Chapter 24
- An incident has occurred where an inmate escaped from Gangwon North Prison located in Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do. The inmate is presumed to be a climber, and over 30 casualties have been reported within the prison. In response to this unprecedented situation, the government has deployed the military to conduct a search...
I woke up on a sunny Monday morning to hear crazy news on the TV.
"What is this?"
A prison break? By a Climber?
The escaped prisoner's face and personal details were all over the internet. Seo Dong-woo.
The important thing was that he still hadn't been caught.
There had been occasional incidents of a Climber committing major crimes in foreign countries, but it was shocking that something like this would happen in Korea too. Good grief.
Thinking about how crazy the world was getting, I opened the communication channel out of habit.
For some reason, it was noisy here too.
\[So-yeong: Why do you guys live such boring lives even after gaining this awesome power? You should learn from me\] \[So-yeong: Anyway, you're all looking hard for me right now, aren't you? Even if you're curious about where I am, I won't tell you! Good luck finding me\~\]
"What's this now."
A Hard Difficulty communication channel.
Some crazy bastard was writing messages and drawing all sorts of aggro.
---
"This guy is completely out of his mind. We need to find him quickly."
Kang Juhyeok was having a hard time driving because his stomach was still churning.
It was just a moment ago that they stopped by and examined Gangwon North Prison, which had become a horrific bloody scene last night. The fishy stench that had been lingering inside the prison seemed to continuously hover at the tip of his nose like an afterimage.
Shin Sujin, sitting in the passenger seat, was silent as if lost in thought. Kang Juhyeok spoke to her.
"What do you think, Team Leader? What level do you think he is?"
He was a guy who had completely ripped the door off of the cell he was confined in and boldly escaped. He was far from ordinary.
Seo Dong-woo was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and incarcerated 10 years ago, which meant the guy had become a climber inside the prison.
Up until now, there have been three cases in the Republic of Korea where an inmate became a Climber. If an Inmate revealed they had become a Climber, they could receive a pardon on the condition of special management, so all of them have been pardoned.
And yet, Seo Dong-woo had hidden the fact that he became a Climber, secretly climbed the tower, and ultimately carried out a prison break. And he did so in a very ignorant manner at that.
The only conclusion was that the guy was simply a madman.
It was a mystery how he had been able to enter the tower without normally getting caught, but for now, they could only guess that he had silenced his cellmates and entered during the night.
The average clear time for Hard Difficulty was just over 10 minutes, so if his fellow inmates kept their mouths shut and he avoided the eyes of the patrolling prison guard, sneaking in wasn't entirely impossible. Though there was no way to confirm it since Seo Dong-woo had killed all his Fellow Inmates before escaping.
What was hard to figure out was Seo Dong-woo's level.
"Team Leader?" "...Yes? What did you say?" "Ah, it's nothing. I was just wondering what Seo Dong-woo's level might be." "Indeed. He's probably around Level 20."
They had checked the CCTV footage recorded inside the prison and the testimonies of the prison guards who had engaged the guy and survived. Guns didn't even work properly on him.
It was clear that his level was that high, or he had a Skill that enhanced his body's durability or a Defensive Skill.
With his astonishing physical ability, Seo Dong-woo broke through the blockade of the armed prison guards, leaped over the prison wall, and fled just like that.
They determined that he had escaped the prison and had headed into the mountains, so the military was currently searching the Seoraksan area.
The Climber Surveillance Department of the Climber Bureau was also deployed for this unprecedented situation. There had been a few minor incidents of a Climber causing a violent disturbance, but an event of this scale was a first.
However, there wasn't much they could do at the moment either. All they were doing was receiving shared information from the Search Team and moving to one of the predicted escape routes.
They called it a prediction, but the search itself seemed to be a challenge.
He might have already slipped out of the mountainous region. A high-level Climber's abilities were far beyond what could be gauged by common sense. He could probably traverse the rugged mountain terrain as easily as his own living room.
"Even if we find him, couldn't he just run away into the tower as long as he's not in combat? Hah, seriously, what kind of situation is this..."
On top of that, this crazy bastard was currently causing a ruckus in the communication channel too.
A Climber with the nickname 'So-yeong' who appeared in the Hard Difficulty communication channel
He was writing all sorts of nonsense like a psychopath, telling people to hurry up and find him, saying that Climbers should all run wild together, and offering to explain why murder is fun.
They couldn't be certain that the guy was actually Seo Dong-woo, but circumstantially, the probability was high.
Kang Juhyeok glanced back at Shin Sujin, who hadn't said much for a while. Seeing her staring intently into midair, he asked.
"What's wrong? Is that guy spouting nonsense again?" "...No, it's nothing."
Shin Sujin's mood was strangely subdued, so Kang Juhyeok took the hint and kept his mouth shut.
“I guess she”s really angry?'
Given that over twenty prison guards had been killed by the guy, it was understandable.
Kang Juhyeok hadn't worked with Shin Sujin for a long time, but he knew one thing: she hated evildoers to the point of loathing them.
One of the few high-level Climbers over Level 20 in the Republic of Korea.
Now that the competition for Climbers among various countries was gradually intensifying, a High-level Climber was practically a national asset. And Shin Sujin was one of them.
Even though she was young, Kang Juhyeok respected Shin Sujin.
Even though she could enjoy far greater wealth and glory if she wanted to, she was handling the nation's official duties as a Climber affiliated with the perpetually understaffed Climber Bureau...
"There's a rest stop coming up soon, should we drop by for a bit?" "Sure. Your stomach doesn't seem to be doing well, so I'll drive later." "Excuse me? No, I'm fine!"
Kang Juhyeok answered promptly.
With such overflowing consideration for her subordinate, she couldn't help but be a truly respectable superior.
While Kang Juhyeok felt much better inwardly, Shin Sujin turned her gaze out the window.
Still staring at the communication channel with cold eyes, she gritted her teeth.
---
Kim Seong-ho had been feeling a bit troubled lately.
Having raised two children, he had never worried about anyone other than his second child in his entire life, but his firstborn, who had never caused his parents any worry and always did everything well on his own, had suddenly become a Climber out of the blue.
He hurriedly looked into various things and found that everyone said the Easy 1st Floor wasn't dangerous. And if it was a Repeat Clear, he could exit whenever he wanted.
But still, it was in a parent's heart to worry.
Since he was a son who had never caused any trouble before, there was definitely a belief that he would take good care of himself. That was why he couldn't bring himself to oppose it.
He always listened well to his parents, but apart from that, Kim Seong-ho also knew his son's nature of stubbornly refusing to change his mind once he had made a decision.
"Section Chief Park, you said your son is two years old now, right?" "Yes, President. He's 15 months old." "How do you think you'd feel if your son became a Climber later on?"
Section Chief Park tilted his head before answering.
"My heart would drop, wouldn't it? Isn't it dangerous?" "Right? Then what if it's Easy Difficulty?" "If it's Easy Difficulty... wouldn't I still worry a bit less? They say almost no one dies on Easy as long as they don't go up to the upper floors."
Kim Seong-ho immediately wanted to argue back.
"No. Still, wouldn't your feelings be different if you actually faced the situation? That's just how parents feel." "Ah, yes... I suppose that might be true."
Section Chief Park said with an awkward smile.
"Still, I don't think you've ever really had to worry about your children, President. Isn't your son a medical student at Seoul National University? Haha." "...That's true. Ah, you should get off work now too."
Kim Seong-ho sighed inwardly and prepared to leave work.
He suddenly craved Maekju, so he stopped by a convenience store before heading home and had a can of Maekju for the first time in a while. He sat on a chair at the convenience store and drank while watching the news on his phone.
- The whereabouts of the escaped prisoner Seo Dong-woo are still unknown, and...
"Tsk tsk, what are they doing, for not having caught him yet."
The Climber Seo Dong-woo, who reportedly massacred prison guards at the prison and escaped.
They said they even mobilized the military to search for him, but he still hadn't been caught even after three days. The citizens' anxiety was soaring, and public sentiment was grim.
Thinking that it was truly the end of the world, Kim Seong-ho poured the remaining Maekju down his throat in one gulp.
Feeling slightly tipsy, he took a roundabout way home, different from his usual route, to get some fresh air.
As he was walking down a deserted alleyway lit by orange streetlights, a person walked toward him from the opposite direction.
A man wearing a hat, pulling up a hood, and even wearing a mask.
His physique was so intimidating, Kim Seong-ho tried to subtly widen the distance and pass by him.
"Mister."
The man suddenly called out to him.
Kim Seong-ho flinched in surprise and stopped walking.
"How do I get to Yeongdeungpo Station from here? Could you give me directions?" "...Yeongdeungpo Station? That way..."
Kim Seong-ho kindly explained the way. He felt tense because the person gave off a dangerous vibe.
"Ah\~ So it was that way. I was going in the exact opposite direction. Thanks."
Fortunately, the man listened to the explanation and went on his way.
Kim Seong-ho also thought inwardly that the young punk's way of speaking was rude, and was about to take a step again when...
"Ah, but wait a second, Mister."
Kim Seong-ho looked back at the man. At the same time, the streetlight flickered.
Kim Seong-ho momentarily looked up at the anxiously flickering streetlight, then looked back at the man.
"Wh-what is it?"
The man stepped closer and scrutinized Kim Seong-ho's face from various angles.
"...You look alike." "Wh-what do you..." "You look like my old man who used to beat the shit out of me and then abandoned me and ran off when I was 10. You're not my father, are you? Hehe."
The man's eyes were dangerous. He seemed out of his mind, spouting such nonsense.
Kim Seong-ho felt his heart pounding and shook his head urgently.
"I-I have a proper family. You've got the wrong person." "Yeah, I know. It's a joke. But you really do look like him. It makes me feel like shit."
The man smirked and waved the hand he had taken out of his pocket.
"So let me just hit you once. You kindly gave me directions, so I'll hit you softly, okay? If you die, it can't be helped."
Thud!
Kim Seong-ho's body flew back, slammed into the alley wall, and collapsed. He lost consciousness just like that.
The man went on his way with a light step, blowing a whistle.
---
"...What?"
Late at night, a call came from my father's number like a bolt from the blue.
My family and I hurriedly got dressed and headed to the trauma center.
"It would have been disastrous if you had been even a little bit later, but it went well. His life is not in danger, so you can rest assured." "Th-thank you. Doctor. Thank you..."
My mother practically collapsed in tears, and my younger sibling burst into tears as well, so I had to comfort them both.
My father was lying in the hospital bed with his eyes closed after finishing emergency surgery.
I looked down at my father with a stiffly frozen face.
They said he was brought in with all his ribs crushed, as if he had been hit by a truck.
Miraculously, there was almost no damage to his internal organs, so the surgery was completed without much difficulty.
"Are you the patient's family?"
The police came and explained the situation.
They said my father hadn't been in a traffic accident, but had been assaulted.
"Assault? A person was hurt this badly, so who on earth...!" "...You know Seo Dong-woo, right? The Climber who escaped from prison recently. It's not certain yet, but we're currently figuring out if that guy is involved."
The escaped prisoner? Seo Dong-woo?
My family and I couldn't help but be dumbfounded, wondering what this meant.
"There is CCTV footage. We can show it to you if you want, but..."
We watched the CCTV recording the police showed us.
An alleyway. My father was walking and seemed to be talking with a man coming from the opposite direction.
They were about to go their separate ways when the man approached my father again.
The sight that followed was shocking. My mother and younger sibling gasped.
The man suddenly swung his fist, and my father's body flew back, slammed into the wall, and collapsed.
"..."
The moment I saw that, it felt like something snapped in my head too.
"Since he exposed his location like this, we'll probably be able to catch him soon. Even now, we're mobilizing all police forces to figure out his route..."
If he were a guy who could be caught that easily, wouldn't he have been caught already?
I had that thought, but anyway, the police finished their explanation and left.
It became late in the dawn, and my mother spoke to us.
"You two should go home now. It's fine for me to watch over your dad alone." "I want to stay too." "Where are you going to lie down and sleep here? It's fine, so hurry home and sleep. You have to go to school tomorrow."
I took my stubborn younger sibling and went home.
Even after I came home, my head continued to feel hot. It was because of anger.
I don't think I've ever been this angry in my life.
"Phew."
I sat in front of my desk and turned on the communication channel.
The guy who had been spouting all sorts of bullshit in the Hard communication channel for the past few days.
This guy was probably Seo Dong-woo.
\[So-yeong: The world is truly beautiful. That's why I want to kill everyone\] \[So-yeong: Is there anyone who wants to start a revolution with me? Climbers should rule this world. Wouldn't it be great to live to our heart's content killing whoever we want!\] \[So-yeong: You're slaves, you slaves. You unfree slave bastards\]
I found the messages the guy left and glared piercingly at his nickname.
I sent a whisper to the guy.