- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): Oh, it’s because of what you said the last time we met. You told me to reach out if I ever changed my mind.

So, that’s what this was about. I had in fact asked him to join our party on the thirteenth floor.

Well, it worked out since I was leaving the party soon and needed to find a replacement anyway. Considering Ha Hee-Jeong had vouched for Hakin’s capabilities, he would make an excellent addition. I just felt a bit uncomfortable bringing him in, only to leave right after.

Well, I could always explain the situation to him later.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): You’re talking about joining our party, right? Have you changed your mind?

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): Um… yes. Quite a few of my party members died recently… and the party disbanded.

His unexpected reply left me momentarily speechless. I thought he had simply reconsidered joining us.

However, now that I thought more about it, although we had successfully cleared the most recent floors, people would still inevitably lose their lives. Unfortunately, it seemed Hakin’s original party members were among those casualties.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): I’m really sorry to hear that… Are you okay? That must’ve been incredibly difficult.

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): Yeah, although, losing party members is something I’ve gone through a few times. It was very hard in the beginning, but now… I’ve gotten used to it.

Hakin’s words had an unmistakable undercurrent of sorrow.

Climbers were typically given roughly ten hours between floors, which was a woefully insufficient amount of time to properly mourn fallen comrades. To ensure his own survival, he likely didn’t even have the luxury to dwell on their loss.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, wondering just how much emotional turmoil this young man had endured.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): Well, I’m glad you reached out. I’m sure Hee-Jeong would be happy to have you join as well. However, there’s a bit of an issue.

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): An issue? Did you already recruit someone else?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): No, it’s not that. The thing is… I’m planning to leave the party soon. But keep this to yourself for now, alright?

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): What?

His response came almost instantaneously, and I could practically sense his confusion through the speed of his reply.

I quickly explained my reasonings to prevent potential misunderstandings.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): It’s not like we had a falling out or anything. I’m sure you saw it on the sixteenth floor, but my presence is hindering my party members’ growth. That’s why I’ve decided to step away.

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): Ah… I suppose that’s true. If you take care of everything, there’s not much left for the others to do. So, are you going solo from now on?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twentieth Floor): That’s right. So, let me ask you again. Would you still be interested in joining our party even if I’m not part of it?

- Azad Hakin (Twentieth Floor): Yes. Even if you’re not there, Hee-Jeong noona is, and I want to join the best party I can. Well… excluding you, you’re on a completely different level. Not including you, your party members are the best climbers.

If he was fine with me being absent, then it was settled. I told Hakin to hold on for a moment while I sent Ha Hee-Jeong a message, updating her on his circumstances and informing her that he wanted to join the party.

A short while later, Ha Hee-Jeong’s reply came through. She had likely been in the middle of something since it was slightly delayed.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twentieth Floor): Hmm, I would have preferred getting another warrior, but that kid should be fine. Besides, we’ve already got Ha-Rin as a front-liner.

I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at Ha Hee-Jeong’s words. She seemed to be treating Seo Ha-Rin completely like a warrior now.

It made sense, since starting from the fifteenth floor onward, Seo Ha-Rin donned full plate armor and fought on the front lines. Officially, she was still a priest, but word had spread that she now entered the thick of battle, swinging her mace. She was steadily evolving from a cleric into more of a paladin.

Not a bad development at all.

She had found her role, and with me stepping down, that would help the team immensely.

Anyway, Ha Hee-Jeong had already discussed things with Azad Hakin, but we hadn’t formally invited him yet. Once I officially announced my departure, Ha Hee-Jeong would inform the other members.

Since Hakin’s ranked about 2,100 on the leaderboard, we probably won’t see him in the rest area.

He would likely join them on the next party floor.

Given his abilities, he should be able to rise through the ranks quickly. I had no doubt we would see him on the thirtieth floor’s Zone 1 rest area.

Topping it off, the new armor I had ordered had just arrived.

***

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s Party is now entering the twentieth floor: Rest Zone 1.]

[All offensive actions are strictly prohibited within the rest area. Rest at your leisure. Time remaining: 35 hours 59 minutes.]

This was my second visit here. The field, bathed in a rich, verdant hue beneath the fading light of dusk, greeted me once more.

Perhaps it was the nature of this place, but the shelter seemed to provide an unusual sense of peace, almost as if the tower itself was offering a reprieve from its relentless trials.

The moment I laid eyes on the field, I felt my heart unclench. With a tranquil mind, I turned back to my party members.

“It’s just as we thought, this floor is another rest area. Seems like we didn’t need to bring all our gear after all.”

“Indeed. Every tenth floor appears to be a shelter. Next time, we shouldn’t bother—”

Cole suddenly fell silent. His eyes widened as he looked at me.

His abrupt silence drew the attention of the others, and they all turned to look in my direction. Seo Ha-Rin and Seo Ho-Su were just as surprised, blurting out confusedly.

“Oppa, what is that?”

“Su-Hyeok, where did you get that?”

Their reactions were all due to the armor crafted by Master Roxant.

“Haha… I used some achievement points and got myself a new set of armor.”

They stared, stunned, at the armor’s dark, almost obsidian hue which matched my gauntlet. Factor in the elegant silver patterns etched onto the surface and it was evident at a glance that this was no ordinary piece of gear.

No, “unordinary” doesn’t even come close to describing its true value.

The armor seemed to exude a presence of its own as if an invisible aura seeped from it. Even someone with no knowledge of mana could probably sense its overwhelming energy.

“Well, considering you took down the Emperor and caused three entire floors to collapse, you must’ve amassed a staggering number of achievement points. Damn, it looks incredible.”

“Yeah, your entire aura has changed. Even though I know you’re a skilled fighter, I always worried that your defensive gear wasn’t quite up to par for someone on the front lines. But now, I feel much more at ease.”

I smiled at Cole’s sincere comment, and Seo Ho-Su chimed in.

“So, Su-Hyeok, how much was that?”

Instead of answering directly, I simply offered a sheepish smile. Seo Ho-Su grumbled and feigned irritation.

“Damn, how expensive was it that you won’t even tell us? I’ve been saving up points to get myself some new gear, but it looks like you’ve already snatched the best one. That’s odd, though. I combed through the entire shop, but I didn’t see anything like that.”

“There’s a lot in the shop, so it’s easy to miss. Besides, this piece doesn’t even have ‘armor’ in its name, so you probably wouldn’t have found it.”

I decided not to mention that I had used the Dimensional Forge voucher. If I did, they would start peppering me with questions, and I wasn’t really in the mood to give a lengthy explanation.

Besides, I would feel a bit awkward flaunting such an extravagant bonus reward.

Still, I hadn’t fully lied—the armor really didn’t have “armor” in its name.

[Guardian’s Will of the Underworld] [Unique]

- A set of full-plate armor crafted by a master artisan using a top-grade alloy that originates from the Underworld.

- One of the top-ranked sets of armor in the universe.

- Defense increases further when infused with mana.

- Boasts superior resistance to both magical and physical attacks.

- Strength +2, Agility +2, Stamina +3, Mana +4.

No matter how many times I read through its description, a smile tugged at my lips every time. I smiled at my party members, who were still transfixed by the sight of my new armor, before finally breaking the silence.

“Shall we head out?”

Most of the other climbers had already started making their way toward the shelter. If we wanted to claim decent spots in the dormitories and the dining hall, we had to get a move on.

“Yeah, let’s get going!”

“Ugh, I’m starving. Let’s hurry up.”

The whole time we walked to the shelter, I felt a steady stream of gazes following me. While it was partly due to my recent accomplishments on the fourteenth through sixteenth floors, I knew the real reason behind those curious stares. Their wide eyes were locked onto my armor, and their expressions—slack-jawed with raised brows—seemed to scream, “What on earth is that?!”

***

[All offensive actions are strictly prohibited within the rest area. Rest at your leisure. Time remaining: 33 hours 49 minutes.]

We had long since settled into our rooms and moved to the dining hall. Dinner was a distant memory, and we were now engrossed in a round of drinks. Fortunately, the conversation about my impending departure from the party had ended in a relatively quick and painless conclusion.

Understandably, everyone was deeply disappointed, but they recognized that keeping me in the party would ultimately hinder their own growth.

“Yeah, we saw you in action on the sixteenth floor. You took down a dragon and faced an entire army of lizardmen all by yourself. It’s only fair that we part ways here.”

“True. Being around you made everything feel secure, but we can’t keep relying on that forever.”

“Still… It's really sad. We came this far together.”

One by one, they expressed their thoughts. As Seo Ha-Rin exhaled a soft sigh and pouted slightly, Seo Ho-Su nodded thoughtfully and spoke sincerely in a measured tone.

“Even so, Su-Hyeok. You know what they say—once a party, always a party. We’re parting ways for the sake of each of our growths, but let’s make sure we continue greeting each other with smiles whenever we meet again. Thanks for everything, and I’m certain you’ll do great out there.”

“Thank you, truly. Let’s all make it through this no matter what.”

“Oppa, so… is Doppy going with you too?”

“Yeah, most likely. Doppy has always been by my side, so it’ll be leaving the party as well.”

I accompanied my response with a gentle smile, but Seo Ha-Rin’s face only fell further. It seemed she and Doppy, both being priests, had grown closer than I realized.

After that, Ha Hee-Jeong stepped in and explained to everyone that Azad Hakin would be replacing me. Thankfully, she handled it with her usual tact and grace, and the others accepted the news without a single objection.

With the air of regret slowly dissipating, we resumed drinking and chatting. Given how fresh and vivid the previous floor was in everyone’s minds, most of the conversation naturally revolved around the trials we had faced there.

“So, how exactly did you pull it off?”

“Ah, right. Back then, I decided intimidation would be the best tactic. After all, I’d just taken down a dragon. That’s when Turen approached me and said he’d follow me, even if it meant charging headlong into death.”

“Wow! That Turen guy’s got some flair, huh? At first, I thought he was just some arrogant punk, but he turned out to be quite gallant after acknowledging his defeat without a fuss.”

Since the others had been stationed on the left wall for most of the battle, they were curious about the events that led up to the dragon’s defeat. I filled them in on every detail, recounting everything from the moment I faced the beast to the subsequent charge Turen and I led together.

While describing the charge Seo Ha-Rin’s eyes lit up with unbridled fascination.

“So, you led the charge because you had to stop them from pouring in through the crumbling gates?”

“Yeah. Although, I didn’t plan to go that far initially.”

“Then what changed?”

“To be honest, I felt this sudden rush of adrenaline. It was almost as if I was being swept away in the heat of the moment, completely in the zone. Before I realized it, we were already deep inside the enemy’s ranks.”

“Right, right. It really looked like you were possessed when you dashed forward like a madman.”

Seo Ho-Su took a long gulp of his beer and savored the drink as he nodded along to my story. I briefly took a sip of my own, partly to build anticipation and partly to give myself a brief pause.

“That’s when I finally assessed the battlefield. With the dragon dead, the skies were ours, and the number of enemies had dwindled significantly. It looked like we had a real chance. That’s when Hee-Jeong issued the command to charge.”

“Ah, so it was then! I remember I was watching from the wall and thinking that Hee-Jeong looked like a true commander. ‘As acting commander, I order all climbers to charge!’ Man, that was something else.”

Seo Ho-Su tried to mimic Ha Hee-Jeong’s voice, and she wrinkled her nose in annoyance, raising her voice in playful protest, “Ho-Su!”

The lighthearted banter set off a ripple of laughter among us.

It was at that moment that Alexei made her entrance, leading her party over to where we were gathered.

“Hey there. I’ve brought my crew along today. We fought together on the sixteenth floor, soooo… mind if we join you guys?”