Chapter 10: Second Floor, Orc Warlord Karaksh (2)
[First-Floor Boss Room]
Ha Hee-Jeong frowned deeply. Refusing to open the status window had changed the tutorial drastically—more than she had expected. Its difficulty was unimaginable compared to her first attempt, where the tutorial was truly just a beginner-level introduction.
Although the tutorial’s difficulty varied depending on one’s chosen equipment, most people still easily passed it in her previous life. For people who had chosen melee weapons, the fifth floor featured a group of goblin warriors.
But now, things were different. Right from the first-floor boss room, a goblin paladin in plate armor had appeared, flanked by goblin warriors and even goblin assassins—a total of ten enemies.
… This is impossible.
Ha Hee-Jeong felt a growing sense of dread. She had already fallen victim to multiple traps and ambushes, sustaining wounds that now weakened her.
She had no trouble tracking the traps’ arrows and detecting the goblin assassins brandishing their daggers in the shadows. However, her regression had also reverted her physique to that of an ordinary person. Its failure to keep up with her had made her reactions consistently a beat too slow.
The moment she entered the boss room, Ha Hee-Jeong realized the harsh truth that defeating all the enemies was impossible. Regressor or not, she was still a mage. Mages were limited by their mana, and she had already used up a lot of hers to get here. The arrow wounds on her thigh and side didn’t help either.
If the goblin paladin weren’t here, I could’ve had a chance…
But reality was harsh. A goblin with plate armor and healing spells was a terrible match-up for a mage like her. To make matters worse, she also had to deal with the other goblins.
I might be able to kill the others somehow, but…
She played out multiple scenarios in her head, but each one ended with her falling to the goblin paladin. The spells she could cast with her remaining magic wouldn’t be enough to penetrate its armor. Even if they somehow did, it would just heal any wounds. She was certain she’d collapse before she could defeat it.
So this was why everyone chose to open the status window.
She finally understood why people resorted to it in her previous life. The tower's system had been designed to push people into viewing the status window. Without it, there was simply no way to clear this insanely difficult tutorial.
Is this how I’m going to die?
Objectively, there was no chance she could clear the boss room. Desperate, she decided to try calling up the status window.
“Status window."
As if eagerly waiting to hear those words, a notification window appeared before her.
[Status window opened. The climber will now be sent to the first floor of the mage tutorial.]
She felt a sense of relief upon realizing that she would be removed from the boss room, but it wasn't just because she had survived. In this life and her first, she had always put her faith in Kwon Su-Hyeok. No matter how much she struggled, the thought that she could help him climb as long as she stayed alive reassured her. Without him, the Tower of Ordeal would be impossible to conquer.
You’re okay, right, Su-Hyeok?
She desperately hoped he'd make it through the first floor alive. As she felt the familiar floating sensation and her vision filled with light, she fervently wished for Kwon Su-Hyeok’s safety.
***
[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 9 hours 37 minutes.]
It had been about twenty minutes since we followed Doppy’s suggestion to take the left path. So far, we hadn’t come across any enemy or trap.
The first floor of the Tower of Ordeal had involved a lot of seemingly pointless walking, and the second floor seemed no different. Eighteen and ten hours for the first and second floors respectively seemed like a long time, but factoring in the walking made it make more sense. Perhaps the purpose of the long corridors was to gradually exhaust climbers, making them more vulnerable—especially if they sustained injuries along the way.
Although there were no signs of life, the path kept getting rougher and steeper. Doppy's breathing grew more labored with each step, and doubt began to creep in—maybe we had taken the wrong path after all.
“I'm starting to think this might not be the right way.”
“Krieee! Trust Goblin!" Doppy replied confidently. It didn’t inspire much confidence in me, though.
I began to regret trusting Doppy's instincts, but I quickly reminded myself that I couldn’t blame the little guy for this. I had chosen to follow it, so I had to deal with the consequences. This was why people needed to live proactively. Following someone else’s decisions could make anyone start looking for excuses.
I should just do what feels right to me.
Looking ahead, I noticed the slope getting even steeper.
Should I just turn back and take the other path?
Click!
Just then, I felt a trap activate under my feet. Fully expecting arrows to come flying, I tensed instinctively and prepared to move in any direction. However, I didn’t hear any arrows being fired.
What’s going on? Did the trap malfunction? Is it too old or something?
Rumble!
Instead of arrows, a deep vibration began to resonate from further up the slope. Although I couldn’t see anything, I could feel the tremors underfoot getting closer each second.
Doppy let out a terrified scream. “Kriieeeee!"
Without hesitation, Doppy and I turned and bolted back the way we came. The situation was definitely getting out of hand.
I’d seen this in movies before—this had to be the sound of a giant boulder rolling down the hill. I felt intensely regretful for realizing too late that the steep slope wasn’t just for show.
Damn, I should have turned back earlier.
"Kriee! Kriee!"
Doppy was quickly falling behind due to the difference in our physical abilities. Its breathing became even more ragged as it continued to fall further back.
We had to retrace the path we’d been slowly walking along for twenty minutes. Could Doppy outrun the boulder to safety? Probably not.
The problem was, I had no idea how fast that boulder was moving.
Could I outrun it with Doppy on my back? Fuck, I don’t know.
I slowed down and bent my knees.
“Doppy! Get on my back!"
"Krieee!"
As ordered, Doppy leaped onto my back.
As soon as I felt its weight on my back, I pushed off the ground and sprinted forward. I couldn’t let the priest I’d worked so hard to save die so pointlessly. In the short time we’d spent together, I’d grown attached to Doppy.
I could give up on Doppy if it really came down to it, but until then, I decided to keep the thought in the back of my mind. Right now, I just had to focus on running.
Rumbleeeee—
The vibrations were getting closer, which could only mean the boulder was gaining on us.
I wondered if turning my head would let me catch a glimpse of the boulder through my peripheral vision. I didn’t have the luxury of looking back, though. Turning even slightly would slow me down, and seeing the boulder wouldn’t help us avoid being squashed.
Fortunately, clearing the first floor had improved my physical abilities. Hence, even with Doppy on my back, I was still maintaining an impressive pace. Moreover, contrary to my initial concerns, Doppy's weight surprisingly felt negligible.
The only issue was that carrying Doppy restricted my arms, preventing me from reaching full speed.
As we sprinted down the path, Doppy suddenly screamed.
“Krieee! G-Goblin sees it!"
Fuck. It had to be talking about the boulder rolling straight toward us. I pushed my strained legs to their absolute limit.
Rumbleeee—
I had to do something. At this rate, we would eventually get flattened.
Aiming to free up at least one arm, I bounced my hips quickly, lifting Doppy slightly off my back.
“Kriee?!" Doppy yelped in surprise.
I grabbed its waist firmly with my left hand, freeing up an arm. With the extra arm drive, I picked up speed while Doppy whimpered on my back.
Rumbleee—
The boulder closed in on us even more, intensifying the tremors. At that moment, I spotted a fork in the path just ahead.
Suppressing a surge of hope, I pushed myself even harder. My breathing was ragged, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My thigh muscles twitched from exhaustion, feeling like they would tear apart at any moment.
Just a little further. We’re almost there.
Despite my best efforts, though, the rumbling kept growing louder and closer.
“Krieeeeee! B-Behind us!" Doppy stammered.
Rumbleeeee—
The deafening roar of the boulder was right at our heels.
Finally, we reached the fork in the path. I pushed off hard with my left foot and then firmly planted my right foot, allowing me to make a sharp turn. My knees were screaming in protest from the immense pressure, but I had no choice—I had to hold on.
Please, just a bit more.
I straightened up and threw myself into the opposite path, my trembling legs barely managing to support the force.
Rumbleeee— Crash!
The massive boulder thundered past, barreling toward the second floor’s spawn point.
I gasped for air as I collapsed onto the cold floor, the tension draining from my body.
My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath. My legs were swollen and trembling uncontrollably. It felt like they were about to burst. I could hardly move them.
“Krieee! Human! You’re amazing!” Doppy exclaimed, shaking my shoulder.
“Huff! Huff!”
I gasped, too out of breath to respond. I could only weakly wave my hand, signaling it to back off.
Thankfully, Doppy got the message. To my surprise, though, it muttered something as it stepped back.
“Krie! Heal wounds!”
Heal wounds? Can that even help with exhaustion?
To my surprise, a faint glow enveloped me before fading away. Although my breathing was still labored, I felt my muscles gradually heal, easing some of the weakness in my legs.
I supposed overworked muscles could be considered injuries. I now recalled that back in the first-floor boss room, the healing spell had eased my discomfort in areas that weren’t directly wounded.
“Huff, thanks,” I finally managed to say.
Doppy shook its head as it looked at me with admiration. “Kriieee! Goblin is more grateful!”
I nodded.
Yeah, you should be thankful.
I had saved it twice and even rescued its god.
“Alright, let’s keep moving.”
Thanks to the healing spell, I instantly recovered. I was still breathing a bit heavily, but a short walk wouldn’t hurt. On the contrary, it would help bring my heart rate back down. Moreover, the timer for this floor was eight hours shorter than the first, so Doppy and I had to keep a good pace.
Just as I was about to head down the right path, Doppy tugged sharply on my sleeve.
What now? Do you want to rest more? You didn’t even do anything.
I looked at it with a puzzled expression, and it pointed insistently down the left path.
“Krie! Left! We go left!”
“Didn’t you see that boulder just come rolling from there?”
“Krie! Goblin said left! We go left!”
Doppy clung tightly to my sleeve, its eyes filled with determination.
Did it receive some kind of divine guidance? The trap came from the left side, so obviously we have to go right... or wait, could it be…?
Doppy was a hidden piece on the first floor. Could there be a hidden piece on this floor too?
One thing I learned from the first floor was how unforgiving this tower was. Despite taking in Doppy as my companion, the hidden piece wasn’t revealed until I had broken the necklace in the boss room. Maybe the trap was meant to scare off climbers or kill them, hiding something valuable in the process.
I wasn’t sure, but the odds were fifty-fifty. Doppy and I had barely survived that last trap, and if we encountered another one like it, we might not be so lucky again. On the other hand, another hidden piece could be waiting for us up there.
Which would it be? A trap or a hidden piece?
As I debated internally, Doppy tugged on my sleeve again. “Kriee! Left!”
“Okay, fine. Let’s go left.”
Doppy was a goblin saint, after all. If it was this confident, it must have sensed something.
I’ll trust him one more time.
[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 9 hours 21 minutes.]
We had about nine hours left. With a deep breath, we started retracing our steps back up the path we had just fearfully fled.
***
[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 8 hours 54 minutes.]
We had been walking for a while, reaching further than before. Thankfully, no more boulders appeared. Instead, we encountered several traps similar to those on the first floor—volleys of arrows, spears, and hidden pitfalls.
Although these disruptions were unfamiliar, they weren’t too much of a problem. I managed to avoid most of them, and when I did get hurt, Doppy’s healing spells patched me up.
At the end of the uphill path, we came across... a dead end. There was a large round depression in the ground, where the massive boulder had originated from. I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Haa...”
I wasn’t angry with Doppy, though. After all, it was my decision to trust it.
“Let’s head back. I won’t blame you.”
I called out to Doppy, but it was too busy rummaging through the ground, seemingly ignoring me. Maybe hearing my sigh made it think I was frustrated.
Doppy was a good goblin. I didn’t mean to make it feel bad, but I still felt a twinge of guilt and resolved to be kinder.
“Doppy, it’s okay. Let’s just—huh?”
Just as I was about to reassure Doppy, it pressed something in the depression. Suddenly, a section of the previously solid wall slid open.
Uh... Doppy? You’re amazing.
[Tower of Ordeal Second Floor, Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has discovered the hidden mission ‘Orc Warlord Karaksh’s Forgotten Tomb.’ This will be reflected in his achievement points.]
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