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aYCNLoAlZ6ckV5ZwpMJlcDV9Fnr
Chapter 167
Entering the 15th floor
In the blink of an eye, I closed my eyes and opened them again.
Instinctively, my gaze shifted upward.
“…Oh?”
A black galaxy was spread across the sky.
I looked up at the universe, and the universe looked back at me.
Glittering stars. A brilliant sun. An endless abyss.
The heavens were painted in a mysterious shade of midnight ink.
“…But wait, I can see the sun too?”
That’s what felt most out of place.
Despite the pitch-black sky, the sun was clearly visible—
Like a photograph taken from a spaceship, capturing the sun in the void of space.
“…Don’t tell me… am I in space?”
Only then did I lower my head and take in my surroundings.
I was near the peak of a mountain—
But both the ground beneath my feet and the mountain itself were entirely black.
The sky was black, the mountain was black…
It should’ve been hard to see anything around me.
“…Whoa.”
Except for this mountain… Everything in sight was completely covered in lava.
It looked like the mountain was just barely floating above a sea of molten fire.
And yet, strangely enough, the air wasn’t unbearably hot.
Breathing came easily.
“…”
If I went down the mountain, I’d probably plunge right into that lava.
That left me with only one option—
Up. To the summit.
I took my time, carefully surveying the area as I climbed the rugged, uneven path.
No signs of anyone else.
This must be a solo floor.
“Figures. No message window when I actually want one.”
Who knows how long I kept climbing?
I was so caught up in the surreal scenery that I didn’t even notice when I’d reached the peak.
“…Someone’s here?”
At the very top, there was a wide, sunken crater.
And in the middle of it—
A single silhouette stood.
“…”
There was nothing else around.
‘No reason to hesitate.’
I treaded carefully across the uneven ground, heading toward the lone figure at the crater’s center.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A rhythmic sound echoed across the silent mountain.
I paused mid-step, spotting something on the ground.
“…A statue?”
A dog? A wolf?
I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely some canine figure.
A small carving, about the size of my fist.
From the texture and color, it looked like it was made of the same material as the mountain itself.
The closer I got to the center of the crater, the more statues I found.
Some shaped like people.
Some like animals.
Some resembling mythical creatures—like dragons straight out of legend.
The craftsmanship was impressive, though the figures were so tiny, it was hard to get detailed with them.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As I examined the carvings one by one, I finally arrived at the center of the crater.
And there—
I came face to face with the source of that tapping sound.
“…Who are you?”
I couldn’t even tell if the person was a man or a woman.
Their exposed skin was wrinkled like old parchment, and yet, they kept hammering away at a small stone figure with a nail and mallet while speaking to me—
In a tone that sounded more like a neighbor saying hello to the kid next door.
“…”
Honestly… this was suspicious.
Extremely suspicious.
The 15th floor felt completely different from any of the others.
The sky, like the vastness of space.
The surrounding landscape, engulfed in lava.
And then there was this one solitary figure—an elderly person who looked like a shriveled-up chrysalis.
“Who are you?”
“Wasn’t I the one who asked first?”
Despite their ragged appearance, their voice was surprisingly normal—steady, even.
“My name is Kim Jun-ho.”
“Mm. I see.”
“…Would you mind telling me who you are?”
“Why should I?”
“…”
“Just kidding. I’m something like… a manager, you could say.”
Tap. Tap.
The old person chuckled, lightly tapping the stone figure in their hand.
I didn’t laugh. I just kept watching them in silence.
Because suddenly—
A chilling possibility crossed my mind.
“…Are you, by any chance…”
“Hmm?”
“Are you the god who created this tower?”
In stories, there’s always that moment—at the beginning or the very end—
When a mysterious figure shows up and says, ‘Greetings. I am God.’
Given the surreal landscape, the eerie isolation, and this one person alone here…
It felt like a reasonable suspicion.
“Pffft… You’ve got a vivid imagination, young man. Why would a god appear on the 15th floor? If anything, that’d be for much later.”
The old person snorted, dismissing my theory with a laugh.
But the fact that they’d casually mentioned “15th floor” confirmed something else—
They knew exactly where we were. They understood this place was the Tower.
“Then what exactly do you do? And what does ‘manager’ mean?”
“Let’s end the questions about me here. Even if I could explain it, you wouldn’t understand.”
“…Understood.”
Tap!
The small sculpture they’d been carving all this time was finally complete.
It was a goblin statue, adorably small in size.
From where I stood, it actually looked quite well-crafted—
But the old person just let out a heavy sigh.
“Phew… Stone’s always been tough to work with. Anyway, let me explain the task for the 15th floor.”
Setting the tool down, the old figure waved his wrinkled right hand.
And with that gesture, a long string of glowing text unfurled before my eyes.
-[10] Weapon Mastery Training Assistant
-[9] C-Rank Trait Selection Ticket
-[8] Refined Mana Stone
…
-[1] The Old Man’s Wise Advice
“Now then—choose one.”
“…What is all this?”
“Your reward. Pick whichever you like.”
“…And after I choose?”
“Then the 15th floor ends. You’ll return to reality.”
Please select your reward.
Just then, a message window popped up—as if urging me to hurry and make my choice.
I stood in place for a moment, thinking it over, then took two steps back.
Shing!
I drew my sword from its sheath.
No matter how I looked at it… this old man was hiding something.
“What’s your game?”
“…Game?”
“What’s the catch with these rewards? And what do those numbers beside them mean?”
“The numbers? Just my own way of ranking their value. And the catch? What kind of catch are you talking about?”
The old man tilted his head, feigning confusion.
My grip on the sword tightened.
“From the 11th to the 14th floor… every floor was designed so that one person’s greed would bring harm to the others. And now you’re telling me, all of a sudden, I can just take a reward and leave? You expect me to believe that?”
“…Seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Still sitting on the ground, the old man pointed at my armor.
“That armor and sword… where did you get them?”
“…The 11th floor.”
“Useful, weren’t they? No, I bet they were. Dwarven craftsmanship is no joke.”
“What’s your point?”
“The 12th floor. The 13th. The 14th. You grew stronger, didn’t you? Sure, the floors were designed so that imbalance brought penalties… But even so, you improved, didn’t you?”
“…Are you the archangel in charge of floors 11 through 15?”
“No, no. Just think of me as an assistant. Someone who… lent a hand with the design of each floor.”
“…”
“Floors 11 through 15 weren’t designed to torment climbers,” The old man said calmly. “Quite the opposite, really. These floors were created with the hope that the challengers would grow stronger. I—and the archangel—truly want that. You mentioned a price earlier? There is none. Pick a reward with peace of mind. Think of it as… a kind of bonus.”
He smiled gently.
To be honest…
I couldn’t fully trust his words.
But still, there was a weight behind them. A sincerity in his voice.
Of course, it could all be an act.
But I didn’t have enough evidence to judge either way.
I could dig into it later.
For now, I just needed to clear the 15th floor.
After that, I’d gather intel from the other players’ reviews and reports.
I had time. I was a regressor, after all.
That said, choosing the [10] reward outright made me uneasy.
What if the old man’s words were a trap?
What if each number represented a challenge or consequence tied to the choice?
So instead, I said:
“…Sorry for doubting you. Then I’ll choose [1]—‘The Old Man’s Wise Advice.’”
“…You’re sure? It’s literally just me giving you advice, you know.”
“Yes.”
“…Hmm… Very well.”
I chose the reward that looked the least valuable—the one with the lowest number.
‘The Old Man’s Wise Advice.’
If there was a hidden trap behind it, I figured it’d be the safest.
“Now then,” he said, smiling, “what advice would you like? If it’s something I can answer, I’ll do my best.”
“…Hmm…”
But now that he was offering, I couldn’t think of a single question.
Should I ask about the design of the 11th floor?
The identity of the god who created the Tower?
The Tower’s true purpose?
All too grand—and I had the feeling he wouldn’t answer something like that anyway.
Still, asking something trivial would be a waste of the chance.
But… I was a regressor. I had time. No need to overthink it.
I’d just ask the question that had been bothering me the most these past few days.
I made up my mind and asked,
“On the 13th and 14th floors… is there some kind of hidden route?”
“…Hidden route?” he echoed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, were there any alternate paths—ways to get extra rewards or change the progression somehow?”
I’d always had a hunch that there was something more to those floors.
This was my chance to confirm whether that instinct had been right or completely off.
“Hm… I don’t know about ‘hidden routes,’ but yes—there are ways to change how things play out.”
“Really?”
“On the 13th floor, once all the horses die, a puppet appears to lead you to the village. On the 14th floor, there’s one more hidden material you can find. It doesn’t change the reward, mind you—it just lets you finish assembling the machine faster.”
“…”
“It’s more like a safety net. For example, on the 12th floor, even if you fail the test, you won’t die. You just won’t receive a reward. Or take the ‘passage stone’ on the 11th floor—you remember that, yes? If the dwarf responsible for crafting it happens to die, the angel has the ability to transfer that skill to another dwarf. We couldn’t have people getting stuck on a floor forever, could we?”
Everything the old man said made sense.
His logic was consistent, and nothing felt off.
Sure, there had been hidden elements on floors 1 through 5.
But floors 6 through 10 didn’t have any—
So it wouldn’t be strange for floors 11 through 15 to be the same.
And yet…
Something still didn’t sit right with me.
It felt like I was missing something.
Even if the 13th and 14th floors didn’t have any proper “hidden paths,”
It was like…
I was overlooking a much bigger picture.
“Well then, with that… you’ve cleared the 15th floor. I wish you luck.”
Before I could even respond, the old man clapped his hands—clap! At that exact moment, a glowing blue portal opened beside me.
…So there really wasn’t a trap.
He was actually just letting me clear the floor.
“I’ve got another goblin to carve. Can’t focus with someone hovering around. Off you go.”
“…Understood.”
I still had so many questions—dozens of things I wanted to ask.
But for now, I decided to clear the floor.
If something still bothered me later… I could always ask after regressing.
Right now, it was time to return to the real world and check for new information.
After stepping through the portal, I was back in my apartment.
And there sat Choi Ji-won, staring down at her phone.
“Ji-won? You reached the 15th floor, right…?”
I casually began to ask how the 15th floor had been for her.
“…Jun-ho? Can you come over for a second?”
She didn’t even glance up.
Her eyes were glued to her phone, her expression… unusually serious.
<Fresh! Clean! Just for you! Available at your local pharmacy!>
The audio coming from the phone was a generic-sounding ad jingle—
So at first, I didn’t think anything of it.
“What’s up? Why’d you pause YouTube all of a sudd—”
But the moment I caught a glimpse of her screen, I froze.
The audio may have been from an ad.
But the visuals were something else entirely.
It looked like a beginner’s PowerPoint presentation—
Red text plastered across the screen in a crude, jarring font.
But what it said sent a chill down my spine:
– This is Michael Jeter, Chairman of the Player Association.
We urgently need the help of a player who cleared the 15th floor.
Please contact the email address below.
Especially you, Choi Ji-won.
We’re waiting.
Please do not inform the Association.
This was a message from Michael Jeter—The very Player Association Chairman who’d supposedly vanished without a trace.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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