The Helper

Waking up to the news this morning put me in a bad mood.

- United States fails to clear Nightmare Difficulty, 2nd Floor? The Challenger is presumed to be the Second Clearer of Nightmare Difficulty, 1st Floor...

"...Haa."

He failed.

There didn't seem to be an official stance from the United States, but it wasn't fake news.

Just by entering the Climber Communication Channel, I could confirm that one person had disappeared.

I felt a sense of pity.

Honestly, I also felt disappointed.

*At the same time, I felt a slight sense of guilt.*

Because, in truth, I knew it deep down too.

That the person with the highest probability to clear the 2nd Floor was me.

The Time Stop Ability that exhibited a cheat-like synergy with my Skill. My ability was probably unrivaled compared to the other Nightmare Challengers.

And yet, I was still like this because I couldn't make up my mind...

"Why the hell is the world like this?"

I closed my eyes, pointlessly blaming the world.

No, but fuck, it really is the world's fault.

It's weird for a tower to suddenly rise in the middle of the Sea and threaten to kill everyone if they don't climb it every year. Right?

"..."

I have to do as threatened, what else can I do.

If I don't want to die, that is.

'Let's enter.'

Waiting around and reading the room until the rest of the Nightmare Challengers died off was also something I couldn't do.

Wow, since when was I such an altruistic guy? Hahaha.

Now that I made a decision, my mind actually felt calmer.

When should I enter?

Well, the sooner the better.

Dying now or dying after living for another month was all the same.

Because the closer the time limit got, the more chaotic the world would become.

Tomorrow? Yeah. Should I just enter tomorrow at dawn?

I went out for a walk to organize my thoughts.

While getting some fresh air outside and looking at the communication channel, a whisper caught my eye.

[Chicken Sandwich: ...The skill stone I currently possess is a Normal Grade Skill called 'Leap'. It is a skill that amplifies jumping power, so it might be helpful for climbing the 2nd Floor. If it is not a skill you already have, please reply.]

[Chicken Sandwich: If you do not want to meet face-to-face, you can just set a location. If you set a location anywhere Worldwide, I will just leave the skill stone there so you can go find it.]

[Chicken Sandwich: I have no interest whatsoever in who you are. All I wish for is the Survival of Humanity. You are the only hope. Please let me add even a little bit of help.]

"This person..."

He had sent me whispers before.

And I also knew who this person was.

The richest man on Earth and a businessman famous for being an Eccentric. Billon Must.

At first, I thought it was an impersonator, but it wasn't.

But this person had once said on a broadcast that he was indeed the Chicken Sandwich who sent the whispers, begging for a reply. I saw that on the news. It was a while ago.

Billon Must wasn't a Climber himself, but I think he said he had a Secretary as a Climber.

“He was quiet for a while, but here he goes again.”

He was someone who particularly stuck in my memory because he begged me to just please take the skill stone, asking for nothing else in return.

It was such an absurd proposal that it actually felt sincere.

Normally I would have just ignored it, but I quietly read the whisper.

"Leap, huh..."

A Skill that amplifies jumping power.

The theme of the 2nd Floor was a jump map.

It was definitely a Skill that seemed like it would be helpful.

Was this person really making this proposal just because he wanted me to clear the 2nd Floor?

Then again, it was funny to doubt his intentions.

With Humanity's Ruin just a month away once again, was there anyone who wasn't desperate?

Now that I had actually decided to enter the 2nd Floor, I was slightly moved.

“...What should I do?”

Should I reply? Or not?

I didn't think I'd be agonizing over this, but I'm wavering.

Exposing my identity to others was an irreversible act, but... with my life on the line, was it right to be so picky?

I might end up regretting it when I die, thinking, “Ah, I should have just taken it back then.”

He said he didn't even care about my identity.

He even said to just name a place if I wanted.

Of course, I didn't just blindly believe those words.

Even if he said he'd just leave the item at a location, how would I know if there were people watching or hidden cameras?

However, I could feel that all this person wanted was for me to clear the 2nd Floor so that humanity wouldn't perish.

I paced the streets, pondering for a long time.

* * *

Billon Must wanted to go to Mars.

Some people said he was just a money-crazed businessman deceiving people by pretending to be a revolutionary.

But his dream had never once deviated from its grand framework since his childhood.

Go to Mars. Advance into the wider Space. Humanity becomes a Multi-planetary Species.

But then, oh fuck.

One day, Earth went to absolute shit.

Humanity received a Limited Time Sentence. They had to climb the tower every year to prolong their lives.

He had no choice but to massively overhaul the plans he had mapped out for decades into the future. Humanity had to survive first for there to be a future of going to Space.

He also stepped up to build infrastructure for Climbers. He supported facilities, sponsored the Association, and expanded his business into the Magic Stone Industry, which was growing at a tremendous pace.

In truth, it wasn't as if the tower hadn't given Humanity any carrots.

The magic stones coming from the tower were truly a dream material. Billon Must saw the possibility of advancing his dream by decades through technology utilizing the energy of magic stones.

Of course, that was under the assumption that Humanity would still be around until that future.

Therefore, the top priority was always Tower Climbing. To be exact, climbing the Nightmare Difficulty.

"Damn it, we're completely fucked."

Billon Must felt the urge to just fire a rocket straight in the direction of the Climbing Management Bureau Headquarters.

The Nightmare 2nd Floor Clear they had staked their lives on had completely gone to ruin.

Jack Davis, the Second Clearer of the Nightmare 1st Floor, had failed. From what he heard, he died without lasting even a few minutes after entering.

The fact that he was able to obtain so many Skills was partly due to the Government's help, but Billon Must's help was also significant. He had blindly provided so much funding.

In truth, Billon hadn't wanted to pour such support into Jack.

Billon had only been interested in the First Nightmare Conqueror from the start. He had kept whispering to him through his Secretary, but since there was absolutely no response, he had no choice but to give up and choose an alternative.

Now that Plan B had collapsed, there was only one place left to cling to.

Why the hell won't he reply!

I'll give him everything I have! Just please take the skill stone!

...Though all he really had was a single Leap skill stone he kept in his personal collection.

Skill stones were always dried up in the market. Even those had been swept up by the Climbing Bureau and spoon-fed to Jack, so he wouldn't be able to get any more for a while. It wasn't something money could solve.

There was still one more Nightmare Challenger left in the United States. Taylor.

Normally, this skill stone should have gone to her, but no. He couldn't place any expectations on her anymore.

In the end, there had only been one right answer from the beginning.

The First Nightmare Clearer who cleared the Nightmare 1st Floor without any information—only he was special. He was the only one with the potential to clear the 2nd Floor.

Billon genuinely didn't care if he was a man or a woman, a child or an Old Man, a criminal or a terrorist, or whatever else.

It would be a relief if he already had the Leap Skill, but if not, Billon wanted him to please take this at least and challenge the 2nd Floor with even a slightly higher chance.

So please, just a reply...

"...Chairman! A reply has arrived!"

Billon jumped to his feet.

"It, it arrived? Really?!"

"Yes! He says he will accept the proposal! He asked if we could come directly to where he lives..."

Finally.

After ignoring him so much, it seemed the First Nightmare Conqueror had changed his mind.

It was only natural. When making every possible preparation wasn't enough, entering without taking a Skill he could receive?

He couldn't do that. You are Humanity's hope, after all.

"Where is it! Tell him I'll depart right now even if it's the North Pole!"

"Yes, well, he says it's Korea."

Billon blinked. Korea?

"...South, obviously?"

"That is correct."

"Understood. I need to depart right now."

He was a little surprised. The First Nightmare Conqueror was a Korean?

What country he was from didn't matter at all, so Billon planned his trip to Korea as quickly as possible.

The First Nightmare Conqueror's condition was simple. This meeting was a Secret, and it must absolutely not be disclosed to anyone. Of course, Billon had no intention of doing so.

However, visiting a foreign country without any business would draw attention, and it was impossible for someone of Billon's stature to go abroad in complete secrecy.

So he left the country putting forward a public pretext. He happened to have a matter to meet with the chairman of a Korean company soon, so he decided to move it up a bit.

After completely clearing his schedule for the day of arrival, Billon acted covertly.

Surprisingly, the First Nightmare Conqueror had relayed that he would receive the skill stone face-to-face.

Billon excluded all his security personnel and headed to the meeting place accompanied only by his Climber Secretary, Ellen, who was like his right hand. Of course, he had asked for the other party's understanding and received permission.

"Is this the right place?"

"...The navigation system isn't working properly. I apologize."

Secretary Ellen struggled to find the way.

They drove the car into a shabby Alley and parked it on the Roadside.

[Person123: It's the Black Car in front of the Utility Pole, right?]

A moment later, a man approached and knocked on the Window of the backseat.

Billon opened the car door for him. The man, wearing a hat and a mask, got into the backseat.

His face wasn't clearly visible, but Must got the impression that he was a fairly young man.

"...Nice to meet you."

Billon offered a handshake.

Ellen in the driver's seat stared at the rearview mirror nervously.

Billon was someone somewhat involved in the Climbing Management Bureau's Nightmare Clear Project, and his close aide Ellen also knew some related information. Including what level the Nightmare 1st Floor Clearer was.

Level 10. To put it intuitively, a superhuman who could beat a bear to death barehanded.

Ellen was also a Climber, but since he had only climbed one floor on Easy Difficulty, he was nothing more than a strong member of the General Public.

If that man harbored impure intentions, he wouldn't be able to protect Billon.

Of course, Billon had come taking all those risks.

If it was just to hand over the item, he could have actually just sent Ellen, but he had wanted to meet the First Nightmare Clearer in person at least once.

"Nice to meet you. You've worked hard coming all this way."

The man accepted the handshake and spoke in English.

"...Your English is fluent?"

"I can just speak a little."

Even if they couldn't communicate verbally, it wouldn't have mattered since they had the communication channel.

The reason Billon was surprised wasn't because of the English, but because his voice sounded much younger than expected.

"Thank you for meeting me like this. I will just hand over the item right away."

Billon got straight to the point. He took the skill stone out of the bag placed next to him.

The man took the skill stone and examined it.

"Thank you. May I learn it right here?"

"By all means."

The man immediately used the skill stone.

A cluster of light spread out as the skill stone scattered and disappeared.

The man, who stared into Mid-air for a moment as if looking at a status window, nodded.

"I've definitely learned it. Thank you."

Thank you was what Billon wanted to say.

After all, he was a Savior who already had a track record of saving Humanity once.

The First Nightmare Conqueror was likely a person with a disposition that extremely avoided exposing his identity.

So, thinking that saying useless things or asking questions would only buy his animosity, he had originally planned to just hand over the skill stone, but Billon couldn't resist the urge and asked.

"By any chance, when are you planning to challenge the 2nd Floor?"

The man answered as if it was no big deal.

"I plan to enter right away tomorrow."

"..."

"Ah, since I got a new Skill, I should practice a bit before entering. Not tomorrow, but it will still be soon."

Billon gulped.

He conveyed the one thing he really wanted to say.

"You are Humanity's hope. Please clear the 2nd Floor."

The man hesitated before answering.

"...I will try my best. Because I don't want to die either."

The man gave a final bow and got out of the car.

Once the man's figure completely disappeared from the Alley, Billon started the car.

Looking out the window, he quietly chewed over the bizarre meeting from just moments ago.

Ellen spoke up first.

"...He looked even younger than I expected."

Billon nodded.

His physique wasn't that large, his speech and behavior were very normal, and anyway, he was a person who didn't align with anything he had imagined before seeing him in person.

Did such a young man really clear the Nightmare 1st Floor? He was so ordinary that it actually made him look extraordinary.

Billon muttered.

"He said he would challenge it soon..."

There were still about 20 days left on the time limit.

What was the reason for rushing this time, unlike the last?

Perhaps because of the United States' failure? He might be trying to challenge it first before more Nightmare Challengers died off.

If even he failed, what would happen to the world?

He would know the result soon.

For the first time in a long while, Billon felt the urge to seek out God.

Please, save Humanity once again. Our Savior.