[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 24 years 350 days.]

Huh?

Once again, a week had vanished in the blink of an eye. By my perception, not even twenty minutes had passed since the start of the trial, but two weeks had already slipped away.

Compared to the twenty-five years I had been granted, it was a brief span. However, comparing the rate of loss to how long I had been here, it was a costly mistake. In a situation where I needed to strengthen at more than double the rate I would normally, I had already lost two weeks.

Thankfully, this last defeat didn’t leave me feeling regretful. What I had seen was worth the seven days—the way in which my opponent had swung his axe.

Though I hadn’t seen every detail with perfect clarity, he hadn’t executed a particularly complex strike. Despite that, the fact that I had spotted anything at all gave me a huge sense of relief. I knew now that he had used the Heart Sword, and though we shared the technique, it existed on a level far beyond my own. I concentrated deeply, committing the strike’s trajectory to memory with utmost clarity so that it wouldn’t fade from my mind.

However, that wasn’t my only revelation. Upon awakening, I was truly startled by the complete absence of any backlash from using Thunderbird.

If that continues to be the case, maybe I should use it more.

The other me could certainly use Thunderbird as well, and his would no doubt be stronger. Also, despite my reckless charge with Thunderbird active, he hadn’t activated his own. In hindsight, that made sense. He was me, after all. I would have done the same in that situation. Even if his judgment or temperament differed slightly, why use it for the same outcome? To him, I was a mere distraction, something too insignificant to warrant real effort.

That, of course, worked in my favor.

Fifty years and twenty-five.

If I continued using Thunderbird, the imbalance from the difference in training could shift. Since it was an awakening technique, it didn’t simply enhance physical ability but also heightened cognition to its absolute limit. It allowed me to see, feel, and think countless times quicker within the same span of time.

The other me likely hadn’t spent those fifty years constantly refining Thunderbird. If that was the case, then by using it continuously, I could improve the technique and—more importantly—catch up.

To be honest, I had only used it a handful of times, barely enough to count on one hand. I could use it to awaken my latent potential, but my mastery of the skill was still far from the peak. The energy flowing through my inner circuits was volatile, something even I struggled to control. That was why it so often left severe and lasting damage.

Maybe this is my opportunity to fix that flaw.

If I grew accustomed to fine-tuning its flow, I would eventually use it freely without consequence. Even if I couldn’t reach that level, I could at least hope to reduce the physical and mental strain it caused. Perhaps I could even develop a technique that surpassed Thunderbird.

Of course, that was easier said than done. The process would be far from simple.

My thoughts gradually fell into place. Two attempts had already cost me two weeks, which was an absurdly inefficient trade. Even so, I didn’t mind—finding the right direction alone made those two weeks worth it. In a trial like this, using a trial-and-error process was inevitable. If anything, gaining an insight after only two failures was almost fortunate.

Whatever happens, I need to stay positive.

Back in the waiting room, I had worried about the mental toll that climbing the tower had taken on me. Even if each death shortened my remaining time, I would still need to stay here for well over a decade. Worrying about the time spent was a luxury I could no longer afford. The trial had to come first.

Besides, I couldn’t predict when the weight of solitude would begin to take its toll.

It was a realistic concern. I had lived for nearly twenty-five years, but in truth, only a handful of those were spent thinking rationally as an adult. To overcome this trial, I would likely spend more than ten years doing nothing but training alone, facing an emotionless reflection of myself who never spoke a single word. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

There was nothing else here.

I could still wield Poong-Lyeong’s power, but not summon it, nor could I summon Gehenna either. Truth be told, I found that fact comforting. If my foe also possessed the ability to summon a duplicate Poong-Lyeong or Gehenna, the trial would have become even more insurmountable.

Time will pass in an instant outside.

The people on Earth or the other climbers would never witness any of this. This battlefield existed solely for the two of us.

At least Soulbound is still here.

The countless souls sealed within it pulsed faintly, their presence as vivid as ever. Perhaps it was because they resided within the weapon, but I could feel their frustration. It wasn’t disappointment in me, but burning determination as if they were urging me to fight harder. They, too, seemed eager to defeat the other me. I wondered if the existence of his Soulbound played into their emotions as well. I couldn’t tell whether souls dwelled within his weapon, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

In any case, I would inevitably suffer from the isolation sooner or later. That was why I needed to stay optimistic while I still had the strength to. I exhaled slowly as I tried to set aside the tangled mess of thoughts clouding my mind.

“Haaa.”

My time for reflection was over. I was ready to devote myself entirely to the trial before me. After adjusting my grip on Soulbound, I lifted my gaze toward my future self.

What should I do?

This was a defining moment of the trial. I was standing at the fork between two paths, each leading to vastly different outcomes.

If I pursued the first option, I would continue challenging him relentlessly until the trajectory I had glimpsed became second nature. It promised a definitive direction for growth, but it also risked consuming precious time.

My second option was to take what I had witnessed and ponder it on my own terms. Through that process, I could reach a genuine realization, though it would likely consume even more time and mental energy.

Each path held its own merits and flaws.

After deliberating in silence for what felt like hours, I finally knew what I wanted.

The latter.

Countless thoughts had coursed through my mind, but I arrived at a simple conclusion. Only a realization born from my own efforts could allow me to overcome myself. Rather than blindly duplicating my opponent’s technique, I wanted to dissect, understand, and internalize the move for myself.

Of course, I could have easily mimicked it first and understood the intent later, but discovering it through my own insights was equally important for evolving it to a higher level.

It is like asking what came first, the chicken or the egg.

I was uncertain whether that was the proper analogy, but the principle reminded me of what people called self-directed learning. Even Thunder Axe had mentioned they learned best when they developed their own interpretations.

Besides, the technique I had glimpsed was something I would eventually comprehend as I grew stronger. This trial had simply allowed me to catch a fleeting glimpse of it ahead of time. If I could reach that realization faster than it had taken the other me, I would have already gained something invaluable.

Perhaps I would even uncover a new revelation through that insight.

Even if we had the same starting point, experiences defined the person, and if they diverged enough, the resulting person would as well.

With that final thought, I tore my gaze away from the other me completely. Then, I began retracing the Heart Sword he had unleashed, step by step, feeling out its rhythm and weight.

For countless hours and days, I let my thoughts surge and scatter through my mind, endlessly refining my technique and seeking the true path Soulbound should follow.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 24 years 319 days.]

Roughly another month passed before I managed to reconstruct my opponent’s Heart Sword with my own understanding, giving me a foundation upon which to evolve it further. The process had been tedious, exhausting, and seemingly endless. However, when it finally dawned on me, an indescribable excitement rose in place of my frustration.

One month spent imitating a single, simple sweep of an axe. When I remembered that the other me had needed fifty years to perfect it, though, it hardly seemed wasteful. Of course, that didn’t mean I had caught up to him. I had merely understood and internalized a fragment of what I had glimpsed.

Still, it brought an unexpected benefit.

The very moment I succeeded in internalizing it, my physical attributes surged upward by a staggering margin.

I suppose that makes sense.

The tower had described its methodology in a straightforward manner. My future self’s abilities were scaled based on my average rate of improvement within the tower. Therefore, it would be naive to think his progress came solely from technique. In terms of stats, his overall numbers had to be astronomical.

There was no way I could compare to that.

I intended to compensate for that gap through enlightenment. Whether that was fortunate or cruel, I couldn’t tell. My only accelerated means of growth was to learn from my other self, to recognize and internalize what I saw. Complaining would change nothing.

At least now, I could faintly perceive an escape route, a way to endure and overcome this endless trial. I knew what had to be done.

It was time to challenge him again.

Within the dazzling blue-gold radiance, I fought—and lost. He killed me with the same strike from before. I understood the principles behind it, but I still hadn’t achieved mastery. Even so, unlike the last time, I observed his movements with perfect and crystalline clarity. Little by little, I was closing the distance between us.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 24 years, 6 days.]

A full year had passed on this floor. I had challenged my duplicate several times during the year, although I couldn’t say exactly how many.

In that time, I lost track of how long it had been since Ha Hee-Jeong and I had last seen each other. Not that I had any way to measure it precisely. Keeping track of the days felt meaningless when every attempt demanded everything I had.

Moreover, time felt like it passed strangely here.

I didn’t feel hunger, thirst, or sleepiness. Perhaps that was the tower’s doing or another manifestation of my fortitude. Whatever the cause, it made enduring the mental strain more difficult in its own way. After all, eating and sleeping were human comforts, small respites that granted a rhythm to time. Without them, the days stretched endlessly. Sometimes I even wished I could feel hunger, just so I would have a reason to eat—Mung-chi still contained plenty of food.

Barely enough for two years, though.

Still, even eating felt like a waste of time now. I had decided I would only eat when things became unbearable.

However, sleep was a different matter. Mental fatigue was unavoidable. Even if I didn’t feel sleepy, my mind occasionally wavered, and I forced myself to close my eyes and drift into an artificial slumber whenever it happened.

Of course, throughout all this time, I still couldn’t counterattack, nor even defend against the single move that defeated me every time. Despite knowing the trajectory the strike would follow and swinging Soulbound to intercept, my speed fell short. My axe didn’t survive the clash either, as when annihilation met annihilation, the greater force prevailed.

His Heart Sword always sliced me cleanly.

At least after so many attempts, I could feel myself being struck, cleaved from my left shoulder blade to my right hip. Illuminated by the blue-gold radiance, every inch of the burning pain imprinted itself on my memory.

Well then, I will just have to keep training.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 23 years 2 days.]

Another year slipped away.

That marked two years since entering this space, perhaps closer to a year and a half if I included my respawns. The passage of time here had started to remind me of how time passed in the Tower of Ordeal. Some days were crushingly difficult while others passed with tolerable calm.

Even so, I endured.

I couldn’t truly communicate with anyone, but I still spoke to Mung-chi on occasion and communed with the souls inhabiting Soulbound.

There were even comforting moments.

Once, on an especially hard day, I took out some food from Mung-chi and ate. Tasting steak again after nearly a year and a half brought tears to my eyes.

I encountered some small victories, too. I finally managed to block that simple diagonal slash. Unfortunately, as soon as I did, he unleashed a barrage of divine strikes within a fraction of a second. Each one was precise, merciless, and unstoppable. I couldn’t block them all. Even when I attacked first, he effortlessly parried and cut me down once more.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 21 years 13 days.]

The third year was brutal.

There were days I trained relentlessly yet felt no growth at all. Times when frustration built until it nearly broke me. By the fourth year, however, things began to shift. I had endured the hardest days and decided to ace each one with determination.

That resolve alone made a difference. My efforts bore fruit.

I blocked two consecutive divine slashes and even stopped the next chain of strikes that followed. I still couldn’t land a clean hit on him, but progress was progress. It wasn’t as if the number of strikes I could block increased neatly every year.

In the fourth year, I managed to parry five in total.

Honestly, it infuriated me. He wasn’t even giving it his all. Perhaps that restraint made this a trial rather than a slaughter, but the condescension of it and knowing he was holding back was unbearable. Still, such resentment was a luxury I could afford. If he fought me at full power, growth would be impossible.

Grinding my teeth, I rose again. I had been stagnant for too long, unable to find the next step on my path. I would challenge him once more.

I activated Thunderbird.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 20 years 172 days.]

This year felt worse than any before. Time flowed never-endingly, but I couldn’t convince myself I was truly improving. I trained almost constantly, although sometimes I did absolutely nothing. No matter how many times I challenged him, no spark of inspiration struck.

Thinking, analyzing, and reflecting—it all led nowhere. No matter how talented I was, it was absurd to expect I could immediately replicate what another version of myself had mastered over fifty years.

Nearly despairing, I lay down beneath the endless sky and did nothing but watch the slow drift of stars. Sometimes, I spoke to the other me standing silently in the distance.

He never responded.

To be honest, I wanted to give up. That was why I had lain here in the first place, because I was exhausted, frustrated, and utterly lost.

Despite that, times like these weren’t entirely without purpose. After some time, I realized I had simply been pushing myself too hard for too long. Perhaps that stagnation came not from failure, but from a lack of rest.

Maybe I just need to breathe.

***

Looking back, that hadn’t been the wrong decision. In the end, it bore fruit. Today, for the first time, I succeeded in landing a meaningful strike.