Tower of Sloth (3)

Tower of Sloth (3)

The trials on the fifth and sixth floors were simpler than expected—roughly on par with the first and second floors. However, the curse of lethargy had intensified, making the challenges feel much harder despite similar difficulty.

Jewan had no choice but to attempt one floor per day. As his daily comings and goings increased, suspicions arose that he had cleared higher floors.

He neither confirmed nor denied these rumors, which kept the attention somewhat subdued. News of someone clearing as high as the fifth floor had recently heated up the scene.

Meanwhile, Jewan paid no mind to such fame and steadily climbed the floors. Aside from the constant receipt of the worthless ‘Fragments of Sloth,’ the progress was smooth.

[The trial on the seventh floor is…]

[Boss raid.]

[Exterminate the Scorched Phantom of Sloth.]

An eerie atmosphere accompanied the appearance of a corpse. The charred remains were so decomposed that facial features were unrecognizable.

-“Guh…”

The phantom slowly turned its head, showing a hint of awareness. It moved even slower than Belphegor, the Sloth Demon.

Their eyes met, and the phantom’s pupils flashed. Its sluggish movements gradually quickened.

Jewan raised Mukyeon to confront it but felt something strange—a growing sense of power draining from him in chunks.

With every moment, the phantom’s speed increased.

Bang! The phantom swung its arm, sparks flying from the scorched limb. Jewan barely managed to sever the arm with Mukyeon.

Flames flared from the severed limb, reattaching and regenerating the arm.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The phantom swung its arms relentlessly, ignoring its own safety. As its speed increased, Jewan’s slowed, making real-time adaptation difficult.

‘The phantom is absorbing my speed.’

It continuously self-healed, so killing it outright was impossible.

-“Graaah!”

Jewan stared down the frenzied phantom.

“Hoo…”

He took a deep breath, bracing himself. Compressing the ink in Mukyeon repeatedly, he swung as the phantom closed the gap.

Black energy from the ink engulfed the phantom, which faded as if erased, unable to withstand the assault.

‘Is it over…?’

No. Jewan still felt the lethargy creeping in.

From the ashes, burnt flesh and bone dust ignited and reformed. The phantom’s arms, legs, face, and body reappeared.

Exhausted, Jewan barely kept his gaze fixed. The phantom stomped the ground, closing the distance to a point where Jewan could only watch helplessly.

Then, the phantom’s attack halted right before Jewan’s eyes. Expecting death, Jewan quietly watched as the phantom vanished without a trace.

Why did this happen?

‘Did it absorb too much power and collapse?’

The distorted phantom was unstable, with flaws affecting its durability. Absorbing more power than it could handle likely caused a backlash.

“It’s broken…”

Jewan collapsed. The familiar message appeared again.

[You have received a ‘Fragment of Sloth’.]

…Even the damn reward was garbage.

==

The eighth and ninth floors were even more difficult. The curses were on another level, and Jewan barely endured them.

Luckily, he still had the necklace; without it, he would have died a hundred times over. As the curses grew stronger, rest periods lengthened, but the Tower of Sloth was gradually being conquered.

Many had reached the seventh and eighth floors, and strategies against the phantoms were even published as books.

The mysteries created by the Salvation Sect were invading the world—first space, now economy, material things, and even minds.

A cult worshipping mysteries? It was absurd—a cult birthing another cult.

As chaos and apocalyptic talk spread, people turned to religion, but this was extreme.

The only good news was that the assault on the tenth floor—the Salvation Sect’s stronghold—was about to begin.

It had been over a month since Jewan started tackling the Tower of Sloth. Rumors said the Sword Guild, including Han Seyeon, was also attacking one of the mysteries.

Rear had joined them, so Jewan wasn’t too worried.

‘Rear’s power was truly impressive.’

She was a mana tank, born with immense reserves inherited from the Hero. Though still inexperienced in fine control, her mana capacity was unmatched.

“Ugh… I better do well myself.”

Stretching, Jewan stepped into the tower once more—this time for the final ascent.

[The trial on the tenth floor is…]

Static crackled as the message vanished. Jewan expected this. The Salvation Sect created this place for human sacrifices. It would be troublesome if the mystery was cleared before reaching the required number.

So they appointed deputy leaders to ensure the mysteries continued.

“…Huh? Already here?”

Jewan saw a girl floating in midair, yawning and looking exhausted. People lay quietly on the floor, seemingly affected by her presence.

“There must be a reason He took interest. No one has cleared this fast—even other deputy leaders who helped with the tests.”

Jewan had no desire for small talk. Raising Mukyeon, he said,

“I don’t care. Hand over the Ego Weapons.”

“Hmm… That’s difficult.”

Ominous energy swirled around her, tearing the floor’s outer wall and circling her.

“They’re vital to powering this mystery.”

Crash! The floor’s outer wall shot toward Jewan. The telekinetic power far surpassed that of Salin, the orphanage child who also used telekinesis.

Though his vision was obscured, Jewan prepared to attack with Mukyeon, readying Self-Interpretation from the start.

As the stones vanished and vision cleared, the deputy leader approached and placed a finger on Jewan’s forehead.

“Sleep now. When you wake, it will all be over.”

As her finger touched him, an indescribable lethargy enveloped Jewan’s body.

‘Damn it, I can’t even move my lips or fingers.’

Was this the end? Would he kneel before the overwhelming power of the Seekers?

No. Jewan refused to repeat that tragedy. He wanted to save both this world and the last.

He recalled the phantom’s example—absorbing too much power causing backlash. Summoning the ego space by will, he instinctively opened the Fragments of Sloth and scattered them over himself.

As each fragment rose above him, he felt crushing exhaustion but refused to stop.

Extremes meet. Jewan thought absentmindedly.

Nine fragments gathered, transforming into a monument.

[The Monument of Sloth absorbs everything around it.]

Whoooosh! Like a black hole, the monument drew in all energy. Jewan felt his own power and the lethargy curse draining away.

“W-what is this…!”

The deputy leader was shocked. Freed from the curse, Jewan barely stood. His mana was nearly depleted, but so was hers.

Jewan raised Mukyeon and advanced. The deputy leader, crouched on the floor, looked terrified.

“N-no… I don’t want to die! What have I become…!”

Slash. With a clean sound, the deputy leader met death.