Chapter 177: Human Weakness

Conquest of the 61st Floor.

But there’s still a long way to go.

Up to the 100th Floor, there were many voting rights that needed to be secured.

However, this beginning was no small start.

‘Me from a parallel world.’

A moment ago, facing that overwhelming, absolute-calculating version of myself was not a simple battle.

It gave me a realization that allowed me to reconfirm the essence of my martial arts and advance to a new realm.

‘This path is correct.’

I have touched the infinite potential of humanity, its very essence.

Beyond the former me who thought cold rationality was perfection, I am now advancing toward the true realm of martial arts, armed with complete humanity.

I lifted my head.

“Ku ku ku ku kung!”

I had returned to the space of the original trial zone, the 61st Floor—the Altar of Knowledge.

But then.

[You partially inherit the administrative authority of the 61st Floor.]

[Current administered floors: 60th Floor, 61st Floor.]

[Authority granted. The Altar of Knowledge is specially opened.]

“Open…?”

Although I hadn’t confirmed the entity of the Administrator, I was able to discover a new path through the awakening of the Seal.

That was the original purpose of this place called the Altar of Knowledge.

The Altar of Knowledge.

Originally, the trial here was a test to find answers in an endless maze of knowledge and memories.

But I now possess the Administrator’s Seal.

Through this, I have gained the authority to handle the entire Altar of Knowledge.

Perhaps now I can freely access the vast knowledge accumulated here.

-Ssh.

I extended my hand, and a massive image of an ancient tome rose in the space.

[Treasury of Wisdom]

I touched it with my fingertips.

“Kwaaaaaaang!”

At that moment, it felt as if millions of books poured into my consciousness.

The history of the world, human civilization, the origin of the Tower, the reason for the Administrators’ existence, and… the truth of the Unknown.

But I couldn’t obtain everything.

This place holds wisdom, but what I could obtain was still limited.

What’s certain is that if I obtain more Administrator Seals in the future, I can uncover the entire truth of the Tower.

[Information retrieval from the Altar of Knowledge complete.]

[Some information is restricted by current authority.]

Various pieces of knowledge.

Among them, the part I considered most important was, of course, related to the Tower.

To look at the fragments of that information: [The Tower’s seal is a device to block the Being of the Origin Floor.]

[All Floor Administrators exist to maintain that seal.]

[Administrators oversee and manage phenomena such as parallel worlds, Twisted Ones, and dimensional collapses.]

Important information.

But it was content I already knew to some extent.

However.

“…The moment the seal is released, the Being of the Origin Floor will integrate all parallel worlds and time axes, reconstructing the foundation of existence.”

“As I thought… that’s how it is.”

The meaning was enormous.

The moment the Being of the Origin Floor is released from its seal, all time axes will integrate—meaning the world I currently know will disappear completely.

If I don’t win the final battle, humanity—no, all worlds—are finished.

And that.

[Intruder Nepas has destroyed the 6th Floor.]

Was gradually becoming reality.

‘No time to hesitate.’

What I need to do now is meet the Administrator of the next floor and secure the Seal.

-Jjik!

I tore the transfer ticket to the 62nd Floor.

[Moving to the 62nd Floor.]

Normally, the structure of that floor should have been visible immediately.

However.

[Intruder Nepas has destroyed 6 Floors.]

[Acquired 5 or more Seals and voting rights. Authority strengthened.]

[Intruder Nepas’s authority rises to Interferer.]

[Using strengthened authority, seizes the authority of the 62nd Floor Administrator.]

The message that rang out.

That was…

“What?!”

It drew out agitation from me, who rarely shows emotional fluctuation.

It had to.

“…Seizure of authority?”

Nepas had conquered—no, destroyed—6 floors.

Because of that, I judged that I wouldn’t encounter him in the Tower’s competition.

No matter how much that bastard tackled the lower floors, I was confident I could quickly conquer the higher floors as well.

But what the hell?

That bastard, with his strengthened authority, had intruded into the 62nd Floor.

To be precise, it would be correct to say that his power, not the bastard himself, had intruded.

[All trial content of the 62nd Floor is changed by Nepas, who has acquired temporary Administrator authority.]

He used that power to alter the trial of the 62nd Floor.

[The trial ‘Sea of Despair’ is realized.]

Along with that message.

“Tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu!”

The surroundings, which had been covered in pitch black, began to change.

It gradually took shape, and that was…

“Chwaaaaaa!”

The sea.

An endless expanse of dark blue sea.

Countless towers rising above it.

But looking closely, those weren’t towers—they were the remnants of floors destroyed in the past.

The wreckage of dimensions where towers collided and were destroyed lay as ruins on the endless sea.

And then.

“Kuurrreung!”

Suddenly, a storm was created.

Waves rose, and shadows swarmed out of the darkness.

The gathered shadows soon formed a single shape.

-Sreuk!

A familiar form.

[It’s been a while.]

A black silhouette.

I could identify the identity of that silhouette, engraved not with ’62’ but with ‘???’ at a glance.

“Nepas!”

He wasn’t an Administrator.

It was Nepas, who had temporarily stolen the authority of the 62nd Floor Administrator.

“To think you would follow me to the Realm of the Unknown.”

That wasn’t a sneer but pure admiration.

“In the past, you were nothing more than an interesting toy. But now, to think you’ve grown into such a formidable rival.”

“You speak as if you’re looking at a disciple you raised yourself.”

“Heh—heh—. Isn’t that actually the case? You are an entity completed through me, closer to a child than a disciple.”

I can’t deny it.

Without Nepas in the past, I would never have grown this much.

Because of the interest he held—even if it was the attitude he showed toward a toy.

“Unfortunately, the game ends here. Now that I know you are my archenemy, I have no intention of tolerating you any longer.”

“That’s what I want to say.”

“Heh—heh—heh. Still confident. But it ends here. Since I have strengthened the Seal of Destruction first, you cannot be my opponent.”

Strengthened.

Probably that means…

‘He used 5 Seals of Destruction to strengthen his power and authority.’

The Seals of Domination and Destruction weren’t just about voting rights.

They were a kind of authority and proof of qualification.

And through them, they were tokens of authority to access the Tower’s System as well.

And Nepas had gathered the number needed to enter that primal authority.

That also meant he had seized the high ground.

“So I prepared this trial.”

With that, he pointed to a distant tower—not a destroyed one, but one standing intact.

“The goal is one. Take the broken seal to that place.”

Along with that a glow gathered in my hand, generating a broken seal.

As he said, the objective is simple.

Take this broken seal to the intact tower.

Of course, the path won’t be easy.

[Since it’s a specially prepared trial, it won’t be so simple. After all, it uses the authority of six Seals.]

He possessed six Seals of Destruction.

Therefore, he used that authority to elevate the trial of the 62nd Floor—the Administrator’s trial—to a higher level.

That would inevitably be a form of trial I have never experienced before.

“This sea will read your inner self and manifest your weaknesses and fears.”

“You may have overcome the emotionless you on the 61st Floor, but can you overcome other weaknesses as well?”

“It will be a form of trial that you, a human with emotions, can never overcome.”

With those words.

He disappeared like mist.

The goal is simple.

Advance through this pitch-black sea and reach the intact tower.

So.

Feeling the resistance of the water, I advanced into the pitch-black sea.

At that moment.

–Chwaaaaaak!

A massive wave surged.

The shape of the wave gradually formed a specific figure, and soon, what stood before me…

“…Leon?”

Leon appeared before my eyes.

Not only him.

Seo Jun, the disciples of Siwon School, and even Kim Chaun.

But…

“Dduk, dduuk!”

Their appearance was a mess.

Not only were arms severed, but their entire bodies were covered in wounds and bleeding.

The same was true for the others.

They were all in a terrible state—slashed, severed, burned.

“Master…” Leon’s voice echoed hollowly, “Why, why did you abandon us? Why didn’t you stay with us until the end?”

This wasn’t a mere illusion.

It was also the guilt remaining in one corner of my heart.

It had to be, because now I was climbing the Tower, leaving Earth’s safety to them.

The greatest anxiety was, of course, the dimensional rift Nepas would cause and the damage resulting from it.

And that anxiety was manifested before me.

The damage from the dimensional rift, that imagination had become reality.

But.

“…Merely an illusion.”

I swung my sword.

-Sseuk!

“Mind’s Sword of Countless Cutting”

Cut, cut, cut, and cut again.

With each slash, the illusion before me disappeared.

Before long, all those illusions—including Leon—were torn away.

But that wasn’t the end; it was the beginning.

This time.

“Tsu tsu tsu tsu!”

The surroundings, the entire sea, changed.

What finally appeared was…

-Hwareureu!

A city center.

Seoul… was burning.

Countless humans were being slaughtered by the monsters and dimensional rifts Nepas had summoned.

“If only you had been there…”

“It was you who killed us.”

“You ran away from your responsibility!”

“My father!”

“My child!”

“Give them back!”

Screams and resentments tore at my ears.

It wasn’t just a realm of screams.

They formed knots in my heart, a demonic obsession.

This was a process I had to undergo because I chose to remain human.

If I had erased my emotions like the emotionless me, I wouldn’t have suffered from such obsessions.

And Nepas had subtly exploited my weakness—the choice to remain human.

My heart, my mindscape all crumbled.

However, I didn’t stop walking.

My Mind Intent split the waves.

Parting the burning Seoul, the city center, I moved forward.

Walking and walking like that, I finally neared the tower.

-Sreureuk!

Something was generated once again.

They were the ones I had turned away from and forced sacrifices upon back in the Gritia Continent.

Those who had to be sacrificed for my survival.

Their numbers were countless.

It had to be.

‘…I sided with the Demon King’s Legion and killed countless humans.’

I committed slaughter to join the Demon King’s Legion.

And to become a Legion Commander.

Even the number of those who died at that time was uncountable.

Though it was in the past, after regaining my emotions, I had been haunted by that guilt for a while.

That anxiety appeared and they approached.

Compared to Leon or Seo Jun earlier, they posed no threat at all.

Because most of the sacrificed were just ordinary continental citizens.

Looking at them, I did not move.

I just waited for them to come.

And then.

-Puuk!

I allowed their attacks—the weapons, farming tools, and stones in their hands.

Flesh was cut.

Muscles were severed.

Organs ruptured, and bright red blood flowed out.

But, I sincerely apologized to them.

“…I’m sorry.”