Chapter 504: The Gaze
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 504: The Gaze
It goes without saying, but Wi Ryeong-ah wasn't an official member of our party.
We had only agreed to accompany her up to the 10th floor, so our eventual parting was inevitable from the start.
But that didn't mean it was easy.
With the exception of Lucifer, who seemed uninterested, everyone in our party knew we had to say goodbye to Wi Ryeong-ah, but no one could bring themselves to say it out loud.
Except for one person.
The other night, a completely wasted Sister Serin had caused a huge scene, clinging to Wi Ryeong-ah, crying and begging her not to go.
Though she doesn't seem to remember any of it herself, the incident drove home the reality that our farewell was just around the corner.
‘Well… we’ve spent weeks together. It’d be stranger if we hadn’t grown attached.’
And Wi Ryeong-ah was just as uncomfortable.
She didn't show it outwardly, but it was clear her mood had become strangely subdued lately.
She seems to have zero talent for acting, so it was obvious.
‘Well… it’s not like we’ll part ways the second we get to the 10th floor.’
Of course, there would be no problem if we did. The promise was only to get her to the 10th floor, after all.
But to turn our backs on her so coldly... we'd already grown too close for that.
At some point, everyone in the party had come to accept Wi Ryeong-ah as a comrade as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
As such, we would at least accompany her to the Man Cheonjong branch somewhere on the 10th floor.
Tiring-
「Would you like to challenge the Trial of Proof?」
「Y/N」
As I walked, lost in thought, a familiar screen appeared before me.
It was the only source of light illuminating my vision inside the portal, where I couldn't see an inch ahead.
Press-
「The Trial of Proof will now begin.」
「Collecting player information for a smooth trial process.」
「Accessing the player's surface consciousness.」
It's a well-known fact that the 9th-floor trial proceeds differently for each player.
However, the most common types were monster hunts and PvP battles.
Personally, that's what I was hoping for.
‘As long as it’s not a trial that requires annoying brainwork.’
I’d heard that just for being a mage, some were given bizarre riddles to solve or forced to escape a locked room with their magic sealed.
Every single one of them was a difficult and tedious trial.
Compared to those, monster hunts and PvP battles were a walk in the park.
Of course, I wasn't particularly worried, no matter what came up. In the end, it was just the 9th-floor trial.
Just as I was leisurely stretching my body and waiting for the trial to begin—
BEEEEEEEEEP-!!!!!!
“Kuh?!”
「ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR,」
「An error has occurred.」
「An error has occurred.」
「An error has occurred.」
「An error has occurred.」
˙
˙
˙
A sharp beep that felt like it would shatter my eardrums rang out, and red screens began to pop up, threatening to cover the entire pitch-black space.
Anyone could tell this wasn't normal.
I frowned and looked around, assessing the situation, but everywhere I looked was filled with crimson warning messages.
“What the…”
The moment I gripped the hilt of my sword to prepare for any contingency—
Tiring-
「Failed to access the player's deep consciousness.」
「Trial has been suspended due to insufficient data from surface consciousness.」
「Will you provide the information?」
「Y/N」
A blue screen, a stark contrast to the red warning messages, appeared before my eyes.
‘...The System?’
For a moment, I wondered if the System was speaking to me directly, as it had when I rescued Lucifer, but I quickly shook my head.
Most players go their entire lives without ever speaking directly to the System.
The System rarely reveals itself, and it certainly wasn't an entity that would intervene in a mere 9th-floor trial.
Therefore, it was only natural to assume the entity behind the screen was the 9th-floor Administrator.
After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I slowly opened my mouth.
“...And why should I?”
「It is a necessary procedure for a smooth trial process.」
“I think I've already proven my qualifications sufficiently. Has there ever been another player who resisted the Tower's authority like I have?”
「...」
I didn't know exactly what this "deep consciousness" the Administrator mentioned was, but I had a rough idea why it had failed to access it.
‘It's probably because of the dating app. Even the demon Gremory broke down when she tried to launch a mental attack on me.’
But I never imagined it could resist the authority of the Tower, which was practically a being from a higher dimension.
As various thoughts crossed my mind, I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword.
“If you really need a trial, then summon the strongest monster on the 9th floor.”
I gave the screen a crooked smile.
It wasn't a bluff, of course.
It was a fact that dealing with monsters was easier than any other trial.
The Administrator was silent for a while.
It seemed the topic was a difficult one to answer readily.
Still, I didn't press for an answer.
It was as clear as day that the situation was turning in my favor; even a newborn could see it.
About thirty minutes passed.
Tiring-
「Qualifications have been proven.」
「You have passed the 9th-floor trial.」
「You have acquired permission to enter the 10th floor.」
「Additional rewards will be given based on your performance.」
「+10WP」
Pfft-
The Administrator's petty move of rewarding me with a mere 10WP made me let out an involuntary scoff.
‘This is why they can't become Constellations and get worked like dogs.’
The fact that most administrators were failures who couldn't ascend to the rank of Constellation was a secret known only to a few high-rankers.
Of course, not all administrators were like that, but it was safe to assume most of the ones on the lower floors were.
That was precisely why the Constellations looked down on them.
Woooong-
I stepped through the newly formed portal. The familiar sensation of floating enveloped my body.
Fwoosh-!!
A scene completely different from any I had experienced while climbing the Tower unfolded before my eyes.
It was a bizarre sight, like riding an elevator through outer space.
‘...Lucifer never told me about this. Was there a problem during the transfer?’
The moment I looked around to grasp the situation—
‘...What is that.’
From beyond a white star that seemed to be billions of light-years away, I felt a colossal presence.
-ᛋᚢᛒ ᚺᛟᛗᛁᚾᛁᛋ ᛚᚨᚱᚡᚨ ᛚᚢᛞᛁᛒᚱᛁᛟ ᚠᚱᚢᛖᚱᛁᛋ
The instant I looked at the star, a voice spoke in a language I couldn't comprehend.
It was a language I had never heard in my life.
‘Ugh...!!’
The mere sound of the voice brushing against my eardrums caused an indescribably horrific pain to wash over me.
Just as I thought my head was about to split open.
Tiring-
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' expresses its displeasure.」
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' bares its fangs.」
The Dweller of the Swamp had intervened.
My surprise at the unexpected situation was brief, as the headache I'd been feeling moments before vanished as if it had been a lie.
I stared blankly at the indirect message that had appeared before me.
Honestly, I could see the Dancing Destroyer or Ishtar doing something like this, but I never imagined that rabid wolf would actually help me.
-ᚲᚨᚾᛁᛋ ᛚᚨᛏᚱᚨᛏ
Immediately after, another unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the space.
But this time, I didn't feel a headache.
I instinctively realized it was the voice of a Constellation with the highest-ranking divinity. For such a being to speak directly to a player, who was practically an insect, was something beyond common sense.
But one thing was certain: the owner of the voice was by no means friendly toward me.
Just as things were getting more and more incomprehensible, my vision was flooded with white light.
Tiring-
「Welcome to the Sky City, 'Barselont'.」
*
Most players who arrive on the 10th floor are famous for having the same reaction.
-...What is this?
Even I, who had heard about it from Lucifer beforehand, was no different.
The sight before me left me speechless.
Beyond the massive glass, a flock of monsters resembling pterodactyls swam through cotton-candy clouds.
As I lowered my gaze, the faint outline of a forest shimmered far below.
Only then did it finally sink in that I had arrived on the 10th floor.
The Sky City, Barselont.
True to its epithet, the entire city was floating in the sky.
The central cities from the 1st to the 9th floor had all been stuck in a medieval style, but now, I was faced with over-technology that far surpassed Earth's. I couldn't tear my eyes away.
But what was even more absurd was that the atmosphere of the city itself was, like the others, stuck in the Middle Ages.
If I had to find a similar place, it reminded me of England, which I had visited before.
The classic elegance of the Middle Ages and the sleekness of the modern era were blended with surprising harmony.
“Hyun-woo!”
Just as I was watching flying monsters the size of small aircraft beat the crap out of each other, I heard a familiar voice.
I turned my head reflexively to see Lee Serin running toward me, her dark brown hair flying.
Flump-
I naturally caught Lee Serin in my arms.
I never imagined she'd throw herself into my arms so proactively in a terminal crowded with thousands of players.
My heart swelled, thinking she might have overcome some of her trauma, but that feeling was short-lived—
“What took you so long! We were so worried!”
What met me wasn't a loving gaze, but Serin's sharp, resentful glare.
“...Late?”
Seeing how puffy her eyes were, I hurriedly checked my wristwatch.
“...Huh?”
It hadn't even been an hour since I entered the portal.
The fact that it was daytime outside wasn't particularly strange, since it was common for the flow of day and night to differ from floor to floor.
But my watch read ‘7:00 AM’.
It had been 11:00 PM when I entered the clock tower, which meant eight hours had passed.
‘What is this... Don't tell me?’
The moment I passed the trial and stepped into the portal, I had heard the true words of a highest-ranking Constellation.
Logically, it wouldn't have been strange if my brain had exploded, but thankfully, I only ended up with a headache.
At first, I thought the Dweller of the Swamp had protected me...
‘Could it be that I endured it on my own...? If parts of my brain responsible for my biological rhythm, like the hypothalamus, basal ganglia, or prefrontal cortex, were damaged in the process...?’
In that instant, goosebumps erupted all over my body.
“...Hyun-woo?”
Lee Serin tugged on my collar.
Finally snapping out of it, I saw her eyes trembling and quickly relaxed my expression.
I realized my face had been contorted into a grimace just moments before.
“Are you okay...?”
Worried about me not returning all night, Lee Serin's face looked even more haggard than usual.
A wave of guilt stabbed at my heart. To hide it, I put on a playful smile and continued.
“Of course. If you're worried, I can prove it to you right now.”
At the same time, I leaned in close and stroked her slender waist.
“R-Right now...? Uh, that's... a-a little difficult... N-Not that I don't want to...”
Lee Serin blushed shyly like a young girl, fidgeting with her fingers.
“...Ah!”
Thwack!
But in that moment, Lee Serin pushed me away.
“This isn't the time for that! We're in big trouble!”
“...Big trouble?”
“Lucy got arrested by the security force!”
“...?”
“...???”