Chapter 79
- It has been over two hours since Person123 entered. The numbers in the Nightmare Communication Channel have not decreased, and it appears Person123 is still in the middle of clearing...
Kim Seohyeon's house.
Kim Seo-A was holding her mother's hand tightly, watching the live news on TV.
Her dad was at the company and not home. This was because Person123 had challenged the tower in the early afternoon, unlike his usual evening attempts.
It was a moment humanity experienced every year since the Tower appeared, but this heart-wrenching tension was something they could never get used to.
Whether the world would end or not was being decided again today.
“Please...”
Person123's clearing was taking longer than it had on the 4th Floor.
Kim Seo-A muttered tearfully. She was so desperate that she even felt nauseous.
“It's okay. It'll be okay.”
Choi Su-Jin stroked her daughter's back, but she couldn't hide her own stiff expression.
Their restless wait dragged on.
The news screen suddenly became busy, and the anchor shouted excitedly.
- ...We've just received news that the Nightmare 6th Floor has been cleared! Person123 has succeeded!
At that moment, cheers echoing from every apartment complex pierced through the veranda window.
“Ah...!”
Kim Seo-A also let out an exclamation.
Perhaps because the tension had completely lifted, she burst into tears and hugged her mother. The mother and daughter shared their deep emotion.
- Yes, Person123 has successfully completed the Nightmare strategy again this year. With this, Nightmare Difficulty has been cleared up to the 6th Floor, and the deadline has been extended by another year. In particular, his decision to not choose the Ark and once again save all humanity is incredibly noble...
Choi Su-Jin went out grocery shopping to prepare a lavish dinner for tonight.
Kim Seo-A continued to flip through the news channels, her exalted emotions still lingering.
Person123 had saved humanity once again.
Even on the 4th Floor, he chose a penalty for the sake of a few people, and this time as well, he chose the path of saving everyone instead of accepting the Tower's proposal.
It was amazing, and even noble.
How could a person be so incredible?
Kim Seo-A expressed her deepest gratitude to him for safely protecting the world again this year.
Beep, beep, beep—
The sound of the door lock rang out.
Kim Seohyeon opened the front door and came in.
Seeing Kim Seo-A's face, he asked.
“...Did you cry?”
“What? I didn't cry.”
“Your eyes are all red. You totally cried.”
“I said I didn't cry!”
Kim Seohyeon glanced at the news screen and went into his room.
Kim Seo-A glared at him before turning her head away with a huff.
Does that guy not even care if the world ends or not? Why is he so calm?
And he should have just stayed home. What was he doing coming in just now?
“...?”
She tilted her head.
Kim Seo-A suddenly had a thought.
Why is it that every time Person123 clears a floor...?
Kim Seohyeon had gone on a trip on the 3rd and 4th Floors.
What about the 2nd Floor?
Unable to remember, she searched for the time the Nightmare 2nd Floor was cleared. It was in the middle of the night, so it was time to sleep.
'What about the 1st Floor...'
Come to think of it, the 1st Floor too?
It was a few hours before the world was about to end.
When the whole family was in the living room, Kim Seohyeon had gone outside to get some fresh air.
And then the Nightmare 1st Floor was cleared. She couldn't forget that time, so she remembered it clearly.
And Person123 was Korean... and said to be a young man... Huh?
Her train of thought reached that point before Kim Seo-A snorted.
“Yeah, right.”
Oppa is Person123? That guy?
And he just got back from clearing the 6th Floor?
She found it ridiculous even as she thought it.
In the first place, Kim Seohyeon was active as an Easy Difficulty Climber, even selling magic stones. There was no way he could be a Nightmare Climber.
Thinking it was just a strange coincidence, Kim Seo-A changed the TV channel.
* * *
After finishing the 6th Floor clearing.
I returned home, ate dinner, and went to sleep early.
[Remaining Time: 12 hours 56 minutes 51 seconds]
“Yaaawn...”
I woke up in the early dawn before sunrise and checked the time.
There were 12 hours left until the Masked Auction started.
I browsed the communication channel.
People were all similarly chattering about the auction.
Whatever it was, it was a rule of the Tower, so it definitely wouldn't be anything good...
I looked around the channel for a bit before turning it off.
Usually, I would take a full day of rest after a Tower clearing.
But since I had to see what would happen when the time ran out, I didn't feel like resting comfortably.
Jumping straight into the hidden strategy... felt a bit too rushed.
I thought about how to organize my strategy guide and whether other people would be able to clear the 6th Floor.
'It shouldn't be hard, except for the boss.'
As long as they knew the order to destroy the cores, the Ogres wouldn't increase beyond three.
Even if they left the other two lanes empty while pushing one lane, their pushing speed would be faster.
Even if the first turrets were pushed back a bit, there were two second turrets, so it would take forever for three Ogres to push through.
The problem was the single boss.
I had one-shot it with Line of Destruction, but wouldn't other people struggle a bit?
I'd have to re-enter later to check exactly how strong the boss was and what abilities it used.
Thinking of Diul, I summoned him.
“Are you okay, Diul?”
Diul came out of the bracelet and hovered around my head.
He seemed to be in good condition, as if he had fully recovered.
“We worked hard on the 6th Floor too. Right? But is your changing appearance a sign that you're gradually evolving?”
I tried to strike up a conversation with Diul.
But I only felt a slightly apathetic emotion from him, and no answer came.
He kept calling me an idiot in the Reward Room.
“Do you want to go for a night walk on the 2nd floor?”
There was still no answer, but I felt a slight sense of pleasure.
I chuckled and entered the 2nd floor.
[You have entered Nightmare Difficulty, 2nd Floor.]
The platforms are in the void above the lava.
With my physical ability now at level 80, I didn't even need the platforms.
BOOM!
I used the Leap skill to jump to the main platform in one go.
I slipped outside the Tower and ran along the night forest path.
Still, did taking these consistent walks really have an effect?
He's even unlocked his third ability now.
Even though he grumbled every time, just like on the 3rd Floor, I couldn't help but feel reassured since I had successfully cleared several floors thanks to Diul.
After finishing a moderate walk on the 2nd Floor, I came out and entered the 3rd Floor again.
“Can you try using that ability again, Diul?”
I decided to figure out Diul's new ability properly.
Perhaps feeling a bit better from the walk, Diul used the ability without any particular signs of dissatisfaction.
Swaaaah.
black mist spread around us.
It spread in a narrower range than when he used it on the 6th Floor.
The undead that were swarming toward me entered the dark zone.
Then, just like the Ogres, they lost their balance, collapsed, and flailed about.
As expected, it didn't seem like they were just unable to see in front of them.
Since it had no effect on me, I couldn't accurately understand the enemies' condition.
“Can't you make it affect me too? Diul?”
At that moment.
...My vision suddenly went pitch black.
Not only could I not see, but I couldn't hear either. The piercing stench of corpses also vanished.
The sensation in my body disappeared, so I couldn't even feel if I was moving or what.
It was truly Total Darkness.
I was deeply panicked momentarily by the unfamiliar sensation of feeling no sensation at all.
Soon, my five senses returned to normal.
When they returned, I found myself flailing on the floor just like the other undead.
'Pfft.'
Diul playfully sneered as he looked at me like that.
I also let out a laugh, feeling a bit dumbfounded, and stood up.
Right... So what kind of ability is this?
I could definitely see why it would take a lot of energy.
This completely turns the opponent into an idiot, doesn't it.
The dark zone lifted, and the undead regained their senses.
I decided on a name for the technique.
“It's like a mist, so let's go with Pitch-Black Fog. How about it, Diul?”
Diul seemed completely uninterested, as if saying, 'Do whatever you want.'
Then it is Pitch-Black Fog.
I had gained a considerably good ability.
* * *
Time passed, and it became daytime.
[Remaining Time: 1 minute 29 seconds]
There wasn't much time left now.
I was pacing around the room with my arms crossed, waiting.
It said 100 people would receive a random invitation...
Naturally, I didn't particularly want to be picked.
The number of climbers who had cleared up to the 6th Floor might be small, but it was still at least several thousand.
The probability of getting picked, when calculated, would be less than 10 percent.
'There's no way I'll get picked.'
[Remaining Time: 1 second]
Flash.
The scenery before my eyes completely changed.
...Ah.
Did I just set a flag for myself?
I had won the lottery.
“Ugh?”
“Uh...”
The surroundings were full of people wearing masks.
My vision was narrow. I fumbled at my face.
There was a mask on my face as well.
The other people also looked around in panic and stared at each other. They were all probably people who got picked like me.
Everyone also had a number tag attached to their chest; I looked down and confirmed I was number 15.
Looking around, I found it was a dark place like a theater.
There was seating, and a stage could be seen at the front.
[1,000,000 people]
And a number visible in the corner of my vision.
A million people? What does this mean?
Step. Step.
The sound of dress shoes echoed.
The murmuring of the people stopped, and their gazes focused toward the stage.
What is that...
A figure in a suit wearing a mask.
However, the entity, whose visible hands didn't seem human, held a microphone and spoke.
“Congratulations on being invited to the Masked Auction, everyone. Please take a seat wherever you feel comfortable.”
A dry and businesslike voice.
Everyone, still bewildered, picked a seat and sat down for now.
Not knowing what would happen if I didn't listen, I also sat appropriately toward the back seating.
Flash!
The lights on the stage turned on.
The entity on the Stage opened its mouth again.
“I am the host in charge of running this auction. There are two rules you must follow while the auction is in progress.
One is to not attack the Host, and the other is to not attempt to damage or steal the auction items. You only need to follow these two rules, enjoy the auction, and then return to the place you originally came from.”
Hmm...
What really is this?
All the Tower's rules that had appeared so far were geared toward ruining the world and trying to kill people.
But this time, it was suddenly holding something like an auction... I couldn't tell what it was trying to do.
“Then we will start the auction immediately. This is the first auction item.”
An item suddenly appeared on the dais in the middle of the stage.
It was a skill stone, glowing green.
[Skill: Faction Collapse (Rare+)]
Leaps high and falls downward, creating a powerful shockwave. The higher the altitude, the greater the power.
Category: Physical
Willpower Cost: 100
Cooldown: 1 minute
Even though I didn't touch it directly, the skill description popped up before my eyes.
The other people also looked surprised, as if they could all see it too. It was a whopping Rare+ skill, after all.
“The number you see in your vision is the auction currency you can use to participate in the auction bid. I would like to inform you that all of you have been equally provided with 1 million people.”
At the host's words, I looked at the number in the corner of my vision again.
[1,000,000 people]
So this was the money that could be used in the auction.
...But why is the unit like this?
It wasn't points or anything like that, so why was the counter for people attached to it?
“What do one million people mean...?”
Someone must have had the same question, as they raised their hand and asked.
The host casually gave a shocking answer.
“It is the lives of non-climbers. For every person you spend, non-climbers will die at random.”
“...Y-yes?”
“It is a Special Reward given to all of you who have cleared up to the 6th Floor. I would also like to inform you that the personnel who die as auction currency for this auction will not become Fallen, as they are not dying from the Tower's curse.
You may use all one million people, or you may not use them all. The choice is entirely up to your freedom, so please enjoy the auction without any burden.”
...What kind of crazy talk is this?
The Host continued speaking.
“The starting price for the first auction item is 1,000 people. Those who wish to bid, please raise your hand and call out a price.”