Chapter 204: Fifty-Fourth Floor, Beyond the Barrage (1)

While an underwater battle against a powerful monster would prove difficult for many climbers, I wasn’t just any climber. Battling underwater wouldn’t hinder me, and in fact, it was practically an advantage, akin to being given wings in a sky battle—I could manipulate lightning at will, after all.

Moreover, it didn’t matter whether the monster was visible or not. Electrocuted water wasn’t limited by something like vision.

Now that I felt confident about my own chances, I started thinking about how the average climber would have fared in my situation.

The water would strongly inhibit mobility, but the inability to breathe would pose a far more significant problem. The unseen monster, likely invisible, would wait for the perfect moment to strike, just like an assassin.

It wouldn’t attack immediately. Instead, it would wait, biding its time until oxygen deprivation made the climber’s mind sluggish.

Without a way to obtain oxygen, it would be impossible to even react.

When I thought it through, this trial was undeniably difficult.

Unfortunately for it, however, I had both a source of oxygen and the power of lightning.

Actually, do I even need the oxygen bubble?

On second thought, with how quickly Lightning Essence would work, the monster would be dead long before I ran out of breath.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter much.

I hovered in the water, mulling it over. I had planned to take a few hits to make this trial more challenging, but I wasn’t certain if that was the best choice.

Extending my heightened senses, I analyzed the overall shape of the monster.

It resembled a colossal eel, and it lurked in the corner of the arena, silently observing us. It appeared intent on waiting, likely until we started struggling for air. If we were particularly unfortunate, it would probably even remain idle until the timer ran out.

Come on. Waiting is too time-consuming.

I wasn’t about to let myself get bitten for no reason either, though. Perhaps clearing this floor swiftly wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Having made my decision, I grabbed Doppy and began channeling my mana. Lightning crackled and rippled outward, surging through the surrounding water.

Focusing, I directed the concentrated charge toward the monster’s location.

A flash lit up the arena, momentarily bathing the previously dim and murky surroundings in a bright, white light.

The monster didn’t even have time to react. Struck by the lightning, it flailed violently for only a moment before falling still. My compressed lightning had overwhelmed it, and residual sparks even crackled across its motionless body.

The monster’s corpse began to rise slowly toward the surface.

Has it even been thirty seconds since I entered this floor?

Excluding the brief moments I spent deliberating, the actual fight had taken less than three seconds. No wonder most climbers had already progressed to the fifty-fourth floor.

At least this floor passed quickly, especially after the grueling fifty-second floor.

The stark difference in difficulty left me with an odd sense of emptiness

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the fifty-third floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Monster Hunt. Achievement points will be calculated.]

At that moment, Yoonie, who had been coiled around my belt, suddenly cried out in alarm, “Su-Hyeok!”

Can she speak underwater because she is a spirit?

“You need to retrieve the monster’s corpse!”

I found her insistence intriguing and immediately activated Flash Strike. The notifications kept on scrolling, but her outburst mattered more.

Yoonie clearly believed there was something valuable hidden within the monster’s remains, and I believed her, given her powers.

[Time remaining: 29 minutes 32 seconds. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has defeated the monster, Droaga, in under thirty seconds, completing the hidden mission ‘Skilled Hunter.’]

I propelled myself forcefully through the water, surged upward toward the monster’s limp body.

Though the corpse was still a short distance away, I had Mung-chi at my disposal, and I tapped it. My mimic, understanding my intent, opened and released a wave of black energy that engulfed the monster.

Just as it had devoured the dragon’s corpse on the sixteenth floor, the mimic consumed the massive eel-like body with ease.

Phew, made it in time. The corpse is secured.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 7,321 achievement points. Total Achievement Points: 83,151. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

[5 hours 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

[Climbers may request to enter the fifty-fourth floor at any time.]

Barely a minute had passed since I returned to the waiting room, and my entire body was still drenched, water trickling down as gravity pulled it from my clothes. That lingering sense of emptiness remained.

The fifty-second floor was so brutal...

Clearing the last floor so effortlessly felt surreal. It was almost as if the fifty-third floor had been a reward for the trials and tribulations I endured on the fifty-second.

Granted, the trial itself had been meticulously designed. Perhaps I had simply been fortunate that I perfectly countered the monster’s abilities.

Doppy raised a hand to wipe his face, water dripping directly from his bald head. “Su-Yeok! Are you going to shower?”

Hmm.

It hadn’t been long since my last shower, and showering again felt like a hassle.

I raised an arm and gave myself a sniff.

No fishy smell.

It felt like I had just been in clean, fresh water.

Given the monster’s presence, I had been slightly concerned, but the water seemed as pristine as a natural spring.

“No, just grab me a towel. I’ll dry off quickly.”

“Got it!” Doppy scurried off to fetch a towel from the bathroom.

I planned to head straight to the fifty-fourth floor after drying off, but before that, I had a question for Yoonie. “Yoonie.”

“Yes, Su-Hyeok?”

“Why did you want me to retrieve the monster’s corpse?”

I had secured the monster’s corpse without asking any questions at the time, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious about why.

Floating confidently in midair, Yoonie replied, “There’s a Soul Elixir inside!”

“

Huh?

A Soul Elixir?”

“Yes!”

Originally, I had planned to head straight to the fifty-fourth floor.

An elixir is irresistible, though.

I immediately sprinted toward the training room, as the waiting room didn’t allow climbers to take out corpses or the like.

Doppy, emerging from the bathroom with a towel in hand, looked on in surprise. “Su-Yeok! Where are you going all of a sudden?”

“To the training room!”

“What about the towel?”

“Don’t need it!”

Doppy hurriedly chased after me. “Su-Yeok!”

As soon as I entered the training room, I gave my mimic a light tap.

“Mung-chi.”

Since it had been with me, it didn’t need a lengthy explanation. Instantly, the monster’s corpse emerged.

The lifeless Droaga was no longer invisible. Just like I had sensed, its massive, grotesque body resembled that of an eel’s, with sleek black skin and razor-sharp teeth.

I looked down at Yoonie. “Do you know exactly where the Soul Elixir is located?”

“It’s in the center of its stomach!”

“Got it.”

Just as I was about to pick up my axe, Ryun interrupted, “Wait... a moment...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Could... you use... a different... weapon... instead...?”

“Why the sudden request?”

“I don’t... like... cutting... fish... that much...”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. “

Huh?

”

Ryun had never once complained about cutting through other monsters, and their blood and flesh often splattered onto him. Yet now, the mere thought of cutting a fish seemed to bother him.

Awkwardly, Ryun elaborated, “I’m fine... with... gore... in combat... but... fish... make me... feel... uncomfortable...”

“Alright.”

There was no reason to insist if Ryun found it unpleasant.

Honestly, I could understand why. If I were in his position, I wouldn’t be thrilled about being used to cut open a creature’s stomach either.

Setting Ryun aside, I pulled out Lung Shark’s Dagger and carefully slit open the Droaga’s abdomen. Amid the dark crimson entrails, a glowing blue Soul Elixir revealed itself.

Grasping the elixir in my hand, I turned toward Doppy. “Doppy, take Yoonie and Ryun back to the other room. I’ll join you shortly.”

“Sounds good!”

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has absorbed the Droaga’s Soul Elixir.」

「Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s status as a Challenger has been confirmed, greatly increasing the absorption rate.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s mobility underwater has improved. All stats increased by 1.2.」

***

[5 hours 32 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

I woke up less than thirty minutes later.

The Soul Elixir had granted a small boost to all my stats. Maybe the other elixirs I had consumed recently had been of such high quality, but this one didn’t feel particularly remarkable.

Still, I wasn’t entirely disappointed.

Considering how easily I had defeated the Droaga, I hadn’t expected much from its elixir anyway. If Yoonie hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have even thought to retrieve it. Although a slight increase in stats was better than nothing.

Feeling clean and refreshed, I was ready to begin the fifty-fourth floor.

For a moment, I considered doing additional training, but quickly abandoned the idea as I still didn’t have a suitable opponent.

Looking up at the empty space above me, I addressed the tower, just as I had before entering the fifty-third floor, “Send me to the fifty-fourth floor.”

***

[Welcome to the fifty-fourth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Beyond the Barrage.]

[The city of Palaman will soon be bombarded. Rewards will be calculated based on the number of citizens rescued amidst the bombardment.]

[Survive the bombardment and escape the city. Time remaining: 3 hours 59 minutes.]

As my vision cleared, I found myself in what looked like an urban landscape from Earth. It wasn’t identical, of course. The architecture and beings walking the streets were distinctly different.

The city seemed slightly more technologically advanced, reminiscent of what Earth could look like around the year 2040.

The trial itself seemed straightforward: save as many citizens as possible during the imminent bombardment.

Of course, I doubted that the bombardment would be as simple as it sounded, but given the sheer utility of Two-Way Portal, this floor didn’t seem like it would pose much of a challenge to me, either.

Moreover, I had four hours to plan and execute a strategy. While I didn’t know exactly when the bombardment would start, it likely wouldn’t happen right away.

I just need to find a safe location outside the city.

Once I located a safe spot, I could open a portal to return and rescue the inhabitants.

My gauntlet had stored more than sufficient mana for the task. As long as the portal remained open, I could use Flash Strike to rescue as many people as possible before either my mana or the timer ran out.

I turned my gaze to the otherworldly beings wandering the main streets. With green skin and hairless heads, they closely resembled the stereotypical depictions of Martians.

To be honest, looking at them was a little unsettling.

Which direction should I head first?

Now that I had thought about leaving the city, a wave of indecisiveness crashed over me. I couldn’t just run off in any direction.

A bombardment implied that an enemy force existed. Heading in the wrong direction could lead the citizens straight to their doom.

In times like this, I trusted in Doppy’s intuition. “Doppy.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Pick a direction for me.”

“What? All of a sudden?”

“Yeah. Just choose the direction you think is the safest.”

After a brief moment of thought, Doppy pointed north. “

Hmm

, that way!”

My resolve firm, I locked eyes with Doppy. “I’m heading outside for a bit. Stay here and don’t move.”

Naturally, I had no intention of bringing Doppy along. He was too slow and would only hinder me.

“What? You’re leaving me behind?”

“It’s for the trial. I don’t have time to explain. Just stay put, okay?”

“But—”

“I’ll leave Ryun with you. That’ll make it less scary, right?”

Doppy nodded reluctantly.

As I handed Ryun over, I couldn’t help but notice the stares from the onlookers passing by. For some reason, they didn’t seem friendly. Suspicion and hostility glinted in their eyes.

This isn’t going to work.

Although the tower had requested me to save them, that didn’t mean every one of them was a saint. Given my unfamiliarity with the world, I couldn’t know if someone would try to harm Doppy in my absence.

“This won’t do. Come with me.”

I led Doppy into a deserted alley and used Shadow Veil to cover him.

“Stay here. If anything happens, use the signal device.”

“Got it!”

After acknowledging his confirmation, I utilized Shadow Veil again and stepped back onto the main street. Running in the direction Doppy had indicated, I caught fragments of a conversation nearby.

“Damn bastards. They used to grovel at our feet, but look at them now.”

“Exactly. What a joke. Suddenly, some unheard-of god shows up, and what did they call it? Something about the sky?”