Chapter 17
Because there were so many climbers blocking the exit, I decided to first wander around and gather information.
‘What a spectacle.’
Those who called themselves the “Enforcers of Justice” didn’t just occupy the exit for long periods—they harassed other climbers, and apparently, acts of rape and murder were not uncommon.
“Those guys? They’re insane. They call themselves the Enforcers of Justice. For years, they’ve been blocking the entrance, taking turns to go in, and honestly, it’s crazy.”
“Years? So you’ve just been watching them all this time?”
“Yes… they have more members than us and don’t let just anyone join.”
“Rotten people. Did you just stand by and do nothing?”
When Icha suddenly reacted, the climber I was speaking with chuckled faintly and shrugged.
“You’ll understand if you ever face them. They’re not ordinary crazy people.”
“If there’s no other way, can’t we just wait for our turn? If ten people leave per day, even if slowly, we could get through in two months.”
“Sir, which world are you from?”
“Do they only let people from the same world join?”
The climber nodded at my question.
‘Looks like there’s no gentle way to get through.’
After parting ways, I casually scouted near the exit. Among the so-called Enforcers of Justice, I didn’t spot a single person who looked like an Earthling.
“Do we have to break through by force?” I asked.
“I don’t really want to go in that way.”
“Then how should we get in?”
“Stealthily.”
Even while I was gathering information from other climbers, Lucy didn’t rest.
She analyzed the cave’s conditions and found the most suitable way to sneak inside. Although the cave had no clear distinction between day and night, there were times when the Enforcers’ vigilance was weaker. Using that window, a stealthy entry was possible.
―A new climber has appeared in the cave. Two hours after the master entered, a new climber has come in. It seems the arrival is on a fixed schedule.
If one climber enters every two hours, that’s 12 people per day. So the number of people continues to increase.
‘Now I see why they formed an alliance.’
The structure was designed so that the difficulty could only increase over time.
‘But didn’t they say it’s been years? At two per day, there should be many more climbers than there are now.’
―I can give you two types of estimates: ordinary and optimistic. Which do you want?
‘Both.’
―The optimistic estimate assumes the number of climbers adjusts depending on the situation, while the ordinary estimate assumes people have died.
‘Let’s be optimistic for now, since we don’t have enough info.’
The new climber was a tall woman.
‘She’s big.’
Referring to her height and her horns.
―She looks extremely strong.
‘How strong?’
―Among everyone in this cave, she is the strongest. I recommend stepping back for now to avoid unnecessary variables.
Listening to Lucy’s advice was always reliable—even if I were asleep, her guidance would reach me.
“Let’s step back for now.”
“Why?”
Icha’s question didn’t last long. The woman conversing with the Enforcers immediately engaged them in combat.
―Boom!
The entire cave trembled from the force of her movements. Tremendous mana radiated from her as she advanced toward the exit.
‘What the…?’
―I’ll amplify the conversation for you.
“You vermin dare block me? How laughable.”
―Crack!
With a single sweep of her hand, over ten climbers were instantly reduced to a pool of blood.
―Judging by appearances, she seems to be the Demon Lord. Her description matches what other climbers said on the 3rd floor.
She was the climber who had achieved the second-highest results on the 2nd floor. Anyone near her would have been wiped out instantly by any spawned boss monsters—her sheer strength explains that.
‘Lucy, maybe we need to lower our confidence a bit.’
I thought I was strong enough, but there was someone above me… like a jet-engine-powered person.
The Enforcers of Justice didn’t yield until over 100 casualties occurred.
“Consider yourself lucky I’m busy right now. Otherwise, I would have killed all of you.”
After saying that, the woman passed through the exit.
‘Why the rush, even though she’s a climber?’
―The Demon Lord is also a ruler. Maybe she has urgent matters in her world.
After the Demon Lord stormed through, the collective atmosphere of the group became chaotic.
―This actually makes it easier for us to pass.
“Hyunwoo.”
“Why, Icha?”
“Given the situation, you should be able to break through now, right?”
―It seems possible. I can’t guarantee 100%, though.
“Whatever you choose, I’ll respect your decision. Just remember—the Tower always rewards those who take risks.”
―Now is the best chance to break through. We should act while things are chaotic.
“…Icha, just observe for now. Join only if I call for help.”
“Good choice.”
Icha lightly patted my shoulder in encouragement.
―Click.
I readied Lucia and aimed at the Enforcers, but because of the chaos, no one was paying attention to me.
―Master, are you okay?
‘Okay with what?’
―It’s your first time killing, isn’t it?
‘Good thing they’re bad people.’
If they were good, I wouldn’t have been able to lift Lucia so easily.
‘Have I lived in the Tower too long?’
Even on the first floor, I killed over ten thousand creatures. A few more villains here wouldn’t suddenly make me feel guilty.
―Activating combat support protocol. Since this is close combat, use Lucia only a few times and rely on direct strikes.
Thanks to the Tower’s perks, increased mana, and Lucy’s repeated learning, the research time required to plan attacks was drastically reduced.
‘Before, research took days. Now I can finish it in a minute.’
As a result, my usable skills increased dramatically.
―Bang!
A mana-accelerated bullet hit the enemy in the head precisely.
Even though the climber had a protective shield, a well-aimed shot exploiting a weakness completely eliminated him.
‘Sympathy.’
Using the minimal level of sympathy, Lucy immediately prioritized targets.
―Bang! Bang!
After taking out ten enemies with single shots, the remaining climbers finally reacted.
“The Black Reaper!”
‘What? How do they know me?’
Glancing sideways, I noticed a climber from the 3rd floor mission directly watching me.
―Incoming attack.
Spells, not arrows or knives—classic Tower-style.
―Bang!
“The bullets pierced the spells!”
‘Seriously, could you keep it down a bit?’
Even accounting for Lucy’s amplification, they were screaming way too loudly—my ears on the opposite side of the cave could hear it clearly.
The enemies approached faster, perhaps thinking I was easier than the Demon Lord.
‘If only I could start with enough distance…’
This fight was different from the first-floor manager battle, where I had nearly ten kilometers of space.
―Exciting, isn’t it?
‘Exciting? I’ve never done close combat before.’
―Exactly. Let’s cut them all down.
Unfortunately, I lacked a proper close-range weapon. I had only one slaughtering dagger bought on the first floor.
Still, it was enough.
With a higher sympathy rate, I could manipulate mana freely with Lucy’s help.
―Ziiiiiing.
Raising my sympathy rate changed the world.
Fireballs flying at me, swords swinging at me—all were within calculated control.
It even felt like omnipotence.
―Crack!
The climber at the front had a dagger embedded in his neck.
Lucy’s calculations were flawless, ensuring the strike delivered just enough force to kill while dodging attacks.
―Vroom.
Even when retrieving the dagger, vibrations added via mana made it easier to remove.
In one-on-many battles, saving time is crucial.
‘This is more manageable than I thought.’
Close combat wasn’t as easy as firing from afar, but with Lucy’s support, it was doable.
She even covered blind spots, making it feel like I had eyes on my back.
―Crack!
Dodging perfectly and cutting through enemies, I could feel their morale breaking.
Having been beaten once by the Demon Lord, and now by me, they seemed to consider sending just one more.
“Let’s settle this with words first.”
The apparent leader stepped forward.
‘Doesn’t look that strong.’
Well, true strong climbers had likely already gone up, given this group blocked the way. Still, he looked strong enough to be called a leader.
“Pass if you want. I won’t stop you.”
―100% sincerity. If that were false, Lucy’s lie detection would flag it.
‘So I solved it alone.’
My mana was low, but I had done it before needing Icha’s help.
As I moved toward the passage, one thought crossed my mind:
‘The theme is competition—will the managers approve of this monopoly?’
Perhaps if I helped resolve this, I could get a small reward.
―Even the strongest master can’t kill all of them alone.
‘Why am I alone then?’
―Crack!
I drove the dagger into the leader’s neck.
Using mana, I amplified my voice.
“I think this gives you all enough opportunity.”
No one could mistake who the message was meant for.
“Doing nothing changes nothing. After today, you’d still be blocked by these guys. Stay a coward if you wish, but act now!”
“The Black Reaper is right! We have to break through! We won’t stay on the 8th floor forever!”
Was his name Ire? Embarrassing, but his motivational speech worked better than mine.
Other climbers began drawing weapons.
“Let’s go!”
Ire led the charge, and others naturally followed.
I quietly fell back as the brawl began.
―Click.
―Bang!
Shooting from a distance was easier and stronger than melee.
