Actually, until recently, “Administrator” and “Ruler of the Floor” were terms that symbolized me.
However, with the emergence of Hero Velator, Leon, and Altain, this perception was changing.
‘At this level, couldn’t I challenge it too?’
What was once an insurmountable mountain had become a difficulty level that felt attainable.
Moreover, as Nepas’s awakening potions spread, some individuals who gained powerful traits even challenged Very Hard difficulty.
The result… was success.
Although it was only possible because people were occasionally clearing difficulties higher than Very Hard — such as Blood Sea, Nightmare, and Eerie — the number of people conquering difficulties that no one but me had ever conquered was increasing.
Of course, because Leon and Altain were handling things even without my intervention, no Floor Administrators other than the three of us had appeared yet, but even that could no longer be guaranteed.
Therefore, I had assumed that my control over the floors would simply be taken over by Leon and Altain.
But what was this?
Beyond a Ruler or an Administrator, a “Conqueror” had appeared.
This authority was different from the Administrators until now.
[You have been appointed as the Conqueror of Floor 50.]
[Access to Floor 50 of the Republic of Korea Tower is restricted until conditions are applied.]
[This is a guide to the Conqueror’s authority settings.]
[Access restriction settings are available.]
[Difficulty settings can be applied.]
[Differential reward applications are available.]
Conqueror.
Literally, it was a mighty authority that could only be obtained by those who conquered the Tower.
It was a massive expansion from the existing access restriction authority, now allowing the setting of difficulty and rewards.
And that wasn’t all.
[In honor of your miraculous achievement, you are granted the ‘Twisted One’s Bundle.’]
[As a bonus for additional conditions, you are granted a ‘Ticket Box.’]
[As a bonus for additional conditions, you are granted a ‘High-grade Enhancement Stone.’]
The Conqueror title was an additional reward that came with my achievement.
Rewards that could be obtained by conquering the Tower and its floors poured in.
Among them…
‘The Twisted One…?’
I knew most of the items, but one was an exception.
Not long ago, I received the Dimension Transferee’s Bundle.
From that, I obtained Ea, the Sword of Genesis.
But now, it was a “Twisted One.”
This was….
“…I see.”
I couldn’t help but nod instinctively.
A “Twisted One” was none other than.
‘A general term for dimension transferees like me or time travelers like Nepas.’
Whether it was dimension hopping or time travel, it was inevitably a twisted act that shook the existing order.
It was an act fitting of the name “Twisted One.”
Thus, it could be said to be a fitting name for those who performed such actions, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
And before me was a reward containing a specific item once possessed by such a Twisted One.
[The Floor 50 trial has ended.]
Along with the notification message.
-Ssssh
Before I knew it, the environment shifted, and I found myself back in the penthouse where I belonged.
Leon wasn’t back yet.
Quite a bit of time seemed to have passed, but it appeared I had conquered Floor 50 faster than expected.
I would likely know the results soon.
‘Leon will find it difficult to handle right now.’
I didn’t have high expectations.
Leon was a late bloomer.
Thus, it would be hard for him to defeat the current Altain, who had been stripped of his personality and emotions.
Most likely, Altain would take this floor as well.
However.
‘I’ll aim for a showdown after Floor 20.’
The game would change after Floor 20.
Even if they took the lower floors, my goal was to remain unreachable from those floors upward. And that meant.
‘The same goes for Floor 50 and beyond.’
With that, I would be able to neutralize Nepas’s pressure and his hostage situation involving a floor against the entire world.
Of course to do that, I had to hurry.
I couldn’t be sure how long I would hold out.
And this bundle was exactly what would help me.
-Sliiiide
I opened the Twisted One’s Bundle I had just obtained.
At that moment.
[You have opened the Twisted One’s Bundle.]
[This contains items used by the Twisted Ones who appeared on the Gritia Continent.]
[You may select an item from the desired Twisted One.]
Along with that, I could see familiar descriptions.
“The tyrant who started a 1,000-year war”
“The knight who started from the bottom and reached the peak”
“The Dragon Slayer who defeated the evil dragon”
“The Hero who rescued the princess from the Demon King”
“The mad mage who destroyed half the continent”
It was like a selection window in a game.
I had seen this before when I opened the Dimension Transferee’s Bundle.
However, “the man who drew his sword only once in his life” was not there.
And then.
“The one who rose from the lowest position to the highest”
A description that reminded me of Nepas also appeared.
It made sense.
He was also a Twisted One who lived on the Gritia Continent, a being granted the authority to travel through time.
I felt a spark of curiosity.
What kind of item would I get if I chose him?
I wanted to select it right away, but another description shimmered before my eyes.
“The one who survived 1,000,000 battles”
Not ten thousand, not a hundred thousand, but one million.
Even I, who had lived for 1,000 years, could guarantee that I hadn’t fought a million battles.
But how?
What kind of authority must one be born with to experience a number of battles as staggering as a million?
I couldn’t help but be shocked by that vast number, experience, and karma.
And.
“It’s tempting…”
Honestly, I was going to check Nepas’s item until I saw this.
But no.
What did I need right now?
It was either the extension of life or the delay of time.
While Nepas likely had such items through time travel.
‘This… is too blatant.’
The description said he survived 1,000,000 battles, not that he won them.
Just as people say surviving is what makes one strong, he must have survived for a long time to experience a million battles.
I was curious about the secret of someone who survived for so long, and about that item.
Therefore.
[You have selected ‘The one who survived 1,000,000 battles.’]
[The equipment used by that Twisted One is granted as a reward.]
-Flash!
A brilliant light erupted from the unsealed bundle.
“Thud!”
Something dropped at my feet.
It was none other than armor.
It wasn’t the full plate armor typically used on the Gritia Continent, but a breastplate that protected only the upper body.
And.
“Immortal”
The word inscribed there was “Immortal,” signifying one who does not die.
‘Could it be…?’
At that moment, a thought occurred to me.
Twisted Ones were those who rejected the laws of nature.
Whether it was traveling dimensions, traveling through time, or not aging.
Thus, I had once wondered if there was someone who had received the authority of true immortality, not just partial agelessness.
It seemed the owner of this armor had indeed received such an authority.
And if there was someone in my memory called “Immortal” or “The Undying One”….
‘Cain.’
A name that no one would know unless they had studied history and mythology like I had.
A bizarre figure who appeared in countless eras with numerous names and identities.
Although he had many names, the first name he gave was Cain.
And this armor.
“Cain’s Immortal Armor”
It was the armor he wore, the one harboring the secret of immortality.
Perhaps I could learn the secret of eternal life.
Thinking that it might slightly extend my collapsing life.
“Clang!”
I immediately equipped Cain’s armor.
At that moment.
“Ah!”
I finally realized the secret of immortality.
-Sssss
Cain’s armor was sucking in my energy and my life force.
And it was storing it.
It was, precisely, a mass of life and energy.
The life stored this way would gather near the heart of the armor.
“Extra Life”
It created something called “Extra Life.”
The role of this Extra Life was clear.
It protected the wearer from fatal wounds or attacks to vital points.
For instance, suppose the heart was pierced.
A normal human would face certain death if their heart were destroyed.
The same applied to being decapitated.
However, if this Extra Life was accumulated, it allowed the wearer to avoid that inevitable death once.
Literally, it meant one could enter a fight while possessing an extra life.
It was a powerful ability.
Perhaps it could provide a foothold for a reversal in a battle that seemed impossible to win.
However.
‘It doesn’t mean much to me.’
Of course, it wasn’t entirely meaningless.
What ability could be better than avoiding a fatal wound once?
It was just that it couldn’t save me from the despair of my internal collapse and approaching annihilation.
It removed the inevitability of a fatal wound; it didn’t stop annihilation and collapse.
This armor was better suited for Leon than for me, who was soon to disappear.
That was what I was thinking when I noticed something.
“…Hm?”
Near where the words “Cain’s Immortal Armor” were inscribed, I could see small, faint letters carved on the back.
And they said, “…Cain’s immortality. Its secret is not limited to this armor. If one collects and completes the various pieces of equipment he wore, they may approach the secret of immortality.”
Through those words, I realized one fact.
It wasn’t Cain who carved this.
It was some other being who had used the equipment.
Of course, that wasn’t what was important.
What truly mattered was.
‘Perhaps… I might even obtain true immortality.’
Likely, this was referring to what is commonly called a set item.
Each piece might not have incredible power — although Cain’s Immortal Armor had a very strong ability — but it was the type that displayed even more powerful effects when the full set was gathered.
Of course, I didn’t know how many pieces of equipment there were besides Cain’s Immortal Armor.
However, hope blossomed that if I gathered the entire set, I might be able to stop my collapse and that inevitability of annihilation.
Hope.
Some people overlook it as a foolish belief.
But no.
Hope is like a driving force and recently, I had been nothing more than a doll who had lost that driving force.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I had been neglectful in teaching Leon.
However, if asked if those teachings were 100% sincere, I couldn’t be certain.
Unbeknownst to me, a certain amount of helplessness and despair must have been mixed in.
But now it was different.
If I could find Cain’s immortality set hidden in the Tower, I might be able to avoid this fate of death.
If that happened.
‘I won’t even need to prepare for the end like this.’
That hope became a driving force, making vitality circulate through me.
I was only human, after all.
Upon gaining a reason to live, I felt a surge of energy and life once again.
Of course, I wouldn’t climb the Tower right away.
First, I would wait for Leon to return and comfort him for losing control of the floor to Altain….
[Leon of South Korea has cleared Floor 6 on Eerie difficulty.]
[He replaces Kim Si-won, the previous Very Hard difficulty clearer, as the Ruler of the Tower.]
[Leon has been appointed as the Administrator of Floor 6.]
[According to the Administrator’s authority, no one in the world can access Floor 6 until the entry conditions are applied.]
…Or so I thought.
But it seemed there would be no need for that.
Surprisingly, Leon — whom I thought would take a long time to stage a comeback — had surpassed me once again in just six floors and reclaimed control of the Tower.