<h4>Chapter 6: Millions of Stabs (5)</h4>
[User Details]
Name: Jaehwan
Level: 100 (At maximum level)
Title: (EX) Nightmare of 99th Floor
ss: Swordsman
Skill: (EX) Perseverance
[Status Detail]
Strength: 100 (At maximum)
Dexterity: 100 (At maximum)
Stamina: 100 (At maximum)
Will: 100 (At maximum)
Mana: 100 (At maximum)
He pulled up the screen through the Interface System. Jaehwan had tried hard to reach the limit at every end all this time. 30 years, and he had hit the maximum limit on all stats. That was when he began to think.
Can humans really be calcted with such numbers?’
After some time, he began seeing something weird. He thought it was just an illusion, but it wasn’t. He realized what he saw was the nature of this world. It was sometimes a smooth particle and sometimes became rough rocks. It always seemed to be in various shapes and sizes.
That’s when his stabbing became unstable.
He felt a weird sensation each time he used his [Stab] skill. The skill that he had stuck in its form in perfection, had be loose and Jaehwan felt something he had been forgetting wasing back.
It was the feeling of being ‘alive.’
Jaehwan named it [Suspicion] for now. The power to look into the truth of the world. However, he had no idea how to use the power yet.
The quick thrust of Jaehwan’s Dragon Sword was easily deflected. Beasin shouted in irritation,
“Hey, Jaehwan! Talk to me!”
Jaehwan did not answer.
“Wow, this is crazy!”
Beasin seemed frustrated.
“You are not going back! You’re just starting the real game!”
The second reason Jaehwan wasn’t ending the Tutorial, was the demon Beasin.
After some time, Jaehwan realized that for some reason, Beasin could not kill Jaehwan.
‘I don’t know why, but he can’t force me.’
Beasin not forcing the game to end or not killing Jaehwan right here was the proof. If he had opened the tower, he must have the power to close it, but he didn’t do so. There must be a reason why. For Jaehwan, Beasin was just a good teacher right now. He challenged him countless times to adapt to the change happening with him.
Beasin was growing even more frustrated.
‘Dammit, the due date ising closer!’
However, there was nothing he could do. The only thing he can do was to ask Jaehwan,
“Hey! Please, answer me!”
“Answer what?”
Jaehwan asked as he pulled away the sword grabbed by Beasin.
“Wow, thank you! I thought you had gone mad because you didn’t speak! I was worried that the precious [Product] had been damaged... uh, nevermind that,”
Beasin stuttered.
“Good. What do you want of me? I will do anything, other than killing myself, and moving to the next floor.”
Jaehwan then stopped the sword.
‘There we go.’
After Jaehwan realized he had the upper hand, he had been waiting for this very moment. He had waited until the Demon in front of him be frustrated. Jaehwan waited until Beasin could not wait any longer and took the bait.
“I need to ask you something then.”
“What is it? Anything!”
Beasin brightened up and continued,
“Do we now have room to negotiate?”
“Well, that depends on you.”
The answer made Beasin frown.
After pondering for some time, Beasin sighed and exined,
“Don’t be surprised. The universe isn’t connected in just one dimension.”
“I know.”
“...huh? You know?”
Jaehwan scowled.
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
Jaehwan did not know much about the universe. Everything he knew about it was what he had learned from school and what he had heard from Sakamoto when he climbed the tower. But he did hear a lot of different theories about the universe.
“So, the universe isprised of <Great Lands> and countless <Distantnds>?”
“You are right.”
ording to Beasin, the universe wasprised of one main dimension called <Great Lands> and millions of other <Distant Lands>. The earth was a small within one of many <Distant Lands>. Beasin called Earth as World 294. Jaehwan summarized the exnation,
“So this Tower of Nightmare is to prepare Walkers to adapt to the <Great Lands>.”
“Right.”
“And only the Walkers who sessfullypleted the Tutorial and the real game gets to move to the <Great Lands>.”
“You are absolutely right. You sure grasp the idea quick.”
Beasin did not use the word [Cultivation] or [Harvest]. He knew what the product would be if he heard it. Jaehwan then asked,
“So what does adaptation do? Does it just mean getting stronger?”
Beasin shook his head.
“No, it’s to get used to the <Interface System> of the <Great Lands>.”
“...the one to use skills, get items, or invest status points?”
“You can say that.”
Beasin grinned.
“Most races going to the <Great Lands> without preparation die out because they can’t adjust to the system. That’s why we made this <Tower of Nightmare> to help them adjust. Through the tutorial and the real game, you learn what it is like to have the system on the <Great Lands> and increase your survival rate. Demons like me work as an aid to this game.”
Beasin was careful with his exnation, but he was also astonished. He had seen no product this calm after hearing the truth about the world. All the products he had cultivated either refused to believe it or had gone mad. However, Jaehwan calmly epted what he was hearing. It seemed like he had been born for the game. And Beasin was satisfied by it.
“Let me ask you one more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you doing ‘this’?”
Beasin smiled bitterly. He knew that Jaehwan would ask this in the end. He had cultivated thousands of products for hundreds of years. Some had be powerful beings in the <Great Lands> while some had perished to its spirit. But all of them had asked this.
-Why are you doing this?
Beasin asked back.
“I don’t get your question. Do you want to know why I manage the Tower of Nightmare?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t think that’s what you really want to know.”
Beasin grinned and continued speaking,
“Isn’t it that you want to know why I brought the Tower of Nightmares into YOUR world, instead of countless other options?”