Chapter 413: Ninetieth Floor, Waiting Room

The Community of the Dead, on the ninetieth floor.

[What’s this?]

[?]

[Huh?]

[What just happened?]

[Lmao, where tf did Soulbound pop out from?]

[No clue. I just saw some golden line show up in the dark.]

[Same 😂]

[Su-Hyeok just did his thing. GG, fight’s over.]

[Yeah, but I gotta see it to know. Where’d that former top-ranker even go? Someone spill.]

[Bet he won’t be able to explain what just occurred.]

[Even if Goddess Hee-Jeong were here, she would probably only get like half of what went down.]

[I was ranked 362, and yeah, that guy’s right. I couldn’t follow shit.]

[Well, yeah, it’s pitch black. Seeing anything would be wild.]

[F’real, it’s not like we can use mana. And even if we could, we still wouldn’t be able to process Su-Hyeok’s moves.]

[Also, why does that guy always flex that he was 362nd? There’s still 6k climbers alive, and he’s bragging about his former rank?]

[He was answering another person’s question, chill.]

[Guess “362nd” is his magnum opus.]

[Bro, 362nd in the Tower of Trials is actually a life achievement.]

[Oh?]

[You know what, true lol. That’s actually a flex.]

[😂😂😂]

[These clowns. People who were ranked in the 900k’s roasting someone who made it to the eightieth floor.]

[Yeah, shut it and praise Su-Hyeok instead.]

[Speaking of, where’d all the Su-Hyeok fans go?]

[Came back after changing underwear! Su-Hyeok Su-Hyeok!]

[Yo, is Su-Hyeok your homie or something?]

[King Su-Hyeok! God Su-Hyeok!]

[Facts.]

[But like, Su-Hyeok getting stronger is great and all, but what happens to Earth if this keeps up?]

[What do you mean?]

[Think about it. Most of the time, when Su-Hyeok saves people, he ends up rescuing their entire species or world.]

[But...]

[What’s gonna happen when he goes back to Earth? If he keeps doing this, every news outlet and government is gonna lose their minds. Won’t that piss him off? Worst case, he’ll dip from Earth and focus on saving other planets.]

[Bit of a reach, don’t you think?]

[Nah, be real. What if someone kidnaps Su-Hyeok’s family?]

[Nobody would mess with him unless they’re brain-dead.]

[Do you think they understand how strong he is? If they see his crazy powers, they’ll wanna run tests. And you know the U.S. is extra about security.]

[Hmm...]

[If I were Su-Hyeok, I’d bounce with my family to another planet the moment the press or gov started acting up.]

[Leave for another planet? Bro, you’re missing the meta. He can just become Earth’s god and hit reset.]

[Oh, true.]

[But Su-Hyeok doesn’t give off that vibe.]

[Tsk, you’re not thinking about this critically enough. Honestly, Su-Hyeok isn’t the one with a problem, but us.]

[How so?]

[Su-Hyeok’s untouchable, and we’re not. They could easily blackmail us through our family or end up in some lab.]

[We can protect ourselves.]

[That’s fine for the climbers who survived long enough, but remember. A million people were dragged into this fucking tower, and anyone who died early on is basically a civilian. A bit stronger, sure, but that’s it.]

[Ah, damn, true.]

[Man, I wanted to go back so bad, but now you’re making me paranoid.]

[Personally, it sounds like you’re overthinking things.]

[Yeah, a bit too doomer-core.]

[Honestly, the real L is that Earth’s already crawling with monsters.]

[Guys, whatever the situation, Su-Hyeok’s got it. You’ve seen him looking after the climbers on each floor, right?]

[Yeah. End of the day, he’s all we’ve got.]

[Su-Hyeok! Su-Hyeok!]

[Ahhh.]

[King Su-Hyeok! God Su-Hyeok!]

***

[11 hours 21 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

“Thank you."

I had returned to the waiting room a while back, but a memory from the eighty-ninth floor kept circling in my mind. Specifically, they were Tireing’s parting words.

His large, round eyes had shone with a lively gleam after he had heard of my feats from the other giants.

In truth, they had downplayed rather than exaggerated my achievements.

The fight had been too difficult for the giants to comprehend—much less convey with words alone—and the darkness had obscured the first half of the battle.

Even so, his gaze had been filled with unrestrained excitement.

I don’t understand why.

Many of the giants had offered me words of gratitude, but Tiring’s lingered with particular vividness. My best guess was that he was a child.

I was not especially fond of children, but they tended to express their emotions more purely.

Something similar had occurred before. Among my many fleeting encounters while climbing the tower, Aoshi—whom I had met in Euros’s Forest—had left a deep impression.

By the way, my responsibilities seem to keep piling up.

I already had to look after Earth and the climbers, yet each floor brought with it a new set of individuals who relied on me. The nature of those trials led to such outcomes, and with my personality, I could hardly avoid it.

From the survivors I had rescued from the first factory on the twenty-first floor, to the giants of the eighty-ninth floor, there were simply too many to count.

The divinity they sent me was something I could clearly feel at all times, and it carried a certain weight. If I were to be honest, I had mixed feelings about their faith; gratitude intertwined with a sense of burden.

Perhaps this is why some gods lose interest in their lives and feel worn down.

Maintaining such bonds for hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years would be exhausting.

Gods weren’t flawless or inherently noble beings. At the end of the day, they were living beings, even if their mental fortitude far exceeded a normal creature’s.

If I were to live for millennia as a god, I could also grow numb. In some cases, indifference toward mortals would even be kinder.

However, that doesn’t excuse wrongful actions.

Indifference was one thing, but exploiting one’s own followers was something I could never condone. The same applied to waging war on other worlds.

I didn’t know what my future held in store for me, but I vowed never to follow such a path. Resolved, I set aside my drifting thoughts. It was time to focus on the present; Doppy needed help.

Hmm.

On the bed beside mine, Doppy lay staring blankly at the ceiling. He had seemed out of it since returning from the eighty-ninth floor. During our training session, he had been diligent, but something had been missing.

I had a rough idea of why. There had been signs of it even before now. Still, I hesitated over how to broach the subject.

Well, whatever.

I would simply trust the modest amount of experience I had gathered during the course of my life.

“Doppy.”

Lost in thought, he didn’t respond.

Maintaining a gentle tone, I tried again. “Doppy.”

“

Huh?

Oh, Su-Yeok! What is it?” His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at me.

“What’s wrong?”

I chose not to press too forcefully as a matter of courtesy. Although Doppy was hardly the type to conceal things, anyway.

His expression stiffened slightly, and I could tell he needed more time. I waited in silence, my gaze steady and warm, until at last he let out a deep sigh.

“It’s just... I feel like I’m not of any help.”

This was something I had known about for a while. Since around the thirtieth floor, he hadn’t contributed much in battle.

No, perhaps it started in the twenties. On second thought, maybe as far back as the teens.

Not that the exact floor mattered much.

Doppy was an apostle. His spells leaned on the supportive side, and he was a priest rather than a fighter. In that capacity, he had been invaluable for a long time.

He had saved me more than once since early in the tower, and even during the later stages, he had provided great aid.

Just as I was his benefactor, he was mine.

Things had only become problematic after enemies started struggling to injure me. I would even reject his healing or buffs to deliberately strengthen my natural recovery and physical resilience.

Although he could cast large-scale buffs during all-climber floors, other priests could do the same.

Of course, plenty of climbers had survived thanks to him.

“Do you think you are useless?”

“Yeah.”

To be honest, the same could be said for Yoonie and Ryun. It could sound callous, but that didn’t mean I thought they were worthless. I could never forget how much they had helped me.

Ryun had helped me grow my skills, and Yoonie had led me to discover a hidden mission that had proved to be a great asset. Because of them, I gained advantages that allowed me to reach this point.

It is just a fact that no one can be helpful at all times in every situation.

I didn’t see it as a problem. The same applied to the other climbers, Ha Hee-Jeong included.

I felt a deep gratitude toward Ha Hee-Jeong, but that was separate from whether she could presently offer me significant aid in combat.

Doppy and I had talked about this before. No matter how much I tried to reassure him, some things were unchangeable. I could understand, to some extent, the feeling of being dead weight.

“Don’t think that way. Think of how many times you have saved me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Lying in another bed, Ryun agreed, “That... is true... We... were... able... to grow... together... because... all of us... were here...”

“But still...” Doppy trailed off.

It had to be frustrating for him, but there was no helping it. Moreover, relationships weren’t defined by necessity or usefulness alone.

Doppy was my friend, and as his friend, I felt the need to encourage him. Fortunately, I had a fitting point to bring up.

“Just think about this last floor. You treated and stabilized so many giants. We worked together, and you contributed more in the grand scheme of things. Think of them and the others you have helped.”

Doppy fell silent, seemingly deep in thought and pondering memories from trials we had already overcome.

Even putting the factory aside, he had saved countless climbers on the brink of death during the many all-climber floors. That had been before I awakened my own divinity, and it was something he had accomplished entirely on his own.

Soon enough, he nodded firmly. “Got it!”

I allowed myself to faintly smile. I wasn’t sure if what I had said had truly comforted him, as I wasn’t exactly a professional counselor. It appeared to have brightened his mood, however.

“And one day, you’ll return to Fenrike. Think of this as training for that day. You’re Fenrike’s apostle. Try and avoid having thoughts like this, for Fenrike’s sake.”

“You’re right!” Doppy agreed immediately, then abruptly sat up in bed. He got to his feet and took a deep breath.

“

Hm?

Where are you going all of a sudden?”

“I should train a bit more! Ryun, you all right with that?”

“Of... course... any time...”

A smile rose from somewhere deep within me. My mention of Fenrike had roused his energy.

Though Doppy and I had spent a long time together, he didn’t believe in me as a god. In the end, he was Fenrike’s apostle, and that was completely okay to me. Stealing another’s follower was a despicable act.

As I watched his retreating back, it felt almost like I was seeing a younger sibling who had grown just a little.

***

After Doppy left, I started thinking about what we had practiced today: domains. Thanks to Deruope, I had been inspired to explore them.

I hadn’t encountered a domain before the eighty-ninth floor. Within its own domain, Deruope had managed to teleport at will and create constructs out of thin air.

Even Endless Furnace hadn’t used one.

Considering how it disregarded me, are domains exclusive to demigods?

The thought crossed my mind, but I couldn’t be certain—it didn’t appear likely. After all, I had used one as well despite not being a demigod.

Perhaps it was something challengers could employ, but more likely, Endless Furnace had underestimated me. I had taken it down with a strike it hadn’t anticipated.

A message from Ha Hee-Jeong interrupted my introspection.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Ninetieth Floor): Hey, Su-Hyeok, check the Community.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Ninetieth Floor): Why, all of a sudden?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Ninetieth Floor): They’re saying we should throw a party since it’s the last rest area.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Ninetieth Floor): A party?

The word caught me off guard. It felt a little out of place in the Tower of Ordeal, sudden and strange.

Still, I could guess why.

While it could be argued that the climbers were letting their guard down, given that they didn’t know what the last rest area would be like, it wasn’t so odd. Moreover, it wasn’t a bad idea since it could boost the morale of the climbers.

I was just about to reply while checking the Community when the notification window abruptly updated.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s sponsor, Omniscient Thunder Axe, wishes to sponsor a feast.]