Chapter 23: Decision (2)

“Oh, right. Take this.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out what I had brought with me.

A Supreme Magic Stone, glowing with golden light.

Bilon accepted it, surprise flashing across his face.

“Oh. Is this a Supreme Magic Stone?”

“Yeah. You recognize it?”

“I have a general idea of what kind of rewards can be obtained from Nightmare difficulty.”

Easy yielded Lowest-grade or Low-grade Magic Stones. Normal produced Mid-grade stones, while Hard yielded High-grade ones.

Supreme Magic Stones, however, could only be obtained from Nightmare difficulty.

Part of the reason I had brought it was that I felt uncomfortable constantly accepting things without giving anything in return.

To be honest, I had originally intended to use it as leverage in a deal.

I had planned to ask whether Bilon could continue supplying me with Skill Stones in the future. Had he not raised the matter first, I would have done so myself.

In any case, everything had worked out perfectly.

Magic Stones were useless to me, and since I had already brought this one, I decided I might as well give it to him.

“You’re helping me, so it’s only fair that I give you something in return.”

Bilon shook his head.

“That truly isn’t necessary. I have no intention of turning this into a transactional relationship.”

“Even so, it doesn’t sit right with me to keep taking things from you. Magic Stones are useless to me anyway. I can’t even sell them.”

“Ah. Is that because you’re an Unregistered Climber?”

I nodded.

Bilon stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I believe I can help you with that.”

“Sorry? How?”

“There are several options. I could sell your Supreme Magic Stones through a proxy, or I could simply purchase them from you myself.”

Oh.

So that was possible.

“The only issue would be determining a fair price. These stones are not commonly traded on the open market... Ellen, do you have an estimate?”

Bilon addressed the man sitting in the driver’s seat.

The man named Ellen replied.

“The supply is so limited that assigning a fixed value is almost meaningless, but for a stone of that size, I would estimate no less than thirty billion won.”

...Thirty billion won?

The Supreme Magic Stone I had brought was no larger than a fist.

I knew it was rare, but was it really worth that much?

“It’s that valuable?”

“As I said, the figure is largely arbitrary. There are only five Nightmare clearers in the world, so the disparity between supply and demand is extreme. At any given moment, the price is effectively whatever the seller decides to ask. Besides, in the United States, Supreme Magic Stones are classified as strategic resources, and their sale is illegal to begin with...”

Something about that didn’t quite add up.

“Then how would you sell it?”

“There are channels other than legal ones.”

“Ah.”

Well, someone as powerful as Bilon would naturally have ways.

Still, it hardly seemed worth going that far.

“That sounds excessive. You really don’t need to do all that.”

Come to think of it, even if Bilon paid me, how would I receive the money?

Was I supposed to open a Swiss bank account or something?

“Then perhaps we can take a different approach,” Bilon said. “I can provide you with lower-grade Magic Stones instead.”

What was he talking about now?

He continued.

“You are still an Unregistered Climber and have never officially reported your status. You could register as a Climber of another difficulty rather than Nightmare. The government has no way of verifying your actual difficulty. I would separately supply you with Magic Stones appropriate for the difficulty you register under, and you could sell those through legitimate channels.”

...Wait.

That was actually tempting.

And not merely because of the Magic Stones.

It would solve nearly every problem I had been struggling with lately.

Suppose I registered as an Easy difficulty Climber, just as Bilon suggested, and then continued receiving Low-grade Magic Stones from him to sell legally.

I could maintain the perfect appearance of an Easy difficulty Climber.

Magic Stones didn’t come with nametags, after all. If I claimed they were rewards from my own Repeat Clearings, no one would have any reason to question it.

For someone like Bilon, obtaining a few lower-grade stones would be trivial.

The plan was entirely feasible.

Until now, I had continued attending university without any real conviction.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had still been clinging to the idea that I might eventually return to an ordinary life.

But now that I had firmly decided to devote myself to climbing the Tower, continuing my studies was no longer realistic.

Once I finished the second year of pre-med and entered the main medical program, my life would become nothing but studying.

Climb the Tower and keep up with medical school at the same time?

As if I would have time for that.

Perhaps it might be technically possible if I pushed Time Stop to its absolute limit.

But there was no point, and I had no desire to put myself through that kind of strain.

On the other hand, simply dropping out of medical school without explanation would be difficult to justify to my family.

But if I told them I had become a Climber, I could make a convincing argument.

The Tower had issued new rules, and refusing to climb was no longer an option.

Drop out of university.

Earn money by selling Magic Stones.

Tell my family I was a Climber, so I would no longer need to sneak in and out of the Tower.

Then focus entirely on clearing Nightmare.

This plan solved almost every problem at once.

It was perfect.

“That’s a great idea.”

“Excellent. If you agree, then let us proceed that way.”

I listened as Bilon explained the details of the plan and gave my consent.

Then I practically forced the Supreme Magic Stone into his hands despite his repeated attempts to refuse it.

I told him I simply didn’t want to be the only one receiving things.

“Then I will accept it with gratitude,” he said at last. “It will be put to good use in our research.”

Another thought occurred to me.

“Oh, and regarding the Skill Stones, I don’t mind if you bring me Magic Type skills. In fact, I prefer Magic Type over Physical Type.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

Not that I wouldn’t be grateful for either.

It was time to leave.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you.”

I shook Bilon’s hand one final time, exchanged a nod with Ellen, and reached for the car door.

‘Hmm...’

Just before stepping out, I paused and looked back at Bilon.

“My name is Kim Seo-hyeon.”

He was going this far to help me.

Continuing to conceal absolutely everything from him felt disrespectful.

The least I could do was tell him my name.

Bilon’s eyes widened in surprise before a smile settled across his face.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Kim. I hope we see each other again soon.”

***

Exactly one week later, I met someone to collect the Magic Stones.

“Ah, thank you.”

At the designated meeting place, a foreign man handed me a bag, gave a brief bow, and departed.

I opened the bag and looked inside.

It was filled to the brim with Lowest-grade and Low-grade Magic Stones, each one emitting a faint blue glow.

From now on, I would receive a delivery like this once a month at a predetermined location.

Bilon obviously couldn’t deliver them himself every time, so he had arranged for a courier to remain in Korea.

He had assured me that the man was trustworthy, which probably meant he belonged to Bilon’s inner circle.

Now that I had the stones, the next step was Climber Registration.

‘So I’m finally doing this after two years.’

For a moment, I had considered revealing the truth—that I was a Nightmare clearer—and receiving support at the national level.

But there were too many complications, not least of which was the possibility of my family finding out.

So I abandoned the idea.

I visited the nearest branch of the Tower Climbing Special Agency and registered as an Easy difficulty Climber.

Proving that one was a Climber was simple.

Anyone who had cleared at least one floor only needed to demonstrate that they could enter and leave the Tower.

Even Climbers who had not yet entered the first floor had a way to verify their status.

Because all first-floor Climbers could see progression data for every difficulty, they could answer an inspector’s questions about real-time information such as the current number of participants or remaining time limits.

Naturally, I used the first method.

Kim Seo-hyeon.

Easy difficulty.

Currently on Floor 2.

Once registration was complete, any Climber who had reached Floor 2 or above could receive a Climber License.

The license also served as official authorization to buy and sell Magic Stones.

At long last, I could sell them openly and legally.

Hell yes.

“The total weight is 20.56 kilograms.”

I took all the stones Bilon had given me and sold them at a government-certified Magic Stone Exchange.

The total came to approximately 130 million won.

Now I understood why Sangcheol spent money the way he did.

No more scraping together pocket change.

Only the greatest obstacle remained.

“So... the thing is, I became a Climber.”

It was evening, after dinner.

I had told my parents that I needed to discuss something with them, and the three of us sat down in the living room.

“What...?”

The shock on their faces was immediate.

I quickly added, “It’s Easy difficulty. I’ve already cleared Floor 1, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

I explained that I had only recently become a Climber and had kept it from them because I hadn’t wanted them to worry.

I also told them that clearing Floor 1 had been completely uneventful.

Only then did some of the tension leave their faces.

“You’re really all right? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“Easy difficulty only has one Goblin. There’s practically no way to get hurt. And even if you do, all injuries heal once the floor is cleared.”

Then I brought up what I had truly wanted to discuss.

“So, about that... I’m thinking of dropping out of school and becoming a full-time Climber.”

My mother shrieked.

“Absolutely not! What on earth are you thinking?!”

“I’m not saying I’ll climb to higher floors. I would only do Repeat Clearings on Floor 1. You really don’t need to worry so much, Mom. Repeat Clearing is completely safe.”

My father joined in.

“Why do you want to become a Climber? You worked so hard to get into medical school. What about becoming a doctor?”

I gave them the answer I had prepared.

“To be honest, we live in a world where no one knows what tomorrow will bring. I don’t want to spend all my time sitting in school and studying. Becoming a doctor would mean years and years of more study.”

“Hmm...”

“Before it’s too late, I want to enjoy my hobbies, travel, and experience different things. Even a small amount of work as a Climber earns more than enough money.”

I explained my reasoning at length.

My father listened in silence until I had finished, then asked again.

“Have you truly made up your mind? Are you certain you won’t regret it?”

“Yes. You know I don’t say things like this lightly.”

I had expected convincing them to take several conversations.

To my surprise, my father nodded.

“All right. If that is what you have decided, then I have no objection.”

“What are you saying?! You’re supposed to talk him out of it, not encourage him!”

“He isn’t wrong. We live in a world where anything could happen tomorrow. I want to let him live the way he chooses.”

All right.

Father’s approval: secured.

“Mom, I keep telling you, it isn’t dangerous. No one dies or gets seriously hurt doing Repeat Clearings on Easy Floor 1. And if there’s even the slightest sign of danger, I can leave immediately.”

“I also have absolutely no intention of going to Floor 2. I can’t avoid Floor 1, but do you really think I’d be insane enough to keep climbing the Tower and risk getting myself killed?”

As expected, my mother was far more difficult to persuade than my father.

So I fetched a book and gave them a small demonstration by tearing it apart with my bare hands.

“See? Just reaching Level 1 makes you this strong. My body is incredibly durable now. A mere Goblin couldn’t hurt me even if it tried.”

“Good heavens...”

In truth, Level 1 probably didn’t make the average person quite that powerful.

But my parents had no way of knowing that.

In the end, I at least managed to extract a reluctant, “I’ll think about it.”

I hadn’t wanted to upset them, and guilt pricked at me.

Still, there was no other way.

At any rate, roughly half the problem had now been solved.

No more sneaking in and out of the Tower while constantly watching for suspicious eyes at home.

I picked up the bracelet lying on my desk and summoned Bandiul.

“You’re happy too, right, Diul? From now on, we can take even more late-night walks on Floor 2.”

The emotion I received in response was something close to, Do whatever you want.

Yet beneath the indifference, I sensed a faint trace of satisfaction.

What a prickly little creature.

It felt like raising a cat, despite the fact that I had never owned one.

Bang!

The door suddenly flew open.

I hurriedly sent Bandiul back into the bracelet.

God.

How many times had I told her to knock?

“What? What do you want?”

My younger sister stood in the doorway, staring at me with an unimpressed expression.

“I heard you became a Climber.”

“...Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No particular reason. You heard it from Mom and Dad, didn’t you? That’s enough.”

She hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Is it manageable?”

“What is?”

“Clearing the Tower. You said you got Easy difficulty.”

“It’s manageable. Why? Are you worried about me?”

“Oh, shut up! You’re so annoying!”

She shouted and stormed out of the room.

Good grief.

Making a mental note to straighten her out one of these days, I summoned Bandiul again.

“That was my little sister. Even you can tell she’s crazy, right? She treats her older brother like dirt.”

Bandiul didn’t react in the slightest.

“Fine. Let’s just go for a walk.”

[Would you like to enter Nightmare difficulty Floor 2?]

I threw on a cardigan and entered the Tower.

***

Gangwon Northern Correctional Facility.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

A repetitive sound reached the ears of a correctional officer making his nightly rounds through the cell block.

It sounded as though someone was knocking on a cell door.

Following the noise, the officer approached one particular cell.

“What’s going on in there? Who’s banging on the—”

His expression twisted as he peered inside.

Then all the color drained from his face, as though he had seen a ghost.

An inmate had pressed his face directly against the observation window.

“...What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Seo Dong-woo?!”

Seo Dong-woo.

Cell 11, Housing Block 3.

Sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, he had spent the past ten years as a model prisoner, keeping his head down and causing no serious incidents.

His sudden, bizarre behavior in the middle of the night thoroughly unnerved the officer.

Seo Dong-woo spoke in a lazy, drawn-out voice, a grin spread across his face.

“Oh, Officer... it’s nothing serious. It’s just that my friends are in a lot of pain...”

“...Pain? Who’s in pain?”

“Yeah. They’re all hurting terribly. So badly they can’t even move a finger.”

“What are you talking about? What in the world—”

A sharp metallic stench struck him like a wall.

Seo Dong-woo slowly moved his face away from the window.

Only then did the officer see the interior of the cell.

Dark red blood.

Crushed flesh.

The remains of what had once been the other inmates.

The officer’s mind went blank.

He stared at the scene, frozen in a stupor.

“Uh... wh...”

A hand shot through the observation window and seized him by the head.

“What should we do about them, Officer? Do you think they can still be saved? Maybe some medicine would patch them right up?”

“Gkh... hkk...!”

“I asked you a question~ The least you could do is answer me. Answer!”

His fingers tightened.

The officer’s skull caved in like an overripe persimmon with a wet crunch.

“Try answering a little faster next time.”

Seo Dong-woo let out a low laugh, flicked the gore from his hand, and stepped away from the steel door.

Then he charged forward and slammed his entire body against it.

Crash!

The door shuddered violently.

Alarms began wailing throughout the facility.

After several more impacts, the thick steel door started to warp.

Cracks spread through the wall around the frame.

BOOM!

At last, the wall gave way under the force.

The rapid-response team that arrived at the scene froze in horror.

The cell door had been torn completely from its frame.

An inmate stood in the middle of the corridor, both hands drenched in blood.

“Damn, why is this thing so sturdy? If my Level had been any lower, I might not have managed to break through.”

Spotting the officers, Seo Dong-woo smirked.

“What are you staring at? Never seen a prison break before?”

“...”

“Then again, I suppose you’ve never seen one quite like this.”

Heh heh.

That night, screams and gunfire intertwined, echoing chaotically throughout the prison.