Chapter 75

Chapter 25. Breakthrough (2)

[Starting the trials of the 10th floor.]

[Trial: This place is separated from time and space, a point where the mortal and the afterlife, heaven and earth intersect, a realm of nothingness where nothing exists.

But you are life. You do not belong here. You must escape this place by any means.]

‘They say this is the floor where the most players drop out after the first floor. Indeed, it’s well deserved.’

The diary mentioned that the difficulty of the 10th floor was incomparable to the sum of the first to ninth floors.

Even those who performed well up to the ninth floor often fell out due to mental fatigue.

However, it was also a place where someone who barely made it to the ninth floor could easily pass through.

The trials of the 10th floor were unpredictable to that extent.

What you see here is only one thing.

‘Mental fortitude.’

We were in high spirits as we entered, having updated our records up to the ninth floor. We thought we could finish the 10th floor quickly.

But as always, this damn tower was too adept at crushing any hope...

...On the 10th floor, everything is erased.

You are left alone, with no friends, family, or companions, and must suffer through the loneliness with no clues on how to escape, and you must succeed in escaping.

Of course, it was not going to be easy.

No matter how strong-willed a person is, humans are social beings. Left alone, they are bound to go mad.

Even if you know about the trials of this floor, it is difficult to overcome them without self-realization.

No matter how skilled you are, a mental battle is different from a physical one.

Loneliness can wear down even the most resilient person. Those who are overly confident are often the ones who suffer the most.

That’s why Team Artia, which had been on a winning streak, encountered their first obstacle on the 10th floor.

When the party play turned into solo play, and confidence no longer worked, people’s minds began to waver. Anxiety mixed with longing for companions, eroding their mental strength.

Even my younger brother struggled greatly here.

But.

‘It won’t affect me.’

Yeonwoo had experienced countless hardships and loneliness while running around Africa.

Self-confidence?

He had none of that.

On the contrary, he always doubted and distrusted himself.

That’s why he always tried not to make mistakes. Because he was always cold and critical of himself, he could maintain a clear and rational mind.

‘There must be a door somewhere on the 10th floor.’

But there wasn’t just one door.

‘Ten types in total. Red, blue... the colors are diverse.’

Yeonwoo closed his eyes.

Using the Sensory Enhancement skill to expand his sensory range, he searched for the doors beyond this point.

Dozens of eyes embedded in the armor flickered open as mana flowed through them.

His cognitive domain continued to expand.

Then, he opened his eyes and gripped the magic greatsword in reverse.

Thud!

The magic greatsword pierced the empty air.

He drew it downward.

The space opened, and a red door appeared.

‘Found it.’

* * *

The trials of the 10th floor were a kind of maze.

When you find and open a door, a new white space appears, and when you find and open another door, another new white space appears, forming a maze.

Naturally, finding a hidden door in a completely white world is not an easy task, and even if you manage to find one, you are bound to have doubts.

The doors can be distinguished by their different colors and shapes.

When faced with these, anyone would have doubts.

What is this? Why are the colors of the doors different?

Could the door I came through be the wrong one?

Should I just push through one color?

Or is there a specific order?

Or is there some other trick?

‘This place cleverly delves into the human psyche.’

There is a saying, “Doubt grows in the mind.”

It means that doubt that grows in the mind eventually overwhelms confidence and leads to mental exhaustion.

The trials of the 10th floor test this.

They make you open doors and test your patience.

And they also test your judgment and mental fortitude.

Can you see through the hidden tricks?

Can you escape the maze safely?

But most players, caught in the web of doubt, eventually give up.

Many suffer from mental breakdowns, committing suicide or giving up.

However, the answer to this floor is.

‘Just pass through blindly.’

The colors and shapes of the doors have no meaning.

They are just doors, leading to the next maze.

By opening and passing through them continuously, you will eventually escape the trials.

What is needed is mental fortitude.

And a firm belief in yourself.

Even if you doubt that the path you took was wrong, you must have the strong confidence to overcome it to pass the trials.

But even if you know this, players facing the trials cannot easily do so.

Some doors are easy to find, making the maze easy to pass, while others are not.

Moreover, since you have to make judgments alone, any advice you’ve heard before is easily forgotten.

Hidden doors are bound to confuse people.

But Yeonwoo was not worried about such things.

Based on his expanded cognitive domain, he found and opened hidden doors, moved to the next room, and opened another door to move to the next room.

However, as time passed.

Yeonwoo’s movements in finding the maze slowed down.

In fact, even when he found a door, it often closed again.

Then he turned around and looked for another door.

‘This isn’t it.’

‘This isn’t it either.’

‘Beyond this door... there is nothing.’

Yeonwoo never lingered on the doors he found.

In fact, what Yeonwoo was looking for was not the exit of the 10th floor.

‘Somewhere here, there is a hidden piece hidden.’

Completing Hermes’ key was more difficult than combining the keys of other gods.

Most players couldn’t open the treasury of Olympus for thousands of years because of this.

The hidden pieces are hidden behind different doors throughout the maze, and their locations are updated each time.

Finding 100 hidden pieces in a completely white world with no hints?

It was a daunting task for a human.

Collecting all the hidden pieces was difficult, and if you accidentally opened the wrong door, the trial would end.

Delaying the trial to find hidden pieces?

It was a ridiculous idea.

But Yeonwoo believed in himself.

He trusted his expanded cognitive domain and senses, and the strange aura the hidden pieces possessed.

Most importantly.

‘Find them.’

Dozens of Gyes’ eyes rolled in various directions, searching for the hidden pieces.

Each time, they searched beyond the white space and behind the doors.

This was the reason Yeonwoo had waited for a month to obtain Gyes’ eyes.

To get Hermes’ key.

Making Hermes’ key was much harder than making the keys for other floors.

It was as difficult as obtaining Zeus’ key or Hades’ key.

If such a shortcut wasn’t used, it would have been impossible to even dream of it.

Or perhaps, Hermes’ key could have been made. By continuously feeling the maze with heightened senses, all the hidden pieces could eventually be found.

‘But then I wouldn’t have been able to get Hades’ key.’

Yeonwoo continued to walk forward steadily.

Each time, Gyes’ eyes moved quickly.

As time passed.

Click, click—

The ‘Feathers of Hermes’ that Yeonwoo had collected using Gyes’ eyes interlocked, forming a key.

‘Done.’

And.

[All gates have ended. You have passed through the beginner area from the 1st to the 10th floor.]

[You have achieved a great record. Would you like to be listed in the Hall of Fame?]

[You have refused registration.]

[However, even if it is not public, your achievement is deeply engraved in the tower, and you can change the registration status at any time if desired.]

...

[The time taken to pass through the entire beginner area is 151 hours, 35 minutes, and 01 second. You have broken the previous record of ‘Cha Jung-woo’ by 83 hours, 2 minutes, and 9 seconds.]

[You have achieved a great record. Would you like to be listed in the Hall of Fame?]

Yeonwoo briefly gazed at the name ‘Cha Jung-woo’ engraved in the Hall of Fame.

‘Sure enough, you were here.’

Yeonwoo had various thoughts for a moment, but soon shook his head.

“No.”

[You have refused registration.]

[However, even if it is not public...]

[As a reward, you have obtained ‘Hades’ key’.]

[As a reward, you have obtained ‘Ice Ring’.]

[As a reward, you have obtained ‘Skull Emblem’.]

...

Several rewards appeared, but only one caught Yeonwoo’s eye.

A key that looked like it was carved from black amethyst.

Hades’ key.

A hidden piece that his younger brother had also obtained.

Yeonwoo placed Hades’ key and Hermes’ key on the ground, and arranged the remaining 10 keys beside them.

A total of 12 keys, each gleaming with different colors like gemstones.

They shone beautifully, reflecting the light they emitted.

At that moment.

[You have collected all 12 keys of the Olympian gods. The gods’ keys are merging into one.]

A message appeared, and just like when the keys were created, the gods’ keys were enveloped in light, interlocking to form a new key.

The new key was different from the previous ones.

It had a very ordinary appearance, like a piece of silver.

But Yeonwoo could feel a mysterious aura emanating from the key.

[‘Key of Olympus’ has been created. You have earned the right to open the treasury of Olympus, where the gods have accumulated wealth and treasures for thousands of years.]

[You can obtain only one item of your choice from the treasury of Olympus.]

And a new door appeared right in front of Yeonwoo.

A golden door, different from the ones he had encountered so far.

The door leading to the treasury of Olympus.

Yeonwoo found the keyhole below the doorknob, inserted the key, and turned it.

Click!

The interlocking sound was heard.

Swoosh—

The Key of Olympus turned into fine sand and disappeared.

Considering the hardships he had endured to create this key, the result seemed futile.

But Yeonwoo discarded any lingering thoughts and boldly opened the golden door.

Beyond the door was a world different from the white world of the 10th floor.

Beneath a pitch-black world, a massive iron gate, whose height was hard to estimate, stood.

The iron gate was engraved with the scene of the many gods of Olympus, including the 12 major deities, waging war against giant beings, much like the mythological painting, ‘The Creation of Heaven and Earth.’

The mere sight of it was overwhelming.

It evoked a sense of awe, similar to the first time he encountered the tower, but with a slightly different feeling.

And in front of it.

A man was sitting in a chair, looking at Yeonwoo with a curious gaze.

A feathered hat, light-looking shoes, and a staff with two intertwined snakes.

‘Hermes.’

The great being smiled at Yeonwoo.

“You’re the one who surprised the administrators.”

Hermes, the only god who can freely travel between heaven and hell, was naturally given a specific task.

Gatekeeper of the treasury.

With countless people coveting this place, his duty was to protect the treasury from them.

But this also meant:

‘Observer.’

He always observes the world, looking down upon it.

It was not strange that he knew about Yeonwoo.

Moreover, perhaps because of this?

Yeonwoo could not sense anything from Hermes.

The tower and the doors here naturally made one bow in awe.

But there was nothing like that from Hermes.

Despite being a real god, not just an object, he did not register in the cognitive domain at all.

Complete nothingness.

It was hard to believe he was even there.

Perhaps it was out of consideration for him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could act freely.

Even if he couldn’t sense any presence, there was something absolutely untouchable about him.

“Many have come here before, and the number has increased recently, but none have given me such a surprise.”

Hermes looked at Yeonwoo and sighed in admiration again.

“You are truly the first of your kind.”

That much shock Yeonwoo had given him.

But.

“I want to open the treasury.”

Yeonwoo calmly brushed off Hermes’ praise.

There was nothing to gain from hearing his praise.

He just wanted to enter the treasury of Olympus as quickly as possible.

He had already decided what he wanted to obtain.

‘Zeus’ Astra and Athena’s Aegis.’

Astra, a lightning spear that artificially generates electricity to annihilate enemies, is called the strongest unique item.

Aegis, a set of nine shields that can block most attacks and paralyze or petrify the enemy with the Gorgon’s head in the center, is the ultimate unique item.

Epic artifacts that symbolize the gods and have been mentioned several times in mythology.

Moreover, because they contain the divine names, the moment you possess them, you naturally gain the power of the gods.

Naturally, these two were among the most prized treasures in the treasury.

“Ha! Your mind is already there. I understand. I’ll grant your wish.”

Clap!

Hermes laughed and clapped his hands.

Then.

Creak—

The iron gate began to open with a loud noise, the ground shaking and the ceiling rumbling.

And.

The pitch-black darkness was flooded with a brilliant golden light.