[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 20 years 165 days.]

Just because I had landed an attack didn’t mean I had inflicted any real damage—in fact, I hadn’t even managed to leave a single wound. It simply meant that, for the first time in my countless attempts, I had succeeded slightly. Soulbound had grazed his shoulder, barely scraping across the rim of his armor. Regardless of how pointless the strike had been, it was enough to leave me oddly satisfied.

I had unleashed a Heart Sword in our previous duels, but he had brushed aside every attempt without the slightest resistance. When our Heart Swords had clashed prior to this instance, he had always reacted too quickly for mine to even factor into the equation. This time had been different because I had chosen to take a risk. I had been willing to sacrifice a blow for a blow.

Of course, that success didn’t come without effort.

It had taken me five long years just to block his flood of Heart Swords and close the distance so I could strike him directly. Even now, I could still tell that he was holding back to simply humor me, but progress was progress.

During those years, my mastery of Thunderbird had also evolved. Divinity, mana, and causality could now flow through my inner circuits with refined precision, interlacing in harmony rather than colliding. Even the movement of that power had changed. In the past, when I had forced that current to accelerate, it would carve me to shreds slowly but surely, leaving behind deep, lingering damage.

Now, I didn’t feel any pain when it activated, so the backlash had diminished or perhaps disappeared altogether.

Not that I have ever confirmed it after dying, of course.

Still, I had a feeling that the backlash had lessened considerably.

I ran through the most recent challenge in my head. The method I had used to land that strike was simple in principle, but executing the plan had demanded everything I had.

Under Thunderbird’s heightened perception, I met his oncoming strike head-on and refused to dodge. Following that, I pretended to block but twisted my wrist at the last instant, all the while maneuvering my cloak to protect my shoulder as I swung Soulbound in retaliation.

Absolute focus and perfect timing determined success from failure. Looking back, I doubted I would ever reproduce such a perfect storm of concentration and precision again.

Even covered with causality and sporting impressive defensive capabilities, my cloak couldn’t completely withstand the destructive force of a weapon imbued with the Star Devourer’s power. His axe tore through my left shoulder cleanly.

Shhk—

It struck me as oddly quiet, and instead of the clanging of metal, I only heard a soft sound reminiscent of tearing paper as his blow tore my armor apart. Then came the cold, searing sensation of annihilation.

In an instant, my left arm was gone.

Well, it didn’t really matter, since I knew I would lose it. It wasn’t the first time, and the arm would regenerate when I respawned anyway. In turn, it allowed me to aim my axe straight for his side. He withdrew his weapon and blocked my strike in the blink of an eye, but my timing had been flawless.

The rebound sent Soulbound glancing off his shoulder plate with a metallic clang! It was harsh, unlike his blow. Then my vision darkened.

A week had passed since then.

The gap between us is still enormous. Regardless, it doesn’t matter. This was a meaningful step for me.

It was the first strike, and it surely wouldn’t be the last.

Five years.

That was how long it had taken me to go from being unable to even see his attacks to finally grazing his shoulder. It would sound like a long time out of context, but I didn’t mind. My growth had never been constant; it had constantly accelerated. Moreover, it was easier to learn from someone near your level than from one impossibly above it.

The same principle applied here.

The stronger I became, the more I could learn from the other me and the faster I would grow. I had once felt that an immense, incomprehensible wall stood between us, but it no longer appeared that way. The wall hadn’t vanished, but I could finally sense its scale. What once had been a blind, uncertain path now began to open, faintly but surely.

There was something else I had learned. Before, I had believed that my abilities would only grow when I internalized an insight.

After all, that is what I expect from the tower.

I was wrong.

My stats had increased the first time I blocked his Heart Sword. Now that I had successfully landed an attack, they had grown again. The surge was greater than ever before, in fact. Apparently, while enlightenment would strengthen me, my actions themselves also served as catalysts for growth. Little by little, the gap between us would close.

Though I still don’t know if he is growing as well.

Since he never moved unless I challenged him, I doubted that was the case.

Then again, who can say?

Either way, it wasn’t worth dwelling on now. That was a concern for another time. For the moment, I had to take my small victories and focus on my successes. One thing I wanted to do for sure was engrave how it had played out into my memory—the focus, the precision, and the split-second timings. Once I could reproduce them perfectly, I had to move on to the next step, which was a true, decisive strike.

It may take longer than I hope, but that is fine.

“Ugh.”

Time to start again.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 18 years 58 days.]

Nearly two years had passed since that first successful attack. During that time, the same mental fatigue I had thought I had overcome returned once more.

Of course, this wasn’t anything new.

Whenever I felt myself inching closer to success, only to collide once more with a vast, impenetrable wall, my thoughts grew unbearably heavy.

The trial seemingly stretched endlessly before me. Inside it, doubts spiraled without pause.

Am I truly improving? Am I doing any of this right?

Each question fed into the next until they looped endlessly downward in my mind. Of course, I understood that instead of wasting time on such thoughts, it would be far better to train, to keep moving forward no matter how slowly.

Unfortunately, understanding that didn’t mean I could silence my mind or stop the doubts from slowly dragging me down.

There was no one I could depend on. I had to bear everything alone. I couldn’t hold a proper, heartfelt conversation with the spirits within Soulbound, nor could Mung-chi offer the kind of companionship that could ease the loneliness. Well, I supposed that having them was at least a little better than being completely alone. After all, I could have been talking to a basketball, like in a certain movie. Though honestly, the difference wasn’t all that significant.

This particular inner turmoil was unlike the fleeting ones before it.

More than two weeks had passed with me motionless on the floor, yet I still couldn’t raise a finger. Staying here filled me with shame and frustration, but standing up wouldn’t do anything, either. Even when I forced myself to fight again, the outcome never changed. I couldn’t see a way forward, couldn’t even discern what I was doing wrong.

At times, standing there and agonizing over my thoughts only tightened the weight pressing down on my chest. In the end, it was easier to simply lie there, motionless, like someone who had already given up.

That heaviness only grew with each passing moment, like something enormous and invisible had wrapped itself around me. It constricted my lungs and heart.

“Ahhhhhh—!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the star-filled void.

Just like during those old military drills or training camps, I roared for five full seconds, expelling every ounce of breath from my chest. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

It didn’t do anything.

My heart didn’t feel lighter.

The other me didn’t so much as twitch.

Because, in the end, nothing had changed. The same exact task remained for me to complete. I closed my eyes.

Last time I felt like this, I still managed to make progress afterward.

Back then, doing nothing at all had somehow led me one step forward. Perhaps that breakthrough would repeat itself.

I had repeated that thought dozens of times already, and though it sounded like weak self-justification, I clung to it anyway. When no path forward could be seen, even the smallest comfort was enough to steady the mind.

Let me just rest a little longer.

I had slept for days, anyway. I wasn’t truly tired, but I had learned how to sever my consciousness and deliberately switch myself off. Right before my awareness faded, my inner world surfaced again.

Soulbound floated there, faintly flickering, and its form wavered within my mind’s eye. I stared at it quietly.

Is that trembling reflection of Soulbound a sign that my own will is faltering? That I am losing my resolve amid this stagnation and despair?

Even so, I couldn’t summon the strength to steady it. Darkness still covered everything, including the path forward.

But still...

I couldn’t simply watch Soulbound tremble like that. The faint resonance of the souls within it reverberated through me. Their echoes closed around my heart like a silent plea.

Something struck my mind like a bolt of lightning—before The Coming Dawn, I had earned another title.

Seeker of the Crossroads.

One who pressed forward in search of truth. Just because the road ahead was obscured didn’t mean I could remain still.

I had to find it.

Opening my eyes, I focused on Soulbound’s subtle vibration as it pulsed within my inner world. Reaching out, I grasped it firmly in my hand.

Right. Get up.

If I closed my eyes again, I knew I would remain trapped in this same state for months, letting time slip by while telling myself I was fine. There wasn’t much difference between wasting time on comfort and wasting it on blind effort. If I kept challenging him, wouldn’t the path eventually reveal itself?

No. Even if it doesn’t, I still have to find it. Think of your divine title.

When morning broke, sunlight dispelled the darkness. I needed to do the same for myself. I needed to drive away this suffocating haze. I gripped Soulbound tighter. Heat flared from within my palm, like the weapon itself was responding to my resolve.

Then, I charged toward the other me without hesitation. Each time I fell, I rose again. Each time I was cut down, I lunged forward once more, over and over, without end.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 15 years 231 days.]

About nine and a half years had been deducted from the timer so far. That didn’t necessarily mean I had spent that amount of time here—perhaps seven or eight. However, by the trial’s metrics, almost a decade had certainly gone by.

The realization hit harder than I expected.

I had now spent more time on this floor than I had climbing the other ninety-eight floors, all for a single purpose. To be honest, the early trials already felt like distant memories, blurred by the endless passing of time. At some point, I had begun to feel the weight of time here acutely. It was so vivid that I could almost hear it slipping away.

Even when such a towering obstacle stood before me, the awareness of time gnawed at my focus and fed a growing impatience that refused to fade.

Did I catch up to twenty years of his growth in these ten?

That question lingered constantly in my mind. Not only that, but it wasn’t enough for me to only catch up. I had to surpass that. Unfortunately, no matter how much I calculated or reasoned it out, the answer remained elusive. I couldn’t possibly measure his level precisely, so all I could do was estimate, relying on instinct and vague comparison. By my estimation, ten years of training would be equivalent to five times the strength I had possessed at the beginning of this floor.

Perhaps that wasn’t an exact measure, but in terms of time and growth, it seemed right.

The moment I had first stepped onto the ninety-ninth floor already felt like a distant memory, but I recalled the person I had been back then. It was a younger, more naive version of myself.

Have I grown five times stronger since then?

I believed I had. Despite the constant defeats and deaths, I hadn’t let it crush my confidence or trap me in a sense of inferiority. Objectively speaking, I was now at least five times stronger than the person who had first reached this floor.

Every movement the future version of me makes carries fifty years’ worth of mastery compressed into a single swing.

Beyond raw numbers, I had devoted myself to understanding that depth and replicating it in my own way. The me who had arrived here years ago couldn’t compare. In that sense, the time I had spent on this floor hadn’t been wasted. It had been painful, yes, but also proof of progress.

The mental demons still came for me, of course. They always did. No matter how many times I overcame them, they returned stronger. Each wave spiraled me further into an abyss than the last. Remaining mentally well had always been my weak point. Even back in the waiting room, I had already been nearing my limit. My surroundings definitely hadn’t improved, either. I was forced to fight someone practically identical to me every single day.

At least his equipment looks slightly aged.

It was a faint and hollow comfort.

I managed to overcome each episode somehow, but there was no guarantee when the next downward spiral would come. I had already broken down more than once. Of course, worrying about it changed nothing.

For now, I was fine. While I was, I had to focus on growth. Despite everything, I had achieved visible progress.

At the very least, I have reached a point where I can exchange blows, even if only for moments at a time.

I was making decent progress. In truth, I couldn’t deny that I wasn’t doing poorly in this situation. In ten years of training, I had already caught up to twenty of his. That meant in the remaining fifteen, I only had to close thirty more.

It wouldn’t be easy, but I could do it. I always had.

***

[Defeat your future self from fifty years later. Time remaining: 10 years 1 day.]

Another five years passed.

Years of turmoil, determination, and grueling repetition burned away weakness and forged steady growth. The days blended together, much like before, but something had undeniably changed.

My battle with the other me had finally reached a point where the battles were close. For instance, he had unleashed Thunderbird for the first time. He immediately killed me afterward, but that didn’t matter. My focus was on the fact that his abilities mirrored mine exactly.

Lightning Essence, Spirit of the Storm, Thunderbird—

He wielded the same skills as I did, and nothing beyond them. Perhaps he possessed other aspects I hadn’t yet witnessed, but I doubted it. The tower hadn’t been kidding when it said he was me with an extra fifty years.

In fact, my mastery of Thunderbird had likely surpassed his. Unlike him, I had spent fifteen years refining it.

“Phew.”

Therefore, on the final day before ten years remained, I stood before him once more. Since witnessing his Thunderbird, I had spent every day preparing for this moment. Today’s battle would determine my current limit and shape how I would spend the decade to come.

I invoked Thunderbird.

By now, it came as naturally as breathing.

The three forces—divinity, mana, and causality—intertwined seamlessly and flowed through my circuits in perfect balance as I exhaled. My perception sharpened to an extreme, allowing me to perceive every fleeting fraction of a second. Then, I inhaled, just enough to fill two-thirds of my lungs.

Ready, I kicked off the ground and surged forward.