Chapter 16: Nightmare Floor 2 (4)

The scenery shifted, and I found myself transported to the Reward Room.

[All difficulties have completed the 2F clear.]

[The Tower calls new Climbers.]

[A new rule has been added.]

[From now on, any Climber who does not enter the Tower within three years of being called will die.]

What?

I stared at the new rule in stunned disbelief.

Anyone who failed to enter the Tower within three years of being called would die.

In other words, the Tower was declaring that, from now on, it would kill every Climber who refused even to attempt the first floor.

“...What kind of bullshit is this?”

Apparently, progressing farther up the Tower didn’t simply result in more Climbers accumulating behind us.

The Tower could add new rules as the climb advanced.

[Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Floor: 3F]

[Level: 25]

[Willpower: 450]

[Skills: Teleportation (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare) (+1), Leap (Normal)]

I opened my Status Window.

My Level had risen by ten, bringing me to Level 25.

My Willpower had also increased significantly.

The moment I moved, I could tell that my physical abilities had undergone yet another tremendous leap.

Slam!

I sprang forward from a standing position. The stone floor cracked beneath my feet as my body shot explosively through the air.

I came to a stop and looked down.

The soles of my shoes had been torn apart. They hadn’t been able to withstand the force of the impact.

Hmm... How should I put this?

It was hardly anything new by now, but with every passing day, I could feel my body becoming less and less human.

If I continued growing stronger with every floor I cleared, just how powerful would I become in the end?

The idle thought crossed my mind as I turned to examine the rest of my rewards.

Aside from the Magic Stones, two glowing stones lay nearby.

A Skill Stone and an Enhancement Stone. By now, I could distinguish them by shape alone.

I wondered what skill I had received this time.

With any luck, it would be another Magic Type skill.

[Skill Stone: Exaltation (Rare)]

Upon use, you can acquire ‘Skill: Exaltation (Rare)’.

[Skill: Exaltation (Rare)]

Physical abilities progressively increase the longer you remain in motion. The effect gradually fades once movement ceases.

Classification: Physical Type (Passive)

Willpower Cost: None

Cooldown: None

A passive skill.

From what I knew, passive skills were generally valued even more highly than active ones.

It made sense. They were always active and consumed no Willpower.

“Tch.”

Even so, I would have preferred a Magic Type skill.

I read through the description with a trace of disappointment.

Still, all things considered, it seemed like a decent skill.

The more I moved, the stronger my physical abilities became.

[‘Skill: Exaltation (Rare)’ has been acquired.]

I used the Skill Stone at once.

To test the skill, I began moving around.

Since the effect faded whenever I stopped, I ran continuous laps around the Reward Room.

“Oh.”

I could feel it taking effect.

A mounting exhilaration coursed through me, as though the blood in my veins had begun pumping faster.

At the same time, my body grew progressively quicker, and my senses sharpened.

Eventually, however, the increase in speed came to a halt.

Was this the skill’s upper limit?

The description gave no exact figures, but judging by feel, the boost fell short of one and a half times my normal ability. It was probably somewhere around twenty to thirty percent.

At my current Level, that was essentially the equivalent of gaining another five to seven Levels’ worth of physical ability for free.

All things considered, it was a remarkably solid skill.

Next came the Skill Enhancement Stone.

[Rare Skill Enhancement Stone]

Upon use, you can enhance one Rare-grade skill.

Last time, Flame Strike had been my only possible choice, but now I had just acquired a brand-new skill.

Should I use it on Flame Strike, or on Exaltation?

If I enhanced Flame Strike, the number of fireballs would probably increase to three.

As for Exaltation... I had no idea. Perhaps it would raise the maximum physical enhancement? There was no way to know without trying.

I was leaning toward Flame Strike.

In the end, Magic Type skills offered me the greatest efficiency. Focus and specialization, as they said.

After considering it for a while, I decided to hold on to the stone for now.

There was no need to rush.

[Would you like to exit the Tower?]

Had it been about an hour?

It was probably still the middle of the night outside.

I had worked hard enough.

It was time to leave and get some rest.

***

The Jude Noise was a popular podcast that invited guests from a variety of fields to discuss a broad range of subjects.

The guest for this episode was Arlo, an American political commentator and influencer.

He was known for analyzing social phenomena in his characteristically blunt and cynical manner, a style that had earned him legions of devoted fans and equally passionate detractors.

The subject of the episode was Nightmare difficulty 2F and the future of humanity.

“There will be no miracle this time. Humanity is already finished.”

True to his reputation, Arlo began by declaring the end of the world.

Jude, the podcast’s host, challenged him.

“A lot of people feel the same way right now. But is there truly no hope? One person may have failed, but there are still five Nightmare Climbers left.”

“Five people. Jude, do you happen to know the survival rate for Nightmare difficulty 1F?”

“Let me see... Roughly forty thousand people have attempted it so far, and only six succeeded. That would put the probability at around 0.015 percent.”

“Correct. And even that number only reflects the attempts made after information about 1F became publicly available. Before the first Nightmare Climber emerged, approximately twenty-five thousand people were sacrificed. If we calculate the survival rate from before any information was available, it was a mere 0.004 percent.”

Arlo raised two fingers and waved them slowly.

“People need to understand just how absurd those odds truly are. Do you know the probability of being struck by lightning at some point in your lifetime? Roughly 0.007 percent.

“What that means is this: hoping that even one of the five remaining Nightmare Climbers will clear 2F is at least twice as unlikely as selecting five random people from the street and discovering that one of them has been struck by lightning. How does that sound?”

“That’s staggering.”

Jude shook his head.

“But the Nightmare Climbers are the elite of the elite—the people who conquered that horrific 1F. Shouldn’t we assume their odds are at least somewhat better?”

“Unfortunately, no. If we examine the other difficulties, there has not been a single statistical instance in which the survival rate of 2F exceeded that of 1F. Climbers grow stronger as they ascend, but the difficulty rises even faster. That is the law of the Tower. Nightmare difficulty will be no exception.”

Arlo continued.

“The United States, the first nation to attempt 2F, has failed. The government that proudly declared it was staking the nation’s fate on clearing 2F has yet to issue a single official statement. But with a moment’s thought, we can all guess what happened, can’t we?

“They must have invested everything they had. Skill Stones, items—whatever they could obtain, they poured it all into their challenger. And what was the result?

“That is why I say there will be no miracle. Only a few weeks remain before the Nightmare Time Limit expires. Ladies and gentlemen, please let go of your empty hopes. Accept the end, and spend whatever time remains with an open heart. That is what I came here to say.”

“I see. So you’re what people these days would call a Doomist?”

Those who had already accepted the destruction of the world as inevitable were now being called Doomists rather than doomsayers, and the phenomenon had spread beyond anyone’s ability to control it.

Some committed crimes under the logic that, if the world was ending anyway, they might as well live however they pleased.

Others preached faith in the god of the Tower and urged people to seek salvation.

Extremist organizations and cults sprang up like weeds, turning the situation into a severe social crisis.

“I won’t deny it. But I’m not telling people to go on criminal rampages and plunge society into chaos like savages. I simply hope that everyone can spend their remaining time as peacefully as possible. That is exactly what I’m doing myself.”

“How so?”

“I’ve liquidated all my assets. I’m spending freely and enjoying the rest of my days with my family. Once this show ends, I’ll be traveling through several countries in Asia. I always told myself I would go someday, but I was constantly too busy and never found the time.

“Jude, why don’t you quit the show and finally do whatever you’ve been putting off?”

“Ha ha, perhaps I should. But I would love to be live on the air at the exact moment the world ends, so quitting now would feel like such a waste.”

In the middle of the broadcast, the staff surrounding them suddenly began to murmur.

One of them hurried over and delivered the news to both men.

“...They’re saying Nightmare 2F has just been cleared!”

Both men’s eyes widened.

Jude turned toward Arlo.

Arlo sat frozen for a moment, utterly dumbstruck. Then he cleared his throat and spoke.

“...Remarkable. I suppose there is no law that says miracles cannot happen.”

As news of the Nightmare 2F clear spread, the world erupted once more.

[HawkinTer: Did everyone get the message? 2F cleared!]

[OceanOutlaw: Wowwowwow!!]

[PizzaBread: Holy shit, we somehow bought ourselves another year lmaooo let’s gooo~]

[Twishon: With only six challengers, I seriously thought we were finished this time.]

[Coin: Who cleared it?]

[PhoenixEgg: No idea. Nobody’s posted anything yet.]

[Hades: But what’s with this new rule? People die now if they don’t climb the Tower?]

Everyone was desperate to learn who had cleared 2F.

Meanwhile, one man already knew the answer.

Seated behind the desk in his office, Bilon Must thrust a fist triumphantly into the air.

“Ha ha! I knew my instincts were right! I believed in him!”

As Bilon celebrated, his secretary, Ellen, continued her report from beside him.

“He replied immediately, sir.”

“Yes! What did he say?”

“He confirmed that it was him. He said the Leap skill you arranged was a tremendous help, and he sent his thanks.”

The moment Bilon saw the announcement that Nightmare 2F had been cleared, he had immediately sent Person123 a Whisper expressing his gratitude—partly to confirm whether he had truly been the one responsible.

[Person123: The Leap skill was a great help in clearing the floor. Thank you.]

The reply had arrived almost at once.

The instant Ellen relayed those words, Bilon was overcome by an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

The first-ever Nightmare Climber had acknowledged his contribution.

Bilon had risen so high in life that it had been years since he had felt such a powerful desire to be recognized by another person.

And this man was worthy of that desire.

He was a messiah carrying the fate of all humanity upon his shoulders.

First 1F, and now 2F.

Once might have been dismissed as luck, but twice could no longer be called coincidence.

Bilon was now certain that his judgment had been correct from the beginning.

That man is special.

He is the only one.

The sole person in whom humanity can place its hope.

Bilon quickly restrained his excitement and gathered his thoughts.

“Good. We’ve established a connection. Now I only need to get the goods to him...”

With the result confirmed, the path ahead was clear.

Go all in.

Invest everything in him.

Bilon needed to secure as many Skill Stones, Skill Enhancement Stones, and items as possible.

Whatever the cost.

Ellen spoke.

“Leaving that aside, this new rule... Things seem to be taking an ominous turn.”

Any Climber who failed to enter the Tower within three years would die.

“The Tower wants to cull the dead weight. Is that it? You aren’t affected, are you?”

“No, sir. I’ve already cleared 1F.”

“The Climbing Bureau must be tearing its hair out right about now.”

The newly called Climbers, along with all those who had been sitting idle until now, would soon come flooding in.

The repercussions would be enormous.

Of course, that was the Climbing Bureau’s problem.

It was none of Bilon’s concern.

Bilon sank deep into thought, considering how he could continue supporting Person123—and how he might forge an even closer bond with the man as his benefactor.