The Ninth Floor Test (1)

'So the Sixth Form doesn't need to be built up gradually; it can be triggered immediately.'

Even though Lee Jin-hyuk was a regressor, there were still many things he didn't know.

For instance, he couldn't know the exact state of mind Kaelion was in as she swung her sword.

Nor could he know what emotional influence or realization had led her to bloom a sunflower instead of a plum blossom.

After all, in his past life, Kaelion had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠closer to an enemy than an ally.

'That's why giving her another chance is the right thing to do.'

After briefly recalling his past life, Jin-hyuk unleashed a new technique to counter Kaelion.

It was the White Tiger, defending against Kaelion's sunflower sword energy.

Crouched low, its body wrapped in blazing fur, it served as an excellent means of defense.

Clang! Clang!

Kaelion's sword and Jin-hyuk's blade clashed violently.

"Not bad," Jin-hyuk remarked.

“...Neither are you, Jin-hyuk.”

"What's this?"

Jin-hyuk chuckled.

"Are we speaking casually now?"

“Yeah. You're the one who told me to do it first!”

Flash!

Perhaps speaking casually was a sign of intimacy, because Kaelion's expression brightened even further as she unfurled her petals toward Jin-hyuk, who was blazing with white light.

'Seriously.'

Jin-hyuk smiled faintly.

'She's so different from the one I used to know.'

In truth, he hadn't known Kaelion very well in his past life.

She had been the commander-in-chief of the elven army, uniting the elves and walking a tightrope between the Tower's allied forces until the very end.

'Since I've prevented the future where she awakens twenty-five years later and becomes Surtr's Apostle, she should make a good ally.'

Since the future had already twisted significantly, he would have to keep a close eye on how things unfolded from here.

He needed to observe her in greater detail.

'It's nice to feel a step closer.'

He smirked.

'Well, I can watch the future unfold slowly. For now, I have to do what needs to be done.'

Soon, a sun-like sphere rose behind Kaelion, forming a halo.

To counter this, Jin-hyuk activated his skill once more.

“Is it a nightmare again?”

A place where time was perceived at a crawl.

Jin-hyuk had returned to this space, which could only be accessed through Kaelion's Sweet Dream.

“Good.”

Looking over his items and skills, Jin-hyuk began to move slowly.

He had plenty of time, but there was no reason to drag things out.

Just like before, Jin-hyuk's skills began to blend into the Sweet Dream.

'What I want is...'

Whoosh!

'A shield that can withstand the attacks of the stars—the Constellations.'

Calling it a shield was a bit of a misnomer.

After all, what Jin-hyuk was trying to execute was a sword technique.

'But who says a sword technique can only be executed with a sword?'

If it was created to replace the armor that the Hebei Peng Clan lacked...

Jin-hyuk did not stop there.

He possessed the Holy Fire, which was an armor stronger than anything else.

He also had the Adaptive Shell, which could adapt to any skill or garment.

Sssss...

Soon, Jin-hyuk's skills began to fuse.

Driven by Jin-hyuk's willpower, the phantom of a massive divine beast began to envelop his body.

'My power is not limited to the sword.'

Shhhhh!

'I will use even my armor like a sword. And this armor will easily withstand the attacks of the stars.'

Jin-hyuk did not merely hold a sword.

Instead, he wore the sword as armor.

The armor formed by the convergence of numerous skills and his willpower was not just 'defense'—it was the sword technique itself.

The bones of the White Tiger, the scales of the Star-Fire Dragon.

The phantom of a new, unprecedented divine beast perfectly blocked all of Kaelion's attacks.

At the same time, he used Clear Mind.

Jin-hyuk woke up from the nightmare.

“Congratulations,” Kaelion said.

Seeing him wake, Kaelion immediately stopped her sword technique and approached him.

“You've gained another realization, haven't you?”

“It's all thanks to you speaking casually to me.”

“...Ugh. What is that even supposed to mean?”

Jin-hyuk smirked, enjoying Kaelion's embarrassed reaction.

'This is more fun than I thought.'

In any case, the Third Form of the Star Destruction Sword Technique was now complete.

Now, he needed to check his skills once more.

He had combined and synthesized all skills and items below Narrative Grade into far more powerful forms.

The results were highly satisfying.

The only catch was that his points were still woefully insufficient.

'Rewards aside, does it really make sense that I need thirty million more points?'

Of course, the return would be immense, but the price was simply absurd.

Although he was steadily earning points through runestones, most of it went toward funding the development of the Northern Continent, leaving him perpetually broke.

In fact, the target of thirty million points was so high that he had practically stopped worrying about it.

'...Wait a minute.'

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through Jin-hyuk's mind.

'If I play my cards right, I might be able to rake in all these points in one go.'

Seeing the look on his face, Kaelion poked him in the ribs with a worried expression.

“Jin-hyuk.”

“...Yeah?”

“What are you thinking about? You're making me nervous.”

“It's nothing.”

Kaelion tilted her head, thinking his smile looked somewhat sinister.

“Kaelion.”

“Yeah?”

“Let's go.”

Jin-hyuk pulled out the egg from his coat.

Unlike its usual lively self, it was completely still.

“To the ninth floor.”

Flash!

Jin-hyuk and Kaelion arrived in a place filled with towering cliffs.

It felt like looking at a darker version of the 4th floor's Canyon of Death.

Yet, calling it merely a darker version didn't do justice to the eerie, spine-chilling atmosphere that permeated the air.

The 9th floor, the Nihility Ghost Realm.

A world assigned to another faction, distinct from the Outlands, the Alliance of Evil, or the Murim Alliance.

The martial artists of the Heavenly Demon Cult fundamentally manipulated demonic energy, the power of devils and demons.

Since demonic energy was inherently linked to wraiths and necromancy, it naturally gave rise to this chilling atmosphere.

“Ugh... this gives me the creeps,” Kaelion muttered.

“Tell me about it.”

As a High Elf, Kaelion was far more sensitive to this kind of environment.

'As expected, Kaelion is different from ordinary elves.'

Though she was grimacing at the demonic energy, Jin-hyuk watched her thoughtfully.

Normally, an elf—especially a High Elf who was highly sensitive to nature—would struggle to even breathe in this concentration of demonic energy.

It should have been suffocating.

Yet Kaelion only felt a slight aversion to it; it wasn't fatal to her in the slightest.

In fact, her aversion seemed to stem merely from its unfamiliarity, rather than an inherent rejection of the energy itself.

'Well, that's not what's important right now.'

Recalling their purpose here, Jin-hyuk remembered what Erandir had told him.

“Ummm... you might not know much about the ninth floor... but it's not just some shitty maze-like cliff escape show.”

“I've spent years on the seventh floor, so I know a thing or two... Ummm... how should I put it... a hidden piece? No, calling it that might be a bit of a stretch...”

“Anyway, there are divine beasts there... things the Demonic Cult hid away, claiming they were rare or that they could corrupt them...”

“They are absolute... trash.”

Before his regression, Jin-hyuk had also cleared the 9th floor test.

But back then, he had simply wandered aimlessly through the maze and cleared it by sheer luck.

He hadn't found any notable hidden pieces.

“...I'm sorry. That information has already been completely erased, so there's no point in telling you.”

“It's already been discarded, and it will never appear again, so you don't need to worry. It can't be used in the fight against the Constellations anyway.”

“I'm sorry.”

His companion who had stayed with him until the very end in his past life.

The Rank 2 High Ranker, the Heavenly Demon Cheon Hyang-un.

Since this place was entirely her domain, he had asked her about it, but she had remained silent, claiming it had been discarded.

According to Erandir's information, it made sense that she would want to hide it.

'She must have been ashamed.'

Jin-hyuk brushed his hair back.

'It's not exactly a pleasant place, after all.'

“The ninth floor is literally a breeding ground for divine beasts...”

“They kidnap players who are weak, possess holy power, or have no backing, and feed them to the divine beasts...”

“Why? Because that's how the divine beasts grow well. Those bastards...”

“Once a divine beast is corrupted into a demonic beast, it becomes several times stronger than a normal demonic beast. That's what they're after.”

“The Heavenly Demon? Hmm... she might not know since she only recently became the Heavenly Demon... She's too young. That woman...”

“Besides, isn't the Heavenly Demon Cult currently split into two factions anyway? It's a total mess.”

Normally, the 9th floor was land assigned to the Heavenly Demon Cult, but it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠currently neglected due to the cult being split into two factions.

Taking advantage of this gap, 'someone' who maintained good relations with the Heavenly Demon Cult and held significant influence was using this place as they pleased.

Someone with the means and power to corrupt divine beasts.

A player who commanded countless necromancers and witches, possessing a unique power over corruption and 'fall.'

A High Ranker who was once of a revered race but had now fallen to the depths, destined to bring 'ruin' to a significant portion of the Tower in the future.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Witch of Fall, Majuron.

This place was her 'divine beast cultivation farm.'

“Jin-hyuk?”

“...Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

Kaelion looked at him with concern, noting his unusually serious expression and demeanor.

'The ninth floor. There are so many turning points that start here.'

Stopping Majuron, who would later become one of the four great disasters of the Tower.

The Poison Witch Dang So-wol, who had made a deal with Jin-hyuk, and the Heavenly Demon, Cheon Hyang-un, who was entangled in all of this.

Giving a final chance to the 'brother' who remained at this point in time, just as she had requested before his regression.

This was the beginning of it all.

'And above all...'

Jin-hyuk gently stroked the egg.

'I need to hatch this little guy.'

“Let's go,” Jin-hyuk said.

Leaving the Constellations' reactions behind, Jin-hyuk activated his skill.

Groooooooan...!

The moment the skill was activated, everything within the Nihility Ghost Realm of the 9th floor flooded into Jin-hyuk's vision.