Chapter 16: The Nightmare’s End

Mentorship was a system occasionally encouraged by the Hunter Association,

pairing senior hunters with juniors to help the less experienced gain valuable survival skills.

It was, at its core, a way to ensure the rapid growth of novice hunters.

For the senior hunters, it could be an inconvenient obligation,

but Cheonma was an exception a Hunter renowned for her impeccable character.

It wasn’t uncommon for her housemate to glance at her and mutter, “Another good deed, huh?”

Cheonma, or Cheon Yeowool, glanced at her mentee, Baek Soul, ranked 19th among the A-rank hunters.

Observing her mentee often gave Cheonma headaches.

Short bobbed hair. A youthful, adorable face.

But beneath that innocent exterior? A necromancer.

Even worse, Baek Soul’s HunterNet username was [CheonmaLove].

Cheon Yeowool didn’t want to know.

Baek Soul had told her anyway.

Chatter filled the air.

“Senior Cheonma! You’re my absolute role model! ”

“You know, I chose the name [CheonmaLove] because of you! Did you know? Watching your videos was so inspiring, I awakened my abilities!”

“Thank you. But maybe we could focus on clearing this gate first?”

“Aww, come on. Instead, how about you tell me about your first love?”

“That’s… difficult to answer.”

“Why not? Am I your first love?”

“…Let’s not cross the line here.”

Cheonma couldn’t bring herself to admit she had no experience in romantic relationships.

“By the way, Senior, you know the Infinite Tower, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“Why can’t anyone get past the 99th floor? Some people make it that far, but nobody ever reaches the 100th. You’ve been to the 99th, right?”

Cheon Yeowool paused, her thoughts drifting to the Infinite Tower’s legendary 100th floor a story shrouded in myth.

It was said that even Nameless, once hailed as the strongest hunter, couldn’t conquer it.

“That place… seems to be blocked by the system itself.”

“Blocked by the system?”

“Yes. It’s not just about skill. ”

“S-rank hunters can reach the 99th floor, but the 100th floor is inaccessible due to some sort of system-imposed barrier.”

“What? Why?! So, no one knows what’s there?”

“That’s right. ”

“Many hunters have tried, but the 100th floor is protected by a strange shield that prevents entry. ”

“No one has figured out how to break it yet. There must be a specific condition for passing through.”

“What if someone just brute-forces their way in? Wouldn’t that work?”

“Who knows? If anyone could do that…”

Cheonma recalled the impenetrable barrier blocking the path to the 100th floor.

Even with the full power of her Cheonma Divine Arts, she couldn’t scratch it.

To break through that would be… unfathomable.

“Such a person would undoubtedly be the strongest hunter in the world.”

「You have entered the 100th floor of the Infinite Tower.」

Unlike the previous floors, the 100th was otherworldly.

Instead of a desolate landscape, it opened to a mystical scenery, dreamlike and ethereal.

The atmosphere was enchanting, as though stepping into a surreal dreamscape.

“This place feels… different.”

Within the barrier lay a young girl, her eyes peacefully closed.

Though her expression was serene, the aura emanating from her was overwhelmingly powerful.

It felt as if this space no, the very world moved to her will, each breath she took shaping reality itself.

One glance was enough to know she was extraordinary. Surely, she held the key to obtaining the Wish Orb.

With the Wish Orb, the relentless notifications haunting Cheonma could finally cease.

Those incessant alarms would be silenced, allowing her the serenity she desperately craved a peaceful, uninterrupted slumber.

It wouldn’t be just rest. It would be divine tranquility, complete freedom from fatigue and worry.

“Ah… just imagining it makes me drool.”

Cheonma yawned, her desire for rest almost overwhelming her.

“Excuse me, do you happen to have the Wish Orb? I need it to go back… and sleep.”

Her drowsiness tugged at her as she spoke.

But the girl, who seemed to hold all the answers, remained silent.

“Zzz…”

Her calm breathing and tranquil demeanor suggested she was deep in slumber.

‘…What should I do?’

Cheonma hesitated, staring at the girl.

“I can’t just kill her…”

Unlike the earlier floors, there was no 60-second countdown or a system notification like 「The Trial of the 100th Floor Begins」.

Blindly attacking her without understanding the situation could backfire.

“…But waking her up doesn’t seem like a good idea either.”

Mentor and mentee.

Occasionally, the association paired higher-ranked hunters with lower-ranked ones.

This was intended to help junior hunters grow faster and gain the practical know-how necessary for survival.

With the Wish Orb, she could finally silence the endless system notifications that plagued her.

Once the notifications stopped, she could achieve her ultimate goal: uninterrupted, blissful sleep.

Not just any sleep.

The kind of rest that brought divine serenity, erased all fatigue, and granted pure tranquility.

“Ahhh…” Cheon Yeoul’s mouth watered just thinking about it.

“Excuse me, do you happen to have the Wish Orb? I really need to hurry back.”

She was already getting sleepy.

But the girl, who seemed to hold the answers, gave no response.

“…Zzz.”

Her peaceful breathing and tranquil expression made it clear she was deeply asleep.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Cheon Yeoul hesitated, glancing at the sleeping girl.

“I can’t kill her…”

Unlike the previous floors, there was no 60-second countdown or system message declaring a trial.

If she impulsively attacked, it could ruin everything.

“And I can’t wake her up…”

Cheon Yeoul valued sleep deeply.

As someone who once suffered from fatal familial insomnia (FFI), she considered sleep to be sacred peace itself.

Interrupting someone’s rest was, in her eyes, a sin as grave as sacrilege.

“No angel would ever do something so vile…”

The thought of waking someone so peacefully asleep filled her with guilt.

“Is there really no other way…?”

Cheon Yeoul’s mind raced through potential solutions,

but she knew that, as an angel, she was powerless before a sleeping figure.

In the end, she reached a conclusion.

“Well, I guess I’ll just sleep too. I’m an angel, after all. Besides, I’m so sleepy right now…”

Cheon Yeoul lay down next to the girl.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

“I’ll just take a nap and figure it out later.”

And soon, she drifted into a deep, blissful sleep.

Then, I noticed something strange.

“Did you say you couldn’t wake up from your sleep?”

“That’s right. I’ve been trapped in an endless sleep. I can’t wake up, it’s like a constant nightmare…”

“Oh, that’s not so bad, is it?”

“Pardon?”

“If you sleep forever, isn’t it just bliss?”

“……?”

Her face crumpled.

Her gaze towards me instantly turned cold.

………..Huh? Did I say something wrong?

I didn’t think I said anything too weird, though?

“You said… sleeping forever is bliss?”

“Yeah.”

“………Sigh. I’ll let it slide since you don’t know any better.”

She sighed and waved her hand.

When her fingertips glowed with immense power, the space around us distorted.

It was as though the boundary between the dream and reality was crumbling.

A phrase floated to my mind.

[Monster spawn in 60 seconds…59…30…]

The scenery before me began to shake, and the world split apart as hell itself emerged.

A burning sky, blood-soaked ground. And in the middle, a massive being stood.

[The trial of the 100th floor… This is the nightmare I experience every night. ]

[Every time I fall asleep, a demon who destroys the world appears. You must defeat this demon.]

“A demon?”

In front of me, a colossal creature, a demon, rose from the ground.

Its form was grotesque and horrifying.

Black smoke billowed from its body, and its eyes were cold and merciless.

It was so large, it could probably hold the moon in one hand.

[GRRROOAAAAHH!!]

“Oh… that’s pretty big.”

Even if I compared it to Lucifer or gods…

They wouldn’t stand a chance.

A demon, huh?

I’m an angel.

Just by looking at it, I felt an overwhelming desire to destroy it. My body tingled with that urge.

“Hm, I get it. So, if I defeat that thing, I’ll get the wish orb, right?”

[The reward for clearing the 100th floor in the shortest time is the wish orb.]

[ Once you clear it, you can get whatever you want. ]

[But this demon isn’t just any demon. ]

[It’s the manifestation of my nightmare, the demon of the end. You won’t be able to handle it, so you should give up now…]

At that moment, the trial of the 100th floor manifested before me.

Its eyes flashed with murderous intent.

From its gaze, I could feel the world’s darkness accumulating.

Did it notice me?

At the same time, a radiant light shimmered above my head.

Pure white light descended from the sky, enveloping me, and a dazzling radiance exploded outward.

In the glow, the halo of an angel appeared, and wings unfurled behind me.

The axis of time split apart.

As my silver hair fluttered, I slowly raised my hand and snapped my fingers.

Sacred light was summoned.

“But… I’m an angel.”

Sacred spear.

Longinus.

Like the first sunlight of creation, the holy light filled the space, spreading magnificently.

It was the divine will to drive away all chaos and darkness.

It was God’s hand, pulling out the roots of all evil, a flame of purity.

The light gathered into a singular form, releasing a holy wave.

With the light in my grasp, I planted my feet firmly and threw it with all my might.

Flash!

PAAHHH!!!

The spear illuminated the world like dawn, painting the space with divine radiance.

The black fog and darkness, trying to engulf everything, knelt and burned away in an instant before the brilliance.

[You… abominable angel…!]

Perhaps because it was the opposite attribute, it was easy.

Though the same could be said for the demon…

But still, I felt an odd emptiness.

Longing for the soft feeling of a teddy bear, I awkwardly lowered my hand and mumbled.

“After all… it’s a bit disappointing without a teddy bear.”

The demon screamed and disappeared.

[Congratulations! You have succeeded in clearing the 100th floor of the Infinite Tower.]

[The fastest record for clearing this floor is 00:00:01.]

[Record holder: Zz]

[You have cleared all floors of the Infinite Tower.]

[Claim your reward.]

[You will be exiting the tower shortly.]

It was a 1-second clear.