Chapter 79
When he had only half of his mind engaged,
This choice seemed like the best one.
The “competitive zone” where only 1st place could advance.
The moment he sensed the overwhelming presence of the unbeatable 1st rank.
There was only one way to lift the dark cloud of defeat.
—Take the 1st place down at all costs!
If circumstances had been different, Doyoon might have chosen that strategy.
For example,
“…If it were the 100th floor with the first clear challenge.”
But this was not the case.
Even with just his cognitive circuits fully active, he could quickly realize how absurd that thought was.
[Death Penalty: Strength -3, Agility -2]
The death penalty becomes brutally stronger the higher the floor.
Even if dying in the tower wasn’t real death, by around the 10th floor, the weight of life would no longer be light.
“Why risk dying for this? Just let someone else take 1st place and retry later.”
Moreover, even though they were awakened from another country, it wouldn’t be good to incur the wrath of an overwhelmingly strong opponent.
Yet just a moment ago,
In their cold eyes and in the cruelty of their fingertips, there was unmistakable murderous intent.
“Ah…?”
The Six Harmonized Sword Masters didn’t even realize what had hit them.
Six beams of sword energy, launched with ultimate intent,
Had merely bounced off the Reflexive Barrier they had never even imagined in their dreams.
Their attacks pierced their own bodies mercilessly.
Splash!
Six fountains of blood surged upward.
Crack!
Their sturdy equipment was torn to shreds.
Six bodies exploded into light particles, scattering in the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Paaah!
[Player “Li Jun (China)” has died.]
[Player “Cai Yu (China)” has died.]
[Player “Chen Pei (China)” has died.]
…
A chilling shiver ran down everyone’s spine.
“Uh… How can Korea have such a monster…?”
Chen Hai’s face turned pale white.
“You! What are you really?”
“That’s nothing you need to know.”
Slowly, Doyoon’s new form dispersed like heat haze.
‘Gone?’
Before Chen Hai even registered it,
He felt a sensation driving into the back of his neck.
His windpipe caught in a steel-like grip.
“Ghk…!”
Resistance was impossible.
No, he couldn’t even muster the courage to resist.
His limbs were paralyzed by the gap in strength.
“How curious.”
Doyoon tilted his head and studied Chen Hai, who was panting.
There was no murderous intent, no mockery.
Only the intellectual curiosity of a scholar facing a research problem.
“Even for the early stages, this is nowhere near 10th floor level.”
Doyoon spoke in fluent Chinese.
“Tell me, why are you so strong?”
“…What?”
Chen Hai’s face contorted.
‘This crazy bastard.’
Who was supposed to be speaking to whom?
‘He’s supposed to face the world’s top rankers on the highest floors, why is he on the 10th floor?!’
But Doyoon’s question was valid.
Each of them was a master at releasing sword energy, the Six Harmonized Sword Masters,
Guided by AAA-class awakened Chen Hai.
All evidence pointed to one conclusion.
“I’ll spare you.”
“Wh…?”
“Just to confirm if I’m right.”
“What… what do you mean?!”
The tone was no longer the playful one from earlier.
The icy-cold voice pierced Chen Hai’s ears.
“You guys, you’re the sniper squad, aren’t you?”
“N-No, that’s nonsense…!”
“Nonsense?”
Doyoon’s grip tightened.
Crushing pain.
Chen Hai’s face turned purple.
“Your goal wasn’t to take 1st place. It was the death of the 1st. To give a foreign candidate a death penalty and reduce their competitiveness in the league.”
“…!”
Chen Hai’s pupils shook from the shock of being pierced in the heart.
Exactly.
To cut off a budding “threat” in advance.
This was the mission assigned to Chen Hai and the Six Harmonized Sword Masters.
“…So your own country’s top rankers can compete comfortably on the higher floors.”
“….”
“Was this a government directive? Are there more like you on the upper floors? Answer me.”
“I… I don’t know!”
He hadn’t expected an answer anyway.
But even with just this expression, everything was revealed.
Crack.
A brief twist of the wrist.
Chen Hai’s neck snapped with a crunch.
[Player “Chen Hai (China)” has died.]
Doyoon coldly looked down at the vanishing figure and turned away as if nothing had happened.
‘Now China knows my level.’
Public use of Ki release had been well hidden until now.
Due to the tight timing, he couldn’t afford a drawn-out fight.
[Fastest Clearer: Christopher Reed (00:12:14) – North America League]
‘Hmm…’
He had started late due to unexpected interference.
Nearly 5 minutes had already flown by.
Christopher Reed, record holder of the 10th floor,
A famous awakened in North America, especially unrivaled in “speedrunning.”
Even for Doyoon, the handicap was huge.
…Should he give up now?
Even just breaking nine consecutive world records would be an untouchable milestone.
Would he be satisfied with that?
‘Absolutely not.’
Doyoon shook his head firmly.
The chances were low.
That’s why he would definitely accomplish it.
He immediately opened the status window.
What caught his eyes was the tower-exclusive title obtained on the 1st floor.
[Time Attacker (B)]: Increases ‘Agility’ +1 in the Tower of Transcendence (not subject to stat cap)
For other awakened, just a mediocre B-rank title.
A Tier 2 stat, +1 Agility, was trivial.
But for him?
‘…It transforms into a completely different meaning.’
Doyoon’s eyes sparkled like lightning.
No hesitation.
[Agility 25 → 26]
[Pay 70,000P to enhance the stat? Y/N]
‘Enhance.’
[Agility 26 → 27]
[Pay 100,000P to enhance the stat? Y/N]
‘Once more.’
A thrilling sensation pierced through his spine as his nerves seemed to realign.
As the stat changes reflected,
-Agility: 27 (+3)(+1)
He broke through for the first time.
He surpassed the initial cap of 25,
And even shattered the secondary limit of 30.
Although limited to the tower, combined with traits and title effects, his effective Agility reached the previously impossible 31.
[Achievement Unlocked! ‘Beyond 30’]
[Achievement rewards granted.]
Stat Points (cannot apply to special stats) 5 (distributable to stats below 30)
New skill acquired
[Threesome (Unranked)]: Under certain conditions, temporarily reach Agility 31, and even after the conditions disappear, the Agility is forcibly fixed at 31 (Cooldown increases proportionally to the fixed duration)
Ki surged like a flood from his dantian.
Doyoon stomped his legs on the ground.
Simultaneously,
[Muguk Shinseo (Mythical)]
└[Volume of Bo Law]
└[Principle of Pleasure]
“……!”
The world froze.
Even dust suspended in the air seemed paused.
The world wasn’t slowing down.
His perception had simply accelerated beyond measure.
Breaking the Agility limit, he unleashed a myth-level lightness skill.
The synergy sent Doyoon surging at a transcendent speed.
Meanwhile, Shinjo Keigo was ecstatic.
Looking around, he was alone.
“This time, 1st place is mine!”
It wasn’t bravado.
Six failures had humiliated him, but had also gifted him the perfect knowledge.
“My Shikigami, clear the way.”
[Activate ‘Hundred Ghost Summon (AAA)’]
The summoned ghost army blocked the beasts protecting the Manticore.
Seizing the opportunity, Shinjo Keigo advanced along the optimal route he discovered.
He deflected the Gryphon’s claw in midair with his sword.
Using the rebound, he leapt over a herd of rhino-type monsters.
‘Only the king’s head remains…!’
Just as he approached the Manticore,
Swish—
Something brushed past his ear.
‘The wind?’
Not the cooling sensation of air, but a subtle distortion in the atmosphere.
“……?”
Before Shinjo Keigo could react, the impossible scene unfolded.
Whoosh—!
A fountain of blood erupted.
At the center of the horrific sight, the Manticore’s head and body severed,
Stood a man.
A man he had only briefly encountered at the start, barely acknowledging him.
He calmly sheathed his sword.
“…!?”
He couldn’t comprehend it.
No, his mind refused to understand.
Six failures.
Six crushing defeats.
All the painful experiences turned to ash by one streak of light.
“Ah… Ah…?”
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
It wasn’t anger.
Not sadness either.
It was the helplessness felt when confronting a natural disaster with human strength.
“This time, I was sure…”
Shinjo Keigo fell to his knees, powerless.
[Mission ‘Ruler of Caluna’ Completed]
[Your contribution: 85%]
[Mission rewards granted based on contribution]
Rare Equipment: ‘Manticore Leather Armor’
Rare Item: ‘Manticore Heart’
50,000 Points
Blue messages began appearing in Doyoon’s view.
[10th Floor Climb Successful!]
[Domestic Fastest Clear Time Updated]
[League Fastest Clear Time Updated…]
[World Fastest Clear Time Updated…]
[10 Consecutive Records (Domestic)! 6,125P acquired]
[10 Consecutive Records (League)! 12,250P acquired]
[10 Consecutive Records (World)! 24,500P acquired]
[Points Held: 2,657,540P]
[Continue climbing? Y/N]
Flash!
In Shinjo Keigo’s helpless eyes, the man, an “incomprehensible natural disaster,” disappeared as a dazzling pillar of light.
“Ah…?”
Distinct from a normal death effect.
A moment of transcendent ascension.
[Entered 11th Floor of the Tower of Transcendence]
[This place radiates a biting chill: ‘Frostland’]
