with the highest view count.
Hello, newbies who have reached the highest difficulty~ Today, this princess will give you a super useful tip for the 1st floor!
The monsters that appear on the 1st floor differ for every dimension, so trying to predict them is completely pointless. So, work hard and survive! Bye-bye~
"...?"
The post ended just like that. Fortunately, as I scrolled down, I found some actual useful information in the comments.
‘The perimeter is blocked, we need to find an escape portal, and the monsters hunt in packs. I already know all of this.’
This was the strategy for clearing the first floor that I had deduced while analyzing the Hard difficulty. The strategy I had formulated was no different from what the Transcendent was saying. In fact, there was a piece of information missing from what they knew.
‘The higher the difficulty, the more likely the exit is to be located inside a monster settlement... Is it different for Impossible difficulty?’
I backed out of that post and browsed through other threads.
Some crazy chick is messing with the newbies, so I have to go step in. Everyone, make sure to stick together until you find the exit.
Aside from a few threads, there were no other posts written by Transcendents.
After confirming there was no more useful information to be found, I closed the system window.
"Gah! Ack!"
Turning my gaze toward the noise coming from the center of the room, I saw the gym rat from earlier lifting the tattooed man off the ground by his throat.
"That's enough wasting time. If you disrupt our unity, I'll beat you half to death."
The tattooed man flailed helplessly in the air.
"A-Alright... I get it..."
"Tsk, what a waste of time."
The gym rat tossed the tattooed man aside.
"Wait, isn't that guy Kim Minchul?"
"You're right! It's Kim Minchul, the UFC champion!"
Hearing the murmurs of the men nearby, the gym rat's face suddenly looked strangely familiar. He was the Korean featherweight champion who had risen to prominence in the UFC just as the sport was declining after the appearance of Awakeners.
"My skill is SS-rank Martial Artist. We will divide everyone into melee, ranged, and support classes based on your abilities."
Under Kim Minchul's commanding gaze, people began to gather toward the center one by one.
"Whoa... I guess someone like Kim Minchul naturally gets an SS-rank skill."
"I'm an S-rank Staff Master! I'm a huge fan, could I get a handshake...?"
Until an Awakener registered with the Awakener Association, it was impossible for others to verify their skills. Yet, no one doubted for a second that he possessed an SS-rank skill.
"I mean, if a UFC champion doesn't have an SS-rank skill, who would?"
When one is chosen by the Tower and awakens, is the skill they receive random? Or is it the fruit of their efforts? While only the Tower knew the truth, the prevailing theory was that one's past life heavily influenced the outcome.
Though exceptions existed, most people were assigned abilities based on the lives they had lived up to that point. For instance, the leader of South Korea's top guild was an Olympic archery gold medalist.
However, this kind of deduction was only possible for famous, public figures. Among those revealing their abilities right now, there were bound to be people hiding the truth or outright lying.
Keeping my stealth skill active, I stood apart from the crowd and observed the situation unfold.
‘In the Tower, monsters aren't the only danger. Humans are, too.’
It seemed unlikely that team-killing would occur on Impossible difficulty, but you could never predict human nature. On floors where multiple people challenged together, climbers would occasionally attack their own teammates to hoard more monster kills and secure a higher score.
‘Looks like Kim Minchul is going to be the leader.’
He had a famous name, and an SS-rank skill would easily place him among the very top tier here. To prevent any unexpected variables, I used my ability on Kim Minchul.
Kim Minchul was a household name in South Korea, famous enough that even I, who had zero interest in the UFC, knew who he was. Based on his appearances on various TV shows, he clearly thrived on being the center of attention. At the very least, he didn't seem like the type to sacrifice others just to get a high score.
While I analyzed his emotions, Kim Minchul shook hands with people and prepared to tackle the first floor.
"You don't have to disclose your exact skills. However, please tell us where you can be of the most use."
"My skill is nothing special. It's just S-rank Clairvoyance. Please place me in the rear guard for combat."
"Understood."
On lower difficulties, people could easily clear the floor without cooperating, but this was Impossible difficulty, where they had absolutely no information. Regardless, sharing basic abilities and categorizing roles was highly recommended by the Awakener Association anyway, so the crowd went along with the plan without much resistance.
As Kim Minchul systematically categorized the crowd, a petite woman stepped forward. She was so short that one might mistake her for a child. However, the face visible beneath her white hood did not look young at all.
"What is your ability?"
"Um... it's F-rank Sensory Enhancement..."
"Excuse me?"
Kim Minchul's voice spiked in pitch.
Generally, the recommended skill rank to attempt Hard difficulty was A-rank. Anyone attempting Hard difficulty with a lower rank was despised as a 'free-rider' looking for a carry. And this wasn't even Hard—it was Impossible difficulty.
"What? A free-rider?"
As the room grew noisy and everyone's eyes locked onto the girl, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘...If she doesn't have any combat abilities, I should protect her.’
Since her choice couldn't be undone anyway, shouldn't I protect her so she can safely make it through the first floor? With so many people here, carrying just one person wouldn't hurt...
I stared blankly at the woman's crimson eyes, then suddenly bit down hard on my tongue.
*Crunch!*
The tip of my tongue was severed, floating in my mouth. If I spat it out, I might blow my stealth, so I swallowed the piece of my tongue.
By the time the message appeared before my eyes, my severed tongue had already regenerated.
‘Holy shit, that was close.’
It was a good thing I had experienced being targeted by a mental-type Awakener in the past. Otherwise, I would have fallen completely under her brainwashing. I intentionally avoided the woman's gaze and looked around.
"Please stay in the center of the rear guard."
"I have a protection skill, so I'll stay by your side and guard you."
It seemed the others had already fallen under her spell. Before I knew it, the woman was safely positioned right in the center of the formation. Mental-type abilities were extremely rare, even among Awakeners. Without prior experience or a mental defense skill, they were incredibly difficult to counter.
I looked away from the woman and scanned the rest of the crowd. There were exactly three people who were deliberately avoiding her eyes.
A man in a suit with slicked-back hair.
A middle-aged woman with a warm smile and permed hair.
And a squinty-eyed man whose eyes were so narrow I couldn't tell if they were even open.
‘I need to watch out for those three.’
Mental-type abilities were at their most dangerous when you didn't realize the opponent was using them. I knew the woman was a brainwasher, but since I didn't know what the other three were capable of, I had to remain cautious.
Just then, the squinty-eyed man looked directly at where I was standing. His narrow eyes gleamed behind his round glasses.
The moment the message popped up, I quickly looked down at my feet. Fortunately, my shadow was still invisible. When I looked back at the squinty-eyed man, he pressed his index finger to his lips and whispered softly.
"Shh."
If he exposed my ability, I would expose his in return. We silently agreed to ignore each other's presence. When Kim Minchul approached him, the squinty-eyed man claimed his skill was detection-type and slipped into the rear guard.
"Alright! It's starting!"
The start of the first floor was right before our eyes. I wondered where all these talented individuals had been hiding. There were many unexpected variables, but nothing had fundamentally changed. I would simply maintain my stealth and quietly follow them. Once we secured a safe escape route, I would build up just enough contribution points and make my exit.
Even if something unexpected happened, they would serve as a buffer, making it easier for me to react.
‘That squinty-eyed guy was unexpected, though...’
Even so, my plan remained the same. I would escape the first floor safely, assess the situation, and climb the Tower systematically. From the second floor onward, there would be no need to rush in like this. I could prepare thoroughly before entering.
Gradually, the walls began to dissolve, revealing a forest. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary, completely normal forest. What kind of monsters were hiding in there?
I positioned myself slightly away from the group's formation. Since they were covering the front, I only needed to watch my back. The fading walls vanished completely.
‘Nothing behind me.’
Confirming my rear was safe, I turned my gaze forward—
And the people who had been standing in front of me were gone.
‘...Huh?’
Was the first floor of Impossible difficulty a solo challenge? If so, why were we put in the waiting room together?
*Clack.*
Before my thoughts could go any further, a pair of round glasses fell right in front of me. The glasses that the squinty-eyed man had been wearing just moments ago.
Reflexively, I looked up at the sky.
I saw people with their heads buried inside pink flower petals.
*Thud.*
A moment later, the woman in the white hoodie crashed to the ground. Her mature face, which had contrasted so sharply with her small body—the face that should have been resting on her neck was gone.
*Thud.*
*Thud.*
*Thud. Thud.*
Headless bodies began to rain down from the sky.