The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 35: 176-180, a 13 tzameti fanfic

If someone said Another League only gained a positive image due to the recent demon incident, it was absolutely a lie. Rather, thanks to the fact that the 'demon' catastrophe was caused by magic, Another League, which specializes in magic, and a place where numerous magicians gathered, was criticized a lot.

Until now, Another League was only a small to medium-sized guild, and the media couldn't attack them because they had never been directly involved in controversy and only showed a positive image by spreading magic and mugong to the public. However, because of the recent case, the media finally had something they could bite into, and took their shot to Another League.

Of course, Yekaterina, as the one who led Avon into the trap, was aware things could turn out this way. That's why as soon as she saw the media start to throw their accusations towards Another League, she put her contingency plan in place.

First, she asked Taylor to keep quiet for the time being. Because Yekaterina and Yoo Seodam would never answer the media's question, they would naturally switch their interview target and aim at Taylor Nine, who was relatively active and talkative, and would nitpick all of her words.

-Hunter Taylor, the Russian government said it is necessary to be wary of magic, and expressed their opinion that strong international control should be exercised towards it… What do you think of this?

However, as Taylor had already experienced being reported of defamation from numerous places because of her fact-bomber persona, she had a clear grasp of how to keep the media quiet. She took the mic of the reporter who suddenly came to her as soon as she cleared a dungeon by the request of China and then she exaggeratedly made a sad expression.

– Everywhere I go, it blooms…

To the reporter's surprise, Taylor didn't answer her question but started to sing. It was a classic Korean song from the early 21st century which even Koreans did not know well.

'Wait, Hunter Taylor! What are you doing now!'

Since the interview was broadcasted live, the reporter swiftly tried to steal the microphone back from Taylor's hand, but to no avail. Afterall, how could a normal person win against a SS rank superhuman?

Taylor's song then went beyond the climax as she took the camera from the cameraman's hand and used it as if she was using her phone to take a selfie.

– That's it~ I'm doing well~ Because it's my life, because it's my way~

That 'interview' then became a headline not only in China but also Korea and became a major issue in many foreign countries as well. Of course, the one who got criticized in the end wasn't Taylor but the Chinese broadcast station who tried to interview a hunter who had no ties at all to the sensitive political topic that occurred.

And because of Taylor's unnecessarily good singing skill, a strange situation unfolded in which she secured a fairly large fan base among netizens. In addition, world-famous singer Hellony tagged Taylor on her stargram post and suggested they form a duet together. Though, It was neatly reject with a light 'fuck off' by Taylor which then also become the hottest topic of the internet for a while.

Of course, while all those things happened, Another League didn't just play around. Thanks to the diversion Taylor made, Yekaterina gained enough time to clean up and make an official announcement.

The content was simple. It was 'Are you scared of magic because you don't know about it? Then I will teach you! Sign up for my class and you'll become my student too!'

Of course, some foreign correspondents responded to her announcement with a written article in Korean on SNS. They didn't mince their words as they expressed their concern such as 'Yekaterina used the incident of demon as a viral marketing for her magic academy' or 'The public is being deceived'.

However, unfortunately for them, Taylor directly went to their account and replied, 'Even if you want to learn, don't come, you bastard!', which was agreed by a lot of her fans. Thus, the reporter had no choice but to delete the post.

"Anyway, things are going smoothly. Now, I just need to decide the material for the lecture. Unlike the YTube video, I will directly teach them in the lecture, so I'm a little nervous…" Yekaterina said. Lately, life has been so enjoyable for her. In addition, when Yoo Seodam provide a bizarre idea to the academy's blueprint such as a magically operated cone hat vacuum cleaner, talking bulletin board which sometimes become angry, floating magic light, and magically moving walls and doors, the thought 'this is a business that would certainly become successful' always kept her awake at night.

All of those ideas stemmed from the fact that Yoo Seodam had visited several magic academies while traveling across numerous dimensions.

And Yekaterina made sure that most of his ideas would actually be used in the magic academy.

"How could you think of such an idea?"

"Well, I'm just that good."

"Yes?"

If there was such a thing as a cross dimension copyright law, Yoo Seodam would surely get arrested.

Now, the only thing left for Yoo Seodam was the textbook production. He intends to borrow a little bit of knowledge from another world since the books in the Library of the White Witch were unkind and weren't a good fit for a textbook.

'Should I just ask Aracelli?'

Of course, it was foolish to go to another world just because I had to make a textbook. However, I could do that because the time to receive a new mission had finally come.

Even though lately I've been spending my time in another world, I wasn't there because of any 'request', and for me, who had signed a contract to receive requests on a regular basis, it's time for me to fulfill my parts of the contract.

And while I was there, it would be nice to spend some time with Aracelli, who was very kind to me.

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Seodam Hunter-nim. I have selected some mission with greatest urgency for you.

"Is that so? I was thinking of going to a magic academy, though."

I also know about Seodam Hunter-nim's recent situation, and I think you've made a good decision. However, because there are some worlds which was in a very dangerous state right now, I can't really help it.

"Is that so? Well, to be honest, it didn't matter much. I can go wherever you want."

Since I was in the position to receive compensation after finishing the mission, I had no intention of complaining about the workplace. It's because I'd known since I was a kid that the world doesn't always work the way I want it to.

Besides, I don't even have to go to an academy. With Aracelli's vast knowledge, she could make any textbook without needing any external help. For that reason, I only brought a laptop, a blank textbook, and an ink pen.

'Every time I meet her, it seems like I keep asking her for something. I'll have to treat her to some beef later.'

I don't know whether Aracelli likes beef or not. But from what I know, 90 out of 100 people would like beef, so I'm sure Aracelli would also like it.

"Show me the mission list."

I understand.

『Did You Die Again? Do It Again!』

#fantasy #regression #growth

#sweet_potato #cider

『I Monopolized The Tutorial.』

#fusion #self-reliance #manipulation #fabrication

『When I Woke Up In Another World, I Became The Teacher of The World's Strongest Saints, But I'm Only An Incompetent Commoner? So, I'll Make A Harem Filled With The World's Strongest Saints』

#harem #growth #munchkin #saints #hidden_power

There seems to be an unidentified title at the end, but I have no idea what it is. I think I've seen it before…

Considering the flow of the story, you can think of it as a genre from Japan.

"Is that so…"

It seems it was a dangerous world to go to. Even if I had to go to that world in the end, I wouldn't do it right now because it was a genre I was unfamiliar with. A familiar regression genre would be better, but the difficulty level in that world was strangely high.

"Then… Shall we go to the tutorial?"

I'll show you the summary.

–

Summary

A giant Tutorial Tower which suddenly appeared in the world.

In this place, where races from many worlds gathered…

[Activating skill.]

[Skill 'Contractor of the Tutorial Fairy' has been activated.]

I will monopolize this world

–

"Well…."

Just like usual, I couldn't really guess what's waiting for me in that world through the summary alone. However, what was certain is that the protagonist was not a returner and he possessed a skill which was different from others.

Considering the fact that the fairy plays a very important role in the tutorial, signing a contract with them must have been a pretty overpowered ability.

"Okay. Let's go right away."

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[Moving to the 1st floor of the Tutorial Tower, the world where level 139 protagonist 'Wizen', resides.]

[10···9····8····.]

The world shook, all the landscape in front of my eyes flickered, and before long, a gigantic tower came into my sight.

[2····1····0]

[Moving complete.]

[You have become the challenger of the 'Tutorial Tower'.]

And when I woke up, I was standing in a certain square. The floor under my feet was coloured in the mixture between black and white tiles just like a chess board, giving off a strange atmosphere. And when I looked around me, I saw a lot of people wearing white t-shirts and gray shorts, with puzzled expressions on their faces.

[Granting the skill 'Tutorial Status Window (Temporary)']

[Your tutorial level is 1.]

When I looked up, I saw a pillar rising endlessly into the sky as if it was supporting the whole world.

"What, what!"

"Where is this?"

"What have you done to me!"

Judging from their reaction, it seems most of the people who came here have been kidnapped by the tower. In other words, this place was where the beginners gathered.

'Where's the protagonist, by the way? I don't think he's here in the beginner area since his level is pretty high.'

That's right. He is probably on the higher floor. However, I can't send you directly to higher floor since the only way to climb this Tutorial Tower is to be a challenger.

'I see.'

It couldn't be helped then. I only need to steadily climb the tower.

"Let me go! Hey! Let me go! I have important things to do!"

"Hey! Where is this? Uh, huuuuhhh…"

Suddenly, in the midst of confusion, something suddenly jumped out with a boom from the hazy fog which appeared in the air. It was a rabbit-like creature which reminds me of a rabbit from Alice In Wonderland. It wore a monocle and watch on its wrist while its body was wrapped in a purple and red formal suit

"Nice to meet you everyone! I am a Tutorial Fairy. Now, shall we start the tutorial?"

The square was completely silent at the words of the rabbit… No, the 'Tutorial Fairy'. However, moments later, the silence was broken as a middle-aged man who looked like a mouse suddenly screamed.

"What nonsense is that? Do you know who I am? Do you think you'll be fine after doing this to me? Send me back now!"

The fairy only smiled at the man's outburst. And somehow, I was able to predict what would happen next, so I hardened my face.

Puck!

"Huh…"

"Wha…whaatt!!!"

The middle-aged man's head swelled up like a balloon before it exploded. Scattering its bits and pieces into the surrounding.

"This is why I hate humans. By the way? Is there anyone else who wants their head to explode?"

Many people plopped down to the ground. And there's also a lot of people who sobbed and faint. But no one said anything anymore to the fairy. The confusion and anger they have had has been cleared up by the simple action of the rabbit.

"No one? That's good. There's a slight setback, so shall we start over?"

The fairy then began to explain the rules of the Tutorial Tower. As I listened to it, I suddenly remembered something. I opened my inventory and saw a worn-out diary there. It was a diary written by the principal of the haunted magic academy I went to last time, Malea.

'Don't tell me…' I took out the diary and opened its first page with a suspicious feeling in my heart.

[On the first floor of the tutorial, someone died. His head tragically exploded. It was a death with no cause nor meaning but no one dared to speak of it…(omitted)… The tutorial fairy then started the game. The rules were simple, the challenger only needed to pass through a maze full of obstacles and monsters.]

"The rules are simple! You just need to pass through the maze behind you. What do you think? It's easy, isn't it?"

The words I read in the diary unfolded in reality.

Malea May Brington.

She was a 19 years old female student who was currently in her 14th year of studying in Cheongyeon Private Magic High School. Her talent for magic was mediocre at best, but thanks to her lively personality and glamorous appearance, she was quite well known around the school. However, that wasn't the only thing which made Malea famous. She also had a high level of leadership. Her sense of responsibility and her leading personality had led her to assume the position of student president of the entire school despite her low grades.

She was always a daring and courageous leader who could solve practically any problem that came to her with her wits.

– Nice to meet you, everyone! I'm the fairy of the tutorial! Let's start the tutorial, shall we?

If she wasn't kidnapped into this hellish place called 'tutorial', she might have believed that for the rest of her life.

At that time, Malea and 11 other students from Cheongyeon Private Magic High School were somehow chosen to become the challenger of the tutorial tower. Amidst the confusion her schoolmates found themselves in, Malea proudly said, 'Trust me, guys. I'll take care of it.' and took the mantle of leader of the group into her shoulder. Naturally, there were students who were more senior than her and those who were more junior than her in the groups. However, as it didn't mean much in the tower, she threw away those titles, and asked them to refer to each other using the terms 'classmate'.

Malea believed that if the twelve aspiring magicians worked together, they would somehow get through any difficulties even in this unknown place.

However, she couldn't be any more wrong.

"Just who are you to try to lead us!?"

"I only became the leader because there's a need for someone to take the lead…"

One of the prideful female students with a dirty personality soon coveted Malea's place.

"Why would you want that item?"

"Because this item gives a boost to command stats. Didn't I already give you the equipment with high attack and defence stats?"

For everything Malea had, her classmate began to be jealous.

"I don't want to! Why should I take that role?!"

"But someone has to stay there and put up a shield while I sneak into the enemy camp and steal things!"

"In the meantime, what if the monster turns around and kills me? No one can protect me! It's dangerous!"

"Just what…."

As a child, she had always thought she was excellent at leadership. No, actually, her leadership was indeed very good because she even acquired the skill [Great Leader (S)] from the tower. Her exceptional judgment was also high enough to the extent she was recognized by many as a 'ranker'.

But dealing with her classmate had proven to be much more difficult than anything else she had encountered in her whole life. The childrens who came from a world teeming with peace were very sensitive due to the constant dangerous situation they find themselves in, and it was almost impossible to appease them all.

They didn't want to lose anything, they were selfish, and always kept their distance from each other. They would immediately explode when they received insufficient compensation or took on a more dangerous task than others.

Malea had to do all the difficult tasks by herself. But yet, the reward she got from it still had to be distributed to everyone. But even after all of that, they still find something to complain about, such as, "Why should I get something worse than him?" or "Why did I have to go to a more dangerous area than him!"

And, exactly one day and three hours ago…

Her last classmate had died.

In the 10th floor of the Tutorial Tower, which was called by many challengers as 'Challenger's Tomb' because of the fact that 90% of all the challengers give up and reside there, Malea erected her eleventh tombstone.

Underneath the pouring rain, Malea blankly gazed at the new tombstone where her last friend slept forever. It had been over a year since she arrived in the Tutorial Tower. In the meantime, she was able to climb to the 10th floor thanks to the help of her friends who had died before her. However, she was still far from the finish line, the real challenge was just about to begin.

Will she be able to climb the tower that she could not climb even with the help of her friends on her own? No matter what it takes, she promised herself she would make it through. If she didn't climb, she would be trapped in this hellish 10th floor forever. And she didn't want that.

The 10th floor of the Tutorial Tower was a place with no law and no guilt. Robbery, murder, rape, blackmailing, and kidnapping were common occurrence here. Malea, who belonged to the low-class, would probably won't last long… and would soon become a cold corpse on the side of the road.

Malea opened her diary. Since she started the tutorial, she wrote about everything that happened every day in her diary. It was some kind of record which held everything she had been through.

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Drip, water droplets stained the diary.

What should I write?

[Today, my last friend died.]

What should I write?

[But I'm not sad.]

She wrote a lie. For a moment her hand stopped. Would it be better to leave a hopeful message saying [Nevertheless, I will go on]? Or should I act like I was completely fine, just in case someone else sees it?

But, does that even mean anything? If someone like her died, she was certain her diary would become nothing but trash. Malea's negative thoughts kept shrouding her head like a dark cloud above. It would surely drive her mad sometime soon, but now… right now, Malea could still endure it.

When she returned to the city, Malea put her hood on and hid her face. Her pretty face was still the same as what she had back in school. But in this gutter, such a pretty face without any power would only turn her into a target of many people. She will be treated like an overnight doll by the challengers of the tutorial, without any regards of what kind of life she had been living.

"Hey, did you hear the news?"

"Are you talking about the news of challenger 'Yoo Seodam' who went up to the 60th floor even though he went solo?"

"After 'Wigen' and his party, I think he's the first challenger to reach the 60th floor. And for me, he's more amazing than Wigen since he did it alone."

"Didn't he get there only half a year after entering the tower? Meanwhile, there's so many people who were trembling on the 29th floor for half a year."

Malea listened to the conversation around her. One of the main reasons why the lower floors of the tower had become a lawless zone was because of the challengers with high-level equipment and many skills who come down to the lower floors after going up to the upper floors. With their overwhelming strength, they often intimidated challengers from the lower floors, which created a serious gap between the strong and the weak. They even made a caste system with that.

In fact, the ruler of the 10th floor was Dahalante of the 'Wings of Heaven' Guild who had climbed to the 56th floor.

While the members of Wings of Heaven Guild keeps progressing through the dungeons they monopolized, and with the help of items they got from their guildmate who had climbed into the higher floor, those who did not have it become more and more depressed as they felt their dreams of rising to higher floor drifting further and further.

"Hey, bow down! Bow down!"

"They are members of the Wings of Heaven Guild…!"

Through the dark and dreary streets, Malea could see the challengers bow their heads down when men in disproportionately glamorous silver and gold armor appeared. Malea herself was also included in those challengers who bowed their heads down.

"Challengers of the 10th floor, I will make an announcement. A while ago, we, the Wings of Heaven Guild discovered an unknown dungeon. It is located on the 10th floor of the northern part of 'Rayuka's Habitat'. And we are going to share this dungeon with you guys! We are looking forward to your participation!"

"A dungeon?"

"Are there still dungeons left on the 10th floor?"

"Oh, I can't believe it…"

The crowd around Malea becomes rowdy by the sudden revelation.

The level of one's strength in the tower was determined by two things. The first one is skills. The number of skill slots every challenger possesses will increase every time they climb through 10 floors. So, it was only natural that the higher the challengers climb, the more powerful they are.

Second is the equipment.

An equipment item levelled up by 1 every 10 floors. It was one of the most absolute reasons why the gap between the challengers exists. Because with a level 1 weapon, no matter how powerful the attack is, it would never pierce through a level 2 armor.

The problem is, such equipment items could only be found as a drop item in the 'dungeon'. And since most of the dungeons that currently exist on the 10th floor have all been occupied, it was good to say that there was almost no way for new challengers to obtain equipment. In other words, there was no opportunity for a new challenger to challenge the 11th floor.

All other 'fixed dungeons' were monopolized by the Wings of Heaven Guild. In other words, there's no way to get equipment other than to become their slaves.

Malea didn't want to do it even if she died. Afterall, she was well aware how women were treated here; and it was very easy to predict how terrifying it would be to enter the Wings of Heaven Guild.

Currently, most of the equipment Malea had was only level 0 equipment she had obtained from the 9th floor and lower. And although her staff was a level 1 weapon, it did not even have a great effect except for raising her command stats, so, the truth is, she had already half abandoned the idea of climbing through the 11th floor.

But what if she participated in the expedition led by the Wings of Heaven Guild? If she could get at least one equipment item which was unconditionally distributed to all dungeon challengers…

'But, something is strange.' Malea murmured. It was common sense that Wings of Heaven Guild was selfish. However, such a selfish bunch suddenly let other challengers who were not part of their guild to the dungeon they discovered? Clearly something is up.

But, even knowing that.

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"I'll go too."

"Hey stupid bastard. It must be a trap…"

"I can't help it! Are you going to live on the 10th floor for the rest of your life? As long as you go up to the 11th floor, you could raid a dungeon again, so you can go up. If I get one piece of equipment here, I can climb the tower again!"

The challengers who had no choice but to reside on the 10th floor eventually let themselves be deceived by those words.

…Malea as well.

-Oh, there are quite a lot of new faces gathered in this dungeon! I was getting tired of seeing only the face I know every day!

The next day. Around forty members of the Wings of Heaven Guild and about 100 general challengers were gathered at the entrance of the dungeon. Above them, a translucent fairy with a strange shape which looks like a combination of a deer and a rabbit was jumping in the air and making quite a commotion.

Those so-called 'tutorial fairy' were the only creatures in the entire tower which knew the secret of this tower. From what Malea had heard, some challengers were lucky enough to turn their lives around and were said to be living in the upper floor currently after getting a single line of information from the fairy. They were like a goose that lays golden eggs, but no one could talk to them easily because they often pop the heads of humans.

Malea was certain the fairy was aware about the 'secret' of the dungeon she would soon enter. And as she didn't want to miss it, Malea carefully listened to the fairy. At least they didn't lie when it's about the tower's challenge.

-Now, the rules of this dungeon are simple! It is 'Choose, the door of truth!' There are many doors in the dungeon, but there is only one real door! You must try to find the door which would lead you to the truth! What if you choose a door which wouldn't lead you to the truth? Unfortunately, you have no choice but to die!

"What, what…?"

"Wait a minute!!"

Only then did the challengers realize the reason why the Wings of Heaven Guild allowed them to enter this dungeon.

Malea thought there must be a right way to find the 'door of truth' in the dungeon. However, it seems like the Wings of Heaven Guild couldn't find a way to do it, and couldn't help but to think of another way, that is, to throw the challengers into a random door and see whether the door is the correct one or not.

As the atmosphere of the challengers became chaotic, the members of the Wings of Heaven Guild drew their swords. Most of them were level 3 swords or even higher, which means, their users were challengers who had climbed over 30 floors. It was completely impossible for all the challengers gathered here to face them.

"Y'all have come all the way here, you can't just return empty-handed, can you?"

"These bastards who deserve to be punished…."

"Well, think about it. If you're lucky enough to find the real door, you'll be given a piece of equipment or something."

Malea looked at the members of Wings of Heaven Guild who just talked. They really had no feelings for the other challengers as they said those words without the slightest change on their facial expressions. They truly treat the other challengers as a disposable tool.

Malea bit her lips tightly. It's impossible to run away from this location since challengers above the 30th floor were blocking the way from all sides. In the end, she had no choice but to enter the dungeon…

'Will the Goddess of Luck be on my side?'

Cold sweat dripped down her cheeks as she clenched her fist tight and looked at the floating fairy. She was well aware since yesterday that things would turn out into something like this. So, she had no regrets whatsoever. However, the fear of knowing she could be dead soon was something she couldn't avoid.

However, at that moment, someone tapped on Malea's shoulder.

"…?"

When she turned around slowly, she saw someone wrapped in a robe all over their body just like her. The person was a little bit smaller than herself, and when she threw them a look of 'why did you call me?', the person lowered her hood.

Then, a long black hair resembling the night and blue eyes resembling the deep sea appeared from beyond the hood. Malea couldn't help but get mesmerized as she was such a beautiful girl. For a moment, that person's beauty even made her forget all the hard times she suffered through in the tower.

Then, she asked quietly with an innocent smile plastered on her face towards Malea. "Don't you remember me? I've been looking for you for a long time."

"I'm sorry. I don't remember you."

"Hmm… is that so? It seems this is our first meeting. Though, for me it's already the third time."

"Yes?" Malea said with a surprised tone. What a waste, her face is really pretty, but it seems her head was a bit… As Malea was having such a thought, the girl reached out her hand towards her.

"My name is Aracelli. Please take care of me, Malea."

'How did she know my name?' Malea was surprised once again. After all, her face was still hidden under the robe. Although such a question arose in her mind, Malea soon accepted the handshake of a girl named Aracelli.

Anyway, it seems like both of them wouldn't be knowing each other for long, so she thought she would enjoy it while it lasted.

200 independent challengers entered the dungeon first before the 40 members of Wings of Heaven Guild. For the entire journey inside the dungeon, all the challengers were silent, those who were chatting were all the members of Wings of Heaven Guild. Afterall, why should they chat with each other? They know that those who were walking next to them, or standing in front or behind them would soon die.

In the midst of this despairing and choking silence, Malea trudged along. However, unlike the people around her, she was calmly assessing their captors.

'There are 20 long-distance classes, 7 tanks, and the rest are supporters….'

Malea's eyes darted towards their equipment now. They were all wearing level 3 equipment, in other words, they were challengers that had climbed at least 30 floors. As someone with only level 0 equipment, she wouldn't even dare to dream of defeating them.

'Besides, I heard that the movement speed increase option is attached on the boots beyond level 3.'

Malea bit her lips tight. The equipment obtained from the Tutorial Tower becomes extremely effective as the level goes up. For example, goggles and glasses would greatly increase vision as well as reaction speed, boots boost agility and speed, armor increases defense and endurance, while weapons naturally overwhelmingly increase attack power.

Moreover, while level 0 equipment has an attack power of 0-9, level 1 equipment has a defence power of 10-19, hence, it was almost impossible to damage a level 1 equipment using a level 0 equipment no matter how hard you try, let alone against a level 3 equipment. It would be no different than hitting a rock with an egg.

'Resisting or running away is impossible. Is there really no other answer than finding the door of truth?'

Because Malea was the one who put herself in this situation, she did not get frustrated or think of giving up. Rather, she kept trying to find a way to survive somehow.

-Come on, the game starts now~! Doo-to-do!

The inside of the dungeon was wide enough to be considered as a huge cavern. There were more than two hundred doors scattered here and there. Moreover, the whole dungeon was extremely unique. Normally, the ground of the room should always be located 'underneath' the feet. However, in this space, the ground is everywhere. It didn't matter whether it's above, below, left, or right; wherever your feet landed, that was the ground. When someone climbed the stairs to the ceiling, the ceiling would become the floor for them, it also applied to the wall.

It would be a very rare space in real life, but in this tower, it was a common sight. The phenomenon was called 'euclidean topological space in the spatial plane'. A concept discovered on a peculiar planet named Ase, which had failed to implement the theory in that world, but succeeded in bringing it to reality in the tower.

Wonderful?

Beautiful?

No words could express Malea's feelings regardless of how many times she saw the phenomenon in front of her. But unfortunately, now was not the time to admire it.

– Can you see it~?! So many fake doors! However, there is only one true door amongst all! If you choose the false door, you know what will happen, right?

"Ugh…"

"Damn fairy…"

-Then, game, start!

The rabbit fairy exclaimed excitedly. When Malea heard it, she thought that maybe the fairy was happy because it probably knew which door was the door of truth.

"Move in order from the front and open the door."

"Shit!"

"You rotten bastards…"

"If we're lucky, no one will die and it might end quickly."

Independent contenders gnashed their teeth and did what they were told since they knew resisting was useless. Three challengers, who were chosen in order to open the door, put their hands on the handle. They were sweating profusely as their faces turned visibly paler.

Immediately after… Except for one, the other two doors suddenly turned into huge mouths and opened wide. Moments later, hundreds of jagged teeth were exposed and instantly coloured in crimson red as a total of seven challengers were chopped into bits and pieces.

"….!!"

The noise in the surrounding suddenly died down. Everyone was silent at the terrible sound of flesh and bone being chewed, mixed, and digested. Many were stumbling to the ground while puking out all of their breakfast.

The expression of some of the Wings of Heaven Guild members also became rigid at the scene. But, the challengers above the 30th floor did not show any reaction. Perhaps they did not find any value or interest in their deaths.

"Actually, I didn't even expect the real door would come out. So, what are you doing? Keep moving!"

The leader of the expedition was a man who had his body covered with level 4 equipment. For the challengers on the 10th floor, it can be said that he was akin to a god. There was no one who could disobey him, so the remaining 193 independent challengers slowly moved forward.

Malea bit her lip and forced her brain to think.

Is this ignorant way the only option we have? It can't be.

The Tutorial Tower was a mysterious world oriented to 'challenge'. Therefore, there must be some answer to every mystery it gave. Even if the Wings of Heaven Guild couldn't find a way to do it, and just used this ignorant method, it doesn't mean there's no other way.

"Wait…" So, Malea tried to sound her opinion towards the expedition leader.

"What? Are you trying to waste my precious time?"

"No, please hear me for a second. Rather than doing it like this, how about doing it a little more efficiently? For example, letting everyone choose the door? someone might find the answer if they're lucky."

"…why should I listen to you?"

To his words, Malea shrugged her shoulders and replied. "We have a higher chance of dying rather than escaping anyway, think of it as giving us the right to choose our own grave. You know better than us that we have a slim chance of escaping, right? How can we get away from 'rankers'?"

In fact, the term 'rankers' referred to great challengers who had climbed up to the 50th floor or higher, but some guild members' lips couldn't help but twitch as they heard how Malea referred to them.

The expedition leader's lips also twitched ever so slightly and said. "Fine, I'll go with your suggestion. But! If any of you think of secretly wasting your time doing nothing, I'll throw you into a door myself."

"I understand."

Malea sighed. She had created a situation where she could choose the door she wanted, but the core problem still remains.

'How the hell do I find the door?'

Even the leader of Wings of Heaven Guild who had conquered up to the 56th floor, could not find the answer. So, how could she, a challenger of only the 10th floor, find it?

'No! I have to think about it! even if this tower is unkind to the challenger, there's no way they can create an unclearable challenge.'

"It's over there."

"…….!"

Malea trembled as someone suddenly whispered in her ear. She glanced behind her and saw the short pretty girl from earlier looking up at her from below.

"Sorry?"

"The third pillar across the bridge, the second one from far right. It's written there."

"Yes?"

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A girl named Aracelli pointed her finger carefully. The place she pointed at was neither a door nor a hallway, but a mirror on the other side of the pillar which was slanted in a very weird angle as if it had been deliberately moved that way. There were letters engraved in the mirror, and thanks to the angle, Malea could see the letters.

[Go this way.]

However, the writing was too sloppy, and the content was also not convincing enough.

Who wrote that?

"Do you believe in such mischievous writing?" Malea asked as she looked at Aracelli.

"Yes. That's Professor's handwriting."

"Who is that…"

Malea couldn't believe Aracelli's words. It made no sense to risk your life for some unverified piece of information like this in the first place. However, because she didn't have any other clues right now, she couldn't help but grab Aracelli's arm and pulled her to the place directed by the words. She was certain there was something special there because of the fact there was a written word in this space.

[Why are you acting so slow? Look down to the right.]

"What…."

A chill crawled up her spine as she read the words which were directed here once again as if whoever wrote it knew what she would do. Then, she looked down to her right just like what the words told her to, hoping she would find nothing.

[Jump down!]

Such words came into her sight.

Malea was seriously creeped out now and could feel a headache incoming. However, before it could even arrive, the shout of the expedition's leader rang out.

"What are you doing! Come on, move!"

The moment she looked up, she could see more words in the mirror which weren't seen before because of the angle.

[Ignore that stupid expedition leader and run quickly, Malea!]

"Crazy, crazy, this is really crazy…!"

Eventually, Malea tightly closed her eyes and followed the words, jumping down. At first glance, the height alone was around 11m, so she was afraid that she would suffer fatal damage when she landed. But surprisingly, the gravity when she fell kept changing and slowing her descent, resulting in her being able to land intact on the ground.

"Haaaahhh…" Malea let out a relieved breath as she plopped down to the ground. Meanwhile, she could see from the corner of her eyes that Aracelli had gracefully landed next to her.

"Stay strong. You don't want to die here, do you?" Aracelli smiled.

"Yes…" Malea nodded her head, then she quickly thought back to the words she read earlier.

'Was it written with a magic marker? In terms of the liquid's dryness…'

It should have been written around 6 months ago.

But why was it written as if the writer knew about my current circumstances?

'What the hell……..'

"Hey, Malea, let's move. We don't have time to rest."

"Yes? Okay."

Araceli grasped Malea's hand and led her.

"Eugghhh!"

"Sa, save me!"

Meanwhile, numerous screams continued to resound from somewhere else.

Inside the dungeon called the Door of Truth, there were numerous traps except for the 'door', and those screams were probably from people who were being attacked by it.

'That's right, I don't have time to worry about stuff like that now. I have to focus on matters at hand..'

At that time.

"Duck!"

"Uh-huh!"

Malea slumped forward as she was kicked. She was sure it was Aracelli who did that. Then a sharp guillotine suddenly passed over her head.

"Cr… crazy…!"

Without giving Malea time to be surprised, Araceli said. "Crawl seven steps forward. Hurry!"

"Yes!"

As Malea followed her words and swiftly crawled forward, Aracelli once again said, "Roll three times to the right!"

Malea couldn't afford to think why she said it. She just did what she was instructed to.

To her amazement, three poles suddenly came down on the spot where she had been lying down just moments ago.

"Now get up and walk. After twelve steps, turn your head!"

Shortly after twelve steps, a stone statue of Medusa which could turn anything into a stone with a single eye contact appeared in front of her before instantly disappearing. Thanks to the precise timing of the turn, she was able to avoid being turned into stone.

"Good. Now go straight to the right. On the third block, briefly cling to the wall and then go straight."

"…"

"Here, count one, two, three and run! Then jump from the first pole!"

"Aww! So, something just rubbed against my ankle…!"

What the hell is this girl? How did she know all this? Malea glanced at Aracelli as she continued to move. She was walking leisurely while reading something that looked like torn paper.

"No."

"Yes?"

"You can't see this yet. The 'probability' would be consumed enormously if you read it. If something goes wrong, Professor could be in danger, so you should never look at this, understand?"

"Ah yes…"

"Hmm. By the way, you are the type of person who writes a diary very meticulously, huh? But, why do you chew gum sixty times before spitting it out?"

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"I was originally meticu- No, how did you know about that? Just who are-"

"Nevermind that, get down!"

"…!"

Bang!

Malea banged her head into the ground as she did what Aracelli told her to. Blood was dripping from her nose. Moreover, she couldn't even ask what she wanted to ask.

'I'll find out about it someday! Really!'

With that determination, Malea ran and ran again to survive. For some reason, she could trust whatever the mysterious girl told her to do.

60th floor, Metro City 3193.

While wearing sunglasses, Yoo Seodam sat on the roof of a building and looked at the night view full of neon signs underneath. In the Tutorial Tower, there was basically no life except for the AI system called 'NPC' and the challengers in this futuristic city.

As he was enjoying the sight of flying battleships in the night sky above and numerous self-driving cars galloping along the transparent road, a gray-skinned android dressed in a maid uniform suddenly approached him and held out a tray towards Yoo Seodam.

-Challenger Yo…Yoo Seodam, I b…brought the ri…rice cake soup.

"Oh yeah. Thank you, but stop stuttering."

-That, it's not programmed, so I…I can't.

"Just download it."

-Well, A…already do…download it. B…but it's m…my ha…habit so I…I ca…can't fi…fi…fix it.

"…Is that something a computer should say?" Yoo Seodam said as he rose from his seat. Then, he activated his stage point. It was technology which could take him anywhere in the whole 60th. As the concept of the floor was 'Time war between humans and machines', the time zones of every point were different.

[Metro City, Void Battleship takes you to 2979.]

After a moment of closing his eyes, Yoo Seodam was greeted by ruins of numerous buildings which had been completely destroyed underneath the sea of fire, even though it was the same city as moments before. However, since the stage he was in currently was already cleared, there were no monsters left.

The only thing bothering him was a huge battleship above which was slowly descending while occupying half of the sky. That battleship was a very important part of the story on this floor because it symbolized the defeat of humans and at the same time signaled the arrival of the machine age.

Even so, for Yoo Seodam, it was only a side dish for his rice cake soup.

"I hope Aracelli is doing well."

While he was climbing the tower, he had left a few pages of the diary to Aracelli and spent some leisurely time with her on the lower floor while creating the 'magic textbook', which was the original purpose why he came to this world.

Unlike in the past, where she had always arrived first, and given him support, this time, she arrived after Yoo Seodam. That was why he could finally repay some of her help by giving her something like a 'bus'.

(T/N Bus is a game term for power levelling if you don't know. In this, a higher level player carries the lower level player to power up.)

From the 60th floor onwards, it would become more difficult to do so, because going to the lower floors was restricted until the stage was cleared. However, giving up the stage progress and going down was also impossible because he had to check the unique growth of the protagonist 'Wigen'.

'I have to be patient and wait. To hunt Wigen, Malea's help is essential. …I already marked everything in the diary while climbing the tower, so they will be arriving soon.'

After thinking about it for a while, five shadows appeared from the sky afar. Since there was not a single living thing here, it was obvious who came.

The protagonist, Wigen. And his party members.

"It's you again, Yoo Seodam?"

"Uh… It's been a long time, right? It's nice to see you after 3 hours of separation."

"Just move away."

"I'll do so. But, where did one of your friends go? You were originally a party of six."

"I threw him away because he was kidnapped by the Machine Corps. There's no need or reason to save some baggage. Need another answer?"

I did expect it, but still. He was a total psycho who sought extreme 'cider'!

Is your party holding you back? Throw them away.

Is there someone in his party who is bothered by his opinion? Kill.

But no one could stop him.

After all, Wigen possessed a cheat skill that allowed him to communicate with the 'fairy of tutorials', the omnipotent beings who made this giant tower, and monopolized all kinds of information within it.

Even Yoo Seodam with his future record did not dare to fight head-to-head against the power of information. 'Malea's Tutorial Diary' only records what happened to her in detail, and there was no record of any dungeons or events occurring whatsoever. Furthermore, even if he knew the future, it would be difficult for Yoo Seodam to use it; It was because the act of preoccupying the future knowledge is a serious violation of 'probability'.

"Yoo Seodam. You too, stop your foolish act and join my party. You are worthy, unlike the other useless bastards."

"Uh-huh, you want this big bro to bow to you and crawl under you? Not a chance."

"Don't you know? To break through the 60th floor, we must cooperate with each other."

"Can't I just stay here on the 60th floor? After all, interfering with you is the funniest thing."

"Words just don't work with you… Seriously."

Wigen drew out his black sword. He was going to fight Yoo Seodam in earnest.

However,

Wheeing! Wheeing! Wheeing!

Suddenly, sirens echoed from the void battleship above. Then, a message was sent out to the whole world.

– Night of the Machine has arrived.

– Annihilate all humans living and breathing on this earth.

– Annihilate!

In an instant, blue light covered the earth. It was scanning for any sign of life left. From what Yoo Seodam knows, soon, the moment a life signal was detected, they would bombard it with laser bombardment. He had to move to another stage point quickly.

Then, Yoo Seodam looked at Wigen who had a sour expression on his face. It seems like he had realized what Yoo Seodam was doing; obstructing him from entering the dungeon. However, unfortunately for him, Yoo Seodam's body had started to disappear.

"Rotten bastard…"

In many ways, he was an evil man until the very end.

In Metro City 3193, the sun never rises. It was an unbelievable phenomenon which happened thanks to the Sci-Fi setting of the 60th floor which begins with the phrase [The day the sun burned its last flame and the moon fell, eternal night arrived.]

I know basic common sense that without the sun, all planets would be freezing cold. However, the setting of Metro City couldn't be bothered to tackle such matters at all since it directly utilized 'science' to replace common sense. I also wouldn't go out of my way to think about what kind of theory was used behind such science. In the first place, this world is a fantasy world which exists within the Tutorial Tower.

In this place, artificially created starlight hangs in the night sky above, illuminating every corner of the world. And, on the ground, machines roam freely in the streets, while [today's weather] and [today's news] was broadcasted by a hologram android and was highlighted with a blue neon sign. However, hidden away by those bright fronts, the phrase [Freedom for humanity!] written in bright red could be found on the walls of the dark alleyway.

It was truly a city devoid of any organic lives.

At the very end of that world, I was standing before the door of the boss room [Last Cradle Song].

– Ah~! Challenger Yoo~Seodam! Are you finally going to challenge the last stage on the 60th floor~?! I've been waiting for you!

Behind me, a translucent woman whispered into my ear. She was the tutorial fairy who oversaw the 60th floor. Even though she had a pretty smile plastered on her face right now, I didn't get deceived by it. I know just how vicious her personality could be once I actually start challenging the stage.

"Unfortunately, I came here because I have other business to do."

– Oh, why~! Do you know just how much the 'Administrators' are looking forward to your move, challenger Yoo Seodam?!

"Are you that happy because the Administrators were interested in the 60th floor?"

-Of course~ So, can't you just give it a try?

I was well aware that the 'Administrators' who built this Tutorial Tower were interested in me. After all, there's nothing more fun for them than seeing humans struggle for their dear lives.

The 'Administrators' were somewhat similar to the 'constellations' I met in one of my missions. But they were more desperate than the constellations as they had to raise their 'class' in order to prolong their lifespan. The only way to do it was to give an outstanding challenger their 'skill' and 'protection'.

-By the way, challenger Yoo Seodam, why don't you choose a 'sponsor'~? You don't have any protection yet, do you? I'm sure you will receive a lot of love from the Administrators!

I climbed through the tower at a fairly high speed — only behind Wigen in terms of speed — and had received numerous contacts from the Administrators. However, I turned every single one of their offers down. The reason was simple. I don't want to be their puppet. If I become an Administrator's contractor, my action would be severely restricted and I would have to say goodbye to hunting Wigen.

Besides, the blessings don't mean much to me since it will disappear once I return to Earth.

"Well, I don't really feel the need to have one! I'll take care of myself, so, just shut up."

-Hey, hey! Watch your tongue when you talk about the Administrators! Do you want to die?!

"They are welcome to try if they want!"

Every time I uttered such rude remarks towards the Administrators who were no different from the god of this world, the fairy would always get scared and disappear. However, no matter how rude I am, the Administrators never tried to kill me. Even now, I believe there were several Administrators who were heartbroken because I once again refused their protection.

"Ugh…"

Thinking about it, it's been half a year since I entered the tutorial tower. Since time in this world flows 15 times faster, only about 12 days have passed on Earth.

'I need to slowly proceed with the mission…'

In the process of going up to the 60th floor, I had interacted with Aracelli and had successfully produced a magic textbook, my original purpose of coming here. However, as of now, it was still impossible for me to hunt Wigen, the protagonist. So, it was inevitable to get a little nervous.

Do you perhaps have any other plans?

It has been six months since I came here, it was no wonder that the system asked me with a worried tone. In the first place, hunting Wigen, who was loved by a fairy of the tutorial rather than simply being loved by the 'world', should be difficult even in her eyes.

"Well, I have some…"

Suddenly, I remembered the time when I first encountered the tutorial stage.

– The way to clear the stage is simple! You just have to go through that maze that unfolds behind you! How about it, it's easy isn't it?

It was really easy for me. Because in 'Malea's Diary', the necessary trick to pass the maze as well as the placement of the traps which the fairy did not tell us were written in detail. However, there was still a man who arrived earlier than me.

It was the protagonist, Wigen. The man who was protected by a tutorial fairy.

I had acted according to the record left by the future Malea. However, was the path she took 100% correct? In the diary, the phrase [I failed. It has become irreversible.] appeared quite frequently, and in most cases the correct answer did not appear.

Also, the path she had taken was only a conclusion she barely reached after wandering around the stage. It means that I wouldn't be able to follow Wigen, who under the guidance of the fairy, moves faster and more efficiently than anyone else.

But still, even with those handicaps, I have to climb the tower. Afterall, the only way to kill Wigen, who had made a contract with a fairy in the tutorial, was to climb the tower.

Did the fairy really sign a contract with a challenger like Wigen who didn't know anything? Of course not. Using Story, one of the skills of [Protagonist Hunter, I found out the reason why the fairy made a contract with Wigen.

All fairies in the Tutorial Tower want to look good in the Administrators' eyes. And, since Administrators were on a constant lookout for an outstanding challenger, the fairies hoped they could present one to them and could share the same 'class' as the Administrators once it happened.

Wigen noticed the circumstances of the fairies, and asked one of them for a 'contract'.

'If it's a fairy who created a great challenger, maybe you can become an Administrator like them?'

It was a tempting offer, but for those cheap fairies, empty words aren't powerful enough. And so, the fairy put up one condition to the contract.

[You must go up to the highest floor. If you are overtaken by anyone, you will immediately die.]

Perhaps it was a condition created to give [crisis] to the protagonist, but, the information the fairy gave him was nothing short of a cheat, allowing Wigen to comfortably breeze through the Tutorial Tower without any worries of getting overtaken by anyone.

But it will be different from now on.

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'I have finally found Malea.'

From the last contact I had with Aracelli, I heard that she had found Malea on the 10th floor. Things would certainly become better for me once she starts climbing the tower. She would bring numerous hidden pieces and items which had not yet been touched by me because of the law of 'future knowledge'.

"Yoo Seodam… What are you doing here?"

"Oh! You're here? Do you want to challenge the boss?"

Wigen nodded with a firm expression on his face to answer my question.

I liked the reaction, so I said with a smirk.

"Challenge the stage!"

[You have challenged the final gateway on the 60th!]

[For the span of one-week, other challengers will not be able to challenge the same stage.]

– Ah~! Contestant Yoo Seodam~!! Are you finally ready to take on the challenge?

"Forfeit."

[You have forfeited. The stage would be reset.]

-Ch… Challenger, Yoo Seodam~?

So, until Malea comes, I will try to troll as much as possible and prevent Wigen from going up.

"Come here after a week or so, Wigen."

Malea looked at the back of the little girl in front of her with a confused expression. She looks like she was in her late teens or so, but for some reason, her blue eyes seem to be filled with wisdom.

The girl was currently trudging forward leisurely because she was familiar with the structure of this dungeon. Every time Malea asked her how she knew about it, the reply she got was always, 'The Professor told me.'

Just who the hell is this 'Professor'? And, why is he helping her?

She had thought about it, but to no avail. She just could not come up with any answer.

"Here it is."

"…."

They finally reached their destination. It was an ordinary-looking door which was no different from any other doors at the first glance. But, on this particular door, the phrase [Way to Yoo Seodam] was written crookedly.

Malea gulped her dry saliva before looking into Aracelli's eyes. Thanks to her guidance, her travel until this point was way easier than any challenges she had taken on the Tutorial Tower. But, could she really trust her when she would certainly lose her life if things went south?

If Malea was an ordinary person, by this point she would surely voice an ungrateful remark such as 'You led me here, so you open it.' But Malea firmly grasped the doorknob before telling Aracelli.

"I will believe in your words."

"The one you need to believe is the Professor's words, not mine."

Saying so, Aracelli took a step back. Then, Malea closed her eyes tightly before snapping the door open.

Creaaak~!!

After the creaking sound, the sound of falling golden coins resounded and a fanfare exploded.

– Bababam~~!! Congratulations! You have succeeded in finding the 'Door of Truth'!

[All 'Doors of Lies' will be destroyed, and the Door to the Truth will be opened!]

"Oh!!!" Malea exclaimed. Happiness and relief were apparent on her face as she had truly found the real door.

Just how much time she had been wasting on the 10th floor? It will be different from now on. Once she obtained a level 1 equipment or perhaps higher from this dungeon, she would be able to go up to the 11th floor. Once she did that, she would also be able to hit the upper floors all the way up!

'I, I, I too, can finally climb up…!'

The happiness she felt was really overflowing, making it difficult to keep her expression in check. As she sat down on the floor and smirked, Aracelli came up to her with a smile.

"Good for you."

"Yes, yes, thank…"

Before she could even finish expressing her gratitude, she heard footsteps echoing in the distance. More than a hundred challengers who were able to survive thanks to her swift discovery of the door were approaching the place she was currently at together with the members of the Wings of Heaven Guild.

The leader of the expedition looked at the wide-open door and nodded his head without even sporting any particular expression.

"Good find."

No one pointed it out even though it was a very rude act. No, all the independent challengers in this place would rather consider him a big brother rather than defending Malea. Anyway, they had survived, and they would be able to receive level 1 equipment for free.

However, the Fairy suddenly poured cold water on their heads.

– Too bad! Didn't you know that only 40 people can enter the Gate of Truth?

"What, what?"

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"Wait a minute! Only 40 people? What the hell is that……"

Malea thought, If it was 40, it exactly matches the number of Wings of Heaven Guild members who were present here. In other words, they must have already heard this condition from the Fairy and had come accordingly.

"Now that it has come to this, you must all die here."

The story goes according to this obvious scenario.

Malea bit her lips tightly while colour started to leave her face. After all, it was absolutely impossible to either run away or fight against those who at least had level 3 or level 4 equipment.

'I've come all the way here, yet, you want me to die in such a vain way?'

Without realizing it, she took a step backwards. Other independent challengers were also doing the same as her, slowly taking a step back. no matter what kind of tricks they might try, it was impossible for them to get out of this closed dungeon alive. The members of Wings of Heaven Guild would surely kill all the challengers here for the sole reason of 'destroying evidence'.

"Those who are dissatisfied with this decision, come forward now."

However, no one said anything as they all either bowed their heads or turned away. If they were bound to die, they thought it would be better to die a little later than anybody else. There is no reason to accuse each other of being a coward. anyone would naturally do that

"Get out of my way!"

When there was no one in the way, the expedition leader drew his sword and approached Malea and Aracelli. A level 4 sword on his hand flashed brilliantly. Malea was sure, as soon as it touched a level 0 insignificant robe, the robe would be mercilessly torn apart.

Nevertheless, Malea forced her heavy feet to take a step forward. Although she had only met Aracelli for a short while, she must try to protect her who had worked hard for her.

"I'm going to stop him, so go inside. With your knowledge, you can clear the dungeon in an instant, right?"

"Yes?"

Then Aracelli looked at Malea and then at the door with a perplexed expression.

"Hurry up! They have exactly 40 people, they will not let anyone else in!"

"Yes. I know that."

"Ugh…!"

When the expedition leader came closer, Malea hastily unleashed her magic.

"Magic Shield!"

Woooong!!

When the blue wall was created, the expedition leader's expression changed. It seems like he was slightly interested in Malea's magic.

"Magic? You are an 'irregular', huh?"

This giant tower was mostly made up of only ordinary humans. When it comes to the difference in specifications, there's only a difference in the degree of how much one exercised. However, as humans from many dimensions gathered in this place, very rarely, people called 'irregulars' appeared.

Irregulars were those humans who had mastered magic, martial arts, or superpowers, just like Malea.

The best example of irregularity was a ranker called 'Yoo Seodam'. He was able to use a powerful power without receiving the system, skills and protection of the tower.

Although Malea had only studied a little bit of high school and didn't get good grades, she had honed her magic and was able to use it in case of need.

"Hurry! Enter the…!"

Crack!!

Malea's word was cut off as her hastily constructed magic shield shattered by the sword of the expedition leader.

"But you are weak. It's so pathetic to call something like that magic. You're just trying to get into a fight like this…"

"Ah, ah…"

Due to her inexperienced magic skills, the shield broke and her magic heart was overloaded, so it would be unreasonable to use her magic once more.

'It's impossible for me to stop a 40th floor ranker even for a moment…'

Malea felt miserable, but that didn't mean she would give in. Even when she knew her death was approaching, Malea still gave him a viciously glare.

Then, the expedition leader raised his sword with an indifferent eye.

Clank~!!

Malea felt some pure white light had passed by her side. Then, moments later, the level 4 sword fell to the floor in two.

"Uh?"

Eventually, Malea came to her senses. She saw that the expedition leader was lying on the floor with both his arms and legs cut off.

"What…"

Before Malea and the expedition leader could fully grasp the situation, Aracelli took two steps forward. With a smile on her face, she opened her mouth.

"You are a brave one, aren't you? But, you don't have to overdo it."

"Y…you…you were also an irregular…?"

"Probably? So, can we enter the door now? Though, I don't even know what was waiting for us there."

After saying that, Aracelli reached out to the rest of the guild members.

Meanwhile, Malea hesitated for a moment with a stiff expression on her face before nodding her head as if she had decided on something and headed towards the door of truth.

"Yes, let's go."

At this moment, Malea began climbing the tower.

[A message is delivered from the Tutorial Tower.]

[At 7:39 pm today, Wigen and 7 other challengers have succeeded in completing the 60th floor.]

A month after Yoo Seodam started trolling Wigen for the 60th floor's boss room, Wigen finally managed to conquer the boss. Even though Yoo Seodam had tried to stop him by using every trick in his arsenal, Wigen was still able to slip through thanks to his fairy's buggy play and cheats.

And since all the challengers in the tower would be notified when the current highest unconquered floor was cleared, rumours spread quickly.

"Did you hear that? After a fierce encounter between Yoo Seodam and Wigen on the 60th floor, Wigen finally climbed to the 61st floor first."

While Yoo Seodam was stalling Wigen, Malea, along with Aracelli, conquered the tower at an outrageous speed. It was not only thanks to the diary that Yoo Seodam left for Aracelli, but also thanks to all the 'hints' he left in various places around the tower which was executed perfectly thanks to Malea's excellent judgment.

Malea's instantaneous judgment and ability to respond to crises were amazing enough to astonish Aracelli. She even admitted that this Tutorial Tower—which was full of mysteries and riddles—was a perfect environment for Malea.

Thus, they easily conquered 10-19th floors and reached the 20th floor.

"I think I've heard something like that. Didn't the rankers on the 50th floor say that the theme of the 60th floor is 'cooperation' and you will need a party member for each position? Isn't it already a widespread story that Wigen recruited a few challengers who had been staying on the 59th floor for several years and brought them to the 60th floor through his contracted fairy?"

"Right? They looked like they wouldn't ever be able to break through the 59th floor, but with Wigen's help, they went up right away…"

On the 20th floor, the stage was desert-themed. It was called 'In The Dry Desert Sea'; True to its name, it was a place with a vast sandy land that stretched up to the horizon. There, Aracelli and Malea strolled through the ruins that had been converted into a city and overheard the story about Wigen and Yoo Seodam who were competing to conquer the highest floor in the Tutorial Tower.

"Since Yoo Seodam is a solo player, won't he be unable to climb any further?"

"Well. He even completed the 'Mystery of the Triangle' all by himself even though it is said to be a stage that requires at least four people. So I'm sure he will go up soon."

"But, I heard the trick he used for that stage, it was very unusual."

Malea's ear perked up at all of the rumour. It was apparent that she was interested in the challenger called Yoo Seodam. Unable to keep it for herself, she turned towards Aracelli with an excited expression plastered on her face.

"Isn't that Yoo Seodam great? Going up there alone and all. If it's me, I wouldn't be able to do it."

Being alone was a huge task. Even a small mistake could easily lead you to your death. If you had a partner, you could trust someone and rely on someone, you could lean on them a little bit when you are tired. And when you are mentally exhausted, they will support you and give you strength and courage to move forward.

However, Yoo Seodam never had a companion and had climbed the tower all by himself. Although it may seem foolish at first glance, Malea—who could not do anything without someone by her side—felt that he was quite admirable and wonderful.

At her words, Aracelli smiled softly.

"That's right. He is a wonderful person."

"Right? Right?"

Although it had been only a few months since they met, Malea had become quite close to Aracelli as they had taken a life-or-death challenge together. And from what she had witnessed throughout their journey, she concluded that Aracelli was not just an ordinary 'Irregular' but an 'Over-spec Irregular'.

Aside from her powerful magic, Aracelli also possessed considerable self-defence skill; her technique and agility was perfect. Moreover, she also possessed a deep knowledge which was unfathomable to Malea. So, even when she didn't use her magic, she was still very helpful.

However, even with all those qualities, they were still blocked on 20th floor as the passage they had to go through to challenge the 'final stage' of the 20th floor was tightly guarded by the Wings of Heaven Guild.

Currently, Malea and Aracelli were wanted by the Wings of Heaven Guild. They had heard the rumour that the guild leader himself had ordered all of his guild members to catch both of them at all cost. It was all because the expedition leader that Aracelli mutilated on the 10th floor was actually the guild master's close dongsaeng. (Dongsaeng = a subordinate who is as close as a little brother)

Even now, more than 2 out of 10 people who were wandering around the city had the mark of Wings of Heaven Guild on them.

From 10th floor to 19th floor, Malea's climb had been extremely smooth. This was the first time she was being blocked from climbing higher by an external source, she did not know how to react to this situation.

"Ummm… what should we do?"

With her hood pressed down deeply to cover her face, Malea glanced at the passageway leading to dozens of archers in the distance.

Since the guild leader of Wings of Heaven was a ranker on the 56th floor, no challenger could treat them badly. If Malea and Aracelli want to stand a chance against Wings of Heaven Guild, they need to get help from a ranker who was on a higher floor than the guild leader of Wings of Heaven. The ranker could suppress his power. However, it was improbable to hope for that kind of miracle to happen since rankers were rarely interested in petty squabbles happening on the lower floors.

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"Ummm…" Even Aracelli, who always had everything figured out according to Malea, had a shadow casted on her beautiful face.

"There seems to be no other way other than a head-on breakthrough." Aracelli said so after a long deliberation. If only she could use her original powers, she would be able to sneak towards the final stage room pretty easily by using 'invisibility' or 'space transfer' spell. However, since Aracelli had almost no natural mana recovery, only a small amount of mana was left on her body. It was only enough to barely maintain her vital activity.

In other words, it's impossible to fight them.

"Once we get to the stage, other challengers can't interfere, right?"

"That's… right."

In addition, there are more than 10 arrival points scattered around the 20th floor for people who just finished the trial. It was designed this way in order to prevent challengers from getting killed by other challengers who held a grudge towards them and decided to wait near the arrival point.

In other words, when a close battle happens near the boss room, all you have to do is enter it.

"Would it be really that easy?"

"It's okay. There's a way. In the first place, they aren't aware of which floor we are currently in, are they?"

"I believe so."

"So, let's go down. The 16th floor is no better than here, but there are only three passages before the boss room on that floor. We can show up there before disappearing again."

"AH! So we are going to make them tighten their security there, while loosening it here?"

"Yes. And I observed them for a few days, their patrol always gets lax around dawn. They probably don't think we could climb this much in a month's time."

"Well then, let's go now."

In a way, what Malea and Aracelli did could be called a two-way operation.

'They appeared on the 16th floor!'

The news spread quickly among the members of Wings of Heaven Guild. Although they could not send messages to each other, due to their large numbers, the information spread quickly through mouth to mouth.

On the contrary, the passage to the boss room on the 20th floor was rather quiet. Since the passage was originally crowded to catch Malea and Aracelli, now that they were spotted on the 16th floor, there was no need for them to patrol this area anymore.

"You?! What… Keuk!"

"Kuahk!"

After Malea and Aracelli succeeded in attracting their attention on the 16th floor, they secretly infiltrated the passage on the 20th floor in the middle of the night and knocked out all Wings of Heaven Guild members they could find.

Surprisingly, since Aracelli didn't use her magic, she chose to use a gigantic axe as her weapon instead. It was really a mystery how she could swing it with only one hand grasping the handle despite her small stature.

Aracelli followed Yoo Seodam's belief and did not kill anyone unnecessarily. But even though she only used the dull part to hit the enemy, the impact was enough to give people a heavy concussion.

However, despite trying to pass as quietly as possible, it was only a matter of time before they were found out.

"Who are you?"

"Damn it. Let's run fast, Aracelli!"

"Yes!"

An arrow of light exploded behind them and hit the ground. It looks like there was an archer class present on the rank of Wings of Heaven patrol squad. They were extremely troublesome enemies since they were capable of relentlessly pursuing enemies from a distance. Though, most of their attacks were negated by Malea's barrier magic.

Another class present in the patrol squad was thief class. They were the most difficult to deal with as they were quick and agile, and were good at chasing enemies. Every moment with them on their trail was a tense one as they could always suddenly appear from the shadows with a poisoned dagger on hand.

"We are in big trouble! There are more and more pursuits."

"Looks like the guild members from other floors have been contacted."

"Dammit…"

There were still 300 meters left to the boss room's door, and dozens of guild members had already gathered in front of it. Some of them were even challengers from the 30th floor or higher, so it was absolutely impossible to face them.

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'Even though Araceli and I have a level 2 weapon, if we fight against them, we will lose. We shouldn't get caught here!'

But, how?

'There must be a way. A way…'

At that moment, something entered her vision. It was something written crookedly, and was just a sloppy combination of letters… but it was definitely the word [Slide!].

In response, Malea slid without thinking further, and was able to apply a killer tackle to the face of someone with a thief class who just rose from the shadows.

"Uh-huh!"

"…!"

When Malea turned her head; surprised by what she just did, she saw Aracelli nod her head towards her before she once again looked forward.

Malea's mind was really complicated. No matter how hard she thought about it, it really didn't make any sense. Even if it was just an act to get her attention towards somewhere, just how did 'that person' know where she would look?

[Roll forward three times and jump up!]

Without hesitation, Malea rolled forward three times and jumped high. Then, all of the archer's arrows fired towards her back hit the floor. With a difference of only 0.1 seconds, the archer class's special moves—which had always pursued the enemy until it hit—missed.

"What, what…?"

"What is that movement…!"

I can do it. Such a confident thought rose in Malea's mind. 'That person', the person who was both faceless and nameless for her, was helping her again. And when his presence was with her, she believed she could overcome any crisis.

'I can go higher!'

Malea thought so, and moved forward.

This exact situation was later on described in her diary,

[…..In a perilous situation, my eyes locked towards the cliff wall in the distance. At exactly 4:18 a.m. the dark cliff suddenly twinkled. At first, I thought it was a starlight. However I was wrong. It turns out to be a letter written in luminous material. It appeared for 10 seconds in front of me before disappearing once again.]

[But, the reason I was able to see that sentence at that moment was really 'accidental'.]

[I rolled three times just like what the letter written on the cliff told me to before jumping high into the sky. By doing so, I was able to avoid three arrows in a row, and was able to trample the head of the assassin who was approaching my ankle.]

[But I do not consider this to be a mere coincidence. I believe it was a protection given to me by someone who knows me and my destiny from the distant future…]

And…

About 5 months ago, When Yoo Seodam was still on the 20th floor.

"Ah, this goddamn diary!"

Tuck~!! Tuck~!!

As he hit the back of the chisel with a hammer, Yoo Seodam lamented the situation he was currently in.

The cliff wall towering on the distant place was literally only a 'background' to the entirety of the stage on the 20th floor. it's a place where no one cares about and a place no one would explore.

Puck~!! Puck~!! Puck~!!

Seodam. Aren't the letters a little bit twisted?

"I don't care… I just hope she will understand it even if it's only roughly……"

Tuck~!!

However, there's only one reason why he still did all of this hard work even though he really hated it. It was to help Malea on this floor in the future as well as to not distort the 'probability'.

"My rotten life…."

Taaanngg~!!

Slamming the hammer as hard as he could, Yoo Seodam lamented by himself.

Today was a very sad day.