Chapter 22
When I opened the Sa-hyeol, the world looked different.
‘It feels different even compared to the 9th floor?’
This was the second time I had opened Sa-hyeol.
But it felt different from when I opened it on the 9th floor.
— I spent the spare time researching Sa-hyeol. Since this is the second circulation, of course it feels different.
We casually call it “Sa-hyeol,” but the path that opens when Sa-hyeol is released was as vast as a main road and as diverse and complex as the microcosmic orbit routes.
Since opening it once meant death, practitioners couldn’t easily research it. But I was a climber—I could open Sa-hyeol multiple times. And thanks to Lucy’s overwhelming analytical ability, I was able to turn that into tangible benefits.
— Shuuuuuk!
On top of that, I mixed in the practitioners’ secret technique.
Their secret technique wasn’t a special microcosmic orbit route—it was a method of circulating mana.
Instead of simply letting mana flow along a path, the technique increased efficiency by spinning the mana or creating multiple mana streams with different speeds. Naturally, thanks to Lucy, I mastered it quickly.
‘I learned it in thirty minutes, so everyone was shocked.’
I had already been treated like some kind of savior who came to rescue them, but from that point on, I was practically regarded as a god.
Judging by the fact that no one tried to stop me when I said I was going to kill Amental, their trust in me seemed rock solid.
‘I should’ve at least gotten a decent sword.’
I was so busy setting the mood that I couldn’t say anything, and now I was heading out with nothing but a slaughterhouse dagger from the 1st floor.
As I approached Amental, an ominous aura radiated from him.
His fierce eyes and massive build suited a boss perfectly.
“I heard there isn’t anyone in that village with your level of skill. Could you perhaps be Icha?”
Amental asked in a heavy tone—a question that couldn’t simply be ignored.
‘Why is Icha suddenly coming up here?’
“I am not Icha. I don’t know why you’re looking for that brat.”
“Why do you think I personally made the trip here?”
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Amental was rather talkative.
“That village is certainly in an important location. But it isn’t strong enough for me to intervene personally.”
He wasn’t wrong.
The villagers weren’t particularly old, nor were there many true powerhouses among them.
‘The story’s pretty obvious.’
It seemed the Corrupted had recognized Icha’s talent and deployed Amental not only to occupy the village but also to eliminate Icha in the process.
The standard route was probably to discover Icha’s talent, awaken it, stall Amental, and during that process have Icha grasp the practitioners’ secret technique.
‘If that’s the case, things are pretty messed up.’
Young Icha was relying entirely on me—and I was the one who learned the secret technique.
“By now, assassins have probably already gone to find him.”
The past Icha—not the one on this reconstructed 10th floor—would have survived the assassins.
I didn’t know how that process unfolded, but the real Icha must have gained strength while fighting on the battlefield.
The young Icha of this 10th floor might not have the power to stop assassins—but it didn’t matter.
‘The present Icha will stop them.’
The approach might’ve been slightly off, but the overall situation was excellent.
Rather than merely enduring against Amental, I had secured enough power to kill him—and Icha’s safety was guaranteed.
‘Better in every way.’
In terms of mission success and my own growth.
‘Once I kill him, it’s over.’
“Let the assassins handle themselves.”
I poured all the mana I possessed into Sa-hyeol.
— You’ll last about twelve hours at most.
I could instantly feel the overwhelming power flooding my body.
“You madman. Are you planning to die after killing me?”
“You think you’ll win?”
“Hardly. A minnow is still a minnow, even if it fights with all its strength.”
— By that logic, you should open Sa-hyeol. If you’re going to die anyway, it’s better to open it and die.
Lucy truly was a capital-T Thinker.
‘I’ll raise the synchronization rate.’
For some reason, after opening Sa-hyeol, increasing synchronization didn’t drain nearly as much mana as before.
‘Is it because mana is circulating inside Sa-hyeol?’
— Whoosh!
Amental wielded a massive greatsword.
With a sufficiently high synchronization rate, I could predict all of Amental’s movements.
— Whiiing!
Lucy displayed the probabilities of Amental’s attack paths. As the battle continued, her analysis became increasingly precise—eventually reaching the point where she could perfectly predict his movements.
‘I’ll seize the perfect timing and kill him in one strike.’
With access to Lucy’s computational power, I could design every step of the battle.
Even a slight shift in positioning while dodging drastically altered Amental’s next move.
Accounting for that, I finally created a single moment of vulnerability.
— Krrrrrsh!
Mana scraped violently through my body.
Blazing pain surged through me, but it infused the dagger with commensurate destructive force.
‘I’ve felt this sensation before.’
The certainty that if I stabbed him, he would die.
And the certainty that he could not possibly block this attack.
— It’s like calculating every move of a checkmate in chess before placing the piece.
Lucy’s comparison was the most accurate.
“Guh!”
The first move was a feint.
I threatened him to draw out his opening.
— Still within the margin of error.
Which meant—
Amental was already dead.
— Crunch!
My dagger pierced straight through Amental’s heart.
‘That was easier than expected.’
He had seemed like one of those unbeatable 10th-floor bosses, so I half-expected him to revive—but Amental collapsed without a word.
— That just means you’re strong, Master. Have confidence!
— Waaaaaaahhhh!!!
A tremendous cheer erupted behind me.
“Black Reaper! Black Reaper!”
Who spread that nickname?
Seeing the villagers shouting and cheering at me filled me with an unfamiliar embarrassment.
Probably because it was the first time in my life something like this had happened.
— Whirl!
Something rushed toward me—it was the practitioner who had been leading the village while I was away.
Even from a distance, I could see how overjoyed she was—but as she approached, her expression gradually stiffened.
‘What?’
For a moment, I wondered if Amental was still alive.
— Impossible. If I didn’t notice it, do you think she would?
‘Lucy, let’s refrain from profanity.’
“B–Benefactor… did you open Sa-hyeol?”
“I’m a climber. It will close automatically when I ascend to the next floor. I already confirmed that on the 9th floor. There’s no need to worry.”
“Ah.”
I eliminated any possibility of misunderstanding.
“How long did I fight?”
“About… five minutes.”
“Five minutes?”
It felt like I’d fought for an hour.
‘Amental, you were weaker than I thought.’
— I keep telling you, he wasn’t weak—you’re strong!
‘The Demon King probably killed him faster than I did.’
— Hard to say. He looked rushed. He might’ve hunted Amental down personally.
Given that he was the strongest being in the world, that seemed plausible.
[The 10th Floor has been cleared.]
[Cleared 11 hours and 50 minutes early. Additional rewards will be granted to all climbers.]
So killing Amental triggered early completion.
— It did say the mission would clear if the Corrupted retreated.
[All personal missions have been cleared.]
[Calculating rewards.]
[Unclaimed rewards and personal mission completion rewards will be consolidated.]
[For reference, I’m rather shy… so I won’t be appearing personally. Please understand.]
Judging by that, even the administrators had personalities.
‘The administrator on the 7th floor seemed to know Icha…’
[Your unique trait has been enhanced.]
[The maximum number of you can generate has increased by 1.]
‘What?’
That was completely unexpected.
— Why… why suddenly a competitor…
‘Don’t think of it as competition. Think of it as gaining a subordinate.’
— Wow! Total profit! I can push them around however I want, right?
‘With you around, does adding one more really matter?’
— It matters a lot. Specialization is far more efficient than doing everything alone.
Honestly, this alone would’ve been a sufficient reward.
Because my accumulated personal mission rewards had strengthened significantly.
But that wasn’t the end.
[ has been enhanced.]
[It can now transform into any type of weapon.]
‘Good thing I didn’t buy one.’
That would’ve been a waste.
[Now for the most important reward.]
[You may now return to reality for up to 15 hours per week at any time.]
‘Finally!’
After three years inside the Tower, I could step on South Korean soil again.
[Would you like to proceed directly to the 11th Floor?]
The 11th floor would likely be a long-stay type like the 1st and 6th floors—but the temptation to return to Earth immediately was overwhelming.
‘I’m returning to Earth.’
In an instant, my vision flashed white—and the scenery changed.
— Clothes! Clothes! Change your clothes!
If a masked figure in black suddenly appeared in the middle of the street, anyone would panic. I quickly retrieved my everyday clothes from my inventory and changed.
‘I moved too hastily.’
It had been lunchtime on the 10th floor, but in South Korea it was already evening.
The alley where I had first been dragged into the Tower was still empty.
— Are you going home now?
‘No. My place was a rental. After three years, there’s no way it’s still the same. I have something more important right now.’
— You’re going to a PC café, right? A flood of information! Endless input! Just thinking about it makes me tremble.
She wasn’t exaggerating—her body was visibly shaking.
As much as I felt bad for Lucy, there was something more important at the moment.
— Ah! You’re going to the Climber Administration Office first, right? You need to prove your identity and secure some starter funds.
I checked the wallet inside my clothes.
There were only seven crumpled 1,000-won bills.
‘That’s enough.’
Clutching my wallet, I headed straight to a nearby gukbap restaurant.
