3.
Gather the nine keys.
At that declaration, I tilted my head.
"What keys are you talking about?"
"Hmm! I'll explain."
As the lady snapped her fingers, an image appeared as if embroidered with platinum thread over a flowing sand waterfall.
The image, at a glance, resembled the cross-section of an ant hill, or like a tree with countless roots spreading out.
"This is…"
"Yes! Screaming Sky. It's a cross-section of your tower. Looks quite different when you see it like this, doesn't it?"
Indeed, it was a map of the tower, displayed laterally layer by layer.
Even when I was a newbie Hunter, maps of the initial layers were circulated among hunters, and recently, the Black Dragon Guild and the Ten Thousand Temple had collaborated on mapping, so I recognized it immediately.
The lady smiled broadly, holding a baton in her hand.
"I'll skip the [Basement 1] where Screaming Sky was called before, and the [Ground Floor] where Screaming Sky's hometown is, and start from there."
The tip of the baton lightly poked the first floor of the tower drawn on the flowing sand.
"The first floor is the [Refuge]."
Refuge.
"Forward base. Stronghold. Shelter, etc. Many terms could apply, but the most fitting term is that. It's a place that allows people who have fled from something to catch their breath. At least, it's a breakwater that ensures they won't be bothered by those things anymore."
Swoosh, the baton moved sideways, tearing through the first floor lengthwise.
The city of Babylon in the tower.
The baton lightly pressed on a simulated map of the large river flowing through Babylon.
"Water flows here. Rain falls. The composition of that water… hmm. Anyway, that water contains some nutrients. It's colorless and odorless, but you can survive just by drinking it."
"...."
"But, people who feel that's not enough to feel alive."
Swoosh.
The tip of the baton moved against the sand, pointing to the second floor of the tower.
"You can choose to become a [Warrior]."
The lady's baton swept here and there across the second floor.
"From trees placed all over, you can obtain fruits, timber, from rocks, stone, ores, from grasses, herbs, wild vegetables. You can defeat monsters like wolves or goblins and obtain meat, leather, items, gold."
"Yes, I know."
"Yes. Screaming Sky has also walked that path. But."
The lady tilted her head.
"Was this really necessary?"
It was a sudden question.
But in some sense, it was also a very old question.
"Couldn't they just give everything away? Whether fruits, timber, ores, herbs, or meat. Wouldn't it be enough to just give out whatever people asked for?"
"...."
"What do you think, Screaming Sky?"
I fell into thought.
It wasn't without reason; the question the lady had just raised was one that many people had repeatedly harbored in their minds in the early days of pioneering the tower. This was one of the reasons why pseudo-religions related to the tower never ceased, as Bambolina had talked about.
I said.
"Perhaps it was due to a lack of resources."
"Hmm."
"To infinitely provide for everyone's food, clothing, and shelter… that would indeed require vast resources. So, inevitably…"
As I thought that far, I realized something.
While looking at the lady, I said with a sigh.
"Indeed."
"Hmm?"
"Is it intentional?"
At that, the lady smiled slightly.
Pressing my forehead hard, I said.
"I'm not yet a complete pillar, so I'm not sure, but if I were to answer."
Thus, the lady's smile deepened. It seemed she meant for me to answer as one who would eventually manage the tower.
"The Tower Master wishes to be seen as the root of all evil. By deliberately placing threats such as monsters and urging trials, the Tower Master can be blamed for not unconditionally saving everyone, even though they could have…"
No.
Hmm. No.
This is too ideological of a reason. There must be a more tangible reason.
"Perhaps it's because having a visible enemy allows people who have fled to the tower to unite? Hmm. This doesn't seem quite right either. Then…"
The lady stood with her hands clasped behind her back, looking at me. She was willing to wait as long as necessary.
After a long thought, I spoke honestly.
"I'm not sure, Lady. Why is it?"
"If."
The lady began like that.
"Before your world got as hot as it is now. I mean, if Bae Hu-ryeong had been born in your country during the time when only you were raised by the orphanage director, what would have happened?"
I glanced at Bae Hu-ryeong. Looking at Bae Hu-ryeong, who was snorting with his arms crossed, the answer naturally flowed out.
"Uh… a lunatic."
"And?"
"And uh… a thug? Gym owner? …Maybe a martial artist? Wouldn't it be about that?"
"Right."
The lady nodded.
"He might have gone abroad to become a mercenary, but that's probably all it would be. Nothing more, nothing less."
"...."
"But Screaming Sky. What if the Sword Emperor had been born in the ancient times?"
I glanced at the Sword Emperor.
The answer also naturally flowed out.
"He would have been a hero."
"Not a king?"
"What king. What laws would that guy make, how would he govern? People might have adored him enough to form a country, but after the Sword Emperor's death, it would have likely fractured into chaos. It might even have happened while he was still alive."
"Hehehe. Exactly."
The lady laughed, hands still behind her back, gently, she scuffed the pile of sand that had accumulated on the floor with the tip of her foot.
"But living as a martial artist would have been a much more fulfilling life, from the Sword Emperor's perspective."
"...That's true."
"Such a world. Such an era… the era of warriors that ended long ago. In a place where sword-wielding heroes gave way to gun-carrying legions, how would a character like the Sword Emperor be treated?"
An obstacle.
A lone wolf.
A madman.
A social misfit.
"The Sword Emperor himself wouldn't care at all."
That would be the case.
"If anyone pitied him, he would look at that person as if they were insane."
That would have been the case.
"But is that really a fair world for the Sword Emperor?"
Still somehow.
It hurt a little, like watching the corpse of a dinosaur rotting at the same pace as a decaying mountain.
"One can only hold so much because a person's capacity is limited; to gain something, one must let go of other possibilities. Society too must continuously discard something to grow. Every civilization stands, ultimately, upon the corpses of countless unborn."
"So…"
"Mother wanted to create a place that wouldn't be left behind by any era, at least a place where such a possibility existed."
Once again, the baton swept through the second and third floors.
"The era of warriors and heroes. A world where one can validated their life by cutting something."
Stretching like a salmon swimming upstream against the sand waterfall, the baton touched the tenth floor.
"The era of priests and shrine maidens. A world where those who have been cut can receive comfort."
Eventually, the baton paused once at the 11th floor.
"So, if the first to the tenth floors were the [Golden Age], the 11th to 20th floors correspond to the [Silver Age]."
"Silver…"
"You encountered the Aegim Empire here, right? Other towers also face a [Different World] from the 11th to 20th floors."
A different world.
"A complete Other. A place with no points of contact with you from beginning to end… However, as it's still below the 50th floor, it's not a [Complete Other World] but rather a [World That Has Once Perished] that you encounter."
The baton began to move again.
"The age of travelers. In the ruins of destroyed kingdoms, you can contemplate what kind of lives these people led."
12th floor, 13th floor, 14th floor…
"The age of generals. The age of merchants. The age of soldiers…"
The baton, moving against the waterfall of sand, eventually reached the 20th floor.
"Now, from here begins the [Steel Age]."
"In our tower, it was a grand library."
"Yes. Hamustra was like a Zhuge Liang figure. Mother used to say that the more you delve into it, the richer the taste becomes."
It seemed incredibly pitiful, but when I recalled Hamustra's face, curiously, any sympathy flew away like a wild bird.
"How about other towers?"
"Many are also under Hamustra. Next most common are Mutiana and Mahos. Ah, very occasionally, Babit takes charge too. Even that fox around your neck took charge once."
"I was tempted to object to the part about Babit being in charge, but I'll choose the path of reacting blandly, like, wow, the fox, you say."
"Mhm mhm. And I choose not to react."
The lady kept her word. She moved on with the explanation.
"Those who realized the cost of living during the Golden Age learn how to deal with others in the Silver Age. And finally, in the Steel Age, they come to meet the king of their own world."
"King…"
Anastasia's voice asking if I was ready to be our king suddenly echoed in my mind.
"So, from there, only the high-rankers can participate in the conquest."
"Yes yes. If you want to call yourself the king of a world, you first have to represent that world."
"In that sense, the Sword Emperor also became a king, didn't he?"
– Hey, zombie. You just called me Sword Emperor again, but does that Emperor sound like some kind of title to you?
Bae Hu-ryeong said. And I responded before the words even fully reached my brain and ears.
"Do you know the Chinese character for 'mad dog' Emperor'? I didn't know it either until I looked it up."
– You found a character that, like your skull in Unicode, would probably break and show up as ■.
"So it would be written as Sword■. Looks like some kind of clickbait."
– I really want to beat you until you become rice cake…
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.
The lady waited until our joking was over and then said,
"And then the 30th floors… [Bronze Age]. Here, you all—"
"We have children."
The lady smiled slightly.
"Yes. Although many towers interpret it simply as acquiring 'those below.'"
I lowered my head. It was because the gray spider came to mind.
But anyway, I seemed to understand the structure.
"From the Golden Age, yourself. From the Silver Age, others. From the Steel Age, those above. From Bronze Age, those below."
"Yes. And then the 40th floors. The Stone Age."
The Stone Age.
"Here, you all become the one being [evaluated]. I don't need to explain more about this, do I?"
"Yes. I've already gone over it once when we had the last vote."
"Yes. This way, floors one to 49 form one cycle. And then, the next step is to repeat this cycle on a deeper level. Mom likes music, you see."
Echoing the same words as The Wand Of Ages, the lady's baton swiftly pointed to the 50th floor.
"From this cycle onward, a more aggressive meaning is added. The 50th floor functions not as a sanctuary but as a complete [Stronghold], [Forward Base], and the 60th floors involve serious confrontations with other worlds."
"The 70th floors were the afterlife… Indeed. That also means [Above] in some sense."
"Yes. Screaming Sky, by now you should also understand what the 80th floors signify."
"Yes."
I nodded.
"I understand now. …I also finally realize why the cleared floors remain in place, allowing others to pass through them. It's to ensure that no era disappears."
"Correct."
"Thank you for the intriguing explanation. …However, I still haven't heard the most important thing."
I looked directly at the The Lady Who Walks the Mirage.
"So, what exactly are the nine keys you're asking to be gathered?"
"There are hints in everything I've said so far!"
The daughter of the Tower Master smiled broadly and spun around.
"Screaming Sky, look back at the worlds you've passed through. Examine. Look at what you've left behind as you've climbed the tower, the path you've lived up to now."
Eyes resembling the Tower Master's, yet different, a purplish hue, looked at me.
"The keys to the 100th floor are right there."
"Indeed."
And finally, I realized.
"From the 90th to the 99th floors, it's not about ascending…"
"Yes."
The Lady Who Walks the Mirage snapped her fingers. In the midst of the 90th floor, the sand waterfall split to the sides, revealing stairs.
The stairs, however, were directed downwards.
"It's time to start [Descending]."