Chapter 332: Eightieth Floor, Waiting Room (2)

“What are you doing here?”

Though she had spoken sharply, almost accusatorily, a smile naturally formed on my lips. Natalie had broken into a bright, cheerful grin the moment she finished speaking, clearly teasing me.

Her small face radiated such joy that it made my heart ache with guilt. She had simply been waiting for me, without feeling resentful or bitter.

When I stepped forward with a smile, she mirrored the motion, taking a step closer. The smiles on our faces deepened.

As glad as I was to see her, there was something I needed to address first.

I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry, I’m a little late.”

The moment I offered my apology, she gently shook her head, her expression calm. “You’re not late. Well, if you’d taken much longer, I probably would’ve come looking for you! Though I probably would have felt a little hurt then!”

I could only manage to awkwardly chuckle in response to that. “

Haha...

”

Seeing how mature she was acting, I felt apologetic, grateful, and happy.

Aoshi, Ferel, and now Natalie. Recently, I had felt something inside me slowly being restored.

Are these children re-energizing me? I don’t remember being especially fond of kids back on Earth.

Maybe it was due to the tower’s influence. In a place so ruthless and unrelenting, their innocence seemed to smooth out the jagged edges of my weary mind.

“You’ve grown a bit, right?”

“Yes!” Natalie brightened and tilted her face upward, her round eyes sparkling.

I gave her a small nod.

Seventeen? Eighteen? I couldn’t pinpoint her exact age, but she looked about high school-aged now. Her cheeks had thinned, and she had grown a little taller. She had aged noticeably, though, considering she had seemed more like a middle schooler the last time I saw her. Her signature drill-shaped hair remained the same, though.

After a brief greeting, a question occurred to me. “Wait. How did you know I was coming?”

“Because I’m a dimensional witch.”

“You can see the future?”

“It’s not quite like that. It’s complicated, and I shouldn’t explain. Neither you nor I is ready yet.”

I didn’t press further. Natalie was one of the few people who treated me with the same warmth as Ha Hee-Jeong. If she said she couldn’t tell me, then she truly couldn’t.

As our conversation ended, she spun in place, her outstretched arm tracing a full circle. A gentle breeze drifted through the air. Within that soft, warm current, the garden's flower buds slowly began to bloom.

It was a breathtaking sight.

Brilliant colors wove together in perfect harmony. Having just come from the flower forest, the contrast struck me even more sharply. This place was a garden of blossoms more beautiful than even Euros’s forest.

With her back still turned, the girl murmured, “Still, I was a little hurt.”

“About what?”

“The reason.” Natalie turned sharply and gave me a mock-glare. “You should’ve remembered me on your own! Not because seeing someone else reminded you!”

“

Haha.

Sorry. But wait, you also knew about that?”

Grinning slyly, she repeated, “I told you. I’m a dimensional witch.”

She then raised her right hand. Butterflies fluttered out from between the flowers.

“You’ve been tending this place?”

“Yep. It’s my hobby these days.”

“You water everything yourself?” I glanced at the watering can beside her, and she nodded.

“Wouldn’t it be easier with magic?”

After all, she had just made flowers bloom and summoned butterflies. Manually watering them probably wasn’t necessary.

Natalie shook her head with conviction. “This way has its own charm, and magic has its own. They’re different.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“So? What do you think of my garden? I picked only the prettiest flowers.”

“It’s stunning.”

As I had mentioned, it was even lovelier than the flower forest. Even someone like me, who never cared much for flowers, could tell.

Normally, too many vibrant colors clashing together ended up looking messy, but Natalie’s garden felt like a carefully composed piece of art.

“Right? I even held off on making them bloom just so I could show you.”

“Really? You didn’t have to do that.”

“But I wanted to.” Natalie turned toward me. “This is the world you saved. It’s my world.”

I was momentarily at a loss for words, but she didn’t seem to expect an answer.

A pleasant silence settled between us. In the end, she smiled softly.

I think she has smiled at least ten times by now.

Even so, I still found it adorable every time.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

“For coming back to see me.”

“I’ll come again.”

Suddenly, she lowered her voice in an attempt to sound grown-up and scolded me in a deliberately serious tone, “But don’t push yourself too hard!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as it reminded me of when Ha Hee-Jeong nagged me.

Seeing me laugh, Natalie let out a giggle too. “I’m good now. You can go. You need to train, right?”

“It’s fine. I still have time, so I can stay a bit longer.”

“No, it’s okay. You should go. You’ve still got a long way to go, and you need to work harder.”

“What do you mean?”

“You already know.”

Though the words had been spoken casually, practically in passing, the weight behind them was undeniable.

Tension coiled in my chest. The vision that The Meticulous Architect had shown me resurfaced. Natalie had to be referring to that.

She knows even that?

Maybe she noticed the shift in my expression, because Natalie quickly added, “I can’t tell you everything. But I can tell you this. You can overcome it. As long as you put in the effort.”

“Yeah?”

“

Mhm.

I’m just happy you came. Now go, and next time, bring unnie with you.”

“Unnie?”

“You know, the pretty one who’s always by your side.”

“You mean Hee-Jeong?”

“Yeah. I really like her,” Natalie muttered to herself before sticking her tongue out with a playful grin.

She then stepped closer and began to push me forward, toward the portal behind me. “Alright, off you go. Go ahead and train. I’ll be working hard here too.”

“Working on what?”

“Growing stronger, training. I need to be ready if I want to be of help. We have to sync up our timing, you know, since we’re starting from the end.”

I understood what she meant. She was talking about after I conquered the tower and after I became a god.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Nothing was more reassuring than knowing that allies had one’s back. I had been filled with doubt during countless moments in the tower, but it felt like I had made the right choices.

Natalie wasn’t physically stronger than me, but given that we were in her world, an unseen force pulled at me, stopping me just before the portal. “Come on, hurry. Go.”

“Alright, alright. I’m going. Stop pushing.”

“You should’ve done that from the start!”

“It’s been a while, you know.”

“Well, you can always see me again later.”

The roles felt oddly reversed. One of my concerns before coming here had been how to console Natalie if she didn’t want to say goodbye.

Just as I was about to part ways, I recalled something.

“Wait a second!”

I hurriedly began pulling things out of the mimic.

A doll, chocolates, a wand, and snacks.

Natalie’s eyes widened in surprise. “What is all this?”

“What, you didn’t know?”

“You’re not supposed to ask questions like that in moments like these.”

Her cheeky tone made me laugh.

“

Haha,

they’re gifts.”

With an armful of presents clutched to her chest, Natalie beamed with delight. “Thank you!”

It was finally time to say goodbye. “Alright, I really should go now.”

“Okay! Take care of yourself, and train hard! I’ll be watching!” She pumped both fists in a spirited gesture.

It was adorable. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it felt like to have a daughter.

“You too. Stay well.”

“Of course! And please tell Hee-Jeong unnie I said hi!”

“

Huh?

She doesn’t really know you, though.”

“But you mentioned me after we met last time, right? So this time, pass along my regards.”

“

Uh,

yeah. Sure.”

“Bye then!”

“Yeah. Goodbye.”

As I turned toward the portal, I could sense her head lower slightly behind me. She looked downcast. Despite her bold words, the farewell clearly left her feeling wistful.

That only made her sincerity all the more apparent. Even so, she chose to send me off. It showed just how much she cared.

Although she had playfully brushed off my delayed visit, I could tell she had been more hurt than she let on.

Even I knew I was late. That made her understanding and her smile even more meaningful.

I looked back at her. She had been frowning moments ago, but quickly forced a smile. She didn’t let her feelings show.

“Just wait a little. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay!”

***

[31 minutes 21 seconds until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

“

Ugh

, I’m seriously dying here.”

“No chance! You need healing!”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“You look terrible right now!”

“There’s no helping it.”

“This time... was kind of... really rough...” Ryun cut in, slow and measured as usual.

Now that even he had taken Doppy’s side, I didn’t have much of a defense.

Honestly, I had pushed myself to the limit, depleting my mana for a second time.

Beyond fatigue, I experienced muscle spasms. My divine energy was drained, and the spirits had worn my mental strength thin.

I am doing better now, at least.

Not long ago, I couldn’t even twitch a finger. I hadn’t wanted to think, or even breathe. Only after soaking in the training hot spring had I finally regained a bit of clarity.

Still, I hadn’t had much of a choice. The future that The Meticulous Architect had revealed was drawing closer with each step. Natalie had warned me as well.

No choice but to go all out.

Of course, I knew better than to let panic drive me.

I hadn’t pushed myself this far due to a lapse in judgment; it was calculated.

On the seventy-eighth floor, when I was suffering from mana depletion, I discovered something unexpected. Unlike most climbers, whose mana circuits weakened temporarily afterward, mine had reacted differently.

Divine power filled the dried circuits.

That didn’t mean that divinity was currently filling my circuits instead of mana. Rather, the divine power seeped into the cracked, parched pathways, reinforcing and stabilizing them.

Acquiring divinity seemed to have caused this physical transformation. Regardless, I took this to mean that I could use mana depletion to strengthen myself further.

Even if it took a toll, I had to do everything I could.

Rather than continue explaining, I turned over on the bed and lay face down. “

Ugh

, forget the healing spells or recovery buffs. Just give my shoulders a good rub.”

“That sounds like a hassle.”

“I’ll buy you three steaks later.”

Doppy caved instantly. “Deal!”

He climbed onto my lower back and began pressing down on my shoulders with his small hands.

Smiling quietly, I layered a wind spirit over his hands. Technically, the spirit’s power alone could massage me, but this way felt more effective.

Maybe it was the uneven pressure, as it felt real.

“

Ah! Ow

, gentler, please.”

“Su-Yeok, don’t be such a baby.” Doppy gave my shoulder a playful smack.

My rigid muscles screamed in protest, as did I. “

Gah!

”

“A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I mean, you know I’m not usually like this, right? But it really hurts this time.”

“Alright! I’ll go easier.”

He exerted less pressure. Bit by bit, the stiffness in my mana-worn muscles began to loosen. I wasn’t an expert, but Doppy seemed to have a knack for this.

Sleepiness crept in quickly. Even after already taking a nap, I was still drowsy, which was rare for me.

It was pleasant, though. Although we had rested on the seventy-ninth floor, the rest area would likely turn into a non-stop drinking festival again. Not that I minded, but if I wanted to pull out early and focus on training, I needed a little shut-eye first.

With my eyes closed, I murmured, “Doppy, wake me in twenty-five minutes.”

“Got it!”

I tried to clear my mind, though I wasn’t fatigued enough to immediately fall asleep.

My thoughts drifted toward the eightieth floor. Soon, the shop would be overhauled, coinciding with the end of the next rest area. A massive expansion was expected, with many more items and new options available.

Although honestly, there probably won’t be much I can make use of at my current level.

Still, Ha Hee-Jeong and I had our eyes on one thing in particular. It would take a fair amount of achievement points, but I wasn’t concerned.

I had accumulated 1.85 million points. It was a staggering amount, though not all of it was earned through my own efforts. I owed a great deal to the other climbers.

Before entering some floors, many low-ranked climbers had anticipated their deaths and transferred their points to me.

I’m grateful.

At first, I was conflicted. Their contributions ranged from just 10 points to as much as 10,000. They came in individually, but the number of senders was overwhelming. Initially, I declined them all, feeling it wasn’t right to accept.

Then a conversation spread across the Community.

“If we’re going to die anyway, let’s send our leftover points to him.”

They made their decision swiftly. A top-ranking mage volunteered to collect and manage the points. He gathered them before anyone entered the floor. If a climber failed to conquer the trial, the manager handed their points to me. Those who survived had their points returned.

As the movement grew, Ha Hee-Jeong and Hendrick stepped in to talk with the mage. They reviewed everything meticulously.

Apparently, the mage kept a detailed ledger and hadn’t skimmed a single point. He reassured them it was all legitimate, and he was a well-known member of my fan club.

His name was Park Sang-Hyuk, if I remember correctly. Ranked somewhere in the four-hundreds or five-hundreds.

We were set to meet during this rest period anyway. Even though I had only heard about him, Ha Hee-Jeong said she would double-check the ledger herself.

I didn’t expect any trouble. We would probably grab a meal, and I would take the chance to say thank you.

Suddenly, Aoshi’s advice on the seventy-ninth floor came to mind. It had resonated with me, and I had thought a lot about it since.

Still, I wasn’t planning to suddenly close the distance like he had suggested. We had our priorities. Maybe, just maybe, though, easing up just a little wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

A soft smile curled at the edge of my lips. Drowsiness slowly blanketed my thoughts. I didn’t want to think anymore, and Doppy would wake me.

May as well sleep.

I could revisit it all once we reached the rest area. My mind drifted downward, and my consciousness slipped away.