Chapter 346: Eighty-Second Floor, Waiting Room (2)

[35 hours 48 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

A strange feeling settled over me; I was on the verge of entering the eighty-second floor. In the beginning, I would wonder how I could possibly reach the hundredth floor.

However, before I knew it, time had passed, and here I stood. I had ascended further than I could have ever imagined, and with that climb came so many experiences. There had been moments of fear, joy, frustration, and warmth.

In the midst of those trials, I came to a realization, one that had grown increasingly clear as time went by.

The Tower of Ordeal exists to give rise to a god.

Of course, that by itself sounded obvious. Ha Hee-Jeong had already told me that reaching the top would grant godhood.

That wasn’t the point I was trying to make, though. What I meant was that the tower’s trials weren’t just random obstacles it had placed along the way—they were crafted with intent, designed to shape the challenger into a god.

My own experience was proof enough. Looking back, the ordeals I faced while climbing the tower worked toward accumulating divinity. They pushed me toward saving those in need, toward acts of compassion and intervention.

There were multiple examples.

The seraphim. The lingering will within the soulsteel. Azure Dawn Breeze. Euros’s Flower Forest and its inhabitants.

Not every trial followed that pattern, of course. When taken as a whole, however, the overwhelming majority centered around saving others.

Especially the all-climber floors.

Floors that centered on traps or labyrinths were comparatively rare. Though I had awakened my divinity with Paraktus’s Necklace, I was certain it would have happened eventually even without it.

It would have taken longer, but the faith of those I had helped would have coalesced into Divine Power on its own.

The same likely applied to the other prospective gods. They chose to view the system window during the tutorial, yet they still ascended. Even if their worlds were taken as collateral, they achieved godhood nonetheless.

In short, the tower didn’t simply hand over a divine seat to anyone who reached the hundredth floor.

It was a long explanation, but it came to a simple conclusion. The tower and its trials existed to cultivate gods.

However, one question still remained. If that was the tower’s purpose, why did it push climbers to view the status window?

Up to now, the deception had made the tower seem malicious. Thinking it through, though, the tower wouldn’t really benefit from that. Even if a climber opted for the status window, the god backing them would take ownership of their planet.

The tower itself gained nothing from the arrangement.

Moreover, the supposed green belt made the situation even harder to reconcile.

Worlds will only get the tower, and by proxy of that, a god, when a green belt is lifted.

Misleading climbers was completely unnecessary in that scenario, not to mention that the tower had the power to imprison gods.

Choosing not to use the status window wasn’t a test or some hidden virtue, either.

Just consider how many gods tried to sponsor me during the tutorial.

Climbers who rejected the status window became challengers. Despite that seemingly easy criteria, the only ones I knew of were Kalain and me. It made no sense to think the others had all made the same choice. Something had clearly changed along the way.

I couldn’t point to anything concrete, but one memory lingered.

The tower’s voice.

Usually, it was cold and mechanical. However, there was a single time it hadn’t been: when I first arrived. Right before the tutorial, the tower’s tone had been warm and gentle. I remembered it distinctly.

[... We commend your spirit and wish you good luck.]

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Yes, that was what it had said—or something close to it.

At the time, I hadn’t thought too deeply about it. Everything had been unfamiliar, and clearing the first floor had been overwhelming enough on its own.

Considering my current theory, though, it all aligned.

The tower had even welcomed my refusal to use the status window. There wasn’t the slightest trace of disapproval in its tone. If it had been trying to manipulate me into choosing it, that kind of response wouldn’t make sense.

I had one other suspicion.

What if the gods are pressuring the tower?

A mad scientist had hidden himself on the thirty-fourth floor, and I had encountered him after navigating the sewers. He had mentioned a primordial god, one that had since vanished. That god could have been the original creator of the tower.

Considering how many gods existed now, it was unlikely the tower had always deceived climbers.

Perhaps after that god disappeared, and as more deities emerged and began to interfere in one another’s domains, they could have begun pressuring the tower.

Even if it could hold its ground against one or two, that didn’t mean it could stand against them all. Together, they could wield extraordinary power. Perhaps the only reason the tower managed to imprison specific gods was because the others allowed it—because they had something to gain.

When one god falls, the others benefit.

From what I had seen of gods fighting to seize each other’s worlds, that wouldn’t surprise me at all.

The more I thought about it, the more the pieces seemed to fit. Most of all, there was one more reason I didn’t believe the tower was evil.

Looking back, there were times it showed me kindness.

Even on the eighty-first floor.

The tower stopped any interference from second-class gods or above.

The trials themselves followed a clear pattern. Whenever I felt I lacked something, a trial would appear that pushed me to grow in precisely that area.

At first, I assumed the tower was well-designed, but not everyone grew the same way.

The fact that my individual challenge floors are different from other climbers says something.

That meant the tower had likely been tailoring trials to suit my current condition.

I couldn’t say that for certain, but if my theory were correct, then maybe the tower was also under threat. Not a manipulator, but another being caught in this struggle.

That warm and welcoming voice, and the fact that it allowed Ha Hee-Jeong’s sponsor to send her back in time now made sense.

Even though her sponsor dropped from first to fifth class and ended up trapped somewhere, it is still a miracle.

Turning back time on such a grand scale wasn’t just unreasonable; it was impossible. This wasn’t about rewinding one person’s life. The entire universe’s timeline had been reversed.

If that were something gods could do easily, others would have exploited it long ago, especially given that some seemed to be in league.

Also, the fact that none of them noticed our regression only further proves that.

It felt like the tower was protecting us.

The more I thought about it, the more I believed that the tower wanted to be saved, too. It welcomed me as a challenger, and my personal trials had been tied to imprisoned gods.

Fenrike, Paraktus, and Azure Dawn Breeze.

Maybe a challenger wasn’t just someone who defied the old gods but one who was meant to oppose them, and rescue both the tower and the divine beings still in chains.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): I’m back! When did you get there? Everything okay?

The message came without warning, disrupting my thoughts. Slowly, I returned from that haze of contemplation.

At this point, all I had were assumptions. They were plausible, but theories nonetheless.

Knowing the truth wouldn’t change why I was climbing. Once I reached the hundredth floor, I would likely learn more.

I put my thoughts to rest and focused on the message.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Yeah, something happened, but nothing dangerous. Did your trip go well?

As I sent the reply, a faint smile played on my lips.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Of course it did! But you were taking forever. I was starting to get worried.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): So you waited until the very last moment before entering the eighty-second floor?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Yeah. I told you I’d wait just in case. I can never know when you will call.

Her concern came through clearly.

There were countless things I felt grateful for. From the first floor until now, she had always thought ahead, moving—and even acting—on my behalf.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Thank you.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): No need for that.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Nothing unusual on your side?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Not really. I already know what’s coming, remember? At least until I reach the ninetieth floor, you don’t have to worry about me.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Still, better safe than sorry.

I returned the concern.

It wasn’t a polite formality. Even though Ha Hee-Jeong was a regressor, I couldn’t help but worry. Even with some knowledge of upcoming floors, unpredictable disasters could strike at any moment.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): By the way, I noticed the number of climbers dropped significantly.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): It was inevitable. We saw this coming, and it’s not like we can complete the trials for them.

She was right. Every floor from here on out would be harsh. Even with us nearby, anyone who couldn’t break through their individual challenge floor was as good as dead.

If we factored in the ninetieth floors, we would need to get used to losing more climbers. By then, the number of survivors would be drastically smaller, practically a handful.

Regardless of whether they could be revived after conquering the tower, the more we could bring with us, the better.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Anyway, what was that thing you said happened? You said it wasn’t dangerous, and what did you mean by that?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Ah, it was something good. I just phrased it awkwardly.

I began telling her about the eighty-first floor, a world where monks and yokai existed. After giving some context, I shared my tales—meeting Ha-Seon, turning Gehenna and Hyang into apostles, and delivering them to Natalie’s realm.

I answered her questions as they came, explaining everything I could.

She was startled when I mentioned that The Immortal of Ideals had attempted to intervene, but relaxed once she heard the tower had stepped in.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Wow, already gaining apostles? Even if you took them from someone else, I thought you would have to climb all the way to the top before that kind of thing happened.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Maybe it’s because I’m a challenger. In any case, it’s not a bad thing.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Right, it’s a good thing. If you’re stronger, that just means the future will be a little less dangerous.

That much was true, but it didn’t mean I could let my guard down.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Exactly. Which means I need to push even harder. For all I know, the future I saw already accounted for this.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Fair point.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Anyway, how’s that elixir you mentioned?

I shifted my gaze toward the elixir resting on the desk—I had been planning to take it soon.

The only reason I hadn’t was because of how much energy my newly acquired divine abilities required, but I had managed to get more familiar with them. That was partly why I had stopped training slightly earlier than usual. It wasn’t just a matter of brute force; the toll they were taking on me had started to build.

A notification appeared before me.

[Celestial Mountain Blossom]

- A flower said to bloom only once every thousand years.

- The elixir’s power takes root within the consumer, shielding them from illusions, mental interference, and hypnosis.

- Slightly increases mana and stamina.

It was a remarkably satisfying elixir. If I purchased it from the shop, it would have cost several hundred thousand points. Also, the timing couldn’t have been better.

I had already planned to train myself to resist illusions and mental interference. It was one more reason why I believed the tower was looking out for me in its own way.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): It’s great. I’d been thinking about working on illusion resistance and mental immunity, and this boosts both.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): That’s good to hear.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): But how do you actually train against illusions or mental attacks?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): There’s no shortcut. You have to confront them directly. Experience is everything. Use combat training to summon someone who can use them and fight.

I had more or less expected that. It seemed there really was no substitute for real battle.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Alright, thanks. You should go clean up and get some rest. I’m going to take the elixir now.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Eighty-third Floor): Okay. Message me when you’re up again.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Eighty-second Floor): Will do. Good work today.

I stood, picked up the elixir, and made my way to the training room. Who knew how much it would boost my resistances? I was genuinely looking forward to the results.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has consumed a Celestial Mountain Blossom.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s status as a Challenger has been confirmed, greatly increasing absorption rate. Mana has increased by 6, and stamina has increased by 7.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has formed a protective divine force within himself that guards against mental attacks.」

「Invisible message: A substantial source of divinity has been detected. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok is absorbing the additional energy into his existing divinity.」