Chapter 6 - Episode 1. Ten Billion Stabs (5)
Chapter 6: Episode 1. Ten Billion Stabs (5)
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First, contrary to Beastrein's expectations, Jaehwan's soul was entering a period of change.
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[User Information]
Name: Jaehwan
Level: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
Title: (EX) Nightmare of the 99th Floor
Class: Swordsman
Innate Ability: (EX) Tenacity
[Status Information]
Strength: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
Agility: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
Constitution: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
Willpower: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
Mana: 100 (You have reached the limit!)
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It was the user information he had called up through the Interface System.
Over the years, Jaehwan had strived to push every value displayed in his user information to its limit. Thirty years passed that way. In the end, every number reached its peak. Those numbers were the very history of his efforts.
Yet a thought had recently begun to haunt him.
‘Can a life really be defined by numbers like these?’
How much time passed after that?
Strange things began to appear before Jaehwan's eyes.
At first, he thought they were hallucinations. They were not.
At some point, Jaehwan realized that what he saw was something that made up the essence of this world.
Sometimes they were fine particles. Other times, they resembled rough sugar cubes or the pixels of a panel. Their shapes and structures changed every time.
That was when his stabs began to grow unstable.
Whenever Jaehwan used the basic skill 'Stab,' he felt a strange sense of discord. The Stab that had been perfected into a single fixed movement was coming undone within him.
Each time he repeated the Stab, he felt some forgotten sense awakening.
It was the feeling of being alive.
For convenience, Jaehwan called this ability 「Doubt」.
It was a gaze that dismantled the world and delved into its essence.
That was the power of 「Doubt」.
Still, Jaehwan did not yet know how to make use of it.
Spat, tuup!
Jaehwan's True Dragon Sword, moving at tremendous speed, was effortlessly stopped in Beastrein's grip.
Beastrein spoke irritably.
"Hey, Jaehwan. Say something."
Jaehwan still did not answer.
"Ha, this is really driving me insane."
Beastrein fumed.
"I told you, you aren't going back to the past. You just have to finish the tutorial and start the Main Game!"
The second reason Jaehwan had not ended the tutorial was the demon standing before him, Beastrein.
At some point, Jaehwan had realized that Beastrein had no intention of killing him.
He did not know why, but the demon was in a situation where Jaehwan could not be forced. The fact that Beastrein neither ended the game without Jaehwan's consent nor killed him on the spot was proof enough.
If the tower could be opened, it should have been possible to close it. Yet Beastrein did not do so. No, there was clearly some reason Beastrein could not.
To Jaehwan, Beastrein was a useful teacher he could exploit as much as he wished. By challenging Beastrein without pause, Jaehwan adapted more quickly to the changes occurring within him.
As Jaehwan gradually found more room to breathe, Beastrein became increasingly desperate.
‘This is driving me crazy. The deadline is almost here...’
Still, what could Beastrein do? All the demon could do was keep pestering Jaehwan.
"Hey, Jaehwan! Say something. Please?"
"What exactly do you want me to say?"
Jaehwan asked as he pulled his sword free from Beastrein's grip.
"Ha, you're finally talking. You hadn't said a word for a month. I thought something was wrong with your head. What if there was a flaw in such a valuable Product... No, no, that isn't the point."
Beastrein stumbled over the words.
"Fine. Tell me what you want. I'll grant you anything. Just cut out the nonsense about defeating me and going to the next floor."
For the first time, Jaehwan stopped swinging his sword.
‘Got him.’
Ever since he realized he had the upper hand, Jaehwan had been waiting for this day.
The past month had been spent honing that blade even sharper. Jaehwan waited until Beastrein could no longer bear the unease and took the bait.
Waited and waited.
"Then there are a few things I want to ask."
"Ah, what are they?"
Beastrein's face brightened.
"Does that mean there is finally room for negotiation?"
"That depends on what you do."
Beastrein's expression crumpled.
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After agonizing over it for a long time, Beastrein finally let out several deep sighs and began with the following preamble.
"Do not be surprised, Jaehwan. Your universe is not truly made up of a single dimension."
"I know."
"...You knew? That cannot be."
Jaehwan frowned.
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
Of course, Jaehwan did not know much about the universe. Most of his scientific knowledge came from Sakamoto, the science teacher who had climbed the tower with him.
Back then, he had heard about all kinds of physical theories.
Parallel universe theory, multiverse theory, superstring theory...
As someone completely unfamiliar with science, all Jaehwan could do was think such things existed. Advanced cosmology was almost indistinguishable from magic to Jaehwan, a humanities major.
"So, putting together what you're saying, the dimensions of this universe consist of the 《Great Realm》 and countless 《Peripheral Worlds》, right?"
"That is correct."
According to Beastrein, the universe consisted of one mainstream dimension called the 《Great Realm》, along with countless Peripheral Worlds branching out beneath it.
Earth was one small planet in the dimensional systems scattered throughout those innumerable Peripheral Worlds. Beastrein called Earth World 294.
After listening to the explanation for some time, Jaehwan summed it up.
"The 《Tower of Nightmares》 was a kind of adaptation process for Walkers from each World to cross into the 《Great Realm》."
"That is correct."
"And only the Walkers who pass both the tutorial and the Main Game can set foot on the 《Great Realm》."
"That is correct. You understand quickly."
Beastrein deliberately avoided words such as cultivation and harvesting. Beastrein knew exactly what happened to a Product after hearing such things.
Jaehwan continued.
"What exactly is this 「adaptation」 you people keep talking about? Do you mean becoming stronger?"
Beastrein shook his head.
"It means becoming accustomed to the 《Interface System》 of the Great Realm."
"...You mean acquiring skills and items, then putting points into stats?"
"Simply put, yes."
Beastrein smiled.
"Most races that proceed directly into the 《Great Realm》 fail to adapt to the system and quickly die. The 《Tower of Nightmares》 was created to prevent that. By experiencing the Tower's built-in Tutorial Game and Main Game beforehand, they learn the systems of the 《Great Realm》 and improve their chances of survival. Demons like me serve in a supporting role to help with those games."
As Beastrein watched Jaehwan listen closely, the demon felt both nervous and impressed. This was the first Product who had remained so calm after hearing such things.
Until now, the Products Beastrein had cultivated always denied reality or suffered mental breakdowns and went mad the moment they learned the world's secret.
Yet Jaehwan accepted the story with remarkable composure, as though he had been born for this game.
Beastrein found that deeply satisfying.
"I have one question."
"Please, ask."
"Why do you do 'this'?"
Beastrein smiled bitterly at Jaehwan's question. Ever since this exchange had begun, Beastrein had expected it.
Over hundreds of years, Beastrein had cultivated countless Products. Some became powerful figures of the 《Great Realm》, while others died and vanished without even leaving behind a soul. Yet every Product asked the same question.
“Why do you do ‘this’?”
Beastrein tilted the demon's head ambiguously.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you asking why I operate the 《Tower of Nightmares》?"
"Yes."
"Well, I do not think that is what you truly want to know."
Beastrein continued with a knowing smile.
"What you are wondering is not, 'Why do I operate the Tower of Nightmares?' It is, 'Why, out of all those countless Peripheral Worlds, did I summon the Tower of Nightmares to your World in particular?'"
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion