- Thud!
The stone door behind us closes. With that, this space has beco a sealed room.
...Seriously, what the hell.
Even the tutorial had hidden elents. There was a reward for defeating the Minotaur, which seed impossible to beat.
The second floor had its hidden elents 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 elents as well. This isnt so ga from a web novel, where every level up brings another hidden whatever. Its absurd.
...
Its ti 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 theres Kang Chan, whose eyes et mine.
Clearly, Kang Chan was doing the sa as , observing everyone elses reactions.
To the right, a door with four palm prints. To the left, a door with just one.
The aning is clear.
The Final Trial - Pass through the door before you to clear the third floor. However, only one person can pass through the red door. Passing through the red door grants an additional reward.
As if confirming my guess, a ssage window appears before .
After all this emphasis on cooperation, are they now inciting us to betray each other? I cant 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, Ill just co back to life...
No. Thats not right. Lets think like a sane person. If I kill everyone here, I truly wont be able to handle the ntal aftermath.
I roll my eyes and read the ssage that popped up in front of carefully, then look at the two doors.
Do we really have to fight? Isnt there another way?
There is?
There was. A way.
Maybe... we dont have to fight?
Hey... can we talk for a mont?
All eyes turn to .
Did you see the ssage? Only one person can pass through the red door.
The ssage that appeared clearly states that only one person can pass through the red door.
At first glance, it sounds like theyre 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 dont necessarily have to fight each other. If anyone was thinking of killing everyone else, you dont have to.
From what Ive 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 doesnt imdiately clear the third floor. Its about passing through to clear it. We can all open the regular door together, and its fine for one person to open the red door.
Its a bit of wordplay. They set up a blood-red door, herded us into a frightening sealed room, and then suddenly popped up a ssage. Its a situation that would make anyones heart race and breath quicken.
However, Ive consciously maintained logical thinking, and with a mindset of if I regress, thats 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 mont the door was opened... whoever wanted to enter the red door would have had to kill the others. Because the mont soone enters the red door, the rest would lose their chance to clear the third floor. They wouldnt just let that happen.
But this tower sets the criteria at the mont of passing through. I think its an intentional loophole. After driving people whove been cooperating to fight each other, theyve created a loophole to argue oh, you didnt have to fight to win?
Let 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... theres clearly also a peaceful solution.
Lets solve this rationally. Lets open the regular door first, and then decide who will pass through the red door, maybe through rock-paper-scissors or sothing. 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. Its 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 claid, right?
... I think thats a good idea!
Dok Su-hee nods her head in agreent.
Shes the first to approach the stone door and then turn back to us.
Co 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 seed to only speak when necessary... but she seed 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, well 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 isnt it a bit unpredictable with four of us playing rock-paper-scissors?
We dont know what the reward is, but its the hardest level, so lets decide carefully.
Um... How about drawing lots? But do we have anything to use for that...
Lets sit down first since our legs must be tired.
The atmosphere is warm and friendly.
Dok Su-hee, with a grin, suggests various thods.
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 doesnt seem right.
Despite the situation being ripe for greed, there wasnt a hint of it among us.
The reason is simple.
The the of the third floor was cooperation, and we had worked together back-to-back to get this far. A strange sense of camaraderie had ford.
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 others shoulders to navigate through the mirror maze.
The arrow trap and the golem battle were primarily Kang Chan and I, but the mory of joining forces against a common enemy, the tower, doesnt just disappear.
What do we have...
Lets think it over slowly, right? The reward isnt 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 eting.
Lets settle on a thod, 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 doesnt understand sothing, and kneels on one knee, touching the ground with his hand.
Whats 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 didnt fly in from anywhere, nor did it spring up. It just appeared.
- Swoosh!
It wasnt 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 mont 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 to dodge the dagger.
Huh?
But the path of the dagger wasnt aid at to begin with. It was targeting Kang Chan, who was behind .
?!
- Roar!
Exuding a murderous aura, Kang Chan dodges the ominously flickering dagger. An imnse 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 mont the dagger gleams, a transparent shield forms around Kang Chan, enclosing him in a spherical barrier that resembled glass in its material.
Its 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. Theres a dullness to my senses, and I feel sowhat dizzy.
I recall the mont An Kyung-Joon knelt on one knee. And a glance towards Kang Chan shows hes fine, just trapped within the shield.
Its not lethal. Its a paralytic poison. It accumulates in the body over ti.
Thats what An Kyung-Joon had said.
Paralytic poison. Likely the sa substance that was on the darts in the trap corridor.
But when? We had passed the trap corridor a while back. Did I ingest sothing? No. Was there paralytic poison gas in the air? If so, Kang Chan should have been paralyzed too.
Did I... touch sothing?
But since entering this room, the only thing Ive 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-hees icy stare.
In the final monts, just before clearing the third floor.
Dok Su-hee had betrayed us.
End of Chapter -
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