Chapter 3
The 100th Floor (3)
“J-Jin-hyuk! Please, just listen to me!”
The confidence the fairy had displayed on the First Floor was nowhere to be seen.
Watching her fidget nervously, sweat dripping down her face, Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright,” he said leisurely. “I’ll hear you out.”
The fairy cleared her throat.
“Ahem. Jin-hyuk, I guarantee it. If you leave the Tower at your current level, you will die. No—death might be the most merciful outcome available to you.”
Jin-hyuk frowned.
“Are you threatening me? Telling me not to go through that gate?”
“No. I’m simply telling you what will happen.”
“So you’re saying someone would hunt down and kill an ordinary Level 2?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Jin-hyuk blinked in surprise.
“Actually, that’s precisely the problem. Because you’re weak, you’re in even greater danger. No matter what, you graduated from the Hundredth Floor. The fact that a mere Level 2 possesses the achievement of a Hundredth-Floor Conqueror makes you an extremely valuable resource to certain beings.”
“…Resource?”
Jin-hyuk couldn’t make sense of what she was saying.
The fairy hurriedly continued.
“Yes. Divine essence. The accomplishments you’ve achieved are irresistible ingredients to those who failed to become gods.”
Her expression was desperate.
At the very least, she didn’t seem to be lying.
Sighing, Jin-hyuk softened his tone.
“What exactly does it mean to be used as a resource?”
The fairy took a deep breath before answering.
“It means being killed. Or being devoured alive.”
The answer was far more horrifying than he had expected.
After a moment of silence, Jin-hyuk scratched his cheek.
“…So you’re saying I’ve become some kind of treasure goblin?”
The fairy nodded.
“Unfortunately, yes. Not only Tower graduates, but failed climbers, powerful beings who were never summoned to the Tower, aging gods seeking a second chance, and even catastrophe-class monsters. Countless terrifying existences would covet your achievements.”
In other words, stepping outside right now was asking for disaster.
“Hmm… If all those monsters are interested in me, doesn’t that mean they’d have to come to Earth?”
“Exactly. Earth’s dimensional erosion is still relatively low, but they would invade without hesitation.”
Jin-hyuk sighed heavily.
Back when he’d entered the Tower, he’d dreamed of saving Earth.
Now it sounded as though he was about to become the greatest threat Earth had ever seen.
“I was prepared to die when I challenged the Hundredth Floor anyway.”
There was no way to verify the fairy’s claims.
For all he knew, she could be lying.
But there was one undeniable truth.
At his current level, saving the world was impossible.
Hunters who left the Tower generally couldn’t grow much stronger afterward.
Without trials, there were only limited ways to increase magical power.
In other words, if Jin-hyuk left now, he would merely be a slightly stronger-than-average human.
Even the seemingly incredible skill he had earned from clearing the Hundredth Floor—the Blessing of Light—would amount to very little with such pathetic stats.
“…Then is there another way?”
The fairy immediately brightened.
“As a matter of fact, there is!”
She had clearly been waiting for him to ask.
“Ordinarily, anyone who clears the Hundredth Floor graduates from the Tower. But you’re an exception, Jin-hyuk. You skipped ninety-nine floors. At this rate, you won’t even qualify to become a god.”
“Well… that’s fair.”
That was the biggest reason he’d bothered listening to her.
“So what? I just start over from the First Floor? Or maybe the Second?”
The fairy shook her head.
“No. Returning directly to the First Floor would mean bypassing ninety-nine floors all at once. The burden on the Tower would be enormous. It could even kill you.”
“Then there isn’t another option, is there?”
“There is.”
The fairy smiled awkwardly.
“You descend the Tower from the Ninety-Ninth Floor all the way to the First.”
“…What?”
Jin-hyuk stared at her blankly.
“You mean I have to clear the Tower in reverse? Starting from the Ninety-Ninth Floor?”
“Exactly.”
Going down the Tower backward.
The idea was absurd from the outset.
The Tower was designed so climbers would gradually grow stronger.
The only reason he’d cleared the Hundredth Floor was because of a freak accident.
There was no conceivable way a Level 2 climber could conquer the Ninety-Ninth Floor.
Yet the fairy calmly replied,
“Does it make sense that you cleared one hundred floors in a single leap?”
Jin-hyuk had no response.
After a moment, he asked the most important question.
“Can I actually clear the Ninety-Ninth Floor?”
The fairy’s expression stiffened.
She was a terrible liar.
“Don’t worry too much. I can’t give you all the rewards you’d normally receive, but I can provide a Mythic weapon and one special benefit to help you.”
At this point, it sounded less like a suggestion and more like a demand.
After a long moment of thought, Jin-hyuk finally nodded.
“Fine. I’ll give it a try.”
For some reason, the fairy didn’t seem relieved.
If anything, she looked even more uneasy.
“Good. Then let’s start with the Mythic weapon.”
She clapped her hands.
Brilliant lights filled the air.
A row of legendary weapons appeared before him.
[Thunderbolt – Myth]
[Triaina – Myth]
[Pallas – Myth]
“Whoa…”
The fairy puffed out her chest proudly.
“What do you think? Every single one is a Mythic-grade artifact.”
Just hearing the names was enough to make his head spin.
These were the kinds of treasures people built legends around.
The equipment brought back by former climbers was usually Normal-grade.
Rare-grade equipment was considered extraordinary and sold for enormous sums.
The value of a Mythic artifact couldn’t even be estimated.
What should I choose?
A spear looked tempting.
The sword looked incredible too.
After much deliberation, Jin-hyuk reached for the shield.
[Pallas – Myth]
- Shield crafted from the hide of a giant.
- Grants the skill Absolute Defense.
“There aren’t any guns here,” Jin-hyuk muttered. “A shield seems easiest.”
His reasoning was simple.
He had no experience with any other weapon.
“Besides, there’s no way I could properly swing a trident bigger than I am.”
Even if carrying only a shield wasn’t ideal, a Mythic-grade shield should at least keep him alive.
And he liked the sound of Absolute Defense.
As he lifted the shield, the fairy’s eyebrow twitched.
She floated closer and placed a hand on the artifact.
“There’s something you should know. Mythic weapons are extraordinary, but you can’t draw out their full power.”
“Because I’m too weak?”
“Partly. More importantly, because you haven’t formed a contract with a god.”
The fairy’s body suddenly began to glow with golden light.
“For example, Pallas. Its true power belongs to the Goddess of War.”
A radiant barrier enveloped her entire body.
“This is Absolute Defense. With a divine contract, the shield protects your entire body. Without one, you can only use it as an ordinary shield.”
The explanation continued.
Every Mythic artifact was similar.
Without a contract with the deity who created it, only a fraction of its power could be used.
“Then how do I make a contract?”
The fairy’s expression darkened.
“You can’t.”
“What?”
“Not on floors above Eighty. The gods can’t observe those floors directly.”
Jin-hyuk sighed.
Of course.
Another restriction.
“If I had introduced you to investors earlier, I could have arranged at least a preliminary contract. But your situation is completely unprecedented.”
In other words, even a Mythic weapon would function at only half its potential.
“Then I should definitely take the shield.”
Survival was his top priority.
The fairy hurriedly interrupted.
“Wait! There is another option.”
She produced a small box.
Unlike the dazzling Mythic artifacts, it appeared rather plain.
[Starter Weapon: Unity of All Weapons]
Inside rested a small green sphere.
At first glance it looked like a bead, but closer inspection revealed it was shifting like living liquid.
“This is a masterpiece created by the God of Volcanoes. A seed containing the potential of every weapon.”
The fairy sounded exhausted just explaining it.
“Simply consuming it enhances your physical abilities. Once it blooms, it becomes the weapon best suited to its owner.”
She paused dramatically.
“Depending on the user, it might become a decent Special-grade weapon… or surpass even Mythic rank and evolve into the ultimate weapon. If you nurture it properly, it could exceed Pallas itself!”
Jin-hyuk remained unimpressed.
“Hmm. I think I’ll take the shield.”
“Ugh…”
The fairy groaned.
Then she reluctantly pulled something else from her robe.
[Floating Stone Shield – Special]
- Floats around the user.
- Automatically detects and blocks attacks.
“If you choose the starter weapon, I’ll include this.”
She looked as though she was suffering physical pain from making the offer.
“It isn’t Mythic-grade, but it automatically protects its user. Even beginners can benefit from it.”
A half-powered Mythic shield.
Or a potentially limitless weapon plus a useful defensive artifact.
After some thought, Jin-hyuk nodded.
“Alright. Deal.”
The fairy looked like she’d just lost a war.
“Good…”
“Looks like my stubbornness paid off.”
Jin-hyuk grinned.
The fairy forced a smile.
“Now, for the special benefit. Choose one.”
With another clap, a long list appeared.
“Double Contract Rights… useless.”
He kept scrolling.
“Second-Floor Escape Rights… absolutely not.”
Many climbers would have gone mad with excitement over these rewards.
Jin-hyuk felt nothing.
Then his eyes landed on a single entry.
[First-Floor Limited Infinite Regression Ticket]
- Upon death on a single floor, you may return and challenge that floor again.
- Unlimited retries.
“Oh.”
His eyes lit up.
“Now this is useful.”
An item that effectively granted endless chances.
Without hesitation, he reached toward it.
The fairy immediately turned pale.
“J-Jin-hyuk! Not that one!”
“Huh? Why?”
Cold sweat poured down her face.
“Well… it’s not impossible to use… but it activates every time you die. If you lack the ability to overcome the challenge, you’ll be trapped in endless death forever.”
Jin-hyuk nodded thoughtfully.
Then his smile widened.
“That’s even better.”
The fairy froze.
“If I slam myself against a wall enough times, eventually I’ll find a way through.”
“Jin-hyuk—”
“I’m only Level 2. I’ll probably die countless times on the Ninety-Ninth Floor.”
For someone as weak as him, survivability was everything.
And nothing offered greater survivability than an item that allowed infinite retries.
The fairy buried her face in her hands.
“That may be true, but…”
She sighed.
“Ultimately, the choice is yours. I don’t have the authority to stop you.”
“Great. Then I’ll take this one.”
“Ugh…”
The fairy’s face lost all color.
Seeing Jin-hyuk’s determined expression, she looked as though she had just witnessed a catastrophe waiting to happen.
