Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t

The eleventh floor had felt a lot like the first and second floors. It featured simple corridors, countless traps, and increasingly stronger enemies.

I made it through without too much trouble, but unfortunately, I didn’t find any hidden missions. Despite carefully combing the floor, I didn’t spot any trace of a hidden secret. Sure, there were a few suspicious things, but nothing I could confidently pursue.

Maybe this floor doesn’t have a hidden mission.

Still, I managed to strengthen my combat expertise, and that was more than enough. Instead of focusing on any leftover time that could be converted into achievement points, I had used every second to train my axe techniques.

My focus wasn’t on points; it was on improving my combat skills. Fighting against opponents with proper technique allowed me to sharpen my axemanship.

On the ninth floor, my party members said my axe skills were flawless, but they were wrong.

They don’t know enough about wielding an axe to see the flaws…

My fighting style had many weak spots. There was no fluidity between each axe swing, and each attack included too many unnecessary motions.

In the end, my overall impression of the eleventh floor was… pretty good.

Since the floor based its challenges on my abilities, the enemies were a level above what I had faced before. Of course, they weren’t too difficult, probably due to all the hidden missions I had cleared. Regardless, I had learned a lot observing the orc guardians wielding their weapons.

And it wasn’t just orcs.

I had faced a variety of weapons—some I had never seen before—wielded by countless different species. Taking my time with each battle allowed me to gather valuable experience. It almost felt like this floor was designed specifically to train the climber.

However, there was something strange. Every single enemy I had faced included “guardian” as their title. The standard role of a guardian was to protect something, which made me think the title could be a clue to a hidden mission or the boss room.

[Choose a door and proceed. Time remaining: 5 hours 45 minutes.]

Yet, here I was, standing before two doors. Two doors…

Did I misinterpret something?

I wasn’t sure. Maybe one door was related to the guardians.

Now that I thought about it, I had experienced something similar on the fourth floor. The floor included a double fake, tricking climbers into thinking that since the sound of the rolling boulder was an illusion they needed to climb the slope. In reality, turning around would trigger a real trap.

This choice felt just as important.

Hmm…

A black door and a red door. They weren’t just distinguished by color. The black door seemed to suck in everything, like a void or a rip in space, while the red one was the color of blood and seemed to ripple as if blood was flowing down it. Both were unsettling, but I had to make a decision.

The easiest way to choose is…

To ask Doppy.

Doppy, the goblin saint, had been slacking off, mostly due to my overwhelming strength. I had only received some minor scratches—basically paper cuts—on the eleventh floor, so that was all it had needed to heal.

Now it was time for it to pull its weight.

“Doppy, which door should I take?”

“Kriee…”

Doppy stood deep in thought, looking unusually troubled. Seeing it hesitate like this gave me an uneasy feeling. It had only been this uncertain after we passed the hidden room on the ninth floor...

And sure enough, it shook its head.

“Kriee! I don’t know!”

“Well... if you had to choose, which one would you choose?”

“Kriee! Neither!”

Great. Back to square one.

The decision was mine again: red door or black door? I examined both carefully. The bright red of the crimson door exuded an aura that made my skin crawl from disgust, a purely visceral reaction.

Yeah, the black door seems like the safer option. That is the one I will enter.

There was no hesitation left in my mind. I figured choosing the black door wouldn’t lead to immediate death. After all, the tower itself gave me the choice.

What’s the worst that could happen? Just a tougher challenge, right?

Since I had breezed through the eleventh floor up to this point, a tougher challenge didn’t seem too bad. Without further delay, I stepped forward and opened the black door.

Hmm…

The first thing I noticed was that the chamber had become slightly darker. Somehow, opening the door dimmed the torches in the boss room, casting a faintly eerie atmosphere. It wasn’t enough to obstruct my vision, though.

Inside the door was a large, circular chamber.

Can I even call it a room with how large it is?

It felt more like an arena, a dome-shaped coliseum. The walls were lined with dozens of large holes, their purpose unclear. Each hole was about the size of a human torso.

Could the holes eject water or something?

I had no idea.

I motioned for Doppy to hang back, then cautiously walked forward. As soon as I reached the center of the arena, an odd sound echoed from the walls. It sounded like a metal ball rolling quickly through pipes. Erratic gusts of air began to appear around the arena’s walls.

A trap room, perhaps?

It seemed likely. I was confident something was going to shoot out from those holes. The shifting air currents told me as much. Since the holes were too large for simple arrows, it was likely they would eject cannonballs or something similar.

Thunk―

Before I could finish my thought, something came from my left, hurtling toward me at high speeds. I tensed my legs, prepared to dodge, and turned my attention to the flying object.

What is that?

It looked like a cannonball with sharp spikes that jutted out on all sides, much like a flail. I hesitated for a second.

How could something with spikes roll inside a pipe?

Something felt off.

Thankfully, it wasn’t moving faster than I could react. I took two steps back and easily dodged it.

Huh?

But then, blades shot out from the spiked cannonball. I instinctively raised my axe and deflected an incoming blade with a loud clang. The blade flew into the air, revealing its appearance. It was quite literally a long-handled sword.

The sphere wasn’t just any cannonball.

[Tutulli Guardian]

- Can curl up like a ball and roll along the ground.

- Can retract and extend spikes from its back.

- Skilled at dual-wielding.

The spiked ball rolled to a stop and unfurled, revealing a tutulli guardian who picked up the deflected long sword. Its protruding snout and sharp back spikes made it look like a hedgehog.

It doesn’t look that strong, though.

I had a feeling the high-speed strike was its most powerful attack. The spikes on its back didn’t seem useful for one-on-one combat. Maybe they would stop a thin blade, but I wielded an axe. Those spikes wouldn't stop a blow from my weapon.

Besides, if it could shoot itself out like a bullet from a stationary position, there wouldn’t be any need for the holes in the walls.

I finished planning. There was only one opponent, so it was time to fight.

This is my first time facing an opponent that dual-wields blades, so I will play it cautiously at first... Hmm?

Just then, I heard the metallic rolling sound echo from the walls again. This time, there were multiple sounds—at least three. I couldn’t tell where they would come from, so I braced my legs, ready to dodge at a moment’s notice.

But no other tutulli guardians came flying at me. The rolling sounds continued, tracing through the arena’s walls.

They must be waiting for an opening to strike during the fight.

It seemed like they were biding their time, planning to attack when I was distracted.

As expected, the tutulli guardian in front of me charged with its dual blades. I already had enough experience to predict the guardians’ approach. The one in front of me would likely fight defensively, trying to create an opening. The others would take advantage of that gap and fire at me through the holes.

Dual-wielding, huh? This will be a good chance to test out my newly developed axemanship techniques.

Freeing up my left hand, I used it to draw a dagger attached to my thigh. This was the combat style I had developed as I progressed through the eleventh floor. Well, “developed” wasn’t exactly the right word since it was more like a realization.

While the double-headed axe suited me, it had its disadvantages. It was quite heavy, causing the recovery time after a swing to be slower compared to other weapons. This became especially problematic in fights against skilled opponents or multiple enemies.

Of course, part of that is because I still haven't fully mastered the axe.

Adding a dagger into the mix changed the playing field. It allowed me to defend and attack more fluidly. Plus, I could still wield the axe with one hand and grip the dagger in the other when necessary.

For example… like this.

A sword strike flew in from my right, which I deflected outward with my axe. Immediately, a second sword stabbed in from my left, which I was forced to knock aside with my dagger. Using the rebound from the parry, I grabbed the axe handle with both hands before swinging it down.

"Ugh… Gahh..."

The axe buried itself into the tutulli guardian’s neck.

Without wasting a second, I swung my dagger in my left hand. It sliced cleanly through its throat.

The fight was over. I had ended it in a single breath, so swiftly that the other tutulli guardians rolling along the walls hadn’t even reacted yet. I sent my opponent straight to the afterlife before they could make their move.

As expected, these guys were no different.

Since developing my combat skills further on the eleventh floor, none of the enemies had been challenging enough to push me beyond my limits, and the tutulli guardians were no exception.

After unlocking Axemanship at level two, it wouldn’t level up any further no matter how much I swung my axe. It seemed that leveling up a weapon skill was harder than the average skill.

I probably need some kind of deeper understanding of weapon techniques…

Clunk— Clunk— Clunk— Clunk—

My thoughts were interrupted as the tutulli guardians reappeared.

They came hurtling from all directions. I dodged before stepping back three large strides, placing me just out of their range.

Realizing they were out of range, they didn’t posture to attack like before. Instead, they cautiously raised their dual blades defensively.

They are about as skilled as the previous one... Maybe I should test out Lightning Essence this time?

I had spent most of my time on the eleventh floor focusing on combat techniques. Seeing my progress had been fun, so I got carried away.

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten about Lightning Essence. It was always in the back of my mind, but I kept postponing using it so that I could further improve my fundamental combat skills. Still, I had visualized plenty of scenarios involving Lightning Essence in my head.

I wonder if the spatial leap I performed on the ninth floor would work.

I kept calling it a spatial leap, but in reality, it was more like moving as fast as lightning. On the ninth floor, I used it to simply appear in front of my opponent. But I wondered if I could use it continuously while slashing through my enemies.

Well… time to find out.

I began using Lightning Essence, converting my mana into lightning. Starting from my legs, I focused on spreading the energy evenly throughout my body. It couldn’t be concentrated in just one area.

… And now.

Like lightning, I launched myself forward. Time seemed to slow down as I accelerated. I moved and processed information so quickly that, at that moment, only I was moving. The tutulli guardians didn’t even have time to react.

I twisted my body and brought my axe down. Their faces were crushed before their eyes could even process that I had moved. Rushing forward again, I stabbed another one in the neck with my dagger, before immediately slashing horizontally. It felt like the entire world had frozen except for me.

A strange sense of euphoria washed over me.

Unfortunately, that potentially spelled my downfall as my concentration wavered.

Damn it.

It was too late to regain focus. The mana surging through my body was no longer under my control. Unable to adjust my speed or direction, I collided head-on with the last remaining tutulli guardian.

BAM!

It sounded like an explosion going off in my ears. Pain shot through my entire body.

“Kriee! Su-Yeok!”

A moment later, a warm feeling spread through my body. At the same time, something warm and moist was soaking me. My head was foggy as the world spun around me, so I couldn’t quite process what was happening.

“Kriee! Heal Wounds!”

A glowing light wrapped around me, and I felt my body rapidly recovering.

Hmm…

As my vision cleared, I saw the mangled remains of the tutulli guardian.

Can I even call it a tutulli guardian at this point?

It had died on the spot, blown to bits. My rapid charge had imparted too much force for it to withstand.

I could use this as an attack if I train my physical capabilities more. What would I even call it, though? Body Slam? Lightning Charge?

No, that was ridiculous. Clearly, my head was still in a daze.

“Kriee! Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

I wiped the sticky tutulli blood from my face with my sleeve and slowly got to my feet.

At the same moment, two doors appeared on the far side of the room.

[Choose a door and proceed. Time remaining: 5 hours 31 minutes.]

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has used his skills amazingly! His skills have leveled up. Lightning Essence is now lvl 8. Flash Strike lvl 1.」

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