Chapter 117: surprise.

The man looked up at the tower in the center of the forest and thought.

‘I should start heading in soon.’

He had discovered the tower a while ago, but there were too many enjoyable things in the forest, so he had no choice but to put the tower on the back burner.

The treasures hidden in the facilities within the forest were limited in quantity.

While things like walls were restored, the core treasures of those facilities did not reappear.

In other words, first come, first served.

If he wanted to obtain treasures, he had to find those hidden places and search them faster than anyone else.

Naturally, the tower became a lower priority.

The tower is a place everyone challenges.

Even if there were treasures there, it was obvious that those who went ahead would have already taken them all.

On the other hand, the forest in the cake zone was very vast.

No matter how many people searched the forest, it was expansive enough that one or two hidden places could still be found.

If challenging the tower would only mean rummaging through the leftovers of others, it was better to wander around the tower’s surroundings.

The man’s choice wasn’t wrong.

Thanks to that, he could even pluck stars from the sky and eat them.

But that, too, had to come to an end.

By now, the secret places and treasures around the tower must have all been discovered.

Wandering through the forest and eating this and that was fun, but it was time to tackle the main course.

Even if those who climbed first had already dug through it, since it was a place created by Yeonseul, there would surely be enough to enjoy.

Upon entering the tower, the man was greeted by a wide room and four doors.

Each door had the following words written on it.

[Door of Courage].

[Door of Temperance].

[Door of Faith].

[Door of Diligence].

On the floor, there was a pattern extending from the doors toward the center of the room.

In the very center of the room, a round circle was drawn, and in the middle of it stood a pillar with a crystal orb on top.

Probably, after conquering all the doors and activating that crystal orb, a path to the upper floors would open.

‘If you’re a man, it’s courage.’

The man opened the first door and entered.

And he immediately regretted it.

At a glance, he could see he had to pass through brutal obstacles to reach the door.

‘This was designed by the creator of the [Scream Course].’

He should have realized it from the word ‘Courage.’

When the man glanced at the exit door, a note fluttered down from above.

[If you’re cowardly, press the escape button on your bracelet.]

The man crumpled the note in his grip.

“I’ll show you!”

The man stepped onto a platform with open sides.

With a width of about 1 meter, it wasn’t narrow.

Walking on it wasn’t difficult, but there were no railings, and even a slight tilt of the body revealed the view below.

Far below, he could see red liquid boiling and churning.

The heat from that liquid reached all the way up here.

“Wow….”

Even knowing that falling wouldn’t result in death or injury, it was still terrifying.

The man moved forward with strides less than half his usual pace.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~.

Ahead, a pendulum with a giant slime sphere attached swung back and forth.

Its speed wasn’t that fast.

If he walked a bit quickly without running, he could pass through easily enough.

However, similar traps followed one after another.

Once he passed that one, there was no choice but to keep moving forward without stopping.

The man swallowed hard.

At that moment, his bracelet blinked.

[Would you like to escape?]

“No way!”

The man gritted his teeth and thrust his right foot forward with all his might.

The floor wobbled, and his body stiffened.

Thud.

The man was struck by the giant slime pendulum and pushed off the platform.

“This is unfair!”

While falling toward the magma, the man was suddenly bounced back by an invisible slime and returned to the starting point.

[Would you like to escape?]

“I said no!”

After that, all sorts of traps continued to block his path.

There was a platform only 75cm wide that he had to jump to cross.

There were also places with invisible platforms.

There was a path where fierce winds blew.

There was a section where he had to jump down about 1 meter.

Overcoming all of that, the man finally reached the end.

“How’s that!”

[Congratulations on clearing the floor.

Cake consumption count: 0.]

At that alarm, the man felt embarrassed.

He had just cleared the first floor.

Considering the height of the tower he saw from outside, there was still a long way to go.

‘But what’s this about cake consumption count?’

The man looked back.

As his narrowed perspective widened, things he hadn’t noticed before came into view.

Floating in the air, like bonus coins or stars in a game, were cakes.

The man thought for a moment before deciding to eat the cakes.

The locations of the cakes weren’t exactly easy to reach, but they weren’t impossibly difficult either.

It made no sense that among the people who entered the tower first, not a single one could obtain them.

In the end, it meant those cakes were the kind that reappeared every time someone entered.

If that was the case, there was no need to rush to the top.

‘If the first floor is this difficult, what about the upper floors?’

The man lost confidence in reaching the top of the tower.

If so, it was better to enjoy everything within his reach as much as possible.

Winning the competition wasn’t the only correct way to enjoy it.

***

On the other hand, not everyone had breathing room.

A Grade D Hunter hungry for reputation was one such person.

For some reason, those who took their time seemed to find the tower quickly, while the more he hurried, the farther the tower felt.

But since the human thought isn’t something you can control, trying to relax didn’t mean he actually could.

Still, he somehow managed to find the tower’s location.

Feeling behind others, he hurriedly climbed the floors.

Using his outstanding physical abilities, he easily cleared the lower floors.

However, after reaching a certain point, obstacles appeared that couldn’t be overcome with physical abilities alone.

“[Scream], go to hell!”

The Hunter screamed as he threw himself into the magma.

[Congratulations on clearing the floor.

Number of cakes consumed: 0.]

The notoriety of the designer of the [Scream Course] is sky-high.

That vile personality, which delights in tormenting people, was fully revealed at the [Door of Courage].

Clearly, he had cleared the floor, yet an easier course appeared.

Thinking the difficulty design might be flawed, after the same thing happened a few times, the Hunter realized.

At some point, the alarm [Congratulations on clearing the floor.] had stopped appearing.

After testing various things, he finally discovered the condition for the notification [Congratulations on clearing the floor.] to appear.

Taking the easy path means you can’t clear the floor.

You must make a choice overflowing with courage.

Otherwise, it’s an infinite loop.

“Isn’t this way too hard?”

Having barely cleared another floor, the Hunter was left speechless at the sight of the traps blocking his way.

“Do they not want anyone to climb the tower?”

Even a Hunter, whose physical abilities far surpass those of an ordinary person, felt hopeless facing these traps.

Still, having come this far, he couldn’t give up.

Unless you reach the top of the tower, no one will acknowledge you.

If no one reaches the top, how far you climbed might be recognized.

But if a Hunter, not just an ordinary person, gives up midway, they’ll only be laughed at.

“Uwaaaaah!”

The Hunter let out a battle cry as he charged forward.

He was struck by a fiercely spinning Penguin Slime and sent flying.

Whether it was good luck or bad, he landed in a spot with a cake.

“I can’t beat this! How am I supposed to clear something like this!”

In a fit of anger, the Hunter grabbed the floating cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

As the sweetness entered his mouth, he calmed down a bit.

And then, the speed of the traps slowed down.

“No way….”

The Hunter somehow dodged the obstacles and reached another spot with a cake.

After eating it, the intensity of the traps diminished.

He manipulated his bracelet to descend to the lower floor.

Looking at the moving traps, they were clearly slower than when he had cleared this floor earlier.

In other words, the more cakes you collect and eat in this tower, the easier it becomes overall.

“They should’ve told me this from the start!”

Grumbling, the Hunter returned to the first floor.

Now that he had found the solution, all that was left was to invest time to solve it.

[Congratulations on clearing the [Door of Courage].]

The Hunter finally conquered the [Door of Courage].

“How about that!”

He didn’t know what rank he was, but he could finally reach the top of the tower.

Thinking that, the man passed through the door and emerged into the room he had arrived in when he first entered the tower.

The [Door of Courage] was glowing red, and through a pattern on the floor, that light was being transmitted to the center of the room.

Only then did the Hunter realize that he needed to clear all four doors to reach the top of the tower.

“Are you kidding me….”

Drained of energy, the Hunter stepped outside the tower.

***

Indeed, by the seventh day, the number of people arriving at the tower had increased.

Some were even managing to clear one or two doors.

What I aim for is a space that people of all ages and genders can enjoy.

Like an event in a game, I designed it so that anyone can reach the goal with enough time and effort.

Of course, if the same difficulty is presented to both children and adults, it’s too hard for kids and too easy for adults. So the difficulty adjusts slightly depending on the person. It also gets easier bit by bit if you keep failing.

Ash grumbled that I didn’t make it adaptive, but I did make it adaptive.

It’s just that, in Ash’s eyes, even the highest difficulty was below his level.

There are a total of four doors to pass through.

The [Door of Courage], designed by Lee Doa of Screams.

The [Door of Temperance], designed by Uh Byungwook of Betrayal.

The [Door of Diligence], designed by Marco of Wandering.

The [Door of Faith], designed by Hans of the Alien.

You must pass through all four of these doors.

Of course, since they are the Four Heavenly Kings.

Have you ever seen a protagonist challenge the Demon King after defeating just one of the Four Heavenly Kings?

There might be such a case, but I stuck to the classic approach.

The [Door of Courage] focuses on overcoming traps. You must cross invisible platforms, get launched from a cannon, dive into magma, or leap through rings of fire.

Is this a circus?

Well, since eating the cakes on each floor makes things easier overall, if you carefully collect them, you don’t have to do such crazy things.

The [Door of Temperance] is similar to a dark ride. You choose your path at forks and move forward by solving problems posed by the gatekeepers. However, there are places that tempt you to be greedy.

Like breaking the rules when the gatekeeper isn’t looking.

Or using a path you’re told not to use.

Or secretly taking a cake you were entrusted to deliver and lying about it.

Doing so is designed to result in failure.

The [Door of Diligence] resembles the ruins in an adventure game. You must find hidden devices, solve the secrets of murals, shoot distant mechanisms to cut ropes, and overcome various devices.

However, this path is filled with traps that tempt challengers.

A treasure vault with treasure cakes.

A kitchen filled with delicious fragrances.

A training ground where slime gladiators engage in fierce battles.

Various foods and sights lure challengers to stray from the path.

The last one is the [Door of Faith].

This door emphasizes cooperation.

If you don’t have a friend, you can challenge it with a slime.

Here, you can move forward only if you trust either a slime or a person.

If you can’t trust a slime or a person, you’ll get stuck midway.

What’s easy or hard depends on the individual.

Everyone has different strengths.

Still, since it gets easier the more you fail, anyone can reach the top with enough time.

“Huh?”

The pillar leading to the top of the tower has been activated.

But no one has cleared all four doors yet?

And it’s not just one or two people.

Many people are reaching the top of the tower.

The lower floors guide people to different rooms depending on the person, but the top of the tower is different.

It’s designed so that everyone gathers in one place.

People who reached the top are gathering in front of the room with the throne as they pass through the corridor.

They managed to clear all the doors while evading my detection ability?

Unless they’re an S-rank assassin, that’s impossible.

There’s no way there are that many such assassins.

Even if there were, it’s strange for them to gather here.

There’s no way they’d choose Slime Land as their meeting spot.

To mobilize such numbers, it would require governments and guilds from around the world to unite and come to defeat me.

Someone has blinded my eyes.

If someone capable of this exists, could it be Ash?

No, it wouldn’t be Ash.

He has no reason to do something like this.

Did another S-rank Alchemist pull some trick?

As I prepared for battle, Mother desperately waved her tentacles.

“Mother….”

There’s someone else who can deceive my senses.

I observe people by borrowing Mother’s senses through the [Link] skill.

If Mother blocks the information, I have no choice but to become blind.

There’s no way Mother would intend to harm me.

What on earth is she thinking?

The door opened, and people rushed in.

They were hiding something behind their backs.

It doesn’t seem like weapons.

They exchanged glances and simultaneously revealed the items they had hidden.

“Alchemy Slime-nim.” “Yeonseul.” “PengRhyme.” “Lime.” “SLimelove.”

“Happy birthday!” “Congratulations on awakening!” “Happy first anniversary!”

“Congratulations!”

It seems their coordination wasn’t perfect since they said different things, but I understand why they came here.

I also understand why Mother blinded my eyes.

It’s a surprise gift.

This kind of gift makes me very happy.

‘I want to make them happy forever.’

I want to take them into Slime Land and let them live surrounded by <Slime> forever.

If they love <Slime> so much, they would surely feel happiness in that life.

‘That’s right.’

But that’s not possible.

***

A gathering of people who love Slime.

Determined to scold Yeonseul with heartfelt, generous gifts, they immediately devised a plan.

They discussed earnestly and picked out gifts to give to Yeonseul.

Even in the forest, they didn’t get distracted and headed straight for the tower.

After discovering the tower, they actively exchanged information to conquer the doors.

Some of them had conquered all the doors a few days ago.

They could have reached the top of the tower at any time and met Yeonseul before anyone else.

However, they waited until everyone had conquered all the doors.

Their goal was to give Yeonseul a congratulatory gift together, not to be the first to conquer the tower.

Finally, the last member of the group conquered the last door.

They activated the pillar and headed to the top of the tower.

Gathering in front of the large door, they opened it simultaneously and entered.

“Alchemy Slime-nim.” “Yeonseul.” “PengRhyme.” “Lime.” “SLimelove.”

“Happy birthday!” “Congratulations on awakening!” “Happy first anniversary!”

“Congratulations!”

Though some insisted on their own words, making their phrases varied, they properly conveyed the most important congratulatory message.

A brief silence followed.

‘What if it’s not actually their birthday?’

‘Did we mess up by collaborating?’

‘Do they dislike us coming as a group?’

With various worries, everyone tensed up, waiting for Yeonseul’s reaction.

At that moment, Yeonseul’s atmosphere suddenly changed.

His outward appearance was the usual cute PengRhyme form.

Yet, it felt like something you’d be sucked into and never escape from.

He began to emit a somewhat dangerous fragrance.

“Hahaha!”

A hearty laugh broke the strange atmosphere.

PengRhyme stood up from the throne, laughing.

“Challengers, welcome!”

PengRhyme spread both arms and shouted.

The gesture was smooth yet disciplined.

“I am the owner of this tower and the ruler of Slime Land, the land of dreams, tentacles, hope, and slime-Alchemy Slime.”

Even if the outward appearance is cute, you’d want to call any action cute, but this time it was different.

Yeonseul, in the form of PengRhyme, displayed a regal dignity.

However, that lasted only a moment.

“Normally, I’d ask why you’ve come, but since I’ve already heard your purpose, I’ll stop here.”

PengRhyme, equipped with the playful liveliness often shown in Mukbang, approached the group.

“Thanks for the congratulations. Wow! Are these gifts? Thank you. Can I open them?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Wow! These are really cute. Thank you.”

PengRhyme bounced around with lively steps, receiving gifts from the people.

“Is it really your birthday?”

“The exact date is a secret.”

If someone asked a question in between, he’d respond lightly.

“I’m really enjoying my time in Slime Land.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

He chatted casually.

“Since I’ve received gifts, I should give some too! Don’t feel burdened. I originally planned to give simple gifts to those who reached the top of the tower.”

Yeonseul consistently showed a light and cheerful demeanor.

So, no one questioned the brief glimpse of his other side they had seen.