The Art of the Speedrun
The moment he stepped toward the 2nd floor, space warped, and his vision suddenly opened up. A deep, lush green filled his sight, and a gentle breeze tickled the tip of his nose, carrying a blend of fresh grass and damp earth. All around him, cute little rabbits were hopping about.
"Oh, cute."
No matter how he looked at them, they seemed like adorable, harmless bunnies. But right next to him—
"Oh, stay back! I'm not your enemy!!!"
Click!
KABOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
"?"
A fierce-looking climber exploded right along with a rabbit.
Then, a system window materialized before his eyes.
You have entered the 2nd Floor: The Rabbit's Garden.
Clear Condition: Survive for 10 minutes.
※ What you see is not everything. Good luck.
"I see. So there really are exploding rabbits."
Park Do-yoon casually strolled out into the meadow. A few bomb rabbits noticed his presence and perked up their ears, but surprisingly, they didn't react. They didn't run away, nor did they detonate.
Maintaining a steady distance, he quietly began to observe their behavior.
The ability of his Seeker class—the power to deeply observe a target and extract a precise 'interpretation'—activated.
"They explode when their stress levels get too high, or if they take a major injury... What a peculiar species."
He spent his time carefully studying the rabbits' ecology and habits, taking great care not to stress them out.
Just like that, ten minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.
You have cleared the trial of the 2nd Floor!
Reward: Bomb Rabbit Jerky x5 has been distributed to your inventory.
A portal leading to the 3rd Floor has been generated.
"Simple enough."
Park Do-yoon immediately headed for the next floor.
You have entered the 3rd Floor: The Minotaur's Ranch.
Please select your desired trial:
1. Milk 1L from a female Minotaur.
2. Dismantle 3 bomb rabbits.
"Ho-oh?"
This time, the atmosphere was distinctly different.
Beyond the ranch fences, massive minotaurs were showing off their hulking physiques, lazily chewing on meat. Other climbers, who had reached the 3rd floor via portals or warp points, were busily moving around the minotaurs.
"There... good boy? Come here?"
One climber tried to coax a minotaur by waving a piece of jerky, but the beast, seemingly full, merely turned its head away, showing zero interest.
Next to him, another climber was hunched over, squeezing milk with a deeply depressed expression.
"Son of a... I can't believe I'm milking a minotaur in this lifetime..."
Some climbers burst into laughter at the sight.
"Then why don't you try dismantling the rabbits?"
"Are you crazy?! I blew up and died doing that last time!"
After observing the climbers' reactions, Park Do-yoon looked back at the two choices.
"Should I... take a bit of a gamble here?"
Leaving the minotaur ranch behind, he quietly made his way to the rabbit dismantling area.
In the center of the dismantling area sat a freezer, inside of which lay neatly arranged, unprocessed carcasses of bomb rabbits.
Fluffy fur, plump bodies... They looked like adorable, harmless creatures to anyone, but to think they were actually bombs.
Just then, a maid waiting near the dismantling area approached him.
"Are you here to dismantle bomb rabbits? If so, let me guide—"
"It's fine. I have a rough idea of how to do it."
Normally, he would have listened to the explanation, but since he had already gathered information by observing the bomb rabbits for ten minutes, he decided to take a bold leap.
"Is that so? Then please put on these sanitary gloves and proceed with the dismantling at your designated station!"
Park Do-yoon put on the gloves and carefully placed a bomb rabbit onto the cutting board.
His fingertips moved smoothly along the rabbit's back. Beneath the fluffy pelt, he could feel the exact shape of its spine.
The seventh vertebra. A tiny, hardened nodule that protruded slightly like a bump.
"The detonation trigger. The only point where external physical stimulation can prevent an explosion."
Park Do-yoon took a deep breath.
A few climbers watching from a distance began to whisper.
"What... is he really going for it?"
"One slip-up and boom... Who is that guy?"
Then, someone spoke up quietly.
"That's Park Do-yoon. He's a Seeker, ranked 35th among the world's climbers."
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted. Everyone held their breath.
Park Do-yoon balanced the weight in both hands. Gripping the protrusion on the 7th vertebra precisely with his thumb and index finger, he applied a shallow, precise pressure at the perfect angle.
Click.
A tiny, delicate sound.
And... nothing happened.
The bomb rabbit did not explode.
"Okay."
He immediately picked up the dismantling tool.
A precise incision along the abdomen. Without a shred of hesitation or shaking, his movements were steady and smooth.
As he opened the abdomen, a sleek, spherical structure revealed itself amidst the pinkish internal organs.
It was the unexploded 'bomb pouch.'
Park Do-yoon picked up the tweezers and a transparent container prepared right next to him.
One by one, he separated the nerve tissues surrounding the bomb pouch. As if performing a tumor removal surgery, he severed the connective tissues, mechanically extracting it with perfectly calculated angles.
Fifteen seconds later—
The bomb pouch was cleanly deposited into the transparent container.
A system window popped up.
◈ Status: Perfectly Dismantled
◈ Bomb Pouch: Intact and Extracted
"This is a piece of cake."
The reason he could dismantle it with such extreme precision was entirely thanks to the knowledge and power of his Seeker class.
To seek, analyze, interpret, and ultimately derive the desired result. Because he could seek anything, there were no equipment restrictions or penalties associated with his class. It was truly a class harboring infinite possibilities.
Gasps of admiration erupted from the surroundings.
"Whoa... that dismantling was absolutely flawless..."
"It really is Park Do-yoon. To succeed on his very first try..."
"I didn't know rabbit dismantling could look so cool."
Listening to the other climbers' marveling, Park Do-yoon quickly dismantled the remaining two bomb rabbits.
You have cleared the trial of the 3rd Floor!
As you cleared the 'Dismantle Bomb Rabbits' trial, your rewards have been upgraded!
Reward: Rabbit Grenade x3 has been distributed to your inventory.
A portal leading to the 4th Floor has been generated.
A 'Rabbit Grenade' was a grenade crafted by modifying a bomb rabbit's pouch. It wouldn't detonate until the pin was pulled, and while its raw destructive power was lower than a standard bomb rabbit, it applied an 'Area-of-Effect Stun' debuff at the epicenter of the blast.
"Not bad."
Having claimed his rewards, Park Do-yoon soon proceeded to the 4th floor.
As he stepped onto the next floor, a strangely humid air accompanied by an unfamiliar scent drifted past.
You have entered the 4th Floor: The Sheep-Spider's Lair.
Please select your desired trial:
1. Shear the wool of 1 Sheep-Spider. (Difficulty: Very Easy)
2. Capture a Venomous Sheep-Spider. (Difficulty: Medium)
Park Do-yoon narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings.
Something resembling sheep's wool swayed gently in the breeze. However, it wasn't wool, and it certainly wasn't a sheep.
A massive spider monster stood before him.
It had the head of a sheep and the body of a spider... but it possessed eight eyes, and its entire body was covered in dense, wool-like spiderwebs.
"Ugh, gross."
Even he, who boasted a disastrous sense of fashion, couldn't help but grimace.
The only saving grace was that it was docile and non-aggressive. Because of this, most climbers chose the safe shearing trial.
So, which trial would be better to choose this time? Shear the Sheep-Spider? Capture the Venomous Sheep-Spider?
Honestly, he didn't want to do either. But to clear the floor, he had to choose one.
"Capturing it is probably better."
Park Do-yoon immediately headed to the area where the Venomous Sheep-Spiders resided.
He received an explanation from the maid waiting near the enclosure.
"The trial is simple. Enter the enclosure, subdue one Venomous Sheep-Spider, then use this cloth and rope to completely cover its head and bind all of its legs. If you transport it outside the enclosure in that state, you succeed."
"Are there any other things I should watch out for?"
"Yes, there are a few critical precautions. If a Venomous Sheep-Spider senses a natural predator, it will spray a highly lethal venom that can dissolve its target."
"That sounds terrifying."
"Additionally, the web-wool covering its body secretes a paralytic toxin along with a sweet, sticky aroma. Insects and small animals lured by this scent get trapped in the wool and are slowly devoured later."
"So humans would get paralyzed too, I assume?"
"Correct. Touching the wool with bare hands, even by accident, can cause full-body paralysis, so you must be extremely careful."
"...What about killing it during the capture process?"
"It is allowed. However, all Venomous Sheep-Spiders are under the effect of the Grace of the Angel (Livestock) buff, so even if they die, they will resurrect on the spot after 5 minutes. Please keep this in mind."
"Wait, livestock? What kind of buff is that?"
"Grace of the Angel (Livestock) is a permanent buff that only grants disease mitigation and resurrection. The advantage is that its duration is infinite, and resurrection can be repeated without any limit on the number of times. However, natural death due to aging cannot be resurrected."
"Ho-oh...?"
The maid went on to inform him that the bomb rabbits on the 2nd floor and the minotaurs on the 3rd floor were all under the influence of the Grace of the Angel (Livestock) buff as well. Because of this, they apparently had to go through a process of lifting the buff before they could be fully slaughtered.
As expected, the deeper he delved into this tower, the more bizarre and fascinating information poured out endlessly.
After listening to the full explanation, Park Do-yoon took the capture cloth and rope from the maid and entered the Venomous Sheep-Spider's enclosure.
Immediately, a vicious-looking purple sheep-spider approached him and roared.
"GUUUUUU!!!! MEEEEE!!!!"
"Geez, my ears are going to split."
Before the Venomous Sheep-Spider could even attempt anything, Park Do-yoon threw a Rabbit Grenade with the pin already pulled.
KABOOOOOM!!!!
At the same time, the 'Area-of-Effect Stun' exploded, knocking the Venomous Sheep-Spider unconscious. Thanks to his Curse Shield, which blocked debuffs, Park Do-yoon remained unaffected by the stun.
Right after, he successfully captured the Venomous Sheep-Spider.
You have cleared the trial of the 4th Floor!
As you cleared the 'Capture Venomous Sheep-Spider' trial, your rewards have been upgraded!
Reward: Sheep-Spider Web Net Bomb x2 has been distributed to your inventory.
A portal leading to the 5th Floor has been generated.
At this point, Park Do-yoon arrived at a conclusion.
Two choices. The harder the choice compared to the easy one, the more advantageous the reward for the next trial... Could this be an intentional design?
According to his memory, the next floor was known to feature 'Spear Bees'—human-sized bees armed with venomous spears. Their habit was to stack honey jars near their hives, so the core of the trial was to steal the honey without getting caught. Alternatively, a frontal assault to fight them and boldly steal it was also possible.
If so, was the 5th floor structured to be easily cleared using this 'Sheep-Spider Web Net Bomb'?
I'll get my answer if I test it out.
Park Do-yoon moved to the 5th floor without hesitation.
You have entered the 5th Floor: The Spear Bee Garden.
Please select your desired trial:
1. Steal 1 Spear Bee Honey Jar. (Difficulty: Medium)
2. Purchase 1 Spear Bee Honey Jar. (Difficulty: Overwhelmingly Easy)
The 5th floor was originally a trial where only stealing the Spear Bee's honey jar was possible, but thanks to Tricia drastically lowering the difficulty, purchasing the honey jar was now an option.
Thus, a maid was currently stacking Spear Bee honey jars and selling them to climbers, charging 4 Tower Coins per jar.
"That's convenient, but it'd be a waste to just clear it easily and move on."
However, Park Do-yoon headed straight for the Spear Bee nest.
And one minute later.
You have cleared the trial of the 5th Floor!
You have successfully cleared the 'Steal Spear Bee Honey Jar' trial!
Reward: Spear Bee Honey Jar x5 has been distributed to your inventory.
A portal leading to the 6th Floor has been generated.
He had cleared the trial with ease.
To briefly explain what happened a minute ago: when he threw the 'Sheep-Spider Web Net Bomb,' the net bomb burst over a wide area, luring the Spear Bees with its sweet aroma.
As a result, the Spear Bees that rushed into the spiderwebs were all completely paralyzed, allowing Park Do-yoon to easily snatch the honey jars.
"Now, the next trial is... the mushroom pig, was it?"
Park Do-yoon smiled as he stepped into the portal leading to the 6th floor.
Not even an hour had passed since he first set foot inside Naejibtap (My House Tower).
Nevertheless—he had already reached the 6th floor.