Chapter 120

Chapter 120You have entered the 5th floor.

The cold, mechanical message appeared, and my body tensed instinctively. I fiddled with the transparent gloves I’d earned as a reward on the 4th floor.

"..."

There was no visible threat. Actually, there was nothing visible at all. My entire field of vision was pitch black.

In this dark void, the only thing I could see clearly was myself. Despite the lack of any light source, my body stood out in stark relief.

What is this situation? Where’s Jiwon? Is the 5th floor a solo mission? And no weapons either?

I kept my guard up, scanning the area vigilantly. I had no idea what might happen, especially in a situation as unfamiliar as this.

"..."

As time passed without anything happening, I cautiously stretched my hand forward. What I felt was a solid, wood-like texture.

Feeling around like a blind person, I finally understood my predicament. I was trapped inside some sort of cube-shaped enclosure.

"..."

With no immediate changes, my tense muscles gradually relaxed. Staying alert without a clear threat felt pointless. Best to observe until something shifts dramatically.

“I wonder if Baron Jorge is doing well...”

As my tension faded, stray thoughts bubbled up. The 4th floor... Did the otherworlders return safely to their realms? Yoon Joong-hyun. William Smith. The man with glasses. Baron Jorge. Those otherworlders...

I knew they’d survived from the message, but the specifics remained unclear. I hoped they were all managing alright.

And then, there was Ji-won. Just thinking of last night made my face heat up.

‘Ugh, embarrassing.’

Just as I was about to sink deeper into my thoughts...

Fwoosh!

A bright light filled my vision, and the surrounding darkness slowly receded.

“Ugh...”

I instinctively closed my eyes, then forced them open.

"...?"

Revealed before me was a structure of pure white.

It was a temple, supported by pristine columns reminiscent of ancient Greek architecture, yet subtly different—a place that radiated an intense sanctity.

"..."

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

I squinted as I took in my surroundings. The first thing I saw was baby angels throwing flower petals while playing trumpets. Outside the temple, rather than the earth, I could see nothing but clouds.

In short, it was the picture-perfect embodiment of a “holy temple” straight out of fiction. Realizing this left me feeling oddly repulsed.

In the past, on the 2nd floor, Archangel Raphael had mentioned appearing “in a form pleasing to humans.” This seemed like an extension of that approach. Anyone else might’ve felt compelled to kneel and seek divine guidance in a place like this...

"Hmph."

I tried grabbing the foot of one of the baby angels flitting around me, but my hand passed straight through it. Looks like the angels were just illusions with no physical substance.

“Alright, let’s see how far this goes.”

I was alone in this temple; there were no other players around. I’d find out eventually whether the 5th floor was designed like this for everyone or if I was getting special treatment. For now, waiting was all I could do.

-Bam-ba-bam! Bam-ba-bam! Bam-bam!

"Thank you!"

"May endless glory shine upon the Climber’s future!"

As the trumpet fanfare from the baby angels ended, a massive pillar of light descended in the temple’s center.

"Greetings. This might be our first meeting. But I am Archangel Raphael, in charge from the 1st to the 5th floors."

​

​From within the pillar of light, a beautiful figure emerged slowly, with androgynous features. Draped in a white toga, their reddish curls swayed gently—this angel was unmistakably Archangel Raphael, exactly as I remembered.

"..."

5th Floor Clear Condition: Listen to everything Archangel Raphael has to say and complete a simple task at the end. Thank you for your hard work.

Was what I did in the tutorial and on the 4th floor truly right? No one died, but maybe, as Raphael said, I deprived them of the chance to grow. I robbed them of the chance to fight monsters.

Without me on their floor, could they still become competitive? Even if they received a substantial reward, could they overcome the experience gap?

"..."

I don’t know. What the right answer is. But just as Ji-won said, if thinking about it won’t bring answers, then there’s no point in dwelling. What I need to focus on now is the man walking towards me from the far side of the temple.

<5th Floor>

- Task: Defeat the enemy before you to clear the floor.

Step. Step~

A man staggered towards me, sword in hand.

"...Who is that?"

What did gauging my newfound strength have to do with this man stumbling toward me? Was I just supposed to flex my power on a scarecrow stand-in? Who was this guy?

But as he got close enough for me to see his face, I understood Raphael's words.

"...Oh, come on. How cliché."

The one approaching me... was Kim Jun-ho. It was me. Judging by his attire, he was a replica of my tutorial self. But it wasn’t a perfect copy—its eyes were unfocused, and its lips kept muttering something incoherent.

Shiiing~

"Heh..."

A sword had somehow materialized in its hand. I chuckled dryly, realizing the point of this test.

“Yeah, I can definitely feel it.”

If my tutorial self faced me now, who would win? The answer was obvious: me, a hundred out of a hundred times. My swordsmanship had advanced significantly, and my stats had skyrocketed since then. Moreover, I could now wield mana.

Raphael likely wanted to convey this: that I had grown so much. That all my struggles to survive weren’t in vain. He wanted me to feel it for myself.

I hated playing along with his intentions, but I had no other choice in the Tower.

“Phew...”

I took a deep breath.

And lunged at my duplicate.

It tried to respond in its own way, but its movements were sluggish.

My blade swung toward its neck, aiming to decapitate it. But there was no impact.

"..."

My duplicate had sidestepped just enough to avoid my strike by a paper-thin margin. Its movements were slow due to our vast difference in physical capabilities, yet its technique was impressively refined.

“Well now.”

Even in the tutorial, I hadn’t been that bad. I smirked, rousing the dormant mana within me as I refocused.

The part of me softened over time with Ji-won gradually shifted back to the cold mindset of the 4th floor. Analyzing my opponent, I calculated the most efficient way to kill it.

One more strike. One decisive blow and it’d go down in an instant. It probably wouldn’t even react...

“...Huh?”

I lost focus for a split second. Then came a faint sting on the back of my hand—a tiny prickling sensation.

Before I could process what it was, I felt myself being pulled somewhere.

You have been injured. Regressing to the moment you first entered the 5th floor.

***

"...?"

I was back at the starting point of the 5th floor.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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