WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 32

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Nightmare Floor 3 (4)

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[Your level has increased.]

[You are the first to successfully clear Nightmare difficulty Floor 3.]

[Floor 3 Hidden Route has been unlocked.]

[Moving to the Reward Room.]

The falling sensation vanished, and I was moved to the Reward Room.

My injuries began healing in an instant.

My twisted ribs snapped back into place on their own, flesh sealed up, and even the bloodstains disappeared.

I had blacked out back on Floor 1, so I never saw it then, but this was how it worked.

The pain that had felt like my whole body was being crushed disappeared all at once too.

"Haaah..."

I could finally breathe again.

After confirming my body was fully healed, I didn’t get up and just sprawled out flat on the floor.

"...Mission complete."

I suddenly muttered to myself, then let out a small laugh.

I was alive.

Somehow, I had survived again.

[Floor 3 has been cleared on all difficulties.]

[The Tower is calling new personnel.]

Another message appeared right after that.

When I cleared Floor 2, new rules had popped up, so I wondered if the same thing would happen this time.

But aside from the message about new people being added, nothing else appeared.

So maybe not every floor adds new rules... maybe it happens every other floor?

I dropped the thought and got up.

"I seriously thought I was gonna die this time..."

Floors 1 and 2 were bad enough, but Floor 3 was vicious.

How the hell did it make sense to throw that thing in as a boss?

A house-sized undead meatball was moving faster than me.

If my guess was right, and I’d gone underground early to activate the sun emblem, a much weaker boss probably would have appeared.

Still, clearing that on a first try with zero information was basically impossible.

How did I even clear it?

It was all thanks to Diul.

I looked up at Diul floating above my head.

"You're the best, Diul."

You hid me from the undead, and then from Pligas too.

More than 70% of this clear belonged to Diul.

I was so pleased I tried to pet it, but Diul coolly dodged my hand and zipped around in little circles.

You tsundere brat, you still unlocked a new ability when things got dangerous.

"But... didn’t you get a little bigger?"

I tilted my head and looked Diul over.

It used to be about the size of a baseball, but now it felt a bit larger.

Its shape had originally been a clean sphere, but now its edges rippled slightly.

Maybe it evolved or something?

I wondered if this was a change that came with unlocking a new ability.

More than anything, the mental connection between us felt even stronger.

"All right, get some proper rest now. You did great."

I could feel Diul was tired, so I sent it back into the bracelet.

Then I checked the necklace.

'And this...'

It said the contract had been nullified.

Since the necklace wasn’t destroyed, I had basically used it once for free with no penalty at all.

Pligas... if I beat it, could I really command a monster like that as a familiar?

I’d already confirmed how strong it was, so I decided to leave that for later.

I stood up.

It felt like a lie that I’d been on the verge of death just moments ago. Strength was overflowing through my body.

Another 10 levels had raised my physical abilities even higher.

Pow, pow.

I threw a few one-two jabs into the air, then checked my reward.

There was one Skill Stone and one Skill Enhancement Stone.

[Skill Stone: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)]

Use to learn 'Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)'.

[Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)]

Consumes all currently remaining Willpower, and instantly amplifies your body's regenerative ability beyond its limits in proportion to the amount consumed.

Classification: Physical-Type

Willpower Cost: All currently remaining Willpower

Cooldown: 24 hours

A Rare+ grade dropped.

On Floors 1 and 2, unless it was a hidden clear, rewards had been Rare grade.

Looks like once you got to around Floor 3, the grade went up.

"Is this a recovery skill?"

From the description, it looked like one.

It consumed all current Willpower and boosted regeneration.

This was my first skill with a mechanic that burned all Willpower at once.

I had no recovery skills, so of course it was good to have one...

But a 24-hour cooldown?

'Is the effect really that good?'

And it used up all my Willpower too.

It seemed like the kind of skill that could drag me back from the brink once when I was severely injured.

Not bad.

And even if I burned all my Willpower, I could refill it right away.

I wanted to test how strong the effect was, but I couldn’t exactly injure myself on purpose.

Well, if I ended up half dead again later, I’d test it then.

[You have learned 'Skill: Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)'.]

This one was Rare grade.

Part of me wanted to dump it into Flame Strike and push it to +3, but I left that decision for later.

And finally, the top-grade magic stone... flick, into the corner.

[Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Floor: Floor 4]

[Level: 40]

[Willpower: 1,000]

[Skills: Teleport (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare) (+2), Blade Gale (Rare), Exaltation (Rare), Fairy Light Bolt (Common+) (+1), Lesser Toxic Resistance (Common+), Leap (Common) (+1), Swing (Common), Thrust (Common)]

Looking at my Status Window, my Willpower had also risen from 600 to 1,000.

For reference, Willpower gains increased by 10 per level every 10 levels.

Levels 1 to 10 gave 10 each, levels 11 to 20 gave 20 each, and so on.

[Nightmare]

Population: 350,152

Time Limit: 1 year 20 days 9 minutes 57 seconds

Reached Floor: Floor 4

After sorting through the rewards, I checked Nightmare's Time Limit.

"So I buy myself another year again."

If I had to name one upside of the Tower's Time Limit, it was that it made me live each day with gratitude.

The downside was everything else.

I had somehow forced my way through again this time.

But what Floor 4 would be like, and how much longer I could keep enduring after that, it all felt bleak.

Then this thought hit me.

Would all these Time Limits ever disappear?

No one even knew how many floors the Tower had, so there was no way to know.

[Do you want to exit the Tower?]

I shoved aside thoughts of that depressing future and exited the Tower.

I’d been through hell... now I needed to rest.

* * *

Since the Day of Upheaval in 2025, Earth had effectively held one giant annual event every year.

Would humanity end this year, or not?

This year, 2028, had one difference from the previous two years.

Person123, the Climber who had been the first to clear both Floor 1 and Floor 2, had officially declared a Nightmare-difficulty climb. He had even announced exactly when he would attempt it.

Exactly as he said, he entered when the difficulty Time Limit had exactly 20 days left: October 23.

[Hwateong: Did he enter by now?]

[FastFlame: Maybe not yet? There are still 30 minutes left.]

[Flatbread: Didn’t he say he’d enter when it showed exactly 20 days with no smaller units? Anyone know for sure?]

[Yeokcheon: Just wait a little longer, damn;]

[Hohohu: Ha, if he hadn’t told us, I’d probably be less nervous right now.]

[Philop: We’d just be in despair instead. At least now I feel relieved knowing the result is coming soon.]

Some were anxious, some desperate, some frozen in fear.

Civilians and Climbers alike, the whole world waited only for that one result that would decide the fate of the world.

"I'm curious whether your view is still the same as last year, Mr. Arlo."

The podcast show The Jude Noise.

Around this time last year, this guest had appeared on the show, and now he had been invited again. He was Arlo, an influencer and doomsday believer.

Right before Floor 2 was cleared last year, Arlo had loudly declared on-air that no more miracles were coming, and then Nightmare was cleared in real time. That moment became a huge topic of mockery across social media.

This time, the live broadcast was staged like a talk show on a larger set, with host Jude and guest Arlo seated face to face, while a giant screen behind them displayed the remaining Time Limit as [20 days 15 minutes 56 seconds], counting down.

"Do you think Person123 can clear Floor 3? What’s your view?"

"Hoo, you seem desperate to turn me into a laughingstock again, Jude."

"Haha, not at all. I just want to hear your honest thoughts, Arlo. Me and the viewers both."

In response to Jude's question, Arlo looked unchanged this time too.

"Of course, I pray more than anyone that Floor 3 gets cleared. But I believe we should separate vague hope from reality."

"I see. And what is that reality?"

"I always say this, but the chance it won't be cleared is far higher than the chance it will."

Arlo crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee.

"Let’s say you roll a die twice and get a 6 both times in a row. Jude, how much of your wealth would you bet that a 6 comes up again?"

"Well, I don’t think I’d even bet one dollar."

"Exactly. And Difficulty isn’t even a normal die. It’s more like a die with 60 faces. Just because the number 60 came up once, then again through miraculous odds, I do not want to expect that a third 60 will also appear."

Jude smiled and nodded.

"So your opinion is unchanged this time too. But Arlo, Person123 is extraordinary enough to have first-cleared Floors 1 and 2 alone. Is it really fair to call it only vague hope to expect he can keep climbing Nightmare?"

"I think two times can still be coincidence. More importantly, there is another issue. Other clear teams are still struggling just to chase after him. Even though all clear information is being disclosed without missing anything!"

Arlo shook his head.

"Of course, I do not mean to belittle those heroes devoted to humanity. Difficulty is horrible. It’s so absurd it feels like it was never meant to be cleared at all. It feels malicious.

How is Person123 even clearing things like that? In the end, he is only human like the rest of us. Maybe we are forcing too heavy a burden onto one person who is already being pushed to his limit.

That is what this comes down to. Earth has long been a sandcastle that could collapse at any time, so what meaning is there in enduring while hoping each wave is just a little weaker? If one great wave comes, humanity will... I only hope all of you accept this could come within days, maybe even today, and leave no regrets in your lives..."

At that moment, a staff member came running in urgently.

Arlo, who had been speaking, flinched when he saw that and muttered,

"...This scene feels weirdly familiar. Déjà vu."

"Floor 3 has just been cleared!"

Waaaaaaah!

Nightmare difficulty Floor 3 had been cleared.

News media all over the world blasted the update as breaking news.

[ReaperScythe: It's done, it's done... we lived!]

[Toyo: Earth service extended one more yearrrrr! I knew it!]

[Baek Do-hyeon: Is Person123 actually a god???]

[IceWall: Of course he’s a god. If this isn’t a messiah, then what is!]

[Wokdiligsong: But seriously, this is incredible... how is he this overwhelmingly unmatched?]

Cheers rang out in the streets, and some cities even turned festive.

People drinking at bars raised toasts, families quietly hugged each other, office workers checked the result on their way home and sighed in relief.

And some people...

"He has granted us salvation yet again."

In a church-like space, people gathered in a solemn atmosphere.

"Look. After firmly declaring he would defend this world against that evil Tower, he did not break his promise!"

"Ahh..."

"Do not dare doubt anymore. Just believe. Then he will grant us another year again. It is crystal clear that he is the angel and messenger of God who will save humanity."

"Person123! Person123!"

At the man’s words from the podium, people cheered, bowed their heads, and prayed. Some even cried.

In any case, everyone rejoiced and found relief in their own way.

The world had been granted another year’s reprieve.

"I'm back."

"Oh, Seo-hyeon, you’re home? Did you have fun?"

I smiled as I changed my shoes at the entrance.

"Yeah... I had a lot of fun."

Two more "fun outings" like that and I’d really die.

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