Chapter 134: Thirty-Fifth Floor, Terror of the Furnace (2)

Feeling a bit more confident, I abruptly sat upright. Beside me, Doppy stirred awkwardly as he attempted to rise as well. I reached out a hand to stop him, as there was no need for both of us to move.

“No, you can stay where you are.”

“Okay!”

Doppy obediently followed my words, leaving me to delve back into my thoughts.

Ha Hee-Jeong and I had initially dismissed mediating the conflict for one simple reason: the emotional divide between the elves and humans was indescribably vast.

Add on the terror attacks that would signal the start of the thirty-fifth floor, and bridging the gap seemed impossible to do alone.

Not to mention, the neutral faction would likely have the smallest number of climbers.

If those three complications weren’t enough already, both the elves and humans have established leaders: the elven council and the kingdom.

Ultimately, those leaders held the final say in the matter. That did give me an idea, however. Targeting the leaders could potentially sway the entirety of their forces, allowing me to reap massive rewards with less effort.

Hmm... Can I capture both sides’ leaders and force them into a mandatory negotiation?

The idea seemed ludicrous, even to me, although potentially feasible. It surprised me that Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t suggested it, but knowing her, she likely wouldn’t have spent much time contemplating something so improbable.

Still, now that I think about it more, the idea isn’t completely without its merits.

First, I had to subdue the elven leaders and then capture the king. Second, and finally, I would force them to negotiate.

Even if the plan was pure fantasy, I couldn’t just give up without trying first. Capturing the leaders would be challenging, but an opportunity would present itself eventually.

Now isn’t the time for that, though.

For the moment, I couldn’t do anything as the thirty-fifth floor would be short.

The human kingdom had dozens of scattered furnaces, and climbers from each faction were randomly assigned to either conduct or prevent acts of terror at these sites. The lords of the human faction would only convene to discuss war plans once the attacks had finished, with the elves rallying their forces in response.

Ha Hee-Jeong is probably preoccupied with preventing one of those attacks right now.

Leaning back onto the soft grass, I stared at the dark sky above, preparing to refine my plan further.

Oddly enough, organizing my thoughts left me feeling lighter, optimistic even. Whether it succeeded or not, at least I had a goal.

If anyone can pull this off, it’s me, right?

I had managed to overcome plenty of challenges before, even ones Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t foreseen. This time would be no different.

The thirty-fifth-floor trial should take about an hour.

In the distance, I could see a glowing city.

By now, the climbers who had chosen the human faction were probably scrambling to deal with the elves’ airships and ground forces. They wouldn’t know whether the main attack was coming from above or below, so they would have to defend against both.

Now that I was in the neutral faction, though, none of that was my concern anymore.

“Doppy, want something to eat?”

“Su-Yeok, are you hungry?”

“Not really. It’s just that there’s nothing else to do, so we may as well replenish our energy.”

“Then... I want steak!”

“Steak? Good thing I packed extra this time.”

I pulled a steak out of my mimic and handed it to Doppy.

Now, what should I eat?

As I debated, a faint tremor rippled through the ground beneath me, accompanied by a pillar of fire erupting on the horizon.

Huh? Already? Not much time has passed since this floor started.

It seemed that one of the furnaces had already been destroyed.

That struck me as unusually fast. While I had spent some time planning, it hadn’t even been ten minutes. Perhaps more climbers had chosen the elven faction than I had anticipated.

I couldn’t make sense of it, but the blazing pillar intrigued me.

Wait, how can a pillar of fire that massive leave the surrounding environment untouched?

When Ha Hee-Jeong had explained it, I had assumed the explosion would be just another magical anomaly. But now, seeing it in person, it defied logic.

Upon closer observation, I noticed something peculiar. The pillar of fire formed a perfectly straight line between the ground and the sky, without spreading or causing collateral damage.

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned that once a pillar appeared, climbers had thirty minutes to evacuate the city. Entire cities, developed around the divine furnaces, would be obliterated.

So, the pillar will just engulf the city and vanish afterward?

As a bystander, I felt detached from the spectacle. All I could do was hope that the climbers managed to escape safely.

Shrugging, I decided on shrimp fried rice for my meal.

While eating, more pillars of fire erupted across the horizon, painting the night sky like a grim fireworks display.

***

[Use any means necessary to stop the conflict between the elves and humans before the thirty-ninth floor ends. There is no time limit.]

Five minutes had passed since the end of the thirty-fifth floor and a message welcoming me to the thirty-sixth floor appeared. By now, the other climbers were undoubtedly in a frenzy.

Those who had failed to defend their furnaces would be rushing to reinforce other cities, while successful defenders would be scrambling to evacuate incoming refugees. Meanwhile, climbers in the elven faction would be working tirelessly to eliminate as many humans as possible.

The climbers were bearing the brunt of this chaos.

Now that my thoughts are organized, maybe I should start moving too.

Using the information Ha Hee-Jeong had shared, I began outlining a more detailed plan. Seeing the more complete plan, it felt oddly doable.

The kingdom’s main capital, Delrayle, would be my first destination. I didn’t know exactly where it was relative to my current location, but heading toward the cities should get me there eventually.

If I stumbled upon an intact city, I could even try to hijack an airship. I felt a pang of regret that I couldn’t use a magical broom. Flying freely through the skies would have made things much easier.

Come to think of it, the climbers in the neutral faction aren’t grouped together, are they?

I couldn’t be the only climber in the neutral faction. This realization led me to understand why Ha Hee-Jeong had called the neutral faction’s task impossible; collaboration was practically unfeasible.

At that moment, the signal device in my hand vibrated softly before releasing a single ping.

Click.

That was the signal Ha Hee-Jeong and I had agreed upon to indicate she had successfully defended her furnace. She had probably used the brief, post-battle lull to send the signal.

What should I say in response?

We had only agreed on two signals—one ping for success and two for failure. Since she had chosen the human faction, the protocol was straightforward.

Well, I figured a third signal for unexpected circumstances would suffice.

Click. Click. Click.

There was a pause. Clearly, Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t anticipated this and was likely caught off guard.

Moments later, her response came—a single ping, signaling acknowledgment.

All right. Time to head to her location.

We had agreed to meet beforehand, and she would likely know the best route to Delrayle. Besides, I needed to inform her of my current situation.

Still, no matter how much she wanted to help me, her hands were tied this time. Assisting me would probably cause her to be severely penalized.

The signal indicated her location was to my ten o’clock. With no way to gauge the distance through the signal, I would just have to keep running.

If we were unlucky, she could be quite far away. Then again, if it took too long, Ha Hee-Jeong could find me instead.

“Doppy, hand me your sword and shield. We may have to walk a long way. I’ll store them in the mimic for now.”

“Thanks, Su-Yeok!”

It was time to press on.

***

[Use any means necessary to stop the conflict between the elves and humans before the thirty-ninth floor ends. There is no time limit.]

After about four hours of journeying, dawn approached, brightening the horizon.

A crisp morning breeze from the Ring of the Dawn Breeze swirled around me, invigorating me with its coolness. The ring’s effects kept fatigue at bay, and Doppy didn’t appear weary either as he strode steadily and confidently.

During our travel along the winding road, we occasionally encountered elves. They cast fleeting glances our way but made no move to engage us, starkly contrasting my experience from the thirty-first and thirty-second floors.

Can they tell I am a part of the neutral faction?

I considered the thought briefly before dismissing it entirely. The tower had constructed the trial, so it had undoubtedly included a mechanism that could identify an individual's alignment.

Throughout the trek, I kept in regular contact with Ha Hee-Jeong. Despite the currently ongoing thirty-sixth-floor trial, she sent signals frequently, indicating she was likely moving toward me rather than focusing on rescuing anyone.

My earlier cryptic signal seemed to have unsettled her. A part of me wanted to tell her to stay put, but by the time I realized she was on her way, it was already too late. Knowing her, no amount of reasoning would turn her back once she had decided to act.

Still, ensuring we meet up is better than running out of time walking to her.

Click.

I sent a signal that I had acknowledged her latest message. Judging by the increasingly shorter intervals between her signals, she was getting close.

As if on cue, a small black speck appeared in the western sky, easily noticeable against the pale blue of dawn.

I immediately recognized it as Ha Hee-Jeong. Given how long it had taken her to reach me, she had initially been considerably far away.

“Su-Yeok! Something’s heading our way!”

“It’s fine. It’s Hee-Jeong.”

“

Huh?

Did Hee-Jeong get herself a broomstick?”

“Yup. She bought one recently.”

“That’s so cool!”

I stood still and casually waved as she approached. Though she wasn’t wearing a pointed hat, her fluid movements made her appear like an elegant witch straight from a fantasy novel.

“Wow, Hee-Jeong. Looking sharp.”

“Hee-Jeong! It’s great to see you!”

Doppy, now incomparable to his former self, waved enthusiastically. Sadly, Ha Hee-Jeong didn’t even glance in his direction as she was focused entirely on me. Doppy’s hand froze mid-air, visibly deflated at her lack of acknowledgment.

Landing with practiced ease, she practically tossed her broomstick aside and marched toward me.

“What’s going on? What happened? Why are you out here? Did something go wrong?”

The questions tumbled out in rapid succession, her voice a mixture of concern and exasperation.

“Come on, tell me. You sent three signals out of nowhere. I was worried sick.”

“Hold on, I’ll explain everything. Just take a breath and calm down.”

Her breathing was erratic, and I placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

She eventually regained control of her breathing, and I started to explain, “I’ve been forced into the neutral faction.”

“What!? Are you out of your mind?” Her voice rose sharply, visibly in complete disbelief. My attempt to settle her had clearly failed.

“Wait! It wasn’t my choice.”

“It wasn’t your choice? Don’t tell me. Did your Sixth Sense act up?”

“No, not this time...”

I detailed everything that had transpired since entering the thirty-fifth floor, recounting how the events of the thirty-first and thirty-second floor had forced me to join the neutral faction.

When I finished, her face darkened with fury.

“Are they serious? They shove you into an individual challenge without warning, then force a faction on you without even asking? That’s insane!”

“Hee-Jeong, calm down.”

I had intended to vent a little frustration, but seeing her fuming on my behalf left me at a loss.

“It’s fine. I’m the one dealing with it, not you.”

“Fine? How is this fine? The winning faction gets a massive amount of achievement points! You just dropped a fortune on that axe, and this was your chance to make up for it!”

“Well, what’s done is done. There’s no point in dwelling on it now.”

Normally composed, Ha Hee-Jeong seemed far from regaining her usual cool. I decided a change of subject was in order.

“By the way, I’ve been working on a plan to pacify the elves and humans.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

As I laid out my strategy, her anger gradually gave way to contemplation.

“It’s not entirely hopeless... If anyone could pull it off, it’d be you.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m heading to Delrayle. That’s where the lords’ council is, right?”

“Yeah, that’s your best shot.” Finally, Ha Hee-Jeong turned her attention to Doppy. “Oh, wait. Wow, Doppy’s gotten huge!”

Her belated recognition didn’t seem to bother him as he grinned brightly at the praise. “That's right! I’ve grown much stronger!”

Ruffling his hair with a smile, Ha Hee-Jeong seemed momentarily distracted by the fact that she wasn’t much taller than him anymore.

“We can talk more on the way. For now, get on.” She gestured toward her broomstick.

While I had flown with Erendil before, adding Doppy changed the scenario.

“Are you sure that thing can carry three people?”

“Probably?”

Ha Hee-Jeong tilted her head thoughtfully, uncertain herself. We could potentially squeeze on, but I wouldn’t leave yet, not until I raised my concern.

“Hey Hee-Jeong, won’t you get penalized for helping us?”