Chapter 108
North Korea.
In fact, a change of power had already taken place once before.
It was just that this happened around the time Nightmare Floor 1 was conquered, and amid the great chaos preceding humanity’s extinction, no one paid attention to something like that.
Of course, Person123 stopped the apocalypse, and the South Korean government only later investigated the details.
It was only because the incomprehensible calamity known as the Tower had appeared that no one noticed; the replacement of North Korea’s leadership was itself an unprecedented event that shook the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
At the time, Lee Hyeok-cheol was a climber from Difficulty Floor 4.
Taking advantage of the confusion among North Korea’s ruling class as the apocalypse approached, he launched a coup as well and succeeded in seizing power.
Nothing in particular changed.
Lee Hyeok-cheol was no different from the chairman before him, and he steadily solidified his power and position around the emerging climber faction.
Only the head had changed; nothing else had, so relations between North and South had remained as they were.
But now, another transfer of power was taking place inside North Korea.
Lee Hyeok-cheol was dead.
A revolution had erupted under the banner of rooting out corruption in the ruling class and bringing freedom to the people of North Korea.
The climbers who had banded together around Park Gwang-jin, a Difficulty Floor 14 climber, ruthlessly purged the existing leadership, including Lee Hyeok-cheol.
The revolution ended successfully.
And here was one hunting dog about to be discarded after serving its purpose.
“You treacherous bastards...”
Kang Tae-seong glared at the man before him with bloodshot eyes.
Climbers surrounded him.
They were comrades who had fought together for the revolution, to put an end to Lee Hyeok-cheol’s dictatorship.
And Park Gwang-jin, the man who had led it all, clicked his tongue and said,
“Give it up quietly, Tae-seong. There’s nothing you can do.”
Like Park, Kang Tae-seong was also level 52 and had been a key force behind the revolution’s success.
He had truly fought because he believed in Park Gwang-jin’s ideals.
To root out corruption, set people’s lives right, and change everything rotten that existed.
But Park Gwang-jin had never cared about any of that.
He had only been consumed by ambition for power.
Kwoooom!
In the heart of Pyongyang, an armed clash broke out to deal with the reactionary Kang Tae-seong.
Kang Tae-seong barely managed to escape despite suffering serious injuries.
The pursuit team ultimately lost him.
The instant the combat status was lifted, Kang Tae-seong entered Floor 5.
Zone 0 of Floor 5.
“Huh? Over there...”
“Who’s that guy?”
Seeing Kang Tae-seong walk out of the portal covered in blood, nearby climbers began murmuring.
Kang Tae-seong, who had been heading toward the Security Force building, hurriedly took cover.
North Korean climbers attacked him.
Just as another battle broke out and confusion began to spread—
Boom!
The North Korean climbers hurriedly backed away from Kang Tae-seong.
A man dropped from midair and landed in front of Kang Tae-seong, blocking his way.
It was Alex, the captain of the Security Force.
Other members of the Security Force and climbers from the Black Star Society were also converging around them.
“You’ve got some nerve. Where do you think you are, making a scene?”
Zone 0 was a noncombat zone agreed upon by everyone.
Fighting was forbidden here under any circumstances.
Attempting to kill someone—not merely getting into a minor scuffle—was an absolute taboo.
Faced with Alex’s beastlike gaze, the North Korean climbers’ expressions hardened as well.
“We are climbers of the Republic. This is an internal matter, so the Security Force should not interfere.”
“...The Republic? North Korea?”
Alex glanced back at Kang Tae-seong.
Since his condition was so serious that he looked ready to collapse at any moment, members of the Security Force stepped forward to support him.
“Hey. Are you all right?”
South Korea’s Shin Su-jin was there too.
A coup had only just taken place in North Korea, so she couldn’t help wondering what this was supposed to be.
Kang Tae-seong forced out his words between ragged breaths.
“I... South Korea...”
“Yes? What did you say?”
“I... request naturalization... in South Korea...”
With that, Kang Tae-seong lost consciousness.
After confirming that he was still breathing, they moved him so he could receive emergency treatment.
When the Security Force tried to take Kang Tae-seong away, the North Korean climbers protested fiercely.
“Who gave you permission to take him! He is a traitor to our Republic! Hand him over to us at once!”
Shin Su-jin exchanged glances with Alex, her brow furrowed.
Alex crossed his arms and said,
“I don’t know what this is about, but this isn’t your country—it’s Floor 5. In a shared zone, you follow the rules of the shared zone.”
“...This is interference in internal affairs!”
“Interference or not, the Security Force has a duty to protect the climbers on Floor 5.”
The North Korean climbers looked toward the Black Star Society as if asking for help.
An executive of the Black Star Society, who had been watching the situation, stepped in as though to mediate.
“Step back for now. You’re the ones crossing the line at this point.”
The ban on combat in Zone 0 was an ironclad rule that both the Security Force and the Black Star Society had upheld without fail.
North Korea was also affiliated with the Black Star Society, but behavior that muddied the waters like this could not be tolerated.
In the end, the North Korean climbers had no choice but to grit their teeth and back down.
The commotion that day became a major topic of conversation in an instant.
* * *
- ...Breaking news. The unusual signs reported in Pyongyang, North Korea, since this morning have now been officially confirmed to have been a coup by North Korea’s climber faction. Accordingly, our government...
Shortly after a flood of articles reported that unusual activity had been detected in North Korea,
a news report officially announced that a coup had indeed taken place in North Korea and that the old leadership had been swept away.
South Korea went on high alert as well.
The government announced that the military was currently maintaining its highest level of readiness and doing everything possible to stabilize the situation, so citizens should remain calm and go about their daily lives.
This was not the first time, in fact.
A coup had also taken place in North Korea when I conquered Nightmare Floor 1.
A coup by climbers. Since it was North Korea, it was hardly surprising.
The newly empowered Lee Hyeok-cheol was a dictator all the same, though.
Perhaps someone had simply driven out Lee Hyeok-cheol, and now yet another climber was running wild in an attempt to seize power.
Some time passed.
News came out that the North Korean military had officially announced the death of State Affairs Commission Chairman Lee Hyeok-cheol.
The person who had newly taken power was Park Gwang-jin, a Difficulty Floor 14 climber.
As various reports continued to come in,
- ...This is breaking news. An incident has occurred on Tower Floor 5 concerning North Korea. A level-52 North Korean climber has reportedly requested naturalization in our country. The Security Force is currently protecting the North Korean climber, and is said to be at odds with the North Korean side over this...
another noteworthy piece of news arrived.
What was going on...?
[Paris: Hey, the atmosphere on Floor 5 is absolutely insane right now lol. This is fun.]
[Hwaro: Looks like he ran to Floor 5 after being chased from outside. I saw him in person—he was covered in blood.]
[Hwangong: What’s going on?]
[Dukriboard: Looks like the Security Force captain is talking with the Black Star Society.]
[Hwangong: Anyone from the Security Force here? Tell us what’s going on.]
[Lasus: The Black Star Society is taking North Korea’s side and telling them to hand him over immediately, while Alex told them to fuck off. The Security Force and the Black Star Society are right on the verge of war lol.]
[Okeutong: Really?]
[Eagle: You really think so? lol]
[Person321: But the atmosphere is definitely serious. They really are at odds.]
[Pepper: It’s been peaceful for a while, so it’s been a long time since Zone 0 was this disorderly.]
The chat window was in an uproar too.
Something seemed to be happening on Floor 5 over the North Korean climber.
* * *
When Kang Tae-seong was first discovered, he was seriously injured, but after a few days, his body had almost completely recovered on its own.
The higher one’s level, the greater one’s physical regenerative ability, but it seemed he had recovery skills as well.
At the Security Force building, Korean and American climbers, including Shin Su-jin, had gathered.
“...That’s what happened.”
In an interrogation-room-like atmosphere, they heard the whole story from Kang Tae-seong.
He had been one of the climbers in the North Korean coup that had recently taken place, and after everything ended, he was betrayed and pursued before barely making it to Floor 5.
“It was a revolution launched to reform our rotten homeland. But Park Gwang-jin, that bastard, never had any such noble cause from the beginning.”
Kang Tae-seong trembled as if suppressing his anger.
Shin Su-jin, seated across from him, nodded.
“I see. So, Mr. Kang Tae-seong...”
“I wish to be naturalized in South Korea—no, the Republic of Korea.”
“Hmm.”
Shin Su-jin looked at him with a grave expression.
“I know I’m making an unreasonable request. But is there really no way?”
If one exited the Tower, one returned to the exact place where one had entered.
And the North Korean side knew exactly where Kang Tae-seong had entered.
After hearing from Kang Tae-seong the location of the building where he had entered, they worked with U.S. intelligence and observed it by satellite, confirming that North Korean military equipment in Pyongyang had gathered there.
They had prepared to rain artillery fire down on the place as soon as Kang Tae-seong emerged.
Even if he survived the barrage, the pursuit would immediately begin again, and Kang Tae-seong’s chances of survival were almost nonexistent.
But Kang Tae-seong was currently seeking protection from the Republic of Korea...
“...I’m sorry. For now, I can’t give you a definite answer on this.”
Shin Su-jin had no choice but to answer that way.
She was currently busy going in and out of the Tower.
Because she had to keep relaying the situation to the government and receiving the government’s position in return.
“We’re still in talks with the North Korean side.”
“Did that bastard Park Gwang-jin enter Floor 5 in person?”
“No. Someone else came as his representative.”
“Ha, what a cowardly bastard.”
The South Korean government’s position could only be described as an utter predicament.
Under the Constitution, North Koreans were also citizens of the Republic of Korea. The government could not ignore Kang Tae-seong either.
Of course, there was no reason to refuse a level-52 climber seeking to defect...
The problem was Kang Tae-seong’s physical location in the real world.
How could they do anything about Kang Tae-seong, who was currently in the middle of Pyongyang?
The only way was to have North Korea hand him over peacefully.
“Our position will never change. Hand Kang Tae-seong over to us immediately.”
There was no chance of that happening.
The Security Force, the Black Star Society, and North Korean climbers were all gathered in one place.
As a representative of the South Korean government, Shin Su-jin spoke with the North Korean side in place of Alex, the captain of the Security Force.
“I’ll say it again: this is clearly interference in internal affairs.”
“This is Floor 5. We are merely carrying out the Security Force’s role.”
“Stop playing word games about a shared zone. Kang Tae-seong is in our Republic’s territory in reality. Don’t you understand that surrounding Kang Tae-seong with your Security Force members is nothing but a waste of time?”
The Black Star Society was taking a mostly hands-off stance, but, formally at least, it appeared to be siding with North Korea.
In any case, North Korea was also a country affiliated with the Black Star Society, and the Black Star Society and the Security Force were on opposing sides.
In any event, North Korea’s position was firm, and repeated negotiations came to nothing.
Even after three days had passed since Kang Tae-seong entered Floor 5, there had been no meaningful progress.
“Phew... This is driving me crazy.”
The Director of the Climbing Bureau put a hand to his forehead after receiving Shin Su-jin’s report.
Other government officials, including the foreign minister, were also seated on the sofa in the director’s office.
The government still had not decided how to handle Kang Tae-seong’s case. It wasn’t as though they had ever dealt with a situation this absurd before.
Giving up, or dragging out negotiations by demanding unreasonable conditions—both options were burdensome.
But could Kang Tae-seong really live on Floor 5 for the rest of his life?
The Security Force was not completely taking South Korea’s side, either. Frankly, it was another country’s affair.
It was obvious that as time passed, Kang Tae-seong’s existence would become an awkward burden even for the Security Force, and it would hardly be strange if they withdrew.
The government was racking its brains over how to resolve this problem.
A few days later.
A post appeared in the chat window.
[Person123: Please hand Kang Tae-seong over to the Republic of Korea.]