Chapter 452: Ninety-Fifth Floor, Waiting Room (1)

The Community on Earth, during the events on the ninety-fifth floor.

[Ughhh, no fighting makes this so boring.]

[FR! I legit pulled an all-nighter waiting for it to start.]

[You didn’t sleep??]

[No lol.]

[Bro, you wild lmao.]

[The ninety-third floor was hella short, like two to three minutes tops, so I thought this one’d be quick too.]

[Next time just sleep, bruh 😂 even short floors usually give us like a twelve-hour break.]

[True, but still, this is dry af. What even is this trial?]

[Since he’s just sitting there in the dark, he is probably doing some kinda thinking test. Like riddles or enlightenment vibes.]

[Lol rip, guess that means it’s boring for us.]

[Wtf you mean boring?? You’d rather be stressed? Y’all built different.]

[Why tho?]

[No fighting’s a win, dude. You want Su-Hyeok to risk his life every single time?]

[Nah nah, I don’t mean it like that, chill.]

[Watch your mouth tho 👀.]

[But ngl, even Su-Hyeok stans are way too quiet rn... u gotta admit it’s boring.]

[Lmaoo 💀]

[Blasphemy!!]

[We ain’t quiet because it’s boring. We’re just locked in, admiring Su-Hyeok’s divine visuals.]

[Lol look at this one pop out as soon as we talk trash 😂.]

[But fr, I’m lowkey worried.]

[Why?]

[Usually when a floor’s easy, the next one’s cracked.]

[Yeah, true.]

[What if the next floor’s insanely hard??]

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

[Big sus 🤨.]

[Lmaoo bruh, like Su-Hyeok hasn’t solo’d impossible floors a million times before.]

[Exactly, if even we can predict that, Su-Hyeok’s already prepped for it, no cap.]

[Fair point.]

[Yep yep, don’t overthink. Just trust.]

[Wait whaaaat???]

[What now?]

[Yo, a giant axe just spawned in Su-Hyeok’s hand.]

[????????]

[Hold up, he is casting magic now??]

[Could he always summon his axe like it was a captured Mon or something?]

***

[95 hours 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

After returning, I pleasantly noted that I had four full days until the next floor, but it still surprised me—the last floor hadn’t contained any fighting.

Hmm, is it due to my new insights?

That seemed like the most reasonable explanation. It felt as if the tower intended me to internalize what I had gained on the ninety-fourth floor. Strangely, that very generosity left me unsettled.

Both the ninety-third and ninety-fourth floors had been closer to resting points. Because of that, I assumed the opponent awaiting me on the next floor was unlikely to be trivial.

The sixth was simple enough, though.

On second thought, that was after the challenger tutorial, and I had stepped back into a normal climber’s floor. The current situation was different—I was undergoing trials designed for a challenger. From what I knew, the gap between the tutorial and the sixth floor had felt enormous to many others.

Naturally, it was fair to assume the ninety-fifth would be much the same.

Well, I should make full use of the time given.

Brooding idly wouldn’t change anything. Since I assumed the next trial would be inevitably difficult, I was better off training as much as possible.

I still lacked true mastery over my and Soulbound’s unified state. To be precise, it was closer to our souls fusing, but as with the Heart Sword, I wanted to name it Soulbound Unity since it sounded better. It didn’t affect the technique, no matter what I called it.

Leaving those thoughts behind, I made my way toward the training room. Since I hadn’t gotten the chance to exercise—or even move—on the previous floor, and since I always bathed before any trial, I was still clean and didn’t need to shower.

I shed my armor and sank straight into the hot spring. Its pleasant warmth enveloped me.

The Coming Dawn.

Even after returning to the waiting room, I still couldn’t make heads or tails of my new title. It was the same reason I had struggled back on the ninety-fourth floor; I couldn’t enlighten myself in anything other than the axe. Nowhere in my pursuit of the axe had I realized anything related to daybreak.

Dawn.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what that meant.

Dawn was the moment when night ended, when the darkness lifted, and light began to spread across the sky. Regardless, no matter how I turned it over in my head, I couldn’t see how that connected to my source of inspiration.

On the ninety-fourth floor, I had wondered if the title related to my lightning abilities, but that no longer seemed likely.

Right before merging with Soulbound, the golden-blue light vanished, and lightning pierced the darkness.

Perhaps it was a figurative description, but calling that “dawn” still felt forced.

Sitting quietly in the hot spring, I murmured the new title under my breath a few times, “Dawn. The Coming Dawn.”

Another source of strangeness came to mind. Dawn, by definition, meant the light arriving in the morning. The idea of “coming” was embedded within the word.

Is this meant as a layered expression? Or does dawn hold another meaning I don’t know of?

I pondered, but no clear answer came to me. With no smartphone or dictionary here, I could only guess.

Wait, what if the shop carries dictionaries?

I immediately opened the shop and searched for a Korean dictionary, but nothing appeared.

Well, of course.

The shop sold nearly everything, but a dictionary would have been peculiar. I let out a quiet sigh. Perhaps I had been mistaken all along, and the ninety-fourth floor didn’t decide my title.

While I certainly unlocked it after that floor, that doesn’t mean it was tied to my enlightenment.

Based on that assumption, the tower granted my title after looking at my past deeds, while enlightenment remained a separate matter. When I considered it from that angle, it made far more sense.

If that is the case, then The Coming Dawn may be metaphorical.

The tower had often placed me in roles where I helped those who suffered, those who were unjustly invaded or oppressed. I had indeed rescued many individuals and had been called a liberator. If they were seen as trapped in darkness, then to them, I could have appeared as dawn.

Am I just being vain?

Even as I thought it, the notion felt embarrassing. It sounded self-congratulatory, almost arrogant. However, that was the most convincing explanation I had come up with. Claiming that the brilliance of lightning related to dawn seemed even less fitting.

Does Natalie have the answer?

Though it related to a trial, my title was still a kind of reward. Perhaps Natalie could freely explain it.

In the end, I set the matter aside as it wasn’t worth contemplating. I liked the title. If anything, it was impressive. I had only pressed the question due to equal parts curiosity and the desire to discipline my own reasoning. I couldn’t rely solely on Natalie.

Inside the trials, I had to endure alone. I couldn’t always lean on her.

The ninety-fifth floor is up next. I am nearing the end of the tower, but another intellect-based trial can still come along.

Improving my critical thinking and brainstorming was training in its own right. Mental growth was as necessary as physical. Since I hadn’t come up with any more ideas, that signaled the end of my deliberation over my title. Instead, I returned to pondering the enlightenment I had gained on the ninety-fourth floor.

Even here in the hot spring, I could still attempt to deepen Soulbound Unity.

Shall I try?

I had set Soulbound down when I entered the training room. Trying to control the axe with my will, it rose slightly, but then faltered. Perhaps because I was still unskilled, it refused to respond as fluidly as it had during the trial.

Hmm. I have to focus more.

Closing my eyes, I recalled my journey on the previous floor as the light from the lamps filtered faintly through my lids. I sank inward, and everything seemed to grow darker. At the end of the darkness, the blue-golden realm revealed itself, with Soulbound at its center. I willed it to rise, and the axe slowly lifted into the air.

This should do.

When I opened my eyes again, Soulbound floated just as it had in my inner world. Fortunately, my concentration didn’t break. I focused harder and swung it lightly. Soulbound cut through the air without the slightest deviation, following my will precisely. I tried infusing mana into it, then divinity. I had already cut through an entire world with the Heart Sword, so this much was hardly difficult.

Hmm, still a bit lacking.

After several swings, it seemed less versatile than I had imagined. Of course, the ability to move Soulbound without touching it was valuable. It was akin to controlling flying swords. However, frankly, when I gripped the axe with my own two hands, my strikes were faster and sharper. Not that mentally controlling Soulbound was that slow, but it could hinder me.

If my opponent can match my strength, it will become problematic.

Just because I was manipulating it with my thoughts didn’t mean it matched the speed of my thoughts. In practice, I would stick to using my hands. Even if training this technique sped it up, I doubted my mind would change.

It felt awkward to wield Soulbound with my will while holding another weapon. However, the reverse was no less cumbersome. Perhaps with enough practice, that issue would fade, but for now, it demanded an undue amount of focus.

As I had already considered, if my opponent were also a master, the technique would only amount to a hindrance. In such a case, it was better to devote myself entirely to my own combat style. Like on the ninety-fourth floor, this ability would prove invaluable in situations where I couldn’t move. In a true battle, such conditions would be rare.

Still, it isn’t a bad thing.

I wasn’t disappointed. Adding another skill to my arsenal was valuable enough.

More importantly, however, the sensation of holding Soulbound had shifted dramatically since achieving unity with it. Though I had yet to battle with it, the martial insights I had seized in that moment of enlightenment remained within me.

That will do for the hot spring.

I rose while keeping Soulbound suspended in the air. With the wind spirit’s help, I shed the moisture clinging to my body, put on my climbing gear, and then grasped Soulbound in my hand.

As expected, it felt different.

Should I test it?

The instant the thought crossed my mind, Soulbound’s emotions pressed against my mind. It was a calm yet mounting thrill, sharp and clear. As I raised my arm toward the sky, Soulbound offered me a suggestion. I followed its will and swung. The strike lacked mana, divinity—and didn’t even use the Heart Sword—and was just a simple motion.

Shrrk.

A sharp, unsettling sound tore through the air. For a fleeting moment, the space Soulbound cleaved twisted visibly, as if the very atmosphere had warped.

Good.

Our union had taken hold. I felt wholly bound to Soulbound, and it drew out a force greater than what I could summon alone.

A grin spread across my face.

This is fun.

Beyond Soulbound’s suggestions, there was still much I wished to attempt. I had gained a considerable number of insights during that instant of enlightenment.

Hmm.

I had originally intended to leave the hot spring and visit Natalie to ask about my divine title. However, the moment I gripped Soulbound, a powerful urge to train welled within me. It was only natural, so soon after a breakthrough. No doubt Natalie had anticipated as much. My curiosity about the title wasn’t urgent.

I shifted my grip on Soulbound. Its calm presence quivered faintly with excitement. When I swung it again, an unexpected problem arose. The training room walls split apart.

Uh-oh. That wasn’t what I intended.

It seemed Soulbound had to practice moderating its strength.