Chapter 235: Sixty-Second Floor, Chamber of Agony (3)

[Escape the Chamber of Agony. Time remaining: 9 minutes 55 seconds.]

For some inexplicable reason, I had initially interpreted the name of the chamber in a rather ridiculous way—I had assumed I was supposed to agonize

thinking

about the way to escape.

What if that wasn’t the case? Could my fixation on a complicated and confusing solution have been misguided?

Perhaps the door didn’t have a solution that needed to be well thought out, but simply needed me to agonize.

This would be completely different from what I had heard about other puzzle floors, where the solution would only be hidden behind a series of clues.

Regardless, my previous knowledge seemed to be a trap. Instead, I should think more simply and interpret the name even more literally.

Shit, I can’t believe I overlooked this.

A mixture of frustration and enlightenment welled up within me. Although I still couldn’t be certain, the idea seemed convincing—unlike my naive and foolish knocking from earlier.

This time it felt genuinely different.

I would say I am about ninety percent certain.

Surprisingly, smashing the light bulb had been the right choice. Without doing that, I would have continued searching for a visible clue or secret. Now that a plausible solution had presented itself, a sense of relief washed over me.

The challenge is going to be figuring out what kind of agony the tower wants.

I wondered if worrying over how I would exit would count. Considering how much I had stressed about that subject in the last eleven minutes, it seemed unlikely.

Should my focus be on contemplating my existing concerns?

I felt as though I had found a promising track. The specifics didn’t necessarily have to matter; the tower probably just wanted me to contemplate my inner struggles.

Despite that, something still nagged at me.

Agonizing thoughts may not be all I need.

Despite my struggle and stress to find clues, the door hadn’t opened.

Maybe mental torment by itself isn’t sufficient? Do I also need to torment myself physically? Although... does action count as counteracting my mental struggles?

If that were the case, then I had to stay absolutely still while I let my anxious thoughts run rampant. Nevertheless, a hypothesis couldn’t be proven without a test.

I glanced at the notification.

[Escape the Chamber of Agony. Time remaining: 9 minutes 20 seconds.]

Despite using Flash Strike, thirty seconds had already passed. I sighed deeply and made up my mind.

There appeared to be no other path forward.

I have tried too many other things at this point.

If contemplating agonizing thoughts didn’t open the door, there wasn’t much else I could do. Even escaping with Two-Way Portal would mean certain death once the trial’s timer expired.

I resolved to continue agonizing, even if there was only one second left, just in case the door would open at the last moment.

No giving up. I will disregard the time.

I decided to stay perfectly still and fully immerse myself in my regrets.

Deactivating Flash Strike, I closed my eyes. The room was already pitch black, but I didn’t want to risk blinking, just in case.

The darkness seemed to deepen even further. I thought about how I had attempted countless strategies in my attempt to escape. Perhaps there was still an extraordinary method to be discovered.

Hmm. I have already put in enough thought about escaping.

Instead, I contemplated my inner self and worries.

What should I start with? My lack of confidence about my growth?

Yes, that seemed fitting. After an indeterminate amount of time, I thought about my strength relative to others. Although I was strong compared to the climbers, even Kalain—

Drrr.

A loud sound echoed throughout the room, announcing the door’s slight movement. Needing to double-check to make sure I wasn’t mistaken, I hastily opened my eyes. The door slammed shut at a speed that surpassed comprehension.

Drrr, THUD!

Is it because I opened my eyes? Or because I stopped contemplating?

Either way, it made sense that it had closed. I was finally making progress.

If the door closed every time I moved, then I wouldn’t ever be able to leave. Hopefully, it remained ajar once it opened fully.

Considering what I had just discovered, I decided to unmovingly contemplate until the door stopped making noise.

I flicked my eyes to the notification window.

[Escape the Chamber of Agony. Time remaining: 7 minutes 11 seconds.]

The door had only begun to open once I had agonized for over two minutes, although I couldn’t be certain that would happen again.

Moreover, if I were to wait two minutes, that would only leave me with five minutes remaining. I couldn’t be sure how long it would take for the door to fully open, but I had to endure.

Moving closer to the door would be smart. Just in case.

In case the door hadn’t fully opened once the timer reached near the end, I planned to try to escape using Flash Strike.

Regardless, it was time to begin anew. I made a mental vow.

I can’t let the sound of the door opening distract me.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and settled my mind, sinking back into my thoughts.

The first thing that came to mind was Ha Hee-Jeong’s face. Although I didn’t show it often enough, I always felt grateful to her. Despite having returned with information that would surely benefit her, she had sacrificed a lot for me, even more than I knew.

At first, our relationship felt unfamiliar. We underwent countless adventures together in a past life, which naturally changed her. Because of all that, my feelings toward her grew complex.

Still, Ha Hee-Jeong was Ha Hee-Jeong. We were gradually becoming closer. Perhaps she was on the next floor by now? Unlike my struggle, she had likely overcome her last trial easily.

She could have already reached the waiting room. If so, she would be waiting for me to finish the sixty-second—

Enough.

Thinking about other climbers could prove unhelpful. If they weren’t dead, then I would inevitably begin thinking positively. Such thoughts could easily disrupt my focus.

Drrr.

Unconsciously registering the sound of the door, I dove back into my regrets.

I had to find something to immerse myself in as quickly as possible. In my subconscious, I recalled friendships that I would have loved to have continued.

Kyuntriachae! The kind old demon who looks, and sometimes acts, like a kid. I wonder how he is doing?

Though only hours had passed for me, he had waited fifty years for me. Even after leaving him alone for so long, he still regarded me kindly and wanted to reconnect. In the last moments before I had left him the second time, he had asked me to visit him.

If fifty years had passed in the time it took me to clear one floor, who knew if he was still alive now?

Drrrr.

Contemplating his death pained me. Despite being a demon, he was full of affection and truly cared about others.

We parted ways too quickly.

The only time we properly enjoyed ourselves was during the welcome banquet.

I should have at least tried to visit him at least once.

Drrrr.

The door continued opening, but I was too busy wallowing in my own regrets to notice. Maybe in the next waiting room, I could use Two-Way Portal to travel to Kyuntriachae’s home.

Hopefully, it isn’t too far away.

Now that I had begun to resolve this regret, I realized I had to find a new agony.

Comet.

I wondered if Blue Dawn Breeze had resurrected Comet as she had promised. In fact, I had doubted her back then. I couldn’t know what it took to resurrect a being, but she could have simply been offering lip service.

Drrrrr.

Comet had been a truly dependable and loyal person, and I hoped his deity had fulfilled her promise, allowing him to live his best life. I wasn’t close enough with Comet to want to meet him again, but I still wished him the best.

I wonder if the Seraphim Queen is okay.

I recalled the egg we had purified and how adorable her child had been. She had mentioned that she would attempt to return to her home world.

Unfortunately, I found enslaved seraphim on the colonized planet when I traveled there during the twenty-first floor’s hidden mission.

I could only hope that she managed to return safely. By now, if things had gone well, they should have returned and were likely in the midst of rebuilding their homes.

Drrr.

I wondered if they would welcome me if I visited someday; they had called me their benefactor, after all. I had to figure out where they lived first, though.

Shit, shit, shit! Think stressful thoughts! Erendil!

It was a bit risky, but I managed to think of Erendil just in time. She was a perceptive person, bold and courageous. Despite the chaotic battlefield surrounding us, she had trusted my word and charged a dragon.

Together, we undertook a thrilling and perilous flight, reasoning with one dragon and slaying another. The Night Witches had been so cool on the lower floors.

Are they living well now? Or did their world collapse into chaos when I killed their emperor?

Drrr.

Perhaps they had found partners and were living happy lives without enemies.

Too positive! The Camadeni!

A nagging unease lingered in my mind. Since I hadn’t fully settled matters with the Camadeni, my thoughts wandered to their well-being.

Is Camadenu providing them with proper care?

Drrr.

Well, that is a problem I can only deal with after I become a god.

Drrr, Thud!

Indeed, a personal visit to Camedenu was on my agenda, given the promises I had made.

I also recalled my promise to take Ryun to the Omniscient Thunder Axe’s Garden. To this day, considering that agreement caused a sense of unease to well up within me. He had sacrificed so much after meeting me just once.

What if I can’t fulfill the promise?

Reflecting on my relationship with Ryun also prompted me to think of my other companions. These reflections continued for a while until eventually, the door ceased generating noises with one last

boom

.

Is it completely open now?

It appeared so, especially considering the loud noise that had echoed at the end.

Stopping myself from pondering further, I activated Flash Strike and cautiously opened my eyes. My muscles tensed, and I primed myself for action. However, unlike before, the iron door remained steadfastly open.

A mere meter behind the door was a portal with a brilliant radiance. Reaching it would presumably conquer this floor.

Excitement and relief swelled within me.

Gosh! I did it!

I was tempted to shout, but I still felt stressed about my current situation.

The uncertainty of when the door would close loomed over me. Reflecting on my prudent decision to remain seated at the door, I took a step forward.

How much time is left?

I raised my head to check the notification.

[Escape the Chamber of Agony. Time remaining: 3 minutes 2 seconds.]

I had narrowly escaped. Figuring out how to solve the floor any later or a minor slip-up in the last few minutes could have spelled my doom.

Now that I had secured a way out, I speculated whether or not the earthen wall contained a hidden mission. Regrettably, it was just an earth wall. I tapped around, but nothing changed.

Well...

I settled for having cleared the level. Out of every floor I had cleared during my ascent, this one had felt like the most genuine threat to my life.

As I neared the portal, a notification popped up.

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the sixty-second floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Chamber of Agony. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Time remaining: 3 minutes 2 seconds. The challenger will now be rewarded based on their ’Contemplation.’]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s contemplation involved memories of past encounters and his commitment to their well-being.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s stats will increase based on how much his past connections remember and appreciate him.]

[Calculating...]

[All stats have increased to the reward cap of 10.]

The fact that the goodwill all of these individuals felt toward me maximized the reward was profoundly impactful. I silently thanked them. Despite all of my worries and anxieties, my actions had made an impact. Somehow, that helped alleviate the weight that had settled over me during the course of this trial.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s desire to fulfill promises has touched those around him! Savior is now lvl 10.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 10,000 achievement points. Total achievement points: 193,217. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has displayed incredible focus and unbelievable calmness! His skills have leveled up. Combat Focus is now lvl 23. Clarity of Mind is now lvl 4. Scientist Do’s Composure is now lvl 6.」