WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 120

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Qualification Trial (3)

My house was in Seoul, which had fallen within range of an isolation zone.

I watched the situation unfold.

"This is brutal, honestly."

It reminded me of the sub-tower event.

Fail the mission, and the Tower's Curse descends on everyone within range.

The difference this time was that people couldn't even flee. They were sealed inside.

If the highest-floor climbers selected isolation zones and defeated the boss, those zones would be deactivated. But they had to carry penalties equal to the number of zones they chose.

[If 1 zone is selected]
- Physical ability and willpower reduced by 30%

[If 2 zones are selected]
- Physical ability and willpower reduced by 30%
- 3 random skills banned

[If 3 zones are selected]
- Physical ability and willpower reduced by 30%
- 3 random skills banned
- 3 random items banned

.
.
.

Even choosing just one zone was pretty brutal.

The more you selected, the more skills and items got locked out.

The skill and item bans honestly meant nothing to me. The Demon King could just use magic instead.

The boss would be at equivalent level — meaning I'd be fighting a level 105 boss monster — but...

This was the same Demon King who had one-shot that out-of-spec antlion boss on Floor 8.

A level 105 boss wouldn't even be a warm-up for that kind of power.

The problem, though...

'Physical ability penalty.'

If my physical ability dropped, so would my body's threshold for withstanding the Demon King's magic. By the same proportion.

30% reduction. That seemed survivable.

60% reduction? Hard to say. Pushing through it somehow still felt within the realm of possible.

90% reduction.

Honestly, I didn't think my body could take that.

Selecting seven or more zones meant carrying a 90% physical ability penalty from that point on.

The ceiling I figured I could handle was six zones, at best.

"The people ahead of me need to pick up some of the slack..."

It was a bit like a game of nerve. If the other difficulties each chipped in even a little, I could shoulder whatever remained.

Sure, even a single-zone penalty would be brutal by other climbers' standards, but...

Countless lives were on the line.

If the highest-floor climbers didn't act, everyone inside would die.

- They're saying China's Zhang Tao, the current Easy difficulty record holder, is making his selection now...

I stepped out of my room.

My family was in the living room watching the news.

"Seo-hyeon."

My parents and my younger sister looked at me with anxious faces.

I kept my voice calm to reassure them.

"It'll be fine. Everyone's going to come out of this safe."

I sat with them and watched the news, waiting for the messages to appear.

[The highest-floor climber on Easy difficulty, 'Warrior,' has selected isolation zone number 5.]

With barely any time left on the selection clock, the Easy difficulty top climber made his choice. He had picked one of China's isolation zones. Just the one.

...At least he chose something.

I waited, hoping he'd pull through.

But then.

[The highest-floor climber on Easy difficulty, 'Warrior,' has died.]

The message surfaced not long after.

"..."

Dead.

I bit down hard on my lip.

The second person up didn't select any isolation zones. He still died anyway.

[The highest-floor climber on Easy difficulty, 'Ascender,' has defeated the boss monster.]

[Number of deactivated isolation zones: 0]

It took until the third person for a success notification to appear.

I read through what the successful climber had posted in the Communication Window.

The turn passed. Normal difficulty was next.

[The highest-floor climber on Normal difficulty, 'Liberty,' did not select an isolation zone.]

[The highest-floor climber on Hard difficulty, 'Strength,' did not select an isolation zone.]

The other difficulties, too.

In the end, not a single one of them picked anything.

I let out a quiet sigh inside.

'Not even one...'

God, seriously.

I understood. I did. This was their lives on the line.

Who could force anyone to make that kind of sacrifice?

Still. A faint thread of resentment rose in me, and I couldn't entirely push it back down.

[Please select isolation zones.]

The last turn had come around. Mine.

[Selecting an isolation zone will immediately move you to the Chamber of Proof.]

[If you do not select any isolation zones before time expires, you will be moved to the Chamber of Proof without having selected any.]

[Time Remaining for Selection: 59 minutes 59 seconds]

I stared at the notification in front of me.

A map-like image showed the isolation zone numbers scattered across the world.

...What do I do?

"Don't."

My sister spoke up.

Her voice was trembling, like she was on the edge of tears.

"Stop worrying about other people and start worrying about yourself, oppa. Okay?"

My father and mother both wore dark expressions as they spoke.

"Seo-hyeon, please... don't push yourself too far."

I looked at their faces and gave a slow nod.

"We're inside an isolation zone too. I have to pick South Korea at the very least."

"..."

"Don't worry. One zone is nothing to me. I'll only take on what I can actually handle."

I stopped time.

And thought it through.

Six zones felt manageable.

Selecting six meant a 60% reduction.

Since defeating the boss healed injuries the same way a floor clear did, even if I pushed hard, six should be doable somehow.

But that still left three zones behind.

'Demon King-nim.'

I asked the Demon King.

'Is it possible? The 90% penalty.'

Could my body actually hold out long enough? Long enough to take down the boss, at least.

- It won't hold. Let go of what you need to let go of. Don't be stupid.

...Yeah. Probably right.

There was no information about what boss would even appear.

Taking on the 90% penalty was out of the question.

'Feels like Floor 4 all over again.'

That had been a dangerous gamble too.

Once again, a similar choice sat in front of me.

No, actually — this was riskier by a wide margin.

'...Still can't do it.'

What was the point of saving everyone if I died trying?

That would be the end of the world.

Better to reduce the risk and at least save the people in six of the isolation zones.

That was the right call.

My mind tilted toward six.

I let time resume.

Deliberately, I waited until the selection window was almost empty.

Giving governments a little more time to brace for whatever was coming seemed better.

On the TV, footage played of the people trapped inside the isolation zones.

I watched the faces full of despair, then closed my eyes.

[Time Remaining for Selection: 59 seconds]

Almost out of time.

"I'm heading out."

I said goodbye to my family, who were trembling with worry.

Alright. Time to choose.

My mind was already made up.

I would select six isolation zones, including South Korea's.

That was what I had to do. That was the best I could do.

"..."

Ah, damn it.

Forget it.

'Demon King-nim.'
- You lunatic. Don't.
'I trust you.'

I jabbed my finger at the air.

Isolation zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. All of them.

[The highest-floor climber on Nightmare difficulty, 'Person123,' has selected isolation zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.]

[The following penalties will be applied.]

[If 9 zones are selected]
- Physical ability and willpower reduced by 90%
- All skills banned
- All items banned

The message appeared, and my vision flipped instantly.

[You have entered the Chamber of Proof.]

[Defeat the boss monster.]

I stopped time the moment I arrived.

The space was dark and vast — an enormous hollow.

A boss stood before me.

A humanoid monster... a demon?

It looked similar to the Floor 7 boss.

Only much larger.

And it had three pairs of wings folded against its back.

The word "Archdemon" rose unbidden in my mind. The sheer presence was overwhelming.

Alright.

Let's get this done.

I had already thrown the dice. No taking it back now.

- Are you actually an idiot?

The Demon King cursed at me, sounding thoroughly fed up.

I handed control of my body over immediately.

'Counting on you. We need to walk out of here alive.'

90% physical ability reduction.

The strength drained out of me all at once. My body felt hollowed out.

I worked through the strategy.

At least the boss being humanoid was a small mercy.

If it had been something like the Frozen Hydra with multiple heads, or a blob creature like the Floor 3 boss, knowing where to aim would have been a nightmare.

This boss almost certainly had its head as a weak point.

'Worth trying, isn't it? If we go for the head with the absolute minimum force...'

Strike before the boss could act.

Destroy the head in a single blow.

Then my body might hold on just long enough before collapsing — or at least collapse a fraction of a second after the boss died.

All I needed was to stay alive until the boss went down.

- Tch.
'Hm? Think it'll work?'
- Release time.

Let's go, Demon King-nim!

I cheered the Demon King on and released time.

Grrrk—

The boss's crimson pupils lit up as it turned to look at me.

The Demon King raised one hand toward the boss.

Shhhhhh—!

An arctic chill gathered and compressed in that palm.

[Willpower: 0/605]

Willpower bottomed out in an instant.

The moment it hit zero, I stopped time again.

The penalty had my willpower cut by 90% as well.

Of course, since it recovered infinitely, the reduced maximum wasn't the real problem.

'Son of a...'

I could already feel my body starting to freeze solid.

Just from drawing on 605 points of willpower.

'Is the Frozen Hydra blood effect still active?'

I had no idea whether the effects of consumable items were blocked too.

If that one was still running, I'd be able to push through a lot more.

I refilled willpower completely and released time.

The moment I did, the Demon King drained it all again, compressing more cold into the attack. Then I froze time. Then we went again.

That cycle repeated.

Still, I could feel the Demon King pushing the force downward, concentrating it below the head and into the body.

Crack.

On the third willpower draw, my frozen left arm snapped off and fell.

On the fourth, my side crumbled away like cookie crumbs.

On the fifth, one of my legs shattered and my body lurched sideways.

CRASH!

I went down hard.

Only my upper half remained, everything below the waist completely destroyed.

About three seconds of real time had passed.

...This really is the limit. I'm going to die.

'Demon King-nim, are we not there yet?'

One more willpower draw and my body would collapse entirely—

'...!'

The boss moved in that instant.

It surged toward me, fast.

At the exact same moment—

The cold the Demon King had compressed to its absolute limit stretched out like a thread, impossibly thin...

Flash!

A blue-white line cut through the air.

Along that line, the boss's neck was cleanly severed.

Head and body separated. The boss was still mid-charge when it crashed to the floor, the cut surface freezing solid from the wound outward.

At the same time, my upper body tipped sideways and hit the ground.

Even what remained of me shattered like glass.

As my consciousness faded toward death...

[The highest-floor climber on Nightmare difficulty, 'Person123,' has defeated the boss monster.]

[Moving to the Reward Room.]

The messages were the last thing I saw.

My awareness blinked out for a moment. When I opened my eyes again, the view was familiar.

The Reward Room.

I looked down.

Everything below my neck had been destroyed. It was regenerating quickly.

The regeneration finished, and I pushed myself to my feet.

"...Phew!"

Still alive.

I genuinely thought I was done for.

"Thank you for your hard work, Demon King-nim."

The Demon King radiated pure disgust.

- You got lucky. You absolute maniac.
"Ha, as long as I'm alive."

Operation Outlast the Boss by One Second. Success.

[Isolation zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 have been deactivated.]

I had taken down the boss, so all the isolation zones I had selected were deactivated.

Either way, everyone was alive.

I let out a long breath of relief, then addressed the Tower directly.

"What a shame, right? Almost had me."

You've got talent. Keep going just like that.

Actually, no — scratch that. Don't keep going like that.

My nerves unwound and I started thinking nonsense. I shook myself out of it and looked around.

There was a skill stone.

A reward?

I walked over and checked it.

[Skill: Air Step (Epic)]
Step through the air and move freely.
Type: Physical
Willpower Cost: 50
Cooldown: None

A very brief skill description.

Air Step.

"Oh..."

My first Epic-grade physical skill.

Not that it would be particularly useful to me now — I already had the Demon King's flight ability.

Still, better than nothing.

['Skill: Air Step (Epic)' has been acquired.]

I acquired it right away and tried it out.

Thwump!

I stepped off the air and bounced around freely.

Each use cost 50 willpower, with no cooldown.

In short, I could now move through midair as freely as I liked.

['Qualification Trial' has ended.]

[Number of deactivated isolation zones: 9]

[All isolation zones have been deactivated.]

[A special reward will be given to the highest-floor climber who deactivated the most isolation zones.]

Another message appeared.

I came back down to the ground.

Right — they had said there would be a special reward for deactivating all the isolation zones. This was separate from the reward I had gotten after defeating the boss.

The highest-floor climber who deactivated the most zones was obviously me.

['Person123' will receive a special reward.]

[Please select one of the following as your reward.]

I looked at the options in front of me.

"..."

My eyes went wide.

What the...

What is this?

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