Chapter 76

 

- Thud!

 

The stone door behind us closes. With that, this space has become a sealed room.

 

“...Seriously, what the hell.”

 

Even the tutorial had hidden elements. There was a reward for defeating the Minotaur, which seemed impossible to beat.

 

The second floor had its hidden elements too. If you subdued the master of the city, you could claim a diamond reward, a prize above all others.

 

And now, the third floor has hidden elements as well. This isn’t some game from a web novel, where every level up brings another hidden whatever. It’s absurd.

 

“...”

 

It’s time to stop complaining about whatever divine or angelic being designed this tower, and I carefully look around at the others.

 

“Uh, uhh...”

 

An Kyung-Joon, with his glasses, is clenching his teeth, clearly showing his nervousness.

 

“…”

 

Dok Su-hee, with a stern expression, is intently staring at the red door.

 

“…”

 

“...What?”

 

And then there’s Kang Chan, whose eyes meet mine.

 

Clearly, Kang Chan was doing the same as me, observing everyone else’s reactions.

 

To the right, a door with four palm prints. To the left, a door with just one.

 

The meaning is clear.

 

 

As if confirming my guess, a message window appears before me.

 

After all this emphasis on cooperation, are they now inciting us to betray each other? I can’t shake off the feeling of malevolence.

 

“…”

 

Should I kill everyone and monopolize the rewards? I should at least check out what the red door offers. After all, if I regress, I’ll just come back to life...

 

No. That’s not right. Let’s think like a sane person. If I kill everyone here, I truly won’t be able to handle the mental aftermath.

 

I roll my eyes and read the message that popped up in front of me carefully, then look at the two doors.

 

Do we really have to fight? Isn’t there another way?

 

“There is?”

 

There was. A way.

 

Maybe... we don’t have to fight?

 

“Hey... can we talk for a moment?”

 

All eyes turn to me.

 

“Did you see the message? Only one person can pass through the red door.”

 

The message that appeared clearly states that “only one person can pass through the red door.”

 

At first glance, it sounds like they’re encouraging us to fight each other. To kill off the other three and escape from the third floor alone, claiming all the rewards and an additional prize on top.

 

“First off, we don’t necessarily have to fight each other. If anyone was thinking of killing everyone else, you don’t have to.”

 

From what I’ve seen so far, none of us four seems to be evil... but you never know. With a light smile, I continue.

 

“Passing through the door doesn’t immediately clear the third floor. It’s about ‘passing through’ to clear it. We can all open the regular door together, and it’s fine for one person to open the red door.”

 

It’s a bit of wordplay. They set up a blood-red door, herded us into a frightening sealed room, and then suddenly popped up a message. It’s a situation that would make anyone’s heart race and breath quicken.

 

However, I’ve consciously maintained logical thinking, and with a mindset of ‘if I regress, that’s the end of it,’ I could see the bigger picture. There was no need to fight in this final room.

 

If the third floor were cleared the moment the door was opened... whoever wanted to enter the red door would have had to kill the others. Because the moment someone enters the red door, the rest would lose their chance to clear the third floor. They wouldn’t just let that happen.

 

But this tower sets the criteria at ‘the moment of passing through.’ I think it’s an intentional loophole. After driving people who’ve been cooperating to fight each other, they’ve created a loophole to argue ‘oh, you didn’t have to fight to win?’

 

Let me emphasize again, this tower was created with the intent of ‘judging humanity.’ While it does push people into situations where they might end up fighting... there’s clearly also a peaceful solution.

 

“Let’s solve this rationally. Let’s open the regular door first, and then decide who will pass through the red door, maybe through rock-paper-scissors or something. That should work, right?”

 

Everyone would get their share of the rewards. And the person to pass through the red door would be decided by luck. It’s a rational and democratic solution fitting for civilized citizens.

 

Of course... I was planning to grind until I was the one to go through the red door. The rewards have to be claimed, right?

 

“... I think that’s a good idea!”

 

Dok Su-hee nods her head in agreement.

 

She’s the first to approach the stone door and then turn back to us.

 

“Come on, hurry up.”

 

She urges us on with a bright smile.

 

“Kang Chan, you stand here, An Kyung-Joon here, Kim Jun-ho over there...”

 

When we first entered the third floor, she seemed to only speak when necessary... but she seemed more active than I thought.

 

“...Are you ready?”

 

As the four of us place our hands on the damp stone door.

 

- Rumble.

 

The stone door moves, and a blue portal reveals itself. Through that portal, we’ll be able to clear the third floor.

 

The third floor is behind us. Now, the only matter at hand is who will claim the additional reward from the ‘red door.’

 

“So, shall we decide by rock-paper-scissors?”

 

“Hmm... But isn’t it a bit unpredictable with four of us playing rock-paper-scissors?”

 

“We don’t know what the reward is, but it’s the hardest level, so let’s decide carefully.”

 

“Um... How about drawing lots? But do we have anything to use for that...”

 

“Let’s sit down first since our legs must be tired.”

 

The atmosphere is warm and friendly.

 

Dok Su-hee, with a grin, suggests various methods.

 

An Kyung-Joon, a bit awkward but actively participating.

 

And Kang Chan, standing silently with an expressionless face, firmly rejects any unsuitable suggestions, saying, “That doesn’t seem right.”

 

Despite the situation being ripe for greed, there wasn’t a hint of it among us.

 

The reason is simple.

 

The theme of the third floor was cooperation, and we had worked together back-to-back to get this far. A strange sense of camaraderie had formed.

 

Although I had provided the strategies from my repeated regressions... it was the four of us who executed them.

 

We combined our strengths to take down the wolf and relied on each other’s shoulders to navigate through the mirror maze.

 

The arrow trap and the golem battle were primarily Kang Chan and I, but the memory of joining forces against a common enemy, the tower, doesn’t just disappear.

 

“What do we have...”

 

“Let’s think it over slowly, right? The reward isn’t going anywhere.”

 

The bastard who created this tower probably wanted us to fall apart here. But he was wrong. Not all humans are complete bastards.

 

About 10 minutes had passed since we started the meeting.

 

“Let’s settle on a method, shall we? So far, we have rock-paper-scissors, drawing lots, and rolling dice...”

 

Our circular discussion was nearing its end.

 

“Shall we stand up and talk?”

 

An Kyung-Joon dusts off his pants and stands up from his seated position.

 

“...Huh?”

 

Suddenly, An Kyung-Joon looks confused, as if he doesn’t understand something, and kneels on one knee, touching the ground with his hand.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Just as I was about to approach An Kyung-Joon, puzzled.

 

“Huh??”

 

Suddenly, a large piece of cloth appears before my eyes, obscuring my vision. It didn’t fly in from anywhere, nor did it spring up. It just appeared.

 

- Swoosh!

 

It wasn’t a rational decision but more of a reflex. Almost instinctively, I drew my sword from my waist and cut through the cloth obstructing my view.

 

And the moment I cut through the cloth.

 

- Whoosh!

 

A dagger, glowing with an ominous light, flies towards us from beyond the torn cloth.

 

“…!”

 

The reflexes I honed navigating through trap-laden corridors allowed me to dodge the dagger.

 

“Huh?”

 

But the path of the dagger wasn’t aimed at me to begin with. It was targeting Kang Chan, who was behind me.

 

“?!”

 

- Roar!

 

Exuding a murderous aura, Kang Chan dodges the ominously flickering dagger. An immense killing intent radiates in all directions.

 

Yet, just when I thought he had “dodged” it, the dagger that flew past Kang Chan suddenly emitted a burst of light.

 

- Flash!

 

The moment the dagger gleams, a transparent shield forms around Kang Chan, enclosing him in a spherical barrier that resembled glass in its material.

 

It’s a familiar design. Where have I... where have I seen it before...

 

“...Goblin Shaman?”

 

Right, the sphere that had sealed the Minotaur had exactly this design.

 

Words fail to connect in my thoughts as a whirlwind of emotions clouds my mind.

 

But before all that.

 

“...”

 

My body feels numb. There’s a dullness to my senses, and I feel somewhat dizzy.

 

I recall the moment An Kyung-Joon knelt on one knee. And a glance towards Kang Chan shows he’s fine, just trapped within the shield.

 

‘It’s not lethal. It’s a paralytic poison. It accumulates in the body over time.’

 

That’s what An Kyung-Joon had said.

 

Paralytic poison. Likely the same substance that was on the darts in the trap corridor.

 

But when? We had passed the trap corridor a while back. Did I ingest something? No. Was there paralytic poison gas in the air? If so, Kang Chan should have been paralyzed too.

 

Did I... touch something?

 

But since entering this room, the only thing I’ve touched...

 

“...The stone door.”

 

But why? How?

 

Gripping my sword tightly as it threatens to slip from my grasp, I slowly lift my head.

 

“...”

 

And then, I find myself locking eyes with Dok Su-hee’s icy stare.

 

In the final moments, just before clearing the third floor.

 

Dok Su-hee had betrayed us.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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