Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10. Galactic Martial Arts World – Reincarnation (1)

As I emerged from the Library, the sun had already descended considerably in the sky.
Checking the clock tower, it was just past 5 PM.
For summer standards, the sun should have been blazing at this hour, yet it was already sinking—was this place in early spring or late autumn?
It certainly wasn’t hot at all.
I hadn’t given much thought to the climate until now, but discovering this felt like uncovering something new.
Or perhaps my assumption that The Tower possessed seasons was merely a preconception.
Was each floor of The Tower a separate planet?
Or was it a dimension like the flat Earth theory—containing only a specific space?
According to what I’d heard, the Gate’s interior was surrounded by a wall of mist as if an invisible barrier existed, and one could not cross beyond it.
Perhaps Floor 10 was a space similar to the Gate.
Simply a vastly larger one in comparison.
According to Community information, Floor 10 contained numerous cities separated by great distances.
Outside the cities were monsters—near the city, creatures like Horned Rabbits and goblins appeared, but the farther one ventured, the more monsters typical of the later stages of Floor 10 emerged.
While travel to other cities was possible, it seemed as though the nearby cities were divided like separate servers, populated almost exclusively by climbers invited from Korea.
Climbers from other nations were in more distant cities, making it more likely to encounter foreigners on Floors 20 or 30 than on Floor 10.
As the number of people decreased with each ascending floor, the servers appeared to consolidate, bringing people from multiple nations into single cities.
“I thought I’d earn some Shop Points outside the city, but I’ll have to do that tomorrow.”
I wasn’t blessed with exceptional night vision, and I had no desire to be ambushed again—to have my heart pierced or my skull split open.
I consulted the guidebook and found reasonably priced lodging.
It was 600 Credits per night—roughly 60,000 won—and since they also sold affordable meals, I purchased two portions of packaged sandwiches and headed to my room.
The room was clean, a modest 3-pyeong studio with a comfortable bed and an attached bathroom.
I stripped off my combat boots and clothes, collapsing onto the bed.
“Ah, this is wonderful.”
Though my physical body had been recreated upon arriving at Floor 10 and felt virtually no fatigue, I was strangely exhausted.
It was likely because I was mentally drained.
After briefly considering whether to take a nap, I stored one sandwich portion in my inventory and returned to my main body.

* * *

As time stopped for my avatar on Tower Floor 10, I opened my eyes in my main body.
I retrieved the sandwich from my inventory and ate while examining the second slot of my ‘Multidimensional Avatar’.

[Warning!]
[This dimension is spatiotemporally connected to the first slot. If you spend time in this dimension, time will also pass for the avatar in the first slot. Do you wish to create an avatar in this dimension?]

If I select Earth for the second slot, time will also flow for the first slot’s clone.
But since I’d secured lodging and locked up, a brief absence wouldn’t matter.
Even if something went wrong, it was just a clone—I could simply create another.
After finishing my sandwich, I selected Earth.
“That sandwich was delicious.”
My consciousness shifted to the second clone.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I stood at the familiar entrance of East Seoul Terminal.
The very space I’d visited during every vacation, the place where I’d been invited to The Tower.
I pulled out my smartphone and checked the time—it was nearly 1 PM.
I’d spent about seven hours in The Tower, yet less than three hours had passed in reality.
Looking at my ability window, my original body’s time had stopped, while my clone on Tower Floor 10 was experiencing time at an accelerated rate.
The higher I climbed in The Tower, the greater the temporal disparity would become.
But could I truly experience such wonders safely before leaving The Tower?
Well, leaving The Tower wouldn’t strip me of my abilities, so it wasn’t impossible.
Still, hadn’t the Librarian Elder urged me to visit him once I’d climbed higher?
If I’d received his kindness, wasn’t it only right to meet his expectations?
“That’s all just an excuse. When have I ever lived by others’ opinions?”
That’s right—I’d always done exactly as I pleased.
I couldn’t resist curiosity, and there was so much I wanted to know.
Because of that, I’d often been called eccentric.
Now I was simply curious about The Tower—what lay above it, what its purpose was.
My conversation with the Librarian Elder hadn’t fully satisfied my questions.
If anything, it had only deepened my curiosity.
What was magic? I wanted to learn martial arts too.
I wanted to immerse myself in the mysteries of this world.
If I’d never experienced it from the start, perhaps I could accept it—but now, to return to a peaceful, monotonous life?
Was The Tower trying to cast me into hell?
I was utterly exhilarated.
Returning to this familiar space made the mystery that had come to me feel tangible, real.
Let me erase Earth from slot two and embark on a journey to new dimensions.
I could always return home.
But first.
[I’ve decided to do an internship in Seoul after my discharge, staying at a college friend’s place. I’ll be busy for a while, so I won’t be able to contact you much.]
At least I should send a message to my parents. It was better than suddenly disappearing.
Just as I was about to erase the clone again, my phone rang. It was Mother.
“Hello?”
-Son, you’ve been discharged? But an internship all of a sudden?
“Ah, a university friend asked how my internship was going, so I applied for fun when the topic came up—and wouldn’t you know it, I got accepted.”
My mother responded with concern in her voice.
-But you just finished your military service. At least take some time to rest.
“If I want to get a job later, I need to build my resume. Besides, I can’t just abandon my friend like that.”
-Which company?
“A place affiliated with the university. It’s not a major corporation, but a mid-sized company—quite reputable, actually.”
Attending a prestigious university certainly made lying like this convenient.
-Alright. Are you coming home before the internship starts?
“No, my home is in Jeju—how could I? It starts tomorrow. Originally it was supposed to start yesterday, but since I’m being discharged today, they made an exception and pushed it to tomorrow. But according to the senior employees, I’ll be busy—arriving early in the morning and leaving late at night.”
My mother said she understood and told me to take care of my health. I laughed it off, saying it was only a few months and there was nothing to worry about, then hung up.
Looking up at the sky for a moment, the weather was clear and hot—a typical summer day.
“Well, a few months isn’t exactly a lie.”
It might be several years for me, but on Earth’s timeline, it would probably only be a few months.
I gazed at The Tower shimmering in the sky like heat haze and dismissed my avatar.

* * *

Back in my main body, I unhesitatingly erased Earth from Slot 2.
Then I pondered which dimension to create my next avatar in.
“Huh? The number of dimensions has increased?”
The dimension names were all numbers, but the count of searchable dimensions had grown.
It was likely due to the connections I’d formed by learning Demon Bullet and Spirit Magic.
Or perhaps from my connection with the Librarian Elder?
Though the dimension names were just numbers, I could intuitively sense what kind of connection had tied each dimension to me.
“Martial arts or magic?”
Spirit Magic requires talent and takes a long time, so I’d put that off for later.
The decision didn’t take long.
“Magic takes a thousand years to master. If I’m going to climb The Tower, I need to move my body, don’t I?”
To a dimension where I could learn martial arts.
Since I’d learned the Azure Wood Sword, I should go to the dimension most deeply connected to it.
I filled Slot 2 with dimension #33669, which had the deepest connection to the Azure Wood Sword.
Before creating an avatar in Slot 2, I contemplated the ‘Rebirth’ ability that had newly appeared when my ‘Multidimensional Avatar’ reached level 10.
“Rebirth, huh. Now that I think about it, wasn’t it said that martial arts are best learned when you’re young? But surely I’m not actually being reborn, right?”
No way. It’s probably just that some birth record or something gets created in that dimension.
Even in a medieval Chinese world like a martial arts novel, an avatar with no connections would face restrictions in its actions.
My hypothesis was that when I created an avatar, the people nearby would have implanted memories that I’d been living in the same village all along.
That would be the minimum requirement to call it a superpower, wouldn’t it?
Surely I’m not actually being reborn as a baby.
That wouldn’t be an avatar anymore.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
To be honest, I’m anxious about it, but my curiosity is something I just can’t suppress.
I chose reincarnation.

[Slot 2 – Galactic Martial Arts World]

* * *

“Mother! Come to your senses! Mother! Mother!”
“Defibrillator! Quickly!”
“200 joules! Shock! Again!”
The obstetricians on the operating table moved with urgent precision.
But the woman on the surgical table ultimately breathed her last.
The doctors stood in stunned silence, releasing deep sighs.
“…The baby?”
“Safe. She cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep.”
At the Nurse’s response, the doctors exhaled in relief.
Though they had fought to save the Mother, they were grateful at least the baby survived.
“Don’t worry. This was a pregnancy where both Mother and baby were expected to die. That the baby survived is a miracle. We did everything we could.”
At the Chief Surgeon’s words, the assistant professor who had been serving as his assistant asked with lingering concern.
“Still, this is a direct descendant of the Cheon Family Clan. And I heard the baby’s grandfather is a candidate for clan leader….”
“We recommended termination multiple times for the Mother’s safety. The Mother herself was aware that continuing the pregnancy would cost her life, yet she insisted on proceeding. We have medical records, so there won’t be any issues. In fact, that the baby survived at all is a miracle among miracles—even someone high-ranking in the Cheon Family Clan cannot fault us.”
As the Chief Surgeon spoke, he recalled the Mother’s condition from the very beginning of her hospitalization in early pregnancy until now.
She had been rapidly deteriorating at first, but then suddenly, as if blessed by a miracle, she began maintaining the bare minimum of bodily function.
That gave them hope, but ultimately the Mother died on the operating table.
Table deaths—no matter how many times one experienced them, one never grew accustomed.
Still, the Chief Surgeon strove to fulfill his duty.
“Who are the legal guardians of the Mother and baby?”
The Nurse answered the Chief Surgeon’s question.
“According to the records, the baby’s father is listed as deceased, and the baby’s current legal guardian is the grandfather, Cheon Gyeong-ho.”
“…I see. Then contact Cheon Gyeong-ho, and connect the Mother with the funeral home. Does the Mother have any surviving family?”
“According to records, she has no blood relatives on her side. In the family registry, she’s listed as a daughter-in-law under the Cheon Family Clan lineage.”
“The funeral will be a lonely affair.”
The Chief Surgeon found himself longing for a cigarette he had quit long ago.
Humanity had ventured into space for tens of centuries now.
An age where martial artists piloted starships and pioneered distant worlds.
Yet still, mere humans remained far from overcoming death.

* * *

I wept from the intense cold.
I cried out endlessly with curses pouring from my lips, but an infant’s vocal apparatus couldn’t produce such forceful, articulate words.
Only after a warm swaddling cloth wrapped around my body could I finally stop cursing.
As warmth suddenly enveloped me, I couldn’t think of returning to my original body and surrendered to the overwhelming drowsiness.
When I regained consciousness, I could finally comprehend the situation.
I had truly been reincarnated.
The Tower, you insane bastard! If you’re going to grant a reincarnation ability, why would you actually reincarnate me?!
Newborns have poor vision immediately after birth, making it extremely difficult to see their surroundings.
Moreover, wrapped in swaddling cloth, my limbs weren’t free to move.
Not that I had the strength to move even without the cloth. An infant’s body was utterly helpless.
I recalled the ‘3D Avatar’ ability and attempted to use it.

[Usage is impossible while inhabiting that avatar’s body.]

At that notification, I returned to my original body.

* * *

“If it’s impossible in the clone, then it should be usable if I’m not in the clone, right?”
Using the 3D Avatar ability, an image of myself in the infant’s body materialized before me.
While in the 3D Avatar state, my surroundings became crystal clear.
I gasped in shock at what I saw around me.
“What? This isn’t a martial arts world?”
The place where I was located was a Hospital—and a distinctly modern one at that.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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