Chapter 49
“…Haaah!”
The moment I regained consciousness, I shot upright with a sound like I was gasping for my life.
Reflexively, I felt around my body and checked myself.
My skin was smooth, without a single wound.
Breathing heavily, I confirmed that I was in the reward room, then collapsed back down.
Wow…
Wow…
I seriously thought I was going to die.
Was that what it felt like to fall into hellfire?
It was a horrifying experience I never wanted to go through again.
After blankly spacing out for a while, I belatedly read the message in front of me.
\[All difficulties of Floor 4 have been cleared.\]
\[The Tower calls new participants.\]
\[A new rule has been added.\]
\[From now on, five sub-towers will appear in random locations at 7-day intervals.\]
\[Time remaining until the first sub-tower appears: 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds.\]
“…You son of a bitch.”
At least give me a moment to breathe before dropping this on me.
I had a feeling something like this might happen.
I nullified the three-year rule, and now another new rule had appeared.
Sub-towers?
Random appearances?
I didn’t know what it meant, but the word “tower” itself sounded ominous.
Were other towers going to appear, aside from the Tower in the Pacific Ocean?
Rules had appeared on Floor 2 and Floor 4, while Floor 1 and Floor 3 hadn’t produced any rules.
Was it like I had expected before, with new rules being created every other floor?
Ah, I don’t know…
I’ll think about it later…
My body had completely recovered, but the lingering sensation of my whole body burning still made me feel numb.
That pain was truly on a different level compared to everything I had experienced until now.
Look at this.
Look at my fingertips trembling.
\[Item: Heavenly Music Box\]
A lost relic of the Order of Paeli. When used, it plays a melody that calms the mind and body. Can be used by consuming 1 Willpower per second.
I took out the music box.
It was the item I had obtained after clearing Floor 3 hidden.
Since it was an item, I had brought it in with me for now.
Wondering if it might have any effect, I activated it.
♫\~ ♪\~
As I listened to the music box’s melody, my mind and body began calming down.
“Haa…”
Wow.
So this thing wasn’t useless after all.
The Tower threw me a mental recovery item so I wouldn’t develop PTSD while climbing it.
How thoughtful.
Anyway, jokes aside, the effect was genuinely clear.
I left the music box playing until my Willpower ran out.
Okay.
Mental recovery complete.
I finally got up.
\[Level: 55\]
My level had gone up by 10, bringing me to 55.
I could feel that my body had grown noticeably stronger again.
Kwaaang!
When I thrust my fist into the air, the air burst with a loud sound.
At this level, maybe I could now go toe-to-toe with Pli or the fully powered Floor 3 boss barehanded?
I checked the rewards.
Skill enhancement stones were scattered on the floor.
No skill stone…?
Only two skill enhancement stones?
\[Rare+ Skill Enhancement Stone\]
Can be used to enhance one Rare+ grade skill.
Two Rare+ enhancement stones.
Since enhancement stones were rarer, should I call this lucky?
The more skills the better, of course, but well, this wasn’t bad.
No, it was actually good.
Because now I knew that if I reached +5 on a skill, I could acquire an upgraded skill.
\[Difficulty: Nightmare\]
\[Floor: 5\]
\[Level: 55\]
\[Willpower: 1,800\]
\[Skills: Destruction Ray (Epic+), Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+), Scorching Zone (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare) (+5), Blade Gale (Rare), Elevation (Rare), Skin Hardening (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Normal+) (+1), Lesser Toxic Resistance (Normal+), Lesser Burn Resistance (Normal+), Leap (Normal) (+1), Swing (Normal), Thrust (Normal), Freezing Bullet (Normal)\]
Come to think of it, I hadn’t enhanced a single Rare+ skill yet.
‘What should I choose?’
Teleportation, Sixth Sense, Rapid Regeneration, or Scorching Zone.
Teleportation would probably increase its distance.
Sixth Sense… Well, maybe it would just make my intuition stronger?
It wasn’t a skill that could really be measured numerically in the first place.
Rapid Regeneration would increase its recovery power, and Scorching Zone would increase its damage or range.
I thought the standard answer was Teleportation.
Rapid Regeneration had made a huge contribution this time, but its cooldown was too long, and it was physical-type anyway.
Scorching Zone could eventually grant me an Epic-grade fire spell if I enhanced it all the way, but I already had an excellent attack spell called Destruction Ray.
Teleportation seemed the best because the movement distance would increase, and if I fully enhanced it, I felt like I would get some kind of superior movement skill.
But.
‘Sixth Sense…’
For some reason, I was drawn to Sixth Sense.
There was no skill more reliable than this when clearing a new floor.
On top of that, what would the upgraded version of Sixth Sense be?
I was curious because it felt like something pretty good would come out.
Splitting the enhancements would be inefficient, so I had to dump them into one skill anyway.
I could have decided later, but I made up my mind right away and used both enhancement stones on Sixth Sense.
\[You have used “Rare+ Skill Enhancement Stone” on “Skill: Sixth Sense (Rare+)”.\]
\[You have used “Rare+ Skill Enhancement Stone” on “Skill: Sixth Sense (Rare+)”.\]
\[“Skill: Sixth Sense (Rare+)” has been enhanced, and its danger-detection ability has become stronger.\]
I couldn’t tell the difference right away.
It would only activate when something dangerous happened, so I would check it later.
\[Nightmare\]
Participants: 383,157
Time Limit: 1 year, 19 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes, 16 seconds
Highest Reached Floor: 5
After organizing the rewards, I confirmed that the Nightmare time limit had increased.
In any case, I had survived again.
Again again again.
The world had earned another year.
Somehow, it felt like there had been a lot more going on this time, but…
‘What is the Tower?’
Does it really have some kind of grudge against me?
The fact that the Tower had offered me penalties as bait to nullify the three-year rule felt like an incident filled with pretty blatant malice.
And in this clear too, that draw…
The fact that Ability Nullification never came out — was that also the Tower pulling something?
Or had I just been unlucky?
I couldn’t know.
Well, thinking about it calmly, it did kind of seem like the latter.
If the Tower truly wanted to kill me, and if it could freely interfere with the clear however it wanted…
Then couldn’t it just block every path, down to the smallest needle hole, and leave me no way to survive?
But the fact that it didn’t do that might mean the Tower also had some rules or restrictions it had to obey…
That was all I could guess.
It wasn’t a problem I could answer by worrying about it.
The Tower was an incomprehensible being.
In the end, all I could do was keep climbing.
‘Still, well…’
It was definitely true that it really seemed to want me dead.
Yeah, but I didn’t die this time either, did I?
Even after all that bullshit, I still survived, didn’t I?
\[Would you like to exit the Tower?\]
“I had so\~ much fun\~.”
Fun, my ass.
It had been a horrific clear I never wanted to experience again.
But hoping the Tower could hear me, I deliberately mocked it out loud before leaving.
I’m tired…
Let’s rest.
---
After Person123 selected the penalty…
The actions of people gathered in streets all around the world were identical, as if they had made a promise.
Men and women, adults and children alike, all held their breath and prayed.
Selecting the penalty meant he had probably entered Floor 4 around now and was attempting the clear.
Even live news anchors seemed to forget the duty of broadcasting and spoke sparingly.
One minute passed.
Then another minute.
As the silent time continued to flow, people’s faces grew complicated with anxiety, fear, impatience, desperation, and earnest hope.
\[Honeybee: Isn’t this taking… kind of long?\]
\[Black Dragon Heaven: What was the average clear time for Nightmare difficulty?\]
\[Leuer: About 20 minutes. But there’s a lot of variation by floor, so it doesn’t mean much. This is a first clear.\]
\[Warrior of Struggle: The number in the Nightmare communication window still hasn’t dropped.\]
\[Savanna: Please, Person123. Please…\]
More than an hour had passed since Person123 selected the penalty.
Climbers in the communication window could at least confirm that the number hadn’t decreased, but ordinary people, who received information more slowly, had no choice but to tremble more and more as time passed.
Someone bit their nails.
Someone lowered their head further and prayed.
Someone urgently searched the news on their phone.
There were even parents comforting a child who had burst into tears.
Even a six-year-old understood the seriousness of the situation.
“…I told you he shouldn’t have selected the penalty! It’s over!”
There were people screaming in despair.
And others condemning them.
“Shut up and pray! He’s still challenging it!”
“If you’re going to spew bullshit, get lost!”
Just as that negative atmosphere was gradually spreading…
“Oh!”
“Ah…!”
A few people in the crowd let out cries.
They were Climbers.
They could see the message that all difficulties of Floor 4 had been cleared.
“H-he succeeded! Floor 4 has been cleared!”
That shout was the signal.
The murmuring crowd soon erupted into cheers loud enough to shake the streets.
Waaaaaaaaaaa!
- Breaking news just in. Nightmare difficulty Floor 4 has reportedly just been cleared!
- Ah… Also, the Tower has added a new rule. Five sub-towers will appear in random locations at 7-day intervals, and…
The news began reporting it too.
People embraced one another and shed tears of joy.
The longer their anxiety had lasted, the greater their joy became.
\[Confident Step: We’re alive! We get another year!\]
\[Kimchi Jjim: Person123 is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god! He is a god!\]
\[Kenshong: No, seriously, how did he do it?? He cleared it even after choosing one of those insane penalties?\]
\[Megaphone: You still doubt Person123? Incredible. Absolutely incredible.\]
\[Poseidon: Hah… My heart seriously dropped when he chose the penalty.\]
\[Beast123: But what the hell are sub-towers? That’s unsettling.\]
A new rule had appeared again, but for now, no one cared about that.
They had to enjoy this joy first.
Person123!
Person123!
Person123!
His name was chanted in streets everywhere.
It was the name of a hero who had saved humanity several times, and who had refused to abandon even a minority of people.
“Haha… You really are…”
Bilon Must’s office.
Bilon let out a hollow laugh and sank his body into his chair as the tension left him.
He had hoped Kim Seohyun would not choose the penalty.
When weighing the risks, the correct choice had been all too obvious.
But Kim Seohyun had chosen to save every last person, without exception.
And as a result, he had gained everything.
Even Bilon, who had always chosen high risk, high return in his own life, would never have selected the penalty if he had been in Kim Seohyun’s position.
…He was incredible.
So incredible that it inspired awe.
With his eyes closed, Bilon quietly celebrated his partner’s safe return.
At the Climber Administration Office, in the director’s office.
\[All difficulties of Floor 4 have been cleared.\]
“…Yes!”
The moment Shin Sujin saw the message appear before her, she shouted without realizing it.
Kang Juhyuk, who was beside her, was also surprised by the message, then startled a second time by her shout.
Realizing it belatedly, Shin Sujin cleared her throat with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Phew, he did it in the end. How did he clear Nightmare after choosing one of those penalties… He really is amazing.”
Kang Juhyuk repeatedly expressed his admiration while looking at the message.
Even after shouldering a fatal penalty, he had succeeded in the clear as if to show everyone.
It was impossible to even guess the extent of his abilities.
Shin Sujin also quietly rejoiced inside as she felt her heart pounding.
She was truly relieved that he had returned safely.
“…With this, he has bestowed the fourth salvation.”
Inside a dimly lit cathedral.
Compared to a year ago, the space was wider, and far more people had gathered.
The man standing on the platform spoke in a voice that sounded as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
“The wicked Tower played its tricks. It exploited his mercy by using people’s lives as bait, attempting to block the path of salvation he walks.
Ah, why did you not avoid it? Why do you refuse to bend, even in the slightest? He never turns away from even a single pitiful life. He willingly shackled his own feet with heavy chains, descended into hell, and saved them all.”
The man continued speaking, nearly sobbing.
The believers, who had been listening while offering reverent prayers, could not hold back their tears and began sniffling.
“With this, it has been proven that no matter how vile, cowardly, and petty the Tower’s schemes may be, it can never stop him. Until the glorious day when he saves all humanity, we will believe and follow him to the end.”
“We believe, we believe…”
“Tonight, everyone, please rejoice to your heart’s content. Be grateful that by his grace, we have been allowed to live another year. Be grateful for his endless devotion and sacrifice…”
Once the prayer ended, the people burst into cheers.
That day, no matter where in the world you went, the name Person123 and the sound of cheering never ceased.
---
The moment I exited the Tower, I blacked out and slept like the dead.
I only woke up when it was almost dawn.
Feeling hungry, I ordered room service and had a late-night meal.
I sliced into a tender, perfectly cooked steak and stuffed it into my mouth.
“Delish.”
Food after finishing a clear was sweet as honey.