…
[System Window – Ark]
NAME: Noah Orthar
AGE: 20
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE:
Innocent (Divine)
PERSONAL SKILLS:
Gáe Bulg (New)
STIGMA:
Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance (490)
OVERALL STATS:
Stamina: E (23-->30)
Strength: F-->E (17-->20)
Dexterity: E (22-->25)
Vitality: F (8)
…
[ALERT: Vitality levels critically low. Recovery is necessary to maintain function.]
Noah barely registered the words flashing before his eyes.
His body screamed for rest, his limbs felt like they had been shattered and crudely pieced back together, and yet—he tightened his grip on the spear.
His chest rose and fell raggedly, his vision blurred, but still—he forced himself to move.
He spat blood to the side, his gaze never leaving the looming figure above him.
The gargoyle hovered, its wings flapping slow and deliberate, its form a shadow against the abyss, like an eagle in the desert—waiting. Circling. Ready to feast.
Then—
It stopped.
Everything—froze.
Mid-air.
The gargoyle stood still, locked in time
Then , The void shattered.
Where once there had been endless darkness, an expanse of pure white radiance bled through the cracks in reality, consuming everything. The sheer brightness burned into Noah's retinas, forcing him to shut his eyes for a moment.
Then—sound.
A triumphant blast of trumpets and the resounding clash of cymbals filled the empty space, a grandiose melody as if heralding the arrival of a monarch.
From the center of this blinding realm, a figure descended—neither man nor woman, but something in between, something beyond.
They exuded an aura of indulgence and charm, their very presence dripping with theatricality.
Their garb was a deep blue coat embroidered with silver stars, draped over one shoulder.
In one hand, they held a golden staff topped with an intricate hourglass.
With an amused, almost flirtatious lilt, they spoke.
"Oh dear, oh dear~ what a dreadful mistake. To think that a promising climber like yourself was subjected to such an… unseemly difficulty. My, my, how terribly unfair~"
Their voice was silk, gliding between playful and solemn, teasing yet authoritative.
They twirled their staff between gloved fingers, taking a step closer to Noah, their expression one of mock sorrow.
"You must be absolutely furious. Devastated. Betrayed, even? Oh, but do forgive me, dear, you see—it was merely a little oversight on my part~"
Their chuckle was musical, yet entirely insincere.
Noah stood rigid, his mind still whirling from the sudden shift in reality. His instincts screamed danger, but his body—his broken, battered body—could do nothing but listen.
The figure sighed dramatically.
"You see, climber Noah Orthar, your trial was mistakenly set to the highest possible difficulty. Normally, the challenge is tailored to your potential, but when detecting your shadow to generate the trial, there was a—shall we say—unexpected miscalculation."
They paused, tilting their head with a mischievous glint in their eyes.
"I did realize my error, of course! But by the time I noticed, well… your performance was simply too riveting to interrupt. You do understand, don't you?"
Noah's jaw tightened. His fingers curled into trembling fists.
The figure chuckled again, raising their staff in a grand gesture.
"Ah, but where are my manners? I never even introduced myself! How terribly impolite of me."
They placed a hand on their chest, offering a deep, exaggerated bow, their silver-streaked hair falling over their sharp features.
Then, with a slow, deliberate smirk, they spoke:
"I am Paimon, Administrator of the First Twelve Trial Floors~"
Noah's breath hitched.
Paimon…
Administrator of the First Twelve Trial Floors.
From what I read, Paimon is said to be whimsical and maddeningly eloquent—prone to needless dramatics. he speaks in riddles and hold absolute authority over these floors.
But more than that...
He's an enigma. A being whose motives are unknown, whose power is undeniable, and whose amusement comes at the expense of those who climb.
Basically a sick sadist.
And now—he's standing before me.
The name resounded in his memory. The one who dictated the fate of all who dared ascend.
And yet—
Paimon leaned closer amused.
"I do hope we get along, dear climber. I have such high expectations for you~"
As Paimon's smirking face blurred into a haze, Noah's vision darkened, his consciousness slipping like sand through his fingers.
For a fleeting moment, panic surged through him—had he died again? But then—nothing.
No death notification. No reset.
Just darkness.
Then—
A ding echoed in the void.
[You have succeeded the Gauntlet.]
[You have cleared the first Floor.]
[Vitality increased.]
Finally…
.
.
.
Noah's eyelids fluttered open, his vision slowly adjusting to the light. His body felt heavy, yet… whole. No searing wounds. No shattered bones. Just the lingering ache of exhaustion.
As he fully regained his senses, he realized—he was lying on smooth, polished marble.
And he was not alone.
His head turned, and his breath caught.
The hall was immense, a vast chamber of opulence that stretched so far it seemed boundless.
There were thousands of people—climbers, each in their own personal space, yet not crowded.
As if the very architecture shifted to accommodate every individual.
But what truly stole his breath away—was the ceiling.
It was made of glass.
Beyond it was a stary sky, unlike any sky he had ever seen.
Nebulae swirled like painted strokes.
Stars gleamed in impossible formations, constellations both familiar and alien burning bright against the infinite void.
And then—cosmic dust.
It drifted across the vast ceiling, moving like ethereal clouds, glimmering as if woven from stardust and dreams. It was as if the entire universe itself had been captured and laid bare above them.
Noah lay there, staring wordlessly, his mind caught between awe and disbelief.
Second Floor?
Wait… no. If I remember correctly, the first 12 floors were meant to be a lush jungle...
This...
This is still The First Floor.
The trial wasn't physical—it was in my mind. The whole thing... it was an illusion. Paimon—is master of illusions... He made it seem like another reality.
. . .
Time passed—or did it?
There was no sun, no shifting of light, no ticking of a clock.
Then—movement.
At first, it was subtle. A few faint groans, the sound of bodies shifting. Then, like a wave crashing onto the shore, the silence shattered.
Voices—hundreds of them. Thousands.
Some muttered in confusion, others gasped in awe. Questions, curses, laughter, and frantic conversations overlapped into an overwhelming noise. The vast hall had come alive.
And yet, Noah remained still.
He could feel the gazes shifting, climbers turning to one another, seeking familiarity or comfort.
Strangers finding strangers.
He lacked that ability.
He had never been good at starting conversations, never good at belonging in a crowd.
So—he shut his eyes.
Let them pass over him.
He slowed his breathing, keeping his body still, hoping to fade into the background—a trick he had mastered long ago.
Then—
A tap on his shoulder.
"I know you're awake, Noah."
He turned his head, and met Adam's gaze.
"The trial was not that hard as you described it last time," Adam said, looking at Noah with an almost smug expression.
That comment made Noah's mind reel back, not to his own past experiences, but to the memories of the original Noah—the one who had once tried to climb and failed miserably in the trial.
A wave of embarrassment surged through him as he recalled the story.
The trial had been simple, in theory… find a medicinal herb in a maze. But Noah, back then, had a terrible sense of direction. He ended up wandering in circles for hours, and by the time he reached the herb, he was so exhausted that he couldn't even remember what it looked like.
What followed was a curse, a two-week lethargy that made him feel as if he were dragging his own body through thick molasses.
Just the thought of it still made him wince with a mix of embarrassment and regret.
Noah chuckled inwardly at the memory but then turned to Adam. "How did you do in your trial, then?"
Adam's response was as casual as ever. "I just did what you told me. I didn't believe what was going on, so I denied it and woke up here. Like blinking, really."
Noah's mind began to piece things together. The one that rejects falsehoods—that was one of the titles he would receive later in the novel.
TruthBane.
It was a strange and powerful skill, the ability to reject lies, illusions, and falsehoods by simply refusing to accept them.
In his trial, Adam had unknowingly entered a transcendental trance state and denied the illusion that the trial presented.
The trial was nothing more than a lie to him, and so he dismissed it like a fleeting thought.
Adam still doesn't fully understand his own ability.
The young man was walking around with a power that would overthrow the whole Pillar itself, yet he had no concept of what it could truly do.
Op son of a—
Before he could continue his thoughts, the music suddenly began to play again, louder this time, cutting through his moment of clarity.
The familiar, triumphant sound of trumpets and cymbals echoed in the hall, growing in intensity.
Noah's gaze snapped upward as the source of the noise revealed itself—Paimon.
The figure descended gracefully onto a floating platform that formed in the center of the grand hall.
The music abruptly ceased, and Paimon stood at the center of the platform, his presence commanding attention.
His movements were deliberate, graceful, his hands sweeping through the air with a fluid elegance as he addressed the room.
"Congratulations, brave climbers."
"To those who have triumphed, your success is a testament to your strength, and for that, you have my respect."
He paused, his gaze softening slightly as he regarded those who had failed. "To those who faltered, know that failure is but a fleeting shadow. Rest now, for your time will come again."
With a quick motion, he clapped his hands together, the sound echoing in the silence that followed.
"But now, we must turn our eyes to the future. The next step awaits, and I trust you will face it with the same resolve."
A moment of stillness followed, heavy with anticipation, as Paimon's words lingered in the air.
"Let us proceed."