Exam Remix: Time to Trust 574F Already!
574F is so pitiful, for real. Getting all this hate is bullshit...
Did this guy do anything wrong?
Telling a total newbie who just got possessed a minute ago to head upstairs right away.
Butting in while a natural fixed-nick bro is explaining stat allocation.
Scamming the newbie by saying some hero they've never seen is total fodder.
Telling the newbie to push to 50F with basic attacks, gambling their life like it's a joke.
He's gotta feel so wronged ㅠㅠ
574F's words about it being fine to climb up to 50F had massive ripple effects.
They spawned every kind of shitpost and split the gallery right down the middle.
Public opinion was about 5:5. Considering how it started off with everyone treating it like a cult, that was a huge reputation boost.
But.
My own thoughts were heading the opposite way from the general consensus.
A vague idea had been forming in my mind.
'Do I really need to rush upstairs?'
I'd decided to halt my climbing and focus on training—not because I was any less scared.
It was because of that vague hunch, which had just crystallized.
I wrote a post.
Leveling up floors doesn't seem like it'll help survival much. Whether the hero is originally weaker than me, equal, or stronger—it's all the same.
1. If the hero is weaker than me
I'll win anyway, so no reason to flee upstairs.
2. If the hero is about equal to me
Even if I level up by climbing, the hero grows the same way by killing the same mobs. We'll match levels no matter what floor we meet on.
3. If the hero is stronger than me
Since they're stronger, they'll reach whatever floor I climb to. I'm screwed either way.
So conclusion: Unless you can bolt past 100F, training is better.
I waited a bit, then hit refresh.
Lots of back-and-forth, but no firm conclusions. My post was just brainfart theory too.
'The hero might not come at all...'
It was a super common take from the start.
But I figured that was just because no one in this gallery had ever seen a hero. Heroes were basically urban legend ghost stories here, so yeah.
From my low-floor perspective, though, heroes felt less like ghosts and more like serial killers.
"Guess perception differs by floor."
Then, one comment caught my eye.
Eh? Gear up what??
"What is this, buying guns at the PX...?"
Oh, like that.
Was it a relief that you couldn't really power up that way?
I was smacking my lips bitterly when the Reaper fixed-nick commented.
Yeah. Three days.
That seemed manageable.
Closing my eyes knowing a hero could barge in was scary, but he'd said ignoring him again would mean excommunication, so no choice.
Training time.
I checked the Reaper fixed-nick's comments.
The black sea, huh.
Like a visual of oil instead of seawater?
But no clue if that was relevant to forging a circle.
Someone asked.
I asked too.
'Black sea... but don't imagine it.'
Try not thinking of an elephant, and boom—elephant.
'This'll be tricky.'
First, I opened my stat screen and dumped all 12 points into Intelligence.
Intelligence stat increased by 12.
"Hm..."
My head felt a tiny bit clearer, but no big changes.
Before starting meditation, I checked posts one last time.
Makes me feel good too.
Blasting to 9F in one day is so damn refreshing.
From my 432F view, her stats and floor are adorable, but somehow cool af.
Maybe cuz theoretically you can hoover up all the gold and EXP from 1 to 999.
Future looks bright as hell?
Hope she escapes like this.
Everyone seemed proud watching me grow.
Thanks.
But one thing puzzled me.
'What's "bottom-fishing" mean?'
I wrote another post.
Me climbing up—what's that got to do with you all?
A fundamental question.
Replies poured in fast.
'Win a Promotion Battle and the Demon King hands over the throne?'
Even the Demon King follows survival of the fittest, no exceptions.
A bit late, but I'd learned something new.
'One escape means everyone escapes—that's why they're cheering me on.'
Flip side: no one's escaped yet...
Didn't dwell on it.
I'll be that one.
I set Death Side down and sat.
"Gotta nail this first..."
Meditation attempt 2.
Sat in position.
Frilly skirt cascaded over my knees, eyelids dropped, vision gone.
'Oh...'
Instantly.
Reaper teacher's song about Intelligence hit home.
"So calm..."
Normally my head was a mess. Not my focus issue.
The situation would've given anyone anxiety disorder.
No need to explain.
From becoming a 'female Reaper' onward, everything was insane.
But now? Like I'd popped ADHD meds—mind crystal clear.
Mist rolled in.
Stray thoughts vanished, breathing slowed. "Hoo..."
Only body sensations sharp.
Lower abdomen.
Dantian. Deep in my gut, heavy energy.
He'd said my womb would make it easier—creepy words were true.
Focused there.
And so.
Minutes...
Hours...
Lost track of time.
At some point.
Something faintly visible. "…!"
Ecstatic.
Like a lifelong blind person opening their eyes.
Not hyperbole—literal first time opening inner eyes. New sight born.
But vision blurry still.
Like fog on the window.
This new sense had a target.
Black sea.
I dove deeper, expecting spray.
Slowly.
Bit by bit.
Deeper.
More time passed.
Then.
"…!"
Something touched. Touch synced too. Felt like a new body.
Landscape emerged.
"…?"
Blurry, but clearly no sea.
Underfoot...
Solid ground.
Parched, cracked earth like drought-stricken wasteland.
"Fucking dry."
Zero moisture. Desert hell.
Reverse sea, maybe.
And scattered across the gaping fissures: black rings.
"Like pizza olive toppings."
"..."
"These the circles...?"
Context said olives over olives.
Supposed to fish from sea, but seemed pick-up-and-go.
'Bigger the better, right...?'
Glanced at them.
'All same size...'
Uniform.
Slight size diffs, but subtle.
'Gotta walk and pick.'
Trudge trudge.
Walked ages.
No haul. "Just grab a decent-looking one..."
Felt like hours.
These spots warp time—faster or slower outside.
Latter? Nap time. Former? Disaster.
Panicking, about to grab anything—
"What's that."
Far off: massively huge one.
Optical illusion big.
Approached.
"Why's this one solo huge."
Others earring-sized; this tire-sized monster.
Grabbed the prize.
Instantly, pizza-olive hypothesis validated.
Sthrrrk—
Ground stretched like pizza cheese.
Lifted over head to see how far—
Zzzzzzzzippppp!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheese-tear roar.
And like it was someone's body part—
Kyaaaaaaaak!!!!! Aaaak!!!!!!!!!!
Scream followed.
"Not a mandrake too..."
Vreeeeee—!
Ring spun, dropped it.
Whirled gale-force.
Hair whipped.
Squinted.
It neared.
"Uh uh..."
Hit my lower belly.
Bit scared, stayed still.
Burrowed in.
Engraved.
Slight pain.
"Ah!"
Yelped in shock—eyes snapped open.
"Hahk..."
Back in tower.
Not Seoul studio.
Not a dream.
Was that wasteland a dream too?
"..."
Hiked skirt, checked belly—nothing.
Frustrated, closed eyes—
Something changed.
Vreeeeee—!
Giant circle asserted presence inside.
I'd become a 1-circle black mage.
"How long...?"
Checked hologram clock. Shocking.
Unbelievable time.