Chapter 160: Forty-Fourth Floor, The Abandoned City (8)

The steel gate was designed to open outward. With the monsters pounding relentlessly against it, I couldn’t force it open. I leaned against the heavy door, pressing my shoulder against it with all my might.

Thud. Thud.

The forceful vibrations traveled through the metal and reverberated down my arm.

Timing my next push, I shoved heavily as the gate recoiled from the hornets’ impact. Thanks to my effort, a narrow gap formed between the doors. Through the small opening, the agitated shrieks of the hornets pierced the air.

“Screeeech!”

“Kiiiiiik!

”

Quickly, I stepped back from the gate and retreated a distance. The creatures, displaying a surprising level of cunning, began forcing their legs through the gap. Their heads followed next.

“Kieeek!”

A grotesque cry erupted from the gaping maw of one of the hornets. Wasting no time, I drove my sword deep into its head.

Crunch.

Before the razor-sharp mandibles could snap shut, my blade pierced through its skull. The sword didn’t stop there, containing enough force to skewer another hornet behind it.

Two in one.

Thick ichor ran down the length of the blade as I twisted it free. With a sharp kick, I slammed the gate shut, the metal striking the creatures’ exoskeletons with a resounding clang.

The impaled hornets collapsed in a heap, although by now, the gate stood halfway open.

“Kyaaah!”

A massive hornet forced its way in, using its powerful legs to push the gate away. It planted all six limbs firmly on the ground, its grotesque mandibles snapping as it lunged at me.

I brought my sword down in a swift, vertical swing, severing its head before its jaws could close in on me.

Its split head fell to the ground, and I took another step back.

The others should be in position by now.

The enraged swarm trampled over the corpses of their fallen comrades as they surged forward. It was time to fall back.

Just then, the lead hornet began vibrating its wings furiously. The noise sounded similar to the hum of a drone and filled the corridor, accompanied by a faint breeze that brushed against my cheek.

It wasn’t attempting to take flight. Instead, it propelled itself forward in a low-altitude charge, using its wings to generate speed.

It will catch up if I retreat.

Coming to that realization, I stopped retreating and closed the gap instead.

Activating Thousand-Pound Mace, I anchored myself in place. I angled my sword upward and caught its mandibles with the blade. With a twist of my wrist, I used the hornet’s momentum against itself to hurl it into the wall.

The moment it slammed against the hard surface, I slashed downward and split its head.

I stepped back twice, severing the legs of another advancing hornet as it rushed toward me. The corridor echoed with their shrill cries as the swarm continued its relentless charge.

Time to run.

I turned and sprinted down the hallway.

No sooner had I started than the loud buzz of wings filled the air again, drawing closer.

Buzzzzzz—

Another hornet used its wings to propel itself toward me at an alarming speed. Though the corner was just ahead, I wouldn’t make it in time at this rate. Running wasn’t an option.

Counting down internally, I leaped at the perfect moment and vaulted over the charging hornet.

As it passed beneath me, it raised its head and snapped its mandibles toward my torso. I twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding a direct hit to my chest, though its jaws still grazed my thigh. With a burning pain emanating from my leg, I brought my sword down, cleaving its head before I landed.

“Krieeek!”

I resumed running, although each step caused my thigh to sting. A quick glance downward revealed blood seeping through the torn fabric of my pants and climbing suit.

The wound is deeper than I thought.

The corridor behind me was already teeming with hornets. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn’t blindly retreat anymore.

The cycle continued. One hornet would charge, I would strike it down, and then another would follow. Though I sustained several minor injuries, each level-up notification healed my injuries and brought relief to my aching wounds.

Finally, I spotted my teammates, signaling an end to the relentless ordeal.

Standing in the middle of the corridor, Seo Ho-Su called out, “Su-Hyeok!”

He was sprinting toward me while wielding a large steel shield, likely borrowed from another climber.

I swung my sword wide, deliberately creating space between myself and the pursuing swarm. Seo Ho-Su took the lead, positioning himself between the hornets and me.

“You’ve done well! Fighting your way here had to have been tough. Take a break now.”

Ignoring his suggestion, I moved to stand beside him and readied myself. “I’m fine! I leveled up!”

Seo Ho-Su glanced at me and grinned. With our reliable tank now in place, the real defense was about to begin.

The hornets surged toward us, scuttling along the corridor like a tide of monstrous cockroaches.

Seo Ho-Su eyed the approaching swarm and let out a hearty laugh.

“Alright, let’s make today feel like a scene from Oldboy[1]!”

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 141 hours 7 minutes.]

After the fierce battle, we found ourselves in the arena once more.

As the corridor had become congested with corpses, we strategically fell back step by step until reaching this point. Now, the arena was an eerie graveyard, littered with piles of insect fragments that covered the dirt floor.

Ha Hee-Jeong had rejoined us mid-fight and had unleashed her trademark flames, causing the smell of burnt protein to fill the air.

It is finally over. Thank goodness.

Although the ambush had been unexpected, my Sixth Sense had allowed us to mitigate the damage and avoid any losses.

On the bright side, we had all leveled up significantly and grown comfortable wielding our newly acquired skills. Yet, any sense of accomplishment was overshadowed by a more immediate concern—the aftermath of cleaning up.

“Where are we supposed to put all of this shit?”

Seo Ho-Su sighed heavily, nodding in agreement. “You’re telling me. It took forever just to deal with the bodies in the arena before, and now this.

Ugh.

”

While we could burn the corpses in the arena, the real problem lay in the corridor outside. Even with a conservative estimate, there had to be over fifty corpses, and we couldn’t burn them without damaging the corridor’s walls.

These weren’t small creatures, either. They were larger than humans, and moving them would be an annoying chore. To make matters worse, the corridor was drenched in the hornets’ fluids, which also needed to be cleaned up.

Should we abandon this base and move somewhere else?

The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head.

This place was too valuable. Finding another location at this stage would be impractical, not to mention time-consuming. Besides, we had already instructed the city inhabitants we had rescued to regroup here.

I guess we don’t have any other good options. We have to clean it up.

I scanned the arena, taking in the exhausted climbers scattered across it. The battle had been intense, and the other climbers had fought tirelessly alongside our party. Despite their low levels—compared to the hornets at least—they had managed to hold their ground, and thankfully, no one had died.

The level-ups had restored everyone’s physical stamina, but mentally and emotionally, they were drained. Most of them sat slumped on the arena floor, too weary to move.

Perhaps overhearing my conversation with Seo Ho-Su, they turned to look at me uneasily.

“Please, not now. Let’s deal with it later,”

their expressions practically begged, wishing for me to delay cleanup.

Faced with their pitiful gazes, I couldn’t bring myself to command everyone to start.

“Hmm... how about we rest a bit first? Maybe eat something before we start?”

A quiet cheer broke out, and the climbers clapped softly.

“Yes!”

“Great idea!”

Whoo-hoo!

Seeing how much relief such a small reprieve brought them, I couldn’t help but smile.

Just like what they say. People can find happiness in the smallest things.

I walked over to Ha Hee-Jeong, who was seated in the audience stands, and took a seat beside her.

“How are you feeling? Any better?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now,” she replied with a smile, leaning back against the chair.

Her complexion had improved significantly, her earlier pallor replaced with a healthy color. I found her recovery remarkable, almost unbelievable, given that she had come close to total mana exhaustion before casting another powerful spell.

Her mana regeneration and control were exceptional. I could completely understand why all the climbers who were mages looked up to and worshipped her.

“So, after cleanup, are we heading for the subway?”

“Everyone looks a bit worn out, but if we’re able, we should go. Technically, we’re fine physically.”

“Alright, let’s eat, tidy up, and then head out.”

“Sounds good—”

Both of us turned our attention toward the corridor. Heavy and deliberate footsteps echoed from the distance.

Those weren’t a monster’s footsteps. It was a human.

“What’s that?”

Ha Hee-Jeong frowned. “Maybe a nearby climber is coming to investigate?”

That seemed plausible. After all, the massive swarm of hornets would have drawn plenty of attention. Any climbers in the vicinity would have noticed something was happening.

Judging by the lone set of footsteps, an archer had likely been sent to scout the area. Still, the confidence in those footsteps struck me as odd.

When the figure finally emerged at the far end of the corridor, I couldn’t hide my shock.

“What the... all this chaos, and it turns out you’re here?”

The person stepping out of the corridor was none other than Trozen.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely surprising. The swarm had been so massive that it would have been visible even from a distance. Of course, Trozen wouldn’t have missed it.

I immediately stood, and my party members followed suit as they reached for their weapons. The other climbers, still seated, looked back and forth between us in confusion. Their expressions were wary but uncertain.

The tension hung thickly in the air, clear as day to everyone around.

Although they didn’t know the full story, the climbers seemed to sense something was wrong and began rising cautiously.

[Trozen (Lvl. 44)]

The level displayed above Trozen’s head shocked me all over again.

What the hell has he been doing to reach level 44?

I was only level 26, and my party members were level 18. Even that was considered exceptionally high compared to the other climbers, most of whom were barely hovering around level 10.

But level 44...

That growth rate was nothing short of absurd.

This may be more dangerous than I expected.

To be honest, I hadn’t been too concerned about Trozen until now. Based on my earlier conversation with Ha Hee-Jeong, I had estimated his level to be somewhere in the mid-30s, a range I could handle with relative ease.

But level 44? That changed the equation entirely.

Yesterday, even against someone twice my level, I could fight without breaking a sweat, but...

Here on the forty-fourth floor, proper skills carried far greater weight than raw level differences.

I glanced at Ha Hee-Jeong, and her startled expression mirrored my own.

How many climbers did he kill to reach this level?

No, that didn’t fully add up. Even if I assumed he had been hunting both climbers and monsters indiscriminately, mid-30s would have been a reasonable upper limit.

For him to be level 44 meant he hadn’t slept since yesterday and had been hunting relentlessly. His shredded clothing and the vacant, glassy look in his eyes reinforced my assumption.

He seemed to be teetering on the edge of madness.

From what Cole had told me, Trozen had been a low-ranked climber. Whether he had hunted humans, monsters, or both, it was clear he had been pushing himself non-stop, enduring the psychological penalties that came with healing without resting.

It unnerved me.

Cole also mentioned he didn’t seem like a cruel person before.

Of course, no one could truly judge someone’s character based on first impressions alone. However, Cole usually wasn’t wrong about people.

Did Trozen snap after his first kill and lose all control?

It was impossible to say. What I did know for certain was that he had to be dealt with.

One of the climbers, who seemed to know Trozen, gave him a strained smile. “Trozen! What’s going on? How did you get to level 44? And what happened to the rest of your party?”

“Oh, those useless idiots?” Trozen chuckled, his tone steeped in madness.

The shift in tone set everyone on edge, prompting the climbers to unsheathe their weapons.

“I killed them all.”

As the chilling words left his mouth, Trozen turned his gaze to me. “And Kwon Su-Hyeok, finding you was quite the chore. Luckily, the swarm worked in my favor.”

The aura emanating from him felt oppressive and suffocating—this was going to be a tough fight. Regardless, I couldn’t afford to let him see any doubt.

I stepped toward the arena when Ha Hee-Jeong reached out, her fingers gently closing around my wrist.

“Level 44... Are you sure about this? Should I help?”

“You don’t trust me?”

Her gaze was firm and steady, filled with conviction. “No, I do.”

I shot her a grin before stepping down from the spectator stands into the arena. Everyone remained silent, and the atmosphere continued thickening.

The soft crunch of my boots against the dirt echoed faintly, breaking the stillness. I tossed the worn sword I had used against the swarm onto the ground. The blade was too dull for what lay ahead.

“Everyone, step back.”

“Yes, sir.”

The climbers retreated and gave us space.

This fight would have to be confined to the arena. I couldn’t risk anyone else getting caught in the crossfire.

More importantly, however, I didn’t trust Trozen. If the battle turned against him, I felt confident he would resort to killing the climbers mid-fight for a quick heal.

I picked up the battle hammer lying in the center of the arena. “So, what gives you the confidence to walk in here like this?”

Trozen raised an eyebrow, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

The tension between us was palpable, an almost electric current crackling in the air.

I let out a deliberate, dismissive laugh. “You ran off after the last time I beat you senseless, and that was when your level was twice mine. Now the gap’s smaller. What’s your plan?”

“Do you really think I’m the same person I was back then?”

“Yeah. You still look like the same pitiful idiot. A punching bag who’s about to get another beating because you never learn.”

“You, son of a bitch!”

Infuriated, Trozen let out an inhuman screech, eerily reminiscent of a monster’s roar, “

Kiiieeek!”

Then he charged.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has encountered the Punisher, starting the hidden mission ‘Punisher and Savior’!」

1. Oldboy is a Korean thriller about a man who, after being mysteriously imprisoned for fifteen years, is released and embarks on a violent journey of revenge ☜