Chapter 33

033. Occupation (2)

A scene of carnage.

Right before my eyes was a sight that perfectly matched that description.

Each incoming chat message exuded a bizarre atmosphere...

The casual mention of murder and plunder sent shivers down my spine.

“...”

I couldn’t even guess what had happened to turn things into this state.

Even as I stood there, dumbfounded by the absurdity, the chat continued to update.

-DarkKnight: Looking for methods to obtain achievements or skills related to murder and fortitude.

-TangerineJjamppong: Damn it, stop looking for murder-related achievements, you bastards. You’re not even human, you animals.

-DarkKnight: Fuck off, you’re not the one who has to endure the trials, so why are you so fucking preachy?

-ChocoPieLover: If you’ve gone through the trials on the 4th floor, you’ve probably already committed murder. Why are you pretending to be so clean?

-OrangeMushroom: Haha, he’s just looking for murder achievements to survive. Do you think he’s doing it for fun?

-PillarSpace: Murder achievements are the most efficient, you idiot?

-Agnostic: Who knows, maybe he hasn’t even gotten his hands dirty on the 4th floor.

-TangerineJjamppong: You crazy bastards, how can I even talk to you, sigh.

-HunterAddict: Haha, the 6th floor integrated trial will definitely involve murder, so it’s a good idea to get the achievements while you’re at it.

This is not normal.

While they claim that achieving murder-related achievements is efficient because murder can’t be avoided, that’s not the real issue.

“Everyone here thinks like serial killers.”

As I watched the ongoing chat, I frowned.

Of course, I can understand why they are trading murder-related achievements.

The 6th floor trial likely involves killing other challengers.

They probably think that selling such achievements will bring significant benefits.

While other achievements might be difficult to sell, if the Tower of Trials promotes such battles, murder-related achievements will eventually be revealed.

‘...Even if the top challengers have all left, this is still too much.’

It goes beyond just harming others to survive.

They are determined to gain any possible benefits, no matter what.

Some even encourage others, sharing things like mental fortitude and murder achievements.

That’s why they can confidently speak about efficiency.

“...From the situation, it doesn’t seem like a good time to talk about interdimensional challengers.”

It’s unlikely that anyone here has met an interdimensional challenger.

Even if there were, asking questions and drawing attention would be a loss.

‘The worst situation is to draw attention from these lunatics.’

For now, it’s better to just observe the situation.

-Phrog: I just cleared the 5th floor trial. What are the effects of the mental fortitude skill?

-HunterAddict: It reduces the mental shock you receive, similar to pain resistance. It helps you endure mental pain.

-OrangeMushroom: With pain resistance, you can make more rational decisions when committing acts like murder.

-Phrog: Can you tell me the percentage of mental pain reduction for mental fortitude?

-DarkKnight: F-rank is 10%, E-rank is 12%, and D-rank is 15%. That’s what I learned.

-Phrog: Ah, I see... Thank you for the information.

-HunterAddict: If you need mental fortitude, let me know. I can teach you the method at a low price.

-Dr. Chuck: You’ll see a lot of disturbing things in the future, so having mental fortitude won’t hurt.

“Now I understand why they’re selling mental fortitude skills...”

They are promoting the idea that those unaccustomed to murder and plunder will experience less shock.

I immediately understood why everyone in the community suddenly became insensitive to murder and plunder.

“It’s because of mental fortitude.”

The effect of reducing mental shock is attractive but a double-edged sword.

If you always use the skill to reduce mental pain, there will be consequences.

‘I thought it was just about reducing emotional shock to maintain composure.’

In the Tower of Trials, where you must overcome life-threatening situations dozens of times, mental fortitude is a poison.

If all mental pain is reduced by the skill, regardless of your will...

Certainly, it might be attractive to those with weak mental fortitude, but if they use it for self-justification, it won’t be good.

The chats in front of me are the result.

Since the 6th floor trial involves killing others, they plan to achieve achievements while they’re at it.

They even get angry when questioned about what’s wrong with that.

“...”

Now I can see the dark side of the Tower of Trials.

While it might be a new opportunity for some,

it’s clear that for others, the Tower of Trials has taken everything away.

The lower-ranked challengers left on the 5th floor are showing that reality.

‘They probably entered as soon as the challenge time started, without knowing anything.’

Perhaps similar conversations are happening on the lower floors.

However, I didn’t feel angry or frown at the Tower of Trials.

If the Tower of Trials didn’t exist and the world continued as it was...

‘I would have been in a worse situation than those challengers.’

The world operated by the same principles even before the Tower of Trials.

The winners take everything, and the losers lose everything.

The Tower of Trials just reset the winners to the starting point.

So, I was given an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

‘Is there any reason to hesitate?’

If I have to step on others to become stronger, I will do so willingly.

I no longer feel sympathy or frown at other challengers.

-Phrog: Can I buy the method to obtain mental fortitude skills?

-HunterAddict: Sure, just give me the points.

-OrangeMushroom: If you’re interested in achievements that fit mental fortitude, feel free to ask!

-DarkKnight: Looking for achievements that can be easily obtained in the next trial, whether it’s murder or anything else.

-SnowTrollLeader: I just arrived on the 5th floor. Can someone explain what’s going on?

They are all competitors, and it’s not my job to judge right or wrong.

I just observe.

What they are preparing and how they will use it.

Knowing everything makes it easier to respond.

***

“Time remaining until the 6th floor trial – 1 hour 12 minutes”

Unlike previous trials, there wasn’t much to prepare for this time.

I had already adapted to my abilities and tested the skills.

In the past, I would have trained more to adapt to my abilities.

Now, I’m at a level where I don’t need to.

‘Actually, with this heightened sensitivity, I can adapt to ability increases immediately.’

It’s time to stop struggling to adapt to enhanced physical abilities.

Of course, I didn’t just sit idle; I also gathered useful information.

-tkfdlsrhkd: I killed a teammate during the 4th floor trial and achieved the ‘Traitor’ achievement. My strength increased by +1.

-SaveMe: If you have mental fortitude, look into murder-related achievements. They’re surprisingly good; you can stack achievements by doing something special during a murder.

-IiIiIIiIIi: If a teammate shows any trolling tendencies, just stab them in the back. It’s easier. They’ll just be a hindrance if they’re alive. It’s also easier to stack achievements.

-KingLeech: Did you know that the guy who leaked trial information on the 4th floor changed his nickname to ‘HediGongDoo’?

-Weed: That bastard changed his nickname? I wasted a question point on him. I’ll kill him if I see him.

-MadDog: Are you hoping to die? HediGongDoo is at least B-rank, and you’re barely D-rank. How do you plan to kill him?

Some shared achievements, and others provided information.

While it wasn’t particularly helpful, I could confirm one thing.

“The 6th floor trial is where no one can be trusted.”

The community is filled with lunatics.

Lee Sung-hoon, whom I met on the 4th floor, is relatively sane.

I realized that you can’t trust anyone, not even your teammates.

Another piece of information I gained was about a person named ‘HediGongDoo’.

‘Was he the one who ruined the community atmosphere in the 4th floor waiting room?’

I learned that some people arrived late on the 4th floor.

Of course, I could have gotten more detailed information by spending points, but...

‘There’s no need to chat or spend points.’

All the information is for personal gain.

If I draw attention and information is leaked like it was for ‘HediGongDoo,’ it would be problematic.

“Better not to chat.”

As I did various things, the waiting time passed, and it eventually reached zero.

“Do you wish to participate in the 6th floor trial?”

A message appeared, along with the options.

As before, I immediately accepted, and a portal appeared.

Whoosh...

“You are entering the 6th floor of the Tower of Trials.”

“Difficulty – Hard”

“The theme of this trial is ‘Occupation.’”

“May your chosen hardship lead to a satisfactory result.”

Then, as I crossed the portal, an unfamiliar scene unfolded before me.

Swish, swish.

The relentless waves spread their presence in my ears.

“...The sea?”

“The 6th floor trial has begun.”

“Time remaining – 50 minutes”

“Objective – Occupy one of the tiles in the surrounding area within the remaining time.”

“Failure conditions – The challenger’s death or the end of the remaining time.”

“Reward for success – Random Box (B)”

“Penalty for failure – Death”

In the vast sea, where countless tiles floated and formed a place.

I finally understood.

“...”

While the 5th floor trial took place in a narrow cave, the 6th floor trial is on the sea.

Specifically, on tiles floating in the middle of the sea.

‘It’s unexpected, but it fits the Tower of Trials.’

Then, portals opened in various places, and challengers appeared.

A portal opened on the tile next to me, and a message appeared.

“Your teammate has been assigned.”

“Work with your teammate to complete the trial.”

As on the 4th floor, there are teammates on the 6th floor.

‘I hope it’s not someone like Lee Sung-hoon.’

Just as I thought that, a golden blade shot out of the portal, rushing toward my face.

‘What the...!’

I was taken aback because the expected challenger didn’t appear, and the blade emerged.

However, my body, formed by overwhelming stats, reacted immediately.

Thud.

I caught the golden blade with my bare hands and held it firmly.

This was a trick I could do with my durability reaching 43.

I had confirmed in the waiting room that my hands wouldn’t be cut by a C-rank item if I didn’t grip it too tightly.

So, I was confident that I could catch the weapon of a lower-ranked challenger with my bare hands.

“Wh-what?”

I heard a bewildered voice from the other side of the portal and calmly pulled the blade.

Then, I saw a man with a stunned expression emerge from the portal, and I moved the sword in my right hand.

Squish!

“Achievement ‘Traitor’ achieved.”

“Strength increased by 1.”

As blood spurted into the air, I cursed.

“Damn it.”

The 6th floor trial started with a rough beginning.