Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 120

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

Chapter 120. The Tower – Mechanical Spirit (2)

“The Great Collapse… The Great Collapse was a kind of world’s annihilation.”
“Annihilation?”
Opercius’s gaze drifted into empty space as she recalled the bitter past.
“An event that broke humanity’s wings just as we were beginning to truly advance. A mass extinction where eighty percent of all life on the planet evaporated. The collapse of the world itself. That is the Great Collapse.”
“But what exactly happened?”
Did some Permian extinction or meteor impact trigger an ice age?
Opercius shook her head slightly at my question.
“I don’t know much either. Why it happened, how it happened. I can’t even say precisely what occurred. I only hope you understand that the Great Collapse is not a metaphor—it’s fact.”
Opercius stood rigid, her expression hardened as though gripped by PTSD, trembling with tension.
From her reaction, it seemed this mechanical spirit had been alive during the era of the Great Collapse.
Rather than press Opercius further, I consulted history books about the Great Collapse.
But the explanations were either crude or speculative in nature, differing little from what Opercius had said.
Seventy years ago, one would think subsequent investigations should have uncovered the reason, mechanism, and cause of the Great Collapse, yet no such investigations existed.
Whether the world lacked the resources after its collapse, or whether someone deliberately prevented such inquiry, I couldn’t say.
All I could discern was that after the Great Collapse left the world in ruins, The Tower suddenly appeared and saved this realm.
Though some history books claimed The Tower existed even before the Great Collapse—which version was correct?
Well, I understood.
With natural disasters ravaging every corner of the globe and eighty percent of humanity vanishing, how could infrastructure or information survive intact?
If anything, the fact that civilization had recovered and thrived as it had now was remarkable.
I wanted to ask Opercius, who seemed to have directly experienced those events, but she was struggling to compose herself, soothing her own nerves, so I couldn’t bring myself to press her.
I thought mechanical spirits should be indifferent to such matters, but since this was my first encounter with one, I simply accepted it as normal.
“…I apologize. The question caught me off guard. In all the climbers I’ve met, you’re the first to take interest in our world’s history.”
“I’m simply curious by nature. I’m sorry if my ignorance caused any offense.”
“Not at all. It wasn’t offensive. It’s just that I haven’t yet escaped the nightmares of my past.”
Opercius smiled to lighten the mood.
“Would you like me to show you around the City?”
Her smile remained strained, as though she hadn’t fully shaken off the PTSD.
“I would appreciate that.”
Later, when Lee Su-young and Diana wanted to sightsee, I could guide them based on this preliminary survey.

* * *

As I walked through the city under Opercius’s guidance and made my way back to the Military Airport, she spoke up.
“By the way, Han Ji-woo—are you a Spirit Master?”
“I can handle spirits to some degree, but why do you ask?”
“No particular reason. It’s just that I feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity from you. My younger sister, who was inside the power source, wanted to follow you, but she’s too important to us for that. I was curious why she wanted to follow you so badly, but now that I’ve met you, I understand her feelings emotionally.”
My spirit mastery is still only Level 1—is that enough to cause this?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Opercius smiled.
“Ah, I’m not drawn to you quite that strongly. I’d say I just feel favorable toward you? But my younger sister was just born, so she’s easily fascinated by even this level of attraction.”
It seemed that because my spirit mastery was Level 1, Level 1 spirits were drawn to me, but higher-level spirits only felt favorable toward me.
Opercius was concealing her power, but the subtle pressure I felt suggested she was likely at least in the 50th Floor range.
“If you stayed in this world longer, I’d actually want to ask you to look after my sister, but you’ll probably leave in a day or two, won’t you?”
“That’s likely how it’ll be.”
“The Captain of the Chamsuori Airship will be disappointed. He seemed quite taken with your mental fortitude, combat prowess, and camaraderie.”
I’ll have to pass on the affections of that bearded gentleman. I prefer women.
As we approached the Military Airport, Opercius stopped and spoke.
“Let’s part ways here then. If I’m seen wandering around with outsiders, I’ll get an earful.”
“I’ll keep our meeting confidential.”
“I appreciate that. May good fortune follow you on your path ahead.”
Opercius bowed respectfully and vanished like a ghost.
Her main body was somewhere in this city, and what I’d been traveling with was likely some kind of terminal.
After parting with the mechanical spirit and returning to the airport, the Captain of the Chamsuori Airship was waiting for me, accompanied by his adjutant, Lugin.
“Been out sightseeing?”
“Yes, I got bored sitting around, so I went to explore the city on my own.”
“Since it’s a city that serves as a supply base, I hope you found it interesting. Your companions are still sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake them unnecessarily.”
Behind the Captain were several large and small boxes.
“If I’d known you were still sleeping, I would’ve come tomorrow instead. Since you’re climbers, you’ll probably want to leave quickly, so I brought rewards for your efforts—for all of you.”
“Oh, thank you very much.”
“The Major General, the city’s highest-ranking official, was very grateful to you all.”
I know. I was just walking around the city with that Major General until a moment ago.
“There’s quite a lot here, isn’t there?”
“It’s gratitude collected by me and the crew members, along with rewards from the city and military. I heard from the Major General that the potions you drank like water for recovery were quite expensive items. There’s compensation for that as well.”
The Captain opened the boxes and explained each item one by one.
“These are commendation plaques and military medals. They may not mean much to you, but for a soldier, they’re quite an honor.”
Behind the commendation plaques and military medals came a pouch containing a total of 6 million Credit—600 million won.
For easy carrying, it was divided into 600 units of 10,000 Credit each.
“These are technical manuals using Steam Blocks that you requested. There are no military secrets included, but they cover everything from basics to the latest technologies, so you won’t lack for anything.”
One large box was filled with books and documents.
Honestly, these documents would be far more valuable than the money.
“Thank you.”
Of course, to me it was just a hobby anyway.
My tinkering hobby would become even more enriched.
“Everything in this box is Steam Blocks. A single platoon could waste them daily and still have enough for a year. Even without them, there’s a technical manual on how to manufacture Steam Blocks, so production won’t be an issue—though sourcing the materials might prove challenging.”
The box containing the steam technology manual was dwarfed by a larger container, completely filled with finger-sized Steam Blocks.
“And this box here contains various devices that use these Steam Blocks. Considering you’re climbers who engage primarily in combat, I’ve focused on weapons.”
Steam pistols and rifles, ammunition and magazines, generators and engines powered by Steam Blocks—several of each were packed inside.
Regardless of anything else, the generator was something I’d been desperately hoping for.
While I could generate electricity through magic, doing so stably consumed considerable mana.
Moreover, this generator operated by spinning turbines with steam, making it both stable and remarkably efficient.
Most importantly, with a generator, I could use electronic devices powered by electrical cords rather than batteries even within The Tower.
The Tower prohibited electronic devices with recording capabilities like smartphones and storage devices, but not things like fans or rice cookers.
Storage media functioned smoothly on Tower Floor 1 as well.
In truth, I didn’t really need a generator on The Tower’s Common Floors.
The infrastructure for daily living was already so well-developed.
The reason I was so delighted to obtain a generator was because it would dramatically increase the convenience of my life on Tower Floor 1.
Until now, among the household items I’d procured through my Reincarnation Clone on Tower Floor 1, many consumed electricity, and supplying all of them through camping batteries had been quite troublesome.
One might suggest acquiring a high-performance generator manufactured in the Galactic Martial Arts World, but that presented its own complications.
Since Tower Floor 1 lacked natural resources, wind, hydroelectric, and solar generators were impossible to use.
I’d abandoned gas and petroleum generators because it was difficult for my Reincarnation Clone—not yet ten years old—to continuously source fuel.
What was the point of a generator requiring fuel transport when I could simply plug a cord at home to charge large camping batteries?
Besides, fuel costs far exceeded the electricity rates for charging.
The only option that appealed to me was the compact nuclear reactor used in spacecraft, but purchasing it required a personal spacecraft operation license, and even if I could afford it, the price was astronomical.
It was only natural—it was one of a spacecraft’s critical components.
Yet now I held a generator that would solve all these concerns!
Moreover, examining the manufacturing process for Steam Blocks, I could produce them myself, and even without Steam Blocks, the turbine-spinning mechanism could be entirely replaced through magic.
All that mattered was keeping the turbine spinning.
Of course, using magic would consume significant mana, so I intended to manufacture and use Steam Blocks regardless.
“Is it really something worth being that excited about?”
The Captain seemed surprised by my reaction.
“Of course! Ah, do you have any spares? If not, it would be nice to have replacement parts in case it breaks.”
In truth, even without spare parts, I could completely disassemble it and replicate the components using a 3D printer from the Galactic Martial Arts World to repair it.
Creating an entirely new product from scratch was impossible, but duplicating components was hardly difficult.
Still, purchasing directly was more convenient and preferable to replicating it myself.
“Since what you want isn’t a weapon, obtaining it shouldn’t be a problem. If you’d like, I can speak with the military supply factory. You should be able to purchase at cost.”
“I’d appreciate that.”

* * *

Lee Su-young and Diana awoke nearly twenty hours after falling asleep.
They must have been exhausted beyond measure.
Having drifted off around midday and waking in the late morning, the evidence was clear.
While waiting for them to wake, I devoted myself to studying the technical manuals, mastered the production methods for steam blocks, and quietly relocated all the generators to Tower Floor 1.
Credit could be shared, but generators could not.
Honestly, neither of them would have any real need for a generator anyway.
“You’re up?”
“Yawn~! You’re awake awfully early, aren’t you? Even though you suffered the most among us and didn’t get any rest. Is it because you learned martial arts?”
Lee Su-young greeted me with a morning salutation while regarding me as if I were some diligent office worker who rose before dawn for self-improvement and exercise.
“Good morning.”
Diana also offered a morning greeting, smiling despite her tousled hair.
Even with disheveled locks, her beauty made the scene resemble a concept photoshoot.
“Good morning to you both. Shall we have breakfast?”
After breakfast, we distributed the rewards we’d received yesterday, and under Lugin’s guidance, we toured the City.
Since I’d already visited once before, there was nothing particularly novel about it, but I accompanied them anyway—it seemed better for team cohesion than standing apart.
When guided by the mechanical spirit, I’d listened to explanations about this world’s technology and history, but Lugin led us toward attractions and entertainment instead, allowing me to enjoy the tour with fresh perspective.
After wandering and enjoying ourselves for several hours, we returned to the 20th Floor District approximately fifty-five hours after our arrival.
The Community’s claim that quests from the 20th Floor onward take days to complete proved accurate.

(Continued in the next chapter)

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