Chapter 158: Forty-Fourth Floor, The Abandoned City (6)

The Community of the Dead on the forty-fourth floor.

[Isn't Su-Hyeok in danger?]

[What nonsense are you spouting now?]

[Aren't you looking at Zone 1? Trozen hit level 36.]

[mNoEyuUkUsHIt]

[Huh? How did he level up so much?]

[No idea, but he's killing every monster and climber he comes across.]

[What level is Su-Hyeok?]

[16 or 17, I think.]

[Wow, that's double the level. Isn't that actually kind of dangerous?]

[Danger? What danger? You didn’t see Su-Hyeok take down Trozen (who was level 17 btw) when he was only level 8.]

[That was when Trozen barely had any skills. Doesn't Su-Hyeok still have just a few skills? Trozen probably has over 10 by now.]

[KiEk. MaRlRgBRe.]

[Hey, what’s up with these guys babbling nonsense?]

[They're people who got caught by the bugs. Seems like the bugs injected them with something that messes with their minds.]

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 143 hours and 26 minutes.]

“Let’s head inside."

“What? You’re suggesting we go in despite another party already being there?" Seo Ho-Su’s surprised tone carried a hint of skepticism.

Ha Hee-Jeong nodded gravely and elaborated, “This is the location I foresaw. While I couldn’t discern every detail, I distinctly recall us battling mantises in their nest."

She had shared a lot more information than she usually did, and I quickly understood why. Though she attributed her suggestion to foresight, this location had likely caused some terrible things to occur in her previous life. Judging by the certainty in her voice, even if a butterfly effect from our actions had altered the future, only our team could clear this nest.

Cole seemed to pick up on the implication. “So, what you’re saying is that you don’t think the climbers who entered earlier can clear it?"

“That’s correct. But on the bright side, since it’s only been an hour, there’s a possibility they’re still alive."

“And considering the system message we received about the bugs getting stronger..." Cole trailed off as he recalled what had just transpired.

Ha Hee-Jeong nodded, sporting a serious expression. “Exactly. The sooner we move, the better."

Although I had only just rejoined the party, I was undoubtedly the leader. Naturally, everyone’s attention shifted toward me.

While we couldn’t be certain whether the climbers who had entered an hour or two before us still lived, we had a clear objective, and lingering unnecessarily wouldn’t help anyone.

We had to initiate a rescue operation. I grasped the hammer I had set down moments ago.

“We’re going to clear the nest. Advance at a reasonable pace until we encounter the climbers."

“Okay."

“Let’s proceed in the formation we discussed earlier. Stay vigilant."

The words had barely left my mouth when I noticed that my party members had already unsheathed their weapons. Once I confirmed everyone was ready, I stepped into the cave.

We began running at a steady, controlled pace, just like cross-country runners. Although we all could run faster, we needed to conserve our stamina and stay prepared for whatever dangers lay inside.

The mouth of the cave was initially approximately three meters wide, but as we delved deeper, it gradually widened. This didn’t surprise me; giant mantises lived here after all.

About two minutes into our run, several mantis carcasses came into view, strewn haphazardly in a shadowy corner of the cavern.

Seo Ho-Su crouched to inspect the remains.

“It looks like the climbers held their own at this point. These mantises are in shreds."

“They probably felt confident after this first encounter. If they have run into trouble, the sudden increase in the monsters’ levels likely threw them off."

“Yeah, that does seem plausible..."

The further we ventured into the cave, the more frequent the mantis corpses became. The viscous fluids oozing from their shattered abdomens began to pool, squelching underfoot with each step. The air was thick with a pungent, metallic odor that made it hard to breathe.

Five minutes passed, and amid the sea of green ichor, streaks of crimson blood began to appear.

At the far end of the cave, three enormous mantises emerged. Two were level 19, while the other was level 21—an ominous sign. The climbers deeper inside had to be in trouble if some monsters remained on their path of retreat.

Seo Ho-Su clicked his tongue in frustration. “

Tsk

, it seems we’re running a bit late..."

“There’s still a chance. Let’s take care of these mantises first. I’ll handle the one on the left! Ha-Rin, buff Ho-Su!"

“Got it, I’ll deal with the one on the right!"

“Okay!”

The leftmost mantis advanced slightly ahead of the others. I dashed forward, pulling my hammer back in preparation.

Although fighting with a hammer felt somewhat unfamiliar, I was beginning to master the weapon. The skirmishes we had encountered on our way to the mantis lair had served as valuable practice.

My war hammer and the Thousand-Pound Mace skill paired well, so it couldn’t be a coincidence that they were found together.

Crafted entirely from solid iron, the war hammer was exceptionally heavy. Even with my current stats, wielding it almost knocked me off-balance. Thousand-Pound Mace compensated for this by allowing me to adjust my body’s mass, making it possible to handle the weapon effectively. Together, they formed an ideal synergy.

The charging mantis let out an eerie, grating screech,

"Sii-it!"

Its razor-sharp forelegs lashed out from both sides, scissoring in an X-pattern to tear through me.

Dodging wasn’t necessary, however. If I had been armed with a slender blade, then maybe, but I wielded the hammer. No matter how sharp or durable a mantis’s forelegs were, they couldn’t overpower the sheer force of my weapon.

I adjusted my pace, maintaining the optimal distance away from it, while focusing my strength into both of my arms. The instant the mantis’s forelegs converged, I brought the hammer crashing down while activating Thousand-Pound Mace to anchor myself.

The hammer met the forelegs head-on.

Crunch!

As expected, the war hammer emerged victorious. It crushed the mantis’s forelegs and continued its descent, slamming into the creature’s thorax with unstoppable momentum.

The mantis slammed into the ground, brought to its knees beneath the hammer’s weight.

Smash! Crash!

The impact resonated through the cavern, leaving the mantis’s body a mangled ruin. Green ichor and shattered fragments splattered outward in a chaotic spray, while the remaining mantises quivered instinctively.

I didn’t have the time to relax, though. Seo Ho-Su had already severed another mantis’s forelegs. Not wasting a moment, I took two swift steps forward, swinging my hammer in a wide arc.

“Screech!”

The second mantis barely had time to let out a cry before the hammer struck.

Crunch! Smash!

The force of the blow hurled the mantis into the cavern wall, and its abdomen spattered onto the unyielding rock. Its head—sitting atop the remaining half of its body—reflexively opened its mandibles, but Seo Ho-Su swiftly drove his sword into its throat.

Meanwhile, Ha Hee-Jeong and Hakin unleashed their magic upon the final mantis. With Cole’s arrows already embedded in its head, it couldn’t escape. The mantis shrieked as it burned alive, and a notification window appeared before me.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has leveled up.]

For a level 21 monster, the battle had been underwhelming.

Well, even with my reset stats, we were the strongest party. So, perhaps that was only natural.

Seo Ho-Su flicked his sword, shaking off the viscous fluids stuck to it with a practiced motion. For a brief moment, his gaze lingered in the void, likely contemplating which stats to raise.

“If you’ve finished allocating your stats, let’s move on.”

***

Not long after, we came upon the remains of the climbers. Several mantises were hunched over, feasting on the shredded corpses with their sharp mandibles.

Before anyone could curse or charge forward, Ha Hee-Jeong unleashed a wave of flames that engulfed the creatures. Instantly, five mantises were consumed by blazing infernos. The sheer intensity of the flames caught everyone off guard.

Startled, Hakin said in a surprised tone, “Noona, you’re the same level as me! How can you manage something like that?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? It’s about understanding magic and efficiently distributing mana.”

“Even so, I can’t imagine producing this kind of power—”

“Let’s save our discussion for later. While I do find your curiosity commendable, we’re standing over the remains of our fallen comrades.”

“Ah, right. My apologies.” Hakin looked around uneasily, reminded of how misplaced his enthusiasm was at the current moment.

Under normal circumstances, discussing magic techniques in front of human corpses would have been unthinkable. Yet, given what we had experienced, it was understandable.

By the time climbers reached the forty-fourth floor, most were fractured in some way. Hakin, in particular, had witnessed every single one of his party members die, one by one. Unsurprisingly, he had grown numb.

And to be honest, I am no different.

I remembered the first floor when I nearly vomited at the sight of a goblin corpse. A faint, self-deprecating smile played at the corner of my lips.

By now, I couldn’t even begin to count the lives I had taken. On the fourteenth floor alone, I had killed no fewer than fifty thousand lizardmen. At some point, I had grown numb to the concept of death.

Cole shifted, breaking the uneasy silence, before approaching the climbers’ remains.

After briefly inspecting them, he lifted his head. “They’re badly mutilated, but it looks like there are only three or four bodies here. Most parties have eight members...”

“So, up to four may still be deeper inside?”

“Exactly. They could be feeding on them, but maybe they stored them alive as some sort of reserve.”

“We need to pick up the pace, then. Let’s go!”

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 142 hours 46 minutes.]

Eventually, we succeeded in clearing out the mantis nest.

The mantis queen proved far more formidable than expected, and the fight had been particularly grueling. Still, aside from Seo Ho-Su sustaining a minor injury, no one had been seriously hurt.

Our spoils included a serrated longsword, a chain scythe, and three skill books: Sharpness, Mantis’s Allure, and Air Cutter.

However, we decided to postpone the distribution of loot for now. A more urgent matter demanded our attention.

“Krreeek... ssshhiiit...”

“Heh... heh... khak! Khak!”

It was the climbers we had hoped to find alive.

Of the four potential survivors, two had already died. The remaining two had transformed into grotesque beasts, each one resembling a strange, mantis-human hybrid. Their skin had turned an unnatural shade of green, and their malformed arms twitched as they hobbled aimlessly through the cave.

Thankfully, they didn’t display any signs of aggression toward us.

Still, their pitiful cries, accompanied by the drool leaking from their disfigured mouths, were heart-wrenching to witness. Even though Ha Hee-Jeong had explained what to expect, seeing it with my own eyes left me speechless.

The rest of the party—unaware of this possibility—was even more shaken. Seo Ha-Rin covered her mouth with trembling hands, tears welling in her eyes.

“This can’t be happening. How could something like this...?”

“This is... incomprehensible...”

Seo Ha-Rin’s voice quivered as she chanted a spell, shaky but resolute, “P-purification!”

The climbers didn’t change. Their vacant, lifeless expressions remained.

Despite the lack of effect, Ha-Rin stubbornly repeated the spell in desperation. “Purify! Purify!”

“Ha-Rin...” Seo Ho-Su gently pulled her into a hug, sorrow clear as day on his face.

I couldn’t tell if she couldn’t bear to watch any longer or if she felt she had failed as a priest.

Seo Ha-Rin sobbed quietly in his arms. This was the same Seo Ha-Rin who had mournfully, yet calmly, healed mortally wounded climbers and buried dead ones. The stark difference in her reaction now underscored just how deeply this had shaken her.

Witnessing someone’s corpse after they had fallen in battle and seeing a human twisted into a monstrous shell of their former self truly wasn’t the same—and this could happen to any of us.

I turned to Ha Hee-Jeong, silently seeking her input, although I already suspected what we needed to do.

We have to kill them.

Restoring them would be impossible. If left alone, they would eventually lose their last traces of humanity and become monsters that preyed on others. I worried about how the others would respond, however.

Ha Hee-Jeong hesitated for a moment before giving me a solemn nod. We didn’t have an alternative.

The floor would continue whether or not we stopped, so I addressed the group, “It’s heartbreaking, but we should kill them. There’s no cure, and I believe they would want this.”

“I agree. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, that seems like the best choice.”

Cole and Seo Ho-Su nodded. Seo Ha-Rin and Hakin remained silent, unable to find words.

I raised my hammer. Seo Ho-Su gently entrusted Seo Ha-Rin to Cole before stepping forward and giving me a small, reassuring nod—a gesture of quiet understanding.

We raised our weapons and brought them down. The climbers’ lives ended in an instant.

A severed head rolled along the floor, covered in blood and gore from a shattered skull.

Without warning, my Sixth Sense started blaring, the clearest I had ever felt it ring. For reasons I couldn’t yet comprehend, we needed to return to base immediately.