Chapter 72
A closed-door session within the US Climbing Bureau Headquarters.
Taylor, having finished her preparations to challenge the 4th Floor, was performing a final check of her condition.
The new Director of the Climbing Bureau, Liam, along with Max and other staff members of the Climbing Bureau, watched her.
Originally, the United States had always been the first to follow Person123 in the Nightmare Challenge, but this year, the order changed.
China, for whatever reason, had challenged and successfully cleared the 4th Floor incredibly quickly.
Perhaps it was an attempt to make them anxious, but they wouldn't be shaken by such tactics. Taylor wasn't pressed for time and had thoroughly completed her preparations according to the original plan.
However, Director of Climbing Bureau Liam couldn't help but feel more anxious than usual.
He believed in the capabilities of Taylor, who had cleared three floors of Nightmare so far, but the 4th Floor wasn't a floor determined by skill alone.
\[How long can we keep following him?\]
Would it be possible for the other Nightmare Challengers to follow in his footsteps forever, whether it was the United States or China?
Even if he continued to post strategy guides.
At first, the United States had vowed to stand at the front line of the Nightmare, and then it became a goal to simply follow closely behind Person123...
Now, Liam honestly felt skeptical even about that.
The events on the 5th Floor had somewhat revealed just how massive the gap was between Person123 and the other Climbers.
There was a saying in the Republic of Korea, where he was presumably located: If a crow-tit tries to walk like a stork, it will tear its legs.
If it were already like this on the 4th Floor, what would the remaining floors be like...
If Person123 had publicly revealed himself, the United States, at the very least, would have invested all its resources in him and entrusted him with its hopes. But Person123 never revealed his identity.
Even on the 5th Floor, he had only revealed himself once out of necessity during the conflict between the Public Order Squad and the Black Star Society.
It was an incident that showcased his noble character, as he was willing to reveal the identity he had kept so deeply hidden just to save people's lives, but it was a shame that he hadn't shown so much as a shadow since defeating the Zone 3 Boss.
Of course, even if they got a chance to contact Person123 on the 5th Floor again, there was no way to support him. Item Logistics on the 5th Floor operated on a very tricky mechanism.
Items brought in from outside the tower could only be taken out when the person who brought them in exited. In short, it was impossible to transfer items from outside the tower to another person.
Even if they could meet Person123, it meant that it was impossible on the 5th Floor to hand over skill stones or anything else to him unless they met directly in reality.
...Anyway, this wasn't the mindset a director of the Climbing Bureau should have.
Isn't Taylor, a Climber of the United States, risking her life to make her fourth challenge right now?
Liam inwardly apologized to Taylor. It was disrespectful to view her as merely a substitute for Person123.
"I wish you the best of luck, Taylor. The United States will not forget your dedication."
Receiving the salutes of the staff, Taylor took a final deep breath and entered the tower.
Fortunately, the number in the Nightmare Communication Channel did not decrease that day.
Following China, the United States also succeeded in clearing the Nightmare 4th Floor.
---
Time really flies by before you know it.
The deadline for the Nightmare clear had passed the 60-day mark, leaving less than two months.
That meant I had about a month left until my challenge.
I spent my time mainly hunting in Zone 4.
I gave up on facing the Zone 4 Boss before challenging the 6th Floor.
I had already made an estimate while hunting, and as I looked at the progress so far, it was impossible.
It seemed I would have to face the Zone 4 Boss after clearing the 6th Floor.
Well, it was a bit of a shame, but it was uncertain if I could even defeat a boss with a Level Difference of 20 anyway. One wrong move and it could be dangerous.
I didn't forget to build affinity with Diul, steadily taking our night walks on the 2nd Floor.
Of course, apart from going in and out of the tower, I didn't neglect my daily life.
If I asked myself whether I had spent this past year fruitfully... I suppose so?
I was always trying to, at least.
As time passed, various big and small events occurred in the world, and things changed rapidly.
There was the successful development of a pollution-free cooler using the byproducts of the Ice Spirit, a monster from the 4th Floor, among the recent hot topics.
The agreement between Japan and the Treaty Nations over the magic vein had concluded successfully, so I reactivated the magic vein in Sendai.
Also, following China, the United States has successfully cleared the Nightmare 4th Floor, and a new Nightmare Climber from Spain has rapidly cleared three consecutive floors this year and is scheduled to challenge the 4th Floor soon, drawing attention as a Super Rookie...
And then there is the news I am watching right now.
—This is the news that the United States' Universe Z's first Mars Manned Probe has successfully landed on Mars after a three-month flight. The history of Humanity has expanded beyond Earth and is now being written on Mars...
A low-quality video capturing the moment the rocket landed on the surface of Mars was being broadcast on the news screen.
Universe Z is Billon's global private space company.
There had been plenty of news lately about ongoing research to improve spacecraft using Magic Stone Energy, and the significant progress researchers had made...
And now, news was finally breaking that they had succeeded in the Mars Manned Exploration. It was truly something to celebrate.
\[Person123: I saw the news. Congratulations.\]
I sent a message to Billon through the communication window.
A reply came right away.
\[Chicken Sandwich: Thank you. Above all, Mr. Kim's help was immense. Thanks to the Highest Grade Magic Stone you provided, we were able to push forward with the research much more aggressively. I should be thanking you, Mr. Kim.\]
\[Chicken Sandwich: If it weren't for the power of the magic stone, it would have taken at least six months to reach Mars, but we were able to dramatically shorten that time. To explain the principles a bit more...\]
It was a good thing if it helped.
Billon, clearly in high spirits, began rattling off scientific principles I wouldn't understand even if he explained them all day.
I wasn't a liberal arts major, but there was still no way I'd understand any of it. I just nodded along and gave appropriate responses.
\[Person123: But didn't you say the Highest Grade Magic Stone I gave you shouldn't be discovered by the Government?\]
\[Chicken Sandwich: The research was conducted privately. And the magic stones used in the spacecraft were, of course, officially purchased by the company, so you don't have to worry.\]
...If it were private, did he set up a secret research facility on some remote island to conduct his research?
Since he was the richest man in the world, it didn't seem impossible.
I was just worried Billon might get into trouble, but as long as there were no issues, it was fine.
After chatting a bit more, Billon spoke up.
\[Chicken Sandwich: I plan to visit Korea soon. How about we meet face-to-face for the first time in a while?\]
A proposal to meet in person.
When receiving skill stones, I had only met Billon the first few times. After that, a proxy had always delivered them, so it really had been a few years.
\[Person123: Sounds good.\]
I didn't see a reason to refuse.
Billon was now a fully trustworthy partner to me.
We always talked through the communication window, so I kind of wanted to see him in person and have a proper conversation.
\[Chicken Sandwich: Then shall we meet like before? I would love to treat you to a proper meal, Mr. Kim... but I suppose that would be a bit difficult.\]
I pondered Billon's words before replying.
\[Person123: I think that would be fine. If you decide on a place, I'll come to you.\]
I had Stealth, Warp, and Teleportation.
I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve now.
Going to wherever Billon was without being caught by anyone was entirely possible.
---
On the day of our appointment, I left the house to meet Billon.
Billon had booked a suite in some famous 5-star hotel as our meeting place.
It felt a bit burdensome, but I had agreed to go to him anyway.
After arriving near the hotel, I entered the building while in Stealth.
Following Billon's directions, I found the room and used Teleportation right in front of the door.
“...!”
As soon as I used the skill to teleport inside the room, my Stealth deactivated.
Seeing me, the two men in the room flinched in surprise. I had told them not to be startled when I suddenly appeared.
It was Billon and his secretary, Ellen.
“Mr. Kim!”
Billon quickly broke into a bright smile and approached me with open arms. It was an enthusiastic welcome.
I shared a light hug with him and then smiled and shook hands with Ellen as well.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Ellen, Mr. Billon's Secretary.”
He was also the person who diligently relayed Billon's words through the communication window whenever Billon and I talked.
On one side of the room—which was so spacious it bordered on vast—a luxurious spread of food was already laid out.
It felt more like the living room of a grand mansion than a hotel room.
I took off my coat, washed my hands, and sat down at the table with Billon.
“You must be hungry. Please, go ahead and eat.”
“Yes, then... thank you for the meal.”
I hadn't eaten dinner before coming, so I was indeed hungry.
The spread was a feast of rare delicacies. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had gathered dishes from every country in the world.
I had told them I wasn't a picky eater, so had they really prepared a bit of everything?
I started by digging into the familiar dishes rather than the unfamiliar ones.
“Is the food to your liking?”
“It's melting in my mouth.”
I conversed with Billon as we ate.
I listened to more details about the Mars exploration from Billon, and I also shared my own recent updates with him.
“...I've been focusing on the Zone 4 Hunt, but it seems I won't be able to fill the gauge completely before entering the 6th Floor.”
“I see. I hope you don't push yourself too hard.”
I also drank some of the alcohol Billon had prepared, which he mentioned was a rare wine.
As we chatted about this and that, the slightly burdensome atmosphere quickly grew comfortable.
“You'll be challenging the 6th Floor in another month.”
“That's right.”
“I've always been curious, but what kind of mindset did you have when you first entered the 1st Floor, Mr. Kim?”
Billon suddenly asked.
I thought for a moment before answering.
“I was just... grasping at straws. There were only a few hours left, no one had succeeded, and the world was about to end.”
“Even so, an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to challenge it. They would have just hoped that someone else would succeed within those few hours.”
True, I had actually been like that too.
But why had I challenged it in the end?
Looking back now, I couldn't quite remember what my state of mind had been at the time. Had I intuitively felt that no one else would succeed?
Anyway, looking back, it turned out to be the best choice... and it completely turned both the world and my life upside down.
I was living a truly bizarre life now. I felt it anew.
“Mr. Kim, you are a truly remarkable person. Humanity, myself included, owes you a great debt, a debt we could never possibly repay.”
He didn't have to go that far.
“It was something someone had to do anyway. It just happened to be me.”
Billon smiled and asked another question.
“What is your dream, Mr. Kim?”
“...My dream?”
There was only one answer to that.
“To climb the Nightmare difficulty to the Top Floor.”
I didn't know if doing so would completely erase the Tower's Deadline or not.
But for now, I had no choice but to believe that it was the only way to keep the world safe.
Billon spoke.
“My dream is the Multi-planetary Expansion of Human Civilization, to expand our territory beyond Earth and into Space, thereby broadening the survival prospects of Humanity as a species. And that beginning will be Mars.
Now that we face the massive threat of the tower, another crucial reason has been added. If Humanity leaves Earth, will the Tower's Curse reach all the way to Mars? Or will that Tower of the Pacific follow Humanity and sprout another one on Mars?”
...He had a point. What would actually happen?
Would the tower, which wielded near-omnipotent power, just let Humanity go so easily?
But Billon's idea was definitely a method worth trying. We had to struggle and fight back, no matter what it took.
“Once the Mars Manned Exploration concludes safely, I plan to execute Humanity's Mars Colonization Plan with everything I have. While you are saving Humanity, Mr. Kim, I want to do everything in my power as well.
Against that wicked tower, shouldn't Humanity also do its absolute best to put up a desperate struggle?”
Billon had put exactly what I was thinking into words, bringing a smile to my face.
“We have to struggle. Right to the bitter end.”
Because no one wanted to die.
And no one would want to live in a world where 99% of Humanity had turned into monsters, either.
Billon and I smiled at each other and clinked our glasses.