Chapter 163: Forty-Fifth Floor, Redemption (3)

We were climbers with superhuman physiques. If the elevator shaft remained intact, we wouldn’t need to use the elevator itself—the shaft alone would be more than sufficient.

By prying open the elevator doors and climbing the cables, we could reach the top floor without engaging the monsters at all. It was a simple solution that avoided unnecessary risk.

Still, one concern troubled me.

I don’t know what level the enemies above are...

The monsters that had surrounded the building earlier were roughly level 40. If we skipped ahead recklessly, we could be biting off more than we could chew. Not for me, of course, but for the other climbers. Keeping them safe could potentially pose a problem.

There was another risk, too. If every climber ascended through the elevator shaft, it was highly likely that the monsters would notice. Considering that possibility, should an ambush occur while we were inside the confined shaft, we wouldn’t be able to fully defend ourselves.

The straightforward, conventional approach of using the stairs seemed far safer.

No, wait... Am I overthinking this? Only our party needs to go up!

The interior of the building offered limited space compared to the open streets outside. After the recent battle, most of the climbers had reached level 30. If they maintained proper formations, they could steadily climb the building, keeping the monsters’ attention on them in the process.

While they provided the necessary distraction, our party could ascend discreetly to the top floor.

I am not entirely sure what’s up there, so this approach is a bit risky.

However, considering my current state, it didn’t seem all that perilous.

Level 46. Although the stat gains per level had started to taper off, my attributes were still roughly double a normal climber. Purely in terms of stats, it was as though I had reached level 90.

Even Ha Hee-Jeong, who hadn’t visited this place before, had reassured me that I had nothing to worry about with my current capabilities.

Moreover, if something did somehow go wrong, I could buy enough time for our party to retreat safely down the cable.

In Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, once more than ten climbers reached level 50, anyone above level 50 would be sent back to the waiting room.

Following that logic, I had already surpassed the limits of this floor.

A twinge of regret stirred within me. If I had realized this beforehand, I would have only brought our party. Then, the other climbers wouldn’t have lost their lives.

I quickly shook off the thought.

No, things wouldn’t have gone that smoothly regardless of how strong I am.

Even with my current strength, our party would have been encircled and locked in a grueling battle, forced to slowly wade through the monsters. Our party alone wouldn’t have been enough to confidently handle the onslaught.

Even if we had managed to break through, the monsters would have inevitably intercepted us while attempting to climb the elevator.

What is done is done. Dwelling on this matter further is pointless.

I approached Ha Hee-Jeong. “Hey, Hee-Jeong.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about climbing the elevator shaft?”

“The elevator shaft?”

I explained my idea to the puzzled Ha Hee-Jeong, doing my best to emphasize how it would solve the issue of bringing Kasaan to his mother quickly and safely.

Ha Hee-Jeong listened intently and then nodded gravely. “It seems like a sound strategy.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. As long as the climbers don’t overdo it and focus solely on distracting the monsters, we should be able to seize the opportunity to clear the upper floor.”

“It won’t be too dangerous, will it?”

“No. Unless there’s a monster lurking in the elevator shaft, we don’t need to be concerned. Once we’re up there, you can take care of everything.”

I couldn’t believe I had overlooked such an important detail in my initial plan. If monsters could appear in an alley, why wouldn’t they be in an elevator shaft? Thankfully, we were here to support and help one another.

“If there are monsters in the shaft, that could complicate things.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem likely, but we can check beforehand. If there are any, then we’ll have no choice but to proceed the standard way.”

Ha Hee-Jeong surveyed the area. “I’ll explain the plan to the climbers. Some of them may feel uneasy if we leave them behind.”

“Then I’ll brief our party?”

“Yeah.” She nodded before heading toward the climbers.

As I approached my team, they turned toward me with curious expressions, likely having noticed my earlier discussion with Ha Hee-Jeong.

Seo Ho-Su asked, “What’s up? Did you think of something good?”

I smiled confidently at them. “Yes.”

***

Although some climbers appeared uneasy, they eventually agreed to the plan.

After all, it was safer than a direct assault, provided they maintained a controlled pace and avoided overexerting themselves.

The climbers gathered near the staircase leading to the second floor.

“Kieeek!”

“Kyah!”

While clearing out the monsters on the first floor, we sealed the passage to the second floor with an earthen barrier. The harsh cries of monsters echoed from beyond the barrier.

Meanwhile, our party stood in front of the elevator. We had already inspected the elevator shaft; Ha Hee-Jeong had sent a bird created from magic up the shaft, which I found quite fascinating.

Each of the four elevators had its own designated shaft. Two had their elevators stuck near the top, making them unusable, while one housed monsters. Fortunately, one shaft remained clear—its elevator was conveniently situated in the basement.

Phew. We don’t need to climb the cables.

Ladder-like rungs were attached to the walls of the shaft, seemingly intended for maintenance workers. I hadn’t known about these before, having never seen the interior of an elevator shaft.

Alternatively, these could have been added as a hidden shortcut for the trial on the forty-fifth floor.

From a distance, the newly appointed leader of the climbers shouted toward us, “Su-Hyeok! We’re starting!”

I gave a small nod, and the earthen barrier blocking the stairway to the second floor crumbled.

“Advance! Push through!”

The mages unleashed a barrage of spells. Before the monsters could even emerge from the passage, they were obliterated by the onslaught.

The warriors at the forefront then charged in with their shields raised, forcefully clearing the path. I simultaneously sprang into motion, gripping the ladder affixed to the shaft wall.

“

Ah!

”

A startled gasp reached my ears—Kasaan.

Carrying him on my back, I moved as carefully as I could, but the impact still seemed to affect him. Though I had secured him tightly to my back with cloth and rope, I couldn’t entirely prevent jolts. At least he hadn’t fallen.

As I ascended further, the rest of my party followed closely behind.

“From here on, we’ll keep as quiet as possible while climbing.”

They responded with silent nods, refraining from making any noise. We began our steady ascent through the shaft.

Thanks to our superhuman physiques, climbing presented no real difficulty. After all, we had even prepared to ascend metal cables if necessary.

As we passed each floor, faint cries of the monsters guarding them reverberated through the walls. The higher we climbed, the more vigilant we became. In the distance, the sounds of the climbers’ battle echoed fainter and fainter.

I wasn’t certain how much time had passed when, just as we neared the top of the shaft, Kasaan finally broke the silence.

“It-it’s here,” he muttered, almost in a whisper.

I exchanged glances with my party members below. Each nodded in turn, signaling they were ready. Opening the door would take a moment, so we needed to move swiftly.

Extending my arm, I wedged my axe into the narrow gap of the door, forcing it open. My immense strength made short work of the task.

Crreeak—! Bang!

The elevator doors broke apart, the metal groaning and twisting as it gave way. Before I could fully take in the dimly lit corridor, I leaped from the ladder and landed on the floor inside.

Kasaan’s sharp cry followed a heartbeat later.

“Eek!”

I quickly scanned the area but didn’t spot any monsters lunging toward us. The floor was coated in a slick violet sludge that was reminiscent of a Zurg hive from StarGraft.

At the center of the room, amidst a group of glaring monsters, stood a woman.

What the fuck is that...?

Her upper body appeared human, but she had eight spider-like legs extending from her hips. Bee wings buzzed faintly on her back, and her small face had grotesque mandibles like those of a stag beetle.

She was a hideous amalgamation, appearing like the insect appendages had been forcibly fused onto her human frame. Two sharp horns protruded from her head, and upon it rested a jet-black crown.

[Queen of the Abandoned City (Lvl. 79)]

The horns alone confirmed that the woman was Kasaan’s mother.

He had pleaded with us to save her, but...

Is that even possible now?

I shook my head inwardly. Kasaan had assured us there was still time. The notification window also indicated as much.

As I deliberated, the rest of the party climbed out of the shaft and took positions at my side.

The moment Kasaan laid eyes on the queen, he let out a heart-wrenching wail. “Mom!”

“

Fufu

... my dear son.

Kik

, I’ve been waiting for you.

Kik

.”

Perhaps due to her partial transformation into an insect, her words were interspersed with strange clicking noises.

Wait, she has been waiting for us?

Something felt off. Kasaan had said he was connected to his mother through a magical bond. If that were true, then the queen should have been able to sense his location all along.

Did she intentionally allow us to reach her via the elevator shaft?

No, that didn’t seem likely. If she had known Kasaan’s exact location, she would have attacked our base long ago. The more plausible explanation was that she could only sense Kasaan’s presence or that her transformation into an insect had dulled her awareness.

Kasaan cried out again, his voice trembling like a child’s, “Mom! What happened to you?”

The queen beckoned and took a step toward us. “Kasaan... come here,

kik,

quickly.”

“There are only two trolls left in this world now,

kik

—you and me. All the others, trembling in fear, have become pathetic,

kik

, humans.

Kik-kik

.”

Her lips curved into a smile, but the way they stretched unnaturally and split her cheeks felt deeply unsettling.

“But we are different. I have embraced the fear... and now, all that remains is to give birth to the great king.”

Give birth to a king? What is she even talking about?

I frowned deeply. While she appeared to remember Kasaan, her mind seemed utterly fractured. Her words forced me to refocus on the surroundings.

Behind the queen, clusters of cocoon-like eggs rested on the corrupted, violet-stained ground. At their center was a distinct, empty space, probably intended for the "king" she mentioned.

What now?

Kasaan had begged me to save his mother.

Level 79. I could eliminate her with ease if I wanted to, but Kasaan’s plea didn’t feel like a request to kill her—I had to restore her to who she once was.

Perhaps a purification spell would work?

We had faced a similar situation on the sixth floor with the corrupted Seraphim Queen. Back then, a purification spell had been enough to help her regain her sanity. However, a gut feeling screamed that the same solution wouldn’t work here.

Moreover, unlike the Seraphim Queen, the queen before me hadn’t completely lost her reason.

Her earlier mention of “embracing fear” lingered in my mind. It felt like her transformation was a choice, not a curse.

Still, I couldn’t afford to dismiss the possibility without trying.

I turned to Seo Ha-Rin. “Ha-Rin, use purification.”

“Got it!”

Seo Ha-Rin quickly began chanting the spell. For a fleeting moment, light enveloped the queen, but as I had suspected, it had no effect. The glow dissipated almost instantly.

The queen chuckled derisively. She then sharply and mockingly remarked, “

Kik

... Whatever you just attempted, it won’t work on me.”

She advanced another step, the monsters behind her moving in unison.

“Pitiful, ignorant lambs, why do you side with the vermin of this abandoned world?” Her expression softened and became sorrowful. “You don’t even understand why this world was abandoned.”