Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn’t
Chapter 184: Forty-Eighth Floor, Burning Truth

Chapter 184: Forty-Eighth Floor, Burning Truth
I wasn’t entirely certain, but two reasons compelled me to believe Bruche was deceiving me.

The first lay in the name of the hidden mission. It paralleled the simulation in which the angels were trapped, so why couldn’t it relate to the entire floor? After all, this floor seemed like a test for the climbers, one where they would have to discern the real truth hidden behind the many facades.

The second clue was much more straightforward: the Lie Detector’s abrupt disappearance. Since I believed that the Tower of Ordeal was responsible for its disappearance, I interpreted that as an order to discern truth without relying on the lie detector.

Therefore, I had been put in a situation where it would be too powerful.

Moreover, since Bruche was the sole individual I had encountered, I naturally assumed that every word she had uttered was a lie.

Or maybe Bruche was a fabrication.

I quickly discounted that idea. Unlike the simulation realm, where I had felt a sense of disconnect after becoming an axemaster, I could still perceive the presence of my soul. That much remained unchanged, even now.

What is this?

I waited for my vision to adjust, but the blinding light showed no signs of receding.

Instead, an overwhelming presence loomed beyond the radiance. It reminded me of when I met the Blue Dawn Breeze. The pressure had to be emanating from a deity.

“Are you... Burning Truth?”

“I am.” 

The saintly voice reverberated through the space. 

When the Burning Truth had spoken, the faint silhouette of a colossal angel rippled beyond the light. Their gender was indiscernible, although they sounded slightly feminine.

Finally, I saw an opportunity to appease the curiosity within me. 

Only the Burning Truth held the answers to this intricate web of events, so I resisted the pressure and asked, “What exactly is happening here?”

“The answer is simple. You have merely uncovered the truth.”

“Was that laboratory-like setting nothing but a fabrication, just like the world of the angels?”

“Indeed.”

“But I distinctly sensed souls in that lab. I sensed mine, Bruche’s, and even those of the individuals sealed within the glass tubes.”

“Those were merely illusions, all part of my design.”

“Illusions?”

Hearing the doubt in my voice, the Burning Truth softly chuckled. Though the laugh hadn’t been derisive, it still left me uneasy.

“I crafted everything you saw. No matter how adept you are, no matter your status as a challenger, you are nowhere near powerful enough to discern the deception.”

“Then, what happened to the other climbers?”

“All of you are here. They are simply navigating through the virtual world I created, just as you were. Naturally, that too is part of the trial, and those who perished there did meet a genuine end.”

To think everything—every detail—had been an illusion, all a single god’s will. The sheer magnitude of their power was staggering.

Even having discovered the truth, I couldn’t suppress the surge of emptiness and despair that overwhelmed me. Then, a sudden thought pierced through my mind.

What if the Burning Truth before me is also an illusion? What if I never escaped the simulation? Is this another layer of lies and deceptions that I have to uncover?

“So why should I believe that you aren’t just another illusion?”

The Burning Truth chuckled again. It seemed mocking this time, and irritation stirred within me. 

I snapped back, “Was Bruche actually telling the truth? Did you imprison angels just because they lied? Also, when the system began to collapse, did you just bring me here out of desperation?”

“Perhaps. But what will you do about it? Do you think you can harm me here?”

“I won’t know unless I try.”

Although the blinding light obscured my sight and I couldn’t tell how far away they were, the dagger in my hand felt unmistakably real.

I lunged forward.

Immediately, I noticed that my feet didn’t seem to find any traction. I was stuck in place, and it felt like I was stepping on perfectly smooth ice and not falling. While I could move, each step brought me nowhere.

Summoning my mana, I unleashed a bolt of lightning. It failed to pierce through the whiteness. Utilizing Master of Shadows proved equally futile. Even the Aura enveloping my dagger faded into the void.

Before the Burning Truth, I was utterly powerless.

“Your pursuit of truth through endless doubt is admirable, but let us end this here. I am a god who guards the truth. I have no need to deceive a mere challenger.”

The Burning Truth seemed to sense my rising frustration and continued soothingly, “Besides, our time is limited. Even if you cannot grasp the full picture, the fact that you uncovered the truth within the double-layered illusion remains unchanged.”

They did have a point. While I couldn’t verify the veracity of her words, most of my questions had been addressed.

That didn’t change how I felt, however. The Burning Truth had rattled my sense of reality, revealing that no matter how strong I had thought I was, it would be nothing compared to their might. All my attempts to strike them had proven that no matter how much I doubted or resisted, nothing would change.

The crushing weight of their divinity pressed down on me, causing a feeling of helplessness to well up within me. 

Grinding my teeth, I nodded reluctantly.

“Do not be disheartened. I summoned you here to reward you and offer advice for uncovering the truth.”

I didn’t reply. 

After a brief silence, they continued, “I offer you the Seat of Truth as a reward.”

“What is that?”

“In your terms, it would be classified as a skill.”

“A skill? What kind...?”

“It strengthens you whenever you punish those who lie.”

A skill bestowed by the Burning Truth sounded promising, yet something about it unsettled me.

“If I accept this skill, does that mean I can’t lie anymore?”

“No.”

“I don’t understand. You’re the god of truth. Are you really willing to grant such a skill to someone capable of lying?”

“I value not only the act of speaking truth but the principle of ‘truth’ itself. You found the truth buried within deception.”

It seemed like a valuable skill, judging by their explanation.

Yet, an inexplicable sense of unease lingered. Despite the offer, something felt inherently wrong.

“You look hesitant. Let me explain the simple reason I intend to reward you. You are the second being to embrace the value of ‘truth’ since the law was reformed.”

“The second?” I probed, but the Burning Truth refused to elaborate.

“That is all I can reveal.”

“Can I refuse the reward?”

“Of course, although no rational person would. The choice is yours.”

The more I dwelled on it, the stranger it seemed. The tower didn’t offer rewards; it forced them on the climber.

Therefore, I felt suspicious at the prospect of an optional reward. There had to be strings attached. However, a gut feeling told me it wouldn’t force me to only tell the truth.

How should I approach this?

There had to be something about the Seat of Truth that I hadn’t been told.

“What exactly do you mean when you say I can refuse the reward? What are you hiding?”

“It means exactly what I said. You are free to decline.”

A sudden thought pierced my mind.

What if they lied when they asserted that everything was an illusion? What if my suspicion is correct?

They wielded lies as a weapon to punish those who strayed from the truth. Rather than being bound to honesty, they could be someone willing to employ any means necessary to preserve the “truth.”

Because of that, the “truth” could take on myriad forms.

For example, what if they lie to protect the version of truth they deem worth preserving?

If my theory held, their followers had been granted the Seat of Truth. They denied it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that my hypothesis was accurate.

The fact that the world flipped the moment before my dagger found Bruche’s throat seemed to be connected as well.

Did they pull me here to save their disciple at the last possible second?

While my thoughts churned, they remarked, “We’re running out of time. Surely, you won’t refuse the reward?”

I had already settled on an answer the moment they had asked me, even if I had mulled it over. 

I shook my head firmly and replied, “No, I won’t accept it.”

“I see. So your decision mirrors the first’s.” Though their face remained unseen, they sounded unmistakably disappointed.

My reasoning for rejecting the reward was straightforward. In a situation where I couldn’t discern truth from deception, the offer felt deeply unsettling. Something had to lie hidden beneath the surface.

While Sixth Sense hadn’t rung any alarms, I felt as though my instincts were quietly urging caution.

Plus, I wonder who that first being is.

Hearing their regretful tone only reinforced my belief that I had made the right call. Despite uncovering a hidden mission, I had forfeited its reward.

Though the end result had been somewhat unsatisfying, I didn’t regret my choice in the slightest.

Just then, a notification window popped into existence.

[Congratulations. Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has conquered the forty-eighth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: Escalating Conflicts. Achievement points will be calculated.] 

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Truth in Lies, Lies in Truth.’ The simulation, World of Angels, has stopped.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been awarded 28,732 achievement points. Total achievement points: 111,448.]

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok will now enter the waiting room.]

The blinding light intensified.

As the familiar sensation of floating enveloped me, the Burning Truth uttered one final warning. “Do not trust anyone you meet in the tower too easily. The trials ahead will only grow more arduous. The vultures will begin circling.”

A dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips.

Who are they to warn me not to trust others?

I engraved today’s humiliation into my memory. Punishing their followers with eternal torment merely for lying? What an insane display of fanaticism.

One day, when I conquer the tower, I will expose the “truth” behind this place and liberate the angels they have imprisoned.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has displayed exceptional acuity under restricted conditions. His skills have leveled up. Sixth Sense is now lvl 14.」

「Invisible message: Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘Truth in Lies, Lies in Truth,’ causing the overarching, inter-floor trial to deviate from its original course.」

「Invisible message: The forty-eighth and forty-ninth floors: Escalating Conflict and Approaching Calamity have collapsed.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has refused the [Subordinate Contract] proposed by the second-class god Burning Truth.」

…

「Invisible message: The Prison of Truth simulation is resetting. Time remaining until reactivation: 29 minutes 59 seconds.」

***

[Attention, all climbers. Climber Kwon Su-Hyeok completed the hidden mission ‘Truth in Lies, Lies in Truth’ on the forty-eight floor, deviating the Tower of Ordeal from its original path.]

[The forty-eighth and forty-ninth floors have collapsed. The next floor is the fiftieth.]

[7 hours 59 minutes until the rest period ends. Please take a rest.]

Immediately after returning to the waiting room, I spotted Ryun on top of the desk, with Doppy staring blankly at me beside him. Neither seemed to have grasped the situation.

It made sense. To them, it would have felt as though we had abruptly returned mid-floor.

“Something... happened...”

“Su-Hyeok! What happened? You grabbed an angel by the throat and came back here!”

“Wait a moment. I’ll explain everything soon.”

- Ha Hee-Jeong (Fiftieth Floor): Hey, what’s going on? What happened?

- Seo Ho-Su (Fiftieth Floor): Su-Hyeok, what’s the situation?

- Seo Ha-Rin (Fiftieth Floor): Oppa, what did you do for the hidden mission? Why did the floor suddenly end?

- Alexei Braham (Fiftieth Floor): Did you find another hidden mission again?!

My inbox was in chaos from my party members. A quick check of the Community proved that it was equally frenzied.

[AHAHAHA another floor collapse!]

[What just happened???]

[Kwon Su-Hyeok, explain yourself!]

[This is just due to Su-Hyeok’s greatness.]

[Kwon Su-Hyeok!! Give me my points back!!]

I began replying, starting with Ha Hee-Jeong.