Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

[The Player Party has successfully cleared the 29th Floor of the Tower of Growth!]

[...Generating rewards...]

[...has received...]

[...has received...]

[Duration: 00 minutes, 13 seconds]

[The Player Party will be given 30 minutes of rest.]

[...Waiting Room...]

According to Russell's unpublished novel, the 26th floor to the 29th floor was a repetition of the Boss Monster from the 5th floor, 10th floor, 15th floor, and 20th floor, but ten times harder, not in quality, but quantity.

On the 26th floor, Russell and the others fought twenty Orc Lords; on the 27th floor, they fought twenty Insane Harpies; on the 28th floor, they fought forty Twin Ogres, while on the 29th floor, they fought twenty Horror Murlocs.

It was simply hell.

But the monsters from the 26th to 29th floors didn't possess any hidden active or passive skills or intelligence, that's why strategies could be more easily executed. Though, on the 28th and 29th floors, Raya and Yara did step in since they couldn't withstand the stampede of these monsters. Celine's personally made potions were all utilized on the 27th floor due to Insane Harpies' aerial advantage and aimless attacks, but still, somewhat hit.

Russell and the others found themselves in the waiting room. Glancing around, Russell's gaze stopped on someone with a poignant expression amidst the noise of relief and exhaustion.

His thoughts... he's the only one who knew.

<Oppa, why are you looking at her? Do you have a crush on her?>

Russell frowned at the words that were telepathically sent by Freya.

<Hey, you're blood-related, don't be a jealous girl.>

Amelie interjected, causing Freya's forehead to bulge a little as she looked at Amelie, who responded telepathically.

At some point, everyone looked at Freya and Amelie for a moment because the former was slightly pulling the hair of the latter.

<Shut up, will you?!>

Freya grumbled while Amery remained silent, thoughts unknown, but if one had to guess, she was excited to finish the Tower of Growth, taking closer to becoming stronger.

After some time, tidying and then making a circle with themselves, the unofficial trade of rewards began, and sometime later, it quickly ended since the rewards on the 26th to 29th floor were mostly profession-related. It was ranging from Skillbooks, Weapons, Armor, and Miscellaneous goods.

Russell was somewhat feeling envious of the Luck of these people. Feeling boredom, he checked their Status Window, specifically the Luck stat, and saw that it was between 12 to 17, with Celine having the highest Luck stat, making her seem to have a survivability greater than a cockroach.

But Russell couldn't pierce Samantha's information with the Skill: Gaze of the Abyss. In fact, everything had been written with [Invalid] label except for her Stigma, "Breaker of Impossibility". He didn't know her Rank, Stats, Skills, or any basic information, feeling a stark similarity with the impact of his Attribute: Nihility, erasing most of his important information and seemingly nerfing his skills.

'About that... System, can you now tell me why my Cull and Cut have been nerfed, or if any other skills were nerfed, too?'

[As your Attribute: Nihility grows stronger, your overall power will be reduced.]

[When your Attribute: Nihility grows stronger, your Stigma will gradually be unlocked.]

[When your Stigma has been unlocked, every profession-related skill you possess will be merged into one except for Inherent Powers.]

[As of this moment, the skills... has been nerfed at the moment.]

[It is to match the pace of the story and avoid the underlying dangers.]

'That's unusual...'

Russell noticed that the System itself mentioned "story". It was the behavior of the System that he had no idea it possesses. There's also the underlying danger that he couldn't think of anything who or what at the moment.

'System, is that why my current profession is labeled as temporary? Because the skills that are given to me by the Goddess of Night aren't mine to begin with?'

[It depends on your definition of "mine".]

[As the story of the Incomplete Last Defector of Reality has been moved forward by your action of using a charge of Cosmic Question, your true skills are yet to be revealed.]

[Please be reminded that every profession-related skill you possessed will still be yours after it merges into one. So, utilize whatever you have.]

Russell contemplated the words of the System. Various thoughts surfaced in his mind as he processed every answer that the System had told him.

'The System is either contradicting itself or I'm getting idiot for not understanding a thing despite how hard I think about it.'

He was confused — that true skills would be revealed, but the seemingly temporary profession-related skills he possessed at the moment would still be his.

'I should have put on hold in asking the System.'

Russell originally planned to ask it after clearing the Tower of Growth, but after being given a breather after succeeding in conquering the 29th floor, his curiosity got to him. And right now, his mind seemed to not stop thinking about it.

Slightly slapping his cheeks, Russell shook his head for a moment, garnering some unnecessary attention.

'Sigh... I'll put it on hold for now. The answers won't come to me if I just asked.'

Russell thought, calming himself down.

***

Minutes had passed, and the duration to rest ended. At that moment, the System's voice entered their ears and echoed in their heads.

[Congratulations on qualifying to reach Floor 30 of the Tower of Growth!]

[Every Player Party member will now undergo an individual Player Assessment!]

[Transporting every Player Party member to each respective designated area in 10 seconds.]

[10... 9... 8...]

At the last second, Russell then again looked at the woman he was looking at earlier.

[1...]

Everyone disappeared in the waiting room as each of them turned into blue lights. One to two seconds later...

[You have arrived at the Room of Fealty.]

Russell found himself in an enclosed space, but it didn't contain any walls. What appeared in front of him were glistening stars that were moving at immeasurable speed. The room, which was seemingly limited or endless in space, was dim and he seemed to be floating in the cosmos, but he was feeling something on his feet that he was standing on. It's like a viscous liquified space slightly similar to foam.

He felt like he was in a dark room where the wall was designed with live moving galaxies.

[The Player Judgement will now begin!]

At that moment, the Tower, which referred to the 30th floor as only for having a Player Assessment, revealed the terrifying word that would make someone's mind blank.

'Assessment turned to judgment...'

Russell knew, but he felt like the atmosphere turned colder, especially when experiencing it personally.

***

Being reincarnated in the world of his own unpublished novel, Russell would experience for the first time, disregarding the mysteries of his reincarnation, getting judged by the Tower.

[Player Judgment will be composed of only seven questions.]

[Each question can only be answered in seven minutes.]

[In any case, if the player didn't answer a question in any way, the Tower will assess the underlying reasons why, but the chances of being deemed worthy will be reduced.]

[Think carefully!]

[Upon answering the questions, the Tower will assess if you are worthy of receiving the final reward of an increase in Growth Rate by ten times.]

[May your choice bring forth the future you wanted to create.]

Knowing the histories of the major characters, Russell was certain about the questions that would be asked of them. Though there might be deviations, it would somehow still be close to the original, but as new to this, Russell had no idea about the questions he would be getting asked with.

'This isn't as simple as it sounds.'

Russell thought.

Then, at that moment, not of the System, but the voice of the deep voice of the Administrator reverberated throughout the Room of Fealty. Russell couldn't see him, but he felt like he was laid bare in the Administrator's eyes.

A few seconds later, the first question was asked.

["Russell Moon, how much do you know yourself?"]

***

'Of course, this would be the case.'

Russell inwardly lampooned at the first question. He pretty much knew how to answer the first question.

"I know myself quite well until recently."

He didn't go on specifics since the Administrator didn't ask him.

["Is that your answer?"]

"Yes. That will be all."

Since there were seven minutes given per question, answers could be elaborated as long as the player in judgment didn't respond to the second question of the Administrator.

[You have answered the first question.]

[The Tower of Growth started to assess your very being.]

Moments later, the moving stars or galaxies that seemed to act as walls changed. As though a film was played, numerous scenes of himself were being continually screened. The day he was born; the day he received the System; the day Old Cal gave him his first book to read after saving them from Cassiopeia, and so on.

The scenes of him meeting the Goddess of Night wasn't shown, as well as entering the Oldest Root of Yggdrasil, and when he was on the Chaos Training Grounds. It seemed like the Tower of Growth couldn't access such memories or didn't dare to for some reason.

[Your Attribute: Nihility grows stronger.]

A System message entered his ears, causing him to slightly chuckle.

After some time, there's one thing that Russell noticed as he glanced at the panorama of memories regarding himself — the scenes of his journey in finding the Oldest Root of Yggdrasil was in a wide point of view.

'W-what...?'

Russell's eyes widened at the sight after processing what he had seen.

[The Tower of Growth has felt a mysterious power in a certain memory fragment!]

[The Tower of Growth is heavily shaking.]

[The Tower of Growth has refrained from prying into memory fragments further!]

'That's not real...'

Feeling like losing his sanity, Russell thought in disbelief.

***

Outside of the Tower of Growth, in a place outside of the Orion Continent, a man with deep black hair and purple eyes, sitting on a chair gazed above the starry night sky.

A bluish moon was illuminating the world.

"Master, it seems the Vampire Clans will soon again wage war against the Elnira Kingdom."

A burly, grey-haired man, genuflecting behind the purple-eyed man, politely spoke.

Knowing the next words of the purple-eyed man, the burly, grey-haired man continued:

"In about seven months."

Sighing, this time, the purple-eyed man spoke.

"Let them have their war, and focus on locating any deceived ones."

Without saying any word, the burly, grey-haired man nodded, and he then vanished from where he was genuflecting.

***

In the Elnira Kingdom, in the Great Hall of the elven palace.

"My Queen, we detected some movements from some vampires. Also, I apologize for overstepping my boundary, but why aren't we telling the humans that some vampires have been living with them for a while now?"

One of the queen's attendants asked.

Without looking at the attendant, the queen of the Elves spoke solemnly.

"We can not fully trust them."

Without waiting for the attendant to ask anything more, the queen continued:

"Monitor them for now, and if any vampire crosses the boundaries of the kingdom, capture them."

Understanding the simple intention behind the queen's words, the attendant quickly got into the action of obeying the command.

***

In the Tower of Growth, from the Area of Fealty where Elizabeth was designated.

Elizabeth, standing and glancing at the countless panoramic of stars, heaved a sigh of relief.

'It's the seventh question! I'm glad the questions were easy, though embarrassing to answer.'

She thought, waiting for the seventh or last question to finish the 30th floor.

After some time, the Administrator who seemed to be everywhere in the Tower finally spoke.

["Elizabeth von Etherion, are you guilty of killing your father?"]

At that moment, with the Administrator's words, Elizabeth felt like her world came crashing down.