Strategy (1)
The Rest Area looked as if a Fortress of Freedom had been transplanted into the tower.
Each floor of the tower was vast enough to be considered its own world, and while the Rest Area wasn’t quite that large, it was still a very comfortable space.
When Seon Yul first entered the tower, the first thing he tested was whether he could use Absolute Space to move outside… but that was impossible.
Since he couldn’t exit through an entrance that had been opened outside, it also seemed impossible to open an Absolute Space entrance inside the tower and enter it from outside.
However, surprisingly, the Rest Area and each floor could be accessed through Absolute Space.
Perhaps because they were considered part of the same tower, he could reach the Rest Area more easily through Absolute Space without opening a separate portal.
This meant that while other irregulars couldn’t open a portal to the Rest Area during combat, Seon Yul could return to it anytime, even in the middle of a fight.
It wasn’t hugely significant, but it was undeniably convenient.
“Quieter than I expected.”
The Rest Area was less crowded than they had imagined.
There were other irregulars, but it wasn’t bustling like a true Fortress of Freedom.
“The Tower of Life isn’t that popular, and it’s not a climbing period right now, so there aren’t many climbers.”
All towers had something called a climbing cycle.
Tower progression was carefully calculated. If the record for the highest floor wasn’t updated within a set time, the tower could go berserk.
But climbing too quickly could also cause problems.
So the administrators strictly calculated climbing cycles and encouraged or recruited climbers accordingly.
The Tower of Life had its top-floor record updated just a month ago, so it was currently in a rest period for at least two months.
During rest periods, climbers were usually either:
Low-level climbers below Floor 20, or Climbers above Floor 50 who pledged not to challenge the highest floor
“That’s why it’s so empty.”
“Yeah, it’s the rest period.”
“I heard that from Floor 50 onward, you can meet other irregulars on the same floor. Is that true?”
“Yeah. Floors 1–49 are like instanced dungeons created each time, but from Floor 50 onward, climbers enter already existing instances.”
“Then what happens if we clear conditions on those floors?”
“The conditions reset within 24 hours, or even change.”
“Then above Floor 50, other irregulars become competition.”
“They could be allies, competitors… or enemies trying to kill you.”
The possibilities were endless.
Not all climbers were kind or friendly, so one always had to prepare for the worst.
The Rest Area itself had no special functions.
But it did have rules.
Since it was a safe zone, attacking others was completely prohibited.
This wasn’t just a rule; it was enforced by the system itself. Even if someone intended to attack, the action wouldn’t be executed.
Additionally, climbers had their own rule:
Everyone is equal in the Rest Area.
Whether a climber was on lower floors or at the top, everyone was treated the same here. This prevented superiority complexes based on progress.
“Since experience is more important this turn, let’s climb calmly as far as we can and wrap up.”
The two, who had been resting in a corner, stood up again.
They deliberately avoided interacting with other irregulars.
This was only their first climb, and they wanted to understand the tower better before trying anything risky.
For now, they focused solely on climbing.
***
Once Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu resumed climbing, their speed increased again.
Even though the annihilation strategy became less effective, their greatest strengths remained:
Overwhelming firepower and absurd vision.
Cheon Li Yu sees → Seon Yul eliminates.
This principle never failed.
Floor 23, 24, 25… all the way to Floor 40.
The higher they climbed, the longer they could stay inside the tower.
By Floor 40, they could stay for over two months.
Yet only about 15 days had passed for them so far.
Anyone watching would have called it impossible.
40 consecutive fastest clears.
Their overwhelming pace eventually caught the attention of the tower administrators.
While they couldn’t see exactly who was responsible, they could observe the Record Board.
The board displayed:
Fastest clear times
Number of clears per floor
Total number of climbers
And everything was changing at an incredible speed.
***
“When did this start happening?”
Nelgado, the chief administrator of the Tower of Life, checked the board after receiving an urgent report.
“We first detected it four days ago and monitored it before reporting.”
“So it started earlier than that?”
“Yes.”
“Did a famous irregular climber show up? Did you compile a list?”
“Since all records from Floor 1 were replaced, it must be someone who started from Floor 1. We listed all entrants from this cycle.”
“How many?”
“Eleven, but including teams, eight total.”
“Track all of them. If this continues… our entire climbing plan could collapse.”
“Yes, sir.”
A powerful climber was welcome, but an uncontrollable one was dangerous.
“Who could it be…?”
Then Nelgado recalled a conversation with Elzad two weeks ago.
“…Could it be?”
Elzad had talked about an incredible newbie climber, but failed to recruit them.
If that same person was responsible now…
“Then it all makes sense.”
“Looks like I need to meet Elzad.”
At Floor 40, there was still time.
If it reached Floor 50, things would become urgent, but not yet.
So Nelgado immediately went to find Elzad.
***
From Floor 41 onward, the difficulty drastically increased.
According to gathered information, difficulty spiked every 10 floors starting from Floor 40, and that seemed true.
ROOOOAR!
A massive tree monster, like three giant trees combined.
Over 15 meters long, covered in thick bark.
It charged at Seon Yul.
He opened Absolute Space entrances on both sides and concentrated firepower forward.
Ratatatatatat!
GAU-19 and Minigun from the left.
GAU-8 firing at full power.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the monster’s body, slowing it down.
Its defense and durability were immense, but even it struggled under concentrated fire.
Seon Yul halted its advance and prepared the final blow.
“Wood burns.”
Tzzzt.
He opened another Absolute Space entrance directly in front of it.
And from it…
WHOOSH!
A massive stream of flames erupted.
The already weakened monster began to falter rapidly.
Now, one final strike would finish it.
Seon Yul chose not a new weapon, but more firepower.
Ratatatat! WHOOSH!
He intensified both gunfire and flames into a single point.
Finally, the completely charred monster collapsed.
[You have cleared Floor 41 of the Tower of Life.]
[You have achieved the fastest clear record for Floor 41 and obtained bonus experience and loot.]
[You will move to the next floor in 5 minutes.]
Seon Yul defeated the Floor 41 boss.
“Whew… done.”
The difficulty spike made it take longer, but he still broke the record.
The reason he had to fight directly instead of using long-range bombardment was that monsters from Floor 41 onward began showing resistance.
The boss had:
High resistance to long-range attacks
Defensive techniques using layered branches
So direct combat became necessary.
“Good job.”
Cheon Li Yu welcomed him inside Absolute Space with the reward chest.
She had supported him by analyzing weak points in real time.
“Definitely different from Floor 41 onward.”
“Yeah, just one floor higher, and it’s completely different.”
“Let’s stop here for this turn. We’ll sort the loot and return to Earth—104.”
“Why? We still have time.”
“We don’t need to use all of it.”
“True.”
“Let’s go back, grab what we prepared, and resume later.”
“Alright.”
They decided to stop climbing for now and began organizing.
They could’ve pushed to Floor 50…
But there was no need to rush.
So they chose to proceed at a controlled pace.
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