Chapter 31
“51st Floor (1)”
(Easy-to-Understand English Translation)**
A dark room, not a single light on.
In the representative office of Aegis Guild, Seo Jaehyuk sat silently, staring out the window.
Seoul’s night was as bright and dazzling as ever, but the glittering city lights only deepened the shadows inside his heart.
Only one thing was weighing on him:
The 51st floor.
He did not know how his life ended up revolving around climbing the Babel Tower…
But regardless of the reason, this was something he had to do.
And yet the 51st floor shook that sense of duty to its core.
‘Damn it.’
He swallowed down the curses threatening to escape and furrowed his brows.
He had hoped the guild could make up for their slow progress.
He thought the 51st floor might be a chance to move upward quickly.
But after actually entering the floor… everything fell apart.
**[■ Babel System > 51st Floor Notice
- The main scenario, “Such Desperate Peace,” has opened. **
At first, he thought nothing of it.
An empty, lifeless expanse of gray-brown wasteland—nothing too unusual.
The scenario title was strangely poetic compared to previous floors, but that was it.
But then…
The next notification flipped all of his expectations on their head.
**[■ Babel System > Scenario Notice
- Number of participants assigned to Scenario “Such Desperate Peace”: 10
- From the 51st floor onward, scenarios will not reset even after clearing.
- Depending on scenario progress, the number of floors unlocked afterward will vary randomly.
- Mid-scenario abandonment is impossible.
- It is recommended to assign awakeners of appropriate ability to each floor.**
- ***
The moment that unfamiliar “Scenario Notice” appeared on that barren wasteland, every guild member froze.
Even Seo Jaehyuk.
No reset on scenario clear?
Meaning the state of the floor would persist exactly as it was finished.
A random number of floors unlocked afterward?
Meaning they could jump multiple floors at once—or maybe none.
Everything about it was different from all previous floors.
But the biggest shock came from the main scenario itself.
Main Scenario: “Such Desperate Peace”
(Region: Prrorovel—Dimension: Ganasia)]**
A thousand-year war.
The Beastkin of Ganasia and the Humans had fought relentlessly.
After countless sacrifices, the “Kantana Peace Treaty” was established, granting the two races one hundred years of coexistence.
However, ten years ago, the phenomenon called “Agemor’s Corrosion” began spreading across the continent.
Green fields turned to gray wastelands.
Clear rivers rotted pitch black.
Land that held life shrank day by day.
Now, the last surviving area—the Sanctuary of Prrorovel—is the only land left.
Peace has become a luxury; survival, the only truth.
The two races once again draw their blades.
*
Scenario Objective:
→ Unite the two races and stop “Agemor’s Corrosion.”
Scenario Hints:
- “Agemor’s Corrosion” affects awakened beings as well.
- To revive the ancient oath, a gatekeeper is needed.
- An unfading sprout exists somewhere.
- *
Jaehyuk had never seen a main scenario this long.
The moment he read through the vague yet detailed scenario description, he knew:
This is more complex than anything we’ve ever faced.
If it were just “Kill all monsters,” he wouldn’t have been shaken.
But this—
This wasn’t something brute force could solve.
He realized instantly:
The 51st floor cannot be cleared with strength alone.
He eventually gave up exploring altogether.
And because of Babel’s cruel rule —
The only way to exit a scenario is for every participant to fall into near-death condition —
His guild members had no choice but to attack each other.
Remembering the scene where comrades were forced to spill each other’s blood just to escape the floor…
Jaehyuk’s temples throbbed.
***
Knock, knock.
A soft knock broke his thoughts.
“Come in.”
The door opened. It was his longtime secretary, Ahn Yeonseo.
Her face was stiff—unusually serious.
Jaehyuk instantly sensed the news wasn’t good.
“Representative, the analysis is complete.”
“How did it turn out?”
Yeonseo closed the door, stepped forward, and murmured something softly.
Her eyes turned white.
Jaehyuk had chosen her as his secretary for this exact reason —
her unique skill:
‘Idea Analysis.’
When given a target outcome, her skill gathers all available information and calculates the optimal path.
Numbers, charts, and holograms filled the room.
—51st floor data
—scenario structure
—Aegis guild personnel
—patterns of past clears
—all merged into one result.
After thousands of calculations, everything converged to a single number.
[Scenario Clear Probability: 0.021%]
Rounded down, it might as well be zero.
He expected a terrible number…
But seeing it crushed something inside him.
As he stared at the hologram, Yeonseo spoke firmly.
“With only Aegis personnel, clearing is… impossible.”
“Even with top-ranked hunters?”
“Yes. The calculation shows Korea’s absolute strongest lineup would be required.
Meaning other guilds’ hunters.
No matter how I analyze it, Aegis alone cannot clear it.”
Jaehyuk’s jaw tightened.
Normally, cooperation among the top 7 guilds was impossible thanks to pride and conflicting interests.
They were rivals and watchdogs to each other.
But this time?
There was no choice.
Now is NOT the time for pride.
He exhaled bitterly.
“…What about the probability including all guilds?”
Yeonseo immediately pulled up a new hologram.
A very narrow path appeared.
[Scenario Clear Probability: 12.903%]
“It’s not high, but it’s a significant difference.
If it was pure combat, Aegis alone could do it.
But the 51st floor seems to require something like… ‘completing a story.’”
Her words hit like a knife.
Yes.
If it were just suppressing “Agemor’s Corrosion,” they might manage.
But brokering peace between beastkin and humans?
Where do you even begin?
This wasn’t a simple “kill monsters” floor.
The Babel Tower, once believed to reward pure strength, was now mocking them.
No longer satisfied with power alone, it demanded complexity—cunning—cooperation.
Yeonseo met his eyes.
“Babel is making a demand of us.”
“…”
“A demand for Korea’s cooperation.”
Yeonseo had never once used her skill to claim a ‘guaranteed success.’
She always left room for uncertainty.
Yet this time, her certainty spoke volumes.
Jaehyuk realized further internal discussion was pointless.
“…Send the analysis to the Babel Management Bureau immediately.
And issue official cooperation requests to every guild.”
“When shall we schedule the meeting?”
“Three days from now.”
Three days—enough time for the other guilds to investigate, speculate, and arrive prepared.
“Understood.”
Yeonseo worked silently.
Jaehyuk watched her for a moment, then sighed deeply.
If necessary, he would use other guilds as weapons.
That was his responsibility as the top-ranked leader.
But he also knew:
This was the first time he’d truly hit his limits.
Outside, Seoul glittered.
But Jaehyuk no longer had the luxury to admire it.
Meanwhile, back at the Friendly Market…
Finally!
“50th-floor store approvals—DONE!”
I threw the pile of papers onto the table triumphantly.
Behind me, the exhausted Alexander slumped in his chair.
“…May I request a vacation?”
“…What?”
“A vacation…”
He didn’t even finish before staring blankly at me.
“Take the rest of the day off. I’ll handle the announcement tomorrow.”
The moment I said that, he collapsed like a puppet whose strings were cut.
Even a former royal knight commander was defeated by thousands of store applications.
As soon as I approved them, translucent signboards appeared over all 47 vacant storefronts.
And then—
[Awakener Lee Haewon—Open Market Manager (EX)]
> New Notifications
- Task Title Quest (6) Complete
- Some Open Market functions unlocked
- “Kind Appraisal” inquiries: 5
- “Kind Repair” inquiries: 2
- ***
“…Ah. More inquiries.”
I had opened the notice hoping to see the quest reward—
and instead, more work stared back at me.
Even though I hadn’t advertised anything, word of mouth must’ve spread.
Not that anything was as dramatic as Lee Hwayeon’s request…
Still, after handling all the small repairs and appraisals, my skill even leveled up.
Not sure when that’ll matter, but leveling up always feels nice.
“Alright… time to get back to work…”
I dragged myself up.
Having work is good.
But after drowning in paperwork for days, I wanted to crawl into bed.
I want to procrastinate… so badly.
But if a newbie shop owner starts slacking now, people will say:
“Why bother opening a business?”
I had already lost visibility by being buried in documents.
I needed to set fixed inquiry hours and post a notice.
I sighed deeply.
“Alexander, I’m heading downstairs.”
“…Where… are you going…?”
He sounded like he might die at any moment.
Maybe I overworked the guy who came here from another dimension.
Sorry, but without him, I’d still be crying over paperwork.
Literally crying—the papers would’ve been soggy.
I looked sympathetically at his dried-up, corpse-like face.
“Just handle the inquiries that came to the Help Desk.
I’ll take care of the appraisals and repairs and stop by Bar Manjang.”
“…Very well… go with peace…”
Hardly reassuring.
But I waved and stood up.
Leaving the conference room on the restricted-access 3rd floor, I looked out at the bright green field outside.
Only then did it hit me—the workload was finally over.
Alright then.
Let’s start with the 25th floor.
I’d swing by Bar Manjang to restock Kang Yeonhee’s potion store at the Babel Square branch.
I fully expected to be home soon.
Naturally, that expectation was about to be completely destroyed.
