Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 159

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Chapter 159: Treasure Hunt (1)

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I entered the 9th floor and tested Fatal Strike, the new skill I’d acquired.

Shwaaaaaak!

When I swung the Sword of Heaven’s Gatekeeper while using the maximum amount of Willpower, a massive five-colored blade aura shot forth in the shape of a crescent moon.

The blade aura tore through every boulder in its path, along with the Monkeys inside them.

It flew far into the distance without meeting any resistance, then gradually scattered and vanished.

“Wow.”

This is good.

Just as expected, it was incredibly powerful.

Both its power and range made it practically a magic-type skill. On top of that, it had a short cooldown.

If a physical-type skill could be this powerful, it made one question why magic-type skills with penalties like concentration even existed.

Of course, the skill normally wasn’t this strong.

It only produced such absurd output because I used Heavenly Aura.

After finishing the skill test, I left the 9th floor and entered Nightmare Floor 12.

“Tsk...”

I needed to write an information post about Nightmare Floor 12, but...

I looked at the fountain uneasily.

Could the other Nightmare clearers actually clear Nightmare Floor 12?

The influence of the Seven Deadly Sins would probably differ from person to person.

In my case, Rage and Sloth had been terrifyingly powerful, but that might not be true for everyone else.

Still, could human will truly endure after absorbing all seven sins?

Then they would have to find the Purifying Holy Water and defeat the boss in that state.

If luck hadn’t been on my side, I would’ve definitely died.

Unless someone was the Buddha himself, it was nearly impossible.

Then what, absorb only one and leave through the Escape Route?

I hadn’t checked, but the sin would definitely remain.

No matter which of the seven sins someone absorbed, it would ruin them with an extremely high probability.

I wanted to try various methods, such as drinking the water in the basin to see whether there was another way, but...

I couldn’t bring myself to drink it again.

What if I drank it during a repeat clear and simply left? Wouldn’t the sins remain?

Then I’d be completely screwed.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the risk, I left again.

For now, I’d organize and post only what I knew about Nightmare Floor 12.

[Person123: Information on clearing Nightmare Floor 12.]

After posting on the Communication Window, I entered the 2nd floor to cheer Diul up.

“I won’t do it again. I’m sorry, okay?”

Diul was still sulking, apparently furious that I’d tried to kill myself.

‘Hmph.’

Still, Diul didn’t refuse to go for a walk.

We walked through the forest on the 2nd floor together, enjoying the night breeze.

Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since Diul last awakened an ability.

There was no way to know when the next ability would awaken.

Maybe Pitch-black Fog was the last ability Diul possessed.

[Time Remaining: 1 hour 3 minutes 26 seconds]

I finished what I had to do, cheered Diul up, and even got a good night’s sleep.

One hour remained.

Treasure Hunt would begin soon.

- Nightmare Floor 12 has been cleared, and the Tower is once again extending its evil claws. Climbers are humanity’s only hope. We ask that you please make a decision for the sake of the many...

The news was in an uproar as well.

Governments in various countries, including the United States and China, released statements.

They encouraged the Climbers chosen for Treasure Hunt and warned that anyone who tried to cause casualties again, like during the Joint Battle incident, would never be forgiven.

[Steamed Rice: I’m curious what Treasure Hunt is.]

[Ludis: I have a bad feeling... Would the Tower really give us something good so willingly?]

[Black Mage: There won’t be anyone doing stupid things again because they’re blinded by rewards, right?]

[Music: No way. Person123 warned that they’d definitely find and kill them. You’d have to be insane lol.]

[Blue Star: Maybe if anonymity is guaranteed like during the Mask Auction.]

[Oxygen: Isn’t this Tower bastard going to find some excuse to target Person123 again?]

I looked through the Communication Window as I waited.

I’d warned the Climbers, but...

There was no telling what might happen this time.

All I could do was hope everyone had taken my warning to heart.

[When the time comes, 300 Climbers will be randomly invited to the ‘Treasure Hunt.’]

There was another difference from the Mask Auction and Joint Battle.

Instead of one hundred Climbers being taken, three hundred would be taken. There wasn’t even a minimum floor requirement.

That difference made me strangely uneasy.

Naturally, I hoped I would be chosen.

But three hundred people among several million Climbers?

The odds were roughly one in ten thousand.

I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I’d probably have to pray again.

“Please, let this go smoothly...”

I hoped it would end safely this time, without a single person dying.

[Time Remaining: 9 seconds]

Time passed.

I took out my mask and put it on, just in case I was chosen.

Then, the moment the remaining time reached zero, the scenery changed.

“...!”

I was in the middle of a forest.

A large number of people stood around me.

...What? Did I really get chosen?

[‘Treasure Hunt’ has begun.]

[Many treasures are hidden on Treasure Island.]

[Explore the island freely, find the treasures, and claim them.]

[After 10 minutes, the portal at your current location will activate.]

[You may leave within the portal’s range. Once you leave, you cannot enter Treasure Island again.]

[The Treasure Hunt will end when there are no surviving Climbers left on Treasure Island.]

Messages appeared one after another before my eyes.

I stopped time and quickly read the explanation.

‘Find treasures and claim them...’

It was exactly what its name implied.

What kind of treasures were they? High-grade skill enhancement stones or items?

Whatever they were, there was no way the Tower would be crazy enough to hand out free rewards to Climbers.

There had to be some scheme hidden behind it.

Maybe, like during the Mask Auction, it would demand human lives as the price of obtaining the treasures.

The condition for Treasure Hunt to end was that there were no surviving Climbers left on Treasure Island.

In other words, it would end as long as every Climber simply left.

[After 10 minutes, the portal at your current location will activate.]

I resumed time and looked around.

Like the portal in Zone 0 of the 5th floor, a line of light formed a huge circle on the ground.

Everyone, including me, stood within that circle.

‘This must be the portal.’

Leaving would be possible after ten minutes.

Then what I had to do was simple.

I would make sure no one left this place until ten minutes had passed, then have everyone leave together.

I would stop Treasure Hunt before it could even begin.

That was the surest method.

“Everyone, please pay attention.”

I immediately spoke up.

The confused people turned their attention toward me.

A few looked surprised, as though they had recognized me from my mask.

“I’m Person123.”

“...”

“You’ve all read the rules. The circle we’re standing in is probably the portal.”

I spoke as though making a declaration.

“If everyone simply leaves, nothing will happen and Treasure Hunt will end. Once ten minutes have passed, I want everyone to leave.”

The people exchanged glances and fell silent. A few nodded.

Then someone cautiously raised a hand.

“Um, excuse me... Shouldn’t we at least check what the treasures are...?”

“There’s no need. It’s obvious the Tower has set up some kind of scheme.”

I looked around.

“And what I’m telling you now isn’t a request. When the time comes, everyone will leave. I won’t accept any objections.”

I had absolutely no intention of repeating the tragedy of the Joint Battle.

No one spoke again.

The man who had asked the question avoided my gaze with a frightened expression.

Thump, thump, thump...

The ground trembled.

I turned my head.

A forest surrounded by enormous trees stretched in every direction.

The sound came closer and closer, until a massive figure emerged from the bushes.

A monster that looked like an ostrich.

What, there were monsters too?

“Eek...!”

A few people screamed.

I held out my hand toward the monster charging at us.

Kwoooooosh!

A pillar of fire burned the ostrich away without leaving a trace.

I spoke to the stunned people again.

“You’ll be safe as long as you stay here. Wait ten minutes, then leave.”

“...”

Everyone obediently stayed put without taking a single step.

I stood with my arms crossed and waited for the time to pass.

Still, was it because there was no floor requirement this time?

More than half the Climbers appeared to be ordinary people who hadn’t even climbed the first floor. They made up the largest portion, after all.

“...?”

Wait a second.

As I looked over the people, I suddenly noticed something.

Didn’t the number seem... a little low?

I counted them.

There were only a hundred people. It said three hundred people had been brought here.

‘Don’t tell me...’

Had they been split up and summoned to different locations?

Since there were only a hundred people here, perhaps they had been divided into three groups of one hundred.

If that was the case, getting only these people to leave wouldn’t be enough.

...I needed to quickly find all the other Climbers too.

* * *

Elsewhere on Treasure Island.

“W-Where are we...?”

“Were we chosen for Treasure Hunt?”

Messages appeared before the confused Climbers.

After reading them, everyone looked around.

Someone spoke first.

“...What should we do? The circle we’re standing in seems to be the portal.”

Someone else replied.

“It says we can leave if we wait ten minutes. Can’t we just leave?”

“What about the treasures? Isn’t it a waste to leave without looking for them?”

“I-I’m leaving right away.”

A brief commotion broke out.

Clap, clap-

The sound of clapping drew everyone’s attention.

“All right, everyone. Please focus.”

A man with slicked-back hair smiled.

“When the time comes, let’s all leave immediately. You haven’t forgotten Person123’s words, have you? Person123 told us not to fall for the Tower’s temptation.”

The people flinched and exchanged glances.

Then someone cut in.

“...Why are you deciding that on your own?”

It was a huge man with a fierce-looking face.

Ye Tianwei shook his head.

“I didn’t decide anything. I only reminded you of Person123’s intentions.”

“No, shouldn’t we at least go find the treasures and see what they are? No one’s dying, so what’s the problem?”

“No.”

“What?”

“Isn’t the Tower’s intention obvious? It’ll try to test your consciences in some way again. We simply don’t have to play along from the beginning.”

“...Hah. Who the hell are you to tell us what to do? Are you Person123?”

The man sneered.