Chapter 288: High Manager
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 288: High Manager
"A bet? With the commission fee on the line?"
"It wouldn't be fun if we only bet the commission, so why don't we add a little extra? If I lose, I'll pay double the commission. I'll also answer one of your questions, Rick."
"Ho. Now that is quite intriguing."
The corners of Rick's mouth curled upward.
To a seasoned Middle Manager, anomalies were always a source of entertainment.
Even more so when it involved the Player he was watching with the keenest interest.
Commission aside, he had a mountain of questions.
For instance, why did he exchange the set item obtained from defeating the Yaksha—one of the strongest boss monsters in the mid-floors—for such an unfamiliar weapon?
Or how a Player climbing the Tower for the first time knew far more information than even the residents.
And most of all, the question of how he would overcome the impending crisis swirled in his mind.
His hesitation didn't last long.
"What kind of bet is it?"
Rick accepted the proposal.
"I'm going to open a gate now, and all you have to do is guess where it leads. If you lose, you waive my transaction fees for the rest of my life."
"Hahaha. You joke too much. Surely you don't think there's a gate I don't know about?"
"That's why we're betting."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
Piquing curiosity with a moderate provocation was a bonus.
"...Very well. Since you are so kindly offering to donate your assets to me, Rick Hennessy, I will gladly accept double the commission."
Rick nodded.
At that exact moment,
Bzzt!
A greenish gate, bordering on blue, opened before them.
"T-this is...?"
Rick's eyes shook with shock.
Of course he wouldn't know.
Even when Jinhyuk had seen the top of the Tower in the past, he hadn't known such a thing existed.
So there was no way Rick, a Middle Manager, could recognize it, no matter how resourceful or well-informed he was.
Purple runes manifested along the black border.
The gate leading to the High Managers' chambers.
It was none other than the 'Shadow Gate'.
Hummmmm!
Only after the gate's surface fully stabilized did Rick realize where it led.
"Thank you so much for waiving my transaction fees."
"Jinhyuk-nim... Just what on earth are you...?"
Rick stammered.
Then, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"It seems I was the one still underestimating you. To think I made a bet against none other than Jinhyuk-nim."
As expected, he was an entertaining Player.
This man probably wouldn't shrink back even when facing them.
No, perhaps it would be the High Managers who found themselves cornered instead.
"I pray your conversation goes well, Climber of the Tower."
Rick took off his fedora and bowed deeply.
"I'll be back."
Jinhyuk stepped forward.
* * *
Step, step...
When he passed through the shimmering surface, the scenery before his eyes completely transformed.
Bare branches, piled snow, and a small cabin in the middle of a forest.
A place reminiscent of Northern Europe appeared.
[You have entered the domain of High Manager 'Bendivia'.]
I thought it would be a place with dragons flying around, but it looks surprisingly ordinary.
Jinhyuk slowly scanned his surroundings.
This was his first time here.
Honestly, he had never dreamed he would see the day he visited the residence of a High Manager.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart beat rapidly.
As he drew closer to the door, his senses became extremely sharp, and his body tensed, ready to spring into action at any moment.
She's a High Manager, yet I can't feel any mana at all?
Of course, it wasn't that she lacked mana.
Just as humans cannot hear ultrasound, her mana was simply so unfathomably immense that it couldn't even be perceived.
Right then,
"Come in. The door is open."
A slender voice echoed from inside the cabin.
At least the start wasn't bad.
She hadn't immediately attacked him for barging into her home.
Creak!
Jinhyuk opened the door and stepped inside.
A wave of hot air washed over him.
He felt a burning warmth.
Inside the cabin, where a bonfire crackled, sat a female elf with striking dark skin.
A Dark Elf. To be precise, she was a being who could be considered the progenitor of all Dark Elves.
"Wow. I was wandering around lost for quite a while, but thanks to you, I can warm myself by the fire. I almost froze to death."
"Ha... You've got some nerve. Why don't you ask for some hot soup and a blanket while you're at it?"
"Oh? I wasn't expecting that much, but if you insist. I'd like a cream soup with peas and sausages sliced thumb-thick, and a blanket made of deer fur. My skin is as sensitive as a baby's, so please make sure it's doe fur, not buck."
"..."
At Jinhyuk's words, the Manager's face contorted fiercely.
But only for a moment.
"The Middle Managers said a real headache of a Player had entered. I guess they meant you. Damn it. What an absurd fellow."
Bendivia clicked her tongue.
She then poured wine generously into a glass on the table.
"Cut the nonsense and tell me why you chose me out of all the High Managers. I absolutely loathe people who waste time beating around the bush."
The Shadow Gate required pre-designation.
In other words, you had to choose the High Manager you wanted before heading there.
The moment the gate was activated, seven Managers had appeared before Jinhyuk's eyes.
And the one he chose among them was the Dark Elf, 'Bendivia'.
He had to handle this first question well.
High Managers were notoriously fickle creatures.
"There's no grand reason. After all, the only information provided about the High Managers was their names and races. Given that, I decided it would be best to speak with a Dark Elf, the most rational race. I figured you wouldn't shield someone just because they're on your side, Lady Bendivia."
"Shielding someone on my side? What does that mean?"
"You know what I mean, don't you? One of your peers has crossed the line. And quite egregiously, at that."
"..."
Her hand, which had been sipping wine, froze.
Her expression showed she hadn't expected him to know even this.
"The Managers I know are beings who uphold the laws of the Tower. But if one colludes with a specific faction, they can hardly be called a Manager anymore, can they?"
"What do you want? Stop beating around the bush and speak plainly."
"I will make sure the Managers fulfill their proper roles. So, please help me."
Making the Managers fulfill their proper roles...
His pointed words stung.
Because this implied that if Bendivia didn't help, she too would be unfit to be a Manager.
"How arrogant. A mere Player daring to lecture us on our role."
Sharp fangs peeked from Bendivia's mouth.
For a moment, it felt as though all the warmth had vanished from the cabin.
Since a High Manager was releasing killing intent in her own domain outside the floors, it was only natural that the cold pierced to his very bones.
However, the pressure did not last long.
"But I like your audacity."
Bendivia stood up.
"Normally, we do not intervene no matter what happens in the Tower. But that is only when things flow naturally."
"Does that mean you will help me?"
"Help... You overestimate me. The entity trying to emerge from the rift right now is not something even the High Managers can handle. The most we can do is forcibly bind it to a single floor. Therefore, once that thing actually breaks out, we have no choice but to leave it alone until the designated time passes."
Of course.
That was why the system had only given a quest to 'survive'.
However,
"There is a way. If a few conditions are met, we might be able to buy the 'time' you mentioned, Lady Bendivia."
He had already experienced something like this before.
Though he had suffered immensely back then, to the point of exhaustion...
He had survived.
He had survived and moved forward.
"You can only be so confident because you haven't experienced it yet. No, more than that, how on earth can you be so calm? Isn't it human nature to rage or despair when faced with something so absurd?"
"It's true that the Tower of Trials is arbitrary and unkind. But it never demands the impossible."
"You really are a peculiar human. None of the residents who climbed the Tower in the past thought that way... Then, may I hear the reason why you think so?"
The final question.
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
"Because the Tower desires more than anyone for someone to reach the summit. To reach the end of this world."
He didn't know if this was the correct answer.
Nor did he know if it pleased Bendivia.
That was why he calmly spoke his honest thoughts.
Because he truly... believed so.
"Clear the 16th floor in one day."
"...!"
"Why the surprised face? If you're as confident as you say, defeat the boss of the 16th floor within a single day. If you do, I'll give you this, just as you want."
A gem emitting a mysterious glow emerged from Bendivia's robes.
'Soul Stone of Longing'.
A special item capable of dealing damage to souls.
Judging by its size, it was roughly medium-grade.
Which meant it held enough energy to fight like crazy for at least a few hours.
"This is what you need, isn't it? To use on that weapon you're carrying?"
[High Manager 'Bendivia's Qualification Test]
Content: Defeat the boss monster of the 16th floor alone and clear the path to the 17th floor.
Conditions: Solo play (limited to defeating the boss) / 23h:59m:59s
Reward: Soul Stone of Longing (4h)
A status window appeared before his eyes.
The first trial to survive the Seat of Ruin had begun.
"One day. Understood."
Jinhyuk accepted the quest.
Before he left the cabin, Bendivia added one last thing.
"I have seen countless climbers until now. The Empire, the Murim, and the deities belonging to each mythology. The Spirit Realm, the Demons, and the Celestials—all of them were confident they would see the top of the Tower. So I had high expectations, believing that someone, some faction, would eventually reach the summit."
Her bitter voice continued.
"But as you can see from how things are now, all those factions and rankers failed to see the summit. Now, they are only obsessed with protecting and expanding their own territories, playing petty land-grabbing games."
And so, the Managers had also compromised between ideals and reality.
Now, they had abandoned all expectations, merely repeating the same life day after day in accordance with their contract with the system.
"But perhaps... I get the feeling you might be different."
With that, the conversation ended.
* * *
The 16th floor of the Tower of Trials was entirely composed of a massive tropical rainforest.
Although the floor itself was among the smallest of the 50 floors, everything from various man-eating plants and insectoid magic beasts to the hot and humid environment threatened the players' survival.
Consequently, the reality was that it was difficult to even reach the location of the 16th floor's boss monster, even after wandering for days.
However,
To think there would be challengers.
Jinhyuk looked toward the entrance of the ruins.
There were traces of a large group entering the ruins where the boss resided.
About twenty people?
Outside the ruins, a flag bearing the emblem of a giant rock colossus—the symbol of the Titan Guild—was planted.
It was a sign indicating that they had entered first, forbidding other guilds from entering until their raid failed.
Since clearing the 15th floor, he had been so focused on the Empire and Murim of the mid-floors that he hadn't noticed.
I guess they weren't just slacking off entirely.
To have made it this far meant they had assembled a fairly solid raid team.
Of course, merely being 'solid' wasn't enough to reach the end of the ruins.
They might handle the named monsters along the way, but the boss would be too much for them.
Since I have to defeat the boss alone, I'd better hurry.
But right then,
"Kirik!"
"Hiss! Hiss!"
Along with a metallic screech, a giant snake and a giant spider appeared.
Were they wandering around the ruins?
Drooling as they approached, they clearly had no intention of letting him pass.
This was perfect timing.
He had been looking for a way to warm up anyway, so he might as well treat this as a practice match.
Jinhyuk activated his 'Subspace Inventory'.
"It's been a while since I used this, so it might not be a clean finish. I don't think I'll have perfect control over it."
Beyond the shimmering space, a rather peculiar weapon emerged instead of his usual one.
Click!
Click!
Two uniquely designed pistols were loaded.