noveldrama
Chapter 5: Floor 2 (1)
Chapter 5: Floor 2 (1)
I lifted the <Transcendent Gallery> terminal.
In this perfectly fucked situation, what should I do first?
Well, considering this unprecedented difficulty called Pandemonium—I might as well take a selfie.
I initially planned to just snap a picture of the cursed text, but really, a selfie was the best way to capture my situation.
Of course, there it was—the selfie function.
I adjusted the angle to clearly show both my face and the word Pandemonium.
The screen flashed.
Kimchi.
Wow, what a wonderfully cheerful selfie.
Ah—wait. Does this mean I’ll never get to eat kimchi again?
...Then again, I might not even have a lifetime left to worry about.
Might as well take a picture with the Queen Anthranthrope before heading to Floor 2.
At the top of the stairs, a massive door awaited. I pushed it open.
Beyond it was a vast space—about the size of a high school gymnasium.
This must be a waiting area.
The moment I stepped onto a white boundary line, a flood of notifications filled my vision.
[Pandemonium Tower #01]
[Welcome to Floor 2.]
[Status - ‘Mana’ has been added.]
[‘Mana’ stat has been granted: +10.]
[System - You have gained access to the ‘Coin Shop.’]
[Floor 1 Clear Reward: 300 Coins.]
[System - ‘Inventory’ has been unlocked.]
[Pandemonium Floor 1 Clear Reward: A weapon has been granted. Check ‘Inventory.’]
[Pandemonium Floor 1 Clear Reward: Armor has been granted. Check ‘Inventory.’]
There were no chairs. No desks.
The only relief was a single sleeping bag.
A clock was mounted on the central wall.
Next to the round analog clock was a rectangular display screen—an electronic bulletin board.
February 4th.
Time until the Tower Exchange Meeting: 21 days.
Event Date: February 25th, 12:00 PM
I could just ask my gallery friends about what the hell this exchange meeting was.
"Status window."
<Player Status>
Name: Han Yuseong
Race: Human
Lv.3
Strength: 20
Agility: 21
Stamina: 18
Mana: 10
Skills: Pain Suppression Lv.2, Composure Lv.2, Concealment Lv.1, Crisis Detection Lv.1,
Expanded Vision Lv.1, Enhanced Focus Lv.1
If my stats were this high just because I was a climber in Pandemonium, I wonder how fast 21st-century Earthlings in Easy, Normal, and Hard Mode leveled up.
Would the Coin Shop appear just by speaking?
"Coin Shop."
It popped up instantly.
[Floor 2 Coin Shop]
But despite my complaint, my stomach was brutally honest. A loud growl echoed from within me.
I selected <Food>, and a list unfolded.
This was ridiculous.
I had 300 coins.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
If I ate only once a day, that would last me 30 days.
Who the hell set these coin prices?
I selected <Beverages>.
Not that it mattered. I wasn’t planning on buying anything other than water.
I had read somewhere that, in perfect condition, a person could survive on just water for up to eight weeks.
"But if you're thinking about just surviving, you’re already as good as dead."
I was scared—no, terrified—of this Pandemonium difficulty.
But clinging to life by rationing food and loitering in the waiting area like a parasite was the worst possible choice.
In the end, no matter what, I’d have to move forward.
Before that, I had to check my inventory for the weapon and armor I had received.
"Inventory."
<Inventory>
A translucent window appeared.
There were two occupied slots.
I tapped on the first one.
[Nameless Knight’s Straight Sword]
I had checked everything.
Now, it was time to let the Transcendent Gallery know about the absolute nightmare I had walked into.
I pulled out the terminal and connected to the gallery.
Most of the posts were people wondering whether I had survived.
A new name.
I’ll post something.
I typed up a post and hit publish.
Title: ?????????????????
Author: ??*
Content: I feel like I’m going insane. Look at this.
Attachment: 238409122.jpg
[A picture of Han Yuseong standing next to the massive door with the word Pandemonium clearly displayed on it.]
Silence.
A longer silence than I expected.
? ?
Finally, a reply.
That single question mark seemed to encapsulate everyone’s collective thoughts.
Same reaction I had when I first saw it.
Then, as if the floodgates had burst open, the replies poured in endlessly.
? ? ??
? ???
? No fucking way.
? Archmage: What the hell. That’s not photoshopped, is it? Pandemonium???
? Room Conspiracy Theorist: Um—the world is just one giant closed-room mystery.
? ??????????????? LMAO is that your funeral portrait selfie?
? Ice Queen: ...Frozen. Frozen. Stay strong.
? How the hell is he supposed to stay strong ??????????
? Pan??demon??ium??????um??????um...um.
? Well, we’ve read your will. Nice writing. You have a way with words.
? Even if I rub my eyes and check again, it’s still the same ???? Why does this exist?
? Wow, our climbing brother is one hell of a guy. He survived Pandemonium Floor 1. My bad for underestimating you.
? Huh? He looks pretty decent? But why does the picture feel like it has a black-and-white filter? Uh... uh? Breathe! Climber! CLIMBER! Someone call a healer!!!
I had expected this level of mockery.
Just a day ago—just one day ago—most of my life had been spent shitposting online.
I had already come up with most of these jokes myself.
Honestly, it was amusing.
? Admin: ...What the hell. Did you get access to the Transcendent Gallery terminal for a reason? There’s no way to tell...
? Total! Chaos!!!
Hmm.
Admin’s comment was all over the place, but I understood what he was getting at.
A 0% survival rate.
An impossible difficulty.
Yet here I was, still alive.
And somehow, I had coincidentally picked up a <Transcendent Gallery> terminal on Floor 1.
Was this all some scenario deliberately set up by the tower?
Not that I had any way of knowing.
? Archmage: I don’t know. I’m skeptical. Even if the Transcendent Gallery helps, this is still Pandemonium Mode. A difficulty none of us have experienced. No matter what advice we give, he’ll always be one step from death. As for clearing it... ha. No clue.
? Absolute Monarch: Archmage, didn’t you say it yourself a while back? That anyone summoned to Pandemonium had to have some potential to clear it, even if they died trying. Are you retracting that statement?
? Archmage: I’m not retracting it. Of course, if he’s been summoned to Pandemonium, it means he has that potential. I’m just saying it’ll be a fucking nightmare.
? LMAO, Archmage keeps downplaying Climber, but now that he’s in Pandemonium, he’s speechless ????
? Archmage: What are you even saying?
? Hrrk?
? Archmage: Whatever. I’m done wasting words on idiots. I’m logging off for the day.
? Hrrk?
? Wait, is this actually real? Pandemonium?
? R.I.P
? Saint: Not Easy. Not Normal. Not Hard. Pandemonium. How rare... I shall offer my prayers.
? Absolute Monarch: Climber, even if you fall into despair, do not make rash decisions.
? ??*: Yeah, don’t worry about that. I’m not doing anything stupid ??
Why the hell would I die now?
That’d be lame as hell.
? Heavenly Demon: Yes! That is the right mindset! This one also supports you.
? Lmao, dude didn’t say a word until he saw Climber wasn’t mentally broken. Are you really a demonic cultivator?
? Heavenly Demon: Do you reside in the Murim Zone as well? Where do you live?
? Sword of Light: Check your Transcendent Gallery terminal. See if a new app appeared.
An app?
I minimized the <Transcendent Gallery> window and returned to the home screen.
Hmm. Something new?
I tapped the unfamiliar icon beneath the camera app.
It had a blue star-shaped logo.
?The Transcendent Gallery’s affiliated Dimensional Exchange has been activated!?
?Welcome! New customer!?
? ??*: Oh. There’s something. Dimensional Exchange?
? Admin: Looks like it unlocks on Floor 2.
? Sword of Light: Eat a good meal and come back.
? ??: Huh?
? Sword of Light: What weapon do you have?
? ??*: I got a sword when I reached Floor 2.
? Sword of Light: A sword? Perfect. I’ll make sure you don’t die.
? ??*: How?
? How else? ~N?v?l?ght~ ?????? He’s obviously gonna train you till you drop.
? Sword of Light: I suppose I should claim the position of your first teacher.
The Sword Maniac was suddenly all over me.
What the hell?
It felt like he was even more excited now that I was in Pandemonium.