Chapter 51: 4F Hidden (2)

Still concealed, I watched the researchers pass by.

Their clothing looked surprisingly modern.

Was Floor 4 set in a world where civilisation and technology were far more advanced than on the previous floors?

I glanced around, then started down the corridor.

Aside from the two researchers who had just passed me, others were scattered throughout the hallway.

Surrounded by people in white coats, I stood out like a sore thumb. Dropping Concealment wasn’t an option.

This wasn’t like Floor 3.

I was inside a building known as the Workshop.

If anyone spotted me, they would naturally assume I was an intruder.

‘I can’t keep Concealment active forever, either...’

But what the hell was I supposed to do now?

I had already found the people inhabiting this place. Wasn’t the story supposed to start progressing on its own?

The first rule of clearing a Hidden Stage was understanding its setting.

For now, I decided to listen in on the conversations of the researchers passing by.

Most of them were discussing experiments I couldn’t begin to understand, while the rest chatted about mundane things like what to eat for lunch.

Nothing useful.

Then, without warning, the researchers around me began bowing their heads.

An elderly man in a white coat was approaching from the opposite end of the corridor.

He wore a monocle over one eye.

Two figures in sleek, mechanical-looking suits followed close behind him.

Guards, perhaps?

Either way, the old man carried himself like someone important.

I stepped aside and pressed myself against the wall to avoid bumping into them.

Then the old man abruptly stopped.

He stared directly at the spot where I was standing.

‘...?’

What?

Our eyes met.

I was concealed, wasn’t I?

Could he actually see me?

“Is something the matter, Lord Iska?”

“It’s nothing.”

The old man looked away and resumed walking.

I tilted my head as I watched him go.

Our eyes had definitely met.

Then realisation struck.

I immediately followed him.

If he had noticed me and deliberately let me pass, then he probably wasn’t an enemy.

And if he wasn’t an enemy...

Judging by every Hidden Stage I had cleared so far, he was likely a character essential to the route.

‘But how the hell did he see me?’

Diul’s Concealment had never been penetrated before.

Not even once.

And I still had no idea why the old man had pretended not to notice me.

I followed him all the way to a door at the far end of the corridor.

The two guards bowed to him, then departed in different directions.

That left only the old man and me.

Alone.

“Come in.”

Without looking back, the old man opened the door and spoke.

So he had seen me after all.

I raised my guard and followed him into the room.

I still had no proof that he was an ally.

If anything felt wrong, I needed to be ready to react immediately.

Click.

One half of the room resembled an office, while the other looked like a laboratory.

As the old man closed and locked the door, I quietly put some distance between us.

He stared at me without expression.

“Do you intend to remain like that?”

I released Concealment.

If he could see me anyway, there was no point wasting energy to maintain it.

“...”

So...

What the hell was this situation?

At the very least, my Sixth Sense detected no hostility from the old man.

He spoke again.

“Where did you come from? The Northern Resistance? The Twilight Order? Or the Shadow Blade?”

...Sorry, but I had absolutely no idea what any of those names meant.

Since I knew nothing, I kept my mouth firmly shut.

“I assume you are wondering why I pretended not to notice you.”

I nodded.

Yes, I was certainly curious about that.

The old man opened a drawer in his desk, took out a cigarette and lit it.

Smoke curled slowly toward the ceiling.

“I do not know what purpose brought you here. Whatever it may be, however, it cannot be favourable to the Workshop.”

He took a drag.

“I will ask you nothing else. Simply answer two questions. Are you an enemy of the Workshop?”

“...”

How exactly was I supposed to answer that?

Yes?

No?

The old man was clearly affiliated with the Workshop, yet his behaviour was anything but normal.

He had concealed the presence of an intruder and was now calmly speaking with him in private.

Even the way he had phrased the question made it sound as though he wanted me to be an enemy of the Workshop.

No.

It seemed he had already decided that I was.

Slowly, I nodded.

The old man nodded in return, then continued.

“Then let us speak hypothetically. If this Workshop were reduced to rubble, would such an outcome align with your purpose?”

...Reduced to rubble?

The entire Workshop?

The atmosphere was practically begging me to say yes.

So I nodded again.

The old man inhaled deeply from his cigarette, exhaled a thin stream of smoke and said,

“Then perhaps we can assist one another. I intend to destroy this Workshop.”

“...”

“I am Iska, senior researcher of this Floating Workshop.”

He studied my face.

“What do you say? Will you cooperate with me?”

Floating Workshop?

At last, I opened my mouth.

“...Why would one of its own researchers want to destroy the Workshop?”

“Just as I asked nothing of you, I see no reason for you to question me.”

So he wasn’t going to explain.

“Do you doubt my sincerity? The fact that I am sheltering an intruder such as yourself should be proof enough. Simply understand that I would have no reason to do so otherwise.”

“No, I understand. I’ll cooperate.”

I accepted his offer.

Destroying the Workshop...

I still wasn’t certain whether this was the correct route.

For the moment, however, Iska was the only character I could interact with.

And something told me that refusing his offer would result in the guards being summoned immediately.

“So how exactly am I supposed to help?”

Iska extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray.

“There is something called the Master Code. I need you to bring it to me.”

To summarise Iska’s explanation, the Master Code was the highest-level authorisation code in the Workshop.

The Workshop was divided into ten sectors, numbered from one to ten.

The Master Code was stored in a chamber somewhere within Sector 1.

Iska wanted me to infiltrate the chamber and copy it.

“Only the Workshop Master is permitted to enter the Master Code Room. More precisely, access requires the Master Key he carries.”

Iska folded his hands behind his back.

“The sequence is simple. First, steal the Master Key from the Workshop Master. Then proceed to the Master Code Room.”

...That sounded pretty damn difficult.

Still, the more I listened, the more confident I became that I was following the correct route.

The way he explained each objective felt almost like a walkthrough describing the progression of a game.

It matched the structure of every Hidden Stage I had cleared so far.

“You appear to use an unknown power rather than mana. If your abilities allowed you to infiltrate this Floating Workshop without causing any disturbance, then I believe you may be capable of completing this task.”

Was he referring to Diul’s ability?

I asked,

“How did you see through my Concealment?”

Iska tapped the lens of his monocle twice.

“My eyes are simply somewhat unusual. No one else within this Workshop can perceive you through that ability, so you need not concern yourself.”

He reached into the breast pocket of his coat and handed me a small object.

It resembled a USB drive.

“This device will copy the code. Once you enter the Master Code Room, you will find a capsule-like machine at its centre. Place this tool against it.”

He pointed to a tiny light on the device.

“When that light turns blue, the copy will be complete.”

I accepted the tool.

“And how am I supposed to steal the Master Key from the Workshop Master?”

“The Workshop Master keeps it on his person at all times. He can usually be found in Sector 1. Locate him and take it.”

“...That’s all?”

“Beware his personal bodyguard. He is a monstrous man and a former Imperial Executor. You must steal the key without being discovered.”

No, wait.

Wasn’t he going to give me anything more specific?

All Iska had really said was that the man possessed the key and I needed to figure out how to pick his pocket.

Iska walked into the laboratory section of the room and soon returned carrying a white coat and a card-like object.

He handed both to me.

“This is the identification card of one of my apprentice researchers. With it and the coat, you should be able to move through the Workshop without attracting suspicion.”

So I was receiving a false identity as well.

Was Floor 4’s Hidden Stage supposed to be some kind of espionage-infiltration action mission?

I slipped the copying device and identification card into my pocket, then put on the white coat.

“The Master Code is renewed at the beginning of every hour. If you copy it at 1:20, you must return it to me before precisely 2:00. Do you understand?”

“Yes... more or less.”

Finally, he handed me a smartphone-like device containing a map of the Workshop’s interior.

“Then off you go. Take as much time as you require.”

Feeling less dismissed than forcibly ushered out, I left Iska’s office.

With my hands buried in the pockets of the white coat, I walked down the corridor somewhat self-consciously.

The researchers passing me didn’t spare me a second glance.

So I had officially received the quest.

Hmm.

Well, I would figure things out as I went.

The mission consisted of two main objectives.

First, steal the Workshop Master’s key.

Second, use it to enter the Master Code Room and copy the code.

Apparently, the method I used to accomplish those tasks was entirely up to me.

I decided to begin by scouting the Master Code Room.

It was located in Sector 1.

I was currently in Sector 6, so the first step was finding a way out.

A sudden thought occurred to me, and I opened the Shop window.

[Shop]

—Physical Damage +10% (500P)

—Magic Damage +10% (200P)

—Willpower +10% (100P)

—Attribute Conversion (500P)

—Force Field (50P)

—Slow (50P)

—Freeze (100P)

—Special Gacha! (5,000P)

[Points held: 30,500P]

[‘Magic Damage +10% (200P)’ has been purchased.]

‘It still works.’

The purchase went through without issue.

Did that mean I could continue using the Shop for as long as I remained on Floor 4?

That was certainly good news.

Still, how ridiculously enormous was this place?

I struggled with the Workshop map, repeatedly losing track of my position.

Simply finding the exit from the building took an absurd amount of time.

‘Oh, there’s an elevator.’

After changing elevators several times and descending through multiple levels, I finally emerged from the Sector 6 building.

The moment I stepped outside, a powerful gust of wind struck me.

“...?”

Was that fog surrounding me?

No.

Clouds?

Stunned by the completely unexpected sight, I approached the outer edge of the Workshop.

“Wow...”

What the hell?

When Iska had said “Floating Workshop”, I had assumed it was merely the facility’s name.

It wasn’t.

The Workshop was literally floating.

The only landscape around me was the open sky.

Like a small island, the entire facility drifted high above the clouds.

“You shouldn’t stand so close to the edge. It’s dangerous.”

A passing guard called out to me.

“Ah, sorry.”

Fortunately, he didn’t appear suspicious.

He simply continued on his way.

Reluctantly abandoning the view, I turned back toward my destination.

Still, there was something undeniably romantic about it.

A Workshop floating in the sky.

Shwoom!

Just then, some kind of small airship descended toward a nearby landing platform.

A powerful gust swept through the area.

A researcher walking toward me lost their grip on a stack of papers, sending the sheets scattering across the ground.

“Oh no...!”

I crouched down and helped the flustered researcher gather them.

“Ah, thank you so much!”

Once every sheet had been collected, the researcher beamed at me and repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

“Honestly, thank you. It’s rare to meet someone so kind.”

“It was nothing.”

“Are you from Sector 6? I’m Selona, from Sector 3.”

She hugged the recovered papers to her chest.

“The researchers in my sector wouldn’t even look up if this happened to someone. I’m jealous. Sector 6 must be much less cold and gloomy.”

Damn it.

I shouldn’t have helped.

Selona immediately launched into casual conversation, leaving me trapped in place with an awkward smile.

Then people began disembarking from the airship that had just landed.

Our attention naturally shifted toward them.

They looked like prisoners.

Every one of them was restrained in handcuffs.

“Move! Stop dragging your feet!”

A guard kicked a child who had fallen to the ground.

The child’s face was pale with terror.

Despite the pain, they forced themselves upright and limped after the rest of the line.

By modern ethical standards, the scene was horrifyingly abnormal.

My expression hardened as I watched.

Selona, however, remained perfectly cheerful.

“Looks like this month’s fuel has arrived.”

“...Fuel?”

“Honestly, couldn’t they land a little farther from the building? My papers were nearly blown away.”

She grumbled as though the prisoners were of no importance whatsoever.

“Oh, sorry. Have I been keeping you? You must be busy.”

Selona smiled brightly.

“Let’s talk again sometime!”

Then she walked away.

I looked from the departing airship to the line of prisoners being led from the landing platform.

Fuel?

But the only things that had come off that vessel were people.

No way.

Were those people the fuel?

‘Romance cancelled.’

Was this world built around some kind of dystopian setting?

I tore my gaze away from them and returned to the mission.

Focus on clearing the Hidden.

Following the passageways connecting the different sectors, I eventually arrived at Sector 1.

I checked the map and made my way toward the Master Code Room.

Once I was close, I looked around and activated Concealment.

Hmm.

Surprisingly, there were no guards.

I proceeded down an unbelievably long corridor.

At its far end stood a massive door.

Beside it was a scanner-like device etched with a complex circuit pattern.

Presumably, placing the Workshop Master’s Master Key against it would unlock the entrance.

‘Maybe this will be easier than I thought.’

No one was stationed nearby.

As long as I obtained the Master Key, the rest should be simple.

Of course, the real question was how difficult stealing the key would be.

Then another idea struck me.

Wait.

Couldn’t I simply teleport inside?

Teleportation worked even through solid obstacles, provided the destination itself contained enough empty space.

I didn’t need to see the destination, either.

As long as I oriented myself correctly, I could teleport in that direction.

Which meant the door wasn’t truly an obstacle.

Surely it couldn’t be more than ten metres thick.

I stopped time and entered Mental Concentration.

Excited by the possibility of bypassing the entire objective, I activated Teleportation immediately.

Zap!

Sparks erupted around me.

It felt as though I had slammed bodily into an invisible wall.

The teleportation failed, and the force threw me backward.

“...?”

What the hell?

Before I could recover from my shock, the entire corridor turned red.

Sirens began to howl.

—Intrusion attempt detected. Incineration initiated.

With a series of heavy metallic clunks, the entire ceiling of the corridor split open.

At the same moment, my Sixth Sense began screaming.

Death.

Death.

Death.

Like a frantic alarm bell ringing directly inside my skull.

‘Oh boy...’

Yeah.

I was completely screwed.

[Do you wish to exit the Tower?]

I’ll take the retry.

I slammed the emergency exit button and escaped immediately.