Chapter 312: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Waiting Room

[Other climbers have not yet conquered the seventy-sixth floor. Please wait.]

[There is no timer until the next floor begins. Please take a rest.]

Unfortunately, even Ha Hee-Jeong couldn’t make sense of the fragmented visions I had seen.

They were simply too incomplete. I couldn’t even glimpse any enemies, and the only thing remotely describable was the landscape, though even that was limited.

After all, the vision had a high vantage point, so I was just looking down at myself.

With so few clues to work with, it was hardly surprising that Ha Hee-Jeong couldn’t piece anything together. Barren soil, stained a dark, blood-like red, was an all too common sight on any battlefield.

The prelude was no different. Its narrow field of view only revealed my head and the ground beneath me.

If there was anything distinctive, it had to be the faint trace of surprise on my face.

That was all. Though we had discussed it at length, we hadn’t come up with any clear answers.

Truth be told, as far as wishes went, mine hadn’t felt particularly satisfying.

Still, I consoled myself with the thought that knowing even a little was better than knowing nothing at all.

Ha Hee-Jeong, however, didn’t seem to share that sentiment.

Sitting across from me, she anxiously tapped the desk with one hand while biting her nails. It was a habit rare enough that this was only the second time I had seen her doing it.

The first was on the day of the college entrance exams. Unlike me, who had secured a spot through early admission, Ha Hee-Jeong entered through regular admissions and had been a bundle of nerves.

Though things turned out well in the end.

Back then, it had been my responsibility to calm her.

“It’s alright. Knowing something is better than nothing.”

“But even if we know, it doesn’t mean we can change anything! We don’t know when or how it will happen.”

“Still, it’s something. If a situation arises that seems even remotely similar, we can be careful.”

Even though I was trying to reassure her, I wasn’t lying—these were my true, sincere thoughts.

In the Tower of Ordeal, even the smallest piece of information could determine the difference between life and death. Armed with this knowledge, I could act differently when the situation occurred. Even if I couldn’t, simply being more cautious could tilt the odds in my favor.

Of course, Ha Hee-Jeong knew that too. She was only reacting this way because my life was at stake.

Biting her lower lip, she suddenly reached out and seized my wrist. “Promise me.”

“Promise you what?”

“That no matter what happens, you’ll put your own life first.” Her brown eyes locked onto mine, deep and shimmering with emotion.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m not saying this lightly.”

“Then what?”

She didn’t respond immediately.

We simply held each other’s gaze, silent. In the stillness that settled over the desk, only the warmth of her hand on my wrist seemed alive.

Yoonie and Doppy watched us quietly from atop the bed, while Ryun leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.

As for me—the one directly involved—I felt a little embarrassed and awkward. I wasn’t exactly comfortable having the others overhear a conversation like this.

Yet Ha Hee-Jeong didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Although she didn’t normally express her concern for me in public, it clearly outweighed everything else right now.

I waited quietly, and after a brief moment, she added, “Like I said earlier, it probably won’t happen on an all-climber floor. As far as I know, there’s no one below the ninetieth floor capable of putting you in that condition. It either happened during an individual challenge floor in the eighties or something beyond the ninetieth floor.”

“Yeah.” I nodded obediently.

Ha Hee-Jeong continued, her gaze unwavering, “If you’re ever in danger, no matter what, call me.”

“Hey—”

“Call me.”

Truthfully, we hadn’t used the Necklace of Accord until now for one simple reason: we couldn’t be confident that the other’s presence would be beneficial.

Even when I had been imprisoned, we hesitated.

If the situation were truly hopeless, we would use it, but otherwise, it is too much of a risk.

It wasn’t even clear whether summoning someone mid-trial would cause them to fail their own trial.

That alone was reason enough not to risk it.

Before I could hesitate further, Ha Hee-Jeong raised her other hand and clasped mine.

The warmth that had lingered on my wrist now settled into the palms of our joined hands. “Su-Hyeok, it has to be you. You’re the key to everything. So please, call me.”

For a long moment, we sat there, hands tightly clasped.

“You remember what I said before, right? Dying isn’t necessarily permanent. If we conquer the tower, we can potentially bring the dead back.”

It wasn’t a certainty, but it was something we had talked about.

One time, I had asked how she knew that I had reached the ninety-fourth floor, considering she had died on the ninety-first. She simply stated that she had been able to watch, despite being dead.

Still, that wasn’t enough to guarantee resurrection.

It made sense, after all, there would be little reason to leave the spirits of the dead lingering if they couldn’t be saved. Yet uncertainty gnawed at me all the same.

“Think of Earth. Even if you can’t bring someone back, it’s the right thing to do.”

Her death wasn’t a matter that could be so cleanly divided into right and wrong, but logically, she was correct.

Still, the thought of her dying felt unbearable.

I exhaled a long, heavy breath. “

Huuuuu...

”

I needed to stay rational, to think clearly without letting emotions sway me. The possibility of saving all of Earth mattered more.

“Alright,” I answered, but she didn’t seem satisfied.

Her gaze remained firm and unwavering. “If something happens on an all-climber floor and the situation becomes hopeless, run. Run, no matter how many climbers are left.”

Her sharp gaze left no room for argument.

At times like this, it was best to simply agree. “Okay.”

Besides, I already intended to do that. One life couldn’t be weighed against another, but as long as I lived, I could save others.

However, her next words struck me much harder. “Even if I’m there and in danger—”

“That’s a bit—”

“Su-Hyeok.” Her gaze deepened.

Though rare, I had seen that look before back on Earth. It was the look that said no matter what I said, she wouldn’t back down.

Honestly, I didn’t like it. Summoning Ha Hee-Jeong with the necklace would probably be safe. Her sponsor had given it to her, so Master of the Five Carriage Wheels wouldn’t have left such a loophole.

However, running away while she was standing right there was an entirely different matter altogether. It wasn’t a rational distinction, but more of an emotional one.

Even knowing it could cause an argument, I shook my head. “No.”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

“How could I leave you behind and run away?”

“You said it yourself! Maybe you’ll be able to bring me back. Conquer the tower, reach the top, and bring me back.”

When I looked at her, clearly displeased, she slowly withdrew her hand. The warmth of our joint palms faded away.

“If that moment comes, promise me you’ll leave me behind. That way, you’ll have time to escape.”

I simply stared at her, refusing to respond.

“Or would you rather I end my own life? If I’m only an obstacle, I should die first.”

“Hey!” Without thinking, I grabbed her hand.

She squeezed my hand back. “That’s why you have to leave me behind. I’m not saying you have to immediately do it. But if it truly comes to that and if there’s no other choice, then do it.”

Given how far she was willing to go, I could no longer refuse.

To be honest, a large part of me simply didn’t want to hear Ha Hee-Jeong talk about her death anymore, especially not taking her own life.

“Alright.”

Only after hearing my answer did she finally smile. “Good. That’s my sweet Su-Hyeok.”

She had kept her tone light, but whether I would actually act as she wished remained uncertain.

Even now, my complicated emotions remained tangled. I had a strong feeling I wouldn’t be able to do it, but Ha Hee-Jeong’s words weighed heavily on my mind.

I knew her better than anyone else. She wouldn’t have said such things unless she was truly prepared to die.

The thought alone made my chest feel tight. All I could do was hope that such a situation never arose, or that I could find the strength to persevere if it did.

In response to her smile, I forced a small one of my own. It probably wasn’t a very cheerful smile, but Ha Hee-Jeong didn’t seem to mind.

Regardless, I made a silent promise to myself. We were both going to survive, and we would conquer whatever dangers awaited us.

That has always been the case.

From now on, I would fight with everything I had, relentlessly, as if my life truly depended on it.

***

[Other climbers have not yet conquered the seventy-sixth floor. Please wait.]

[There is no timer until the next floor begins. Please take a rest.]

The earlier tension quickly dissipated.

Ha Hee-Jeong had always been gifted at sweeping away heavy moods.

After exchanging a few casual words with Doppy, Yoonie, and Ryun, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

Yoonie, however, still wore a slightly nervous expression, perhaps feeling a lingering wariness toward Ha Hee-Jeong. I assumed it was due to her training, which wasn’t something I could intervene in at this point.

After finishing her brief conversation, Ha Hee-Jeong began to survey the waiting room. “

Hmm.

”

While the rooms were standardized, each climber decorated their own differently.

I watched her reaction with some anticipation.

After browsing the Community, I had carefully decorated the room myself. By my own standards, it looked good.

Still, the response I was hoping for didn’t come.

“

Hmm.

”

“What is it?”

“You know, I’ve thought this for a while now, but you really have no sense of taste.”

“What? Why?!”

After hearing me ask for an explanation twice, Ha Hee-Jeong looked at me in utter disbelief. “You’re seriously asking that after showing me this?”

“So what?”

Honestly, I still didn’t understand. I had simply followed the advice I had found online.

“I went with antique-style furniture because the walls are white.”

“No, that isn’t what I find weird. You paired a ton of different, clashing antiques together...” Trailing off, Ha Hee-Jeong sighed. “And besides, wouldn’t something more modern have been better?”

“Isn’t that a little too common?”

“No. Even if you had gone with modern, I’m sure you would’ve somehow made it weird.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I frowned slightly, feeling genuinely wronged.

From my perspective, it really didn’t look bad.

Actually, it looked quite good.

Oh, well.

Most of the time, Ha Hee-Jeong’s criticisms turned out to be valid, but I couldn’t agree this time. Even after taking a second look, the interior seemed fine to me.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s pretty good.”

“Good? This?

Ugh,

forget it.”

“No, seriously, it’s fine. Maybe you’re the weird one.”

“Sure, let’s just go with that,” Ha Hee-Jeong assented exasperatedly, then muttered under her breath, “I guess I’ll have to take charge of all the decorating by myself later...”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She had muttered so quietly that even with my hearing, I could only catch a few scattered words. It had practically been a whisper.

“What? What was that?”

“Nothing. Stuff like this is a matter of taste, so it’s understandable.”

Ah

, so that’s what she meant.

She wasn’t wrong. After all, there was a saying that even in fashion, there are trends but no absolute answers. Sometimes, even outfits that looked bizarre to me managed to make it onto the runway.

I agreed. It wasn’t worth arguing over something like this.

“True, everyone’s taste is different.”

“Exactly.” Nodding, Ha Hee-Jeong shifted her gaze toward the bed.

“Anyway, is that the bed you’ve been bragging about?”

“Yeah.”

It was the angel-feathered bed I had fallen in love with.

After experiencing true comfort once, I had developed a craving for it, for something better than the waiting room’s default bed. Since I often struggled to sleep properly, it had been an obvious choice.

With plenty of achievement points to spare, I hadn’t hesitated in purchasing it.

Didn’t it cost six thousand points or something?

It was absurdly expensive for something not directly related to combat.

Well, it wasn’t entirely unrelated. The bed boosted my recovery—both physical and mental—and provided a sense of calm, which in turn supported my climb.

Either way, it truly felt like sleeping on a cloud.

I had even recommended it to Ha Hee-Jeong, but she had declined, saying she didn’t need it. For me, though, those six thousand points had been well worth it.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“Mind if I try it?”

“Go ahead. You’ll see. It’s insane.”

Without further ado, Ha Hee-Jeong leaped onto the king-sized bed, practically diving into it. The mattress was so stable it barely even trembled.

Burying her face into the sheets, she rolled over with a delighted spin. “Holy crap, what is this?”

“Awesome, right?”

“The softness is unreal.”

“You wouldn’t even notice if someone jumped in next to you.”

I had tested that when I first bought it. Even when Doppy jumped onto the bed, there was no noticeable shake. It was only a slight exaggeration to say you wouldn’t even realize someone was bouncing beside you.

Grinning, Ha Hee-Jeong looked up. “Really? Let’s see.”

“Close your eyes. You won’t even notice when I jump.”

Obediently, she closed her eyes. After silently counting to two, I leaped onto the bed.