Chapter 87: Twenty-third Floor, Waiting Room (2)

[Breaking News: Footage from the Tower of Ordeal Released]

As of 2:08 PM on November 4th, 2020, the Tower of Ordeal has begun broadcasting live footage.

The video, shown on massive digital billboards, captures the exploits of the top-ranked climber Kwon Su-Hyeok during his conquest of the twenty-first floor...

- topzz: What the fuck. Did you guys catch the video that got posted on UTube

?

- apdo: Of course I did. He’s literally waging a one-man war against thousands of enemies. There’s no way he is human.

- kapa: Nope, also, it looked like tens of thousands to me. But is that really the most impressive part? The guy was shooting lightning bolts and conjuring objects from shadows like it was nothing!

- jaesuk: Seriously, it’s like watching a scene straight out of a fantasy novel. 😶

- hunter: I’m an active-duty hunter. Feel free to ask me anything about what you saw.

- Lee Jun-Young: Couldn’t he just shoot the enemies? What’s the point of fighting like that?

- BlackBarbershop: Maybe he doesn’t have access to guns.

- TonTonPa: Did you see the final part of the fight? Looked to me like he could deflect bullets as well.

***

Ha Hee-Jeong and I chatted about the twenty-third floor.

Until now, she had avoided explaining upcoming floors too much, except when there would be a hidden mission. Considering we would be separated this time, however, she decided to share far more information about the upcoming trials than before.

Still, despite the extra guidance, I couldn’t shake off the sense of uncertainty lingering in my mind.

Up until this point, well, aside from the individual challenge floors, I had always faced the same challenges as the other climbers. However, now that I was in a party by myself, there was no guarantee things would remain the same.

The odds are low, but...

I could potentially receive an entirely different trial than everyone else. It meant I couldn’t afford to relax, no matter what.

After our conversation, I headed to the training room with Doppy. We each chose our respective opponents, with me facing a simulated Overseer, and Doppy against an orc warrior.

Even though I had toned down the difficulty—due to the Overseer’s strength—I found myself learning more than I expected. Observing every single one of my opponent’s movements was invaluable, allowing my Axemanship skill to level up. Additionally, my stats saw a slight increase as well.

From now on, I decided to focus solely on sparring against the Overseer, adjusting the difficulty as needed.

Thankfully, Doppy’s skills were improving by the day.

Well, Doppy won’t need to fight much, considering I handle most of the combat myself.

Still, it was better to fix the roof before it started raining. At this rate, I felt confident that I could leave Doppy on its own during a large-scale battle without too much concern.

[2 hours 53 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

With only about three hours left, the other climbers, who had been on the twenty-second floor, had long since returned to the waiting room.

With no particular goal in mind, I idly opened the shop window since I had already read through everything in the Community. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but browsing occasionally turned up unexpected finds.

***

[Welcome to the twenty-third floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Ascending Path.]

[Zeist, a slave trader from the Hover Kingdom, has successfully completed a hunt and is now heading to the underworld auction house.]

[To reach the auction, Zeist has to cross a vast desert and has hired some mercenaries to protect him during the crossing. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok is one of those mercenaries.]

[Escort. Time remaining: 35 hours 59 minutes.]

Adjusting my eyes to the bright light, I found myself standing atop a towering sand dune. An intense wave of heat immediately enveloped me, pressing down on my skin like a suffocating blanket. The desert stretched out endlessly in every direction, its golden sands rippling beneath the scorching sun.

As soon as I grasped my surroundings, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach before I could even process the tower’s message.

This isn’t what Ha Hee-Jeong described. Wait... Does a party with only one member enter a different version of the same floor? Even though this floor’s challenge was originally meant to be conquered with a party, has it turned into an individual challenge just for me?

Fuck. If that was the case, everything Ha Hee-Jeong had told me would be completely useless.

I sensed movement nearby and quickly snapped out of my thoughts, checking the tower’s message again.

Hover Kingdom? Wait... that’s the kingdom Ha Hee-Jeong mentioned.

The setting was the same, but the trial itself seemed different. It appeared I hadn’t been transported to a completely foreign place, just a different location within the same world.

“Hey! Over here! The caravan master says we’re moving out soon. Hurry up and join us!”

A man standing on a lower dune shouted at me.

Dressed in light leather armor with a sword strapped to his waist, his face bore the scars of many battles. Behind him, a group of over sixty people bustled about, preparing to set off.

I nodded briefly and started walking toward him, still mulling over the tower’s message in my mind.

A slave trader, huh...

The title felt alien and unpleasant. Coming from a country where the concept of slavery was abhorrent and long since abolished, I found the term itself distasteful.

And now, I am expected to escort one?

My brows furrowed involuntarily. Maybe slavery was a deeply ingrained custom in this world—a practice that was just a part of their society.

Given that this world seemed to be in a medieval era, it made sense that they would adhere to such barbaric practices.

Still, the revulsion I felt was undeniable.

Why does this have to be the trial?

No matter how skeptical or disgusted I felt, I had no choice but to go along with the trial I had been assigned.

They all look to be in terrible condition.

The slaves were shackled, each one gaunt and starved. Deep bruises and scars marred their skin, evidence of cruel beatings.

The more I looked, the more wretched the situation grew. Men and women alike bore signs of sexual abuse. My gaze drifted to the caravan master, a hulking brute who rose from the limp body of a man lying on the ground, an unpleasant grin on his face.

“Alright, we’re done here. Let’s get moving.”

The scene filled me with raw disgust.

No... disgust wasn’t a strong enough word. It was a sight that stirred a deep, simmering rage within me.

As I joined the caravan, the mercenary who had called out to me earlier sidled up beside me. His grin made it seem like we were already old friends. He must have noticed my dark expression, as his tone became more cautious.

“What’s with the sour look, friend? What’s your name?”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok.”

“Huh, that’s a strange name. Mine’s Comet. Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Despite his rough exterior, Comet leaned in closer and chatted amicably. He seemed like the sociable type, the kind of person who thrived in crowds.

Though his face seemed rugged and intimidating, I sensed no malice behind his words and offered him a slight nod.

The trial on the twenty-third floor was scheduled to last thirty-six hours. Aside from the inevitable skirmishes, that meant long, tedious hours of silence. Having a companion to pass the time didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Comet’s gaze shifted to Doppy, examining it curiously.

“Are you tagging along with this goblin?”

“Yes.”

“A goblin servant, huh? That’s a rare sight, I’ll give you that.”

Ah, I had momentarily forgotten that this world was different. It probably looked odd to see someone like me traveling with a goblin servant.

I glanced around, but aside from Comet, no one else seemed particularly interested in Doppy.

“Hey there, little goblin. My name’s Comet. Nice to meet you.”

“

Kriee!

Human! Nice to meet you too!”

After briefly exchanging greetings, Comet turned his attention back to me, his gaze roaming over my armor.

“Friend, we’re in the Dumie Desert, aren’t you boiling inside that heavy armor? I feel like I’m going to go crazy just standing here in this heat.”

Ah... now that he mentioned it, I realized I was still wearing my full plate armor.

Strangely enough, I felt quite comfortable. I could sense the intensity of the heat, but I still registered it as nothing more than a mild warmth—probably due to my high-level Fire Resistance skill.

Stripping off my armor here would definitely attract attention.

I would have to store the armor in my mimic, and that wasn’t a good idea. Ha Hee-Jeong had warned me not to reveal the mimic to people from other worlds, as it wasn’t commonly used and could easily draw unwanted attention.

“I’m fine. I can handle it. I’ve always been resistant to the heat.”

“Oh, wow. If you can handle this heat while wearing full plate armor, you must be one hell of an elite mercenary. And your armor isn’t just for show either. Which region have you been operating in?”

I take it back. It is NOT nice to have someone to chat with.

This guy had me pegged as a top-tier mercenary from the start and was clearly trying to get on my good side.

Unwilling to answer his prying questions, I kept my mouth shut.

Sensing my reluctance, Comet nodded, as if he had figured everything out.

“Right, right, I understand. You wouldn’t want to reveal too much. After all, you used a fake name earlier, and we’re escorting a slave trader. It wouldn’t be wise to reveal your true identity on a job like this, especially not with the long desert crossing ahead.”

Huh? What did he just say?

I replayed his words in my head, processing them quickly.

It wouldn’t be wise to reveal your true identity on a job like this...

That implied that the act of trading slaves wasn’t entirely acceptable here. I glanced sharply at Comet, and he flinched, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

Stumbling over his words, he defended himself, “Ah, don’t worry! I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. With the caravan master hiring a top-tier merc like you, small fries like me can get a chance to earn a decent living. I’ll make sure I don’t cause you any trouble.”

“Hold on... Is slavery banned in the Hover Kingdom?”

I knew it was a risky question, but I needed a definitive answer.

Is slavery seen as an immoral practice even in this world?

“Wait, sorry?”

Comet’s eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at me, not with suspicion, but with the incredulous expression one reserves for someone completely out of touch with reality—like I had just asked if the sun was hot.

My cheeks started to warm, and I scrambled to explain, “Well, you see... I grew up training deep in the mountains with my master and only recently ventured out into the world. I’m not familiar with the laws and customs here. I just took this job because it paid well.”

“Ah, a warrior hermit, then?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Whether my excuse made sense or he simply chose to let it slide, Comet’s expression softened.

Talkative as ever, he leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Honestly, the whole slave trade thing only started becoming widespread recently. For centuries, slavery was outlawed across the entire continent under the regulations of the Goddess of the Dawn Breeze.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but back then, the rich and powerful still kept slaves. They just didn’t call them that.”

Nodding, I inserted a hum of agreement, and Comet grew even more animated, his words flowing faster and faster.

“But fifty years ago, everything changed when the Goddess of the Dawn Breeze disappeared. Slavery is still illegal by law, but now it’s an open secret. People flaunt it without fear.”

Since she disappeared fifty years ago, I wondered if her disappearance could be related to what had happened to Doppy and Fenrike.

“Of course, the Goddess’s followers are still around, so public opinion is heavily against slavery. Anyone caught trading or owning slaves will face severe punishment. Only the wealthy and powerful dare to use slaves, and even then, they keep it hidden.”

Hmm... He’s being unusually forthcoming with this information.

It made me wonder if the tower had set him up, like an NPC in a video game, specifically to provide background context for the situation. Regardless, his words solidified my decision. I was going to dismantle this slave caravan.

I didn’t care if this was part of the tower’s challenge or if it adhered to this world’s customs. There was no way I could stand by and watch these atrocities continue.

Despite the tower’s message stating, “escort,” I had my own reasons for making this choice.

If you read between the lines...

There were several red flags hidden within the wording of the message.

First, it mentioned a successful slave hunt and hinted at an expected attack. While it didn’t outright state there would be an ambush, the tower would never make a trial that was merely a long trek across a desert. An attack was inevitable.

So, what would the attackers target?

Naturally, it would be the slaves the caravan had acquired.

Second, the command “escort” lacked a specified subject. The tower often hid clues in its messages, so I intuited that the absence of a clear target suggested that the slave trader wasn’t whom I was supposed to protect.

From what I had seen before and from my past experiences, it seemed more likely that my real objective was among the slaves.

Of course, my personal hatred toward slavery plays a big part in this.

The tower’s ambiguous hints—paired with Comet’s unusual friendliness—couldn’t just be coincidences. Putting all the pieces together, my reasoning felt sound.

However, one thing made me hesitate; Comet actually seemed like a decent person.

“Comet, what’s your opinion on slavery?”

“My opinion?”

He scratched his head and looked conflicted.

“I’m not a devout follower of the Goddess of the Dawn Breeze, but if you ask me, it’s wrong. Plain and simple.”

“Then why are you here?”

Comet sighed, a heavy sound filled with resignation and bitterness.

“It’s been two years since the war ended. Mercenaries are a dime a dozen now, but jobs? They’re hard to come by.”

He took a deep breath, his gaze distant.

“I’ve got three kids at home. Even with my wife working, we’re barely scraping by. So when someone offers big money, what good are principles? I’m sure most of the mercenaries here are in the same situation as me.”

His words hit home. When it came to supporting one’s family and ensuring their survival, beliefs and principles were often the first things to be sacrificed. It felt unfair to spare only Comet because of this, but...

I wasn’t a god. I wasn’t in a position to judge everyone’s sins and decide who deserved punishment. Asking every mercenary here about their stance on slavery wasn’t feasible.

Maybe it was selfish, but I saw sparing him as a small courtesy to someone who had provided valuable information. I couldn’t kill them all, so I planned to assess the others’ situations as events unfolded.

But that could wait. The timing wasn’t right yet.