WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 33

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Floor 3 Hidden (1)

- "Once again, we offer endless thanks and respect to Person123, the top Climber of Nightmare difficulty, who has allowed humanity to survive for another year. Taking his noble spirit of challenge as our example, the United States will also continue to do everything in its power to climb Nightmare difficulty..."

I ate breakfast while watching the U.S. president's speech on the morning news.

Two days had passed since I cleared Floor 3.

I slept at a hotel on the day of the attempt, then came home and rested the next day, so that made two days.

After getting through another huge crisis and coming back home, home really was the best.

It felt like I was finally getting real rest.

- "...While many people are celebrating the clear of Nightmare Floor 3, the Tower's three-year rule is now right in front of us. The first-wave Climbers who received the Tower's call earliest now have only around ten-some days left, and the number of first-wave Climbers who still have not attempted Nightmare difficulty is estimated to be at least 50,000..."

As that report played, I checked the Nightmare progress.

[Nightmare]

Population: 350,036

Time Limit: 1 year 20 days 9 minutes 57 seconds

Reached Floor: Floor 4

"...What are these people supposed to do?"

The first-wave Climbers who became Climbers at the very beginning, including me.

Was it around 75,000 left until Floor 1 got cleared?

Either way, tens of thousands of people were facing death in just a few weeks.

Whenever I caught bits of the news, they kept saying they would expand training facilities and provide active support...

Other difficulties were one thing, but Nightmare really had no clear solution.

- "I'm not going to challenge it. I'm just going to accept it. Rather than entering the Tower and dying horribly, I'd rather die comfortably. Don't a lot of other people feel the same way?"

Next came an interview clip with a first-wave Nightmare Climber.

A man with a calm expression said that and gave a faint smile.

I felt a little sorry for him and turned off the TV.

'A comfortable death.'

Why did that phrase feel so off to me?

The death the Tower announced, what form would it even take?

Would people suddenly collapse like they had a heart attack out of nowhere?

Or would it be instant death before they even felt pain?

If it was some ordinary kind of death, then like that man said, maybe not challenging really was the better choice.

Better than being gruesomely killed by goblins in some empty place.

Besides, if you went into the Tower, you couldn't even leave a body behind.

"Thanks for the meal."

I put the dishes in the sink, went back to my room, and lay down on the bed.

Out of habit, I opened the communication window.

Whispers were piled up.

Since I had announced the attempt in advance this time, whispers had already been pouring in nonstop even before I challenged it, and most of them were support messages.

[Chicken Sandwich: You worked hard, Mr. Kim. You really are the only one who can save humanity. If there is anything I can help with, please tell me anytime.]

I also had a short talk with Billon after the clear.

Honestly, Billon was almost the only person I could comfortably talk to about my clears.

Part of me wanted to tell him at least a little about how insanely hard it had been...

But it would have sounded like I was just whining, saying too much happened and I was exhausted, so I stopped. No point making people anxious for no reason.

[Lotus: Thank you. I'm cheering for you.]

I also got a message from the section chief at the Climber Management Office.

I still didn't want a long conversation, so I only sent a short reply.

[Frangles: Person123 is only one more floor away from Floor 5 now.]

[Yatmon: No way he's planning to move around in the common area, right? He's still hiding his identity even now.]

[Bamboo: We probably wouldn't recognize him even if he brushed right past us lol fr]

[Harvey: He'll probably keep moving around quietly by himself. Still, he'll get everything there is to get on Floor 5, then challenge Floor 6.]

[Rubrubrubu: I seriously just want to know what country he's from.]

[SteelArmor: Why are people already talking like he cleared Floor 4 lol]

[WheatField: Because we believe he'll clear it~]

[Marlin: You don't trust Person123? I do.]

While reading the chat, I suddenly thought about Floor 5.

'The common area...'

Floor 5 of the Tower was called the common area.

It was exactly what it sounded like, a shared zone.

Floor 5 wasn't a place you had to clear. It was a space where Climbers from all difficulties gathered. Like a checkpoint to catch your breath.

Of course, Nightmare still had no Climbers who had reached Floor 5.

If I cleared Floor 4, I would be the first Nightmare Climber to step into the common area.

It wasn't some hugely meaningful thing. Just another stop I would pass through.

I looked through the communication window a little longer, then closed it.

"I should challenge it today."

I also needed to organize and upload an info post, so instead of dragging it out, I was going to challenge the hidden route today.

[Would you like to enter Nightmare difficulty Floor 3?]

After letting my food digest a bit, I entered the Tower right away.

* * *

I had no clue before and suffered like hell, but Floor 3's key was speed.

Before more Undead flooded the field, get underground as fast as possible and activate the sun emblem.

Grrrraaaah-

The moment I entered, I first found the location of the underground passage floor.

'Let's see.'

From the spawn point, it was at one o'clock. Confirmed.

I grabbed the mace, smashed the skulls of the rushing Undead, and charged straight ahead.

My body was now level 40 after gaining 10 levels, so of course I was much stronger and faster.

KWA-A-A-ANG!

I fired Flame Strike, blew open the ground, and leaped down inside.

About 30 seconds up to here?

Other difficulties had 10 minutes until sunrise. For Nightmare, it seemed reversed, 10 minutes until sunset, so I needed at least a sub-10-minute clear. Otherwise they'd swarm in again like locusts.

I sprinted through the passage and reached the central chamber.

I immediately went into the left path first.

Grab the gem on the floor and teleport back. Clear.

I came out, inserted the gem, and headed to the right path right away.

Ignored the lame chain bait and took the gem from the wall above the entrance. Clear.

By the time I entered the front path last, about one minute had passed.

I grabbed the cube and started solving with my eyes wide open.

Clack. Click-clack.

Could I solve a cube in under 20 seconds?

With enough practice, it was definitely possible through effort alone.

But that required advanced algorithms, not basic formulas...

And obviously, I came in without doing any extra practice.

I couldn't just postpone the clear until I practiced enough to get a sub-20 cube.

The hourglass emptied quickly, and the vibration of Undead rushing in echoed.

"Diul."

I called Diul while still focused on the cube.

Diul cast stealth, and my body turned translucent.

After running this hard to get here, I ignored the idiots wandering around nearby and finished the cube.

Still, I was naturally faster than on the first try.

I solved it, pulled out the gem, and moved to the central chamber.

Up to this point... about 3 minutes!

Whaaaash!

Light burst out of the sun emblem and melted the surrounding Undead.

Now I had to go up and see what the boss was like.

It had to be way weaker than that monster. Otherwise it made no sense.

Grrrraaaah...

When I came up to the surface, Undead were melting under the sunlight.

Soon the surviving Undead started gathering to one side.

But compared to last time, the number wasn't even close. At most around a hundred?

The size of the Undead lump they formed was only a bit bigger than a Minotaur.

Gwooooh-

The low-frequency voice only made my ears itch a little.

I tapped my ears, then immediately fired Flame Strike and light bolts at the same time.

KWA-A-A-A-ANG!

The lump took a concentrated bombardment of three fireballs and five light bolts, then exploded on the spot.

"..."

Are you kidding me?

It had originally been this weak?

What kind of fight had I gone through before...

It wasn't completely dead yet.

Its body had burst open and exposed its core, so I walked up and smashed it with the mace.

"Die, bastard."

Sure, I was stronger now at level 40, but this was weak enough that I could've beaten it easily even at my earlier level.

At this rate, other Nightmare challengers could do it too, couldn't they?

If they just cut down the time as much as possible, this might actually be easier than Floor 2.

Of course, other people would have to fight the boss while still at level 20.

Well, anyway.

Now that the boss was dealt with easily, it was time to find the hidden route.

"Where am I supposed to go for this one?"

There were way too many options.

I could go east, west, south, or north.

Just as I was thinking maybe I should re-enter the underground passage instead of staying on the surface.

"...?"

My eyes narrowed.

Way over there in the distance... once I looked closely, something was there.

'A pyramid?'

A sharp structure that looked kind of like a pyramid.

It shimmered like a mirage.

As levels rose and physical ability improved, eyesight naturally improved too.

So I could see extremely far now. Compared to a bird of prey, I might even win.

Judging by the sense of distance, that structure was ridiculously far from here.

But still... it wasn't visible for no reason, right?

It couldn't just be decorative background graphics outside the game map.

"Should I go?"

I started running lightly.

Every time I kicked off the ground, the earth cracked and my body shot forward.

It was far, but I wasn't slow either.

It didn't take that long to reach the destination.

"It really is a pyramid."

Once I got close, it truly was a gigantic structure shaped very much like a pyramid.

And around it were many pillars and smaller structures too.

Kind of like a temple... maybe?

Rumble-

The bright sunlight in the sky suddenly vanished, and for some reason dark clouds started rolling in.

It had been night, then suddenly morning, and now overcast.

The weather was a full-on spectacle.

Seeing changes like this, at least it looked like I'd found the right place.

I stayed alert and entered the temple grounds.

As I walked and looked around, I heard a sound from somewhere.

It sounded like fighting, so I immediately ran that way.

There were people.

Three of them. They wore armor and looked like knights.

"Sir Dellent! Watch out!"

The knights were surrounding a large Undead and fighting it, and the Undead looked fairly strong.

'Should I help?'

Like I learned on Floor 2, hidden routes don't only contain enemies you have to kill.

If they were fighting Undead, they were probably allies, right?

I decided to help the knights first.

"I'll help youuu!"

I shouted loudly while running over, just in case they might mistake me for an enemy.

The knights noticed me too and turned around.

The Undead was humanoid, but over three meters tall, and it held something like a rusted greatsword.

It looked much stronger than the ones that had swarmed during the base clear.

The knights were fighting up close with it, so I couldn't use Flame Strike.

Instead, I fired light bolts and rushed in too.

PUPUPUNG!

I hit its sword arm so it couldn't counterattack, then jumped at its head.

When I smashed its head with the mace, half of it burst open with a pop.

Grrrraaaah-!

The knights quickly slashed the staggering Undead's legs with their swords and attacked in tandem.

As it fell, I swung the mace one more time and completely crushed its head to finish it.

It was nothing special.

When I looked to the side, the knights were staring at me with shocked eyes.

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