Chapter 119
The time announced by the Tower was almost up.
I came back outside from hunting in Sector 5.
With my arms crossed, I sat on a chair and stared into the void.
Qualification Proof.
According to the prior announcement, it seemed like it would only target the Highest floor climbers.
For some reason, I had a flames premonition.
During the masked auction, something unimaginable had happened.
Back then, could anyone have even predicted that an auction would be held using people’s lives?
What would happen this time…
[Remaining Time: 1 second]
[“Qualification Proof” is starting.]
A message popped up.
[The Highest floor climbers of each difficulty have been selected.]
[A total of nine “Quarantine Sectors” with a radius of 50 kilometers have been established.]
.
.
.
[You have been selected as the Highest floor Climber for nightmare difficulty.]
[Currently, the easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Warrior” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
[Remaining selection time: 58 minutes 51 seconds]
I read through the messages popping up one after another.
The more I read, the more my expression slowly stiffened.
What is this…
Having read all the explanations, I turned on the communication window.
I was observing the chaotic conversations of the people.
[Taegeuk: Fuck, I think Seoul got caught in it too? We’re fucked!]
I pulled back the window curtain and checked outside.
A bluish barrier-like thing could be seen in the sky.
And a giant number ‘1’ floating like a hologram.
“Hah.”
I let out a short sigh.
The Tower was pulling another unbelievable piece of bullshit.
* * *
The nine Quarantine Sectors that appeared in various parts of the world.
As explained, the Quarantine Sectors completely blocked entry and exit between the outside and inside.
In short, the citizens inside were helplessly trapped.
[Natrium: I’m Canadian, and I think I’m included in a Quarantine Sector… What do I do?]
[Anaconda: We’re helplessly trapped. We can’t go outside]
[Diamond: Shit, the barrier dropped right next to my house; I survived by a hair’s breadth]
[Pond: So… the Highest floor climbers have to take on penalties and defeat the bosses for the people inside the Quarantine Sectors to live? Otherwise, everyone dies? Did I understand that right?]
[Jonathan: You understood it right. Everyone trapped is fucked]
It was just yesterday that the world was in chaos as the 8th Floor clearing dragged on.
The world was turned upside down once again.
If the Highest floor climbers did not choose a penalty, all the people trapped in the Quarantine Sectors would die.
That was a fact people quickly understood.
In the case of the Republic of Korea, a Quarantine Sector appeared that included Seoul, Incheon, and some cities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, stretching all the way to Kaesong in North Korea.
It was the same for other countries, where Quarantine Sectors that included their capitals or major cities had appeared.
Also, giant numbers from 1 to Quarantine Sector 9 floated above the barriers of each Quarantine Sector.
The Republic of Korea was Quarantine Sector 1, with the number 1 floating above it.
The countries caught in the Quarantine Sectors went into a state of emergency.
News media outlets delivered urgent breaking news. Countless live broadcasts aired.
- This is a street in Incheon Songdo Central Park. As you can see, we are blocked by a barrier, making any further entry or exit impossible…
Inside the Quarantine Sector.
People with faces pale with fear gathered right in front of the barrier were shown on the broadcast screens.
“Let us out! I said let us out…!”
There were also people who fell into a panic, pounding on the barrier and screaming.
But there was nothing the nation could do right now…
[Remaining selection time: 20 minutes 3 seconds (Quarantine Sector 9)]
The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber was in the middle of selecting a Quarantine Sector, as the first to choose,.
[Easy]
Participants: 718; Quarantine Sector: 956
3 Quarantine Sector Deadline: 9 years 6 days 6 hours 15 minutes 1 second
Reached floor: 46th Floor
[Normal]
Participants: 655,174
Deadline: 25 years 6 days 6 hours 15 minutes 1 second
Floor reached: 32nd Floor
[Hard]
Participants: 681,54 Quarantine Sector 9
Deadline: 11 years 6 days 6 hours 15 minutes 1 second
Reached floor: 18th Floor
[Nightmare]
Participants: 673,620
Deadline: 1 year 6 days 6 hours 15 minutes 1 second
Reached floor: Quarantine Sector 9th Floor
China’s Zhang Tao, with the communication window nickname Warrior, the record holder for the easy difficulty 46th Floor.
Because there was not enough time to think it over, the given selection time was merely one hour.
[Uru: Still, won’t he choose at least one?]
[Cauliflower: Who knows. The penalties for this are pretty severe.]
[Wei: Zhang Tao! Please choose China’s Quarantine Sector! You have to save the people of your own homeland!]
The situation was turning incredibly urgent.
With 1 minute left on the timer, a message popped up.
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Warrior” has selected Quarantine Sector 5.]
Number 5 was the Quarantine Sector that appeared in China.
Zhang Tao had chosen the single Quarantine Sector of his own country.
[When 1 is selected]
- physical abilities and Willpower decreased by 30%
With that, Zhang Tao was transported to the Room of Proof bearing a 1-zone penalty.
[Huanglong: He chose China!]
[Chicken5Pieces: He only chose one? He’s just going to save his own country]
[Black Pine: Only one? Look at the penalty, you crazy bastard. Even picking just one is lethal]
[Windmill: Is this possible? I’m anxious…]
The citizens trapped in China’s Quarantine Sector desperately anticipating news of someone’s success.
And…
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Warrior” has died.]
Not even a few minutes had passed.
The news of Zhang Tao’s death echoed as an announcement.
[Drawing a new Highest floor Climber for easy difficulty.]
[Currently, the easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Sigye” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
If they died without defeating the boss, a new Climber would be drawn until someone succeeded.
According to the rules, the next one chosen was Henry, an easy difficulty 45th Floor Climber from Australia.
There were a few easy difficulty 45th Floor Climbers worldwide, and he was the one chosen among them.
Upon Zhang Tao’s vain failure, people, especially the citizens trapped in China’s Quarantine Sector, despaired.
[Radiation: What? Zhang Tao died?]
[Ox: See. I told you the penalties made no sense…]
Physical abilities and Willpower decreased by 30%.
That was no different from meaning one’s level was effectively lowered by 30%.
Facing a boss Monster of the same level while your own level is lowered by 30%?
Let alone several penalties, even a 1-zone penalty was an absurd task.
The next Climber, Henry, also couldn’t make a choice until the hour was almost up.
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Sigye” did not select a Quarantine Sector.]
In the end, he didn’t choose any Quarantine Sector.
Furthermore, unlike Zhang Tao’s country, his own country wasn’t even caught in one.
However…
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Sigye” has died.]
Henry, who hadn’t received any penalties, also failed not long after.
[Drawing a new Highest floor Climber for easy difficulty.]
[Currently, the easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Ascension” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
The third was Logan, an easy difficulty 45th Floor Climber from the United States.
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Ascension” did not select a Quarantine Sector.]
Logan also did not select a Quarantine Sector.
And.
[The easy difficulty Highest floor Climber “Ascension” has defeated the boss Monster.]
Only with the third person did a success message finally pop up.
As soon as Logan succeeded and came out of the Room of Proof, he immediately disclosed information.
[Ascension: The location was a Cavern similar to the 1st Floor of the Tower, and a giant golem appeared as the boss Monster. The structure was basically the same as a floor clear. After defeating the boss, you were moved to the Reward Room and your injuries were healed.]
Logan even wrote in detail about how he defeated the boss.
It was unknown whether his information would be helpful.
The boss’s level was bound to be different for each difficulty, and it didn’t seem likely that the same boss would appear.
[Currently, the Normal difficulty Highest floor Climber “Freedom” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
[Number of deactivated Quarantine Sectors: 0]
This was when the turn passed to the next difficulty.
The Normal difficulty record holder was Gabriel from the United States.
He was also a public figure holding a director’s position in the International Climbers Association.
[Flamethrower: …Won’t Gabriel choose at least 1?]
[Buffalo Wing: Well. The United States didn’t even get caught in a Quarantine Sector]
[Honeybee: If you’re going to choose, please choose Canada…! The United States and we are practically brother nations!]
The people trapped in the Quarantine Sectors were truly desperate.
They had been given a notice of death like a bolt out of the blue.
If all four difficulties ended the qualification Proof without any selections being made.
All the citizens in the Quarantine Sectors would die.
Even at a rough estimate, it was at least tens of millions.
Since communication with the outside was open, they listened to the breaking news delivered in real-time, praying that the Highest floor climbers would take on the penalties and challenge it.
They thought the Normal difficulty might choose at least 1, but…
[The Normal difficulty Highest floor Climber “Freedom” did not select a Quarantine Sector.]
[The Normal difficulty Highest floor Climber “Freedom” has defeated the boss Monster.]
[Number of deactivated Quarantine Sectors: 0]
Gabriel also defeated the boss and came out without selecting anything.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t choose.”
As soon as he came out, he was surrounded by reporters and held an impromptu press conference.
“It is truly a regrettable matter, but I do not have the capability to save them. Anyone else would be in the same situation. It was just three hours ago that China’s Zhang Tao died. Australia’s Henry failed even without selecting a penalty.”
I almost died as well. A beast-type boss completely different from easy difficulty appeared. It was incredibly strong. If I had taken a 1-zone penalty, I definitely would have died.
A 30% decrease in physical abilities and Willpower is practically identical to a 30% decrease in your level. Taking on such an absurd penalty and facing a boss Monster of the same level… Do you really think that is possible?”
He wasn’t wrong.
In the end, it meant he had no intention of sacrificing himself to save people.
There wasn’t even time to curse him.
Now the turn passed to Hard Difficulty.
[Currently, the Hard Difficulty Highest floor Climber “Power” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
Dmitry, a Hard-Difficulty 18th-Floor Climber from Russia.
Having succeeded in clearing the 17th Floor a few months ago, he was the joint record holder for Hard Difficulty alongside Alex from the United States.
And currently, he was regretting that.
“…If I had known this would happen, I should have challenged it a bit later.”
Dmitry did not want to die.
He would be facing a same-level boss with stats weakened by 30%.
If there were information about the boss mob and time to set up a strategy against it, it might not be an impossible task.
But right now, there wasn’t even any such information.
Still, maybe if people kept challenging it until someone succeeded, a lucky successful candidate might emerge someday.
But that was a story only possible if it was premised on the sacrifice of the first Climber, him.
And Dmitry, as expected, did not want to die.
Rather, because he was a Highest floor Climber, he could clearly estimate the odds. Bearing the penalty meant a pointless death.
Public criticism would be huge after the situation ended, and his own conscience wouldn’t be comfortable either, but what could he do? His life was more important.
The one fortunate thing was that the Quarantine Sector that appeared in Russia wasn’t a major urban area.
Dmitry decided to value his own life.
The will of the Russian Government he had just received was also clear.
They would rather give up a small city than have Dmitry, Russia’s best climber, make a gamble he was bound to lose.
[The Hard Difficulty Highest floor Climber “Power” did not select a Quarantine Sector.]
[The Hard Difficulty Highest floor Climber “Power” has defeated the boss Monster.]
[Number of deactivated Quarantine Sectors: 0]
In the end.
Even Hard Difficulty did not select any Quarantine Sector.
The citizens inside the Quarantine Sectors, watching the unfolding situation in real-time, despaired.
“H-how could this be…”
“You sons of bitches! Are you even human!”
“Are we really all going to die like this…?”
Just as Person123 had chosen the penalty during the 4th Floor.
People had hoped in a corner of their hearts that at least one person would show such a heroic side.
It had been a futile expectation.
Except for Zhang Tao choosing his own country’s Quarantine Sector at the beginning, no one else had selected even a single Quarantine Sector.
[Pig: And those bastards call themselves the Highest floor climbers… lol]
[Shooting Star: How could not a single one of them even think about trying?]
[Mask: But the penalties are a bit too intense… Is it even possible to save 1 zone with this?]
[Bard: Now only Nightmare is left]
During the extremely tight timeframe, the nations also tried what they could.
They tried hitting the barriers of the Quarantine Sectors with military weapons and even tried digging tunnels, but of course, none of it worked. The barriers completely enveloped the underground as well.
“All the citizens inside the Quarantine Sectors will become Fallen…!”
Once the qualification Proof procedure completely ended, the Tower’s Curse would fall upon the citizens inside the Quarantine Sectors.
Dying from the Tower’s Curse meant becoming a Fallen.
All those citizens turning into monsters?
It was a disaster too overwhelming to even imagine.
[The remaining Quarantine Sectors will be maintained forever.]
The one fortunate thing was that the Quarantine Sectors would be maintained forever.
Although the countries where the Quarantine Sectors appeared would suffer a terrible blow severe enough to shake the nation.
Still, the Quarantine Sectors remaining as they were was the lesser of two evils.
Because the Fallen wouldn’t be able to escape outside the zones either.
However, there was always a “just in case”.
World leaders hastily held an emergency video conference.
Preparing in case the barriers disappeared after the qualification Proof procedure ended, they urgently discussed even the option of nuclear bombardment.
Meanwhile
[Currently, the nightmare difficulty Highest floor Climber “Person123” is selecting a Quarantine Sector.]
The turn had reached the final nightmare difficulty.
[Swan: Will Person123 choose a penalty…?]
[Poseidon: Won’t he at least choose the Republic of Korea?]
[Davis: But is it right to hope he chooses it?]
[Icicle: He shouldn’t overdo it… No matter if it’s Person123, this is…]
Given Person123's disposition.
People thought that, at the very least, he wouldn’t choose zero Quarantine Sectors.
But that meant Person123 would have to fight the boss while bearing a lethal penalty…
His death meant the destruction of the world.
Of course, even so, the citizens trapped in the Quarantine Sectors prayed that Person123 would please choose a penalty.
Destruction or whatever - they were in immediate danger of dying at that moment.
“S-still, Person123 will choose the Republic of Korea, right?”
“We’ll be able to live… Please…”
The citizens inside the Republic of Korea’s Quarantine Sector 1 harbored their last hope.
Conversely, the citizens inside the Quarantine Sectors of other countries found it hard to harbor hope.
No matter if it was Person123, he wasn’t an omnipotent god.
Even if his abilities were on a different level from other Climbers, the penalties were far too absurd.
There was bound to be a limit to his choices.
In the end, countless people would die.
- Currently, only the final choice of Person123 remains. What decision will he, the savior of humanity, make?
News broadcasts worldwide were showing the people inside the Quarantine Sectors.
People despairing, people pounding on the barriers and begging to be saved, people clasping their hands tightly in prayer, people closing their eyes as if preparing their hearts…
Everyone waited for Person123's choice.
And…
A message popped up.
[The nightmare difficulty Highest floor Climber “Person123” has selected Quarantine Sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.]