Chapter 142: Fortieth Floor, Rest Area

[(Breaking News) Kwon Su-Hyeok Reaches the Fortieth Floor]

As of 2:37 PM today, South Korea’s Kwon Su-Hyeok has successfully reached the fortieth floor of the Tower of Ordeal...

- hel4d: Ah... This floor won’t have any fights. Kinda boring.

- pakachu: That’s all you have to say? These people are literally risking their lives out there.

- greenday: Exactly. Although I can’t deny the neutral faction’s victory was pretty enthralling, wasn’t it?

- secin: Agreed. I found it incredibly tense to watch.

- WindBlade: Threatening both the council leader and the lords was quite a rare sight.

- hunter0319: As a current hunter, I can tell you it’s nothing special. Any experienced hunter could pull that off.

- sogokang: This “current hunter” guy always says the same thing. Bet he’d be the first to run if monsters showed up on Earth 😂

- hunter0319: You wouldn’t understand. I defend Earth against threats you know nothing about.

- sogokang: Sure, whatever you say. 💤💤

***

Of course, I approved of Alexei’s group joining us, but checking with my party members first was the polite thing to do.

I glanced around the table and raised a brow as if to ask for their thoughts. In response, everyone smiled and nodded. Seo Ho-Su had already risen from his seat, clasping Hendrick’s hand in a firm shake before pulling him into an enthusiastic hug.

I turned to Alexei and locked eyes with her. “Yeah, sure. Everyone here gets along pretty well.”

“Really? You don’t seem all that thrilled about it.”

“Me? Nah, I’m totally fine. The more people, the more fun.”

“Relax, I’m just kidding.” Alexei chuckled and settled down beside Hakin, which caught me off guard.

Last time, she had gone out of her way to squeeze into the spot right next to me.

Raising her glass with a sigh, Alexei grumbled, “Can you believe this? I only got awarded 1,200 points across five floors. That isn’t even the worst part. Most of the others didn’t even get 1,000. How does that make any sense?"

Right, Alexei—and most of the climbers here—had sided with the humans.

Hakim chimed in with a playful grumble. “

Ugh

, I only racked up 800 points. I chose the human faction because of what Su-Hyeok hyung said..."

“Same here. Five floors, and all I got was just under 700 points. I don’t usually cry, but this made me want to.”

Gradually, all their eyes turned to me—not in a hostile manner, though, more teasing than anything else.

“

Haha...

"

I let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of my neck.

Still, I felt obligated to explain myself.

While my former party members knew the full story, having heard it from Ha Hee-Jeong, Alexei’s group hadn’t been privy to it. I also wanted to make it clear that I hadn’t willingly chosen to screw everyone over.

Now that I think about it, I should post about this on the Community.

Having trained for the majority of the waiting room—and fallen subsequently asleep directly afterward—I hadn’t had the chance. It would be okay as long as I made the post before the fortieth floor, though.

Looking across the table at Hendrick, I began my tale. “To be honest, I didn’t choose the neutral faction. The tower forced it on me."

“

Huh?

Seriously?" Hendrick asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

Adopting a deliberately pitiful expression, I nodded. “Yeah. I helped out the elves on the thirty-first and thirty-second floors, and then turned down their alliance offer. I think that locked me into neutrality. Funnily enough, the tower offered me the choice before the thirty-fifth floor, but then cut me off right as I was about to choose."

“What the fuck? What kind of system does that?" Alexei exclaimed indignantly, ready to fight someone.

“That had to have been so frustrating.”

“It was, but I managed to push through.”

“Well, good for you. But now I’m curious about something. How many achievement points did you end up with?"

“Me? Just over 45,000.”

Alexei’s eyes went wide, her expression shifting dramatically. Moments ago, she had been brimming with sympathy, but that vanished the instant I mentioned my reward.

“Wait, what? 45,000 points? You’re not struggling at all! Forget sympathy. You owe me!" she declared, though still in a playful tone.

“Why would I owe you? Complain to the tower!"

“

Ugh

, fair enough. Still, this ticks me off. If not for the tower, I could’ve easily hit 30,000 points..." Alexei groaned and clinked her glass against mine.

As we shared a laugh, Hendrick suddenly slid into the seat beside me and faced Doppy. They had taken up the habit of chatting about random subjects when given the chance.

Just as Hendrick opened his mouth to say something to Doppy, I interrupted, seizing the opportunity to ask a question. “Hendrick, how’s the Testament Project coming along?"

I had first heard about Hendrick’s idea back on the tenth floor when I met Alexei. At the time, it had led to tens of thousands of wills being uploaded to the Community before the eleventh floor started.

Last I had checked, Hendrick had mentioned struggling with the sheer volume, tackling the task bit by bit whenever he found free time.

Hendrick nodded, looking relieved. “It's going well. I’ve sorted through and compiled all the previously submitted wills. Now, I’m just managing updates from people revising theirs."

“You’ve done an incredible job, especially with everything else going on. There’s no way you aren’t exhausted.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Besides training and resting, I don’t have much else to do. I get it done in my downtime.”

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Although he laughed it off as if it were no big deal, I knew better. It was a daunting task that required him to continuously process the fact that all of us could die at any moment.

The psychological comfort climbers gained from knowing their wills would reach their families was invaluable. But sorting through the wills of tens of thousands of climbers? That would have been an enormous, time-consuming, and mentally draining task.

Even if Hendrick played it off, he clearly hadn’t rested much, instead dedicating himself to transcribing and organizing them.

I couldn’t overstate the significance of what he had done.

Lowering his voice slightly, Hendrick asked, “But... Su-Hyeok, are you really not planning to write a will?"

I offered a sheepish smile.

Neither Ha Hee-Jeong nor I had written one. There hadn’t been a profoundly deep reason behind our decision, and in fact, it was simply a personal vow—a declaration of our intent to survive no matter what.

“No, I plan to leave the tower alive.”

“I truly hope you do.”

Though he masked it well, I sensed he felt slightly disappointed. Not because he doubted me, but because he wanted to account for every possibility.

“Well then, let’s toast to a safe and successful conquest of the tower.”

Hendrick raised his glass with a warm smile. His thoughtful gesture struck a chord, filling me with gratitude.

“To all of us making it out safely.”

Alexei, who had been eavesdropping, perked up immediately.

“A toast to conquering the tower? Count me in!"

“What? Why are only Hendrick and Su-Hyeok doing this? Let’s all toast together! To a safe conquest of the tower!" Seo Ho-Su bellowed, his voice booming across the room.

As his enthusiasm spread, others nearby joined in. Before I realized it, the entire dining hall was raising their glasses, all eyes fixed on me.

Did something small snowball into something huge?

I glanced over at Hendrick, who seemed just as flustered as he offered me a sheepish smile.

Well, whatever. It’s not a bad thing, after all.

Raising my glass high, I declared, “To all of us! Let’s conquer the tower without losing a single other climber! Cheers!"

“To conquering the tower!"

A roar of approval filled the dining hall, and the sound of clinking glasses rang out from every corner. As with most drinking gatherings, the attention directed toward us quickly dissipated. Soon enough, the dining hall returned to its usual lively atmosphere.

Some people played instruments and sang along as they strummed, while others clasped hands with lovers or strangers before heading toward their quarters.

That was when Ha Hee-Jeong made a suggestion. “Looks like some people are drinking out on the fields. Why don’t we join them?"

The idea of heading out into the open field appealed to me. The rest area’s night sky was always enchanting, with the fields being particularly beautiful at this hour.

The others seemed to agree as they nodded in unison. Glasses in hand, we made our way to the fields.

No matter how many times I see it, it is breathtaking.

The sky glowed in brilliant pastel hues, painted crimson by the setting sun. Even at dusk, the field was bathed in a rosy tint.

Sitting on the grass, we clinked glasses once more as the atmosphere grew merrier.

***

[All aggressive actions are prohibited within the rest area. Climbers are invited to rest and relax as much as they would like. Time remaining: 67 hours 18 minutes.]

Our morning sparring session left Alexei breathless, her chest heaving as she flung her axe to the ground. She leaned back, gazing frustratedly and disbelievingly at me.

“

Ugh

, you’ve gotten even stronger."

“Well, maybe you should’ve trained harder.”

“I did train hard, damn it!"

Her reaction only made me chuckle. Over time, we had grown comfortable enough for me to prod her like this. I understood Alexei’s personality all too well, as she was a fiercely competitive person who would push herself to the limit if challenged.

“Then I guess I’m just more talented. If you’ve worked so hard but still can’t bridge the gap, maybe there’s an unbreachable wall between us."

“You little—!" Alexei, prideful like Ha Hee-Jeong, bit down on her lip as her face contorted in annoyance.

Unable to contain herself, she sprang to her feet, snatched up the axe she had thrown aside, and glared at me.“Let’s do this again."

“Another round isn’t going to change the outcome."

“I said again!"

“Fine, if you insist."

I nodded at her fiery determination. The intensity in her eyes made it clear that she was pissed, maybe even a little humiliated.

Did I go too far?

No, this was good. If anything, it would push her to train even harder.

The moment Alexei readied her grip on the axe, she charged. Her first attack was straightforward, a clean diagonal slash.

Clang!

I parried with ease, deflecting the strike without breaking a sweat. Then, Alexei swung her leg upward out of nowhere, aiming for my groin.

Startled, I jumped back just in time to avoid the hit. The attack wasn’t particularly fast, but a chill ran down my spine nonetheless.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?!" I shouted, genuinely alarmed.

Alexei, unbothered by my outburst, flopped back onto the ground and lay flat on her back. “Why does it matter? It’s not like you’ll need it anyway.”

“What do you mean I won’t need it?!"

Though her kick hadn’t landed, my knees felt weak just imagining the pain. The memory of a soccer ball striking the same spot flashed vividly in my mind, the phantom ache still fresh.

Alexei groaned, looking defeated. “Whatever. You’re too strong. I can’t beat you."

“What happened to all that talk about catching up to me?"

“That only works if you’re reasonably strong.”

Despite the resigned tone of her words, her eyes betrayed her. They burned with unyielding determination, a clear sign she hadn’t given up.

Great. I could already picture her returning to the waiting room, then immediately spending every waking moment training.

Alexei turned her head toward me and narrowed her eyes sharply. “So, why didn’t you ask?"

“Ask what?"

“Why didn’t I sit next to you yesterday or invite you to drink like I usually do?"

Her question caught me off guard. I hadn’t given it any thought, let alone been curious. I had just assumed she had finally given up on trying to cling to me all the time.

“Do I really need to ask about that?"

“

Tch.

Hendrick said it’d make you curious.”

“Hendrick? That guy’s not even married. Why would you take advice from him?"

“I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted you to notice me.”

Her straightforwardness left me momentarily speechless.

An awkward silence settled between us, starkly contrasting the spirited energy of our training session just moments earlier.

After a moment, Alexei got to her feet and brushed herself off. “

Ugh

, I’m too worn out for another round. Let’s pick this up tomorrow.”

Feeling awkward, I paused before replying, “Okay.”

“Same time as today?"

“Whatever works for you."

“Good. Same time tomorrow. Oh, and I’ll see you in the dining hall tonight.”

She spun on her heel and strode confidently away.

Seriously? She throws me off with that and then just leaves? Wait, is this another one of Hendrick’s schemes to make me pay attention to her?

Given what Alexei had just said, it seemed entirely plausible.

Haaaa... Forget it.

It was almost time to meet Ha Hee-Jeong and head to the shop.