Chapter 450: Ninety-Fourth Floor, Multiple Realizations (1)

[Gain enlightenment in more than one area. Time remaining: 11 hours 47 minutes.]

It certainly looked difficult, but that didn’t mean I should become frantic. There were still practically twelve hours, after all.

I have to approach the task with composure.

Of course, thinking and doing were two very separate matters, but intent came first. Haste only muddled the mind.

Aside from those concerns, my thoughts felt relatively organized.

Is it thanks to Clarity of Mind?

Although I had lost Scientist Do’s Composure, I was still left with one skill that boosted mental fortitude. Beyond that, the mental resilience I had forged climbing the tower couldn’t be dismissed.

That wasn’t to say I felt serene. With my life on the line, I was—unsurprisingly—tense. Skills weren’t omnipotent, and no matter how composed a person could remain, anxiety was unavoidable.

Plus, in this case, my life isn’t the only one at stake.

Regardless, this floor would be manageable.

Brushing aside those stray thoughts, I focused on the trial. Despite the challenges, two avenues of approach stood before me; I could either come to a mental realization or make a breakthrough with a fighting technique. I couldn’t imagine any other way to gain enlightenment, and even if I could, I doubted the tower would recognize it.

As I had already reasoned, mental enlightenment seemed far more elusive. My values were firmly set, and nothing in recent days had shaken me enough to provoke inner conflict.

Growing my combat skills appears more attainable.

If I confined myself to axemanship, it would prove difficult since I had already awakened the Heart Sword on the ninety-second floor. There were other skills I could develop, however, such as my control over lightning or my synergy with my wind spirit.

Although I somewhat considered it to be cheating, I had long commanded both lightning and wind in battle. Surely the tower would acknowledge that. Alternatively, I could seek inspiration in the use of mana, divinity, or causality. I really had limited myself at first by only thinking about my axemanship.

This should work.

Back on the fifth floor, the trial had only ended after the timer ran out. It wouldn’t be easy to complete the trial within twelve hours, but it would be more feasible if I ignored the axe. If all else failed, I could resort to reviewing my core values.

One thing of note was that the floor’s description urged me to gain more than one realization.

The more I achieve, the greater the reward.

Moreover, I would likely gain an even more distinguished title.

One example that came to mind was Omniscient Thunder Axe. His title was a fusion of two concepts: Thunder Axe and Omniscient. He had apparently reached enlightenment through his willpower and responsibility, and additionally through his skills incorporating lightning and axemanship.

If I wanted to achieve my goals, I needed to aim for multiple, not merely one.

Hmm.

It was like a lightbulb had gone off in my head, and I felt a tingling along my scalp—why was this space necessary?

Does the tower really have to set up multiple trials for enlightenment? Why establish one specifically on the ninety-fourth floor?

I could understand once, but this floor was the second. It was an exact mirror of the fifth. If the tower did this simply to bestow a divine title, it could have used the realizations and feats I had achieved while climbing.

The question led me to another thought.

Is this space optimized for enlightenment?

Perhaps.

For some reason, my head felt clearer here, unlike the fifth floor. The sensation grew sharper the longer I lingered.

Of course, it could be nothing more than an illusion. A weightless void stripped of distractions and completely still was naturally conducive to meditation.

Even still, I was confident that I hadn’t felt such clarity on the fifth floor.

Perhaps I wasn’t attuned with myself back then.

Taken together, the reasoning seemed sound. There had to be a reason why the ninety-fourth floor appeared identical to the fifth and was dedicated wholly to enlightenment. Why would the tower want this, especially since it wasn’t necessary for bestowing a title?

That led me to conclude that this space helped climbers gain inspiration.

If that is true, then I have to brainstorm as much as possible.

I had to secure realizations swiftly and strive to branch into new ones whenever possible. Even if I couldn’t perfectly break through all of my barriers, partially surpassing them would still help me.

At the same time, I grew concerned about something else. The ninety-third floor had already tested my intellect, while this one wanted me to develop my skills.

If the tower is willing to give me two non-combat floors in a row, what awaits me on the next?

In the end, I could only conclude that I had to devote myself fully to the present.

Can this really be considered enlightenment?

Regardless of whether the tower would acknowledge it, it felt insincere.

I fixed my gaze upon the darkness as a memory stirred. I recalled the moment I had cut down the trigger to the Seed of Annihilation.

Would severing this world lead to another hidden mission?

I shook my head inwardly.

Since awakening the Heart Sword, I felt a lingering urge to cut things. It was like a restless curiosity about what I could cleave, how far I could reach. I set it aside for now.

I can’t even move properly.

It was something I could attempt if all else failed. Additionally, I wasn’t wielding an axe, and I didn’t even want to for two main reasons. First, if this space truly fostered enlightenment, there was no need to rush. Especially if it was a deciding factor in my title—the tower could call me “Escapist” if I followed through on that idea.

I was half joking, but the risk remained.

Second, enlightenment only benefited me.

Once this floor ended, the waiting room would provide its usual reprieve, and at this stage, a handful of achievement points meant little to me.

My thoughts had begun to wander again. It did help my contemplation a little, but it was ultimately pointless. I needed to concentrate.

I returned my mind to the pursuit of realization.

***

[Gain enlightenment in more than one area. Time remaining: 6 hours 47 minutes.]

Hmm.

Nearly half my time had already slipped by, but nothing had felt inspiring. I had explored multiple paths, but each one ended the same. Mental enlightenment, insights into divinity, and new applications of mana or causality were all beyond reach. Causality was too complicated for me to grasp, and divinity was more related to the number of believers plus the depth of their faith rather than insight.

As for mana, I lacked the talent to be a competent mage, which made discovering new applications beyond my current scope close to impossible.

Lightning and wind were no different.

An added difficulty lay in the fact that I couldn’t wield my full strength—only my thoughts remained sharp. Mana, divinity, and even causality refused to stir. Ideas on how to apply new and old techniques flowed through my head, but I couldn’t test them. That meant that with my lack of magical talent, simply theorizing was insufficient to reach enlightenment regarding lightning or wind.

Nearly half the allotted time slipped away in vain before the truth finally struck me.

I have to focus on my axemanship.

From the start, my overwhelming martial talent was what had set me apart from others. If I were to achieve any kind of enlightenment, it had to be by devoting myself wholly to the axe.

Unfortunately, that awareness didn’t immediately lead to any tangible ideas. My understanding of the Heart Sword deepened somewhat, but it was closer to refinement than to enlightenment. The next step remained beyond reach.

It isn’t as if I have a master to guide me.

The only examples I could draw from were my bouts with Angelina and Omniscient Thunder Axe, but both fights were lacking. Not only were Angelina’s lessons old, but I had also since surpassed her. Meanwhile, Thunder Axe hadn’t used any of his high-level techniques and had only displayed foundational skills, aiming to pass me the distilled essence of axemanship. That was an area far beyond my grasp at this point.

Then shall I perfect what I already know?

It was difficult to explain, but I couldn’t pursue it by simulating or theorizing. Therefore, I began to regret the confidence I had felt only hours ago.

Certainty? Hardly.

A clear mind didn’t guarantee inspiration. Perhaps it helped, but only because I had recently broken through to a new level.

Ugh. Maybe if I could move, it would be easier.

My frustration at my immobility was mounting when a thought brushed against my mind without warning.

Wait...

Seo Ho-Su loved to speak about novels, and more specifically, martial arts fantasy novels. In them, trainees and masters alike practiced breathing methods that incorporated meditation, scripture, and chanting to circulate qi, thereby deepening their martial power.

I tried it once

.

However, it hadn’t suited me, so I had abandoned it. Besides, I didn’t know of any such scriptures in the first place. Yet this space reminded me of his stories, of those masters cultivating through meditation.

Is this realm designed for that?

In a world where magic was real, the idea wasn’t entirely absurd.

I had never solely trained my mind. Even when I fought imagined enemies in mental landscapes, I hadn’t remained still, mimicking my simulated actions to a certain degree.

Fine, I will try it. I can’t chant martial scriptures, so what should I do instead? Maybe I should conjure an imagined opponent, as I do in mental duels.

That could work, but aside from being unable to move, it was nothing new. Something different was needed.

Why not start from the very beginning? From a blank page.

Though I had wielded axes for most of my climb, I had first chosen a sword. Yes, retracing my growth from the very first floor could lead to greater heights.

After making that decision, I banished all distractions and sank inward. I recalled the moment the tower had kidnapped me and forced me to choose a weapon. I had picked up a longsword.

With it, I had clumsily fought goblins, then switched to a mace after defeating an orc warlord. On the seventh floor, I obtained a battleaxe. I first used it on the ninth floor, against a minotaur. That was when I realized I was truly meant to wield an axe.

That was the instant that had changed everything. From that point on, I had always fought with axes, only switching between a one-handed and a two-handed once.

I began retracing the movements I had made with the axe on each floor, step by step. I tried remembering how I had swung upward, how I had cleaved downward, how I had intercepted an enemy’s strike.

Every moment climbing the tower had been a moment of growth, and those motions I had carved into reality were vividly etched into my memory.

Something... changed.

Though my eyes were closed and I was unable to see the tower’s messages, something suddenly came into view.

It was my inner world, a realm filled with blue-golden light. At its center stood a double-headed axe.

Soulbound.

It was the very weapon I knew, down to the very last detail. I instinctively reached for it, only to realize that I had no corporeal body.

So I simply gazed at it.

It felt as if it could move. As soon as I thought about shifting closer, Soulbound trembled faintly.