Chapter 17: The 100th Floor and the Unexpected Villainess

A person dreaming doesn’t always dream good dreams.

That’s why some people try to induce lucid dreams.

Changing the world to my liking, feeling imagination as reality this exhilarating experience feels like becoming a god.

Freedom, the liberation of suppressed desires, and the pleasure of controlling the world inside my mind in that moment.

It’s a privilege that can only be enjoyed in the world of dreams.

But what happens if, while having a lucid dream, you encounter something terrifying?

A ghost, a villain or monster trying to kill me, or an unknown fear that grows and takes root without me realizing it?

Nightmares begin as small, blurry shapes, but as the dream progresses, the fear gains substance, growing larger and drawing closer.

Fighting off the monsters from a nightmare with the power of the dream itself may work once or twice.

The terrifying thing about nightmares is that the form they take is infinitely varied.

Once you become accustomed to one nightmare, even more frightening ones begin to appear in succession.

Once fear sets in, it becomes impossible to escape, and it can evolve into a transcendental level of horror.

Take for example, a ‘demon.’

‘I absolutely cannot make a mistake. If I fail to stop it, humanity is finished.’

The obsession with perfection.

I must overcome it.

I must not lose.

If I lose even once, it won’t just be my death the world will be destroyed.

The sense of duty to protect the world weighed heavily on her, and the responsibility pushed her forward relentlessly.

As a result, her dreams began to reflect the anxiety and fear of reality.

She started having nightmares.

At first, they were just ominous images, but as time went on, the nightmares grew bigger and clearer.

The anxiety took on a concrete form, growing rapidly, and eventually, the nightmare became a giant demon.

It was the end of the world.

To prevent this dream from spilling over into reality, she bore everything alone.

‘If there’s a legend that a hero saved the world, maybe it will bring a little comfort. But that’s probably not going to happen.’

Destined to sleep forever in the tower.

The efforts and pain were solely hers to bear.

In the end, the ones who would be praised would not be her, but others.

She thought she was doomed to be forever bound in this dream.

…Until just a moment ago.

“Angel…”

The woman living on the 100th floor of the tower wore a confused expression, as if faced with an unbelievable reality.

The light flashed, and the nightmare that appeared every day was completely eradicated.

And it was done in one blow.

It was hard to believe.

No longer would she have to suffer at the hands of that terrible nightmare.

A demon with the shape of the apocalypse?

“Things had grown so much that I could no longer do anything about it.”

Had she really been saved?

If she had protected herself, that was one thing.

But she never once thought that another hunter could have saved her.

‘It’s just a demon from a dream, so it’s different from a real demon… but… until the hero appears,

I thought I’d have to suffer in that nightmare.’

Such a thing was impossible for even an unknown hero.

The one who saved her wasn’t a hero or the world’s strongest hunter, but a small, pure-white angel.

“If only this nightmare didn’t exist…”

She gazed quietly beyond the boundary.

It was a secret known to no one, but she clearly saw it.

Monsters and constellations trying to invade reality gathered endlessly outside the boundary.

Their eyes were filled with madness, and their numerous claws and teeth scraped at the barrier, struggling to enter the world.

But having shaken off the nightmare, she completely blocked them.

“Krurrr!”

“Kwaaang!”

“Graaaaah!”

“Kiiik!”

‘The desire to exist in reality.’

The cries of the trapped ones resonated clearly.

Not long ago, when the ‘Colossus’ crossed the boundary and stepped into the world, she couldn’t do anything.

But the same mistake wouldn’t be repeated.

Once the demon was dealt with, the nightmare disappeared, and the barrier became even more solid.

The monsters, who had desperately tried to cross the boundary,

had no way to enter reality except to throw themselves into the occasional gates that appeared.

[The constellation, ‘Master of Ten Thousand Deaths’, is watching you.]

[The constellation, ‘Ultimate Creature’, is asking to open the door.]

[The constellation, ‘The Oldest Fear’, is knocking politely.]

[The constellation, ‘The Most Brilliant Light’, is doing nothing.]

[The constellation, ‘Lord of the Immortals’, is kicking the door in frustration.]

[MA, ……]

[….]

Not only the monsters, but even the constellations could do nothing but watch Earth from beyond the boundary.

“Blocking the Archangels is easier than dealing with monsters. The system has strong control over the Archangels.”

If they are caught sponsoring without permission, the system will expel the Archangels.

Bound by the laws of causality, Archangels could only occasionally search for someone to sponsor and otherwise couldn’t do much.

Skill used: Ex Skill, Master of the Boundary

“You exist in both dreams and reality.

Actions in your dreams will influence reality, and events in reality will be reflected in your dreams.”

” Dominate both worlds as you move between them.”

She was the guardian of humanity, the Master of the Boundary,

quietly protecting the world in a place no one knew.

A curiosity arose within her.

‘By the way, what kind of wish would the angel make?’

But do angels even make wishes?

The first hunter to conquer the 100th floor,

[Nameless], had wished to bind her to the system, casting her into an eternal sleep.

But what wish would the angel make?

She couldn’t help but wonder.

HunterNet

[What is this?]

Zz conquers the 100th floor, amazing!

Even more impressive was the record-breaking time.

“Shit, I don’t know how this is possible, but cheers, bartender!”

[Photo]
(Zz’s Infinite Tower leaderboard screenshot)
The Light

100th floor was actually conquerable?

But what do you get when you beat the 100th floor?

Since the season isn’t over, they probably only received the shortest-time record reward.

When the season ends, Zz will get the 1st place ranking and 100th floor reward.

The reward for the 100th floor is something no one knows except Nameless.

It would be great if Zz could do an unboxing review of the 100th floor reward.

A hunter who hides their identity? Yeah, right.

No one would think of doing that.

[The whole world is going crazy over the Infinite Tower 100th floor record.]

The fact that it’s actually conquerable is crazy, but the problem is, everyone did it in 1 second.

This is a new level of light-speed achievement, huh?

Zz just pushed through the 100th floor like it was nothing.

The reality hit hard:

Back in her room, the soft bed awaited her.

With her plush bear hugged tightly, she jumped into bed.

Her body floated slightly before slowly sinking back down.

Puuuuk.

“Too cute, my lord!”

“I’m sleepy.”

“Ah! You must be tired, please rest comfortably! The housework and laundry are all finished.”

“Mm.”

I didn’t even bother reading about the rewards for conquering other floors in the shortest time.

I just stuffed them away because I wasn’t interested.

But the 100th floor was different.

That’s the whole reason I climbed the tower.

The wish had already been made.

“It’s so exhausting… 100 floors, seriously. Ugh, I’ll sleep now.”

The climb was an immense stress for my lethargic self.

But the rewards were sweet, and the effort was definitely worth it.

Now, the system had a new feature.

Current Notification Status: ON
Are you sure you want to change the system settings?

If you set notifications to OFF, all warning messages, rewards, and related guidance messages will be blocked.

[Yes] [No]

Weakly, I raised my finger and clicked [Yes].

Current Notification Status: OFF
Alarm hell.
Punishment completed.

Finally, can I get a good night’s sleep?

I lay down on the cozy bed, hugged my teddy bear tightly, and slowly closed my eyes.

My body naturally sank into the blanket, lying comfortably in the most relaxing position. My breath slowly became more even.

I fell asleep.

Silver hair.
Wall-eyed.
A childlike form, around middle school age.
Extremely cute and mysterious in appearance, though there was also anticipation about what kind of beauty she would grow into.
She was aware of her striking looks, so when going out, it was essential to wear a cap, hoodie, and sunglasses.

Oops, I forgot my mask.

Anyone would think I was a celebrity.

“So annoying…”
I had blocked system notifications, but there was one thing I couldn’t block.

That was the fact that my job was a Hunter.

I had to handle the basic duties of being a Hunter.

“Maybe it’s because I’m an angel, but it’s hard to refuse when someone asks for a favor.”

That’s why I came to the Association to report after dealing with a gate (which Kiryel handled alone), but the atmosphere was different from usual.

A large crowd had gathered.

“Ahhh! Please take a picture!”
“Wow, the real thing is amazing.”
“Crazy, it’s crazy.”
“Do you think I can get an autograph?”
“She’s really the saint.”
“I heard she came for a pilgrimage?”
“Is this the healer with national-level powers?”
“She’s offering free healing. If you go to a healing Hunter at the hospital, it costs a fortune.”
“There are so few healers in our country, but they heal so quickly.”

Avoiding crowds was always the best choice, but…

Just looking at it made exhaustion hit me hard.

That’s when I saw her.

It was by chance.

I was debating whether to go in when I saw her. A woman in a China dress with a voluptuous figure.

Her gaze naturally rose toward the top.

[Villainous Acts: -95,055 P]

“…Huh?”

There, it wasn’t the saint I was expecting. It was a villainess.