Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 305: Seventy-Sixth Floor, Waiting Room

The Community of the Dead, on the seventy-sixth floor.

[Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok!]

[He’s actually insane.]

[The whole “Light-Su-Hyeok” thing that the Shadow Su-Hyeok fan club used to say as a joke turned out to be real, lol.]

[After watching all the other teams bickering and scrambling, seeing Su-Hyeok handle things so cleanly is like a breath of fresh air.]

[Totally agree. He’s just on a different level.]

[Man, watching that makes me wanna fight, too.]

[What’s wrong with the idiots up there? Did all of them lose it or what?]

[Why? What’s the issue this time?]

[How dare they say “Kwon Su-Hyeok” without putting a ‘sir’ or honorific with it!]

[LOL, you lunatic.]

[Stop simping!]

[Simping? This is devotion. From now on, whenever you say God Su-Hyeok’s name, you have to add an honorific. Otherwise, your next three generations are gonna go bald.]

[Okay, whoa, baldness is crossing the line.]

[But I’m already bald. Does that mean I’m exempt from the honorific thing?]

[What about your kids and grandkids?]

[Oh no.]

[LMAO.]

[But when you think about it, it’s true. You all better start adding ‘sir’ or something to Su-Hyeok’s name from now on.]

[^^^]

[For real, lol.]

[Ughhh. The world is overflowing with members of the Shadow Su-Hyeok fan club.]

[Hey! It's the Shadow God Su-Hyeok fan club, thank you very much.]

[GYAAAHHHH! GURAAAAGHHH!]

***

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the seventy-fifth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Old Man’s Regret. He will now enter the waiting room.]

[19 hours 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

As if Soulbound's transformation marked the trial’s finale, I was immediately summoned back to the waiting room.

However, even after the trial ended, I couldn’t take my eyes off the weapon.

The axe blade now had a matte finish, its color an almost seamless blend of black and gray. A deep, ink-like core lay at the intersection of the blade and the haft, running from the head to the metal collar, and finally ended at the base of the haft.

I hadn’t even swung it yet, simply marveling how it felt and looked. Somehow, it already felt like a perfect extension of me, the ideal shape and size.

If I had to describe it in one word, I would choose “beautiful.” It was so gorgeous that I wanted to use it as quickly as possible.

With Ryun attached to it, it even added an extra air of mystery to its form.

Wait, Ryun?

It suddenly struck me.

Is Ryun okay?

That earlier urge to test the axe disappeared in an instant.

Even when Hyun had spread his arms and infused the souls into Soulbound, Ryun had kept his eyes closed.

Of course, he had always been bound to Soulbound, but that happened after the weapon was fully formed. With the souls now infused into the weapon, I couldn’t tell what condition Ryun was in.

His eyes remained shut, and for a brief moment, a flicker of concern crossed my mind.

Did something go wrong?

Rotating my wrist, I angled Ryun’s closed eyes toward me.

“Ryun... Ryun? Hey, Ryun!”

I had intentionally paused between each call of his name, but he still hadn’t opened his eyes. The worry that had already been gnawing at me now sank deep into my chest.

Please don’t let anything be wrong.

My nerves soon began to settle, however.

No, he will be fine.

Although Defier of the Current could be considered a reckless god in some ways, he had once ruled an entire world.

Surely, he didn’t do this without thinking it through.

He knew full well that Ryun was conjoined with Soulbound. If infusing the souls even had a chance of harming him, he would never have proceeded. He had also promised to repay me, so there was no reason for him to turn around and stab me in the back.

Though I had been too shaken to sense it at first, Ryun’s presence came across as unmistakably alive.

Now that I think about it, Ryun communicated with the first batch of souls.

He had shared his memories with them.

Maybe he is doing the same thing again.

Those souls had already inhabited Soulbound, and now new ones had just arrived. I didn’t know how spirits or a potential spiritual realm worked, but with Ryun in the mix, perhaps there needed to be some kind of dialogue among the three parties.

A bit of mutual adjustment, like tenants learning to share a house.

Or maybe the influx of souls had just knocked him out temporarily.

Either way, I should wash up.

There was no point panicking when I couldn’t be sure what was even happening. That was another lesson the tower had taught me.

Focus on what is in front of me. Be patient when I need to wait.

It wasn’t like I had nothing to do.

I had been to three separate battlefields practically without pause. It was only natural that I was covered in filth.

Sweat was the least of it; I was covered in blood and bits of flesh. Physically, I was beyond drained.

A bath and a bit of rest would do me good, and maybe Ryun will wake up by then, too.

“Doppy, I’m going to wash up first.”

He nodded from where he lounged on a chair. “Got it! I didn’t even see a single enemy, so I’m fine!”

Just like he had said, he hadn’t done anything, so he didn’t really need a wash.

“Alright.”

Just as I was about to lean Soulbound against the desk, Ryun’s eyes suddenly opened.

“Oh, are you awake now?”

“I’ve... been conscious... this whole time. I heard... you... calling. But I couldn’t... answer. I was... speaking... with the souls...”

So my guess was right. Considering how much Ryun usually talked, it actually made sense that it took a while. If anything, the conversation ended faster than I expected.

Not much time had passed since Soulbound transformed, after all.

“I was kind of panicking when you didn’t respond.”

“Were... you worried...? Thank you...”

I chuckled at his words and asked, “What did the souls say?”

“They... appreciate you. They’ve been... watching your efforts... alongside... the god...”

“They didn’t fight you or the old souls?”

“What would... we have... to fight over...”

Maybe I was just being overly anxious.

Then again, if something had gone wrong, Soulbound wouldn’t have changed in the first place.

Either way, it was a relief that the inhabitants of my axe weren’t in conflict.

“Well, since things ended up like this, tell them I’m counting on them.”

“They can... hear you... already... so there’s... no need... to pass that along...”

“I see.”

I shifted my gaze from Ryun and looked down at Soulbound. I didn’t sense anything watching me. Even the aura of spirits that had surged when Hyun spread his arms was now completely gone.

It was a strange feeling. Despite knowing souls resided within Soulbound, I had never thought of the axe as anything more than a weapon. I had never tried speaking to it.

From the start, I had considered it just a tool—something that couldn’t respond, something without a will.

Moreover, I had honestly never had anything to say to the spirits inside.

The original batch were battle-hungry warriors, after all.

So long as I fought well, it always felt like enough. After all, the more I fought, the more refined the axe became, almost a display of my growth.

But now...

I didn’t know anymore. The newly arrived souls probably didn’t share the same thirst for battle.

Am I supposed to communicate with them, too?

Still, they were in my care now. I figured it was only right to pay them some attention.

“Do they want anything?”

“Not... particularly. They just seem... happy to be... with you...”

“Hm. Is that so? Well, if they ever do ask for something, let me know. Can’t promise I’ll be able to grant everything, but I’ll make sure to listen.”

“They seem... content enough... for now. But I’ll... keep that in mind...”

“All right, I’ll go get cleaned up.”

I would think more about it later. They were probably still getting used to everything, too.

I gently set Soulbound down and turned away. My footsteps toward the bathroom felt a little heavier than usual. Though my divinity had skyrocketed and I had fully replenished my mana, I was exhausted.

I needed rest.

As I reached for the bathroom door, a message came in.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Seventy-seventh Floor): You back? Did everything go okay?

Just seeing her name brought a wave of relief that seemed to ease my weariness.

I stepped inside the bathtub and typed a reply.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Yup. You’ve been resting?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Seventy-seventh Floor): Yeah, I was in the waiting room the whole time. How about you?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Me? Haha. I became the god of a world. You can start calling me Divine Su-Hyeok now.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Seventy-seventh Floor): What kind of nonsense are you spouting?

***

[14 hours 3 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

“Su-Hyeok, order one more for me!”

“Huh? Yeah, hold on.”

At Doppy’s request, I ordered him another steak. Lately, his appetite had grown significantly. He was already large for a goblin, and I had assumed he was done growing. That clearly wasn’t the case, however.

Watching him eat, I had the feeling he still had room to grow. If he kept it up, he would definitely surpass one hundred seventy centimeters.

Probably the result of being an apostle.

Most apostles I had encountered had substantial builds.

Well, bigger was better. He wouldn’t be looked down on anywhere.

Since I was already placing an order, I bought a gemstone and tossed it to Yoonie.

With a radiant smile, she twirled midair. “Thank you, Su-Hyeok!”

“Sure. Eat as much as you like.”

After a long nap, I felt refreshed. The fatigue had dulled my appetite, but now it had returned with a vengeance.

Just as I reached for my spoon, another message arrived.

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): Hey, what are you up to?

She occasionally messaged me about refining her axemanship, so I figured it was probably about that.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Eating. Why? Something wrong?

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): No! I finally succeeded in infusing Aura into the axe and throwing it!

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Wait, seriously?

I was genuinely surprised. She had barely managed to infuse her axe with Aura back at the seventieth floor’s rest area.

She had progressed far faster than I expected. Sure, I had been teaching her, but even considering that, her speed was remarkable.

Most top-tier climbers still couldn’t properly harness Aura. There was a reason she had been the top-ranked warrior in Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life—she was truly skilled.

Although that wasn’t taking into account the fact that I hadn’t selected a warrior’s weapon in that timeline.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): You worked hard. That had to have been tough.

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): It’s all thanks to you. I really appreciate it!

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Nah, you did well. Plenty of people learned from me and still couldn’t do it. Good job.

Alexei had made that progress through her own effort, not just from my instruction. It seemed like she had been motivated after seeing how my training with Angelina had changed me.

Even her messages showed that shift.

We used to chat idly now and then, but recently, our conversations focused entirely on axe techniques.

She barely even posts in the Community anymore, except when she leaves training notes for the other warriors.

Even those read more like personal logs—she just wrote what she did and then posted it.

I have heard that teaching is an effective way to reinforce learning, though.

This knowledge wasn’t exactly something that could be studied in the same way, but the principle still held. Answering questions helped her refine her skills, and she came to me only when she truly didn’t know something.

Feels like I have raised a proper disciple.

No, she was my disciple. Calling her that wasn’t even a stretch.

Although I couldn’t exactly recall when we first began training together, our first spar had been around the twentieth or thirtieth floor. That was a long time in the grand scheme of the tower.

We called it sparring, but it was essentially training.

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): So what now? That was the last thing you taught me at the rest area.

Right. I had stopped after displaying how to manipulate a weapon with Aura. After that, she was supposed to refine the technique before moving forward.

Explaining the next step purely through messages could lead to mistakes, however. It wasn’t something I could teach casually.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): I’ll show you more next time we meet. You’re progressing faster than I expected. Let’s push ahead a bit further next time.

Our meet-ups were limited to the rest areas and the all-climber floors, so time together was precious.

Given how quickly her skills were growing, I would have to start demonstrating techniques that she wasn’t necessarily ready to learn. Then, while she mastered the next step in my training, she could begin training a second.

Most people would try to skip ahead, chasing results, but Alexei wasn’t that kind of person. She was more diligent and methodical than she appeared. If I told her to focus on one step before moving to the next, she would do it without needing to be told twice.

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): Sounds good. Hmm, I wonder if I’ll even have time during the upcoming all-climber floors.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): Hard to say. Not sure yet.

She seemed a little impatient.

I understood the feeling. I had felt the same during my training with Angelina. Once someone experienced the joy of learning and growing, it became addictive.

That sense of progress is intoxicating.

That aside, based on what Ha Hee-Jeong had told me about the next all-climber floor, I wasn’t sure we would get the opportunity.

I couldn’t explain it in detail to Alexei, of course.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Seventy-sixth Floor): For now, just keep refining what I’ve shown you. Keep working on channeling Aura into your axe and moving it around.

- Alexei Braham (Seventy-seventh Floor): Got it! Will do!

After saying goodbye, I closed the message window.

Honestly, thinking about Alexei’s training and the all-climber floor wasn’t an urgent need. My immediate priority had to be the seventy-sixth floor.

The trials I had cleared since the last rest area weren’t tied to the upcoming all-climber floor, which was exactly why I needed to stay focused. The tower generally overlapped an all-climber floor with at least one individual challenge floor, after all.

The seventy-sixth floor could be the one.

I couldn’t say for sure, but even the possibility was enough.

I needed to stay attentive. Even a single, small ripple could cause massive changes.

My thoughts deepened.

Hmm. What kind of trial awaits?