<320 - Trap of Superiority>
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Director’s Mansion
41F – Layer of the Haunted Castle
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The layer where the physical destruction of the haunted castle strikes, following the icy wind of the 39th floor.
Sing utilized the understanding gained from achieving a state of peace to parry the telekinetic waves that came at him from different directions with equal force.
‘Training is definitely beneficial. Finding a facility like this outside of the Tower of Training would be extremely difficult.’
Even the training room at the academy doesn’t show this level of efficiency.
Creating a virtual environment and immediately engaging in battles that can only be fought by risking one’s life or actively seeking monsters in reality has its advantages.
However, the training room at the academy didn’t anticipate growth in such special environments.
‘The academy’s training room is overly accommodating.’
Even when it’s just a mental virtual fight with phantoms, training ends if mental power drops below a certain rate.
Even if the settings are changed to enable experiences that bring one infinitely close to death, they won’t directly lead to real death.
The treatment facilities are nearby, and there are plenty of instructors and other students who could help in emergencies.
‘This place is different. If I die, who knows if even Oknodie’s Papa, several floors above, can grasp my crisis.’
Every move must be calculated meticulously.
Whether I can run to the exit without dying if I take one more step.
If it’s too late to return, whether I should retreat from the current layer I’m tackling.
Whether enduring for one more minute will cost me my life due to the increased difficulty.
One can naturally develop the insight to objectively assess one’s own skills.
‘That’s why I need to be able to calculate even the most precarious timings.’
After gaining enlightenment, Sing’s combat power noticeably increased.
The once reckless sword swings filled with rage now had a distribution of force behind them.
Even with immense murderous intent, the cold sword swings do not lose the thread of rationality deep within.
If one tightly grasps that thread and follows it, one can regain composure and respond rationally at any time.
Distance control.
Pacing control.
Breathing control.
All these adjustments strengthened him, but paradoxically, Sing felt a sense of deficiency in those very adjustments.
‘The wall of the 49th floor is too high.’
49th floor, the layer of lions.
There, all elements from floors 41 to 48 manifest simultaneously.
To break through the layer filled with themes related to the undead requires the ability to thoroughly penetrate and overcome each layer’s elements.
– The world gives a bit of credit to those who don’t lie and keep promises. Regardless of the type, the size of credit grows steadily.
– Keeping promises with the world isn’t only about keeping one’s own word.
Oknodie’s Papa.
And the Director of the Foundation.
First Wahyhiemhai spoke.
Ways to become stronger.
Sing thought coolly and reached a conclusion.
Ascending to the 50th floor of the tower would be more beneficial for growth than returning to the academy early.
There’s ample time.
It’s definitely possible to return before the end of vacation.
He recognized how immense this arrogance was when facing the wall of the 49th floor.
‘I won’t be able to pass the 49th floor unless I develop at least enough skills to endure for 60 minutes on every floor.’
Even as he increases the challenge time daily like fighting against himself, Sing has an unmissable daily routine.
Today too, at the expected time, the magic watch he received at the academy rang with an alarm.
[Lunch Break]
As he descended to the restaurant on the 20th floor, Oknodie, who arrived first, was sitting at a table, holding a fork in one hand and a knife in the other.
“You have plenty of food, but you still diligently make sure to have lunch every time.”
“Free meals are too good to pass up!”
“That’s true.”
Feeling the pressure of points while dining each meal is no small matter.
With his high activity level, the 5-point buffet meal doesn’t satisfy Sing, who pays 10 points daily for unlimited access, amounting to a fixed expenditure of at least 300 points each month.
While there were expenses for boarding points on the cruise ship, he didn’t participate in auctions.
‘This is no different from getting it for free.’
The meals connect to the deeds for gaining credit that the Director mentioned occasionally regarding promises with the world.
Even though Sing was not picky about food, he gradually felt the differences while trying various meals.
The explosive taste of Demon Realm Potatoes in a special mixed dish that diminishes their potency to yield a popping flavor, the culinary creation [Popcorn Potatoes].
A dish resembling vegetables but actually meat, taking advantage of the mimic’s traits, the culinary creation [Vegetable Mimic Meat].
The joy of eating is also the joy of fun, and behind these tickling meals, one can clearly feel changes in their abilities, like getting lighter or replenishing spent strength.
“If you exert yourself until the very end, these changes will resonate even more. Only those who are sincere to themselves can perceive their own changes.”
Time spent in the Foundation wasn’t as dreadful or painful as he imagined.
Every day is a continuous sequence of growth.
Sing honestly began to enjoy this time.
He feels himself getting stronger with each passing moment.
Every day brings him a step closer to revenge.
As a month of training passed, he could finally face the Director, who once seemed fearsome, without trembling.
“There’s a special secret to functions. Even the same function can yield different upper functions depending on how one earns experience points. For example, swordsmanship. Sing, how did your upper function of swordsmanship manifest?”
“The Eastern Swordsmanship manifested.”
“Oknodie?”
“I haven’t unlocked it yet! I chose [Sword Dancing] with trait enhancement.”
“Hoho. That’s also a form of difference. Those who wish to imbue higher understanding into swordsmanship embody higher sword techniques, while those trying to implement special functionalities enhance their traits. So if you want to know someone well, you can examine the functions they’ve mastered.”
You can catch a glimpse of their past and future ambitions.
Hearing those words from the Director, Sing asked his first question at the dining table.
“Director, what is your upper function of swordsmanship?”
The Director answered playfully.
“It’s a secret.”
“…”
Sometimes he acts like a sage who has grasped the secrets of the world, but in moments like this, he appears just like an immaturish child.
A man who at times seems like an adult, at times like a child, sometimes appearing as a sage and at others as a villain.
Sing found it hard to define what kind of person the Director truly was from his experiences.
“Oknodie. Don’t you already have the skills to conquer the 49th floor?”
“Shh. That’s a secret!”
“Why don’t you want to return to the academy?”
“Because the cooking handbook is being filled at an astonishing pace! Returning to the academy would only offer the same repetitive events. No need to rush, I’ve already explored all the favorable works on the cruise ship!”
“Didn’t we promise to join Jigoku’s pirate fun during vacation?”
“I’ll consider it even since you saved me on the cruise!”
…Well, it should be fine.
The desire to grow is the same.
The only difference is that Sing seeks it through the Tower of Training, while Oknodie through high-level cooking.
Regardless, with a month and a half of vacation already gone, it was time to reach the conclusion.
He must return before the second semester begins.
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Director’s Mansion
49F – Layer of Lions
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The layer that even Warrior Ishtar could not ultimately surpass and had to return from.
In the trials of this layer, filled with all the themes from floors 41 to 48, Sing realized what was most bothersome.
Any type of attack allowed accumulates curses.
Even if one doesn’t permit them, the same rule applies.
With time, every minute, one curse, similar to the 45th floor’s cursed layer, randomly accumulates.
Of course, extremely malicious curses don’t occur right from the start.
Before being afflicted by [Blind], one’s vision becomes cloudy first due to [Lower Vision Curse].
Even if one instantly goes blind, that phenomenon is limited to one eye.
The same goes for other curses.
Before [Right Hand Sealing] occurs, it starts from [Hand Trembling] and steadily accumulates curses, overlapping one another.
However, to cross the 49th floor, the 1000m barrier—which is just 1km—is not so easy.
As one cracks through each gimmick tightly packed inside, time becomes drained, and ultimately one finds themselves self-examining.
This is it.
If I don’t turn back now, the curses will worsen uncontrollably.
If I push too hard, I will die.
Even with bad luck, I will die.
The risks to bear are simply too great.
Unable to ignore the warnings from his body, he finally pulls the reins of reason and turns back.
‘Not today.’
If there are days of bad luck, there are also days of good luck.
There were days when curses didn’t overlap and merely stayed as basic low-level curses.
Today, it wouldn’t be too much to venture far.
The patterns of zombie drills and haunted castle encounters overlapped in their directions, making it easy to bypass them.
I can breach it.
Instinctively, that thought came to him.
‘If everyone can have an optimal day like this, the possibility of breaking through the 49th floor exists. It’s that one chance allowed only for those with high averages who not only enhance strengths but exhaust weaknesses in equal measure. That day has come.’
Warrior Ishtar far surpasses Sing in overall combat power.
Yet she lacks one crucial aspect to overcome the 49th floor.
Just as Sing had been blocked by the lack of [Peace of Mind] on the 39th floor, which had restricted his strength.
‘In this moment, I stand above the warrior. At least for this very limited, incredibly lucky moment, that fact doesn’t change.’
If he advances, he can continue to hold onto this sense of superiority.
Returning to the academy, he can boast about this fact, and Ishtar may feel inferior.
She’ll regret that she couldn’t achieve what someone she sees as weaker has done.
She might lament her foolishness in returning to the academy a month earlier.
On the contrary, Sing can cherish the satisfaction of his month’s special training.
But he couldn’t take that step.
He felt no urge to move forward.
“Why didn’t you go?”
Sing returned to the starting line of the 49th floor.
Oknodie, who had been watching from behind, handed him a towel to wipe off sweat and asked.
Seeing that innocent face made it clear.
Sing instinctively felt it.
Watching Oknodie’s laid-back demeanor.
“You. Even when the second semester begins, you won’t immediately think of returning to the academy, right?”
If he achieves his goal and leaves now, Oknodie will be left all alone.
Just as Sing feels superior for achieving a month’s progress over the warrior’s one month, Oknodie might end up spending an even longer time alone.
That vague sense of unease washed over him.
“Ah! You caught me.”
Oknodie’s interest in the academy was beginning to wane.
