Revenge
I pressed Y, and the world shifted. I was standing in the place where the illusion waited.
Before my eyes, the Temple had summoned a being it judged "comparable" to me — based on my own abilities.
What appeared far exceeded anything I had expected.
The creature standing in front of me was an Ogre. And not just any Ogre. It had a wooden club gripped in its fist.
...Are you kidding me!?
A curse tore out of my mouth before I could stop it.
An Ogre. Even a common Ogre was a monstrous thing with a Strength of at least seventy.
The Temple — no, the Tower — had thrown something like that at me and called it "my level."
My stats averaged under fifty. By every measure I knew, beating an Ogre with my current numbers was impossible. And yet the Tower had decided I had a chance.
I'd been growing lately. My body's own potential had risen, and I'd hit level 17.
But to actually even the scales, I'd need to reach the Middle Floor.
Until then, I had to content myself with slow, steady growth.
If it weren't for the need to raise my party and keep my influence within it, I might have lived in this Temple for a while.
Han Ba-da's party was here too, which made camping out even less of an option.
But an Ogre as my opponent? Did that even make sense? One hit and I'd be on death's door.
GROAAAR!
The Ogre bellowed a meaningless roar and charged.
Its bulk easily cleared five meters, a physique even more densely muscled than a Minotaur. And true to its nickname — Tyrant of the Forest — it was faster than I'd anticipated. No: at five meters tall, "slow" was never going to be in the equation.
It was also agile. This was no lumbering brute.
As the distance closed in an instant, I let my mind settle of its own accord.
I couldn't die here even if I died.
And the Tower had judged this thing a sufficient opponent — no, a fitting match for who I was right now.
Which meant this wasn't a fight I had no chance of winning. I ran to meet the charging Ogre head-on. At the same time, I drew my mana up to its limit for the first time in a while.
Hup!
The Ogre, seeing me charge back, swung its wooden club as if I were a joke.
I didn't take my eyes off the club flying toward me. Fast. And yet... it didn't look that fast.
The weapon closed in. I twisted my body hard, matching the timing.
KRAAAANG!
An enormous crash. Terrifying power, as expected of an Ogre.
The ground split. But the club hadn't hit me.
The instant I twisted past it, I used the club itself as a stepping stone, kicking off and launching myself upward.
GRAAAH!
I used the wooden club as a foothold and leapt high toward the Ogre's knee.
The Ogre tried to react, late. It wasn't a slow monster. It possessed a high degree of Agility. But my timing was far better.
I landed lightly atop its knee, and the Ogre belatedly tried to shake me off.
Perfect timing. The instant it jerked its knee, I swept my sword at the back of the joint, and the mana-wreathed blade sank easily through the Ogre's hide.
Thuk!
If you looked closely, a faint blue light was shimmering along my blade.
Sword Qi.
That was why the sword could split an Ogre's hide. Even with mana in the blade, without Sword Qi the weapon would have bounced right off.
GRAAAAAH!
The Ogre screamed and swung its remaining hand at its own knee, trying to snatch me.
I stepped up onto its thigh, dodging the incoming hand, and in the same motion I slashed at the fingers passing beneath my feet, shearing one of them clean off. The Ogre's scream of pain grew even louder.
My body was lighter than I'd expected. It didn't feel like my own. It was my body, and yet the sensation was unfamiliar.
I leapt down from its leg as the Ogre twisted, trying to throw me.
Even through the pain, the Ogre stomped, trying to crush me underfoot.
Whoom, CRASH! Whoom, KRAAANG!
Massive impacts rang out, and dust billowed thick across the ground.
But I wasn't hurt.
The Ogre's physical abilities were clearly superior. But I was the one dictating the fight.
Fighting it, I understood why that was.
One hit and I'd be dying. It sounded ridiculous, but the answer was simple: don't get hit.
I'd fought Ogres plenty of times, and I knew their patterns. That knowledge was a weapon in itself.
I toyed with the simple-minded Ogre, severing the Achilles tendon of each planted foot in turn, then cutting the remaining hamstring of the kneeling giant. I didn't stop there — I carved through the muscles of its lower back and the ones that held its spine upright, one after another.
Wounds climbing slowly from below. The Ogre crumbled by degrees, until at last—
Thud.
The Ogre was combat-incapable.
The sword combinations had flowed so naturally I surprised even myself. I'd taken down an Ogre? With this body? With essentially one combat skill?
Heal and Purify were support skills — not something you used in the middle of a fight.
What the hell was this...
I could kill an Ogre with my current body? Did that even make sense?
The Temple — no, the Tower — had chosen my opponent with my software in mind as well. And I'd still won in a complete one-sided stomp. I was far stronger than I'd imagined. I wasn't the only one who didn't fully understand my own strength. My companions weren't alone in that.
The body whose potential had increased had jacked my mana efficiency to an insane degree, granting me a freedom of movement that had been impossible before.
Add the experience of my first life on top of that, and the result was a record that shouldn't have been possible.
I wondered if this might earn me an achievement, but this was an illusion. There was nothing like that.
The moment I felled the Ogre, I found myself already outside the illusion, a single message window floating in front of me.
You have won. Rewards will be issued.
The reward was just a few pieces of food. No experience. No stat increases. I'd killed an Ogre at my current level and the payout was a handful of food... The efficiency was genuinely garbage. Or maybe it wasn't so bad for me right now. Do it a few times and the stats would go up, and that was still far better than hunting out here. My guess was that if the 2nd Fist King had needed ten clears to raise a single stat, I'd need two or three. Even if the efficiency was poor, given the caliber of the opponent, that seemed likely.
Even so, I had no intention of settling in at the Temple of Tribulation to train. There was so much to collect on the Lower Floors and the Middle Floor — why would I bury myself in here? My physical potential had already jumped massively. What I needed right now was levels.
I forced myself to look around. No one had come out before me. They were all still fighting their illusions.
I sank into meditation, replaying the fight I'd just had. Could I have moved better? I analyzed the battle as I meditated.
Meanwhile, my companions emerged one by one. None of them looked particularly grim, so it seemed no one had lost. Even Nam Eun-ju appeared to have won.
Well. Both my party and Han Ba-da's were people I had personally trained. I hadn't taught them so cheaply that they'd lose to something like this.
The group was exchanging notes on the monsters they'd faced. The general consensus: the opponents had been extremely strong, it was a good chance to take stock of yourself, but the rewards were terrible. There was just one exception. Na Seoyun was lost in thought, working something out.
After thinking for a long while, Na Seoyun came running straight to me.
"Oppa!"
"...What's wrong?"
"Can I keep using this place a little longer?"
"It's a rest day anyway. That's up to you. Do as you like."
"Thank you!"
Na Seoyun immediately challenged the Temple of Tribulation again. And a day passed, then two — even on the day we'd planned to head to the next floor, Na Seoyun asked for just a little more time and planted herself in the Temple.
Some parties had already arrived on the 13th floor. I wanted to climb higher, but Na Seoyun seemed to have grasped some kind of thread. In the end I told the group we'd rest one more day. No one objected. Han Ba-da's party looked a little disappointed, but we were the ones holding the cards.
During that time I challenged the Temple of Tribulation myself, refining my swordsmanship to match a body that had become even more extraordinary than I'd imagined, and as a result my Weapon Mastery proficiency exploded. In the process I cleared the Temple of Tribulation more than ten times, which earned me the qualification to ascend to the next floor — but I didn't go up. Han Ba-da's revenge was still unfinished.
And on the evening of the third day, Na Seoyun used magic for the first time.
Energy Bolt
"Whoa... this is magic?"
"Yes. It's just a basic non-elemental spell, though."
Na Seoyun was surrounded by the party.
Magic. And in the Labyrinth, no less?
Even that famously fast Archmage had only started using spells one by one after arriving on the Lower Floors and letting some time pass.
Until then, he'd fought with his body, mostly using a staff or something similar.
I'd heard that even as a mage, his physical specs had been excellent thanks to his Supreme-tier potential, putting him in the upper-mid ranks regardless.
Once he started using magic, he'd gradually become a monster.
And Na Seoyun was already using magic.
I was reminded, all over again, just how terrifying a Supreme-tier talent with a regressor's support could be.
It actually gave me chills. All I could think was: this is a genuine monster.
The others, who didn't understand what it meant, just found it fascinating.
Then again, we already had a rare Elementalist in the party, so they were probably used to strange magic like this.
I pushed through the group and stood in front of Na Seoyun.
"Oppa?"
I stroked her hair as I spoke.
"Well done. You worked hard."
"Yes. Hehe."
Na Seoyun's face lit up with happiness. She really had done well. Praise like this wasn't enough. But it was all I could give her right now.
After praising Na Seoyun, I turned to the rest of the party.
"Tomorrow... we handle the business we've put off. Han Ba-da, thank you for waiting. Let's take care of what we promised tomorrow."
"Not at all. It's not as if they're going anywhere."
Them. The party caught on immediately to what we were talking about.
Their faces hardened a little. Jin Sang-soo's party. The moment that name came up, a flicker of distaste seemed to pass through them.
I declared it to the group.
When the next day came, the atmosphere among the party was stiff.
They knew perfectly well what had to be done today.
But there was no hesitation.
Jin Sang-soo's party had done what they'd done, and we'd spent enough time together to build a rapport with Han Ba-da's group. So my people, if anything, disliked Jin Sang-soo's party — they certainly didn't feel any fondness.
The move to the Safe Zone looked slow at a glance, but we were covering ground at a clearly rapid pace.
Before long the party arrived in front of the Safe Zone, and we were able to enter without any particular conditions.
You have entered the Safe Zone.
A cascade of Administrator-set conditions appeared.
True to Han Ba-da, who'd asked me to lift the restrictions, there were essentially no conditions except for crimes committed inside — murder, in particular. And even those had just been lifted.
"H-Han Ba-da... and Yoo Shin-hoo too..."
The Safe Zone had only a few days left.
Inside it, Jin Sang-soo's party spotted us, and their faces twisted with terror.
But perhaps they'd been clinging to some small hope. Jin Sang-soo immediately rushed forward and dropped to his knees. Fast, without a shred of hesitation.
"I'm sorry! Back then I— I think I went crazy because I wanted to live so badly! Ba-da— no, Han Ba-da! Please, please forgive me!"
I'd expected him to make excuses to me, to claim it was a misunderstanding — I didn't know exactly what Han Ba-da had told him, but we hadn't actually witnessed the betrayal ourselves.
Instead, he'd chosen a fast apology.
His read of the situation was better than I'd expected.
"I'm sorry!"
"Please spare us!"
"It's all our fault!"
The remaining three seemed to have coordinated with him; they too dropped flat on the ground behind Jin Sang-soo, apologizing.
I looked at Han Ba-da.
Honestly, I felt nothing. No amount of apology could make what they'd done forgivable.
It had been indirect murder — no, just murder, period — and at the same time, a betrayal of their comrades. Even on Earth, murder was a serious crime, a felony. In the Tower, too, murder that wasn't self-defense was a serious crime. But later on, betraying your comrades would be classified as even more severe. As someone with memories of the first timeline, I couldn't muster a shred of sympathy for people who had tried to do both at once.
But Han Ba-da might be different. I wanted to see whether their strategy would work on her.
A perfectly blank expression. And even within it, I could feel the rage.
It wasn't working at all.
If anything, it seemed to be fanning the flames.
CRACK.
The man on the far left. Hwang Woo-jin. Still in his prostrate position, his head was split open by Han Ba-da's sword.
Hhk!
He didn't even have time to react. Even before, Han Ba-da had been the strongest among them in raw power. Now the gap had widened even further.
And he'd been lying face-down, completely defenseless. It would have been more surprising if he'd managed to react.
They hadn't expected her to just kill one of them outright; the ones still on the ground lifted their heads. Their faces were stained with shock and terror.
"Why did you do it?"
"Th-that's... it just seemed completely impossible... I d-didn't want to die. I w-wanted to live, that's why. I-it's the truth, Han Ba-da."
Trembling voices. Unsteady pupils. Even so, they showed a will to survive by any means.
"Then you should have just run! Why did you stab us in the back?! After doing something like that, you have the nerve to—"
Cho Yeon-eun cut in, shouting.
"B-but if it got out that we'd run, you would have just abandoned us! We had to find a way to live! So...!"
"Ha. So because you couldn't make it, you were going to latch onto Shin-hoo's party? Wipe out the evidence of your betrayal — meaning us — and then shamelessly...?"
They'd apparently taken our party for complete pushovers.
"I-I did it because I wanted to live. Y-you said running was allowed, didn't you? If we ran and made it into the Safe Zone, I thought Han Ba-da would hunt us down and throw us out. Th-that's what I was afraid of. Please, please, just once, have mercy..."
He kept stammering. Like a man truly terrified. He probably was terrified. But to me, half of it looked deliberate. The sentencing, however, belonged to Han Ba-da's party. I didn't interfere.
"...You were the one who dragged us to the 15th floor! I was against it! If we'd climbed slowly, slowly, do you think we would have ended up like this?! You're the one who spouted nonsense and hauled us up to the 15th floor! The primary cause is your fault!"
"That's true. I acknowledge that. But that doesn't justify your betrayal."
Han Ba-da's cold verdict. At those words, Jin Sang-soo, who had somehow gotten to his feet, drew his weapon.
As if he'd realized there was no hope, and meant to put up one last struggle.
But then he immediately looked at our party.
Our expressions said we couldn't care less that they'd drawn weapons.
We'd quietly drawn up our mana, but outwardly we looked far too at ease.
Jin Sang-soo's face twisted as he understood what our demeanor meant.
Then he threw down his weapon and clung to us again. This time, to me.
"Shin-hoo! No, Yoo Shin-hoo! Please, please just spare my life! If you spare me, I'll be your slave. I'll serve you like a dog — just please, spare my life!"
I don't need a slave like that. His skills are trash and I can't see a single way he'd be useful. He'd be dead weight. I'd be lucky if he didn't betray me the moment things got dangerous.
Han Ba-da glanced at me. Her face was still blank, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. As if she was afraid I might actually accept.
If I stepped in, saving just that one probably wouldn't be impossible. If I asked, Han Ba-da would likely spare him even while hating every second of it. But the costs far outweighed any benefit. I had no reason to, and I didn't want to.
"Why are you asking me, Jin Sang-soo? Who do you think I am? I have no authority to interfere in this."
"Please! Please! Yoo Shin-hoo, you could save us, couldn't you?! Please, just our lives..."
Seeing Jin Sang-soo cling to me, one of the remaining three seemed to find a spark of hope and lunged at me.
He looked ready to grab my pant leg and hang on.
But the party immediately stepped in front of me, and Lee Yoon-hyung was even more extreme.
He severed one of the charging man's legs — Na Sang-min's — right then and there.
"AAAAAGH!"
I didn't even glance at Na Sang-min. I spoke to Han Ba-da.
"I'll give you some time. I'm going to go look for a Twin-Horned Minotaur. I'll clear out every Minotaur along the way and leave markers, so just follow the trail."
"Thank you for the consideration."
Han Ba-da expressed her gratitude.
"Don't mention it. Take your time catching up."
I left the Safe Zone.
"Yoo Shin-hoo! Yoo Shin-hooooo!"
A desperate voice called after me from behind. I ignored it.
"AAAAAAAHHH!"
A wretched scream rang out behind me.