Chapter 121
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Mental Strength (1)
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Thud. Thud.
I'm climbing the apartment stairs.
One step at a time, methodically. Keeping a steady pace, rhythm, and spacing.
Thud. Thud.
The higher the floor, the heavier my body feels, ever so slightly.
Probably the 'weight of clothes.'
I'd already ditched the backpack and shoes, stowed the rations in my inventory, but as a Homo sapiens trying to act civilized, I kept the T-shirt and shorts.
[40th Floor]
A solid climb to the 40th floor. So far, exactly 50 dropouts counted.
Still over 50 left.
Thud. Thud.
It's tough.
The gravity spell pulling at the space is heavily dampened for me, no damage to joints or muscles, but stamina's the issue.
Life's a marathon, after all.
[50th Floor]
At the 50th floor stairs, I spot someone slumped against the wall.
"Uh... Sion..."
It was Rae.
Her weary eyes look up at me, and she gives a feeble smile.
"...Sion looks fine as hell. Heh, hehehe."
I pass her and keep climbing.
My score's already solid.
Top 1%.
Back before regression, in those days stuck at the bottom, I couldn't even dream of it.
Which makes me greedier.
"Hoo..."
Breath hot, throat burning, but not enough to quit.
Hell, it's too easy.
Just lift a leg and step.
Nothing but climbing stairs.
Not like facing death every night in sickness, or praying for tomorrow on the operating table.
I can do this.
I can climb higher.
—Time remaining: 2 hours.
Current floor: 95th.
Just -5 floors to 100.
"Haa..."
But Soliet Arkne feels like she's being bounced out of reality.
Am I climbing the stairs, or are the stairs climbing me? Her consciousness spins, all crumpled up.
Stamina's long gone, but an unconscious 'routine' keeps her moving.
Left foot.
Breath.
Right foot.
Breath.
Her reason doesn't interfere in any of it.
Creaking joints, screaming muscles. Ignoring the pain signals screaming from every inch of her body, she climbs...
—Click.
Footsteps from behind.
Soliet has no energy to look, but they brush past and overtake her.
Soliet glances at her back.
Elise.
Climbing with eyes closed.
Perfect posture at a steady pace, even using Telekinesis to assist her joints.
Elegant steps.
Not a waver in her form. Watching that, Soliet suddenly realizes her own foolishness.
Mental strength is ultimately the ability to compose oneself.
Yet she'd let Akane's words rattle her from the start, couldn't keep calm. No proper rest, too hyped and pushed too hard.
The result...
Miserable.
Obvious.
Elise is already out of sight, and she's stopped here.
100th floor is impossible now.
She knows, but doesn't want to admit it.
No, can't admit it—
Soliet grips the railing again and climbs.
One step.
Her heart stops. Strength drains from her body. Balance lost, leg muscles cramp. Breath shakes so bad she can't even groan.
A seizure.
She collapses on the stairs, just gasping.
"—"
...In her fraying consciousness, a scene flashes before her blackened vision.
Like a burned photo slowly restoring.
The morgue, cold air and death's chill clinging to her skin, thick as this stairwell's pointless gloom.
-Please identify the body.
Stock phrase.
Door slides open with a rumble.
Pulled out like meat from a freezer.
A dead person.
Standing alone, staring blankly in grief and trembling.
But worse, the helplessness and despair that tore at her.
She couldn't move a finger.
Her heart melting, bones shattering.
That day.
She vowed revenge, swore never to feel this again, yet here she is, falling the same way, so powerless...
—Thud.
Footsteps climbing stairs seep into her distant ears.
A familiar voice pulls her from near-death dissociation.
"You. What're you doing here."
Sion Askal.
Not for nothing is it a mental strength test.
I feel it in my bones.
The cruelest torture might be the one you inflict on yourself. Like these damn stairs—the higher you go, the worse it gets, knowing it's torture yet you have to climb anyway.
"...Gonna die."
I'm still climbing.
My one boast, recovery speed, slowed ages ago. Worse, I'm sleepy. Every cell screams for rest.
Thanks to that, I get it.
Fatigue consumption to recover the body.
[97th Floor]
Despite all the stamina woes, dragging my ass finally reaches the 97th.
97th floor.
9,700 steps, and a number that tempts you to quit—good enough, right?
A satisfying stopping point.
Staring blankly at 97, pondering surrender.
"...?"
I spot a woman slumped against the railing.
Brows furrow briefly.
Odd.
Anyone could see she'd failed at 97, but she shouldn't fail at just 97.
"You."
I manage a word. Approach her, lips moving.
"What're you doing here."
She opens her eyes. Eyelids tremble heavily.
"..."
Complete exhaustion, can't even speak.
A few strands of hair drape pitifully over her face; her eyes stare at me, unfocused and dead.
"Why..."
I can't understand.
This exam is fateful, like destiny.
You should reach 100 first, get Akane's card, become her ally.
Why?
—Suddenly.
An eerie alarm rings in my head.
Pre-regression Soliet had no me.
Without me, she did everything alone.
Standing solo, she was incomplete, but gained strength as trade-off.
Current Soliet lacks the body and mind to conquer 100 floors easy.
"Gotta climb."
"..."
Soliet just nods. Good, still conscious.
"Akane knows. About Nightmares. You heard too."
"...Y...es."
She pushes off the floor. Tries to stand, palm scrapes–flop. Collapses like a ragdoll, head smacking stair edge.
Doesn't even feel the pain, face deathly pale, wheezing.
I watch her quietly.
"...Let's go."
She's not pre-regression Soliet.
No that venom. No grit. Stamina way lower to start.
Probably because of me.
"C'mon. You have to go."
I haul her up forcibly. She can't even support herself, so I piggyback.
"!"
Amplified gravity hits then. Heavier than a steel block.
3 or 4 times normal.
Teeth gritted, I climb.
One step. One step.
Back twists with each footfall.
One step. One step.
Future changed, Soliet's different.
Looking back, I'd braced for it.
One step. One step.
Holding Soliet's hand, chasing Nightmares together means...
Sharing the pain she'd borne alone.
One step. One step.
Even if Soliet doesn't get as strong as back then.
Even if she doesn't earn the title of greatest swordmaster of all time, across continents and history.
One step. One step.
Your happiness isn't that anyway.
To repay 'past you,' I chose to share your burden.
One step. One step.
Without you, I'd have died listlessly in bed.
Every time I fell, you lifted me.
Climbing stairs is nothing...
Willingly.
One step. One step.
Those steps make 100, one floor.
99th floor.
"You..."
A faint voice from behind.
"Shh."
If you're gonna say leave me, shut it.
Can't see her face. But her arms move, cautiously clinging to me.
I smile.
Reminds me of a day.
Positions reversed, probably.
You carried me, you smiled.
One step.
Plant foot on stair. Blood oozes from crushed sole.
One step.
Staring only at stairs, gripping crumbling body and mind.
One step.
Forcing open eyes stinging, tearing from sweat.
One step.
Propping ragged consciousness with abstract mental strength.
One step.
Finally, dead end.
Threshold you can't pass.
I look up blankly.
Iron door. Last barrier to 100th.
Grip the handle.
"Ngh..."
Full push, won't budge.
Bam–!
Shoulder charge. No dice. Doesn't budge. I scrape and flop onto stairs.
"Ah... fuck."
Curse slips out.
Tap–.
Foot hits ground. My body lightens instantly.
I look back.
Soliet, who'd been on my back, stands alone.
"...Thanks to you."
She staggers but grabs the handle stubbornly.
"Recharged."
Hah–!
One kiai nearly shatters the iron door. Cold, heavy wind rushes in.
Rooftop.
She climbs up, dry-heaves–guuuk–! then turns to me.
"Sion."
Offers her hand. I stare blankly.
She wiggles fingers. Hurry up.
I grab it. She pulls me up.
Thus, we reach the rooftop together.
"...Sion."
Soliet meets my eyes, trembling, calls my name again.
"Sorry."
Voice wet with tears. Exhausted face, apologetic.
I chuckle dryly.
"Shouldn't it be thanks right now?"
She swallows. Nods with pale smile, then to me–
"Tha..."
Can't finish, collapses.
I catch her with my body. Still heavy, but set her down gently.
I slump to the floor too.
Scan the rooftop.
Soliet, Elise, Gerkken toppled like dominoes. Beyond, Akane.
"Filming a movie?"
I shrug at sneering Akane.
"Get here, you're first."
She points at Gerkken right in front of her.
Rough positions:
Sion │ Soliet │ Elise │ Gerkken │ Akane
I ask her.
"First place get me anything?"
"Why expect me to boost your score."
"You give Soliet a card. Me... no poison? Deadly stuff."
If so, for you.
"Try it."
Akane says. I stand casually, step forward.
Thud–!
Body nearly slams down. Gravity from Akane.
Back off quick.
"Pfft."
Akane covers mouth, snickers.
"Can't take one step, first? You think of shitting before soup."
"..."
Probably the clothes.
This Endex T-shirt's too tough; even dozens times gravity won't rip it.
I strip the top.
"?"
Akane tilts head.
But T-shirt's expected. Tops come off often.
I drop pants too.
Even grab underwear. Akane flinches back.
"Ahem."
Keep the undies.
Gravity might make it flow or rip, but not my fault.
I stare at Akane.
"...Here I go."
She looks at me like a psycho.
"Go where, you mad bastard."