Chapter 50: 4F Hidden (1)

I caught a morning flight home and had lunch with my family.

—Last night, following the successful clear of Nightmare difficulty Floor 4, the Tower’s 3-Year Rule was nullified. Climbers will no longer die for failing to enter the Tower, nor will they be transformed into the Fallen.

—Nightmare Climbers and their families, in particular, have expressed an outpouring of praise and gratitude toward Person123, who chose to accept the Penalty. The story of Ms. Choe Won-yeong, whose high-school-aged daughter is a Nightmare difficulty Climber, has attracted widespread attention.

—My daughter has suffered from osteosarcoma since elementary school. Then, three years ago, as if that weren’t enough, she was selected as a Nightmare Climber.

—I thought it was all over. Even when I saw the Tower’s message, part of me prayed that someone would choose the Penalty, but deep down, I never believed anyone actually would. And then this miracle happened. Honestly, I still can’t quite believe that my daughter no longer has to die.

—In case Person123 happens to see this interview, I would like to say something to him. Thank you. Truly, thank you. You saved my daughter’s life. I will never forget the kindness you have shown us, not for as long as I live. From now on, my daughter and I will treasure every single day we have together...

An interview with the mother of a Nightmare Climber was playing on the television.

Watching it was beginning to feel a little embarrassing, so I changed the channel.

“Hey, why did you change it? I was watching that.”

“Let’s watch something else. Every damn channel is showing nothing but Person123.”

My sister, sprawled across the couch, stared at me as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Nightmare Floor 4 was cleared yesterday, you know. Don’t you care at all?”

“It happens every year.”

“Hey, the only reason there even is an ‘every year’ is because that person keeps saving the world. If you’re human, you should at least be grateful.”

Well, well.

“That person,” she called him.

My sister gave me a look of almost genuine disgust.

“And speaking of that, Oppa, you seriously need to stop. Why do you always go travelling around this time every year? Mom and Dad don’t say anything, but they don’t like it either. You should stay home and pray with the rest of us.”

“...”

The nerve of her.

Was my own little sister seriously lecturing me?

Being genuinely scolded by her for the first time in my life put me in a slightly foul mood.

Still, from my family’s perspective, I could understand why my behaviour might seem strange.

What could I say?

It had become part of my routine.

Personally, I found it far more comforting to spend some time alone before a clear and take in a little scenery.

And naturally, I intended to do the same thing next year.

A mischievous idea suddenly occurred to me.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Is there anything you’d like to say to Person123? I could pass along your thanks.”

“...What are you talking about? How?”

“I’m a Climber, remember? I can send him a Whisper through the Communication Channel.”

Her eyes widened.

“You said he deserves our gratitude, didn’t you? I’ll pass on your message, so hurry up and say something.”

“...Why would he bother reading a message from you, Oppa? Do you two know each other?”

“No. But the Communication Channel doesn’t have a feature for blocking Whispers. The notification appears whether he wants it to or not.”

Which was honestly rather annoying.

There wasn’t even a feedback button.

Get your act together, Tower.

“So there’s at least a chance he might see it, right? Sending a Whisper isn’t a big deal. I’m sure plenty of other Climbers are sending him messages of thanks.”

She looked flustered, but also visibly tempted.

“You’d really send it?”

“That’s what I said. I’ll relay it word for word, so say whatever you want. I already have the Channel open.”

“Uh... Just a second. Ahem.”

My sister sat up straight on the couch, cleared her throat and began hesitantly.

“Um, I’m someone who lives in South Korea... I’m always cheering you on from afar. Ah, although I don’t actually know whether it’s from afar or not, but anyway, I’m cheering for you.”

“...”

“Um, the fact that you chose the Penalty this time really moved me. I think what you did was incredibly, truly amazing. Thank you for keeping the world safe again this year.”

“Pfft.”

“...Send that! Hey, why are you laughing?”

I couldn’t hold it in.

The laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

“No, no, it was great. I’ll relay every word faithfully.”

This was fun.

Far too much fun.

Having thoroughly entertained myself at my sister’s expense, I handed her the remote and cleared away the empty dishes.

***

[Time until the first Sub-Tower appears: 6 days 7 hours 9 minutes 16 seconds]

The timer had remained in my field of vision ever since I cleared Floor 4.

Since I had no idea what a Sub-Tower even was, there was nothing I could do to prepare until the countdown reached zero.

For now, I simply had to get on with what needed to be done.

[Entered Nightmare difficulty Floor 4.]

Once lunch had settled, I entered the Tower as usual to search for the Hidden.

—The golems within the Workshop are currently malfunctioning and running amooook. All staff who encounter them are instructed to dispose of them immediatelyyy...

The announcement echoed through the area.

I headed toward the entrance path.

Still, Floor 4...

How the hell was I supposed to write an information post about this place?

It was complicated.

If Climbers saved their points diligently and used the Shop strategically, other Nightmare participants might be able to clear it as well.

I had effectively beaten the floor by purchasing five magic-damage upgrades, and I had still possessed a comfortable margin.

Of course, everyone else’s base stats would be far lower than mine.

But they could compensate by investing more points into upgrades.

They also wouldn’t waste points experimenting with mechanics they didn’t yet understand.

...Or perhaps not.

The cost increased sharply each time the same damage upgrade was purchased, so it might still be difficult.

Raising damage to 200 percent would cost well over fifteen thousand points.

Either way, an efficient strategy for spending points would be essential.

And there was another problem.

What truly made Floor 4 such a piece of shit was that, in the end, part of the clear depended entirely on luck.

That goddamn gacha.

No matter how carefully someone conserved points or how successfully they reached the boss, it was all over if they failed to draw Ability Nullification.

And it wasn’t as though anyone else could repeat what I had done.

Hell, even I couldn’t survive that method a second time.

Dinnng...

The entrance opened.

I summoned Plli and set him to auto-hunt.

I would worry about the information post later.

For now, I needed to focus on finding the Hidden.

Plli tore through the basic golems as they spawned, biting, ripping and smashing them apart.

[50P acquired.]

[50P acquired.]

[50P acquired.]

.

.

.

After retrieving all the cores, I cleared Stages 1 through 3 with ease.

Next came Stages 4 through 6.

Blue Golems.

Ninety-nine percent immunity to physical damage.

KRAAAASH!

[100P acquired.]

[100P acquired.]

[100P acquired.]

.

.

.

I shattered them with magic and cleared the stages without difficulty.

Stages 7 through 9 followed.

Red Golems.

Ninety-nine percent immunity to magic damage.

I stayed out of the fight and left everything to Plli.

[‘Physical Damage +10% (100P)’ purchased.]

[‘Physical Damage +10% (200P)’ purchased.]

It was an experiment I hadn’t been able to conduct during my first clear, when every single point had mattered.

I purchased several physical-damage upgrades and observed whether Plli’s attacks became stronger.

The answer was an unmistakable yes.

Apparently, the damage enhancement did not apply solely to me.

Instead, the system seemed to amplify all damage dealt to the golems, regardless of its source.

[150P acquired.]

[150P acquired.]

[150P acquired.]

.

.

.

Stages 9 through 12 featured Black Golems, which ignored all damage below a certain threshold.

At last, I descended onto the path myself and began crushing the golems with my own hands.

I was Level 55 now, and I had the physical-damage enhancement on top of that.

Every punch split open a golem’s body with a violent crack.

The stages were cleared in no time.

From then on, I kept my point expenditure to an absolute minimum and passed through the remaining stages just as easily.

—Our Workshop’s finest masterpiece is malfunctioniiing... All staff are advised to respond with the utmost, utmost caution...

The final boss appeared.

I opened the Shop.

[Shop]

—Physical Damage +10% (500P)

—Magic Damage +10% (200P)

—Willpower +10% (100P)

—Attribute Conversion (500P)

—Force Field (50P)

—Slow (50P)

—Freeze (100P)

—Special Gacha! (5,000P)

[Points Held: 35,500P]

[Special Gacha! (5,000P)]

[Initiating the Special Gacha. The prize list is as follows. All probabilities are equal.]

—Skill Effect 300% Scroll

—Ability Nullification Part

—Grand Incineration Switch

Having reached the boss without wasting a single point, I had enough for an impressive seven attempts.

The probability of failing to obtain it even once was...

Around five percent, perhaps?

Since this was a Repeat Clear, failing to draw Ability Nullification wouldn’t force me to repeat that horrific self-immolation stunt.

But leaving would mean losing my chance to discover the Hidden, so a run of bad luck would still be a serious problem.

Besides, come on.

Failing to get it after seven attempts would be absurd.

“Go ahead, then. Try screwing me over again.”

I had seven bullets in the chamber.

Without further hesitation, I activated the gacha.

[‘Special Gacha! (5,000P)’ purchased.]

Ti-ri-ri-riiing...

[‘Ability Nullification Part’ won!]

A fist-sized object resembling a large metal nut dropped onto the ground in front of me.

“...”

During the first clear, it had stubbornly refused to appear even once.

And now I had obtained it on my very first attempt.

“This seriously pisses me off...”

What the hell was this bastard’s problem?

I gave a hollow laugh and picked up the Part.

[Ability Nullification Part]

[Nullifies all abilities of one golem. To use it, bring the Part into contact with the target golem.]

I leapt onto the boss’s shoulder as it lumbered down the path.

CLANG!

Just as the description promised, the moment I pressed the Part against the golem, it snapped onto the boss’s body like a magnet.

A faint spark flickered across its surface.

The boss stopped for a brief moment, then resumed walking.

I drew back my fist and struck the side of its head with all my strength.

KABOOM!

A thin crack spread across the boss’s skull.

Sure enough, its ability had been nullified.

I jumped from its shoulder.

While still suspended in the air, I extended one hand toward it.

“Farewell.”

We had once burned together like old friends, but business was business.

I stopped time, activated Mental Concentration and fired a fully charged Destruction Ray.

A pitch-black beam pierced directly through the centre of the boss’s torso.

The enormous golem tilted sideways before crashing to the ground.

With its ninety-nine percent damage immunity gone, it fell in a single attack, exactly as expected.

Clunk.

The moment the boss died, the entrance slammed shut.

The announcements fell silent.

Well...

They had ordered the staff to dispose of the golems.

And I had disposed of them, hadn’t I?

Shouldn’t I receive some sort of special bonus?

Pushing aside such pointless thoughts, I began searching in earnest for the Hidden route.

“The entrance is sealed.”

That left only the exit.

All the golems had been dealt with, so leaving through the exit shouldn’t trigger Grand Incineration.

At least, that was the theory.

I cautiously stepped beyond the exit.

As expected, no announcement played.

A pitch-black corridor stretched out before me, completely devoid of light.

Thanks to Diul’s ability, however, the darkness posed no problem.

I continued forward.

The corridor repeatedly split into a complicated network of branching paths, with staircases leading both upward and downward.

With no indication of which direction I should take, I chose one of the upward staircases.

I strained my ears.

From somewhere in the distance came the faint murmur of voices.

So I hadn’t wandered entirely in the wrong direction.

‘A Workshop, huh...’

This place truly was a Workshop.

A facility where golems were manufactured, with an oddly cyberpunk atmosphere.

Then what exactly was I supposed to do in the Hidden?

I considered the possibilities as I climbed the stairs.

At the top, I found an iron door.

Creaaak...

It didn’t appear to be locked.

I opened it quietly.

A brightly illuminated corridor lay beyond.

“...Has everything been taken care of? The announcement has stopped.”

“Security probably handled it. More importantly, listen. Regarding Experiment DF-5, if we reduce the mana tension a little further and conduct the test again...”

Several people were approaching from around the far corner.

For the moment, I activated Concealment.

A group of figures in white laboratory coats came into view.

They looked like researchers.