Chapter 69
The world continued to be heated with talk about Person123.
\[Upper Hook: So is it a solid fact that Person123 is Korean?\]
\[Nalsae: Friend, are you really looking for facts here?\]
\[Banana Apple: Reminds me of a few years ago when the rumor that Person123 was a woman was in full swing. It was a feast of all sorts of trolling back then.\]
\[Eunha: Well, at least it's confirmed that he's a man now.\]
\[Gwangcheuseu: I'm telling you, he's Mongolian. He first cleared the Branch Tower in Mongolia.\]
\[Dragon's Breath: All the others took a few dozen minutes, but the Mongolia clear took several days. Why would his own country be the slowest?\]
\[Wave: Maybe he cleared it late on purpose so he wouldn't get caught being Mongolian?\]
\[Charlotte: If he had cared about that, he would have cleared the other Branch Towers in a similar amount of time.\]
It was the same old communication window, where all sorts of rumors piled up and spread on top of a few known facts.
While such fruitless stories were going round and round.
A video previously posted on a Korean online community belatedly resurfaced.
\[Seoul Arts Center situation OMG\]
The Seoul Arts Center is in chaos right now. Police are everywhere; people are coming out covered in blood. It's no joke. Some weird black pillar shot up too...
The Fallen Incident occurred on November 12, 2028.
A short video was taken by a passerby walking near the Seoul Arts Center.
In the middle of the video, a black pillar suddenly erupts from the center of the Seoul Arts Center building.
It was evening, so it was a bit dark, but it was clear enough to see distinctly.
When the video was first uploaded, the only reactions were that it was the work of a Fallen or that the video was corrupted. It didn't have many views.
Combined with the current rumors circulating about Person123, this short one-minute video caused a massive ripple worldwide.
\[Gwangso: Didn't they say Person123 shot something like a Black Ray to kill Wang Kai...?\]
\[Frerik: And the video just happens to be in Korea. Wow, I've got goosebumps.\]
\[Arju: Crazy lol\]
\[Hodugwaja: This is just undeniable.\]
\[Baeksun: Person123 really was Korean...\]
The story that Wang Kai had vanished without a trace from the Black Ray had already spread far and wide.
It was evidence that practically confirmed the rumors that Person123 was Korean, which had already been heavily speculated about.
\[Arrowhead: I looked into it, and apparently a Fallen appeared inside that building back then and a lot of people died?\]
\[Rodi: So who took care of it?\]
\[Ash Heap: I don't know. It just says Police and a Climber from the Korean Climber Agency did it.\]
\[Wine and Cheese: I'm digging through all the Korean news, but there are no further details.\]
\[Rainwater: But when you look at the video, doesn't the context suggest Person123 took care of it?\]
Both the communication window and the media were in an uproar.
The Korean Government was also turned upside down.
Because they were being bombarded with calls from all sorts of nations through unofficial routes and hotlines.
Of course, the reason was Person123. It was suspected that the Korean Government was hiding Person123's identity.
\[No... we were surprised too, you know?\]
Hide Person123, my foot. For the Korean Government, which couldn't possibly know anything, it was a bolt from the blue.
Before the video came out, Korean Climbers had been trying to restrain their excitement in the communication window.
Because previously, when there was a lot of talk about Person123 being a Japanese person, Japanese Climbers made a fuss in the communication window, and the Koreans were laying low to avoid looking like them.
However, once the video came out and the circumstances made it practically certain, they couldn't hold back anymore.
\[Left-Hander: Kya! To think Person123 was actually Korean!\]
\[Persimmon Tree: Honestly, it's undeniable.\]
\[Cheese Ball: This level of national pride is a 100,000% lethal dose lol\]
\[Fine Dust: No, but for real, it doesn't feel real. Is he really from Korea?\]
\[Throne: Sob sob, it wasn't that Korea didn't have a Nightmare Challenger... The greatest Nightmare Climber was from our country...\]
\[GodGodGodGodGod: Thank you always for your dedication. God, Jesus, Buddha, Person123, let's go.\]
Now it was crystal clear that Person123, the world's best and strongest Climber and the Savior of Humanity, was Korean?!
They simply couldn't resist the urge to brag.
Somehow the repertoire was similar to when Japan had made a fuss, but the difference this time was that the evidence was much more obvious.
Of course, Person123, as always, released no statement.
However, the Korean Government soon released an official statement.
“...We are aware that many suspicions are currently directed at our Government regarding this situation. However, we clearly state that our Government has no connection whatsoever with Person123, and we have not acquired any personal information regarding Person123.”
The Government had agonized over how to respond, but it decided to put out a statement first.
Regardless of whether they believed it or not, no nation explicitly pushed back.
What, were they going to demand a clearer explanation because they couldn't believe it?
Whether Person123 was truly connected to the Korean Government or not, it was his country. Picking a fight unnecessarily would be like poking a hornet's nest.
Worldwide nations simply adopted a stance of “Hmm... understood for now,” quietly casting suspicious glances toward Korea.
\[Icicle: Is the Korean Government really hiding things about Person123?\]
\[Sat: As I look at the Seoul Arts Center video, shouldn't they be connected at least somehow?\]
\[Wangding: Maybe not. They say Person123 uses an ability to suddenly appear and disappear, so maybe he just took care of the Fallen like that and left too back then?\]
\[Flap: But is there a reason for the Government to hide it if it knows? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to just reveal it?\]
\[Fabridvi: A country possessing Person123. OMG, that's an absurd diplomatic card.\]
\[Fly: The goal could be to protect his identity, you know.\]
\[Herb: Maybe Person123 gagged the Government.\]
All sorts of talk circulated endlessly.
*Meanwhile, Japan, which was in the midst of coordinating contract conditions with negotiating nations over the mana vein issue.*
Japan's thoughts also grew complicated as it watched the current situation.
What Person123 had demanded was for all nations to agree to a new treaty for the reactivation of the mana vein, but naturally, since everyone wanted to gain even a little more profit, the coordination of opinions wasn't entirely smooth.
But Person123 was Korean?
They couldn't help but start paying a lot of attention to Korea in the negotiations.
“Still, I suppose we should consider it fortunate...”
Japan's new Prime Minister, Prime Minister Yamaguchi, muttered with a sigh.
Person123 had only told the treaty nations to reach an agreement among themselves; he had never made any demands that specifically benefited Korea.
He had cleared the Branch Tower for them, and he held ownership of the mana vein. Frankly speaking, even if he demanded that half the mana vein be given to Korea, Japan would have no choice but to accept it.
As expected of the Savior of Humanity, did Person123 have a tendency to maintain strict neutrality, regardless of his own country or anything else?
Marveling anew at that fairness, Prime Minister Yamaguchi pondered how to steer the remaining negotiations.
On another front, the United States was also busy.
They put all their effort into confirming whether Person123 was truly Korean, and to what extent the Korean Government had figured out his identity.
When they cross-verified everything—from the analysis proving the black pillar video at the Seoul Arts Center wasn't AI, to the testimonies about Person123 from security officers including Alex.
The probability that Person123 was Korean was indeed over 99%.
If so, did the Korean Government really not know his identity?
This too, after synthesizing all the information, led to the conclusion that it was over 99% certain they truly didn't know.
The United States knew more about its allies than one might think, and through intelligence agents, it was grasping more information in real time than expected.
If the Korean Government had truly figured out Person123's identity, there was no way the United States wouldn't have noticed even a hint of it.
Therefore, Person123 was definitely Korean, and the Korean Government had not figured out his identity at all... That was the final conclusion they reached.
“An urgent revision of our foreign strategy is needed.”
Following that, various agencies, including the United States Department of State, were busy.
Even if the Korean Government had nothing to do with Person123, Person123 was Korean anyway.
That fact alone was enough to necessitate a comprehensive review of their foreign policy stance and strategy regarding the nation of Korea.
And here.
There was another person in a difficult position.
“Shin Gwajang, do you really not know anything...?”
Receiving the suspicious glare of the Climbing Department Head, Shin Sujin answered.
“Yes, what I told you is everything.”
The Seoul Arts Center video became the definitive evidence nailing down that Person123 was Korean.
The one who had been at the scene back then was none other than Shin Sujin.
The report she had made back then about the Stage 5 Fallen was now intertwined with the current situation, drawing suspicion.
Shin Sujin, who had no intention of saying anything about Person123, consistently played dumb.
The Climbing Department Head let out a sigh and nodded.
“Understood. You may go back to your work. The higher-ups keep nagging me to look in more detail into something from a year ago, good grief...”
Shin Sujin bowed her head and left the Head's Office.
Shin Sujin had also been truly shocked after the Wang Kai incident because she hadn't been at the scene back then.
He was someone who hid his identity so much, yet he reportedly saved the security officers while risking his appearance being revealed.
He was... truly an endlessly altruistic person.
Even though it was part of her duties, Shin Sujin could call the security officers Comrades.
While feeling grateful to Person123 for saving such Comrades, on the other hand, she felt slightly worried.
With everything so noisy with talk about Person123's identity right now, she feared he might be feeling distressed...
---
“What the fu\~ck.”
Watching the news on TV, I muttered an exclamation.
- If you look at the video in question, a Black Ray pierces through the roof of the Seoul Arts Center...
Anyway, when was that video even taken?
A video of me casting Line of Destruction, taken a year ago by someone with absolutely impeccable timing, was dug up, and the fact that I was definitely Korean was permanently etched for the whole world to see.
“Why are you suddenly swearing?”
“Just because.”
My younger sibling glanced at me before looking back at the news screen.
“But it's seriously amazing. To think Person123 is actually a Korean person...”
I added a word.
“Don't believe it too much. It's no different from when the rumor about him being a Japanese person was going around.”
“What? No. They say it's certain this time.”
“There's not even an official statement, so who exactly is saying it's certain?”
“...Why do you keep raining on the parade? What if it's real?”
My younger sibling glared at me and said.
What if it's real, she asks...
Actually, it is real.
“I'll have to pray even harder from now on. Oppa, you should stay home with us a bit this year too.”
“I'll think about it.”
I let it go in one ear and out the other as I turned on the communication window.
The communication window was noisy, and the media were noisy.
I wished they would please turn their attention away from me, but I suppose this couldn't be helped either.
Honestly, I didn't really care.
Because there was no problem with just my nationality being revealed, I had decided to bear this much anyway.
I just need to be careful from now on, from now on...
Anyway, I decided it was about time to enter the 5th Floor again.
I returned to my room and immediately entered the 5th Floor.
\[You have entered the 5th Floor.\]
While in Stealth, I headed straight for Zone 3.
\[95.2%\]
The Zone 3 Boss Gauge hadn't changed from when the Wang Kai incident occurred.
Hunting in Zone 3 must have come to a complete stop since then.
Now, let's quickly fill it all up.
It was now time to try hunting the Zone 3 Boss.