Actually, ever since I walked down the temple path earlier, I already knew one thing.
I was being followed.
Not a human. The footsteps were too smooth, too neat, and—most telling of all—it had no real intention of hiding its presence from me. Familiar, if I had to guess. And when it came to familiars with that kind of aura, the options were limited.
Akeno.
I glanced briefly at a shop window that reflected my silhouette as I walked. There was no one behind me. But I could feel it—like a faint itch at the back of my neck, a sign that eyes were watching from afar.
'Well… fair,' I thought casually. 'If I were in her position, I'd do the same thing.'
After all, I often used similar tricks myself.
So I didn't speed up. I didn't make any sudden turns. I didn't do anything suspicious. I just… went home like an ordinary human who had stayed out training a bit too late.
As I walked, my thoughts returned to something far more important.
'Kokabiel.'
Just that name alone was enough to make me want to let out a long sigh.
'If I'm not mistaken, in the system… he's categorized as Ultimate Class.'
And because this was a system quest, it meant this wasn't just some minor background incident. This was a major event. An event that would trigger intervention from other parties.
Vali Lucifer.
'And he's Ultimate Class too.'
Not to mention the most troublesome fact of all: if Vali got serious and started using the Divine Dividing at full condition, his level could surge into Pseudo-Maou Class territory.
I slowly clenched my hand.
'This is bad.'
I evaluated myself honestly. Right now, my position… could be called pseudo–Ultimate Class. Still gray. Still below the two of them. One-on-one alone would already be heavy—let alone facing both at once.
The conclusion was simple.
'I don't have a chance against them right now.'
And because of that—
'What I need to do right now isn't to interfere with outside affairs.'
The world could descend into chaos. Factions could move. Kokabiel could prepare calamity, Vali could step in.
'My focus is only one thing.'
The Tower.
There were still two days left before that incident truly happened. Two days wasn't a long time—but it wasn't zero either.
'What I need to do now is strengthen myself.'
The moment I reached my room, I didn't waste time. I didn't turn on the television. I didn't open my phone beyond what was necessary. I changed into training clothes—a simple T-shirt, training pants, light shoes.
No special equipment.
Because this time… there would be no monsters.
I steeled my resolve.
'Floor 40.'
My target was clear. Ambitious, maybe. But I didn't have the luxury of playing it safe.
The problem was, starting from floor 31. There were no monsters at all—only traps.
And the most infuriating part—all my powers were sealed.
I had to climb… as an ordinary human.
'This Tower really has a terrible sense of humor.'
Over the past week, I had already prepared for this. Not with power, but with things people often underestimated.
Sense.
Reflexes.
Reaction time.
I trained them to the limit I could reach as a human. Hearing the faintest sound. Responding to movement without thinking. Moving before my brain had time to panic.
Because that was what this floor demanded. While thinking about this, I shook off my pursuer and disappeared into the crowd as if I had never been at that train station.
...
The moment I entered the Tower, the atmosphere changed instantly.
There was no aura pressure like usual. No presence of living beings. Just a long corridor with plain walls, floors that were too clean, and a silence that felt… intentional.
'Yeah, yeah. I know.'
I stepped forward carefully.
click.
I stopped immediately.
Needles shot out from the wall, narrowly missing my cheek. I reflexively tilted my head, feeling a thin rush of air brush past my face.
My breathing didn't change.
'Calm. This is just a warm-up.'
The air pressure shifted without warning. The floor moved slightly. Thin blades emerged from the gaps in the floor, slicing through the space where I had been standing just seconds ago.
I jumped back, landing with my knees slightly bent.
The Tower of Babel seemed determined to make one thing clear.
That without power, without the system, without miracles—
I was nothing more than a fragile human who could die at any moment.
'Interesting,' I thought with a faint smile.
'In that case… I'll survive as a human.'
I stared at the long corridor ahead of me.
The Tower might want its challengers to feel despair.
...
Floor 38.
The traps… had truly become absurd.
It was no longer about "dodging" or "jumping at the right time." This Tower seemed to deliberately arrange obstacles so that there was no completely safe choice. Every decision carried consequences, and every hesitation would be repaid instantly with pain—or death.
I swallowed and stepped forward one step at a time.
I had already come this far, this damned corridor was incredibly long and unbearably difficult.
The corridor ahead was narrow, its walls too close, its ceiling low. The air felt hot, unlike the previous floors. My breathing automatically slowed. I restrained myself from making excess noise—not because I feared any creature, but because I had learned: in this Tower, sound is a trigger.
My training clothes were soaked with sweat. Not just damp—sticky. The muscles in my legs felt stiff, trembling faintly every time I shifted my weight. Not because of major injuries. There were no major injuries.
Just exhaustion.
Exhaustion piling up from floor to floor without pause, without recovery time, without a single second that was truly safe.
'Calm…'
I stopped for a moment, closed my eyes, and let every sound in.
The beat of my heart and the faint hum from the walls, then the thin flow of unnatural air.
Then I realized it.
'If I'm too slow…'
The pressure on both sides of the corridor felt uneven. The left and right walls—almost invisible—had mechanical gaps. Very small, but clear enough to eyes that had been forced into vigilance for a full week.
'…I'll be crushed from both sides.'
Too slow meant death, and too fast also meant death.
This Tower was truly cruel.
'This is like being a character in a Super Mario game…'
I let out a short breath.
'No. This is the hardcore version. No extra lives.'
I shifted my footing, lowering my center of gravity.
I already knew what I had to do before that sound appeared.
Click.
I didn't wait even a fraction of a second.
I ran.
The narrow corridor instantly turned into a moving hell. The walls on the left and right began to close in, slowly but surely. From small gaps above, arrows shot out without any clear pattern—not from a single direction, but crossing, forcing my body to move in zigzags while maintaining speed.
My steps turned into pure reflex.
Jump and slide, then twist my body.
I rebounded off the wall, landed at an angle, then slid low as arrows streaked over my head. One of them nearly hit my shoulder—I raised my hand and caught it midair.
The tip was hot.
'Still usable.'
Without stopping, I threw the arrow to the side, straight into a mechanical gap that had just opened to fire another trap.
Krak.
The mechanism jammed. The right wall stopped moving for a moment.
The time I needed.
The corridor suddenly ended at the edge of an abyss.
Below me—lava.
The heat slammed into my face like a wall. There were no moving platforms. No alternative paths. Just a single narrow pillar across the gap, almost beyond my jumping range.
'Alright.'
I took a deep breath.
My foot planted on the corridor's final stretch, then I jumped.
Hot air lashed at my body. My training shoes felt like they were about to melt as I sailed over the sea of lava. I twisted my body midair, forcing every last bit of reach.
The tips of my toes touched the pillar.
I staggered, nearly slipping—but the reflexes I had forced upon myself over the past week finally paid off. I dropped to my knees, palms pressing against the hot stone, my skin stinging.
But I was alive.
I gasped for air, my chest rising and falling rapidly. My throat was dry, my lungs felt like they were burning.
I let out a small laugh. Hoarse.
"Damn Tower…"
Behind me, the corridor collapsed completely. The walls sealed shut, the arrows stopped, as if all of it had been designed for a single chance only.
I slowly stood up.
Ahead of me, a new corridor opened, an altar visible within.
Floor 38 cleared. Next—39.
//--//
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