Chapter 132: Thirty-Fourth Floor, Sewer Cleanup (3)

To my relief, the strange scientist didn’t seem hostile. Even when he gazed at the monster’s corpse, he merely clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“

Tsk, tsk.

Useless thing. Ate all that good stuff and still couldn’t keep watch properly?”

Grumbling, he shifted his focus to me. His black, pupil-less eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing me.

What kind of creature is he?

I concentrated on him, waiting for a notification window to appear, but nothing popped up.

Regardless, the sheer weight of his presence almost overwhelmed me. Excluding the Wind Spirit King and gods, he was by far the strongest being I had encountered in the tower.

I unconsciously bit my lower lip. Despite his shabby, almost frail appearance, I was certain I stood no chance against him in my current state.

What is this hidden mission even expecting me to do?

It couldn’t possibly involve fighting and defeating the scientist; that was out of the question.

Will he assign me a task? Maybe I will have to bring him more monsters.

While I mulled over the possibilities, the scientist spoke, “So, what are you? Judging by how weak you look, you’re not one of Aisengard’s guards or great warriors... Are you a slave discarded by the gods?”

His statement made little sense to me, but I knew I shouldn’t stay silent.

How shall I explain myself?

“I’m a cleaner, tasked with exterminating monsters in the sewers.

“Oh, a cleaner. Every now and then, small fry like you wander into the sewers. But diving into sewage to hunt monsters? Are you out of your mind?”

“I was just chasing them, and... they led me here.”

“So, you managed to get through the secret maze and make it all the way here? Not sure if your luck is extraordinarily good or bad...”

The scientist frowned, extremely irritated. While he still didn’t seem outright hostile, his annoyance was palpable.

Fortunately, my excuse seemed to pass muster. Based on his words, he didn’t find me suspicious, likely because he deemed me too weak to be a threat.

He shook his head before carefully placing the glass container he held onto the table.

My instincts kept screaming at me, warning me to avoid challenging him at all costs. Moreover, he emanated an unbalanced presence that made predicting his next move feel impossible.

Instinctively, I tensed my muscles. He could become violent at any moment so I began planning an escape route.

First, I will use Flash Strike to dash back, grab Doppy, and then...

I would utilize Two-Way Portal to return to the location I had been initially summoned to on this floor. No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outspeed teleportation.

The scientist sighed. “Fuck, this is such a hassle. It’ll be too suspicious if the cleaner doesn’t return. Hmm...”

If I don’t return? Is he implying he can’t let me leave?

Readying myself, I quickly tried to steer the conversation. “What exactly is this place?”

“This?” He sneered, and his lips twisted into a crooked smile. “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you.”

His tone and expression left little doubt—he wouldn’t allow me to leave unharmed. Thankfully, he had begun monologuing, granting me the opportunity to activate Flash Strike once I felt prepared enough.

“This is one of the top centers of hedonistic activity, the asteroid Aisengard. Even if the higher-ranked gods don’t grace this location with their presence, their lesser counterparts and great warriors often do.”

As I suspected, only gods and those of extraordinary power frequented this place.

The scientist chuckled softly before continuing, “When those lesser divine seats and warriors leave scraps behind, the remnants are often washed down into the sewers. I extract what little ■■■ is left in them. Ah, one moment.”

He hurriedly picked up the glass container and poured its contents into another vessel. This felt like the perfect moment to make my escape, but curiosity rooted me in place.

Of course, my decision wasn’t purely reckless. I trusted Doppy’s intuition and Sixth Sense. If this place was truly dangerous, Doppy would have warned me not to come, and Sixth Sense would have reacted.

‘■■■?’

The phrase came out muffled and hard to hear as if the tower itself had suppressed it. Hearing it for the first time left me puzzled.

“What is that?”

“■■■? Hmm, a lower lifeform like you wouldn’t know.”

The scientist moved a glass container filled with crimson liquid over a small flame, dropping a tiny blue orb into it.

“Some call it ‘causality,’ but to put it simply, it’s a divine power. The divine power of the primordial god. Well, of course, the primordial god no longer exists.”

The divine power of the primordial god? How is that any different from another god’s divine power?

As questions filled my mind, the scientist’s sharp gaze turned toward me, his eyes narrowing dangerously. I instinctively rose onto the balls of my feet, prepared to act.

“Do you know why I’m being so kind to you?”

“I... think I do.”

“A clueless idiot like you doesn’t deserve—”

Before he could finish, I activated Flash Strike and dashed toward the iron door.

Bang—

Moving at full speed, I barely registered the loud noise as the door slammed shut ahead of me.

Did he use magic? Fuck. If I can just reach the door and force it open...!

I pushed my speed to its limit, but the scientist moved even faster. Despite my efforts, he reached the door before I did, blocking it completely.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A smirk played across the scientist’s lips.

Just as I had feared, I couldn’t face him head-on. With my initial escape route cut off, activating Two-Way Portal was my only other option.

Unfortunately, his speed was beyond my comprehension, so activating the portal in plain sight was risky.

I needed to create an opening. “Who are you?”

“Me? I was once a Great Warrior of the gods, but—”

Seizing the moment, I lunged forward. Even if my attack didn’t work, it could throw off his rhythm for a second. Gripping my axe tightly, I swung it in a diagonal arc, lightning crackling along the blade.

The scientist deflected it effortlessly with his bare hand.

Crack!

Or rather, he didn’t just deflect it. His touch partially shattered the blade.

Damn it!

I had expected him to block my axe, not break it. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it, though. I had to distract him somehow.

I summoned a shadow weapon behind him and speared it forward, aiming it at his nape. Unfazed, the scientist tilted his head before countering with a precise strike to my side.

“Gah—!”

The impact sent me flying as my nerves screamed in pain. It had been a while since I had felt such raw, unfiltered agony.

Still, a grim smile crept across my face. The shadow arm had grazed his neck, leaving a wound and distracting him for long enough.

I quickly opened a portal around Doppy, draining the majority of my mana. Thankfully, my gauntlets had stored enough mana for at least one more portal. Escaping to the summoning point wouldn’t be an issue.

“You bastard!” the scientist roared furiously.

As a portal appeared beside me, I stepped through it before glancing back to flip him the middle finger. Even if he was unaware of the cultural significance, the action was clearly unfriendly.

Crash!

The ceiling collapsed just as I exited the portal. Through the debris, a radiant, golden figure descended, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Though the blinding light obscured its form, I could see the massive horns atop its head.

“You filthy wretch! How dare you defile my planet?”

“Oh, fuck,” I swore as I tumbled ungracefully through the portal and onto the ground.

Seeing my condition, Doppy screamed momentarily in panic. “

Kriee!

Su-Yeok! Heal Wounds!”

A golden radiance descended onto my waist, and I glanced back through the portal. The brilliant golden creature was slicing through the scientist’s neck.

Then, as if responding to some unseen force, the portal disappeared on its own.

Ding!

A notification window immediately appeared.

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the thirty-fourth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Sewer Cleanup. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Monsters hunted: 80. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden missions ‘Destruction of Monster Habitat’ and ‘Queen of Monsters.’]

What? I conquered the thirty-fourth floor? And what is this about hidden missions?

I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Eighty was certainly not one-hundred, I hadn’t destroyed any monster habitats, nor had I fought a queen.

Yet, regardless of my confusion, the notifications continued to pop up.

[The fourth-class god ‘Eternal Feast’ expresses gratitude to Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok. As an additional reward, Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has received Scientist Do’s Composure lvl 1.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 16,241 achievement points. Total Achievement Points: 111,310. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

「Invisible message: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the fourth-class god ‘Eternal Feast’ requests to intervene. The Tower of Ordeal has approved this request, considering the gravity of the situation.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s thirty-fourth floor has been abruptly concluded. The Tower of Ordeal is unable to fully reward him.」

「Invisible message: Previously existing hidden missions have been marked as completed. Any rewards not granted by the Tower of Ordeal will be covered by the fourth-class god ‘Eternal Feast.’」

「Invisible message: The Tower of Ordeal demands half of the ■■■ obtained by the fourth-class god ‘Eternal Feast.’」

...

***

[The thirty-fifth floor requires all climbers to enter simultaneously.]

[14 hours 45 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

I returned to the waiting room, still in a daze. Somehow, even though I hadn’t met the requirements to clear the floor, it had still ended so abruptly.

Of course, I had my suspicions. The scientist had mentioned something called ■■■, and a golden creature had appeared at the end.

“You filthy wretch! How dare you defile my planet?”

The golden figure had said "my planet," so it had been a god.

The notifications mentioned a god with the title of Eternal Feast had granted me an additional reward, so they were likely connected. The name seemed connected to the facilities that existed on the so-called “hedonistic asteroid,” and the ■■■ had clearly prompted the god to intervene.

Whatever it was, it appeared to be of immense importance—important enough to end a trial and compel a god to reveal itself.

Wait, now isn’t the time for this.

The oxygen barrier around me was still covered in sewage, and the filth had soiled the floor of the waiting room as well. It wouldn’t be long before the sewer’s stench filled the entire space.

“Doppy! Quickly!”

I hurriedly grabbed Doppy and headed to the shower.

***

[13 hours 35 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

Cleaning everything took longer than expected.

First, I thoroughly washed off the barrier before cleaning the filth from the waiting room floor. The scientist’s attack had also dirtied my armor, so I had to scrub that as well.

Despite hastening to get to the shower room, the lingering stench clung to the space, forcing me to douse the area with deodorizer.

Afterward, I talked to Ha Hee-Jeong, recounting everything that occurred on the thirty-fourth floor.

The primordial god who no longer exists.

Even Ha Hee-Jeong had never heard of such a being, but she agreed with me that the trial had ended because of the ■■■.

Not that I was complaining, given how everything had worked out in my favor. I had received substantial rewards for hidden missions I hadn’t even completed. Technically, that had caused me to earn far more achievement points than usual. To top it off, I had gained a brand-new skill.

And honestly, it was a close call.

The scientist was far stronger than me, to the point I couldn’t even compare our abilities.

The more Ha Hee-Jeong and I discussed, the more convinced we were that the tower hadn’t intended him to be a part of the trial. If he had, a god wouldn’t have had to intervene and abruptly conclude the floor. The tower would have simply registered the hidden mission related to the scientist as completed in the usual manner.

Still, now I know that entities far more powerful than I could imagine exist.

Even that mysterious scientist beneath the sewers was stronger than me. I couldn’t imagine trying to face him in combat training. Even on a lower difficulty, I would have no chance of winning.

Despite how I had dominated the most recent floors, it struck me that I was a frog in a well, unaware of the vast world outside.

For now, I will focus on the future.

I still had plenty of time to grow stronger. With Ha Hee-Jeong’s guidance, I could climb the tower steadily and safely.

Huh?

During my contemplation, a foul stench suddenly reached my nose again. I irritably grabbed the deodorizer from the desk and sprayed it liberally.

“Damn it. Why does the smell keep coming back?”

“

Kriee!

That’s it!”

At my outburst, Doppy suddenly jumped off the bed in a hurry.

Wait, what?

“Doppy, what’s going on?”

“

Kriee!

Forgot something!”

Doppy darted to a chair and grabbed its belt. From its pouch, it pulled out a black, spherical object. The stench instantly grew stronger.

Ugh, what is that? A ball of sewage?

I instinctively stepped back and wrinkled my nose in disgust.

So the source of the smell was this thing all along.

I had bought it a high-quality belt, which had apparently been generating the unpleasant odor until now. Maybe I shouldn’t have splurged so much for Doppy’s sake. If I had noticed the smell earlier, I could have dealt with it.

I sighed. “Just throw it away! Why are you carrying that around?”

“

Kriee!

Elixir! Popped out when the monster died!”

“What?”

My eyes widened in disbelief.

That foul-looking thing is an elixir?

Doppy nodded vigorously as if to confirm my silent question.