Chapter 187: Fiftieth Floor, Rest Area (2)

“Wait, really? We’re going to compete against the non-human climbers?”

“Yup. The rankings will determine reward distribution between the different species, and those rewards are quite significant.”

“Why?”

Ha Hee-Jeong gave me a playful wink. “Because the fifty-first floor will be special. We’ll be climbing alongside other species.”

“What? And you’re only telling me this now?”

“Come on, it’s not that complicated. Besides, the next floor will be announced at the rest area anyway, which is the most exciting part.”

“Well, that does sound cool. Does this mean the rewards are linked to the fifty-first floor?”

“

Hmm

, we can discuss the details later.”

She gestured ahead of us, toward our party members who were waiting by the dining hall entrance. I nodded quietly in acknowledgment.

Mocking frustration, Seo Ho-Su humorously grumbled, “What were you two talking about for so long?”

I waved offhandedly. “

Haha

, nothing important. Shall we go in now?”

He grinned broadly before pushing open the door to the dining hall. Overwhelming noise poured out, so loud it almost made me wince.

Seo Ho-Su grimaced. “Geez, it’s deafening here. My ears are about to burst.”

“I think the doors have some kind of soundproofing spell on them. Let’s just head inside.”

“Sure, but will we even be able to find seats?”

The dining area was just as chaotic as the plains had been. Rows upon rows of tables stretched endlessly, and non-human species and climbers bustled about, creating a busy atmosphere reminiscent of an active hive.

The unified rest area may not end up being as convenient as I hoped.

Even though some of the rest areas had as few as a thousand climbers, they had still been crowded. Now, with the vast number of climbers gathered, it had devolved into even greater chaos.

I didn’t mind it too much. Aside from my party members, Alexei’s group was the only other team I knew well, but I shouldn’t discount others’ frustration. Trying to locate a friend in this sea of people would be a nearly impossible task.

The chaos is probably related to the friendly competition or the reveal of the fifty-first floor that Ha Hee-Jeong mentioned.

The first floor after the rest area had always been an individual challenge floor, but she had revealed that the rest area would be shared with the non-human climbers from now on. Aside from the sixteenth floor, we hadn’t interacted with the non-human climbers.

Starting from the fifty-first floor, we would interact with them regularly. This competition could foster unity among the climbers before those interactions became more frequent.

Still, this feels unnecessarily excessive.

To the tower, an unknown system that managed countless worlds across the universe, one hundred thousand climbers would seem like a trivial number. However, from where I stood, the sheer magnitude appeared unfathomable.

I quietly scanned the dining hall.

At least the tower seemed to have accounted for some things, as dozens of doors lined the sides of the room.

Even as we entered, climbers poured in through other entrances. Given that the first entrance only had three visible archways, the system seemed to have magically funneled climbers toward different internal doors.

“There! Over there! I see a free table!”

Seo Ho-Su’s sharp eyes had caught sight of a vacant spot tucked in a corner. Seo Ha-Rin immediately dashed toward it, following his outstretched arm.

However, before she could reach it, other climbers had already claimed the seats. Seo Ha-Rin returned pouting, obviously displeased. “

Hmph

.”

“It’s fine. We’ll find another spot,” Seo Ho-Su reassured her.

I turned to the others. “

Hmm

. It looks completely packed in here. If we step out and come back, we could be redirected to a different door. What do you think?”

They all nodded in quiet agreement.

***

[All aggressive actions are strictly prohibited within the rest area. Climbers are invited to rest and relax as much as they would like. Time remaining: 70 hours 48 minutes.]

“Seriously?”

“I’m telling you! I saved Hakin just as he was about to die, but he doesn’t even seem grateful.”

“That’s not true! I could’ve handled it even without your help!” Hakin responded indignantly, although his flushed face suggested that Ha-Rin’s claim held more weight than he would care to admit.

Hakin wasn’t usually this prideful. Something else had to be up.

Given Ha Hee-Jeong’s personality, I doubted she would have let this tension linger for no reason.

I glanced at her and Seo Ho-Su. Both were smiling gently, watching the exchange instead of intervening.

Ha Hee-Jeong caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod. She expected me to step in.

Ah, I think I know what is happening now. Hakin has a crush on Ha-Rin, doesn’t he?

Well, Seo Ha-Rin was undeniably charming. Hakin was seventeen years old, an age filled with the throes of young love and overflowing pride. I wasn’t surprised that he wouldn’t want to admit he had received help from someone he liked.

I locked eyes with him. “Hakin. Look at me.”

He turned to stare at me, although he seemed to be doing his best to avoid direct eye contact. He was clearly embarrassed.

I felt a wave of relief; his hesitation showed me that he knew what was right, even if his pride kept him from showing it.

Taking into account how much Hakin looked up to me, I smiled gently at him and lowered my voice. “You’re a talented mage. You know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“But no one can handle everything alone. Accepting help isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

“But

you

always handle everything by yourself, hyung. No floor can stop you from clearing it solo—not the party floors, all-climber floors, or even hidden mission floors. I read your post about the tutorial, too. To even get to this point, you had to overcome insanely difficult trials without a status window.”

His quiet, drawn-out response caught me off guard.

Still, it gave me a sense of how to approach this. I also realized why Ha Hee-Jeong had left this to me. Hakin admired me deeply, but that admiration likely magnified his insecurities, especially with his feelings for Ha-Rin in the mix.

Ha Hee-Jeong had probably recognized this and decided I would be better suited to address it.

“I wasn’t strong from the start. I got lucky. Looking back, I’ve had countless close calls," I softly replied, but Hakin still seemed unconvinced.

Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, I added, “Didn’t Hee-Jeong or Ho-Su ever tell you about the first couple of floors we conquered together?”

His small, slender frame fit entirely within my palm. I gave his shoulder a light squeeze. “There were times I struggled against waves of enemies, like the weretigers. Also, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of the labyrinth if it hadn’t been for Cole.”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. I had been strong from the beginning—even during the tutorial.

However, sometimes, bending the truth could be more beneficial than sticking to it.

For a brief moment, the image of the Burning Truth flashed through my mind.

A world where only the truth is spoken.

In some ways, such a world felt harshly unforgiving.

I pushed the thought aside and refocused on Hakin. “Remember the tutorial you mentioned? I didn’t go into detail on the Community, but without Doppy’s help, I wouldn’t have made it through.”

Hakin nodded slightly. Something I had said seemed to have finally resonated with him.

“We’re in the same party, aren’t we? The whole point is to help each other and grow stronger together. Accept support, use it as a foundation, and keep improving."

“You’re right."

“And even though you haven’t mentioned it, you’ve helped Ha-Rin plenty of times, haven’t you?"

This time, Seo Ha-Rin chimed in, "Yes, that’s true. He’s been a huge help, like when we fought the elves and on the party floors too."

It seemed like I didn’t need to elaborate further.

Hakin turned toward Seo Ha-Rin and hesitantly admitted, “Ha-Rin, I’m sorry... and thank you for helping me."

“It’s okay. I’ve always appreciated your help. And when I got upset earlier, I was half-joking, so don’t let it bother you too much."

“Me too! I didn’t mean it!" Hakin blurted out, his face flushed.

She chuckled softly.

“I know. Though, shouldn’t you be calling me noona?" Seo Ha-Rin teased, leaning closer and playfully nudging her shoulder against his.

Whatever tension Hakin had been holding onto melted away, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel like I was helping a pair of young lovebirds in their budding romance.

Well, judging by Hakin’s awkwardness, his romantic skills still left much to be desired. If I had the opportunity, perhaps I could share a tip or two from my own vast repertoire of experience.

Come to think of it, Seo Ho-Su’s open-mindedness is genuinely impressive.

Sure, love didn’t discriminate, but Hakin was Black. In my home country, older generations didn’t commonly accept such relationships.

Granted, Hakin was friendly and undeniably good-looking. If I had grown up in Seo Ho-Su’s era, however, I doubted I would have embraced it so easily.

That wasn’t even accounting for the fact that Seo Ha-Rin was his daughter.

Even though I didn’t have children of my own, I knew that if my daughter brought home a partner, regardless of race or gender, I would probably be ready to scare the life out of them.

Seo Ho-Su’s wisdom and composure never ceased to amaze me. He didn’t remain stuck in the culture of his time, despite his age. If anything, it seemed like I was the one clinging to outdated notions.

The realization prompted me to attempt some self-reflection later.

Meanwhile, Hakin and Seo Ha-Rin had moved on to playfully arguing over who had helped the other more. A warm smile crept onto my lips as I watched their squabbling.

I then had a sudden thought. "Oh, by the way, I heard Cecilia’s wedding is coming up. Now that the rest areas have merged, maybe we can attend?"

The lively atmosphere at the table instantly cooled. A quiet tension settled in as my party members exchanged uneasy glances.

Breaking the silence, Seo Ho-Su hesitantly whispered, “Uh, Su-Hyeok... you haven’t heard about it?"

“Heard what?"

His reaction suggested something serious had happened.

Before Seo Ho-Su could answer, however, Ha Hee-Jeong cut in, “Cecilia’s fiancé, Eric... died."

“What?"

I had reacted louder than I intended, drawing glances from nearby climbers.

My party quickly scanned our surroundings before Ha Hee-Jeong continued, “Remember the forty-seventh floor? The city defense?"

“Yeah."

“He was in the same city as us."

“Didn’t most of us survive—" I faltered, the weight of the revelation hitting me.

Ha Hee-Jeong shook her head. “Luck wasn’t on his side."

I found myself at a loss for words; it was devastating. To think the man Cecilia was supposed to marry had died. I couldn’t accept the reality.

Sure, I had witnessed plenty of deaths while climbing the tower. Even though we had collaborated and interacted with countless climbers, many of the deceased had already faded from memory. I hadn’t felt genuine grief for any of them.

But Cecilia’s fiancé...

I had never even met him, yet the news filled me with a profound sadness. Though Cecilia and I weren’t particularly close, the weight of Eric’s death felt personal, almost as if it were my fault.

When did he die? Was it during my battle against the Catastrophe when I briefly lost consciousness? Or maybe it was after that, when I was still stuck under the collapsed building and nearly gave up?

I didn’t know, and I doubted Ha Hee-Jeong did either.

If only I had tried harder, maybe he could have survived. Cecilia should have gotten her happy ending.

Why? Did Cecelia get punished for knowing me?

No, that wasn’t it. Finally, the answer came to me.

I chose to relax, even for just a moment.

Every other time, I had given it my all.

When faced with the Catastrophe, however, I had allowed myself to think that it would be okay to rest.

I clenched my teeth.

Although I had never addressed myself as “Liberator” or “Savior,” other individuals I had encountered had. The more they had, the more I had secretly started to believe it.

Really, though, what kind of savior am I?

I merely climbed the tower for my own sake, taking what I considered to be the easiest path when given the option.

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of responsibility crashed over me. Not just for the climbers, but for the people of Earth as well. I had always registered the logic behind it, but now I felt it deeply in my heart.

This was the reason Ha Hee-Jeong and I even pledged to conquer the tower in the first place, after all. To save as many climbers and Earthlings as we could.

Sensing the change in my demeanor, my party members began to check in on me.

“Oppa?"

“Su-Hyeok, are you okay? You turned really serious all of a sudden."

“Ah, yeah. I’m fine." I nodded faintly, a renewed sense of purpose solidifying within me.

Though I wasn’t usually much of a drinker, I drank more than usual that night. Strangely, with each sip, my thoughts only grew clearer.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has embraced a fervent desire for salvation. Savior is now lvl 5.」