Chapter 2: The Waiting Room (1)
“Have you lost your mind?"
Ha Hee-Jeong had been acting odd all night. I had probably smacked her on the head too hard earlier, sending her teetering on the edge of sanity. There was no other plausible explanation for her sudden lapse into such absurd rantings.
“Enough. You’re so drunk that you’re not even making any sense anymore, so let’s just go home."
Frustrated, I sighed deeply and downed my glass of soju. We still had half a bottle left. It seemed like such a shame to throw it away, but it was far more important to ensure that Ha Hee-Jeong was okay.
When I tried to stand, Ha Hee-Jeong grabbed my arm to stop me.
“There's no time for this, Kwon Su-Hyeok! Shut up and listen to me."
Her gaze pinned me with the same terrifying intensity from moments before, preventing me from retorting.
With my pride stung, I reluctantly sat back down. The bitter taste of alcohol lingered on my tongue.
Irked, I gruffly retorted, “Alright, for argument’s sake, let’s say you traveled back from the future. What then? Did you come back with lottery numbers or something?"
“I came back with information far more crucial than lottery numbers."
I scoffed. “Oh really? What then, Bitcoin? Stocks? Listen, Hee-Jeong. We wouldn’t be able to afford anything even if you knew what to invest in."
Ha Hee-Jeong’s voice grew stern as her eyes sharpened, an expression she only displayed when serious. “Su-Hyeok. Pay attention to what I am about to say."
I nodded silently, enthralled by the gravity of her tone. She glanced around cautiously to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Thankfully, the buzz of the bar covered our conversation.
What matter is so urgent that she’s behaving this way?
“You might find this hard to believe, but a ‘Tower of Ordeal’ will appear on Earth soon."
“A tower of what now?"
“The Tower of Ordeal!” she responded with an irritated tone. “Listen, Su-Hyeok. During one of our drinking sprees, you and I were dragged into it. I don’t know when it will happen again so don’t interrupt me. I’ll explain everything so keep listening until I am done speaking. "
I nodded obediently, not wanting to irritate her more. “... Okay."
“Listen closely. Just remember these three things. First, you must never open the status window. No matter how much you are tempted—even if there’s only one second left—don’t open it. Opening the status window renders any progress or regressions meaningless. Got it?"
“... Got it,” I answered with uncertainty.
What was she talking about? A status window? Was this some sort of game?
Despite my confusion, I wasn't in a position to argue.
“Second, there is a tutorial stage that only lasts up to the fifth floor. During the tutorial, gods will propose sponsorship contracts to you. Do not agree to any. No matter how majestic a god may appear, ignore their offers."
Ha Hee-Jeong paused to gulp down some water. It seemed her throat was dry from all the talking.
“Until you get past the fifth floor, do not make any agreements with any god. Right before the sixth floor, there will be a rest area. When you reach it, make a deal with the least impressive god you can find. They will probably look like a passing farmer. Understood?"
“Yes."
Gods? Contracts?
I nodded along even though the situation felt surreal. Ha Hee-Jeong scrutinized me, glaring intensely as she analyzed whether I had truly grasped the gravity of her instructions.
What? Why is she glaring at me like that?
I was doing my best to listen, just as she had instructed.
“Third, when it’s time to awaken your talent, you must choose a melee weapon. Your options are a sword, an axe, and a spear. Avoid wands, bows, or relics at all costs. If you don’t select a melee weapon, I swear I will kill you."
I questioned her for the first time. “Why? You know I’ve always wanted to be a mage."
Though I had been complying due to her intimidating air, I couldn’t accept this third directive blindly. Even assuming her previous claims were true, why couldn’t I be a wizard?
The thought of hellfire raining down on my enemies thrilled me, which was why I always chose to be a mage whenever I played games. Just imagining it sent chills down my spine.
“You don’t have the talent for magic."
“I refuse to believe that. Don’t lie to me."
My reaction might seem childish, but even if Ha Hee-Jeong was merely joking around, I couldn’t bear to accept her claim. I had always fantasized about being a mage
“Please just pick a melee weapon! In the future I came from, you couldn’t use magic, so you ended up bashing enemies in the head with your wand!"
Overwhelmed by Ha Hee-Jeong’s commanding presence, I remained silent. Realizing that she had stunned me with her outburst, she quickly downed some cold water to cool off.
Could Ha Hee-Jeong have actually regressed in time? Even with how detailed she had been, her story was unbelievable.
Towers, status windows, gods…
My mind recoiled at the thought of it all being true. Maybe it was just the lingering effects of alcohol or Ha Hee-Jeong’s threatening demeanor, but I found myself becoming convinced.
“Do you remember what I told you? Repeat the three things I said."
“Don’t open the status window, avoid making a contract with gods during the tutorial stage, seal a deal with the most modest-looking god once I’m past the fifth floor, and, finally, pick a melee weapon instead of a wand."
“Right. Sword, axe, or spear. Got it?"
“Yes."
“Now that we’ve covered all urgent matters, I can start explaining the rest." Ha Hee-Jeong’s expression softened as she sighed in relief. She then continued, “Pretty soon, you and I will be dragged into the Tower of Ordeal. We won’t be the only ones; about a million people from Earth will be teleported inside."
“A million?"
“Yes. The tower has a hundred floors. If you conquer the hundredth floor, you can return to Earth alive. If everyone fails, Earth will be destroyed. That’s not important right now, though.."
Ha Hee-Jeong paused, seemingly gathering her thoughts. While she planned her next words, I struggled to comprehend what she had just said.
The Tower of Ordeal, the hundredth floor, Earth being disposed of?
As Ha Hee-Jeong pondered, I tried to clear my befuddled, alcohol-fogged brain. “Wait a minute..."
The feeling that Ha Hee-Jeong had truly regressed started growing even more. If the Tower of Ordeal or whatever she was talking about was real, all I needed to do was follow her, right?
“Hey, Hee-Jeong. If you know the future, can't I just stick with you? With your knowledge, everything would be as easy as pie."
“That may be the case at first, but it won't stay that way."
“Why? Were you useless?"
“Excuse me!” Ha Hee-Jeong snapped. She glared at me with eyes as sharp as a cat's. “For your information, I made it to the ninety-first floor!"
I pondered her statement doubtfully. If she had reached the ninety-first floor before, wouldn’t she be even stronger if she climbed the tower again?
“Come on, regression will make clearing the tower a piece of cake. If you start climbing the tower, you will definitely reach the hundredth floor first."
“... I didn’t want to say this, but we were the last raid party. If you don't listen to me now, we wouldn't make it that far even if we tried again."
“What?"
“I was part of the last raid party. I saw what happened. Earth failed at the ninety-fourth floor. You were the problem."
What? So, was Earth doomed then? No, wait a second... I was the problem?
“Was it my fault?"
“It wasn’t your fault specifically. It was a problem with the Tower of Ordeal’s system. Everyone was deceived."
“What do you mean? Stop beating around the bush. Was it my fault or not?"
Ha Hee-Jeong sighed deeply and looked at me sorrowfully. “Strictly speaking, it wasn't what you did; it was what you didn’t do. If you had chosen a melee weapon, I’m confident you would have made it to the hundredth floor. You were Earth's last climber."
“I was Earth's last climber?"
“Yes, you were the most powerful wizard, Kwon Su-Hyeok. Fuck, I must have told you ‘If only you had picked up a melee weapon during your talent awakening’ a thousand times."
Ha Hee-Jeong spaced out momentarily as she reminisced about her past.
“Su-Hyeok, please. Just follow the instructions I gave you earlier. If you can't do it, no one can. You are Earth’s only hope."
Me, Earth's only hope? The thought bewildered me.
Ha Hee-Jeong continued, “But even if we had conquered the hundredth floor, it wouldn’t have mattered because we opened the status window. I’m begging you, please don’t open the status window, okay?"
“Alright, alright, I got it."
Having already humored her a few times already, Ha Hee-Jeong’s repeated nagging was now getting on my nerves.
Undeterred by my irritation, Ha Hee-Jeong kept talking. “Listen. As I said earlier, you can sign a contract with a god during and right after the tutorial period. The god you enter a contract with will be your sponsor. As you climb from the first to the fifth floor, the class of the gods you can make a contract with changes.”
“Okay."
“The first floor has first-class gods, and the fifth floor has fifth-class gods. The higher you go, the lower the gods’ classes get. But the classes are a trap."
“A trap?"
Ha Hee-Jeong nodded and took an aggressive swig from the soju bottle. “Yeah, you know how sports drafts work, right? The worst teams pick first. It’s exactly like that, but there’s a catch. The gods’ classes are switched."
“Switched? So, a fifth-class god is what, a first-class god?"
“Exactly, and they lure us by switching names too. For instance, if you contract with the 'God of Light' on the first floor, you might find yourself contracted with the 'God of Campfires' instead. Campfires emit light too, so it’s technically not a lie."
“Those bastards."
“There’s another trap. I told you not to open the status window, right? Opening it is basically signing a slave contract. The status window is…"
Ding.
Just then, a translucent message appeared before my eyes. Simultaneously, the noisy bar quieted down instantly.
Ha Hee-Jeong stopped speaking and stared at the message we had both received.
[As of the current time, the green belt of region C-66432 has been lifted, pursuant to law G-371632.]
What the heck? Is this real? I know I was starting to believe her, but wasn't she just drunk and spouting nonsense?
I was stunned. I looked around, but no one else seemed to notice the message. The translucent window and the alien voice ringing in my ears seemed to have drowned out the voice of everyone in the bar.
No, their voices aren’t being drowned out.
People's mouths were still moving, but it was as if someone had pressed the mute button on them.
The message was updated.
[Following the lifting of the green belt, we activate the 'Tower of Ordeal' for the four sentient species of region C-66432, pursuant to law G-14823.]
[Failure to conquer the 'Tower of Ordeal' will result in the forfeiture of ownership of region C-66432.]
Reading the notification made me feel numb. After a moment, I felt Ha Hee-Jeong tapping my arm to grab my attention. Since anything she said would be silenced, she thrust three fingers in front of my face instead, reminding me of her instructions.
I nodded in response.
Don’t open the status window.
Choose a melee weapon.
Only make a contract with a god after the fifth floor.
[On Earth—a planet with intelligent life in region C-66432—one million will be selected as participants and gain entry to the 'Tower of Ordeal.']
Ha Hee-Jeong had indeed regressed. I now had no doubt that everything she had said was true.
[We will now commence the operation of the 'Tower of Ordeal'.]
Instantly, everything turned white, and I felt as if I was floating in an expanse of nothingness. I couldn’t even see the tip of my nose.
When my eyesight returned, I found myself in a strange white room.
***
「Invisible Message: The basic system of the 'Tower of Ordeal' will be adjusted, pursuant to law G-14823-1.」
「Invisible Message: Adjustment complete. From now on, the 'Tower of Ordeal' may impose unfair contracts on 'climbers' and intentionally deceive them within the confines of the law.」
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