Chapter 176: Forty-Seventh Floor, Siege Defense (1)

[13 minutes 41 seconds until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

The hunch felt so subtle and mundane that I almost dismissed it. The idea scratched along the edge of my thoughts, like the feeling that arose when waiting for the bus, that it would inevitably be late.

That didn’t mean the premonition didn’t carry weight, or that I would ignore it, however. I couldn’t afford to sit idle. Seeking guidance, I decided to ask Ha Hee-Jeong once more.

Even though she doesn’t know how the fortified city fell in her previous life, this is still my best bet for information.

We had a productive discussion as she had been apprehensive even before I mentioned my intuition. Using the siege she had experienced as a framework for how we would solve the next floor, we both felt more at ease after the discussion.

Most importantly, I would rejoin Ha Hee-Jeong’s party.

She doesn’t want me to fight alone.

Even though I was the strongest climber, that couldn’t compare to a team composed of top-tier climbers and me. Besides, it wasn’t like I was the best at everything.

While I focused on the front lines, we needed a capable commander to lead the city’s defenders. Plus, if my instincts proved correct, sharing the spoils of a hidden mission with my party wouldn’t be a bad outcome.

Of course, we didn’t share the full details with them.

On the surface, I had framed it as a chance to work together again for old times’ sake. My party members, who always enjoyed my company, readily agreed.

Following that, Ha Hee-Jeong and I meticulously planned for every possible scenario. We even stocked up on additional supplies for large-scale battles—purchasing more than necessary, just in case.

Meanwhile, I trained Doppy even more, focusing entirely on mid-battlefield survival strategies. Although we expected that he would stick with us, anything could happen during the chaos of a battle.

Well, this should cover most of our bases.

Perhaps due to the looming dangers, we had prepared far more thoroughly than usual. I was confident I wouldn’t die, but with so many variables, a sense of anxiety lingered at the back of my mind.

A quick glance at the timer showed about ten minutes remaining, and I realized I had unconsciously grown tense. To pass the time—and to relax a little—I opened the Community.

[The Zone 1 rest area has a bunch of non-humans now, thanks to Su-Hyeok. Curious to see what they look like. Has anyone been there?]

[Ugh! Let’s make it back alive!]

[Rest area! Rest area! Rest area!]

[Looking for mages ranked 20,000–25,000. URGENT.]

[Good luck, everyone. Don’t die.]

The tension before the next trial was palpable.

Usually, the Community would be chaotic, full of random posts, but the atmosphere today felt unusually calm.

It did make sense on second thought, however. The fiftieth floor was only a few trials away, and by now, most climbers had grown accustomed to the grind, learning how to stay composed in the process.

During my scrolling, I came across a post with thousands of comments.

[Getting married at the fiftieth-floor rest area!]

Married?

Curiosity piqued, I clicked on the post.

[Getting married at the fiftieth-floor rest area!]

- Writer: Cecilia Fern (Forty-seventh Floor)

After meeting here in the tower, I, Cecilia Fern, and Yuri Andropov will be getting married at the fiftieth-floor rest area! We’re tying the knot a little early, but since our rankings align, we decided this was the perfect time. To any climbers visiting the Zone 82 rest area—

I instantly recognized the familiar name. She was one of the neutral climbers I had collaborated with in the elven world. Truth be told, she had been instrumental in organizing and coordinating the other climbers.

Now that I thought about it, Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned a marriage in her previous life. It had been around this time.

A wedding in the tower.

The concept had been brought up before, but seeing it written out still felt surreal. If it had been possible, I would have liked to stop by and offer my congratulations.

Unfortunately, we were stationed in different rest areas.

Should I send achievement points as a wedding gift? Hmm, no. That feels excessive.

If it were someone closer like Seo Ho-Su or Cole, I would have considered it.

Then again, the idea of Seo Ho-Su getting married in the tower felt... odd. I shook my head, banishing the thought. He already had a wife, so that was ridiculous.

A simple congratulatory message would suffice. I figured she would be happy to hear from me anyway. As for gifts, maybe I could hand her an unused, but nice, piece of equipment if we crossed paths.

I turned back to the comments.

- Kim Seon-Hu (Forty-seventh Floor): Congrats! But is this really the right time to bring this up?

- Park Bong-Pal (Forty-seventh Floor): If I clear this floor...!

- Sanjay Chathrabati (Forty-seventh Floor): This feels like a death flag in a novel.

- Ernest Morgan (Forty-seventh Floor): Congratulations!

- Tai-Yang (Forty-seventh Floor): After this next trial, I’m going to propose!

- Pierre Van Domael (Forty-seventh Floor): Congrats. Sending 100 points as a small gift.

- Braha Akif (Forty-seventh Floor): Idiots. 😂 Look at these scrubs talking trash just because they’re not high-rankers.

- Park Joo-Hyun (Forty-seventh Floor): Haha. If this were Kwon Su-Hyeok, the comments would only be congratulations.

I had anticipated negativity, and sure enough, the comments didn’t disappoint. Cecilia and Andropov were mid-tier climbers, and this sort of announcement practically screamed a tragic ending in movies and novels.

I wasn’t too concerned, however.

Ha Hee-Jeong had already told me that the two of them had married safely on the fiftieth floor. Unfortunately, they had still died afterward.

Then a chilling thought struck me.

Wait. Are they going to get caught up in the butterfly effect Ha Hee-Jeong and I have caused? I guess I can’t know.

Still, Cecilia was a good person. I hoped this part of her story remained untouched.

Doppy suddenly grasped my wrist. “Su-Yeok! How much time is left?"

“Hold on a second."

Since neither Doppy nor Ryun could view the system alerts, this exchange had become a common occurrence.

I glanced at the notification. “One minute and twenty seconds."

“One minute? That’s hardly any time!" Doppy squared his shoulders, visibly tensing.

He probably felt stressed because I had mentioned that the forty-seventh floor could prove to be unusually difficult.

Excessive tension wasn’t healthy, so I gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Relax. It won’t be that dangerous. We were just preparing for the worst-case scenario."

“No! Doppy needs to survive alone if necessary!"

“Wait, that’s not what I—"

Is he messing with me?

I had told him to prioritize survival in case of emergency, but judging by the mischievous glint in his eyes, he was messing with me.

I gave his shoulder a light, playful tap. “Seriously, do you want to get scolded?"

“Su-Yeok’s a dummy!" Doppy burst into giggles.

Before I could respond, my vision flipped upside down.

***

[Welcome to the forty-seventh floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Siege Defense.]

[The fallen angels are preparing to attack one of the angels’ cities.]

[Defend. Time remaining: 11 hours 59 minutes.]

As the world came into focus, a grand and majestic floating city appeared before me.

It was a sprawling, fortified metropolis, clearly one of the more advanced cities. Defending it against the fallen angels shouldn’t pose much of a challenge under ordinary circumstances.

The stronger the city, however, the more likely my intuition was right.

While climbers materialized throughout the city, angels converged toward the central plaza. Their hurried footsteps echoed through the streets.

What is happening? Have they already detected the fallen angels’ approach?

That wasn’t supposed to be possible.

According to Ha Hee-Jeong, the attack typically occurred without any prior warning and within five minutes of arrival, leaving the angels completely unprepared.

This development clearly unsettled her, so she rushed forward and grabbed one of the passing angels. “Where’s everyone going?"

“Oh! You outsiders wouldn’t know! The Angel creation ceremony is about to start! Hurry up!"

“Angel creation ceremony?"

“Just come and see for yourself!" The angel shook off her grip and continued hurrying toward the square.

Ha Hee-Jeong turned to me with wide, uneasy eyes, silently asking if I knew anything about this. I shook my head. This was news to me as well.

Did the ceremony take place in the city that fell?

That would explain why Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t even heard of it before. Following that logic, this ritual could hold the key to uncovering the city’s downfall—and how to save it.

I scanned my party members' expressions. “Should we check it out?"

Though I had posed the question to the group, I focused on Ha Hee-Jeong’s reaction. We had originally planned to reinforce the defenses near the outer walls.

Sure, we could thin out the enemies early, but this development felt more urgent.

Cole and Seo Ho-Su voiced their objections.

“This trial is centered around the siege defense. Shouldn't we focus on preparing for battle instead of worrying about some angel creation ceremony?"

“

Hmm

, I think he is right. There’s a chance the attack will happen during the ritual."

Among the group, Seo Ho-Su, Cole, and Ha Hee-Jeong generally offered their opinions. Naturally, all eyes turned to Ha Hee-Jeong next.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she shook her head. “We should check it out. Every angel is heading to the center, so even if we reach the walls before the attack starts, we’ll have little to no support. Besides—"

She frowned, taking a moment before continuing, “There’s a chance something could go wrong at the ceremony. What if the fallen angels are created there?"

“That’s... possible."

“Exactly. We need to investigate. We’ll be fighting alongside the angels anyway."

Seo Ho-Su and Cole exchanged uncertain glances but didn’t press further.

As the leader, the final call was mine. I turned to the others. “We’ll head to the ceremony first. Let’s move."

“Alright, let’s go with that."

With the decision made, we turned toward the plaza. As soon as we started moving, other climbers who had been lingering nearby approached us.

“Su-Hyeok! Can we join your group?"

I nodded, then raised my voice so that any nearby climber could hear me. “Sure. Stick with us if you’d like."

By now, following top-ranked climbers had become second nature to most participants. I didn’t have time to explain everything, so we pressed on toward the square.

“Su-Hyeok! Shouldn’t we be heading to the walls instead? The city is going to be besieged!"

Before I could answer, Seo Ho-Su responded, “Feel free to head to the walls if that’s what you prefer!"

“No, I just wanted to know why we aren’t going there."

“Look around! All the angels are gathering in the center. Don’t you think that’s strange? Something’s definitely happening there!"

The climber who had asked the question nodded in understanding, looking impressed. “Oh! That makes sense!"

Meanwhile, Seo Ho-Su flashed a satisfied smile as if he had come up with the idea himself.

Seriously? He pushed to defend the walls earlier.

I held my tongue, trusting Seo Ha-Rin to call him out. “What’s with you, Dad? Didn’t you just say we should go to the walls? Why are you acting like this was your idea?"

Seo Ho-Su deflected with a lighthearted chuckle, maintaining his composure even under pressure. “

Haha

, I was just summarizing the brilliant deductions made by our party."

As we advanced toward the center, more climbers gradually joined our group, swelling our numbers to roughly one hundred fifty.

“

Wooaaah!

"

Wreathed by angels’ cheers, a dazzling portal shimmered atop the fountain in the square. The angels clapped and gazed at it in awe.

I approached one of the onlookers. “Excuse me. What exactly is this ceremony?"

“We can’t reproduce naturally. Instead, angels are created through this ritual."

“Is it a gift from your god?"

“God? There’s no such thing," they curtly responded, before sharply shaking their head in disbelief.

Then, as if dismissing the conversation entirely, they turned back to the portal. They clearly weren’t interested in continuing our conversation, so I let it drop.

When suddenly—

Ding— Ding— Ding, ding—

Alarm bells tolled like thunder, echoing ominously across the city. The fallen angels were here.