BFBT 10

Chapter 10

The Convergence

The disappearance of the challengers who entered the Tower.

People wondered, ‘Is the Tower starting to undergo yet another massive transformation?’

In the past, the Tower had shifted its rules before. Humanity had been forced to adapt to those changes and survive by any means necessary.

The reaction of those already trapped inside the Tower, however, differed slightly from the outside world.

Though they had suspected a problem back in Korea, the vast majority were simply relieved to hear it wasn’t the kind of disaster they feared. The real issue was that they, too, now faced a critical decision.

Should they re-enter the Tower before the current Dimension Gate closed, or choose to remain on Earth?

Uncertainty lingered—not just on the 1st floor, but over whether similar anomalies might strike the upper floors as well.

Those who had returned from the Tower were left wracking their brains at a major crossroads. They had assumed any structural shift would be a global phenomenon, but because this strange anomaly was confined exclusively to Korea, Korean challengers felt even more disoriented.

“This is a headache.”

“Ha, what are we supposed to do now?”

“Let’s think about it for a bit. We still have some time left.”

“I’m going to go check on my family.”

“Yeah.”

After roughly assessing Earth’s current climate, the challengers scattered. Dodging reporters was second nature to people of their caliber.

“Mother, I’m home.”

“Son! You’ve worked hard, come on in and sit down.”

“Yes.”

“About this time—”

“Mom, can you… please not go back into the Tower anymore?”

“Pardon? Why…?”

“I saw the news today. They said everyone who went in last year is missing. What if something happens to you, too? I’m so worried.”

Gazing into his mother’s anxious face, Baek Gang-woo found himself unable to give an easy reply.

He was already inextricably bound to the Tower. He could never abandon the place where he had slain countless enemies through grueling training, grown stronger by cutting down even mightier foes, and roamed a vast, boundless wilderness.

Having spent so much of his life there, the Tower was essentially his second home. Companions, friends, and the person he loved all lived inside its walls.

Yet, why had he entered the Tower in the first place?

To lift his family out of grinding poverty.

To repay the mother who had raised him alone after his father passed away early in his childhood.

To live happily alongside his mother.

That was why he had endured desperate struggles in the Tower and ultimately reached the 50th floor.

By now, he possessed more than enough wealth to ensure his mother never had to work another hard day in her life and could afford anything she desired. He no longer needed to step foot inside the Tower.

And yet, after all this? Walking away now would make him less than human.

I can’t do that…

I shouldn’t…

And yet.

Even so.

.

.

.

“I’m… sorry……”

Hot tears spilled over.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Tears tracking down his cheeks fell one by one onto the back of his hands as he clenched his trousers in a tight grip.

He lacked the courage to look his mother in the eye. He simply couldn’t raise his head.

To her, it must have felt like a crushing betrayal. Telling her he was returning to the Tower was equivalent to abandoning the mother who had dedicated the rest of her life solely to him.

Through his trembling shoulders, he felt the warmth of his mother’s hands. Without a word, she pulled him into an embrace and gently patted his back.

“Keuk……”

“I’m sorry. That was an unreasonable request on Mom’s part.”

No, Mother.

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

So please, don’t say things like that.

He wanted to speak the words, but a wave of emotion broke over him like a bursting dam, locking his throat completely.

“Hnngh……”

“It’s alright. It’s alright, so cry as much as you want.”

That day, Baek Gang-woo could do nothing at all.

Meanwhile, even among those who had chosen to stay out of the Tower, conversations revolving around Cha Yu-min remained an everyday fixture.

“Did you hear?”

“About what? That Cha Yu-min came back? But didn’t he clear up to the 80th floor or something? He looked battered to hell.”

“No, that’s not it—they say he went down to the 1st floor.”

“What? The 1st floor? How?”

“How would I know? They’re saying he’s holding a press conference soon. Apparently, all kinds of bigwigs are throwing massive bribes around just to get a seat.”

“Insane. When is it? I’m so curious.”

The internet was flooded with talk of Cha Yu-min around the clock.

└ Opppa Yu-min! He looks even cooler now!

└ Luminous Cha Yu-min! We love you, Cha Yu-min!

└ Will you guys cut it out?! Is his looks what matters right now?!

└ As expected of the No. 1 ranker. How on earth did he even get to the 1st floor??

└ Didn’t he clear up to the 71st floor last year? Rewards spike every 10 floors, so he probably cleared the 80th floor and got some special ability as a reward, right?

└ Inter-floor travel opens up at 50, so if you hit 80, can’t you just drop down to the 1st floor?

└ If that’s true, that’s huge! Even Jonathan only made it to 76. Wonder how our pride, Cha Yu-min, pulled it off.

The press conference was finally held two days after Cha Yu-min’s return.

The press hall was packed to the brim with journalists even before Cha Yu-min arrived. High-ranking government officials and rankers from various countries were also in attendance in large numbers.

This was because the mass disappearance of Korea’s 1st-floor challengers was an issue of urgent global concern, as any nation could fall victim to a similar anomaly at any moment.

“Ranker Cha Yu-min is entering.”

Cha Yu-min pushed open the door and stepped inside with a composed expression—a stark contrast to his bedraggled state from the previous day.

“Hello, I am Cha Yu-min.”

Camera shutters exploded from all directions.

Journalists raised their hands left and right to signal questions, but Jeon Jae-yong, the President of the Korean Challenger Association, held up a hand to stop them.

“We will hold a dedicated Q&A session later. For now, please listen to Ranker Cha Yu-min’s statement.”

At Jeon Jae-yong’s words, the chaotic murmur of the room gradually subsided.

Everyone in the hall waited with bated breath for Cha Yu-min to speak, much like baby birds waiting for a mother bird to drop food into their nests.

“First, it has been nearly a year since challengers stopped coming up from the 1st floor. Most people inside the Tower were already aware of this, and I climbed higher to investigate the facts.”

Cha Yu-min continued in a steady, even cadence—neither too fast nor too slow.

“As you all know, there is a famous adage in the Tower: ‘If you desire something, climb the Tower, for your dream lies within.’ I believed the answer lay on the 80th floor. And I reached the 80th floor. One week ago.”

His concluding sentence triggered another wave of camera shutters that filled the press hall.

Aside from the missing 1st-floor challengers, the public’s primary obsession had been Cha Yu-min’s conquest of the 80th floor. Now that the news of his success was confirmed…

Rankers from every country would go to any lengths to extract his clearance strategy. And that achievement would cement Korea’s political leverage and elevate its national prestige.

“The higher you climb the Tower, the greater the authority and power it grants. It also rewards you with unimaginable wealth and glory. And as a reward for clearing the 80th floor, I acquired the ability to travel down to the 1st floor.”

Click! Click! Click! Click!

The camera shutters showed no signs of stopping. Every single word he uttered was front-page material.

“Phew… I was so nervous just listening to that……”

“I can’t believe I’m witnessing such a historic moment. I’m so glad I didn’t climb past the 1st floor!”

“’Glad’? As if you had a choice not to climb, punk.”

“Quiet down, what are you two doing in front of Lord Cha Yu-min?”

Kim Kang-cheon hissed, cutting off Baek Hyun and Kang Ji-hoon.

“It’s fine. By the way… I sense an ominous ripple of mana coming from right outside the boss room. What is that?”

“Ah, well… you’ll see when you go in. Haha……”

With a puzzled look, Cha Yu-min walked toward the entrance of the boss room.

Standing guard right in front of the door was May, radiating a heavy, oppressive aura.

A skeleton wearing a dark, gloomy black robe and holding a crooked, sinister-looking staff blocked the path entirely.

“Is that the boss you guys were talking about?”

“No……”

Even Cha Yu-min knew better. It looked nothing like the descriptions the others had given him.

Yet the sheer presence and power it exuded were formidable enough to pass for a boss in its own right.

“That’s… a gatekeeper and secretary created by the Necromancer here,” Kang-cheon explained with an awkward smile.

“If it’s a gatekeeper, fine… but what do you mean, secretary?” Cha Yu-min asked, looking utterly flabbergasted.

“Well, you see……”

While Kang-cheon stood there scratching his head, May spotted them.

“Who are you? I don’t recognize that face.”

“I have business with the boss of this place, so step aside. Unless you want to die.”

“Heegek!”

Standing behind Cha Yu-min, Baek Hyun let out a startled shriek, but Kang-cheon hastily clamped a hand over his mouth to choke off the scream.

Ignoring whatever commotion happened behind him, Cha Yu-min kept his focus locked entirely on May.

She was an opponent he couldn’t afford to take lightly.

A mere 1st-floor boss made this? But to possess this level of power…

“Oh ho? A fun new toy has arrived. If you have business with Master, you’ll have to get through me first.”

“I don’t have time to waste on a glorified gatekeeper. I’ll finish this quickly.”

“Urk—!”

“Hey, hey, shut up!”

Baek Hyun let out another strangled squawk at Cha Yu-min’s declaration before Ji-hoon muffled him again.

Knowing May’s terrifying combat prowess, Cha Yu-min’s casual dismissal sounded completely insane to them. At the same time, however, he was the No. 1 ranked challenger.

There was no way he would simply lose down on the 1st floor, but…

For some reason, they had a strong gut feeling that he still wouldn’t be able to beat the Senior.

May wasn’t even the real problem. If they provoked May and made her mess up, the Senior might fly into a blind rage. To be frank, they were far more terrified of that prospect than of Cha Yu-min.

Cha Yu-min drew his sword instantly and lunged at May.

Clang!

A mana shield materialized in midair, blocking his blade, but Cha Yu-min smoothly chained into his next strike, igniting a fierce exchange of blows between him and May.

Magic and sword arcs tore wildly through the space.

“Kuh-euk!”

“Kuhahahahat! Is that all you’ve got? With mere skills like that, you aren’t qualified to see Master!”

Fire, water, earth, wind.

The combat proficiency of the Skeleton Mage—wielding all four elemental forces—far exceeded his expectations.

She froze the ground with ice magic to sap his mobility, combined wind and fire spells to ceaselessly probe for openings, and kept him at bay while denying him any chance to close in. The moment he managed to break through and approach, she erected earth-type barriers to block him and immediately countered.

It was a nightmare to fight.

This couldn’t be explained merely by high stat parameters.

She possessed vast combat experience coupled with the magical versatility to back it up. How on earth was such a level of skill even possible for a standard Skeleton Mage?

“Impressive. I acknowledge you.”

Cha Yu-min conceded the point. This place had clearly broken away from every common-sense rule he knew.

“Now, I’ll show you my real strength.”

His blade turned pitch black.

Shadow Style.

Cleave.

Cha Yu-min’s sword sliced straight through May’s stone wall.

Yet, not a single scratch appeared on the wall itself.

“Keuk—.”

Instead, a voice laden with agony came from May, who was hiding behind the wall.

Where the stone barrier had split apart, May stood in tattered robes. One of her arms, which had been holding her staff, lay severed on the floor.

“Aside from… Master… defeat is… a rare experience for me.”

May dropped to one knee.

Witnessing that sight, the three men standing behind Cha Yu-min dropped their jaws in stunned silence.

That monstrously powerful May had lost an arm and been forced to her knees?

As expected of the No. 1 ranker.

A deep sense of awe washed over them once more as they looked at Cha Yu-min.

“Go on in. Master is waiting for you.”

“Right. Thanks to these guys interceding, I’ll spare your life.”

“Tch… Much appreciated.”

The three had frantically begged Cha Yu-min not to kill May beforehand. Since May was one of the boss’s favorites, they had no idea what kind of catastrophe would ensue if she was destroyed.

While Cha Yu-min killing the boss might liberate the 1st floor, if he failed, absolute despair would follow.

Fortunately, their plea had worked.

Entering the inner boss room, they had half-worried the boss might be displeased that May was injured, but seeing his unexpectedly calm expression, they let out internal sighs of relief.

Cha Yu-min looked back at him with a composed, steady gaze.

To everyone outside the 1st floor—every single person across Earth and the upper tiers of the Tower—the 1st-floor boss was rumored to be frail, lethargic, out of his mind, and little more than a puppet.

Yet the moment their eyes met, Cha Yu-min felt instinctively that the man sitting before him was universes away from any such description.

Catching sight of Cha Yu-min, the corners of Lee Shin’s lips curved upward into a faint smile.