167 – The Returner Wanders (3)
[Enter the 15th floor.]
A split-second moment when I close my eyes and open them. My eyes instinctively turned to the sky.
“… Oh?”
The black Milky Way was embroidered in the sky. I looked up at the universe, and the universe looked down at me. Twinkling star. Brilliant sun. Endless darkness. The sky is embroidered with a mysterious ink color.
“… But can you see the sun?”
However, what was very awkward was that even though the sky was black, the sun was also visible. It’s like looking at a picture of the sun taken from a spaceship.
“… “Isn’t this space?”
Only then did I lower my head and check my surroundings. The place where I was standing was near the top of a mountain, and the entire mountain, including the floor I was stepping on, was black.
The sky is black and the mountains are black, so it would be normal if you couldn’t see the surroundings clearly…
“… Wow.”
Except for this mountain… Everything in sight was covered with lava. It’s like a mountain floating on a sea of lava. But strangely, even though all that was visible was lava, the air was not that hot. I could breathe well.
“… “
If you go down the mountain from here, you will end up falling into the magma. In the end, the only remaining option is to head to the top of the mountain. I climbed the rough and rugged mountain, leisurely looking around. There is no trace of anyone else. This floor seems to be a floor where you can proceed alone.
“The message window does not appear in cases like this.”
How many mountains did we climb? As I frantically climbed the mountain while admiring the scenery, I eventually reached the top.
“… Person?”
A wide, hollow hole at the top of a mountain. In the center, a single seal was visible.
“… “
Anyway, other than that person, there is nothing else to see. I walked towards the figure in the center of the pit, being careful not to fall.
Just right. Just right. Just right.
A sound that resonates regularly in this quiet mountain. As I was walking toward the center of the pit, I stopped for a moment and picked up something on the floor.
“… “Is it a statue?”
Dog? A wolf? I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a statue the size of my fist depicting something from the canid family. Judging from the color and texture, the material of the statue seemed to be the same as that of this mountain.
As we got closer to the center of the pit, the number of statues increased. Some are human-like. Some are similar to animals. Some are almost like dragons from legends. The craftsmanship of the person who created the sculpture seemed to be excellent, but the stone sculpture was so small that it seemed difficult to express it in detail.
Just right. Just right. Just right.
I reached the center of the pit, checking each piece one by one, and finally encountered the culprit of this crackling sound.
“… “Who is it?”
I don’t even know if it’s a man or a woman. An old man, whose exposed skin was wrinkled and wrinkled, spoke to me while repeatedly pounding small pieces of stone with nails and a hammer. It’s as if he’s greeting his son-in-law next door.
“… “
To be honest… Suspicious. It’s so f*cking suspicious.
The atmosphere on the 15th floor was very different from the other floors. The sky is as black as the universe, the fact that everything is covered with magma, and the fact that the only person that exists is this wrinkled, chrysalis-like old man.
“Who are you?”
“Didn’t I ask first?”
Despite his shabby appearance, the old man asked me in a relatively normal voice.
“My name is Kim Jun-ho.”
“I see.”
“… “Why don’t you tell me who you are?”
“Why me?”
“… “
“Nong, Nong. I mean… “It’s like a manager.”
Just right. Just right.
An old man laughing and tapping the stone in his hand. I stared at the old man quietly without smiling. Suddenly, a terrifying possibility came to mind.
“Maybe… “
“Huh?”
“Are you the god who created this tower?”
Didn’t a mysterious man appear at the beginning or end of the original novel, greeting him by saying, ‘Hello, I am God?’ It’s the same with the strange environment on the 15th floor, and the fact that this man is just standing there with nothing… I think it’s a reasonable suspicion.
“hehehehe… Young people have great imagination. Why does God come from the 15th floor? “Even if I come out, I have to come further back.”
However, the old man smiled and denied my question. Judging by the fact that he just mentioned the ’15th floor,’ it seemed like he also knew that this was a tower.
“Then what do you do? “What is a manager?”
“I’ll stop asking questions about myself here. “I can’t speak, and even if I speak, they won’t be able to understand.”
“… All right.”
Perfect!
The stone that the old man had been pounding with earlier was completed. This is a fairly cute sized goblin statue. In my opinion, it was a fairly well-made axle, but the old man sighs.
“Whoa. Stones are very difficult to handle. “Then, I will now explain the assignment on the 15th floor.”
When the old man put down the hammer and waved his wrinkled right hand, a string of strings floated before my eyes.
-[10] Weapon skill training assistant
-[9] C-class attribute selection
-[8] Refined Magic Stone
…
-[1] Wise advice from an old man.
“Now, choose among these.”
“What is all this?”
“It’s compensation. “Choose anything.”
“… “What about after choosing the reward?”
“Then the 15th floor is the end. “You just have to go back to reality.”
＜15Th floor＞
-Choose a reward.
A message window appears, as if telling you to quickly choose a reward. After thinking for a moment, I took two steps back from my seat.
Sreung!
I pulled the sword out of its scabbard. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like the old man was lying.
“What are you planning?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“… “What kind of plan are you planning?”
“What is this reward, the price? “What are the numbers written next to it?”
“It is the value of compensation that I have determined in my own way. And the price? “What price are you talking about?”
An old man tilting his head as if he really didn’t know. My grip on the sword becomes stronger.
“From the 11th to the 14th floor. The design of each floor was designed so that someone’s greed harmed everyone else. But now you’re telling me to just take it because I’ll give you a reward? “Are you telling me to believe that?”
“… “There seems to be a misunderstanding.”
An old man sitting on the floor, pointing at my armor.
“The armor and the sword. “Where did you get it?”
“… “On the 11th floor.”
“Was it useful? No, it was definitely useful. “I need to know the skills of the dwarves.”
“What do you want to say?”
“Even on the 12th floor. Even on the 13th floor. Even on the 14th floor. Haven’t you become stronger? It is true that it is designed so that there is a slight disadvantage if the sum does not match, but… You’ve definitely grown up. “Isn’t that right?”
“Are you the archangel in charge of the 11th to 15th floors?”
“No. However, you can think of it as a helper who was slightly involved in the design of each floor.”
“… “
“The 11th to 15th floors are not meant to harass climbers. Rather, it is a layer that contains the wish for climbers to become stronger. I, and the Archangel… Want the climbers to become strong. Did I mention the cost earlier? There is no price for you to pay. Choose your reward with peace of mind. “You can think of it as a kind of bonus.”
An old man with a grinning smile. To be honest… I can’t completely believe what he says. But there was a sincerity in that voice. No, it could be acting. However, there is insufficient evidence to judge its authenticity.
More on that later. First, you will need to clear the 15th floor and then collect information, including reviews from other players. Because I’m a regressor and I have a lot of time.
Of course, choosing a [10] Reward somehow bothers me. There is a possibility that what the old man said was a trap, and that there is actually some kind of trial based on numbers. So my choice.
“I’m sorry for doubting you. Then I will choose [1] Reward, the wise advice of an old man.”
“… Are you sure? “I’m just giving advice.”
“Yes.”
“Uhm… “Okay.”
I chose the ‘old man’s wise advice’, which seemed the least numerous and insignificant. In this case, it’s okay even if the trap is hidden.
“Okay, then ask. What advice do you want? “If there is anything I can answer, I will tell you with all my sincerity.”
“Um… “
However, when asked this question, no questions immediately came to mind. Detailed design of the 11th floor? What is the identity of the god who created the tower? True intentions? To ask such a profound question, I didn’t think there would be an answer.
But it’s a shame to ask something so trivial… I have a regression. Don’t think too deeply, just ask what you’re most curious about right now.
Having made up my mind, I brought out a question that had been buried in my mind for a few days.
“On the 13th and 14th floors… “Is there some sort of hidden route?”
“… “What does it mean to be a hidden route?”
“So, other than the prescribed method… “I’m curious about whether there were any elements such as additional rewards or changes to the process.”
13Th and 14th floors. I wanted to check whether my intuition that there would be a hidden route there was correct or wrong.
“I don’t know what hidden route you’re talking about, but… “There are ways to change the way things proceed.”
“Is that so?”
“On the 13th floor, once all the horses are killed, a doll appears that leads the way to the village… There is one more hidden ingredient on the 14th floor. Instead, the reward doesn’t change, it just increases the speed of completing the machine.”
“… “
“You can think of it as a kind of safety device. Let me give you an example… On the 12th floor, you actually don’t die if you fail the test. No compensation is given. And do you remember the ‘passenger seats’ on the 11th floor? If the dwarf who makes the passageway dies in some kind of accident… The angel grants other dwarves the ability to create passage stones. “Shouldn’t there never be a situation where you can’t break through a single layer?”
The old man’s words fit perfectly with logic, and there were no awkward parts. They say there were hidden elements on the 1st to 5th floors… Just as there was nothing on the 6th to 10th floors, it would make sense to say that there was nothing on the 11th to 15th floors.
But… I still feel a bit uneasy about something. I feel like I’m missing something. Even though there really aren’t any hidden spots on the 13th and 14th floors, it feels like you’re missing the bigger picture.
“Okay, you cleared the 15th floor with this. “I wish you luck.”
But the old man clapped his hands without giving me time to think. At the same time, a blue portal appears next to me. There really wasn’t a trap, they just cleared it.
“I need to sculpt one more goblin. “I can’t concentrate if there’s someone next to me, so go out.”
“… All right.”
There were so many questions that came to mind, and there were still so many things I wanted to ask… For now, I decided to clear the 15th floor. If you have any doubts, shouldn’t you ask after returning? I decided that it was time to return to reality and check the information.
After passing through the portal, I return to my room and see Choi Ji-won looking at his cell phone.
“Jiwon? You are on the 15th floor… “
I was just going to casually ask what the 15th floor was like.
“… Is it Junho? “Would you like to come by for a moment?”
Choi Ji-won calls me, staring at the cell phone with a serious expression.
Judging from the sound coming from the cell phone, it seemed like I was watching an advertisement promoting a certain product.
“What’s going on? Why not watch YouTube? “
I approached Choi Ji-won without much thought, but the moment I saw the cell phone screen, I had no choice but to freeze.
The sound is an ordinary advertisement sound. But the screen is different. The screen covered in red letters could not possibly be considered an advertising screen.
Red letters filled the advertisement screen, as if an elementary school student was creating a PPT for the first time. The contents were as follows.
-This is Michael Jeter, President of the Players Association. We need help from players who have cleared the 15th floor. Please contact us at the email below. Especially Choi Ji-won. I’m waiting for you. Please do not notify the association.
This was a message from Michael Jeter, president of the Players Association, who said he had been out of news.