Chapter 17: The Lost World of the Corrupted (1)

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the fifth floor. He will now enter the waiting room.]

I opened my eyes, immediately noticing Doppy on the bed. It lounged there nonchalantly, gazing at me with its wide eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Here I was, having just finished wrestling with profound thoughts and challenges to gain some sort of enlightenment, only to find Doppy relaxing comfortably.

When it noticed I was awake, it quickly jumped off the bed. Its little face was filled with concern as it looked up at me.

“

Kriee!

Human! Alright? Human suddenly collapsed! Disappeared!”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I reassured it, still a bit disoriented.

“Looks like you were resting well while I was gone.”

“

Kriee!

Human told Goblin! Rest on the bed!”

“... Right.”

While I had told Doppy to use the bed if it ever found itself alone again, I hadn’t expected that when I returned after clearing a floor I would feel so envious.

Aren’t we supposed to be climbing this tower together?

“

Kriee!

Human! Water! Bread!”

“Yeah, you should at least take care of me like this. Thanks,” I remarked as Doppy brought me water and bread.

Since I wasn’t particularly hungry, I refused the bread and only accepted the water bottle. As I took a sip, a notification window appeared, albeit slightly later than usual.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the tutorial. As a reward, he has been granted a status window.]

[However, unlike a status window provided in the initial waiting room, he can only view it.]

Just as Ha Hee-Jeong had explained, the status window I received only allowed me to view my status. Honestly, I couldn’t quite understand why that was the case. To even unlock the status window I had struggled through and eventually conquered each of the floors in the tutorial. Why would the status window I unlocked have less functionality than the status window others received for free?

Again, why is there such a restriction?

Well, grumbling about it wasn’t going to change anything. I called out with a mix of anticipation and resignation, and a new notification window appeared before me.

“Status window.”

[Kwon Su-Hyeok (Earthling, C-66432)]

Title: Seeker of the Crossroads

Affiliation: None

Patron Deity: None

Strength: 78.7

Agility: 75.3

Stamina: 71.5

Mana: 41.2

Skills: Lightning Essence lvl 3, Sixth Sense lvl 8, Indomitability lvl 14 (+5), Combat Focus lvl 13 (+5), Natural Healing lvl 5, Pain Resistance lvl 5, Electricity Resistance lvl 5, Fire Resistance lvl 2, Poison Resistance lvl 2.

Title, affiliation, skills...

I slowly scanned the list, taking it all in for the first time. Everything was still unfamiliar, and I couldn’t quite grasp what each stat meant.

So, Lightning Essence was listed as a skill... But I had no idea how to use it.

I can feel a strange power surging within me, but how am I supposed to harness it? Should I shout out the skill name like they do in games?

“Lightning Essence!”

“

Kriee?

Human?”

... Nope, that wasn’t it. Calling out the skill name did nothing.

Doppy stood beside me, staring blankly at me as if trying to figure out what on earth I was doing. I felt a flush of embarrassment. Those innocent eyes made me want to disappear into the ground.

Wait a second. When Doppy cast a healing spell, it shouted ‘Heal Wounds!’ Maybe the trick to using a spell was not just shouting the skill name, but rather, focusing on channeling the strange power within me...

As soon as I thought about moving the power into my hand, lightning crackled across my palm. It was an astonishing sight. The streaks of lightning danced across my bare skin, yet I didn’t even feel a hint of pain.

“

Skriiieeeeee!”

Startled, Doppy jumped back two steps.

“Scary, huh?”

“

Kriee!

Electricity! Human!”

“...Uh, ‘Electric Human’ sounds a bit weird, don’t you think?”

“Lightning! Human!”

Sure, call me whatever you like.

I left the excited Doppy behind, returning my attention to the status window.

My highest stat was strength, with 78.7 points. However, I didn’t have a frame of reference, so that value meant little to me.

I was about to message Ha Hee-Jeong about my stats when the notification window updated once more.

[You may now enter sponsorship contracts with fifth-class or prospective fifth-class gods.]

For some reason, the messages were appearing a bit slower than they had on the previous floors.

Was it because I completed the tutorial? And what exactly is a prospective fifth-class god?

During my brief conversation with Ha Hee-Jeong, she had only mentioned fifth-class gods, not prospectives. This was something new.

The notification window scrolled upward in front of me.

[Fifth-class god 'Prophet of the Sky Wind' proposes a sponsorship contract.]

[Prospective fifth-class god 'Farmer of the Quiet Orchard’ proposes a sponsorship contract.]

[Fifth-class god 'King of the Mercenaries' proposes a sponsorship contract.]

[Fifth-class god ‘Pirate of the Waves’ proposes a sponsorship contract.]

[Prospective fifth-class god 'Wandering Minstrel’ proposes a sponsorship contract.]

As I stared at the notification window, a sense of unease crept over me. Up until the fourth floor, messages had occasionally mentioned first and second-class gods. But now, only fifth-class and prospective gods were appearing.

What’s going on? Why have the higher-class gods suddenly vanished?

I couldn’t make sense of it, so I decided to do the simplest thing: ask Ha Hee-Jeong.

“Message.”

Instead of the message window to Ha Hee-Jeong appearing, the tower’s notification was updated.

[The Community and messaging functions have been temporarily restricted.]

[All climbers who have completed the tutorial

must

form a sponsorship contract to proceed to the next floor.]

Damn it. The Community and messaging functions are restricted? Is this another one of the tower’s tricks?

I had no choice but to rely on my own judgment. Ha Hee-Jeong told me to sign a contract with a fifth-class god, and the tower itself stated it was mandatory. That wasn’t the only thing she had suggested, however.

“When you reach the sixth floor’s waiting room, make a deal with the least impressive god you can find. They will probably look like a passing farmer. Understood?”

I was planning to pick the most unimpressive fifth-class god, but...

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned that the ranks the deities displayed could be swapped, like a sports draft. If that were the case, a prospective fifth-class god would be the best option. The only thing stopping me from immediately choosing one was that I hadn’t heard anything about them from Ha Hee-Jeong.

It would be a disaster if these unknown prospective gods didn’t follow the same rules, and their classes stayed the same after the tutorial ended.

Should I play it safe and contract with a fifth-class god instead?

I decided to close the notification window and think it over. The swarm of messages was making it hard to concentrate.

Just as I was about to close the window, one message caught my eye.

[Prospective fifth-class god 'Farmer of the Quiet Orchard’ proposes a sponsorship contract.]

Sometimes in life, there are moments when something just clicks. There is this feeling of certainty and attraction that’s hard to explain. I looked at that message, knowing this was one of those moments. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but my strong intuition told me I should contract with this deity.

Come to think of it, I did have a skill called Sixth Sense. With that in mind, I found no reason not to trust my intuition.

“Yes.”

The word had slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

[Challenger ‘Kwon Su-Hyeok’ has formed a sponsorship contract with prospective fifth-class god ‘Farmer of the Quiet Orchard.’]

[The temporarily restricted Community and messaging functions have been restored.]

[1 hour 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

The notifications kept rolling in, finishing up by informing me of how much time I had left. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lot. Even if I didn’t plan on sleeping, laying down and resting seemed wise. Just as I was about to do so, a message from Ha Hee-Jeong arrived.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Su-Hyeok, you conquered the fifth floor! I’m so relieved!

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Yeah, but I signed a sponsorship contract with a prospective fifth-class god. Is that okay?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Huh? You got

what

in your sponsorship contract? A prospective fifth-class god?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Yeah, you told me to pick the most unimpressive one, so I went with the ‘Farmer of the Quiet Orchard.’

From her response, it seemed that Ha Hee-Jeong wasn’t familiar with prospective gods either. I theorized they could be exclusive to a climber who cleared the harder tutorial.

Could they be some kind of hidden piece? If so, that would be a stroke of luck.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Since it’s like a draft, prospective gods are probably high-ranking among the first-class gods. But we’ll only know for sure when you reach the sixth floor.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Hmm, I’ve got a skill called Sixth Sense, and I had a strong feeling that I should contract with this god. Do you think it’ll be okay?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): You have Sixth Sense? Well, considering you made it up here without a status window, that makes sense. What level is the skill?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): It’s level 8...

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): What??

***

I shared my status window with the startled Ha Hee-Jeong. Each time I mentioned a skill or stat, she’d jump and exclaim, “What?!” Her reactions amused me quite a bit.

As we continued chatting, it dawned on me just how absurdly high my stats were. Ha Hee-Jeong mentioned that for most climbers who completed the tutorial, their stats averaged between fifteen and twenty.

My stats are nearly four times the average, just based on the numbers.

Moreover, the higher a stat was, the harder it was to raise. This translated to stats giving a more significant boost in power the higher they were.

My stats genuinely excited Ha Hee-Jeong, since she was convinced that I could fully capitalize on everything the sixth floor had to offer. I felt like I was finally meeting her expectations, and her confidence in my abilities gave me a mix of pride and satisfaction.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): How many achievement points did you get after clearing the fifth floor?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): I should have around 5,000 points... Wait, what?

[Achievement Points: 15,316 / Total Points: 63,316]

I was certain the fifth floor had only given me 4,000 points, but somehow, I gained an additional 10,000 points without even noticing. Sensing my confusion, Ha Hee-Jeong quickly sent a message.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): What’s wrong? Did something happen?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): I somehow ended up with 10,000 more points without realizing it. I have 15,316 points now.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Oh, that happens sometimes. The system doesn’t always reveal everything. In your case, it’s probably because you completed the tutorial without a status window.

It wasn’t until after her explanation that I fully understood. Well, I wasn’t complaining—finding 10,000 extra points out of nowhere was like discovering money you’d forgotten in a pocket.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Unfortunately, 15,000 points isn’t enough to buy anything significant. For now, just get the Top-tier Climbing Suit and the Premium Leather Armor from the shop and equip them.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Climbing suit and leather armor?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Yeah, last time you were too focused on the Lightning Essence, so I didn’t mention it. Aren’t you still wearing jeans and a hoodie?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Yeah, they’re practically rags at this point.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Sorry 😣 I should have told you sooner. Hurry up and get those equipped.

Following her advice, I opened the shop window and found that they weren’t too expensive. The Top-tier Climbing Suit and Premium Leather Armor cost 500 points each.

Or maybe they were expensive? After splurging on the 45,000-point Lightning Essence and the 3,000-point Physical Enhancement Potion, my sense of scale seemed a bit skewed.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): How do they feel? Comfortable, right?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Sixth Floor): Wow, what’s this made of? It’s incredibly comfy.

The Top-tier Climbing Suit fit snugly, looking like a simple tracksuit, yet it was remarkably soft and flexed naturally with my movements. The Premium Leather Armor was of similar quality. The leather was firm, but it didn’t impede my upper body at all. After wearing just jeans and a hoodie for so long, donning proper gear made me feel more prepared and focused.

I feel like a real climber now.

I couldn’t quite explain it with words, but I felt more confident about my chances of climbing the tower.

[3 minutes 11 seconds until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

As I chatted with Ha Hee-Jeong, the time had dwindled to less than three minutes. I noticed that off to the side, Doppy had grown bored waiting for me to finish my conversation with Ha Hee-Jeong. It was sitting on the bed, swinging its legs back and forth. I wondered if Doppy would accompany me to the sixth floor.

“Kriee?”

When I glanced at Doppy, it looked back with its innocent eyes. I shook my head to signal that I wasn’t saying anything, and Doppy, seemingly reassured, took another bite of bread.

What a cute little guy.

By the time Doppy finished the last bite of its bread, it was time to move on to the sixth floor.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok will now be sent to the sixth floor of the Tower of Ordeal.

[If there is another climber you wish to conquer the sixth floor with, please think of that climber.]

I quickly thought of Ha Hee-Jeong in response to the messages. There had to be some sort of ‘party’ system, just as I had guessed. That would explain why Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned we could meet on the sixth floor.

[The hidden titles of the deities will now be revealed. The deity with whom climber Kwon Su-Hyeok has formed a sponsorship contract is the first-class god ‘Omniscient Thunder Axe.’]

I smiled at the notification window that appeared as my vision brightened. It was a first-class god. Given that it originally appeared as a prospective fifth-class god, it probably was one of the higher-ranking first-class gods, just as Ha Hee-Jeong had suspected. My intuition had been spot-on.

***

[Welcome to the sixth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Lost World of the Corrupted.]

[Survive. Time remaining: 47 hours 59 minutes.]

My vision cleared, and I found myself in a rundown clearing. Scattered around were six others. They were Ha Hee-Jeong, four unfamiliar faces, and Doppy, who was standing just behind me. Ha Hee-Jeong spotted me and started to wave, but then suddenly froze.

Hmm? What’s wrong?

“

Kriee!

Human! Many humans!”

“

Kyaaa!

It’s a goblin!”

“

Ahhh!

Fuck! What are you doing, man?! Kill it!”

I turned to see a Caucasian man with a bow drawn, aiming an arrow straight at Doppy.

Oh, right. They don’t know that Doppy is on my side...

Before I could stop him, the man released the arrow. It shot through the air, heading directly toward Doppy.

Ah, damn it.