Chapter 135: Thirty-Sixth Floor, Preliminary Work (1)

Ha Hee-Jeong’s expression shifted, understanding my implication that the tower wasn’t some benevolent entity.

It acted deliberately, and if someone tried to act outside the box it defined, it rarely let those decisions go unpunished. If Ha Hee-Jeong knowingly helped me with my plans, she would almost certainly be penalized.

She replied uncertainly, “Uh... maybe?"

“What’s up with you? This doesn’t feel like you.”

“

Huh?

Oh... I guess... Well, once I heard that the tower forced you into the neutral faction...”

Her voice trailed off awkwardly.

Did this situation upset her that much?

Oddly enough, her frustration on my behalf lightened my own negative feelings. It was comforting, in a strange way, to have someone so riled up for my sake.

I felt a small, involuntary smile tug at my lips. “Thanks for coming all the way out here. I’ll handle the rest on my own.”

“Okay.”

“Do you know where the nearest city is? Just pointing me there shouldn’t get you penalized, right?”

“Yeah, that should be fine. I saw a surviving city over there on my way over.”

She gestured toward her one o’clock. Memorizing the direction, I nodded in thanks.

Despite her clear reluctance, Ha Hee-Jeong climbed onto her broomstick. I understood why she wanted to help, but there wasn’t any reason for her to linger.

Turning to me one last time, she waved. “Well then, I’m off.”

“Yeah, take care of yourself. Thanks again for coming.”

“It’s no big deal. Just make it worth it.”

“Don’t go sabotaging yourself just because you tried to help me, alright?”

“I won’t... but don’t expect me to go above and beyond either. Oh, right! When you reach the city, be careful.”

“Careful? What do you mean?”

Instead of answering, she gave me a knowing smile before taking off into the sky.

Our meeting hadn’t even lasted ten minutes. Thinking about the four-hour flight she had endured just to check on me made her gesture feel even more meaningful.

I had already thanked her twice, so repeating it once again felt unnecessary. Instead, I simply waved as she soared away. “See you later.”

From beside me, Doppy piped up, “Bye, Hee-Jeong! Take care!”

Already some distance away, she yelled, “Yeah, you too! Bye, Doppy!”

Ha Hee-Jeong’s figure quickly shrank into the horizon, but just before she disappeared completely, she glanced back over her shoulder.

When I smiled and waved again, she hastily turned away and accelerated the broomstick.

***

Following the direction Ha Hee-Jeong had indicated, I trekked for another hour before spotting the silhouette of a city in the distance.

At the same time, I stumbled upon a group of climbers. Approximately fifty of them were clustered near the road leading to the city, all huddled together in animated discussion.

As I approached, one of them noticed me and quickly alerted the rest. The sight of my dark armor, axe, and Doppy seemed to confirm my identity immediately.

“Oh! It’s Kwon Su-Hyeok!”

“Wait, really? That’s him?”

Before I could react, the group surged toward me animatedly. It was a bit overwhelming, much like being mobbed by a horde of oversized puppies.

“Mr. Su-Hyeok! Hello!”

“Wow, it’s really him! Hi there!”

Slightly uncomfortable, I barely managed to let out a greeting, “Hello.”

As soon as I finished speaking, they began introducing themselves, one after another. There were far too many names for me to remember.

Judging by their presence here, they were likely climbers in the neutral faction. Before I could ask, one of them spoke up. “Are you a neutral as well, Su-Hyeok?”

“Haha, yes. Are all of you neutrals too?”

“Yup, we’re all part of the neutral faction.”

As expected, they were indeed neutral climbers. I didn’t recognize any of them, which suggested their ranking on the Leaderboard was on the lower side.

Curiosity piqued, I decided to ask, “Why did you all choose neutrality?”

This series of floors presented a prime opportunity for lower-ranked climbers. If their faction won, they would be significantly rewarded, regardless of their contribution. The ratio of risk to reward seemed unbelievably good.

“Well, I didn’t want to risk fighting my party members, so I went with the neutral faction.”

“I just didn’t feel right about killing intelligent beings, even if they’re from another planet...”

I nodded, understanding their perspectives. Avoiding potential conflict with allies or the moral discomfort of taking lives were both valid reasons.

“And you, Su-Hyeok? Why did you choose to be neutral?”

“Oh, I wasn’t exactly given a choice in the same way. It just... sort of happened. Anyway, why are all of you gathered here?”

“The humans won’t let us into the city. Even when some climbers tried to reason with them, they refused. They even threatened to attack if we got closer.”

“What?” I frowned, prompting one of them to elaborate.

The neutral climbers had initially banded together for safety, as there wasn’t much they could do individually. Once they had gathered about fifty people, they approached the city, only to be turned away. They had been lingering outside the city ever since.

So this is what Ha Hee-Jeong meant when she told me to be careful.

She likely knew about this and didn’t tell me just in case she would be penalized.

The humans’ hostility wasn’t a major issue for me. Sure, it would be inconvenient, but I could use Shadow Veil to sneak in, find a map, and steal an airship or transport.

Still, one of the climbers looked at me, nervous and hopeful. “Su-Hyeok, what should we do?”

“Hmm...”

We?

Without even asking, they had already assumed I would join their group. That seemed a bit presumptuous, but I could understand why they thought that.

Hmph, what should I do?

While I hadn’t planned on joining them, a new idea began to brew in my mind.

Wait a second. Having a few extra people may actually come in handy...

If I ended up stealing an airship, I would need people to watch the crew. A larger group could also make intimidating the lords easier.

Besides, Doppy was already accompanying me, so what were a few more allies?

Alright...

Before committing, I decided to gauge their thoughts. They could have a few insights I hadn’t considered.

“The city refusing you entry is news to me, so I’m a bit surprised.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

“Do you have any plans?”

“Well, we’ve talked about it, but honestly, we’re not sure what to do.”

The climber—their impromptu leader—sighed uncertainly.

“Without information, we had a hard time coming up with anything tangible. We considered mediating once a wide-scale war broke out, but we’re not even sure we can manage that...”

As I suspected, they didn’t have any concrete ideas.

It made sense, though. Without reliable intel, fifty neutral climbers weren’t equipped to formulate a meaningful strategy.

Now, the question is, what should I do? Should I take these climbers with me, or leave them behind?

I weighed the options carefully, mentally placing them on an invisible scale.

If I continue alone, no one will openly criticize me... probably.

Still, if I cleared the floor by myself, rumors could begin to circulate. People would say I abandoned the other climbers just to hoard the rewards. After all, they wouldn’t understand or even try to consider what I had gone through to complete everything solo.

On the flip side, bringing them along would undoubtedly make things more complicated, even if it could maybe be advantageous.

The more I pondered, the more my thoughts tipped toward one decision.

Alright, I will bring them.

“I’ve got an idea.”

***

My plan was bold, capturing the other climbers’ attention from the very beginning.

Even though what I laid out would be challenging, the climbers reacted enthusiastically, showering me with praise for what they deemed a brilliant idea. Their faith in me was flattering but almost overwhelming.

Of course, their confidence wasn’t entirely unfounded, given my track record. Still, the sheer weight of their expectations put intense pressure on me.

I revised my plan, adjusting the details to account for their involvement. With fifty-three climbers now under my command, securing a ground vehicle wouldn’t cut it. We would need an airship, nothing less.

After finalizing the strategy, I divided the group into two teams. Bringing all of them into the city would be inefficient and attract unnecessary attention, so I selected the five most capable individuals to accompany me. The rest were tasked with scouting the plains for additional neutral climbers potentially roaming nearby.

Sneaking into the city proved relatively easy. Although guards stood watch at every gate, Shadow Veil rendered us effectively invisible.

Once inside, we regrouped in a secluded alley to discuss our next steps.

“We need to get our hands on a map. Any ideas on where we can find one?”

“A map?”

“Yes. Even if we manage to hijack an airship, we still need to figure out where Delrayle is.”

“Hmm... maybe a general store or something?”

Before we could settle on a plan, Cecilia—a climber with bronzed skin and dark, flowing hair—spoke up puzzledly, “Do we really need a map?”

“Excuse me?” I turned to her, confused.

Did she misunderstand what I said?

Cecilia met my gaze, tilting her head as if she found my confusion baffling. “Wouldn’t the airship’s crew already know where to go?”

“Oh...”

She was right. If we were stealing an airship, the crew would already have navigation maps.

Feeling a bit foolish, I scratched the back of my neck while the others chuckled quietly. They weren’t laughing mockingly. Rather, they were lightening the mood.

“

Haha

, even Su-Hyeok makes mistakes.”

I felt unsure of how to respond, so I just apologized. “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. None of us thought of it either.”

“Exactly. It’s a completely different world. You can’t expect to know everything.”

Their reassuring words were quite welcoming, but their overly polite flattery only made me feel more self-conscious. Desperate to steer the conversation back on track, I cleared my throat.

“

Ahem.

Alright then. Let’s skip the map and focus on commandeering an airship.”

“Okay.”

“If the airships are shuttling supplies from the central district, the docking area should be over that way. Let’s move.”

***

The city had grown tense in the aftermath of the elves’ attacks. Instead of bustling civilians, armed soldiers patrolled the streets. Vehicles equipped with heavy weaponry rolled along the roads, their engines growling ominously.

I even spotted a few familiar climbers allied with the humans, but given our stealth mission, I refrained from acknowledging them.

When we finally reached the docks, the scene was bustling with activity. Workers hurried to load supplies and weaponry onto the waiting airships. Engines hummed, ready for imminent takeoff.

It was the perfect opportunity for us.

The chaos provided ample cover, and once we seized an airship, we could leave immediately.

Last time, we got tracked because we took a royal airship.

This time, I would avoid anything linked to the royal family.

Luck was on our side. Among the dozens of airships at the docks, many didn’t bear any prominent insignias, suggesting they belonged to private merchants drafted for wartime efforts.

“We’ll target that one.” I pointed to an unmarked airship with its engine already humming.

The climbers nodded.

With soldiers stationed throughout the docks, a direct assault was out of the question. Our best bet was to sneak aboard, hide, and wait until the airship left the city before assuming control.

Using the chaos around us as cover, we carefully made our way onto the vessel.

The airship’s layout was familiar, thanks to my experiences from previous floors. Once aboard, we concealed ourselves among the cargo piled on the deck, ready to ambush the captain and crew.

I gestured at the climbers to follow me.

This way.

After waiting about twenty minutes, the airship finally ascended into the sky. Compared to the royal airship I had taken before, this one was noticeably slower, which left me mildly disappointed but unsurprised.

Well, at least we don’t have to worry about being tracked.

Once the city turned into a distant blur, we moved into action. We risked the crew sounding an alarm if we revealed ourselves too soon, so we approached the pilot and crew under the cover of Shadow Veil.

I silently positioned myself behind the pilot while the other climbers spread out to subdue the remaining crew members.

Raising three fingers, I signaled the countdown.

Three... two... one.

As soon as my fish clenched fully, I dropped the Shadow Veil.

“Don’t move!” My voice rang out as I pressed a dagger to the pilot’s throat.

“Ahh!”

His eyes widened in terror, and his knees buckled as he collapsed in a heap.

Clearly, the pilot wasn’t accustomed to such situations. His lack of composure was almost disappointing.

“This ship is now under our control!”