Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 19

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 19

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Floor 2 Hidden (3)

In fantasy comics and novels, scenes like this come up all the time.

Someone feels the pressure coming off an enemy and realizes they are up against a monster.

I experienced that for the first time right then.

A knight in black armor, lava dripping from his body.

Even without sensing any aura, he looked insanely strong at a glance.

How could something that walked out of a furnace, drenched in lava, be weak? Of course he was strong as hell.

Enemy or ally.

That black knight's identity was what mattered.

"Sir Carlos!"

Haylin called out in a bright voice.

Thank god. He must be an ally.

The knight called Carlos looked our way.

Then he gave a grim smile and said, "Out for another midnight stroll behind the servants' backs, Lady Haylin? We searched for quite a while. I thought you'd fallen into lava and died."

Haylin's face slowly stiffened.

Seeing the mood, my expression hardened too.

Ah, shit... enemy?

"Sir Carlos, don't tell me... was this your doing?"

Carlos nodded.

"I did it."

Haylin flared in anger.

"...Why! How could you, the captain of the knights, betray House Dapriya!"

"I was never loyal to begin with, so it is not betrayal."

"How dare you! Do you think you can bear the consequences! When Father returns...!"

"I removed the obstacles in advance for him. When the count returns, I will cut off his head and be rid of this tiresome oath."

Their exchange felt like a game cutscene, and none of it really registered.

While they talked, I watched for an opening and fired Flame Strike at the black knight.

Kwaaaang!

"Huh?"

Haylin looked at me in shock.

I said, "First strike wins."

When something feels wrong, attack first.

That was the lesson I learned beating the old mage on Floor 1, but this clearly was not one of those times.

When the flames cleared, the black knight was perfectly fine.

He looked so absurdly unharmed that I wondered if I'd somehow missed.

"..."

The black knight glanced at me.

I gave him an awkward smile. Haha.

'Am I screwed?'

Without saying a word, he raised the sword in his hand.

The moment he swung, I stopped time.

...What the hell.

In frozen time, dark red sword energy rushed at me like a giant net.

I was going to die. I was really going to die.

With my life on the line, I focused.

The instant I released time, I teleported through a gap in the incoming net of sword energy.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!

A deafening blast went off, and the shockwave hurled my body like paper.

Did I die... no, I lived. Did I?

"Urgh."

Half out of it, I barely pushed my upper body up.

The area looked bombed into ruin.

I could not even process what the black knight had done. He swung once, so how did this happen?

"...!"

Through the dirt and dust, I saw him again.

He showed no interest in me at all, like I was a bug.

He walked over to Haylin, collapsed in the distance, and raised his sword.

Slash!

The sword fell, and Haylin's head fell with it.

A message appeared before my eyes.

[You have failed to clear the hidden route on Nightmare difficulty Floor 2. (1/3)]

[Exiting the Tower.]

* * *

Back in my room, I lay on the bed in a daze.

Thankfully I was not physically hurt, but mentally I was rattled.

"This is so fucked..."

One attack from that black knight turned everything around me into ruins, and I nearly got torn apart.

Even Flame Strike, my strongest attack, did absolutely nothing.

That meant he was an opponent I could not damage no matter what I tried.

Maybe I had done something stupid from the start. He had walked out of lava like it was nothing.

He was clearly way beyond my level.

And I was supposed to beat that?

'No way.'

The conclusion came quickly.

He was not an enemy meant to be defeated.

And if Haylin died, the clear failed.

Given how the story played out, I had to meet Haylin, persuade her, and cooperate with her.

Then there was only one answer.

Run from that black knight, with Haylin.

Now I had only one chance left.

After resting, I used my final attempt and entered again.

If I failed, too bad, but I could not overpush. Staying alive came first.

[You have entered Nightmare difficulty Floor 2.]

After crossing the platforms, passing the Minotaur, and returning to the forest,

I stayed on guard and waited for Haylin's ambush.

Kang!

"Wait! I don't want to fight!"

"Shut up, human! Die!"

Just like before, reason did not work on Haylin.

Only after I showed a clear gap in strength could we talk.

"See? We have no reason to fight."

"...For now, this lady understands."

As expected, Haylin made the same proposal.

"Then, human, you shall guard this lady for a while. This lady has not fully withdrawn suspicion, so if you are truly innocent, prove it by helping this lady. Naturally, you will be rewarded later."

"Guard you?"

"Yes. This lady's situation is urgent. This lady's castle was covered in lava because magic ran out of control..."

This was the branch point.

I listened to the full explanation and nodded.

"Of course I'll help. But you can't go back to the castle."

"What? What are you saying?"

"I saw it. There was an insanely strong intruder. I barely escaped without being noticed. No one there survived. We have to run right now."

If a total stranger like me said her knight captain was a traitor, she would only grow more suspicious, so I framed it this way.

Haylin's eyes sharpened and she shouted, "You're saying that intruder is still near the castle! Where is he!"

"What? No..."

What was she talking about? Was she not listening?

"I said he's insanely strong. I can't beat him, and you absolutely can't beat him. If we face him, we die."

"So you are telling this lady to run away in disgrace while the one who destroyed this lady's house is still there!"

I was dumbfounded.

What pointless pride was this?

"This lady will return to the castle. Follow at once."

"I'm not going. Why would I go there to die?"

"Cowardly wretch, then get lost! This lady will go alone."

Haylin turned and started walking toward the castle.

Ah, come on.

Once I realized persuasion was not working, I moved in front of her and blocked her path.

"If you go, you die! Please listen."

"Move! Human, who do you think you are, blocking this lady's way!"

Was Floor 2 Hidden secretly about handling a brat?

"Please listen. It's not running away, it's a strategic retreat. You can only get revenge if you're alive first, right? Why die by moving exactly how the intruder wants? Am I wrong?"

I held my irritation down and kept trying to persuade her.

"Why are you trying so hard to keep this lady away from the castle? Now that this lady sees it, you are clearly scheming something!"

That insane Demonfolk answered my effort by swinging her sword again.

This was driving me insane.

After exchanging blows, I teleported again and caught Haylin off guard.

"Kaah!"

I kicked her in the back and she dropped to the ground.

"Can you please just listen to me?"

Haylin bit her lip hard and shouted, "Human, do not think you can make this lady submit by force!"

Reason was useless.

"Y-you... urgh!"

I fought Haylin again and landed a few more hits.

As damage piled up, she weakened, and I smashed her sword hard.

Chang!

Her sword flew far away, and I kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down again.

As she writhed in pain, I said, "I'm seriously begging you. Why do you think I'm doing this right now? If you go to the castle, you die."

Haylin shouted, "Then kill this lady, you cursed human!"

She was completely locked into distrusting me now.

She attacked first, got beaten, and still acted like the victim.

Okay. I was done.

In the end, I gave up on persuasion.

Thud!

I teleported behind her and struck the back of her neck with my hand.

"Ghk."

Haylin crumpled forward.

She did not pass out. She held the back of her neck and glared at me in disbelief.

...Yeah, figures. Real life was not a movie.

I forcibly hauled her up and tucked her under one arm.

"Let go! Ngh, let go! Human!"

I was stronger to begin with, and she was exhausted, so she could not resist much.

Maybe because Exaltation was still active, my stamina was still holding.

"Let's move. I'm going through hell to save your life!"

"Let go... I said let go!"

I ignored her and started running.

Straight down the road opposite the castle.

After struggling for a while, Haylin suddenly started crying, probably out of sheer frustration.

"H-how dare a human humiliate this lady...! Waaah! I'll kill you!"

Unbelievable.

Once she started crying, she stopped thrashing, which made things easier. Fine, keep crying.

I had no clue how far I had to go, so I just kept running.

Honestly, I was not fully sure this was right.

I picked this path because fighting that black knight did not look like the answer no matter how I looked at it.

Otherwise, what choice did I have? It would just be a failed run.

When Haylin seemed to calm down a bit, I asked, "Where do we run? That intruder could be chasing us already."

Haylin kept her lips sealed and said nothing.

I seriously wanted to flick her forehead...

"...!"

A sudden chill crawled up my back.

I turned around.

Haylin seemed to feel it too and lifted her head.

"...Sir Carlos!"

Fuck, he was really chasing us?

I burst into a full sprint.

"Sir Carlos! Over here! This lady is here!"

Haylin shouted at the top of her lungs.

I shouted too.

"Shut up! He's the traitor!"

"What nonsense! Sir Carlos is here, so now you're dead, human...!"

Nope. You are.

He did not care about me at all.

Arguing was pointless, so I just ran as hard as I could.

No, first I needed Willpower. I stopped time, refilled my drained Willpower to full, then ran again.

After running a while, I saw something chasing us.

Not the black knight monster. I could still tell he was farther back.

"What the hell is that now..."

Black hound-like things with red eyes and shimmering bodies, like heat haze, were closing in fast.

"They are Sir Carlos's tracking familiars! You are already done for!"

Thanks for the explanation.

The hounds closed in quickly.

If they were only tracking, fine, but they looked ready to tear us apart, so I attacked.

Kwaaang!

I fired Flame Strike and reduced their numbers, but a few remained.

No, they were increasing again.

How many were there?

"Ugh...!"

Then Haylin suddenly twisted and thrashed with all her strength.

I lost my balance for a moment, and we both fell.

Haylin sprang up and put distance between us.

During that fall, the hounds caught up.

Haylin shouted eagerly, "Here! Come hold this human do...?!"

The hounds lunged and attacked.

Not me. Haylin only.

"Kyaak! W-what are you doing!"

Haylin flailed her arms, trying to shake them off.

I stared blankly for a second, then moved to help.

When I cut through the smoke-like hounds with my sword, they split easily and vanished. Fast, but not that strong.

"Stay close!"

Another wave rushed us, so I grabbed Haylin by the waist and used Leap.

We shot high into the air, and I dropped Flame Strike onto the hounds below.

That finally wiped them out cleanly.

After landing, I set Haylin down.

She was bleeding from a few bite marks, but none looked severe.

Haylin panted, dazed, then looked at me.

"...Why are they attacking this lady? Sir Carlos's familiars?"

I clicked my tongue and said, "Like I told you, he's the traitor. They were not chasing me. They were chasing you."

"That can't be."

Haylin looked badly shaken.

Seriously...

"It can. Now that you get it, move quietly. Use your own legs."

I was still pissed at her, but if she had finally come to her senses, that was enough.

I worried she might lose it and try to fight the black knight again, but thankfully Haylin kept her mouth shut and started running behind me.

Even this crazy Demonfolk was controlling herself now, so that bastard really was that terrifying.

"A little farther and there will be a bridge."

"A bridge?"

"Beyond it is outside the territory. Because of an oath, Carlos cannot leave Dapriya territory, so we only need to cross that bridge."

Really?

"Haa, haa."

As we ran, Haylin kept falling behind.

Was her leg hurt? I could see her limping.

I was low on stamina too, but I ran over and picked her up again.

"W-what are you doing!"

"It'll be faster if I carry you."

You said it was close. This was better. If he caught us, we died.

Haylin stayed quiet and rested against my side without struggling.

I gritted my teeth and sprinted, then looked back and asked urgently, "How much farther?!"

"...At this speed, one more minute!"

I asked because there was a reason to panic.

I could feel he was almost on us.

"...!"

A red flash burst behind us in an instant.

I used Leap too and launched forward.

Kugugugugugu!

The sword energy did not hit us directly, but the shockwave uprooted trees and sent them flying.

"Urgh...!"

Haylin and I could not fully escape and tumbled across the ground.

Should I just leave? I wanted to leave.

Groaning, I got up anyway because I had come this far through too much pain to quit. I grabbed Haylin and ran again.

"...!"

I could finally see the bridge.

But... it was way too long.

With a little exaggeration, it looked like a massive Han River bridge connecting two far cliffs.

"We only need to cross that!"

Final sprint. Run.

I bolted, and when we reached around the middle of the bridge, I looked back.

The black knight looked tiny, like a dot.

As if he truly could not chase farther, he had stopped in front of the bridge.

I thought, one second slower and we'd have been fucked... wait, what was he doing?

Kuuuung!

The black knight slammed his sword into the ground, and a huge tremor spread.

You have got to be kidding me.

Dark red energy surged up like a tidal wave and swallowed the bridge.

About one-third of it blew apart instantly, then the collapse spread in a chain.

"Uaaaaaah!"

I screamed as I ran across the collapsing bridge.

The collapse kept gaining on us.

With only a short distance left, I used one last full-power Leap.

Right after that, the ground gave way beneath us.

I flew toward the opposite side.

The distance... not enough!

"Kyaaaaaak!"

Haylin must have realized we would slam into the cliff and fall, because she let out a thunderous scream.

Hold still. We are not dying.

In midair, I hurled Haylin toward the other side with all my strength.

Then I stopped time. Teleport.

I arrived first and caught Haylin as she flew in.

Thrown by me and caught by me, Haylin stared up at me blankly, unable to process what happened.

Kugugugugugu.

The massive bridge collapsed completely.

I set Haylin down and stared across the cliff.

The black knight, now a tiny dot, seemed to be watching us.

What are you looking at, asshole. You said you could not cross over.

I worried that monster might try something else, but thankfully he seemed to give up and turn back.

All my strength left me, and I sank to the ground.

Spoiled brat rescue... success.

"Haa..."

Haylin had been staring blankly across the gap, then turned to me.

I met her gaze with one just as unfriendly.

Because of her, something that should have been easy felt ten times harder.

"...Human, what are you?"

Haylin spoke.

"How did you know the captain of the knights betrayed us... no, more than that, why did you go this far to save this lady?"

I was too exhausted to answer and just waited for the clear message.

But no message appeared.

What the fuck, why not? I did everything.

"Human! This lady asked you. What are you, and why did you save this lady?"

"Ah, come on... we're alive, aren't we? Why nitpick and make it annoying?"

"Do not avoid the question!"

If I said the Tower made me do it, would she even understand?

I answered vaguely.

"I saved you because I wanted to. Happy?"

Haylin tilted her head, then suddenly stammered, flustered.

"W-what...! This lady is Demonfolk! We are different races!"

"...What?"

"As a human, do you mean you harbor those feelings for this lady...? Well, this lady's beauty does transcend race, but... ugh!"

Haylin pressed both hands to her cheeks and shook her head.

"F-fine. If he is a man willing to risk his life for this lady, then fine. You have already proven yourself... this lady may grant you a chance..."

What was she talking about?

How did she interpret that line like that?

I was too dumbfounded to speak. Haylin smiled shyly and said, "This lady's name is Haylin Dapriya. What is your name?"

"...Kim Seo-hyeon."

"Kimseohyeon? What a unique name."

Before, she called it weird. Now it got promoted to unique.

Haylin took off her necklace, bracelet, and ring and held them out to me.

"First, you saved this lady's life, so in the name of Dapriya, this lady must grant proper reward. Choose one of the three. All are precious treasures."

...Huh? Reward?

Still confused, I stared at the jewelry in her palm.

Was this the hidden reward? I had to choose now?

"What do these do?"

I asked first.

I needed the effects before choosing.

"The necklace is a medium for contracting with a powerful familiar. This lady has not tried it yet, but Kimseohyeon, you might be able to."

"Familiar?"

Like that pack of hounds from earlier?

"What kind of abilities does it have?"

"Did this lady not just say this lady has never tried? You must verify directly."

I shifted my gaze to the bracelet, and Haylin continued.

"The bracelet is a totem with a dark spirit dwelling inside. If the spirit favors you, you may borrow its power."

"A dark spirit... what power?"

"You can see through darkness."

"W-well, this lady's spirit affinity is not high yet. The higher your affinity, the more abilities you can use."

Finally, the ring.

"The ring bears the crest of House Dapriya. It has no special ability. But if you later come to House Dapriya with this ring, then as far as the house's power reaches, we will grant one request of yours, whatever it is."

So basically, trash.

Once I left here, we would never see each other again anyway. Also, was her house not basically ruined now?

"Hmm..."

I debated between the necklace and the bracelet.

I touched them, hoping item details might pop up, but nothing happened.

"Will you choose the bracelet?"

"No, wait."

Damn, I could not decide.

Could she not just give me all three?

I had gone through all this suffering. Right? I saved her life.

"They all look good."

"They are. All three are fine treasures!"