Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 418: Ninetieth Floor, Rest Area (1)

The Community on Earth, during the events on the ninetieth floor.

[Facts about Kwon Su-Hyeok.]

[Kwon Su-Hyeok can literally set fire on fire.]

[Kwon Su-Hyeok doesn’t climb the tower. The tower lowers itself for him.]

[One time, a viper bit Kwon Su-Hyeok. After three days of pure suffering, the viper died.]

[Lowkey, death itself once almost got a taste of Kwon Su-Hyeok.]

[???]

[Bro wtf is ts outta nowhere 💀💀💀]

[Nah, this is straight-up a Chuck Norris meme[1] energy lmao.]

[Fr fr 😂]

[Ok, but why are they dragging in Light Su-Hyeok tho??]

[Apparently it’s trending with the Kwon Su-Hyeok cult fans rn.]

[?]

[??]

[No way that’s real. What kinda cult just makes memes?? Wouldn’t it make more sense to like, canonize his actual quotes?]

[Nah, it’s not the cult itself. Just the stans trolling lol.]

[And tbh the whole “cult” literally started as a joke anyway 💀]

[A joke?? Blasphemy!!]

[Caught you in 4k. Screenshot saved.]

[IP tracker loading...]

[Bruh that joke is older than my grandma.]

[Ok, but ngl, the Chuck Norris bits still hit 💀😂]

[Wasn’t there also some shadow meme? Why isn’t it here? Dude literally controls shadows??]

[Looked it up rn: “Chuck Norris’s shadow stays ten steps away in case of a roundhouse kick.” That one lol.]

[But like... some of these are kinda facts??]

[Huh?]

[Bro death legit almost got rolled by Su-Hyeok once 💀]

[😭😭😭]

[Ngl if a viper bit him, I fully believe the viper would die.]

[And Su-Hyeok’s lightning? Yeah, that def could burn fire itself lol.]

[ok now u reaching 💀]

[💀💀💀]

[Just laugh bro, don’t ruin the vibe.]

[No STEM majors here? If a bolt of lightning overpowers a fire, isn’t that still kinda burning it?]

[Someone with that level of brainpower ain’t wasting time here at 2 pm on a weekday 😭]

[😭😭]

[Delete this rn.]

***

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

Moods tended to spread easily, and considering I spent nearly every day with Ryun and Doppy, the effect was all the more pronounced.

A faint stiffness lingered in their gazes as they turned toward me. Though I had initiated the conversation, I suddenly found myself at a loss for words.

What exactly should I say?

I wondered if I should have prepared more. While I truly believed they would welcome the news, now that the moment had arrived, my chest grew heavy.

Silently, I lifted my head. The translucent status window looked nearly identical to how it had appeared before I had encountered Thunder Axe.

Just like they had said, time hadn’t passed in the waiting room.

The weight of two gazes pressed upon me. They were waiting, but it was far from an act of courtesy. I lowered my eyes once more.

Well.

In truth, having more time to ponder wouldn’t change what I had to say. However, since I didn’t know how they would respond, I was being overly cautious.

Unfortunately, regardless of whatever the future held, we would inevitably part.

When I first heard what Thunder Axe had to say, I thought Doppy and Ryun would welcome it.

Now, I wasn’t so sure. We had grown close, so the atmosphere was certain to grow heavier.

Even so, I harbored a quiet expectation.

Will sorrow outweigh happiness, or will the latter reign triumphant?

Such a thought was a bit small-minded, but I couldn’t dismiss it. I was human, after all. Either way, my heart would ache. I met their eyes squarely. One pair shone clear and untainted, the other deep and poised. Both answered me with silence.

I carefully opened my mouth. “If Doppy could travel to Fenrike’s world, and Ryun to the Thunder Axe’s orchard... would you want to go?”

Their pupils widened. For a moment, nobody even breathed. The suddenness of it left them speechless.

However, Ryun remained relatively composed. Having already been familiar with Thunder Axe, he immediately grasped my meaning. Perhaps even hoped for it.

Doppy responded first, “What do you mean by that?”

“I just met my sponsor, Omniscient Thunder Axe. You wouldn’t know them, but they’re a first-class god, and apparently tied to Fenrike. If you wish, you can return to him.”

“Really?” he asked, eyes glazing over—he was speaking with Fenrike through their divine connection.

I had seen this happen before, albeit rarely.

Thunder Axe had mentioned that Fenrike had been distancing himself from Doppy slightly, mostly because Doppy had been serving as my companion and aide. Although perhaps they hadn’t really needed to communicate.

It wouldn’t have changed anything, though.

I knew nothing of Fenrike’s world, and unlike Thunder Axe, he didn’t have a method of interfering with the tower. Without the coordinates, there had been no way to send Doppy there.

Whatever the case, their reunion was a positive outcome, regardless of our personal feelings. Neither Doppy nor Ryun could help me any longer. It was better for them to find their happiness.

Feeling somewhat regretful, I guessed the outcome, but knew it wouldn’t be an immediate resolution.

“There’s no rush. After all, the transfer will only take place at the rest area, so take your time to think about it.” I turned and headed for the shower.

I had just come back from sparring with Thunder Axe, after all.

However, as soon as I took a step, Ryun declared, “No... let’s... not wait...”

He emerged from Doppy’s blade and assumed the form of an ent. “Thank you... I am... deeply... indebted... to you...”

The words came rather unexpectedly.

“Sorry? Indebted?”

“You... saved... my life...”

“Come on, I couldn’t even defeat you back then.”

Ryun’s words were contradictory. During our first battle, I had clearly lost. The only reason he had allowed me to clear the floor was with a promise aimed toward the distant future.

“No... even... if you... had given up... in that moment... my ending... would not... have changed...” Ryun paused for a breath, then continued, “Someone... else... would have... come eventually... I would... have died... and Sorien... would have... gone to... the orchard...”

Memories of the past rose to the surface of my mind.

Ryun had been alone. For the sake of the ents—and the entire world—the World Tree needed to migrate, yet Ryun had opposed it.

When a World Tree in that world perished, Thunder Axe brought it to their garden. From a distance, one might think neither path was truly tragic, but things weren’t that simple.

Ryun loved Sorien.

At the time, I had thought that love was one-sided, but now, I knew otherwise.

World Trees had wills of their own. If Sorien had rejected Ryun, she would have expressed it long ago and pushed him away.

Still, I couldn’t help but doubt whether Ryun’s assumptions had been correct.

“Even without my promise, Thunder Axe may have intended to bring you to their garden all along.”

It was a thought that occurred to me after meeting Thunder Axe. From what I had seen, they wouldn’t have allowed one of their devotees to die for a trial.

Besides, killing Ryun would have been nearly impossible in the first place. Only challengers—like Kalain and me—would manage some measure of success.

If I couldn’t do it, then no one else could either.

Most likely, climbers would be expected to resort to theft. Although some sponsors likely had a way to help their climbers clear the floor.

Regardless, Ryun wouldn’t have killed the climber, nor would Thunder Axe have let him die. There was a small chance that Thunder Axe had tailored the trial for me in particular, because I was a challenger.

After a long pause to contemplate deeply, Ryun responded, “That is... not something... you can... be certain of. What matters... is that you... led me... this far...”.

Of course, none of it could be proven; it was all speculation.

In truth, Ryun and I had been more complementary than anything, helping one another in turn.

“I can say the same about you!”

At that moment, Doppy suddenly interjected, “Su-Yeok also saved Fenrike and me!”

His pure outcry made me laugh uncontrollably. Well, there was no denying that fact. Unlike with Ryun, I really had saved Doppy’s life. The same was true of Fenrike.

“Su-Yeok! Thank you!”

I gave him a crooked smile. “Don’t thank me. I’ve received plenty of help from you, too.”

I felt happy, but not entirely so. It was a complicated emotion, one difficult to put into words. Part of it was because I could already anticipate what they were about to say next.

Doppy met Ryun’s eyes. “I think Ryun feels the same way as I do. Am I right?”

“I... believe... so. In fact... I don’t think... this is... something... we need... to dwell on...”

No sooner had he finished than Doppy, without even pausing to breathe, blurted, “That’s right! We’ll go! Don’t misunderstand! It isn’t because we want to leave! It’s for your sake, Su-Yeok!”

“I... feel the same...”

“Of course, in our hearts, we’d rather stay by your side and protect you! But it will be easier for you if we’re not here! That is the truth, without a trace of falsehood!”

I smiled faintly and nodded. “Alright.”

Neither Doppy nor Ryun was a calculating individual. They had spoken from the heart; I could feel it in the warmth their words carried. It wasn’t as if they didn’t desire to leave, but they had made their decision entirely with me in mind.

Memories and moments we had shared flashed rapidly before my eyes.

During our first meeting, Doppy had looked so scruffy, and I had been so naive. Images of Ryun standing before the towering World Tree reminded me of our journey. Funny moments stood out, too, like when I had panicked after Ryun attached himself to my axe and I had failed to recognize where he had gone.

All of those memories overlapped with the present. Tears threatened to burst from my eyes.

“I don’t really cry easily—”

Doppy and Ryun’s eyes lit up, filled with curiosity. Now that I thought of it, I had never cried in front of them.

“D-don’t cry!” Doppy cried, but his tone didn’t match his words at all.

Regardless, both his and Ryun’s eyes had grown red and moist. We were all sentimental, it seemed.

I gave him a crooked grin. “Still, the tears aren’t coming.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!” Doppy reacted with comical intensity

Ryun only let out a weary laugh, “Ha... ha...”

Even so, I was glad that my little joke had eased some of their tears.

For all that I said, my feelings were genuine. I was truly moved, and at the thought that this was the end, emotions welled up inside me.

“I was only teasing you. Thank you both. Though it feels a little early to be saying such things.”

Before I could finish, Doppy looked ready to say something more, so I hurriedly added, “That’s enough. Let’s save the rest for when we reach the rest area. We’ll be parting there anyway, and it’ll just feel awkward if we start saying all that now.”

“Ah, got it!”

“And besides, this isn’t the end. We’ve crossed paths once, so we will cross paths again. With Thunder Axe and Fenrike around, it’s only a temporary separation.”

“That’s right! You’ll climb to the very top of the tower, Su-Yeok!”

Behind him, Ryun nodded in agreement.

“Alright, now that the heavy talk is over, both of you finish what you were doing. I’ll go wash up.”

***

Though we had agreed to continue our goodbyes at the rest area, the heaviness settling over the waiting room was unstoppable. Even if we tried not to display that sentiment outwardly, feeling that emotion was unavoidable.

However, that didn’t mean we were drowning in emotion. We still did what had to be done. Even with the prospect of returning, Doppy finished his training regimen as usual, and Ryun helped him.

Meanwhile, I spoke with Ha Hee-Jeong.

After hearing about my conversation with Thunder Axe, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment. It was only natural. The hidden truths about the tower, her regression, and challengers weren’t what we had believed until now.

Not that telling her would change anything.

Thunder Axe had only shared facts.

Of course, there was still room for speculation regarding what made me special. However, it wasn’t something we could hope to discover with what we knew.

Calling it mere talent seemed off. It was an unsolvable problem.

The same applied to asking Natalie. If Thunder Axe hadn’t been able to explain it, there was no reason to believe Natalie could.

After all, Thunder Axe told me to listen to the tower.

In the end, Ha Hee-Jeong and I concluded that we needed to act with greater care and vigilance.

It was obvious, and we had done this all along, but considering that we had no idea how my uniqueness as a challenger would influence the coming trials, it was the only right answer.

Just before returning to her waiting room, Ha Hee-Jeong suddenly gasped, “Ah, that’s right.”

“What is it?”

“That party they’re holding at the rest area.”

“Yeah.”

Ha Hee-Jeong gave me a meaningful smile. “They’ve decided everyone has to come fully armed, just like when we enter a trial.”

1. This is referencing the old “Chuck Norris Facts” meme, where people made over-the-top jokes about him being ridiculously strong or unstoppable. ☜