Chapter 45: Eleventh Floor, Two Doors (3)

[Choose a door and proceed. Time remaining: 5 hours 31 minutes.]

Just like before, a set of red and black doors appeared in front of me. This perplexed me since I had already chosen the black door. I thought that would be the end of it, but apparently, it wasn’t a one-time decision.

So, now the question was...

Which door should I choose this time?

I stood before the looming doors, yet my instincts remained silent.

Wait a second

.

I shouldn’t just rely on a gut feeling.

I had already gone through the black door and seen what it contained.

If I choose the red door now, will a different kind of guardian come out? ... Hold on.

A memory flashed through my mind—the moment I first opened the black door. I distinctly remembered the boss room growing darker as soon as I looked in.

Of course, it could mean nothing. Maybe the boss room just had fewer torches, making it feel dimmer. But the fact that the door I had chosen was black kept nagging at me.

It has to be connected somehow.

Looking at the situation, it didn’t feel like this boss room would end after passing through the next door. The tutulli guardians I had just fought were far too easy.

Could it be that the black door makes the room progressively darker?

If the room continued to darken until I was fighting in pitch darkness, dealing with the monsters flying at me would be challenging...

But is it really that obvious?

The connection between the black door and the dimming of the lights made me pause for a moment. Then again, nothing was stopping it from being that simple.

So far, I knew two things: after choosing the black door, the room darkened slightly, and the tutulli guardians appeared.

So, what would happen if I chose the red door?

The first thing that came to mind was fire. Maybe the door didn’t represent blood, and fire seemed the next most logical option.

Would I end up fighting in flames or intense heat? That might not be too bad.

If choosing the black door did darken the room, I would end up fighting in total darkness.

In that case, the red door seemed like a better option. I had the Fire Resistance skill after all. Fighting in a hot environment would be much easier than fighting in complete darkness, and as a bonus, I could level up my Fire Resistance skill. So maybe this time, I should go with the red door...

Wait, hold on.

A sudden thought interrupted my decision, and I glanced again at the tower’s message.

[Choose a door and proceed. Time remaining: 5 hours 30 minutes.]

The tower’s message clearly instructed me to choose one door, red or black. But I had already chosen the black door once.

Maybe I was overthinking it, but the tower’s messages often held a deeper meaning that wasn’t visible at first glance. The Tower of Ordeal loved playing word games, and I couldn’t ignore that.

What if I am not supposed to switch doors halfway through?

I wasn’t sure, but choosing the red door suddenly felt risky. The consequences could be unpredictable, even fatal. I couldn’t gamble on uncertain possibilities. It was safer to follow the tower’s instructions.

Once I made that realization, my hesitation faded.

Stick with the black door.

I calmly walked over and opened the black door. It led to a room identical to the one I had just left. It was a dome-shaped arena with holes scattered along the walls.

As I expected...

The only difference this time was that the room had become even darker. My initial guess had been right, the room got progressively dimmer each time I moved forward.

If I chose the red door, would I really have fought surrounded by flames?

It seemed highly probable.

Looking back, this isn’t a bad situation either.

If anything, this was the perfect opportunity to learn how to fight in darkness. The first and second floors' patches of darkness had caught me off guard, and I had panicked then. This was a chance to overcome that weakness.

I didn’t know what trials the tower would throw at me in the future, but mastering the ability to fight in every situation could prove crucial.

At least the room is gradually getting darker instead of all at once.

For now, my vision wasn’t completely obscured... I had time to adjust before my eyes couldn’t penetrate the darkness.

This was turning out to be a great opportunity for training. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the floors I had to conquer alone were designed for my growth.

The first and second floors, and now the eleventh—each floor introduced progressively tougher enemies and challenges as I moved forward.

It was good news for me, but...

“Kriee?"

Doppy’s voice broke through my thoughts, snapping me back to the present.

Have I been overthinking this?

Right, clearing the boss room was my priority. It was time to refocus.

“Stay back like before.”

“

Kriee!

Okay!”

With Doppy safely standing behind me, I cautiously stepped forward.

The room was slightly darker than before, but still well-lit enough to make out my surroundings, so I didn’t feel very tense. I didn’t expect clearing this room would cause me much trouble. Even if all the tutulli guardians came charging out together, I felt more than ready for them.

One thought lingered in the back of my mind.

It’s going to get even darker...

There was no way this would be the darkest it would get, I was in the boss room, after all. The darkness creeping in was only a prelude to what was sure to become a pitch-black battlefield.

Sure, I could rely on Lightning Essence to light my way, but I had hardened my resolve at the start of this floor. I couldn’t continue wasting movements or energy in battle, especially when the situation wasn’t desperate. I would get comfortable with the darkness.

Maybe I should try fighting with my eyes closed...

It wasn’t a bad idea.

After all, it wouldn’t be long before I had no choice but to fight in total darkness. Better to get used to it now, on my own terms. If things got too dangerous, I could always open my eyes.

Now was the perfect moment to experience it, in a controlled environment with room for error.

Yeah, time to give it a shot.

I reached the center of the room, and the familiar sound of rolling metal echoed off the walls. The tutulli guardians were back. This time, though, they took a more aggressive stance, as five were already barreling toward me.

This won’t be a problem. Same enemy, just a few more. I got this.

With my high-level Combat Focus and sharpened Sixth Sense, I felt confident.

Even without relying on those skills, I had something more primal—raw instinct.

I thought back to the first floor when I dodged arrows and swords with nothing but my natural reflexes, with no status window or experience to back me up. If I could do it then, I could certainly do it now.

The rolling noise grew louder as the guardians approached. Deciding it was time to begin my test, I closed my eyes.

Even through my closed eyelids, I could sense the faint glow of the room’s light. Realizing the dim glow offered me some information, I resolved myself to fully commit. I squeezed my eyes even tighter, blocking out even the faintest sliver of light.

The last traces of any visual cues flickered and faded into complete darkness.

Alright... Bring it on.

Clunk, clunk —

The first two guardians shot forward—one from 10 o’clock and the other from 7 o’clock—with a brief gap between them. I could hear the distinct windy sound of their blades cutting through the air.

I shifted to the left, avoiding the first one.

Clunk— Clunk— Clunk—

The other three fired from the 12 o’clock, 1 o’clock, and 4 o’clock positions.

They waited for me to move first, then fired themselves.

I twisted my axe upward, catching the first incoming blade with a sharp clang. Without missing a beat, I swung it to the right and deflected the blade from the Guardian charging at me from 7 o’clock.

Three remained.

No gaps now.

They were coming all at once. It was possible they would try to flank me and get a backstab.

This time, I focused on sensing the exact moment their blades extended toward me, instead of anticipating their moves.

Since my stamina was nearly full, I knew taking a hit wouldn’t be too disastrous.

If things became truly dire, my Sixth Sense would warn me. Besides, Doppy had my back if things went completely south.

I stepped back, forcing all my senses—except sight—into overdrive.

In that heightened state of awareness, something new clicked. I began to pick up on more than just sound. I could feel the air shifting as the guardians moved, the currents changing with each step they took.

There.

I sensed the air split to my left. Raising my axe, I intercepted the incoming blade.

Clang!

The next strike came from my right, then my front. The metallic ringing of clashing weapons filled the air, but I could still clearly sense each incoming strike.

Wow... this was easier than I thought.

Even I was taken aback by how quickly I had adjusted to the darkness. I had expected to get hit a few times, but here I was, handling it effortlessly.

The sound of rolling metal snapped me out of my thoughts. A fight was no place to become distracted.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has surpassed himself and reached a new level of focus. His skills have leveled up. Combat Focus is now lvl 13.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has awakened a previously unknown sense. He has gained the skill Awareness lvl 3.」

***

Each time I chose the black door, the room grew dimmer. By the fourth door, I could barely make out the room, and by the fifth, the darkness was impenetrable.

Of course, the tutulli guardians seemed to see me just fine in the dark.

Randomly, I remembered that Doppy had been able to see in the darkness of the first floor. However, it said that it couldn’t visualize anything here. Maybe the tower only granted the ability to see through the darkness on the floors monsters originated from.

Oh, welp...

I had been fighting with my eyes closed for a while, so it didn’t bother me much. But something unexpected happened.

After entering the black door five times, the familiar glow that usually seeped through my eyelids when I used the Lightning Essence didn’t appear. I opened my eyes out of curiosity, but couldn’t see any lightning streaks.

So, it’s not just a matter of dimming the lights...

Even lightning couldn’t pierce through the darkness the tower produced.

Absolute darkness enveloped me. It hadn’t been much of a problem until now, but the thought of facing stronger opponents without my vision began to worry me.

My original plan had been to supplement my senses with Lightning Essence earlier since my ability to sense movements in the dark wasn’t perfect.

Dealing with the increasing number of enemies hadn’t been a problem until the last two rooms, where I had taken a few hits. Although fighting in the darkness was good training, I preferred fighting in the light.

Or do I?

Maybe it wouldn’t make much of a difference in the end.

After all, I was already in the boss room. Something about this arena felt... off.

Have I simply outgrown the challenges here?

I wasn’t sure, but I knew the only way was forward. Eventually, something would show itself.

[Choose a door and proceed. Time remaining: 4 hours 47 minutes.]

Despite the enveloping darkness, the message from the tower remained visible and clear. I couldn’t identify the colors on the doors anymore, but their arrangement was consistent. The black door was always to my right.

I proceeded forward and pushed the black door open, stepping into the familiar shroud of darkness.

I moved cautiously forward until a sudden rustle from the center of the room caught my attention. A low and commanding voice broke the silence.

“Who dares to enter this place?"

I hadn’t encountered a situation like this in the boss room. Although I sensed a solitary presence, no notification window appeared to aid me in identifying the creature, distinct from the usual messages the tower normally provided.

Yet, the lack of a notification message didn’t mean this was an ordinary monster like the tutulli guardians. My opponent had a distinct aura of power that set it apart.

Considering the strength of the aura I sensed, a thought crossed my mind.

Could this room be the final challenge?

Ensuring Doppy would stay safe, I discreetly pushed it behind me before tightening my grip on my axe. Everything went quiet until the crisp sound of a sword being drawn sliced through the air, shattering the tension. My ears, attuned to the slightest noise, detected the resonance of a single blade.

Unlike the tutulli guardians who wielded dual swords, this enemy bore only one.

“Well, since only thieves make it this far, I suppose keeping silent from shame is understandable..."

The voice continued to resonate in the darkness, unaccompanied by any visual.

“However, you lack manners.”

Even though there was no audible indication of movement, I felt the air part, alerting me to an imminent attack. Not a second later, I heard the air in front of me become violently disrupted.

The attack was much faster than I had anticipated.

Reacting instinctively, I swung my axe upward, prepared to meet the unseen threat head-on.