Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 154

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 154: Nightmare 12th Floor (1)

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After finishing Taylor and Ye Tianwei’s training, I met Billon, who had flown to Korea not long afterward.

Come to think of it, hadn’t I met him once before clearing the 10th floor too?

In real time, it hadn’t been long since his last visit.

“You’re busy, yet you come by often.”

“Mr. Kim is fighting for humanity. What could be more important than that?”

He had also come to hand over some skill stones in person.

I received one Common-grade skill stone and one Common+-grade skill enhancement stone.

Most skills didn’t mean much to me anymore, but he was still someone who kept working hard for my sake.

Billon cautiously asked, “How is it? Have you found a way to solve the lifespan problem...?”

I shook my head.

“There hasn’t been any real progress yet.”

“I see.”

The Demon King had said something about becoming a god, but that was too vague and out of nowhere to take seriously.

“The UN General Assembly will soon convene to pass the International Climber Treaty.”

Billon also told me how far things had progressed in their efforts to punish climbers who crossed the line.

They were moving quickly, but it still seemed like they had only taken the first step.

Not that I could slow down my Nightmare clears because of it.

I didn’t expect nations to be able to control climbers anyway. Things had already gone beyond that point, and it would only become more difficult from here on.

Still, it was better than doing nothing. I could only hope it would help restrain them, even a little.

“China has been especially proactive, sparing no effort. It’s made things move along more smoothly, but...”

“Really?”

“Yes. China’s current president is little more than a puppet, so it’s likely that Ye Tianwei’s will is involved. The Chinese representative Nightmare clearer I told you about before.”

I nodded.

Had Ye Tianwei already been helping in various ways?

“Taylor and Ye Tianwei successfully cleared through the 9th floor just recently.”

“...What?”

I told Billon that I had helped the two of them.

The United States and China hadn’t announced it yet, but they probably would soon.

“You can even do something like that... Where exactly are Mr. Kim’s limits?”

Billon was extremely surprised after hearing about the training in the Mindscape.

“But are those two definitely friendly toward you, Mr. Kim? Taylor is one thing, but Ye Tianwei...”

“I think so. Besides, the more climbers there are who can clear high-level Nightmare floors, the better.”

Ye Tianwei did have a strange side, but while training him, I had clearly felt that he was friendly toward me.

According to Billon, he had already been helping me as well.

“You’ll be challenging the 12th floor soon.”

“Yes. I’ll challenge it tomorrow.”

“I wish you good fortune once again.”

Billon spoke with a slightly worried look.

“I know Mr. Kim must be deeply disappointed in people. You’ve done so much for humanity...”

I knew what Billon was trying to say.

He seemed concerned about my state of mind because of the warning I had posted in the Communication Window.

I smiled and answered.

“It’s okay, Billon. I’ll always stand for humanity.”

I had decided long ago that I wouldn’t waver anymore.

After wrapping up my conversation with Billon, I returned home and spoke to my family over dinner.

“I’m going to challenge the 12th floor tomorrow.”

“...Is that so?”

My father and mother nodded as though they understood.

My younger sibling asked casually, “You’ll clear the 12th floor easily too, right?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

“Eat plenty, Seo-hyeon. Have some more meat too.”

“Yes. I’ll have another bowl of rice.”

The Qualification Trial, defeating every boss through Zone 10...

I thought I had shown them well enough just how exceptional and overwhelming a climber I was.

Deep down, I hoped that had given my family at least a little faith and reassurance.

But...

“...”

Late that night, I buried my face in my pillow and tossed and turned.

My needlessly sharp superhuman hearing let me hear every faint sound in the house, even from my room.

The muffled sobs coming from my parents’ bedroom, and from my sibling’s room.

The hardest part of challenging a new floor was no different this time.

I had long grown used to the fear of death and the dread of failure. Those things weren’t what troubled me.

My family had it harder than I did.

Hoping I would find a way to solve the lifespan problem as soon as possible, or at least see this through to the end...

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Morning came. After waking early, eating a hearty breakfast, and letting it digest, I prepared to enter the 12th floor.

“Then I’ll be going.”

I shared one last hug with my family and said goodbye.

[Would you like to enter the 12th floor of Nightmare difficulty?]

I immediately entered the 12th floor.

All right, let’s go.

* * *

The Seven Deadly Sins.

They referred to the seven sins of pride, greed, envy, rage, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

This well-known phrase, one that almost everyone would know, was the keyword and theme of the 12th floor.

The condition for clearing the 12th floor was to defeat all seven bosses, each representing one of those sins.

Apparently, each boss used unusual abilities related to its sin...

Of course, I had memorized all of that.

For example, on Hard difficulty, the boss of gluttony used a skill that sucked every object within range into a gigantic mouth.

By Nightmare standards, that wasn’t even particularly unusual.

I would find out what kind of absurd bullshit the floor had in store this time.

[You have entered the 12th floor of Nightmare difficulty.]

I stopped time.

Then I checked the information within my field of view.

First... the environment was a forest.

‘A forest?’

Why a forest?

They said the 12th floor on other difficulties was a dungeon-like space, just like the 11th floor.

This 12th floor was completely different from the other difficulties, starting with the location itself. That hadn’t happened before aside from the 10th floor.

I didn’t like this...

Thinking the contents might also be vastly different, I checked everything else.

In the middle of a bright forest, sunlight streamed through the leaves.

A lone stone structure that resembled a fountain stood in front of me.

No, it did seem to be a fountain.

The water flowing from its top had stopped in midair.

Other than the fountain, nothing else stood out.

I released time.

As the fountain’s water began flowing again...

[Absorb the Seven Deadly Sins.]

[Pride (X)]

[Greed (X)]

[Envy (X)]

[Wrath (X)]

[Lust (X)]

[Gluttony (X)]

[Sloth (X)]

[Once you absorb one or more sins, an ‘Escape Route’ will appear somewhere in the forest.]

[Once you absorb all seven sins, ‘Purifying Holy Water’ will appear somewhere in the forest.]

[You may complete the clear by using the Escape Route or drinking the Purifying Holy Water.]

A series of messages appeared before me.

“...?”

I immediately stopped time again and examined the messages.

This... was similar to the 10th floor.

It displayed messages from the start, telling me the exact clear conditions.

‘Absorb the Seven Deadly Sins?’

At least the Seven Deadly Sins themselves seemed to be the same keyword as on other difficulties.

I couldn’t tell what the Escape Route or Purifying Holy Water meant yet.

Nor did I know how I was supposed to absorb the Seven Deadly Sins.

Still, I could infer that it had something to do with the fountain in front of me.

I released time.

I approached the fountain. Sixth Sense gave no warning.

Trickle, trickle...

I examined the fountain filled with clear, flowing water from every angle.

Something floated inside the basin.

It was a cup that looked like a golden goblet. What was this?

Symbols were carved into the outside of the basin as well...

I walked around the basin and examined them one by one.

They appeared to be a lion, fox, snake, dragon, goat, fly, and donkey.

One of the seven animal symbols was carved onto each side of the heptagonal basin.

The raised symbols even looked like buttons.

‘Are they actually buttons?’

Carefully, I placed my hand on the dragon symbol in front of me.

Click.

It sank in slightly when I pressed it.

“...!”

The fountain water changed.

The clear water instantly turned red.

I stepped back, then approached it again.

Sixth Sense still gave no warning.

My gaze landed on the cup floating in the basin.

‘...Don’t tell me I’m supposed to scoop it up and drink it?’

It was the natural conclusion.

[Absorb the Seven Deadly Sins.]

The Seven Deadly Sins, and the seven animal symbols.

Come to think of it, didn’t each sin have an animal that represented it?

Maybe I could absorb the Seven Deadly Sins by drinking the water in this basin.

By pressing each button and taking in the corresponding sin.

I pressed another symbol. The lion.

This time, the water turned purple.

“Hmm...”

...But I had no idea which was which.

What sin was the lion?

If the dragon was red, did that mean rage?

Rather than taste the basin water right away, I decided to inspect the forest more closely first.

I used Air Step to rise high into the sky and looked down...

Nothing in particular caught my attention.

The forest simply stretched out endlessly.

I returned to the fountain.

I stared intently at the purple water in the basin.

It didn’t seem like I had to defeat boss monsters as on the other difficulties.

Did I really have to drink it?

[Once you absorb one or more sins, an ‘Escape Route’ will appear somewhere in the forest.]

[Once you absorb all seven sins, ‘Purifying Holy Water’ will appear somewhere in the forest.]

[You may complete the clear by using the Escape Route or drinking the Purifying Holy Water.]

Based on those messages, absorbing just one of the Seven Deadly Sins would make something called an Escape Route appear somewhere in the forest, allowing me to clear this 12th floor.

But if absorbing the Seven Deadly Sins was as simple as drinking this...

Then drinking it would obviously cause something bad to happen.

There was no way it would let me clear the floor so easily.

Whatever it was, it seemed I would have to drink it myself to find out...

After some thought, I picked up the cup and scooped up a little purple water.

Even as I brought the cup to my lips, Sixth Sense gave no warning.

Maybe it wasn’t life-threatening, at least.

Gulp.

I drank only the tiniest sip.

It tasted like nothing.

“...”

I waited tensely for some change to occur.