Chapter 115
The world was in an uproar as the Tower made another proposal to Person123.
People everywhere debated whether he would accept the proposal or not.
[Blank: Won’t he accept the proposal probably? The penalty is just banning one item.]
[Kiryu: It’s not like the 6th Floor where he had to give up the challenge, and a 10km Radius Ark sounds really worth a try…]
[Peanut: I find it fucking suspicious: why is the Tower suddenly making such a good proposal?]
[Warrior Running on the Ground: That’s true too.]
[Rage: But when one thinks about the 4th Floor, it seems like Person123 might choose it.]
Panels on news broadcasts also came out to discuss this.
- A 10km radius is an area about half the size of Seoul. Even if destruction comes someday, a significant portion of humanity would be able to survive.
- Isn’t the Tower’s intention blatant? There’s definitely some hidden agenda.
- hand strike
Both acceptance and rejection were tightly contested.
Compared to before, the penalty was weak, so it was inevitable that many people thought, 'Isn’t it worth a try?'
But in the end, the one making the choice was Person123.
People waited for his decision…
[The Tower’s proposal has been invalidated.]
Person123 entered after rejecting the proposal.
[Weed: Ah… He didn’t accept it in the end.]
[Plastic: It was obviously bait just by looking at it, so it’s a relief he rejected it.]
[Yoyoyo: Gotta block all variables~ Not accepting it is right Yep]
[Quingcolefri: Those complaining that he didn’t accept it better shut up if they don’t want to die.]
[Writer: Alright, let’s all just pray now.]
There were some who felt regretful.
Regardless, humanity started to pray for its 8th Floor clear success.
All over the world, just like every year, countless people poured out into the streets and squares.
Gwanghwamun Street in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Around this time, people from around the world would flock to this place in particular.
Since Person123 was a Korean, he wanted to visit his country and pray for his Clear.
“…Yes! This year, Gwanghwamun Street is also packed with a massive crowd, leaving no room to step. Everyone is praying for Person123's clear success.”
It had been a few minutes since Person123 entered the 8th Floor.
A reporter wandered among the people, interviewing the citizens.
“I believe he will succeed unconditionally. It’s Person123, isn’t it?”
“If the 8th Floor clear success is achieved, I’m buying drinks for my friends today. Haha.”
“The one has already shed his human shell and become a god. Even speaking of failure is a blasphemous act.”
A group of university students, a young couple holding their children’s hands, followers of the Person123 Church, and so on…
There were many people with hopeful faces firmly believing in the clear success.
Person123 had always been like that.
He was the one who always cleared the nightmare and posted clear guides as if they were nothing.
And since Person123 had shown various actions during the Branch Tower incident and in the 5th Floor Common Sector as well, everyone now knew that his abilities were on a different level from those of other climbers, so they couldn’t help but have strong faith.
Anyway, people waited eagerly, craning their necks to hear the news of the clear success.
Time passed.
Two hours had passed since Person123 entered, but there was still no news.
“…Is it not cleared yet?”
“They say the number on the Nightmare Communication Channel is the same, so it’s fine. It’ll happen soon.”
Tension and anxiety started to circulate bit by bit.
But people still believed and waited.
Because on previous floors there had been times when the clear took several hours.
But three hours passed, and four hours passed…
Still, the news of success did not arrive.
People’s expressions grew increasingly stiff.
The reporters who came to cover the story and the police directing traffic couldn’t focus on their work.
A clear one had never taken this long.
Although they said the number on the Nightmare Communication Channel was still the same, people could no longer hide their anxiety.
They started to feel that something had gone wrong.
“Please…”
More and more people prayed with their eyes squeezed shut and their hands clasped tightly.
Just like during the 4th Floor, when everyone was the most desperate.
Because it felt if they did that, Person123 would successfully clear it again, as if to show off.
But even as the long dawn passed and day broke…
The 8th Floor was ultimately not cleared.
* * *
I sprinted across the endless desert.
While continuously activating the warp device
[943,856/134,217,728km]
Then, I stopped my legs.
I blankly stared at the numbers on the compass.
“Huuu…”
Fuck.
Fuck.
A day had passed since I entered the 8th Floor.
Even knowing there was no answer, I moved like crazy.
There was still no answer.
134 million kilometers.
This is a distance that could make a round trip between earth and the moon well over 100 times.
In other words, it was an absurd, space-level distance to begin with.
If I had to do it, I could.
Continuously charging the warp device to its maximum distance to move every 10 minutes was no different from mental torture, but I could still do it if I gritted my teeth.
If I could just reach the oasis by doing that, I could do it as much as needed.
The food and drinking water issues were also fine.
I could replenish drinking water with ice magic, and I had food stored in my subspace.
Of course, it wouldn’t be enough, but if I ran out, I could just tear into a benevolent person or a sandworm and eat it.
Anyway, my body wouldn’t die as long as my head wasn’t destroyed.
It would be an exhausting journey, but I could definitely do it.
But… the problem was that even if I went that far, I would still be severely short on time.
Even if I died and woke up again.
I had no way to travel a distance of over 100 million km within the remaining Nightmare Time Limit of 20 days.
“…Fuck!”
I nervously fired a Line of Destruction at a sandworm that burst through the sand.
The sandworm, its torso severed, collapsed in two pieces.
Kuuung.
If only I had shortened the time a little more…
If I had shortened it by just 6 more minutes, I could have cleared it easily.
…Regretting it was a futile endeavor.
“…Demon Lord, is there really no way?”
Demon Lord did not answer.
I had already asked dozens of times, but I kept asking.
No matter how much I borrowed Demon Lord’s power to fly at maximum speed… there was no way it would be as efficient as warp.
There was a limit because of the strain it caused and the need to recover.
I let out a sigh and stared into the distance.
The oasis was still right there in its place.
Thud. I lay down on the sand.
Even though I had gone through so many hardships until now.
This answerless situation was enough to bring me despair and a sense of helplessness.
What should I do?
How on earth… am I supposed to…
I just blankly looked up at the blazing Taeyang.
* * *
[Nightmare]
Participants: 476,805
Time Limit: 19 days 5 minutes 16 seconds
Floor reached: 8th Floor
A full day had passed since Person123 entered the 8th Floor.
The 8th Floor was still not cleared.
The world was in chaos over this unprecedented situation.
- …They say the number on the Nightmare Communication Channel has still not changed. It seems Person123 is still in the process of the 8th Floor clear…
[Pepper: Please… Please pop up the clear notification, please…]
[Katana: Let’s have hope. Person123 is still clearing it.]
[Pipe: Can a clear take this long? We might have to prepare ourselves mentally…]
The world trembled in anxiety and fear.
The fact that it hadn’t been cleared for almost a day was clearly a situation far outside the normal bounds.
Kim Seohyeon’s house.
Kim Seohyeon’s family was also watching the news in the living room with stiff faces.
- The connection cannot be made, so you will be connected to voicemail after the beep…
His mother, Choi Su-jin, put down her phone and let out a sigh as if her insides were burning.
“Haa… What on earth is Seohyeon…”
It was an already chaotic time.
In the midst of this, Kim Seohyeon, who had gone on a trip alone, had been unreachable since yesterday evening.
They couldn’t help but be anxious, wondering if something terrible had happened.
“…He’ll be fine. He could have just lost his phone, right?”
His father, Kim Seong-ho, spoke, trying hard to reassure her.
But with Kim Seohyeon’s personality, if something like that had happened, he would have contacted them somehow so his family wouldn’t worry…
Kim Seo-ah, sitting on the sofa, had her face buried in her knees.
The 8th Floor wasn’t being cleared, and Kim Seohyeon was unreachable, leaving them wondering what he was doing; it was hard to endure the anxiety and stress.
“Instead of doing this, we should report it to the police…”
Vrr.
At that moment, all three of their phones rang simultaneously.
- Please look in the bottom drawer of the desk in my room. There’s a letter under the books. This is a scheduled text.
It was a text from Kim Seohyeon.
“What is he…?”
The three of them looked at each other in surprise.
Kim Seong-ho immediately called Kim Seohyeon, but he didn’t answer.
Left with no choice, they entered Kim Seohyeon’s room.
As the text said, they opened the bottom drawer and moved the books aside, revealing a single letter lying there.
Kim Seong-ho unfolded the letter with trembling hands, with an unknown sense of dread.
The family read the letter together.
- To my beloved mother, father, and younger sibling Seo-ah.
This letter is one I wrote before entering to clear the 8th nightmare difficulty floor.
You’re very surprised, right? It’s quite complicated figuring out what to say first.
I am Person123.
Being an Easy Difficulty Climber was a lie, and in fact, I was chosen for nightmare difficulty from the very beginning, from the very day the Tower appeared in the world.
I’m sorry for hiding it until now. I didn’t want to cause you worry.
To tell you what happened, even if it’s late…
When I first entered the Tower, it was with the feeling of grasping at straws.
At that time, no one could clear the 1st Floor and the world was on the verge of destruction, right? I thought I would die either way, so I might as well try challenging it before dying. So, I entered the 1st Floor. And I succeeded.
After that, I continued to climb the nightmare difficulty.
Since no one else could clear it, I had no choice but to do it. I never imagined I would be able to accomplish such things either, but I guess I had a talent I didn’t even know about. Haha.
If you are reading this right now, it probably means I failed the 8th Floor clear.
I’m sorry for leaving behind only this single letter.
Still, I want you to know this much.
I have no regrets.
At first, I entered because I had no other choice, but continuing to climb the Tower was what I wanted. It wasn’t because of a sense of responsibility or duty. It was purely my own will, wanting to protect my family and the world.
So please don’t be too sad, don’t be heartbroken, and I hope you will be proud that Kim Seohyeon, mother and father’s son, is a hero who saved the world several times.
Kim Seo-ah, you get it too, right? Your Oppa was a person this amazing. It’s a bit late, but how about having some respect for your Oppa now lol.
…Usually, people would wrap this up by saying “everyone stay healthy,” but unfortunately, that wouldn’t be a fitting thing to say right now.
I don’t know what will happen to the world after I fail, but it will probably be a very chaotic situation.
I will be praying here for a miracle to happen once again. Still, if the world does end, let’s all see each other again as a family then.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in the final moments.
I love you all.
- Sincerely, Kim Seohyeon
“…”
After Kim Seong-ho read the entire letter, his eyes shook with shock.
Choi Su-jin, with bloodshot eyes, covered her mouth, and Kim Seo-ah also blankly stared at the letter.
The three of them couldn’t pull themselves out of the shock for a long time, unable to utter a single word.