I lifted the terminal.
In this perfectly fucked situation, what should I do first?
Well, considering this unprecedented difficulty called Pandemonium—I might as well take a selfie.
I initially planned to just snap a picture of the cursed text, but really, a selfie was the best way to capture my situation.
Of course, there it was—the selfie function.
I adjusted the angle to clearly show both my face and the word Pandemonium.
Wow, what a wonderfully cheerful selfie.
Ah—wait. Does this mean I’ll never get to eat kimchi again?
...Then again, I might not even have a lifetime left to worry about.
Might as well take a picture with the Queen Anthranthrope before heading to Floor 2.
At the top of the stairs, a massive door awaited. I pushed it open.
Beyond it was a vast space—about the size of a high school gymnasium.
This must be a waiting area.
The moment I stepped onto a white boundary line, a flood of notifications filled my vision.
[Pandemonium Tower #01]
[Welcome to Floor 2.]
[Status - ‘Mana’ has been added.]
[‘Mana’ stat has been granted: +10.]
[System - You have gained access to the ‘Coin Shop.’]
[Floor 1 Clear Reward: 300 Coins.]
[System - ‘Inventory’ has been unlocked.]
[Pandemonium Floor 1 Clear Reward: A weapon has been granted. Check ‘Inventory.’]
[Pandemonium Floor 1 Clear Reward: Armor has been granted. Check ‘Inventory.’]
There were no chairs. No desks.
The only relief was a single sleeping bag.
A clock was mounted on the central wall.
Next to the round analog clock was a rectangular display screen—an electronic bulletin board.
Time until the Tower Exchange Meeting: 21 days.
Event Date: February 25th, 12:00 PM
I could just ask my gallery friends about what the hell this exchange meeting was.
Skills: Pain Suppression Lv.2, Composure Lv.2, Concealment Lv.1, Crisis Detection Lv.1,
Expanded Vision Lv.1, Enhanced Focus Lv.1
If my stats were this high just because I was a climber in Pandemonium, I wonder how fast 21st-century Earthlings in Easy, Normal, and Hard Mode leveled up.
Would the Coin Shop appear just by speaking?
It popped up instantly.
But despite my complaint, my stomach was brutally honest. A loud growl echoed from within me.
I selected , and a list unfolded.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
If I ate only once a day, that would last me 30 days.
Who the hell set these coin prices?
Not that it mattered. I wasn’t planning on buying anything other than water.
I had read somewhere that, in perfect condition, a person could survive on just water for up to eight weeks.
"But if you're thinking about just surviving, you’re already as good as dead."
I was scared—no, terrified—of this Pandemonium difficulty.
But clinging to life by rationing food and loitering in the waiting area like a parasite was the worst possible choice.
In the end, no matter what, I’d have to move forward.
Before that, I had to check my inventory for the weapon and armor I had received.
A translucent window appeared.
There were two occupied slots.
I tapped on the first one.
[Nameless Knight’s Straight Sword]
I had checked everything.
Now, it was time to let the Transcendent Gallery know about the absolute nightmare I had walked into.
I pulled out the terminal and connected to the gallery.
Most of the posts were people wondering whether I had survived.
I typed up a post and hit publish.
Title: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Content: I feel like I’m going insane. Look at this.
Attachment: 238409122.jpg
[A picture of Han Yuseong standing next to the massive door with the word Pandemonium clearly displayed on it.]
A longer silence than I expected.
That single question mark seemed to encapsulate everyone’s collective thoughts.
Same reaction I had when I first saw it.
Then, as if the floodgates had burst open, the replies poured in endlessly.
ㄴ Archmage: What the hell. That’s not photoshopped, is it? Pandemonium???
ㄴ Room Conspiracy Theorist: Um—the world is just one giant closed-room mystery.
ㄴ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ LMAO is that your funeral portrait selfie?
ㄴ Ice Queen: ...Frozen. Frozen. Stay strong.
ㄴ How the hell is he supposed to stay strong ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Panㅋㅋdemonㅋㅋiumㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋumㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋum...um.
ㄴ Well, we’ve read your will. Nice writing. You have a way with words.
ㄴ Even if I rub my eyes and check again, it’s still the same ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why does this exist?
ㄴ Wow, our climbing brother is one hell of a guy. He survived Pandemonium Floor 1. My bad for underestimating you.
ㄴ Huh? He looks pretty decent? But why does the picture feel like it has a black-and-white filter? Uh... uh? Breathe! Climber! CLIMBER! Someone call a healer!!!
I had expected this level of mockery.
Just a day ago—just one day ago—most of my life had been spent shitposting online.
I had already come up with most of these jokes myself.
Honestly, it was amusing.
ㄴ Admin: ...What the hell. Did you get access to the Transcendent Gallery terminal for a reason? There’s no way to tell...
Admin’s comment was all over the place, but I understood what he was getting at.
An impossible difficulty.
Yet here I was, still alive.
And somehow, I had coincidentally picked up a terminal on Floor 1.
Was this all some scenario deliberately set up by the tower?
Not that I had any way of knowing.
ㄴ Archmage: I don’t know. I’m skeptical. Even if the Transcendent Gallery helps, this is still Pandemonium Mode. A difficulty none of us have experienced. No matter what advice we give, he’ll always be one step from death. As for clearing it... ha. No clue.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Archmage, didn’t you say it yourself a while back? That anyone summoned to Pandemonium had to have some potential to clear it, even if they died trying. Are you retracting that statement?
ㄴ Archmage: I’m not retracting it. Of course, if he’s been summoned to Pandemonium, it means he has that potential. I’m just saying it’ll be a fucking nightmare.
ㄴ LMAO, Archmage keeps downplaying Climber, but now that he’s in Pandemonium, he’s speechless ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Archmage: What are you even saying?
ㄴ Archmage: Whatever. I’m done wasting words on idiots. I’m logging off for the day.
ㄴ Wait, is this actually real? Pandemonium?
ㄴ Saint: Not Easy. Not Normal. Not Hard. Pandemonium. How rare... I shall offer my prayers.
ㄴ Absolute Monarch: Climber, even if you fall into despair, do not make rash decisions.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Yeah, don’t worry about that. I’m not doing anything stupid ㅇㅇ
Why the hell would I die now?
That’d be lame as hell.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Yes! That is the right mindset! This one also supports you.
ㄴ Lmao, dude didn’t say a word until he saw Climber wasn’t mentally broken. Are you really a demonic cultivator?
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: Do you reside in the Murim Zone as well? Where do you live?
ㄴ Sword of Light: Check your Transcendent Gallery terminal. See if a new app appeared.
I minimized the window and returned to the home screen.
I tapped the unfamiliar icon beneath the camera app.
It had a blue star-shaped logo.
『The Transcendent Gallery’s affiliated Dimensional Exchange has been activated!』
『Welcome! New customer!』
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: Oh. There’s something. Dimensional Exchange?
ㄴ Admin: Looks like it unlocks on Floor 2.
ㄴ Sword of Light: Eat a good meal and come back.
ㄴ Sword of Light: What weapon do you have?
ㄴ ㅇㅇ*: I got a sword when I reached Floor 2.
ㄴ Sword of Light: A sword? Perfect. I’ll make sure you don’t die.
ㄴ How else? ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s obviously gonna train you till you drop.
ㄴ Sword of Light: I suppose I should claim the position of your first teacher.
The Sword Maniac was suddenly all over me.
It felt like he was even more excited now that I was in Pandemonium.