[The Hidden Truth Behind Different Species in the Tower of Ordeal]

Author: Jimmy Hendrick (Twentieth Floor)

…

While conversing with the goblin Doppy, I uncovered a startling revelation about the nature of the various races inhabiting the tower. It appears that the designations provided by the tower do not reflect their true identities.

...

In essence, if a “goblin” refers to itself as a “human,” the tower will translate it to “goblin” for us. Likewise, when it addresses us as “from another race,” we hear it as “human.”

This phenomenon can be attributed entirely to the tower’s automated translation system.

Goblins, orcs, seraphim, lizardmen…

On their respective home planets, each of these entities is considered to be the “human” race or the primary intelligent species, much like how we perceive ourselves. The tower has crafted these labels, drawing from cultural contexts unique to each world, to make them more easily recognizable and relatable for those participating in the trials.

However, there are notable exceptions—climbers.

Beings like the “Kosharks” and “Subrens”… Their names have not been altered to fit into what we would consider familiar mythological categories like centaurs or specters.

...

Once we become fully bound by the Tower of Ordeal, the designation by which others identify us will no longer be “Earthlings.”

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 23 hours 32 minutes.]

Although I had just arrived on the twenty-first floor, the disparity between the enemies on the sixteenth floor and here was evident. The adversaries on this floor were undeniably more formidable than the lizardmen I had faced before.

However, I too had significantly developed since then, so at no point did I feel genuinely threatened. If anything, the floor seemed almost laughably straightforward compared to my initial concerns. Instead of being overwhelmed by a deluge of enemies, they arrived in smaller, more manageable waves of about five hundred at a time.

As I wielded my axe to dispatch the oncoming foes with the precision and efficiency of a well-oiled machine, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

This could be the perfect opportunity to put Master of Shadows to the test.

Until now, the ideal circumstances to fully utilize the power of the Master of Shadows hadn’t appeared. Despite having acquired it some time ago, I had only ever used it sparingly, more as a cloak than an actual weapon.

I had tried experimenting with it in the training room, but this was the first time an opportunity to employ it in real combat arose. These enemies seemed to be the perfect test subjects since they were strong enough to challenge me, but not so overwhelming that I felt threatened.

Alright then, time to begin with what I practiced.

Activating Master of Shadows, I visualized the form of a spear as I reached out to manipulate the shadows of the enemies charging toward me. In a heartbeat, the darkness responded. Obsidian spears shot up like jagged teeth from within the leading beasts’ shadows, piercing through each beast with merciless precision.

These shadow-forged weapons were elementary constructs—simple, straightforward spearheads.

The sudden, unexpected attack from within their ranks caught the enemies completely off guard. None managed to react quickly enough to defend against the spears that impaled them without warning.

“Guh!”

“Agh!”

The creatures let out strangled cries and collapsed to the ground, their bodies crumpling around the shadow spears. The contrast between their initial fierce determination and their abrupt, pitiful demise was quite intense.

The surviving ranks recoiled, fear flashing in their eyes as they scrambled backward.

“S-spears… spears from the shadows!”

“Beware of the shadows! Watch your shadows!”

The remaining creatures began glancing frantically between their shadows and mine, their expressions a mix of panic and confusion. The fear of not knowing when or where the next attack would come had effectively halted their advance.

A brief stalemate ensued.

Looks like the first experiment was a success.

If I could manifest spears, then I would be able to create shields without issue, so I didn’t feel inclined to test that out for now.

Lost in thought, I stood and watched my foes become even more restless.

“His shadow manipulation ability seems to have a limited range! Bring out the javelins!”

Limited range? Is that why they thought I stopped?

They had completely misunderstood the situation. Well, it didn’t matter. I had planned on testing another aspect of the skill, anyway.

Focusing briefly, I used the shadows to shape two additional arms that projected from my back. These shadow limbs were longer and more flexible than my own, capable of defying the constraints of bone and muscle. I had split Lung Shark’s Dagger into two, so each shadow arm was equipped, poised, and ready for battle.

Ready to start my second test, I hurled myself into the midst of the enemy ranks without hesitation.

As usual, I cleaved through the frontmost enemies with my double-headed axe. However, the shadow arms, unburdened by joints and ligaments, were able to add to the devastation I unleashed as I lashed out with the daggers. They slashed and stabbed with serpentine grace.

“Gah!”

“I-it’s a shadow monster!

Argh!

”

Of course, controlling four limbs in perfect synchrony was no easy feat. I was still becoming accustomed to the newly acquired sensation, and I couldn’t yet manipulate them as fluidly as my natural arms.

Plus, I need to keep my senses spread wide enough to detect any movements behind me…

Well, it’s just a matter of practice. With enough time, I can master this technique and turn it into a lethal trump card—whether I am facing a horde or a single powerful opponent.

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 19 hours and 32 minutes.]

As I pushed forward, the tunnel gradually widened and the enemies I encountered grew stronger. Even though I wasn’t struggling, the floor seemed designed so that climbers who found the challenge too difficult could retreat and use the narrow passage to their advantage.

Conversely, it also implied the path would become increasingly difficult. Keeping that thought in mind, I pressed on.

Wait, what?

During my methodical, almost instinctual axe swings, I noticed something strange about the tunnel. The walls and ceiling of the passageway were no longer visible beyond the enemy formations.

Is this… the end already?

It felt abrupt and too easy. I cautiously advanced another ten meters, at which point I finally saw the end of the tunnel.

A colossal stone bridge lay before me, stretching out from the tunnel’s mouth. The bridge spanned roughly one hundred fifty meters and lacked any form of guardrails.

On the far side of the bridge, an even more expansive cave awaited which swallowed the light, making it impossible to know what it contained

I glanced over the edge of the bridge, but all I could see below was an endless void of darkness.

This doesn’t feel right. Are there flying creatures waiting to ambush me in the middle of the crossing?

The pitch-black expanse above and below made it impossible to confirm anything visually. My Sixth Sense detected nothing either, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

Stay vigilant.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped cautiously onto the bridge while keeping a wary eye on the abyss below, not bothering to pay attention to the enemies attacking me.

Suddenly, Seo Ho-Su’s words echoed in my mind,

“In martial arts novels, there’s often a serendipitous encounter at the bottom of a cliff.”

He had always told me to keep a lookout if I ever came across a precipice or chasm, as there might be hidden opportunities or treasures below.

Should I take a closer look? Hmm…

I shook my head and dismissed the notion.

This wasn’t an ordinary cliff; it was a bottomless pit, and I didn’t have the means to explore it. If I fell down there, surviving would be a miracle in itself.

I steadied myself and began crossing the stone bridge cautiously. Contrary to my earlier apprehension, nothing appeared outside of the normal enemies and I made it halfway across without incident.

Was I just being paranoid?

But just as a faint sense of relief washed over me, a heavy tremor began emanating from the opposite side of the bridge.

Thud. Thud.

The ground beneath my feet shuddered violently, and I felt the stone bridge begin to shudder ominously.

I swung my axe violently, scattering the creatures, as I attuned my senses to the tremors reverberating through the ground. The vibrations felt strangely familiar…

And then I saw it; two distant blazing fires, flickering ominously deep within the expansive cavern. As the tremors grew stronger, the fires swelled larger and advanced steadily from the shrouded darkness.

Instantly, I recognized the source of the disturbance. It was a Burning Nepla, wreathed in flames, the very same monstrosity I had encountered on the sixteenth floor.

It was barreling straight toward me.

“Doppy! Get back! Damn it!”

I spun around and yanked Doppy into my arms as I dashed madly back down the passageway. The Burning Neplas I had faced before had been strapped with magical explosives, and if this one was equipped similarly, I wouldn’t be able to take cover on such a narrow bridge.

Activating Flash Strike, I darted back to the tunnel entrance before quickly turning to face the creature.

Thud, thud.

The Burning Nepla burst out of the passage with a thunderous roar, its massive frame charging recklessly across the stone bridge. It was a miracle the structure didn’t collapse beneath its immense weight.

Just as I suspected; it was rigged with explosives.

The Burning Nepla moved with a speed that surpassed its counterparts on the sixteenth floor. It charged forward, completely disregarding the safety of its allies, like an out-of-control truck barreling down a narrow road.

“Eeeeek!”

“Aaaaaargh—!”

Each enemy was trampled underfoot or shoved off the bridge’s edge into the yawning abyss below. As they fell, I heard the echoing screams of the falling creatures fading into distant silence.

Suddenly, a grim realization struck me.

Is it trying to destroy the bridge?

There was no logical reason for a creature of that size to recklessly charge down such a precarious path and crush its allies—unless it had a specific objective.

Moreover, it appeared precisely when I reached the midpoint of the bridge. If its sole purpose was to attack me, it could have made its move between a wave of enemies or right after I had crossed into the next cavern.

And considering it was carrying explosives…

I activated Flash Strike again—not to escape, but to give myself a few seconds to think.

I want to cross this bridge. If the Burning Nepla detonates and the bridge collapses, would I be able to make it across the approximately one-hundred-fifty-meter gap?

Even with Kashatum’s Sky Shoes, the distance was too large to traverse with just one leap.

At first glance, leaping now seemed barely achievable, but the risk of failure was high. If I miscalculated even slightly, the consequences would be disastrous.

However, if the bridge crumbled beneath me, remaining here would guarantee my death.

I have to move. Now.

There was no room for hesitation. If I waited any longer, I wouldn’t make it to the end in time.

Sure, I could retreat and hope that the collapsing bridge would keep the enemies at bay, but that wasn’t why I had fought my way to this point.

I will have to leap over the Burning Nepla.

There was no time to second-guess. Tightening my hold on Doppy, I dashed across the length of the bridge once more.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between the flaming beast and me shortened significantly.

“Wooh. Aaaargh.”

The oxen’s deep roar echoed in my ears as I braced myself to jump when I was only seven meters away.

“Doppy, barrier up!”

“

Skriee!

”

It exploded.

BOOM!

Before the Burning Nepla’s roar could even finish echoing, it was replaced by the deafening roar of the blast that filled the air.

The explosion had erupted too close for comfort, and a powerful shockwave emanated from it, sending a wave of searing heat that threatened to envelop us. A split second later, Doppy’s barrier flickered into existence, but the shockwave had already struck, pushing us backward.

The bridge began to fracture, starting at the epicenter of the explosion in the middle of the bridge. Large stone chunks broke off, descending slowly into the abyss below.

Damn it.

I needed to decide quickly—press on or retreat. The shockwave had pushed me back, making a retreat into the safety of the passageway feasible. However, if I intended to pursue a potential hidden mission, I needed to push forward. The more I hesitated, the more likely it was the remnants of the bridge would crumble away. Time seemed to stretch out as I raced through my options.

I can do it, and Flash Strike should make it doable.

There was no reward without risk. If I gave up now, I would be leaving empty-handed.

Twisting myself in mid-air, I kicked off the air behind me with all my strength and propelled myself forward.

The momentum launched me in the right direction, but I was already falling.

As the crumbling debris of the bridge hurtled into the abyss around me, I leaped onto a piece of falling rubble and sprang upward.

Once, twice, three times, four times.

I continued to rise by stepping on whatever fragments I could reach. When there were no pieces left, I activated Kashatum’s Sky Shoes to propel myself further.

“Skrieeeee!”

Doppy’s high-pitched scream rang out from my left arm, distorted by the stretched perception of time.

Another six leaps brought me close to the tunnel’s entrance. With one final push, I managed to plant my feet on the solid ground. Even with Flash Strike, it had been excruciatingly close.

“

Kriee! Kriee!

”

Doppy trembled—absolutely terrified—and thrashed frantically in my grasp. Belatedly, a cold shudder ran down my spine.

For an individual challenge floor, I had thought facing the army itself was almost too easy, but I hadn’t anticipated a trap like this. Without Flash Strike, I would have plummeted from the bridge before even having a chance to decide. Reaching the opposite end would have been nothing more than a pipe dream.

A string of curses escaped my lips for the first time in what felt like ages.

“Fuck. Shit. Fuck. I need to stay focused.”

Now that the bridge was destroyed, retreat was no longer an option. Whatever lay ahead, I had no choice but to press forward in the dark tunnel.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s skills have leveled up. Flash Strike is now lvl 6. Master of Shadows is now lvl 5. Awareness is now lvl 7.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has reached the end of ‘The Only Path.’ All stats increased by 2.」