Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 51

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 51

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Floor 4 Hidden (2)

I watched the researchers while staying hidden.

Their outfits looked surprisingly modern.

Was Floor 4 a world where civilization and technology were far more advanced than the other floors?

I looked around as I walked down the corridor.

It wasn't just the two I'd passed earlier. Researchers were moving through the halls here and there.

Among all those people in white coats, I would stand out immediately, so I couldn't drop stealth.

This was different from Floor 3. I was inside a building called a workshop.

If people spotted me, they'd obviously treat me as an intruder, right?

'I can't keep stealth up forever...'

But what was I supposed to do now?

I'd found people, so the story should move on by itself, shouldn't it?

The basics of hidden clears were understanding the setting.

For now, I listened closely to the researchers as they passed.

It was all either experiment talk I couldn't understand at all, or everyday chatter about what to eat for lunch, so I wasn't getting anything useful.

Then suddenly, the researchers around me lowered their heads.

An old man in a white coat, with a monocle over one eye, was walking this way.

Two people in mech-like suits followed behind him. Were they guards?

Either way, he looked important.

I stepped aside toward the wall so I wouldn't bump into him.

Then the old man suddenly stopped.

He stared quietly at the exact spot where I was standing.

'...?'

...What?

Our eyes met.

I was in stealth, though. Had I been spotted?

"Is something wrong, Iska-nim?"

"No, it's nothing."

The old man took his eyes off me and kept walking.

I tilted my head and watched him.

We definitely made eye contact, though...? Ah.

I got a feeling and followed him.

If he noticed me and let it slide, that probably meant I wasn't an enemy.

And if I wasn't an enemy?

Based on my hidden-route experience so far, he was probably someone important to progression.

'But how did he see me?'

No one had ever seen through Diul's stealth before.

And I had no idea why he pretended not to notice.

The two guards bowed to the old man and went elsewhere.

That left only the old man and me, still stealthed.

"Come in."

Without even turning around, he opened a door and said it.

So I'd really been spotted.

I raised my guard and followed him inside.

It wasn't certain yet that he was on my side.

If things turned dangerous, I had to be ready to react immediately.

Click.

Half the room looked like an office, and the other half looked like a lab.

While he closed and locked the door, I quietly widened the distance between us.

The old man stared at me.

"Are you going to keep that up?"

I dropped stealth.

If he could already see me, there was no reason to waste energy maintaining it.

"..."

So... what kind of situation was this?

According to Sixth Sense, I didn't feel any hostility from him for now.

He spoke again.

"Where did you come from? The Northern Resistance? The Twilight Society? Or the Shadow Sword?"

...Sorry, I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

Since I knew nothing, I kept my mouth shut.

"You're wondering why I pretended not to notice you."

I nodded. Yeah, I was curious about that.

The old man pulled out a cigarette from his desk drawer, lit it, and took a drag.

Smoke rose into the air.

"I don't know what purpose brought you here... but whatever it is, it can't be good intent. I won't ask anything else, so answer only two questions. Are you an enemy of the workshop?"

"..."

...How was I supposed to answer this?

Yes? No?

He was clearly with the workshop, but his attitude was strange. He hid an intruder like me and sat down to talk.

Even the way he spoke made it sound like he wanted me to be the workshop's enemy.

No, he'd already decided that.

Slowly, I nodded.

He nodded too, then asked again.

"Then if this workshop were blown apart entirely... would that also align with your goal?"

...Blow up the workshop?

His tone was basically pushing one answer, so I nodded again.

He took a deep drag, exhaled, and said,

"Then we can help each other. I intend to destroy this workshop."

"..."

"I am Iska, chief researcher of this Floating Workshop. Well then, will you cooperate with me?"

Floating Workshop?

I finally opened my mouth and asked,

"...If you're a researcher, why are you trying to blow up the workshop?"

"Just as I ask nothing about you, I think you have no need to ask that either."

So he wasn't going to tell me.

"You doubt my sincerity? I am hiding an intruder like you right now, am I not? At least understand that I have absolutely no reason to do this otherwise."

"No, I understand. I'll cooperate."

I accepted his offer.

Blowing up the workshop... I still wasn't sure this was the right progression.

Still, he was the only person I could interact with right now.

And if I refused, it felt like he might call the guards right away.

"What exactly do you need me to do?"

Iska crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said,

"There is something called the Master Code. Bring it to me."

To summarize Iska's explanation:

The Master Code was, simply put, the workshop's highest-level authority code.

The workshop was divided into Sectors 1 through 10, and in Sector 1 there was a room where the Master Code was kept.

He wanted me to go there and copy it.

"Only the Workshop Director can enter the Master Code Room. More precisely, you need the Master Key he carries. So first, steal the Master Key from the Workshop Director, then move to the Master Code Room. That's the order."

...That sounded pretty difficult.

Still, hearing him out made me more certain I was on the right track.

The detailed explanations felt exactly like the hidden routes I'd cleared so far, like progressing through a game story.

"You use a power that is neither mana nor anything I can identify. If you can infiltrate this Floating Workshop without causing any disturbance, then I believe it may be possible... what do you say?"

Was he talking about Diul's ability?

I asked him,

"Then how did you see through my stealth?"

Iska tapped the lens of his monocle.

"I simply possess somewhat special eyes. Inside this workshop, no one other than me will see through your ability, so you need not worry about that."

He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me.

It looked like a small USB device.

"A tool for copying the code. Once you enter the Master Code Room, you will probably see a capsule-like device in the center of the room. Touch this tool to it. If the tool glows blue, the copy is complete."

I took the tool and asked,

"How am I supposed to steal the Workshop Director's Master Key?"

"The Workshop Director always carries it on his person. He is usually in Sector 1, so find him and take it."

"Be careful of the personal bodyguard. That bodyguard is a monster who once served as an Imperial Executioner. Steal the key quietly, without being discovered."

No, that wasn't what I meant.

Was there no more detailed method?

Iska was basically saying the Workshop Director had the key, so I should just figure it out myself...

He went into the back of his office, then came back with a white coat and something like an ID card and handed them to me.

"It is an ID card belonging to one of my disciple researchers. You should not be suspected even if you move around the workshop without hiding yourself."

He even gave me a fake identity.

Was Floor 4 Hidden some kind of spy infiltration action theme?

I put the tool and card in my pocket and slipped on the coat.

"The Master Code updates every hour on the hour. So if you copy it at 1:20, you must bring it to me before exactly 2:00. Do you understand?"

"Yeah... for now."

Lastly, I even received a smartphone-like device containing the workshop's internal map.

"Then go. It does not matter how long it takes."

I came out of Iska's office, almost shoved out.

I walked down the corridor with one hand in my coat pocket, feeling a little awkward.

The researchers passing by showed no interest in me.

I'd accepted the quest, but... hmm.

I'd figure it out as I went.

There were two main missions.

Steal the Workshop Director's key, then go to the Master Code Room and copy the code.

And the process seemed to be entirely up to me.

First, I decided to confirm where the Master Code Room was.

The Master Code Room was in Sector 1, and I was currently in Sector 6. Getting out of here came first.

Something occurred to me, so I opened the shop window.

[Shop]

- Physical Damage +10% (500P)

- Magic Damage +10% (200P)

- Willpower +10% (100P)

- Attribute Conversion (500P)

- Force Field (50P)

- Slow (50P)

- Stop (100P)

- Special Draw! (5,000P)

Points Held: 30,500P

['Magic Damage +10% (200P)' has been purchased.]

'Still works.'

I bought magic damage, and it went through.

So I could keep using this while I stayed on Floor 4? That was one piece of good news.

Still, why was this place so huge...?

I checked the internal map and struggled to find my way.

It took forever just to find the way out of the building.

'There's even an elevator.'

After switching elevators several times, I finally got down and stepped outside the Sector 6 building.

The moment I came out, wind slammed into me.

"...?"

The stuff around me... was that fog? No, clouds?

Shocked by the view I never expected, I moved toward the outer edge of the workshop.

"Wow..."

What was this?

When he said Floating Workshop earlier, I thought it was just a name.

It wasn't.

It was literally floating.

Sky stretched out in every direction. The whole workshop was flying through the air like a small island.

"It's dangerous to stand there."

A passing guard spoke to me.

"Ah, sorry."

Thankfully, I didn't seem to raise suspicion, and the guard went on his way.

I stopped sightseeing and moved back toward my destination.

Still, this was kind of romantic. A workshop floating in the sky.

Pssshhh-!

Then a small airship landed on nearby ground.

A strong gust blew, and a researcher walking from the opposite side dropped a stack of documents.

"Ah...!"

I quickly helped pick up the papers.

"Ah, thank you so much!"

After gathering everything, the researcher smiled brightly and thanked me over and over.

"Thank you, really. There are kind people like you too."

"It's nothing."

"Are you a Sector 6 researcher? I'm Selona from Sector 3. Even when things like this happen, the researchers in our sector just ignore each other. I'm jealous. Maybe Sector 6 isn't so cold."

Ah, maybe I shouldn't have helped.

Selona had suddenly started small talk, and I stood there with an awkward smile, trapped in it.

Then people got off the airship that had just landed.

Naturally, both our gazes turned that way.

People dressed like prisoners, with handcuffs on.

"Quit dawdling and walk!"

A guard kicked a child who had fallen and was crying in pain.

The child limped after the line, clearly terrified.

Unlike me, staring stiffly at a scene that made no sense by modern ethical standards, the researcher still spoke in a cheerful tone.

"Looks like this month's fuel arrived."

"...Fuel?"

"Still, couldn't they land farther from the building? My papers almost got blown away."

Selona grumbled.

"Ah, was I holding up a busy person this whole time? Sorry. Let's meet again later if we get a chance."

Selona smiled and left.

I looked back and forth between the airship moving away and the line of people who had come off it.

Fuel...? Only people got off, though.

No way... those people were the fuel?

'Romance canceled.'

Was this a dystopian setting or what?

I pulled my eyes away from them and kept moving. I needed to focus on the clear.

Following the paths connecting the sectors, I arrived at Sector 1.

After checking the internal map and reaching the area near the Master Code Room, I looked around and activated stealth.

Hmm... surprisingly, there were no guards?

After following a very long corridor all the way down, I found a large door.

Next to it, I saw a complex circuit pattern like some kind of recognition device.

I figured the door would open if I scanned the Workshop Director's Master Key there.

'This might be easier than I thought?'

There was no one around, so if I got the Master Key, the rest looked simple.

Of course, the question was how hard getting the Master Key would be...

Then a thought hit me.

Wait, couldn't I just teleport inside?

Even if the space in between was blocked, Teleport could move me as long as the destination point itself was empty. I could even use it by setting a direction without seeing the destination.

That meant this door wasn't an obstacle at all.

No way this door was over ten meters thick.

I stopped time and concentrated.

Excited to cheese it, I used Teleport right away...

Crackle!

Sparks flew, and I slammed into something as if blocked by a barrier. Teleport failed, and my body was thrown backward.

"...??"

What the hell?

As I stood there confused, the corridor suddenly turned red and a siren blared.

- Intrusion attempt detected. Incineration.

The entire long ceiling of the corridor snapped open.

At the same time, Sixth Sense started screaming death death death, blaring alarms in my head.