149. 17th floor (1)
The moment I moved to the portal created after the 16th floor ordeal.
「Movement to the waiting room will be delayed for a while due to clearing the quest.」
「The administrator, ‘The Hero of the Ruined World’, will determine the payment of the trial reward.」
「Enter the Hall of Heroes.」
The first thing that caught my eye was a stone statue. .
A stone statue in the shape of a dragon, which can only be found in Western mythology, was erected in the center.
Looking at the pillars supporting the hall around it, I thought it was like a temple.
And indeed, the temple will be right.
He would be like that too…
“Hey, it’s not that way, it’s this way.”
Actually, the manager of this realm is an apostle who serves the Dragon God.
I turned my head and looked at the owner of the voice, and I saw a tall, blond handsome man.
Neil.
He is the one who acted as a hero in the original history of the 16th floor ordeal…
At the same time, he was the previous challenger who climbed the tower beyond the 40th floor and was revived as a manager.
“There are two managers under contract, so the manager area seems familiar.
He put his hand on the handle of the sword at his waist and said with a smile.
Looking at it, I was silent for a while, but then I opened my mouth.
“…Are you the hero of the destroyed world?”
“So, how many times have we communicated so far?”
“It feels like sending a one-way message rather than communication, doesn’t it?”
“That’s what it is. Asking for useless things You are not very funny.”
“…”
It was a while to be silent at the character of a hero who was lighter than expected.
“I will start with the main point. Please grant the quest’s reward to the two swords I carry.”
He said he wanted to receive compensation as concisely as possible.
Neil nodded, then smiled.
“As expected, you are always honest about what you want.”
“…”
“Okay, okay. Even if you don’t stare like that, he’ll do it soon. Don’t worry, I’m just doing this because I want to ask you something.”
“Do you have any questions?”
It was difficult to know if it was a question he asked as an apostle of the Dragon God or a personal question he felt through this ordeal.
I was shaking my head because I didn’t know what the hell he wanted to ask, and the hero laughed.
“It is not a question related to the dragon god. I just want to ask you personally.”
“…Is that so. Then you can ask anything. Of course, answering the question is another story.”
“It would be nice if you could answer me…. What happened? If you answer my questions, I will answer your questions too. how is it? Doesn’t this pay off?”
“great.”
There was nothing to lose.
At least I’m the one holding the initiative in the conversation here.
And in the process of exchanging these questions and answers, there was no need to worry about lies.
Through the Fire Dragon’s Eye, you will be able to see through the opponent’s lies.
“I think I know a little bit about what you’re thinking… Well, I think it’s a wise idea.”
Neil smiled lightly as if he had noticed that, and then asked me a question.
“I want to know your purpose. What is the purpose, why are you so obsessed with power?”
When I heard those words, I felt like my heart stopped beating.
“What do you want to achieve by climbing the tower and obsessing over growth and rewards so much?”
I never thought about what I wanted to achieve.
I just vaguely thought that I didn’t want to be oppressed by anyone.
Even if the one who oppresses me is God.
But if you ask me if that was the purpose, I can say for sure that it wasn’t.
He confused me.
“I…”
“Do you want to become a god?”
“no. It’s not like that, I just want to be strong because I don’t want to be oppressed.”
“I try not to be oppressed. this is kinda funny So what are you oppressed by?”
I tried to say that I was oppressed by Shin and the challenger who climbed the tower with me…
But when I thought about it, I felt that there must be a more fundamental answer than that.
Neil laughed quietly and opened his mouth.
“You are advancing on an endless road with no destination.”
It was a word that struck a chord.
“Yes, the beginning must have been the thought of not wanting to be despised or oppressed by someone.”
“…”
“But where is the end? Where do you want to reach beyond everything?”
“…I do not know. But it is true that I do not want to be oppressed by anyone.”
“That feeling is just a motivation. It doesn’t determine the destination. You are no different from a lump of pure desire.”
Suddenly, Neil laughed again with a noise, then drew an arc at the corner of his mouth and said.
“But paradoxically, there is no destination, so it must have come this far. It became stronger because the reach point continued to increase, and if there was an end, it would have stopped growing stronger at some point.”
Neil nodded in satisfaction.
“I think I know why some gods are interested in you.”
It’s as if you’ve got an answer to a long-held question.
After that, Neil nodded and asked me to ask a question.
“Now it is your turn. Ask whatever you want to ask.”
After thinking about it for a while, I asked a question.
“…why did you ask me for a quest?”
“…it’s surprising. I thought you’d ask about the tower. Or about God.”
“I’ve seen the Tower impose sanctions on leaking information once before.”
“Ah, so you’d rather ask something else because you might be sanctioned?”
“That’s right.”
Of course, the tower may not impose sanctions, but if the question is not suitable for the current floor, it will be sanctioned mercilessly.
as it has been so far.
In fact, Neil also stroked my chin as if thinking for a moment and agreed with me.
“…I can’t deny the possibility of that happening.”
「The skill ‘Hwaryongan’ detects that there is no lie in the opponent’s words.」
Fortunately, Hwaryongan saw through the lies of the manager as well, and realized that there was a possibility that the tower would sanction him as he feared.
“Well, let me know what you’re curious about.”
Neil smiled bitterly and answered just to the point.
“You’re wondering why the manager asks for quests even while paying the price? It’s simple. It’s really ridiculous.”
But I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at what followed.
“It’s about regretting the past too much. I want to see the possibility itself. Because that alone makes me feel saved.”
“For that reason alone…?”
“You can say that is the only reason, but for the manager, that is the only pleasure left in life.”
“Why? Rather than that, it would be better to pay more attention to the contracted challenger.”
Baek Hak Geomseon actually said that he would change the past he wanted to change through me.
But why send quests to challengers by sponsoring powers and paying multiple prices?
To be honest, the first thing I thought was that it wasn’t effective.
But Neil immediately denied that idea.
“…Don’t think that all challengers are obsessed with climbing the tower like a monster like you.”
He told me why that very idea was wrong.
“Most of the challengers are not as good as you, and their will to climb the tower is not very strong.”
It’s also very detailed.
“No, even if you have the will to climb the tower, nothing will change. No matter how high you climb the tower, most managers don’t see the possibility of reaching the end.”
In a word, I don’t expect it because I don’t think I can make it come true.
Of course, if you find a good challenger, the story will change, but it is not easy to hire a strong-willed challenger as a contractor.”
“So, the manager knows better than anyone else that changing the past through a contract with a challenger is close to impossible.”
“….”
“The tower is mightier than the godhead, but it is not benevolent to anyone. Managers are more so because they have experienced it firsthand.”
“So, rather than wishing the Tower to correct the past, are you saying that you are living your life seeing possibilities you haven’t seen through quests like this?”
“…Yes, I’d like to deny it, but that’s the answer.”
Only then did I realize
Why are the administrators so obsessed with the existence of quests?
Managers who have mostly hired low-level challengers as contractors are disappointed that they cannot achieve their long-cherished wishes.
So, obsessed with the function called Quest, which can show possibilities, they try to find new possibilities from the records of their lives even if they pay the price.
Recognizing that, I immediately realized the tower’s intentions.
‘…Are you forcing the manager to use the bait of a quest to develop a competent challenger?’
To be honest, I wondered why the tower was trying so hard to develop the challenger, but…
If I knew about it, I couldn’t be groaning like this, so I quickly erased it from my thoughts.
mate-!
Next, Neil refreshed the atmosphere as if the small talk was over.
“Now that the questions and answers are over, let’s settle the bill.”
「The special power ‘Dragon Goddess Determination’ designates the challenger Han Seong-yoon as the user
. 」
. Prior to
[Selection Completed],
it was decided which item would be given the property of being absolutely indestructible.
「The property of < Absolutely indestructible > is imprinted on the True Blood Demon Sword (A).」 「The
property of < Absolutely indestructible > is imprinted on the Breaking Heaven Sword (A+).」
Uuuuu!
The twin swords in both hands dropped their blades as if enjoying the afterglow of each other’s engravings.
and.
「Consciousness of Soul Ego embedded in True Blood Demon Sword (A) item gradually recovers.」
Activity time limit when consciousness of Soul Ego embedded in True Blood Demon Sword (A) item is restored. This disappears.」
Looking at the unexpected benefit, I raised the corners of my mouth.
Soon, when Dam Tianyu’s consciousness returned, he had several questions to ask.
As a challenger who had climbed beyond the 40th floor, he had the intention of finding out all the information as well as the knowledge.
How far he can help me, what kind of structure is Moorim’s dimension, why he didn’t become a manager, etc… I
really had a lot to ask, so my heart was pounding.
‘From now on, climbing the tower will become a little easier.’
As I was feeling satisfied with that, a new message appeared before I knew it.
“Go to the waiting room.”
Now it’s time to go back to real life.
“I enjoyed the ordeal and paid the bill, so it’s time to say goodbye.”
“Yes.”
“Originally, other administrators don’t give crazy rewards like this even if they die, but I did it generously, so it’s better to be grateful…
.”
“…Anyway, there is no cute corner. A cute corner.”
“If you have nothing to say, I will go. Be well.”
Soon, it was the moment when I quietly moved to the portal after soldering the twin swords on my waist.
“…and this is really a bonus.”
Suddenly, I heard Neil’s laughless voice from behind.
“If you want to overcome everything that oppresses you, never doubt the tower.”
There was a hint of advice in that voice, which somehow trembled.
“We all failed to achieve our goals, but you will be different. Han Seong-yoon. Because…”
It was an incomprehensible sound…
“Because you are one of the attractive candidates that TOP is watching.”
I couldn’t ask myself what the heck it was.
When I turned my head, Neil’s new model had disappeared without a trace.
“….”
I clenched my fists as I looked at the empty Hall of Heroes.
I don’t know what he wanted to tell me, but I knew one thing for sure.
Do not even think that you will never climb the tower.
“…even if it wasn’t so, I thought so.”
I said to him, looking at the place where there was no one.
“…Thanks for the advice.”
and.
“Then let’s go for real now.”
I thanked the hero for his kindness and continued walking.
With a step that does not waver despite having no destination.
“Enter the waiting room on the 17th floor.”
Now it was time to climb the tower again.
