Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 313: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Euros’s Flower Forest (1)

Chapter 313: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Euros’s Flower Forest (1)

[23 hours 48 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

At some point during our idle chatter, the last climber finally cleared the seventy-sixth floor, and a countdown appeared. Only one day remained until the next all-climber floor.

On any other day, I wouldn’t have felt even the slightest bit of tension, but today was different. Watching the timer tick down stirred a strange feeling within me.

Is it because I saw a glimpse of the future?

My jumbled thoughts contained a faint nervousness, and I felt restless. Moreover, everyone seemed uneasy.

Ha Hee-Jeong seemed to feel it, too. Though she didn’t openly display it, the moment the clock began ticking, the atmosphere stiffened ever so slightly.

Of course, that heaviness didn’t last long. We simply stopped joking around and sat down at the dining table.

It was time to eat, and both of us were hungry. After all, Ha Hee-Jeong had come here right after waking up, and I had just completed a floor.

Although we ate our usual daily meals, something felt different today, now that there was one more person. It wasn’t just a numbers thing or the atmosphere; the situation itself was genuinely different.

Maybe we ordered too much?

Unlike me, who usually settled for simple meals, Ha Hee-Jeong enjoyed fine food. Since it was her first time sharing a meal with someone else in the downtime between floors, she had ordered all sorts of dishes.

The table was so packed that there wasn’t even room for any silverware. It felt a bit excessive, but it was certainly better than running short on food.

If anything is left over, we can just toss it.

Unlike on Earth, we didn’t have to sort between garbage and recycling, wash dishes, or dispose of food waste separately. Just tossing it into the trash bin tucked into the corner of the room would make it vanish.

Besides, risking our lives for Earth earned us a bit of leeway as we weren't exactly in a position to be scolded for wasting food.

Chewing and swallowing a piece of beef rib, I turned to Ha Hee-Jeong. “Hee-Jeong.”

“Yeah?”

“With the necklace, you can return, right?”

“You mean, back to the waiting room?”

“Yeah.”

It was one of the reasons we had been cautious about using the Necklace of Accord. If we could be teleported to the other’s waiting room but couldn’t return, it would be disastrous.

It wasn’t the biggest risk, albeit not negligible.

Now that I thought about it, it was pretty bold of Ha Hee-Jeong to rush into my waiting room without considering it more.

Well, to be fair, she hadn’t exactly been in the right mental state to calmly think things through earlier.

Ha Hee-Jeong shook her head. “No, I will have to stay here.”

“Huh? Seriously? We can’t go back to our own rooms?”

“Nope.”

“Wait, hold on. You’re not saying that we can’t enter the seventy-seventh floor, right?”

“It’ll be fine. The message shows us that time is still flowing normally. We’ll probably move straight to the seventy-seventh floor from here.”

Relief flooded through me. For a moment, my stomach had twisted from anxiety.

I let out a deep breath and took a long sip of water. “Thank god. Still, that means we can’t casually use the necklace during trials, unless it’s truly life-or-death.”

As I spoke, Ha Hee-Jeong suddenly chuckled, a mischievous laugh that made me frown.

What is she laughing about all of a sudden? No. Fucking. Way.

“It was a joke. You can return.”

“Hey!” I yelled before I could stop myself.

Startled, Doppy, who had been eating quietly, hiccupped in surprise.

“What kind of joke is that? You scared the hell out of me.”

“Well, your reaction was just too funny. It’s not like it was anything serious.” Smirking, Ha Hee-Jeong grabbed a piece of pancake and popped it into her mouth.

I couldn’t exactly argue. After all, she hadn’t said we couldn’t proceed to the next floor.

In truth, I had overreacted a little.

After chewing thoughtfully, she added, “But after trying it once, I think we can even use the necklace during trials.”

“Even if we are on separate floors?”

“Yeah. I don’t think it would cause either of us to fail our trial...” she trailed off, seeming to search for the right words. “Ugh, how do I explain it? It’s not something I can say with complete certainty, but after actually using it, I just have a feeling.”

“You’re saying you just sensed it?”

“Yeah. Like I said before, it’s an item that my sponsor gifted us. After trying it myself, I’m more confident now that there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Still, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry, just in case.”

“True. But we agreed from the start that we’d only call for help if it was truly life-threatening.”

I nodded.

She was right. Overcoming trials alone was the key to becoming stronger. Both of us knew that better than anyone. If we ever summoned each other, it would mean we had no other choice.

A short silence followed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. We were used to this sort of quiet.

Eating in companionable silence, Ha Hee-Jeong suddenly remarked, “I’m going to head back after we finish eating.”

“Huh? Already?”

“There’s nothing for me to do here. And you have more training to focus on, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Since the seventy-seventh floor is almost here, I should also check in with my party members.”

“True. That makes sense.”

Our paused spoons and chopsticks resumed moving again.

Though neither of us said anything aloud, we both began eating at a slightly slower pace, enough that even Ryun, usually so oblivious, would have noticed.

***

[8 hours 48 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

After finishing her meal, Ha Hee-Jeong kept true to her word and returned to her own waiting room.

Meanwhile, I threw myself into fourteen hours of uninterrupted training. I didn’t rest for even a second.

In the end, I pushed myself so hard that I even got a nosebleed. I had been so focused that I hadn’t even realized it was happening. At one point, it felt like water was dripping from my nose. Next thing I knew, my hand was covered in blood when I wiped it away.

This was the first time since my grueling training sessions with Angelina that something like this had happened.

Of course, I wasn’t bleeding simply because I had been training for a long time. Some of my previous training sessions had been even longer than this one, yet it hadn’t occurred.

This time, however, I hadn’t held back at all. I had relentlessly drained my divinity and mana. My divinity remained empty almost the entire time, and I skirted the edge of mana exhaustion five times.

Still, I was satisfied with the results.

Thanks to the seventy-fifth floor, I had gained an insight into using divinity more effectively. I still couldn’t fully manifest it, but it felt like I had finally grasped its flow.

If I continue refining this method, maybe I can find an answer sometime before the tower ends.

In any case, after bleeding from the nose and utterly exhausting myself, I washed up and collapsed into bed.

Well, a short rest should be enough.

Buying the bed for six thousand achievement points had been partly for this reason—to quickly recover from my intense training.

Given my naturally fast recovery rate, even after pushing myself this far, six hours of sleep would have me back to full strength.

Come to think of it, my title had changed, too. I had nearly forgotten, distracted by the future The Meticulous Architect had shown me.

It had crossed my mind just before training began.

Seeker of Answers.

The god had mentioned that how I overcame trials would now be reflected in my title.

It made me wonder what would have happened had I chosen the right-hand door and charged forward without looking back.

Would I have gotten a title like “Seeker Who Never Looks Back,” or “Forward-Driving Seeker”?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if there was much difference between them.

The divine names of the gods don’t seem particularly special.

A glance at Blue Dawn Breeze or Endless Furnace was proof enough. One was a goddess of the wind, and “breeze” appeared in her name, while the other was a god of fire with “furnace” in his name.

At most, their names served to reveal their identities and nothing more—they were rather on the nose.

My own title would likely follow the same pattern, merely shifting according to my actions. It would likely change again, depending on what I did from here on out. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Well, once I become a god, I will probably come to understand it naturally.

I mentally shook away my idle thoughts. Sleep was starting to overtake me, but there was still something I needed to do before resting.

With a single thought, the Community opened in front of me.

[Finally! We’ve reached the all-climber floor!]

[This means we’re eighty percent of the way there. Hang in there, everyone!]

[Is everyone training hard?]

[Looking for menu recommendations]

I hadn’t opened the Community just to browse. It was time to pass on Ha Hee-Jeong’s information to the climbers about the upcoming trial.

It was something I did occasionally.

Since my individual challenge floors were usually linked with the all-climber floors—it had happened on several occasions now—I had stepped in from time to time to sneak in Ha Hee-Jeong’s information on her behalf.

This time was no different.

If I don’t say anything, at least a quarter of them are bound to fail.

I had already discussed the contents of the post with Ha Hee-Jeong, including the timing.

Posting immediately after the waiting room’s timer started ticking wouldn’t have been a wise move. After all, the climbers tended to begin posting senselessly around that time.

[It’s starting!]

[Please, please let me survive safely. Please, please let me survive safely. Please, pleaseeeee...]

[Gyaaaah! Guaaaah!]

Not that I held it against them, though, since it allowed climbers to vent their tension, excitement, and fear.

Still, the posts I made never got truly buried. Even if they were pushed down, word would spread quickly among climbers.

Nevertheless, it was better if people saw the crucial information after their emotions had somewhat settled. They would be better prepared that way.

I began typing.

[This is Kwon Su-Hyeok.]

[With the all-climber floor just ahead, I’m leaving this note just in case.]

[Please make sure to bring gas masks that cover your eyes, nose, and mouth, along with a range of antidotes.]

[I also strongly advise against using metal equipment.]

[Of course, this isn’t a guarantee, but considering that my individual challenge floors have generally connected to the all-climber floors—]

***

[1 minute 31 seconds until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!” Doppy answered enthusiastically, though his voice was muffled by the gas mask covering his face.

Given that we were moments away from entering the seventy-seventh floor, it was unavoidable.

The same went for his attire. He had shed his metal armor and now wore a long robe over some reinforced leather armor. His weapon was still made of steel, but it was a high-grade alloy, so it should be fine.

Looking at us now, it almost felt like we were prepping for a post-apocalyptic world drenched in radiation.

Well, the place we are heading to is a bit different from the usual.

Yoonie and Ryun hadn’t been fitted with gas masks. Neither of them had the right anatomy for it anyway.

Technically, gas masks designed for serpents did exist, but I had deliberately chosen not to outfit them.

After all, Yoonie was a spirit, and Ryun was, at his core, a tree.

Even though I knew danger would inevitably come, I didn’t feel particularly tense. If anything, my mind was filled with a strange sense of calm.

Of course, the unexpected can still occur.

Regardless, the greater threat to my life likely lurked on one of my individual challenge floors in the eighties, or somewhere beyond the ninetieth floor.

As for this all-climber floor, Ha Hee-Jeong had already briefed me.

Anyway, it was finally time to enter the seventy-seventh floor.

***

[Welcome to the seventy-seventh floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Euros’s Flower Forest.]

[Survive. Time remaining: 71 hours 59 minutes.]

The dazzlingly bright light faded away. As I opened my eyes, I felt the texture of the ground beneath my feet.

A forest.

However, it wasn’t the kind of forest I was familiar with. It was composed entirely of flowers—vivid and brilliant, coming in hundreds of colors.

Some blossoms emitted their own light, glowing faintly. Others were so large that they dwarfed human beings.

The flower-trees soared upward, higher than skyscrapers, reaching toward the sky. Between the dense canopy of rustling leaves, beams of sunlight streamed down, wavering with the breeze.

Pop! Pop!

Soft explosions echoed here and there.

In one corner, swollen, round flowers released clouds of spores with a hissing sound, like air escaping a balloon.

Nearby, green flowers resembling dandelions swayed and scattered pollen into the air.

The entire forest was filled with drifting pollen and spores, obscuring visibility.

Hmm.

Holding the gas mask in one hand, I inhaled cautiously. I hadn’t worn it immediately so as to assess the toxicity level firsthand.

During Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, no one had brought a gas mask. This meant it was possible to survive for some time without one.

If the toxin was manageable, I planned to boost my resistance instead.

Not bad.

As expected, it wasn’t immediately harmful.

If memory served, climbers could endure anywhere from fourteen to forty hours, depending on their constitution. Additionally, some unlucky climbers would last only a couple of hours if they were unlucky enough to arrive in a location with an abundance of harmful particulates.

Of course, “endure” didn’t mean they would remain unaffected. Symptoms would gradually appear, and their health would eventually deteriorate until they died.

With hundreds of flower species, each releasing its own unique toxins, it was to be expected.

While some are harmless, others cause paralysis, poisoning, decay, rashes...

There were two ways to complete the simple directive to survive: either escape the forest or seek aid from another species.

In any case, the forest wasn’t a major threat to me.

If I continuously breathed in harmful spores for over a week, there could be issues. Regardless, there was another reason I wasn’t particularly worried about this all-climber floor.

I had Ryun, the ent, by my side.

In Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, no one had been able to venture deep into the forest.

This time, I intended to try. Of course, I would need to remain cautious, since I had no idea what could be waiting at the end.

“Let’s go.”

I stepped forward.