The Spatial Ability User Who Puts Safety Above All – Chapter 126

Author: Cireng

Floor 50 (1)

― [Stigmata Level] 85 (12.04%) (Stigmata Points: 4)

― [Unique Ability] Absolute Space <EX> (Level 15)

― [Level Perks]

1st Level ―> (When you enter Absolute Space, you gain the ‘Hyper Regeneration’ ability. However, once you leave Absolute Space, the Super Regeneration ability disappears immediately.)

……<omitted>…….

60th Level ―> (Within Absolute Space, you can use the ability ‘The dead tell no tales.’)

70th Level ―> (You can install an independent ‘Absolute Space (Bunker)’ that is not connected to your main Absolute Space. However, this Absolute Space (Bunker) is fixed, and once installed, it cannot be dismantled for ‘15 days.’ Additionally, the entrance must remain open at all times, but you can designate which beings are allowed to enter and exit through it. The initial size of the Absolute Space (Bunker) is a rectangular space of 20 pyeong in area and 4 meters in height, but its size can be expanded using magic stones. Lastly, only one bunker can be installed.)

80th Level ―> (If you purchase items from the Universal Item Shop at four times the price, you can use those items outside of Absolute Space.)

― [Acquired Abilities] None.

At first glance, the level 80 perk didn’t seem very useful, but at the same time, it felt like it opened up a lot of possibilities.

However, since it wasn’t immediately helpful, Seon Yul decided to research it later and focused on climbing for now.

The clear condition for the 42nd floor was a mission to hunt a special ‘Golden Rattlesnake’ somewhere on the floor. But with Cheon Li Yu by his side, who possessed scouting abilities so absurd they might as well be called map hacks… the mission was practically as easy as eating cake while lying down.

While others scoured a plateau wider than the Grand Canyon searching for the Golden Rattlesnake, Seon Yul simply waited for Cheon Li Yu to carefully survey the surroundings. Once she found it, he moved straight to the location and easily captured the Golden Rattlesnake.

Naturally, the shortest clear record for the 42nd floor was broken again, and the two immediately moved on to the 43rd floor.

The 43rd floor wasn’t much different.

Since Seon Yul planned to climb up to at least the 50th floor during this run, he aimed to clear the remaining floors in the 40s as quickly as possible.

Thus, in just one week, Seon Yul cleared floors 43 through 49, extending the Tower of Life’s record for fastest clears to 49 consecutive times.

And then they arrived at the 50th floor.

The first thing that greeted Seon Yul, who had finally reached an ‘open’ floor where he could meet other climbers, was… a suspicious group of climbers.

***

There were three irregulars: one from the Stone Giant race made of large rocks, one small frog-like Celt, and one man who appeared to be an ordinary human. The three blocked Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu, who had just arrived on the 50th floor, and made a suspicious proposal.

“Is there a reason we should join your team?”

They said… or rather, almost forced, that on the 50th floor, you absolutely had to form a team of at least five people, and urged them to join their group.

“It looks like the two of you somehow managed to clear up to the 49th floor. But from the 50th floor onward, it’s an open floor, so the difficulty is different. Up to the 49th floor, the closed floors the difficulty is determined by the number of entrants. But not on the 50th. If anything, this is an offer to save you… And you still can’t believe it?”

The man, who introduced himself as Tehorau, an irregular human from Earth–854, spoke as if he were frustrated.

“Then why did you enter the Tower as a group of three? If it’s dangerous, shouldn’t you have met the minimum of five people from the start?”

Seon Yul believed there was no such thing as kindness without reason. So he remained suspicious… again and again.

“We originally entered with five people. But due to a few mistakes early on, we lost two. So we had no choice but to return to the entrance like this and look for temporary teammates. If we couldn’t find anyone within a few days, we were planning to leave the Tower. And then you two showed up.”

Tehorau’s explanation sounded plausible.

Still, Seon Yul was reluctant to join their team.

“…I understand the reason, and I appreciate the offer, but I refuse.”

“The 50th floor isn’t a place that can be cleared with just two people. Are you trying to commit suicide?”

“If it really becomes impossible, we can just give up the climb.”

Despite Tehorau’s continued persuasion, Seon Yul had no intention of accepting.

“…Understood.”

Seeing no sign of agreement, Tehorau eventually gave up.

The three irregulars stepped aside.

And just like that, Seon Yul passed them and entered deeper into the 50th floor.

***

The 50th floor was a vast tropical rainforest.

It looked like an environment he had seen somewhere before, though he couldn’t recall exactly where.

Still, it felt like a place where anything could appear, so Seon Yul decided to leave Cheon Li Yu waiting inside Absolute Space and began exploring the forest alone.

Since they had eaten stir-fried pork before starting the climb, Seon Yul and Cheon Li Yu could communicate via telepathy.

In particular, since Seon Yul had opened the Absolute Space (tattoo) on the back of his hand, Cheon Li Yu could observe the outside through that small entrance.

‘Maybe because it’s the beginning, there’s nothing special…huh?’

‘What is it?’

‘Can you turn the back of your hand around?’

Pretending to scratch the back of his neck, Seon Yul naturally turned his hand as requested.

‘Whoa, you’re right. Those guys from earlier are following us from far behind.’

While turning his hand, Cheon Li Yu had glimpsed something odd behind them… and upon checking again, indeed, the three irregulars who had invited them earlier were approaching.

‘Hmm, so they were looters after all?’

‘We should prepare…huh?’

‘What now?’

‘Those guys… they’re being chased?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Behind them… whoa, a T-rex!’

At Cheon Li Yu’s strange words, Seon Yul immediately turned around.

There, in the distance, he saw the three irregulars running toward him.

And behind them, something massive chasing them.

“A Tyrannosaurus?”

It was the same large-headed carnivorous dinosaur he had seen in movies. And it looked several times larger than what he had seen on screen.

In short, it was a gigantic Tyrannosaurus.

Only then did Seon Yul realize what this rainforest environment resembled.

‘Was this modeled after the Cretaceous or Jurassic period?’

“Run!”

The three irregulars shouted in unison as they sprinted toward him.

The creature that had killed their comrades was this very giant Tyrannosaurus.

They had indeed been waiting at the entrance to rescue their companions, but the massive Tyrannosaurus had followed them there and attacked. In the end, they couldn’t escape and were now being chased like this.

This giant Tyrannosaurus was one of the apex predators of the 50th floor: the ‘Gluttonous Colossus Dragon.’

There were a total of four apex predators and one supreme predator on the 50th floor. To put it simply, the four apex predators were mid-bosses, and the one supreme predator was the final boss.

‘Should we kill it?’

The distance between them and the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon was about 500 meters.

If they were going to run, now was the time… but Seon Yul thought that if it was something he had to defeat anyway, and if he could defeat it, it was better to take it down now that it was in front of him.

‘Its traits are extremely high defense and attack power. And its weakness is… relatively slow speed.’

At Seon Yul’s question, Cheon Li Yu quickly analyzed the creature using Divine Eye—Weakness Detection and relayed the information.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Meanwhile, the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon continued closing the distance.

“Let’s kill it!”

After hearing Cheon Li Yu’s analysis, Seon Yul chose to fight.

Since he could always run away later, he thought it was more important to gauge the level of a 50th-floor mid-boss.

Tssss

Having made his decision, Seon Yul immediately opened an entrance to Absolute Space on his right.

‘Li Yu, let’s go with the railgun!’

‘Okay!’

The moment Seon Yul finished preparing for battle, the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon had closed in to within 100 meters. The three irregulars being chased looked at Seon Yul with troubled expressions.

To them, it made no sense that he was standing still instead of running.

But that expression would soon… turn into shock.

‘Let’s start with one shot!’

Whiiiiing—BOOM!

A tungsten round weighing 11 kg was fired from the railgun at a speed of 2 km per second, flying in a straight line and striking the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon squarely in the head.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

Though it was just one shot, the power behind it was so immense that the charging dragon was blown backward even faster than it had been running.

As expected, the three irregulars stared at Seon Yul in shock… but Seon Yul had no time to pay attention to them.

Because the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon was still alive.

‘It survived a direct railgun hit at this distance? So everything really is different from the 50th floor onward?’

Scrrrk—KWAANG!

The dragon slid back, blood pouring from its head, but just as Seon Yul said, it was still alive.

And not just barely.

Grrrrrr…

It shook its head and slowly rose again.

It had clearly taken heavy damage, but it was still capable of fighting.

The main reason it endured this much was that its head was its most heavily armored part… and the railgun shot had struck exactly there while it was lowering its head.

If it had hit elsewhere, the damage would have been greater, but regardless, it had endured.

‘Aim somewhere other than the head!’

Cheon Li Yu immediately relayed this to Seon Yul, who quickly opened two more entrances to Absolute Space.

‘Pound it! Then it shall break!!’

Whiiiiing. Ratatatatatata. Vrrrrrrrrrrk.

From the newly opened portals, the GAU-8 and GAU-19 unleashed a barrage of powerful armor-piercing rounds.

Papapapapapap!

All of them struck the dragon’s body, making the already staggering creature struggle even more.

ROOOOAAARRR!

The Gluttonous Colossus Dragon pushed forward through the storm of bullets, trying to bite Seon Yul.

Thud.

Even with armor-piercing rounds embedded all over its body and blood flowing from multiple wounds, it still did not fall. Instead, it slowly advanced.

Its defense and vitality were astonishing, but Seon Yul showed no fear as he stared at it.

‘So this is the level of a 50th-floor mid-boss… The Tower really is something.’

Right now, Seon Yul was simply measuring the Tower’s difficulty.

He didn’t consider the situation dangerous at all.

In fact, he could have ended it faster, but he had deliberately held back to properly gauge the difficulty.

‘Let’s finish it.’

Now that the assessment was complete, only one thing remained:

To bring down the Gluttonous Colossus Dragon.

ROOOOAAARRR!

As if asserting its existence once more, the dragon opened its massive jaws and roared.

And at that very moment…

Seon Yul fired the recharged railgun again.