Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t

I was descending from the heavens.

Fierce winds whipped past me, but instead of cutting into me, they brought a sense of warmth and comfort. In the middle of the battlefield, I spotted the Great Warlord of Terror gnashing his teeth, his expression twisted with anxiety and hopelessness. His earlier menacing vigor had completely faded.

Across the blood-stained battlefield, once thick with suffocating, dark energy, the blue light of dawn now descended. Clear and refreshing air filled my lungs, and the atmosphere around us rippled like a mirage.

The wind surged like a crashing wave, sending ripples across the grassy plains. The wind wrapped around the climbers and extended forward once more, becoming an invisible blade.

It slew all the monsters it touched, shredding them into tiny pieces before passing through the heretics. Corpses were strewn everywhere, trailing the storm’s relentless fury.

Eventually, only the warlord was left standing, unscathed. It seemed he had been saved just for me.

Despair filled the warlord’s expression as he looked around at his fallen allies.

The climbers’ astonished gazes burned into my back as the pope’s reverent voice resonated across the field. “Oh, goddess… please protect the wind.”

I landed in front of the warlord. Bending my knees slightly, I grounded myself before spinning my axe to rest it on my shoulder. At that moment, a gust of wind shimmered into existence from the goddess’s ring and enveloped me.

A gentle breeze brushed over every inch of my being. Confident, I shot the warlord a grin and gave my wrist a spin, twirling the axe in a full circle.

“Been waiting long? Seems like you went on a bit of a rampage looking for me, huh?”

The skill’s unsealing couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I could feel the wind assisting my movements, as though air resistance wouldn’t affect me. The warlord’s face hardened as he lowered his spear at me.

“You! Nothing will change just because the cultist god is free!”

“Oh, really? Looks like we’re on different pages then.”

With no further need for words, the warlord bellowed the name of his god, “O’ great Stagnant Terror!”

A red light flickered along his black spear, but its power was a shadow of what it had been before.

I surged forward as blue light spread from the ring and cloaked my axe. A path of wind unfolded before me. I followed its guidance, and despite not using Flash Strike, my movements were like a gale’s, fast and powerful.

The warlord also rushed forward, but the winds swirling around him made his movements appear heavy. Even so, he was clearly stronger than when we had first met in the swamp.

Not strong enough, though.

His first move was a thrust. I timed my axe’s swing to meet it, sweeping it from left to right.

Clang!

A violent shockwave exploded between us on impact. Caught off-guard by the Blue Dawn Breeze’s aid, he lost his grip on the spear and it was sent flying away.

With the spear too far away for him to retrieve, I had a brief opening. I suppressed my rebounding axe with sheer strength, then swung the weapon back over my head.

The wind guided the axe, driving it into the warlord’s collarbone with immense speed.

“Gahh!”

“Let’s not meet again.”

Lightning coursed down the axe, the wind surging along with it. Falling, the warlord was ripped and torn by the relentless storm.

The twenty-sixth floor had finally been conquered. As I pulled my axe free and turned around, I saw tens of thousands of climbers watching me in stunned silence.

Well… what should I say?

I managed a somewhat sheepish smile.

A beat later, the crowd erupted into a thunderous roar. In the eastern sky, the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon.

“Waaahhh!”

“Kwon Su-Hyeok! Kwon Su-Hyeok!”

***

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the twenty-sixth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: the Holy War. Achievement points will be calculated.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden missions ‘Dawn of a New World,’ ‘Hunt the Warlord,’ and ‘One-Man Army.’]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 23,134 achievement points. Total Achievement Points: 69,417. He will now enter the waiting room.]

***

「Invisible message: The planetary dispute between the fourth-class god ‘Blue Dawn Breeze,’ who had requested mediation from the Tower of Ordeal, and the third-class god ‘Stagnant Terror’ has been resolved.」

「Invisible message: the ownership of planet Suhez is hereby transferred to ‘Blue Dawn Breeze.’」

「Invisible message: The Tower of Ordeal has determined that the third-class god ‘Stagnant Terror’ is unable to fulfill its ■■■ repayment. As a consequence, the tower orders the extinction of the third-class god ‘Stagnant Terror.’」

***

[10 hours 44 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

As I sank into the warm training hot spring, a soothing drowsiness settled over me and wrapped me in its calm embrace. In contrast, my body was steadily healing, filled with a revitalizing energy that left me feeling refreshed. Mentally, I felt a touch of fatigue, but my mind was oddly alert, wide awake despite the exhaustion.

Just as I reached over to shake Doppy awake—who was seconds away from slipping beneath the water in his sleep—a message from Ha Hee-Jeong popped up.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): What? You’re saying all of this was part of the goddess’s plan?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Yeah. Apparently, it was the only way.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Seriously? What is she, Dr. Stranger?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): She probably figured it’d be okay since she could revive everyone who died if she succeeded.

As I replied, a thought crossed my mind.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): But why was the pope spared? He barely did anything after we saved him on the twenty-fifth floor.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Who knows? Maybe he survived because he had one of the goddess’s relics. Or maybe she needed him to fix things after we left.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Hmm, that could be it.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Anyway, that’s all in the past now. Are you enjoying the hot spring?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Of course! I’m soaking in it right now.

The hot spring was incredibly effective, especially with the stat boosts from the hidden missions. Each mission on this floor had raised my stats significantly.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): By the way, you’ve checked the Community, right?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Yeah, of course.

I had been glancing at the Community on the side while chatting with her.

[King Su-Hyeok. Amazing Su-Hyeok. Glorious Su-Hyeok.]

[Mr. Su-Hyeok, please tell us what happened!]

[Su-Hyeok’s grand entrance—wiped them all out in one go. Incredible!]

Despite being back in the waiting room for a while now, praises about me continued to flood in. I couldn’t help but smile at some of the messages.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): So, what are you going to do about it?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): About what?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): A lot of people are curious about what happened.

She was right. Many wanted to know why I had disappeared mid-battle, broken through the crimson world, and returned suddenly with the goddess. Only I had the answers, and even Alexei and Seo Ho-Su had messaged me privately about it.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Yeah, maybe it’s best if I explain.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): It wouldn’t hurt, right? You went through a lot, and you saved a ton of climbers.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Okay. I’ll write up a summary and post it in the community. By the way, aren’t you going to give me any hints about the twenty-seventh floor?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Nah, nothing I could tell you would make a difference for the next two floors. You’ll see for yourself. Actually, the upcoming floor could be pretty fun.

Fun? A floor?

If she didn’t want to give me any hints, the next couple of floors probably weren’t important. If she described the next floor as fun, maybe it was strategy-based or a puzzle. Or was it like the eighth floor, where we had to out-think other climbers?

Well, I would find out soon enough.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Oh, and it’s a two-person floor.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Two people? How are we splitting the party?

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): I’ll go with you. Ho-Su will be with Ha-Rin, which leaves Cole paired with Hakin.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Huh? You’re going to pair with me?

Pairing Ha Hee-Jeong with me could be disadvantageous for our growth. Only one person could earn the highest honors on each floor, which meant the other person would miss out on valuable achievement points. Unless the floor was of crucial importance or there was a hidden mission, we usually separated to maximize our gains.

However, she only replied with a question mark.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): ?

Uh-oh… that usually means she isn’t happy with my response.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): What, you don’t want to go with me?

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): No, no, that’s not what I meant!

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): Oh, really? Then did you already plan to pair with someone else?

Panicking, I scrambled to explain, but her mood didn’t seem to improve.

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Twenty-seventh Floor): It’s fine. Do whatever you want. If you’d rather go with someone else, go ahead.

- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Twenty-seventh Floor): Hey, Hee-Jeong, that’s not what I meant!

***

[4 hours 56 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

I hummed to myself as I stepped out of the shower, feeling unexpectedly light. “Like an old black-and-white movie~”

It wasn’t as if anything monumental had happened, but I had managed to level up my Axemanship skill after a grueling battle with the Overseer set to high difficulty. With progress feeling slow these days, this unexpected achievement lifted my spirits.

As I toweled off, Doppy, who had already showered and was now sprawled on its bed, turned to me. “Kriee! Su-Yeok! Good mood!”

“Good mood? You bet! Anything you want to eat? Just say the word, and it’s yours!”

“Kriee! Goblin knows all same price!”

“Well, aren’t you clever?”

“Kriee! Not dumb!”

I pulled up the shop menu as we bantered. Not that I really needed to check, since Doppy always chose the same meal: ribeye steak. Ever since it had tried it, I hadn’t seen it order anything else.

Now, what do I want?Perfect, ramen it is.

Slurping up noodles with my chopsticks, I gazed at Doppy. Maybe it was because I had just seen the battle between Stagnant Terror and Blue Dawn Breeze, but it made me think of Fenrike. I wondered how he was doing. The last time I checked, it looked like he could even talk with Doppy.

“Hey, Doppy. How’s Fenrike? Do you two chat much?”

“Kriee! Talked in the desert! Fenrike! Working hard! Said no worry!”

“Not much since then?”

“Kriee! That’s right!”

Well, Fenrike was a god who had lost his planet, and until I had freed him, he had also been trapped in a necklace. Even with his freedom restored, reclaiming his world wouldn’t be easy.

But looking at Doppy’s hopeful expression, I decided to keep that to myself. I reached over to pat its head with a smile.

“That’s good to hear. Glad he’s doing his best.”

“Kriee! Su-Yeok! Don’t touch Goblin! When eating!”

“All right, all right, eat up.”

***

[Welcome to the twenty-seventh floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Rotace’s Hospital.]

[Climbers have been trapped in a hospital run by a mad doctor. All stats are fixed at 50, and any skill level above 5 is capped at 5.]

[All equipment has been removed, and skills related to detection, stealth, tracking, or teleportation cannot be used. However, skills granted by equipment are still accessible.]

[Warning! The mad doctor is an unbeatable entity. If encountered, run away!]

[Escape Rotace’s Hospital. Time remaining: 7 hours 59 minutes.]

As my vision adjusted, I took in my surroundings. The room was dim with an eerie, sterile feel, just like a ward. There were no windows in sight, and the only exit was an iron door with metal bars.

So, this was what Ha Hee-Jeong meant by “fun”?

It felt just like an escape room.

I scanned the instructions carefully, though there wasn’t much to go off of.

Well, if it’s an escape room, then restricting teleportation makes sense.

Blocking tracking and detection-related skills suggested that crucial clues would be well-hidden, and the ban on stealth skills seemed to imply enemies would be patrolling the hospital.

“Are you done thinking it through?” someone asked, interrupting my train of thought.

I turned to find Ha Hee-Jeong standing beside me, dressed in a bloodstained patient gown. Despite her appearance, her eyes were bright and glinted with excitement. It had been a while since our last moment like this, with just the two of us.

If I remember correctly, we hadn’t been alone since the rest area on the twentieth floor.

With so many chaotic battles lately, we barely had a chance to even talk.

Her bright brown eyes looked up at me, full of curiosity and eagerness.

“Almost,” I replied before glancing around the room. “But… where’s Doppy?!”