Chapter 116: Eternal Spire (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Eternal Spire (2)
[Welcome, challengers.]
A grand, emotionless voice filled the space. It was difficult to tell if the voice was male or female, and it seemed to echo from all directions.
People instinctively tensed up, focusing on the voice.
Isia also seemed nervous, clenching her fists tightly.
[You have been chosen. Prove your worth.]
The hollow voice continued to echo.
[The tower consists of 100 floors. Defeat the boss on each floor.]
Isia's face grew even paler at the voice's words.
'It's about to start.'
[Now then, do entertain us. We shall begin.]
Suddenly, the floor beneath the participants' feet began to glow red.
[In ten minutes, all participants standing on the red floor will be eliminated.]
[Enter the tower.]
A stir went through the crowd, but no one moved.
[Oh, it seems my words sounded like a joke. Then, as a warning, let's eliminate a few of you.]
Snap….
BOOM! BOOOOM! BOOM!
"Kyaaaaah!"
"S-someone's head..."
Only then did people realize the gravity of the situation. The moment they realized that so many people had to enter a single narrow entrance at once, pandemonium broke out.
"Move! I'm first!"
"Fuck! Don't block the way!"
"Aargh! My leg!"
It was a scene of utter chaos. The area descended into disorder, with people pushing, screaming, and kicking.
In the midst of the chaos, Isia was shoved by the crowd and stumbled, losing her balance.
I reached out and steadied her.
"Be careful."
"Ah... thank you."
Her orange eyes looked up at me, filled with anxiety and fear.
"Let's go that way. There's more than one entrance."
It was the same in the original story. It looked like there was only one entrance, but in reality, dozens were hidden.
"Um, how do you know there's another entrance?" Isia asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I just have good eyes. If you look over there, you can see something like a small opening next to the large gate."
Her gaze followed my finger. Unlike the main gate where everyone was crowding, she could see small entrances obscured by shadows.
The screams grew louder once more. As time passed, the fear and chaos intensified.
"We should hurry, too."
Trembling with fear, Isia took my hand. I led her toward the hidden entrance.
As we calmly stepped inside the tower's entrance, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations. You are now qualified as an official participant.]
Isia was also looking at her own window with a surprised expression.
"What is this..."
I glanced at her and pretended not to know.
"Did you get a message, too?"
She looked at me for a moment before turning back to the window and replying.
"Ah, yes... It says something about being granted a qualification. But... what on earth is this situation?"
"I don't know either."
[We will now begin the participant's rating measurement.]
"What's this now?"
Isia grabbed my arm in confusion.
"I think they're trying to evaluate our abilities. Don't be scared. We'll probably know more once this is over."
[Participant: Jin Seo-yun]
[Measuring... Measurement complete.]
[Granting status to the participant.]
I looked at the translucent window floating in front of me.
Name: Jin Seo-yun
Level: 1
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Disposition: Evil, Chaos
Stats
-Strength: 20
-Stamina: 20
-Agility: 20
-Intelligence: 2
-Luck: 50
[Unique Ability]
[Bonus Points: 0]
[A new type of energy has been detected in the participant's body.]
[Analyzing energy...]
[A new stat will be unlocked.]
[Congratulations. You are the first to unlock a new stat. You have been awarded 2 points.]
Along with the 2 bonus points, a new stat, Internal Energy: 40, was added to my status. However, the value was different from the stats displayed on the Libido App.
'My stats are higher than I thought.'
Considering the average stat for others was 5, mine were overwhelmingly high.
'And bonus points are hard to come by unless you level up or complete a special achievement. Getting two points right from the start is lucky.'
But as I checked my stats, I couldn't help but frown.
'My intelligence is only 2? Isn't that a bit harsh?'
I've definitely navigated several crises wisely. I've overcome dangerous situations with strategic judgment and quick thinking. But it felt like all of that was being negated by a single number.
'What a stupid system. To rate my brilliant mind like this.'
As I was inwardly cursing the system, I heard Isia's voice.
"Um... are... are you looking at your status?"
"Yes. Did you get one, too?"
"Yes... But I don't know what any of this means..."
Isia looked at me with a confused expression.
"Have you ever played a game?"
"No..."
She shook her head. From her expression, it seemed she'd never played a game in her life.
"A status is a numerical representation of our abilities. Just like in a game."
"Oh, is that why there are all these numbers?"
"Yes. The higher the number, the better the ability. Strength is physical power, Stamina is physical endurance, and Agility is like your reflexes."
She nodded at my words, but it was clear she still didn't fully understand.
Just then, our bodies were enveloped in light.
[Beginning teleportation to the Hall.]
The surroundings filled with a blinding light, and in an instant, everything changed.
We were now standing in a hall of immense size. The vast space, so large its end couldn't be seen, was decorated in an antique style of metal and stone. From the ceiling, blue crystals emitted a soft glow, illuminating the entire area.
When Isia stumbled and lost her balance, I naturally reached out and caught her shoulder.
"Careful."
"Thank you..."
"Come to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Jin Seo-yun."
"Oh, I'm Isia."
We finally introduced ourselves formally.
Isia looked around at the vast hall and the people gathered within, murmuring in a voice tinged with sorrow.
"So... so many people..."
Tens of thousands of people were gathered in the hall. Everyone was looking around, trying to grasp the situation, and some of them wore expressions of confusion or fear.
I thought to myself as I gazed at the massive tower gate standing tall in the center.
'Once all the survivors arrive, the gate to the first floor will open.'
Just then, more survivors began to appear around us.
[All participants' arrival has been confirmed.]
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from the center of the hall. At the same time, the gate began to open slowly.
A murmur mixed with tension and fear spread through the crowd. Everyone held their breath, staring at the gate.
"Seo-yun..."
Isia grabbed my arm. Her hand was trembling slightly, and her face was full of anxiety.
I spoke softly to reassure her.
"Don't worry."
At my words, she gave a small, relieved smile. The fear was still there, but the fact that she wasn't alone seemed to be a small comfort to her.
Once again, the voice echoed in the air.
[The gate to the 1st floor has been opened.]
[All participants' inventories have been unlocked.]
[A weapon has been provided in your inventory.]
The moment the gate opened completely, all the participants naturally turned their heads to look beyond it.
And then, another message.
[The Gatekeeper of the Hall appears.]
In that instant, the air froze. From beyond the massive gate, a thick darkness surged forth, enveloping the hall. A large figure slowly emerged from within the darkness.
As the massive shadow gradually came into focus, the tension among the participants reached a breaking point.
"W-what is that..." someone cried out in a trembling voice.
What appeared from beyond the gate was a giant beast. Its entire body was covered in coarse black fur, and its blazing red eyes glared at the participants. Baring its massive fangs, the creature let out a low growl, looking as if it were ready to devour the entire space.
'The Wolf King of Black Night.'
A red message appeared before my eyes.
[Wolf King of Black Night Lv. 10]
[Difficulty: Medium]
The moment I saw the difficulty, I frowned.
'What? In the original story, the difficulty should have been 'Highest'.'
The only thing different from the original story was my presence. After a moment of thought, I realized.
'Ah, it's because of me.'
I was likely the only one here who had a chance of facing it. The system must have recognized my presence and adjusted the difficulty.
'Seeing the difficulty drop from 'Highest' to 'Medium', I should be able to handle it by myself.'
The people here now could never defeat it. In the first place, defeating it wasn't the objective.
'A culling.'
It was the same in the original story. The true purpose of this boss fight was to weed out the useless humans.
"Seo-yun... do we have to fight that thing?" Isia asked with an anxious expression. Her hands were trembling faintly.
"It seems so. Isia, try to picture an inventory in your mind. There should be a weapon provided for you."
"Okay."
Isia looked bewildered, but she did as I said. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Just like you said, Seo-yun, there are weapons here."
"Could you take out the bow and arrows?"
A bow and arrows appeared in her hands.
"This... can I even use this?"
"No, don't even think about fighting. Just stay as close to me as you can."
"Okay."
I checked my inventory as well. There were several weapons, but I took out a sword.
[Steel Sword]
-Grade: Normal
-A sword suitable for basic combat.