Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 142

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 142: Zone 10 Boss (4)

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‘...The Tower!’

It was the same Black Tower that had appeared in the middle of Earth's Pacific Ocean.

I could now be certain I’d been right.

The Hero's world had also been destroyed by the Tower.

Was this the moment the Tower had first appeared?

"Aaaaah...!"

The Hero clutched her head with both hands and began screaming.

The scenery around us twisted and warped as if it were running wild.

I tried to check on her.

"Hero? Are you alri... Huh?"

The Hero suddenly vanished.

Startled, I looked around, but the Demon King was the only one there.

"Where did she go?"

The Demon King jerked his chin.

When I turned forward again...

The unstable world was creating another scene.

The city streets, which had been filled with celebration, transformed into grasslands.

The Hero and her companions stood there with grave expressions, staring at the Tower rising in the distance.

"...All five masters of the magic towers stepped in, including me, but we still haven't figured out a thing."

The female mage spoke.

"The source of the power that the Black Tower is giving off isn't mana, spirits, divine power, ancient power, or anything else. That thing is... completely incomprehensible."

What was this...?

Were the Hero's memories continuing? Memories from after the Tower appeared?

The real Hero, who had been standing beside me, was gone, but...

For now, I decided to watch the memories unfold.

The male thief asked the mage, "Could that Demon King bastard have done something before he died?"

"That's unlikely. So far, we haven't found any connection to the demons at all. If the Demon King had really done something, it would be strange for us not to notice even a trace of it."

The male priest spoke in a heavy voice as well.

"Even God has given us no answer. Why have You bestowed such a trial upon us?"

The barbarian warrior looked around at the others.

"Do you all really believe it? That if we don't climb the Tower, most members of every race in this land will die?"

"...We can't ignore the words of something that wields such an unknown power."

The Hero only stared at the Tower in silence.

The female mage looked at her and asked, "Seri, are you planning to enter the Tower?"

The Hero nodded.

"I suppose I have to."

Determination filled her eyes.

As I watched, I thought, ‘As expected, the Hero was...’

Was she a Nightmare Climber too?

The scene changed.

It was the orphanage building I had seen at the beginning.

The Hero sat beside a man on chairs in the courtyard, watching the children run around laughing.

"...Are you really going to do this, Seri?"

The hesitant man spoke carefully.

"You finally defeated the Demon King. You've already sacrificed enough for the world. Can't you stop now... leave it to someone else and live happily?"

The Hero slowly shook her head.

"I have to do it, Rabi."

"..."

"No one's managed to clear Nightmare difficulty yet. When the deadline runs out, the world might really be destroyed."

The Hero placed her hand over Rabi's.

"I'm the Hero. I think I need to save the world a little longer."

Rabi tightly held her hand in return.

"I promise. When everything is over... we'll definitely be happy."

Was this man, Rabi, the Hero's lover?

The image of the two gradually blurred.

Then the scenery changed again.

This time, the Hero was fighting monsters alone.

It seemed she was attempting Nightmare difficulty.

Of course, the contents of each floor were different from mine. The scenes flew past quickly, as if someone were skipping through a video.

The rapid sequence stopped again on a scene of citizens cheering and praising the Hero.

"They say the Hero has successfully cleared the 10th floor too!"

"Great Hero! The continent's only savior! Waaaaah...!"

The Hero's attempt at Nightmare difficulty appeared to be progressing smoothly.

‘...Hmm.’

But I already knew how this story would end.

I was only watching the path that led to that ruin.

Then the scenery changed once more.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Hero marched down an ornate corridor, her face filled with killing intent.

She roughly shoved aside the knights blocking her path and arrived at the audience chamber.

Standing before the Emperor seated on the throne, the Hero asked in a restrained voice, "Where have you taken Rabi?"

The Emperor stopped the rushing knights with a gesture and spoke.

"Have you lost all sense of propriety, Hero? Show the ruler of the Empire the respect he is due."

The Hero gritted her teeth, dropped to one knee, and lowered her head.

Leaning sideways against his throne, the Emperor continued.

"I will overlook this insolence. The Church is currently keeping that man called Rabi safe."

"...Why is the Church involved?"

"Hero, it is all for your sake. Since the Tower appeared, I have heard that fanatics who wish for the world's destruction have been growing more active.

"Those wicked people may target those close to you and place them in danger. Should your attention, which ought to be focused on climbing the Tower and saving the world, be wasted elsewhere?"

"I never asked for this. I can protect my own people."

The Emperor looked down at the Hero with hard eyes.

"Or perhaps, Hero... have you been swayed by what the foolish masses outside have been saying? I have heard rumors that you alone are the world's savior, the true god's representative."

The Hero flinched, then answered while trembling.

"...That is absurd. It isn't true."

"Then fulfill your duty as the Hero. The Demon King is dead, but an even more incomprehensible threat is endangering the continent's peace. While you stand against the Tower, the imperial family and the Church will protect those around you.

"I promise you as Emperor of the Empire. Once everything is over, all things will return to their proper places, Hero."

I frowned as I watched.

What kind of situation was this?

Had the Empire and the Church kidnapped the Hero's lover?

Listening to their conversation, I could roughly guess why.

Were they afraid the Hero would give up climbing the Tower halfway through?

Or had the Hero received too much worship from the people? Were they trying to control her?

"Nothing is more laughable than a ruler who fears the people he is supposed to govern. What a pathetic bastard."

The Demon King stood beside me with his arms crossed, looking at the Emperor with disdain.

The scenery changed.

The Hero continued climbing the Tower after that.

The 11th floor, 12th floor, 13th floor, 14th floor, 15th floor...

Yet the higher she climbed...

Scenes of people screaming flashed past. Fallen ran rampant through the cities.

The world seemed to be gradually falling apart.

Messages continued appearing before my eyes as well.

[The 12th floor has been cleared in all difficulties.]

[A new rule has been added.]

[From now on, the deadline for the difficulty with the lowest highest floor will decrease twice as fast.]

[The 14th floor has been cleared in all difficulties.]

[A new rule has been added.]

[From now on, Climbers have a low chance of leveling up when they kill non-Climbers.]

[The 16th floor has been cleared in all difficulties.]

[A new rule has been added.]

[The 'Sacrificial Offering' will begin in 24 hours.]

[The highest-floor Climbers of each difficulty may choose the regions where the Tower's Curse will descend.]

[Greater rewards will be granted according to the number of non-Climbers who become Fallen.]

Rules of the Tower that were added every other floor.

It seemed the Hero's world had been the same.

But what the hell was this...?

The higher they climbed, the more absurd the rules became.

The Tower hadn't even made her some kind of offer like it had with me, yet those rules alone had rapidly destroyed the Hero's world.

Even if the Hero kept successfully clearing Nightmare difficulty, was she unable to stop all that persistent malice?

Rumble-

The Tower shook violently.

The ground split, and the world went dark for a moment.

When the scenery appeared again...

I couldn't help but sigh.

It was the field of the 10th floor.

At some point, the Hero's world had come to resemble it.

The scene changed, and a collapsing cathedral appeared before me.

The Hero, her face worn with exhaustion, was following her male priest companion somewhere.

"Seri, prepare yourself..."

They arrived in front of a room with a thick iron door.

The Hero opened the door, entered the room, and froze on the spot.

A Fallen with a horn growing from its forehead was tightly bound in chains.

"...Rabi."

The Hero collapsed to her knees in front of him.

After silently sobbing for a long time, she finally drew her sword and cut down the Fallen.

...The scenery changed.

The Hero was in a dark space.

She no longer climbed the Tower or did anything at all. She was like a corpse.

"Seri, there are still many people who want to live, even in a world like this. Please..."

"...I'm sorry. For making you carry all of this."

Her companions would occasionally come to plead with her or apologize.

As time passed, even they stopped coming.

Then...

[The deadline for Nightmare difficulty has been exceeded.]

[The Tower's Curse activates.]

[99% of all races will die.]

The Hero, who had been staring blankly into the air, finally rose to her feet.

A world filled with nothing but Fallen.

The Hero looked down at the ruined Empire from atop a hill and let out a hollow laugh.

A torrent of emotions washed over me, and I clutched my chest.

Regret, frustration, despair, rage, resignation... emptiness and sorrow.

These were the Hero's emotions.

The Hero's mental image was so intense that those feelings seemed to be passing directly into me.

She had not been rewarded with the happiness she wanted.

Nor had she protected the world to the end as its Hero.

"...It was meaningless."

It had been a completely meaningless life.

Shing-

The Hero drew her sword and cut her own throat.

With that, the world was dyed pitch-black.

"..."

Was that the end?

So this was how the Hero's world had been destroyed.

I let out a deep sigh.

Even after the memory ended, the Hero was still nowhere to be seen. Then...

A new scene suddenly began unfolding before my eyes.

"Hero! Great Hero who defeated the Demon King!"

It was the first scene.

The Hero's party, having defeated the Demon King, passed beneath the triumphal arch as the citizens cheered.

The Tower would rise right after this, but...

"...?"

For some reason, the Tower didn't appear this time.

The Hero and her companions passed under the triumphal arch with happy smiles, and a splendid festival continued in the city until late at night.

The scenery changed.

"Seri! Welcome home!"

The Hero returned to her hometown, the orphanage, and was welcomed by the director and the children.

Rabi was among them too, awkwardly welcoming her.

"Seri... You've changed so much I barely recognize you."

The Hero smiled brightly and embraced him.

...What was this?

I quietly watched the scene.

The Demon King clicked his tongue.

"How pitiful. She has descended into delusion now."

Ah, was that it?

Was this the world the Hero had wished for?

A world where the Tower had never appeared, and everything ended happily after the Demon King was defeated...

"There's nothing more to see."

The Demon King waved his hand as if to shatter the Hero's mental image.

I instinctively stopped him.

"Wait."

"What now!"

The Demon King snapped.

I looked at the Hero again.

"Let's just... watch a little longer."

I didn't want to disturb her.

The Hero looked so happy as she smiled and chatted with the people around her.

* * *

It had been a long journey.

After finally defeating the Demon King with her companions, the Hero refused all wealth and glory and returned to the orphanage, a place that was as good as her hometown.

The director, whose hair had turned mostly white, welcomed her. There were many children she did not recognize as well.

She was glad to see all of it. She had missed it all.

And Rabi.

She remembered the day she had first left the orphanage with the priests.

Rabi had told her he would wait forever until she returned after saving the world. He had also told her that even if some wonderful knight appeared, she was never to fall for anyone else.

It had been a promise between a young boy and girl.

Perhaps he didn't remember it. Perhaps his heart had changed by now...

Three months after she began helping at the orphanage, one night...

"Seri, marry me."

Rabi proposed to her.

The Hero asked in surprise, "...You remembered?"

Rabi nodded, his face turning red.

"For ten years, all I could think about was you. I thought I should give up because I couldn't become a great man worthy of the Hero, but... I still can't give up."

The Hero smiled, then tears slipped from her eyes.

She was happy. She realized that she still loved him too.

They held their wedding half a year later.

The orphanage director, the children, the villagers, and even her companions, who had somehow heard the news, all came from far away to attend.

Everyone blessed the two of them and their future together.

"Be happy, Seri! Our Hero!"

Her duty as Hero Veldihard had come to an end.

Now, only the happiness she deserved as an ordinary person remained.

Rabi was a skilled carpenter. He built a cabin himself in the forest near the orphanage, and they made it their home for the life ahead.

The very next year, they had a child.

He was a healthy son, and the following year, they had a daughter as well.

Those tiny lives grew up in the blink of an eye.

She taught her son swordsmanship from a young age. He was remarkably talented, just as one would expect of her child.

Her daughter, on the other hand, took an interest in magic. Since the Hero had some skill in magic as well, she taught both children herself.

Happy days passed.

She would take her son to the forest to watch her hunt, help her daughter as she stayed up all night studying magical theory, and watch her children run and play with other children...

Sometimes, her companions would visit to share news of how they were doing, and they would talk about the old days. Even the exhausting battles against the demons had become memories they could laugh about now.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and before she knew it, her grown children had left home.

Her son became an adventurer to see the wider world, while her daughter went to the magic tower run by one of her companions to learn more about the world of magic.

The home that had once held a family of four returned to how it had begun, with only the two of them.

Rabi had grown old as well. It sometimes felt cruel to watch him age faster than she did, but it was a natural course no one could avoid.

She spent peaceful, relaxed days with Rabi, her lifelong companion. They helped at the orphanage and in the village, and sometimes traveled to a nearby city.

Reading the letters their children occasionally sent together was a simple yet profound happiness.

Enough time passed for Rabi's hair and beard to turn completely white...

Their children had each started families of their own. They had reached that age.

"Grandma! Show us magic! Magic!"

Her grandchildren came over, tugging at her clothes and begging.

The Hero smiled and opened her hand.

Blue illusory butterflies fluttered into the air, and the children excitedly chased after them.

"Those little rascals suddenly showed up without giving us time to prepare."

Rabi hurried down to the village, saying he needed to buy a large cut of meat and spices for a party.

Sitting in a rocking chair, the Hero watched her grandchildren playing in the cabin's yard.

"..."

Tears suddenly flowed down her face.