Chapter 150: The Forty-Ninth Floor  

[You have cleared the 37th floor.]

[Your achievements will be...]

[...]

[You are moving to the 38th floor.]

"Tsk." Lee Shin clicked his tongue.

As soon as Lee Shin arrived at the 38th floor, he turned on the community and soon his expression stiffened. The Dimension Gate had opened, and countless individuals had sent him messages, but those were not important. The radio silence from Cha Yu-Min got on his nerves.

After Lee Shin had lost contact with Cha Yu-Min after the previous Dimension Gate, he still could not find him anywhere.

"Where on earth did he go?" Lee Shin muttered.

Considering Cha Yu-Min's abilities, Lee Shin thought that there was no way for him to be easily defeated, especially not on Earth. However, both within the Tower and on Earth, public sentiment was that Cha Yu-Min was dead.

‘Could he really be... dead...?’

Lee Shin could not believe that. On the day when Cha Yu-Min left the first floor, Lee Shin did not see death anywhere near him. Granted, back then, Lee Shin’s ability to predict death was limited and was at a level where he could not predict future deaths yet. That could be the reason why he could not sense his death.

Since then, Lee Shin had been searching for information on Cha Yu-Min's whereabouts, but he had not found anything yet. Besides, the challengers who had climbed the Tower with him, such as Shin Ji-Won and Baek Kang-Woo, could not be reached as well.

Still, it was too early to think that he was dead if Lee Shin did not see the dead body with his own eyes.

‘Well, at this point, all I can do is to achieve my goal before the next Dimension Gate.’

It was something that Lee Shin had to do, no matter what. Therefore, he just had to quickly climb the Tower.

***

.

The Dimension Gate finally closed. There had been a number of intense political fights between countries, and negotiations were always ongoing, but Lee Shin’s influence had made everything progress rapidly. That was because challengers from various countries, who had more potential to become future Rankers compared to even those currently at the upper levels of the Tower, had given Lee Shin their support.

Even the stubborn President of the United States had given in, thanks to the strong influence of one of the most powerful individuals in the world currently—the Chairman of the United States Challengers Association. The Chairman had also pressured other countries to give in, and as a result, the issue that had stirred the whole world up was quickly stamped out.

Jeon Jae-Yong, the Chairman of the Korean Challengers Association, was relieved of the pressure he had been under, due to the damage that had been inflicted on the Korean challengers during the closure of Isocia, and the disappearance of Cha Yu-Min.

"Our interaction with Mr. Lee Shin ends today," said the Deputy Chairman of the Challengers Association.

"Yes, as you know, for nearly three years, Korea has been mired in a time of crisis and yet also opportunity. Thanks to a challenger named Lee Shin, the reputation of Korea has become even stronger than before," replied the Chairman of the Korean Challengers Association.

"Can we really trust his words though?" the deputy Chairman asked.

"We have no choice but to trust him. To be honest, who we trust is not Lee Shin, but our colleagues, who trust Lee Shin,” replied the Chairman.

The Deputy Chairman, Shin Hyun-Woo, still found it difficult to get a good grasp of Lee Shin. He had been a boss of the Tower, suddenly became a challenger, and Korean challengers were following him unquestioningly. In fact, even challengers from other countries were following him.

Although this situation was not something he could easily understand, he decided to avoid jumping to conclusions until he met Lee Shin in person. So far, Lee Shin’s actions had not harmed Korea in any way.

"Chairman, Mr. Lee Shin said he will definitely come out when the next Dimension Gate opens. How do you think the situation will change when he shows up?" the deputy Chairman asked.

Jeon Jae-Yong sipped his coffee.

“When the next Dimension Gate opens, not only Lee Shin, but also the other challengers who are currently climbing with top-level achievements under their belts will all come out. And when that happens, we will be able to cope with whatever changes that come our way," said Jeon Jae-Yong.

“Mr. Lee Shin said that there could be a big crisis on the Earth after the next Dimension Gate,” said the deputy Chairman.

“Yes, that’s right. He suggested that the people of Earth unite and cooperate,” the Chairman, Jeon Jae-Yong, replied in a low voice that was filled with concern. "What do you think that big crisis is going to be about, deputy Chairman?”

"Would this have something to do with 'Reverse'?" the deputy master replied.

"Well, it could be, but I don't think so. He seemed more interested in learning about the Reverse from us," the Chairman replied.

Reverse was a group of insane individuals with the ambition to turn the world upside down. They held distorted beliefs that challengers should become the mainstream society in the world.

"Although they haven't been revealing themselves much in public, their actions have been becoming bolder and more reckless. And..." The Chairman paused for a second.

"...There's a high probability that Cha Yu-Min's disappearance has to do with them,” the deputy Chairman added.

"We don't even know what changes will come after the next Dimension Gate. Lee Shin only advised us to prepare for that time. That’s why we need to be prepared," the Chairman replied.

Jeon Jae-Yong grabbed his coffee cup tightly and gritted his teeth. The coffee almost spilled out.

"After this Dimension Gate, other countries had no choice but to cooperate with Korea," Jeon Jae-Yong continued.

"Yes, that's correct," the deputy Chairman replied.

“We must capture those damn bastards of Reverse. Send letters of cooperation to other countries, organize teams of challengers from each country to track down their headquarters and launch an attack," the Chairman ordered.

"All right sir. The United States, Japan, Germany, France, Turkey, and a few other countries have already expressed their willingness to cooperate, so I will take action immediately," the deputy Chairman replied.

"Good. We must rescue Cha Yu-Min before the next Dimension Gate. And through this operation, we must also strengthen our relationships with other countries," the Chairman added.

***

[You have entered the 49th floor.]

[Defeat the commanding class devil residing in the third realm.]

The desolate land was cracked due to the dry climate, and there was dust swirling around all across the land. The dark red sky stretched to the edge of the horizon. Amidst it all, a red moon, with a large eye, illuminated the ground.

"What's that? It's so eerie," Alice said, looking at the red moon in the sky.

"It’s Cecil Ravager," Lee Shin answered.

"Huh? Cecil Ravager? What's that?" Alice asked.

"It’s a blind destroyer. That's how we referred to it," Lee Shin replied.

Looking up at the sky, Lee Shin furrowed his eyebrows at the strong moonlight and then looked down at the ground again. "It’s just a peculiar-looking moon, isn't it? I don't understand what you're saying," Vuela commented.

"Don't worry about it. It's literally a blind one," Lee Shin said.

Cecil Ravager was a moon that illuminated the entire Demon World with the help of the power of the Demon God. Normally, it only lit up the Demon World in its blind state, but if something significant enough occurred in the Demon World, it would change and start making more moves.

‘These guys won't come into Cecil Ravager's field of vision anyway.’

Lee Shin ignored Vuela’s words and walked past them.

‘It's been a while since I've come to the Demon World.’

This stage on the 49th floor was different from the previous stages in that the Demon World here was not a created world but an actual dimension. This stage, just before the 50th floor, was where the largest number of challengers died.

The condition to clear the stage was not the difficult part, but since the Demon World itself had too many unexpected variables, the weakest challengers could clear the stage as much as the unbelievably strong challengers could die here.

‘I’m only in the first realm... Since I have to pass many realms, I’ll have to hurry up a bit.’

Currently, Lee Shin’s party was summoned to the first realm, the lowest floor of the Demon World. To meet the commanding class mentioned in the system message earlier, they had to reach at least the third realm. Moreover, Lee Shin’s goal for this stage was much higher than that, so he really had to hurry.

"Ahem!" The stuffy air and stale atmosphere were disturbing to Vuela and Alice.

As Vuela and Alice followed Lee Shin, they did not stop grumbling, as if they could not adapt to this new environment.

"This isn't a place where we can stay for long," said Vuela.

"This is the worst dimension I've ever experienced!" Alice complained.

As they walked, hoping for something to appear quickly, they saw a small village in the distance. There were poorly constructed houses made of rocks. There were several such houses, and a demon was passing by.

"It's a demon," Vuela muttered.

"Capture it, Vuela!" Lee Shin ordered.

"Shut up! Do you think I'm your servant or something?" Vuela got angry.

"If we miss the demon like this, you’ll be responsible for it,” said Lee Shin.

"That's not my responsibility—" Vuela replied with an annoyed voice.

"Shh." Without hesitation, Lee Shin entered the village. Not a single fence was properly established in this place.

The demon, who was working hard at digging the ground, froze upon seeing Lee Shin and his group.

"Who are you guys?" the demon asked.

"Why are you digging the ground?" Vuela asked out of genuine curiosity.

"When you dig the ground, stones infused with mana appear. We're searching for those," the demon replied.

"What's so good about those stones?" Alice asked.

"If you sleep on these stones, you'll feel good," the demon replied.

“Are you serious? Is it really because of that?" Alice asked.

Alice could not believe that, so after looking at the demon for a while, she turned to Lee Shin.

"Do stones like those really appear if you dig like that?" Alice asked Lee Shin.

"Well, if they dig hard enough, one or two might appear," Lee Shin replied.

"Hmm... So they actually do appear," Alice muttered.

"But who are you guys? You're not demons, so you guys must be from a different dimension, right?" the demon asked.

After a lengthy conversation, the demon became wary of Lee Shin and his group.

"We're humans and we're looking for a door to the second realm. Have you ever seen one?" Lee Shin replied.

"Humans? I'm seeing humans for the first time in my life. If you're going to the second realm out of idle curiosity, you'll be attacked by others and die immediately," the demon replied.

"Why are you cursing us?" Vuela frowned at the demon.

"I don't even know how weaklings like humans managed to come this far, but go back quietly to where you came from. It's not a place for the weaklings like you guys."

Seeing how Vuela seemed upset by the demon’s words, Alice, who called him from behind, murmured softly.

"But he seems like a nice guy, doesn't he? He's just telling us to go back because he's worried for our safety," said Alice.

"Hmm... now that I think about it, that's true," Vuela replied.

"Ha…?These guys don’t know anything,” Lee Shin murmured.

Lee Shin laughed at their words and approached the demon.

"Well, then tell us how we can return to the human realm," Lee Shin said.

“Oh, I know how," the demon replied.

After saying that, the demon hurriedly went into his house and came back with a few dark leaves.

"Eat this. I've met humans a few times before, so I know. If you eat this, a path to the human realm will appear," said the demon.

The demon confidently offered the leaves as if he were doing them a great favor. However, Alice became increasingly suspicious at his attitude.

"What are you talking about? Earlier, you said you saw humans for the first time," said Alice.

"Did I say that? I think I misspoke earlier. Trust me. If you eat this, you can return to the human realm," said the demon.

Even though his lie was exposed, the demon changed his stance without a hint of nervousness, confidently offering the leaves. Alice, unable to hide her displeasure at the blatant lie, glared at him. "Shut up! Do you think we're fools?" Alice shouted at the demon.

"Tsk, you're not falling for it. It would have been convenient if you feeble humans had just obediently eaten these leaves and died," the demon grumbled.

The demon, who had revealed his true colors, approached Alice and swung the pickaxe that he was holding.

"Just die!" the demon shouted.

"I'm such an idiot for thinking this guy was nice!" Alice shouted.

Baaam—!

The pickaxe of the low-class demon was sucked in by Alice's Psychokinesis, and it slammed into the ground without even being able to make a proper attack. The demon’s head cracked from the force of Alice’s Psychokinesis. Soon, a dark red energy flowed out from the collapsed body, scattering and disappearing into the air.

‘It's only slightly noticeable, but I can sense that the demon power in the surroundings has become more intense.’

"If you are thinking that demons will be kind, forget it. They only seek to enhance their own power," Lee Shin said, surveying the area with an indifferent expression.

“Okay…" Alice replied.

"They are despicable creatures, just as I expected," said Vuela.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The next moment, the doors of neighboring houses opened roughly. It was the demons, who were coming out of their houses after hearing the commotion caused by Alice.

"What's going on? It's a human!"

"Are you lost?"

"I know how to get you back! Can I teach you?”

“Moving around here as a group of humans is dangerous, so I'll protect you."

The greedy eyes of the demons scanned the three individuals. Alice, who could sense their greed, got annoyed and pulled them toward herself.

"Just die, all of you!" Alice shouted and choked all of them in an instant.

There was no need for Vuela or Lee Shin to exert any effort. The demons’ levels were not that high.

"Kekek!"

"Keeeek!"

"Kiyat…! Please… please forgive me…!”

The demons screamed in agony and tried to escape, but it was all futile.

"Be honest with me or else you'll die right here. Have you ever seen the entrance to the second realm?" Lee Shin approached them and asked the demons who were pinned to the ground.

"No! I don't know! I really don't know!"

"We, the low class, demons don't even dream of aiming for the second realm!"

"Well then, you'll just have to die," Lee Shin replied.

Seeing the black mana gathering in front of them, the demons who were faced with their imminent demise began to panic.

"P-please forgive me!”

"I-I know! I know!"

"I know too! I know the entrance to the second realm!"

Seeing how the demons lied so readily, Lee Shin sighed and burned one of the demons to death.

“Keaugghhhh—!”

At the sight of the completely charred demon dropping dead instantly, the faces of the nearby demons turned pale.

"I-I know!" one of the demons shouted urgently.

"And you’re still choosing to lie until the end—" Lee Shin said.

"No, I’m not lying! I really know a demon who knows the way! I'm sure he’ll know!" the demon shouted.

At the demon’s words, Lee Shin nodded.

"Well, you know, we have the ability to determine whether you’re telling a lie or the truth. The moment you lie, you die. Do you understand?" Lee Shin threatened the demon.

"I-I’m telling the truth! There are beings who come here periodically! They wander around the first realm! They must know!" the demon explained.

"Then, where are those beings?" Lee Shin asked.

"I don't know that! But if we wait here, they'll come for sure," the demon replied.

Lee Shin furrowed his eyebrows at the demon’s words and clicked his tongue. He would not know when those beings would come. However, he could not just wait here indefinitely. In the end, he gained nothing useful from this demon.

"Ha..."

"Well, there's nothing we can do. Let's just go—" As Lee Shin was trying to move on, he heard a loud noise.

Kukukuku—

The next moment, he could feel a strong vibration coming from a distance and spreading across the ground. When the three turned their gaze in that direction, they saw a crowd of demons riding on boar-like creatures rushing toward them through the swirling dust.

"They're those guys! They must know! They probably do…" said the demon.

People always said that eventually, all things would fall into place—Lee Shin was just about to experience that. For the first time in a while, Lee Shin had a satisfied smile, as he looked at the guys who were arriving, just in time.