HPDBC Chapter 15: Fourth Floor, Forward or Backward (2)
Chapter 15: Fourth Floor, Forward or Backward (2)
Chapter 15: Fourth Floor, Forward or Backward (2)
[Escape. Time remaining: 1 hour 58 minutes.]
There are moments in life when doubt seeps in. When every decision feels like it could ruin your life. It’s that hesitation before shading an answer on an exam’s OMR card[1], or the pause before responding to a job interviewer’s question, “Why did you apply to our company?”
And now, I found myself in one of those moments.
For the last twenty minutes, I had been sprinting downhill while a boulder chased me, echoing loudly and dangerously. With each stride, my uncertainty grew, gnawing at me.
Am I heading in the right direction?
The path had been eerily consistent for the entire time I ran. There was no shift in the gradient, no change to the stone walls or the floor beneath me. It was as if I was trapped in some kind of illusion.
Wait, could this actually be an illusion?
I realized that the sound of the boulder had remained consistent the entire time. The tremors hadn’t strengthened, and neither had the rumbling increased.
Could it be that my pace matches the boulder’s speed perfectly?
That was highly improbable. Such coincidences didn’t happen in real life.
I recalled how the tower’s messages had always carried an element of deception.
The tower is telling me to escape, but is continuing forward really the correct choice? Is there truly a boulder rolling toward me, or is this another trick?
I decided to stop and catch my breath, focusing on the sounds and vibrations around me.
Rumbleeeee—
The noises and tremors remained constant, neither growing stronger nor fainter.
Damn it, I’ve been duped again.
I turned to head back up the slope but hesitated as a troubling thought crossed my mind.
Isn’t this too easy?
Even if people initially panicked and ran downhill, it wouldn’t take them long to realize they had been deceived. In fact, I only caught on so soon because I’d been spooked by a similar trap on the second floor.
Could this be a double bluff?
The trick seemed almost too obvious.
What if, after everyone figures out that the boulder isn’t real, they turn back, and the real boulder starts rolling down? Or what if the path behind me is a dead-end, and I waste all the time I have to escape? ŖáŊÔBËŜ
“If only Doppy were here...”
I would’ve trusted Doppy’s instincts. I wondered why Doppy hadn’t been teleported with me this time. The message on the first floor clearly stated that Doppy would accompany me on my journey.
If the challenge was truly a speed run, I could understand why Doppy wasn’t here. There was no need to include another individual in a test of my physical prowess.
Be that as it may, the fourth floor clearly required judgment and intuition. Everyone would have figured out that the noise and tremors were a trick. Following that train of thought, there was no reason Doppy shouldn’t be here. On the second floor, Doppy’s judgment and intuition were key in finding the optimal path.
Wait... What if this really is a speed run?
The boulder’s sound and the tremors might be a decoy, but it could be a double bluff, designed to make climbers turn back.
“Fuck...”
My mind spun from the conflicting thoughts.
What should I do? Move forward or retreat?
[Escape. Time remaining: 1 hour 31 minutes.]
Time slipped by as I stood there, paralyzed by indecision, knowing that staying still wasn't an option. I needed to think simpler.
On the second floor, the path forked multiple times. There had been countless choices, but I had Doppy’s company back then. Even when I faced important decisions like whether to help Paraktus, Doppy was there—silent, but present. I could always depend on its presence when I needed it.
But now, Doppy hadn’t been summoned to the fourth floor.
If I consider this simply...This had to be a speed run.
I took a deep breath, steeled my resolve, and started running again.
***
[Escape. Time remaining: 1 hour 11 minutes.]
Thud— Thud—@@@@
The rumble of the phantom boulder and the tremors beneath my feet hadn’t changed. But something had—a white portal was now shimmering before me.
Seriously? Is it really over? Could it be this simple?
I hadn’t encountered any traps or hidden dangers. I wondered if the sound and vibrations existed just to trick climbers into running.
Should I have turned back?
On the first two floors, I’d found hidden pieces. I skipped the third floor and didn’t have the chance to look there. I had no clue if there would be a hidden piece here.
Did I miss something?
[Escape. Time remaining: 1 hour 9 minutes.]
But it didn’t matter now. It had taken me fifty-one minutes to sprint down this slope. Even if I turned back, I probably wouldn’t have the energy to reach the starting point again.
What if I had turned back earlier? Would I have made it here in time?
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): Thanks, I see you’ve finished the fifth floor too. Did you find out from the leaderboard?
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Yep, I was just watching the Climber Leaderboard in the waiting room.
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): But how did you already clear the fifth floor? I spent less than an hour clearing the fourth.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): I started the fifth floor right after you fell asleep.
So that was why she didn’t respond after I woke up. The Community and Climber Leaderboard were off-limits when climbers challenged a floor.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): How many achievement points do you have now?
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): Around 49,000.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): You had 44,000 after the second floor, so there probably wasn’t a hidden piece on the fourth floor, right?
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): Maybe? I probably just missed it.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): No, it’s likely there wasn’t one. There aren’t Hidden pieces on every floor.
Her words made me realize that obsessing over hidden pieces might be pointless.
She’s right, if hidden pieces were scattered on every floor, they wouldn't be so valuable. I should prioritize my survival above all else.
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): So, when will you enter the sixth floor? Didn’t you say we’d meet there?
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): The sixth floor won’t start until every climber finishes the tutorial. Until the last person dies or makes it through, we’re stuck in standby mode. Check out the Community. It’s going crazy because of you ????.
People are losing it because of me? What is that supposed to mean?
I quickly opened the Community, and sure enough, the forums were in an uproar.
[Why is Kwon Su-Hyeok ranked first on the leaderboard when he’s only on the fifth floor?]
[Why is this guy taking so long? The system says we’re on infinite standby.]
[Is this guy finding Easter eggs on every floor? He’s always topping the Climber Leaderboard.]
[Is he a mage or a priest? I heard those classes get some kind of enlightenment on the fifth floor. Or maybe not?]
[He’s definitely not a warrior unless he’s torturing three orcs at the same time. Makes no sense otherwise.]
[When I see Su-Hyeok on the sixth floor, I’m going to teach him a lesson, lol]
The Community was truly going crazy because of me. There were all kinds of posts about me: questions, arguments, and even insults. It looked like everyone was frustrated from all the waiting. I felt perplexed since it wasn’t like I was doing this on purpose—I hadn’t even started the fifth floor yet.
Should I post an explanation or something?
While I mulled over the idea, another message from Ha Hee-Jeong popped up.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Su-Hyeok, head to the shop and buy the Lightning Essence.
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): Lightning Essence? Hold on.
“Shop.”
A new notification window appeared in front of me.
Coke, ramen, hamburgers...
Familiar items immediately caught my eye.
So, they sell food from Earth in the shop too, huh?
It appeared that the shop had everything. Each food item was priced at 1 achievement point.
Wait, are people seriously spending their hard-earned points on this? Didn’t fourth place only have 800 points or something?
Then again, the sight of a cold can of Coke was pretty tempting. At just 1 point, it was hard to resist.
First, let’s get that item Hee-Jeong mentioned.
Unfortunately, the shop wasn’t organized into separate categories. It was one giant list, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of items long. The only way to filter the list was through a search bar in the corner.
I turned my attention to the search bar and typed in "Lightning Essence," watching as the items scrolled by rapidly.
Finally, a single item popped up.
[Lightning Essence]
- Price: 45,000 points
What? 45,000 points?
The price made my jaw drop. Sure, I had the points, but no other climber could even dream of affording this.
Has anyone else even managed to gather 1,000 points yet?
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): Hee-Jeong, are you sure about this? 45,000 points? Should I really buy it?
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Yeah, that’s the one. Use the remaining 3,000 points to buy a Physical Enhancement Potion.
- Kwon Su-Hyeok (Fifth Floor): I don’t know about this... It seems way too expensive.
- Ha Hee-Jeong (Sixth Floor): Trust me. Someone without any talent used that to climb all the way to the ninetieth floor. Prices in the shop skyrocket after the tutorial ends. Later on, even if you have 500,000 points, you won’t be able to buy it. Get it now before it’s too late.
1. An OMR card is a type of answer sheet used in exams where you fill in bubbles for your answers. A machine scans these sheets to quickly grade the test. It's common in multiple-choice exams. ☜