Chapter 7: Sharing Information (2)

[Person123: Here is the information needed to clear Nightmare 1F. Upon entering, you will find yourself in a cavern-like area, much like on the other difficulties. You will also receive a single longsword, just as you would elsewhere. If you wait, three Goblins will emerge simultaneously from the corridor directly ahead. Two wield longswords, while the third carries a spear. Once all three have been defeated, another group of three Goblins will appear. It is unclear whether they spawn immediately after the first group is killed or after a fixed interval. The second group consists of one Goblin with a sword, one with a sword and shield, and one with a bow. This is only my personal impression, but the Goblins did not seem inclined to coordinate their attacks and tended to charge recklessly. I took advantage of that by using hit-and-run tactics to eliminate them one at a time. However, when dealing with the spear Goblin and the bow Goblin...]

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.

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After finishing the information post, I went to school.

I had included as much detail as possible while keeping my personal opinions to a minimum.

It wasn’t as though I were some expert in combat strategy.

The professionals could analyze the information and devise their own methods for dealing with the Goblins.

By the time I returned home, the Communication Channel had exploded.

[Retriever: Is that post even real? It’s hard to believe.]

[Patroc: Compared to Hard difficulty, it’s on an entirely different level...?]

[Light: There’s a boss monster? On the first floor?]

I was scrolling through the reactions when I finally noticed something.

[Whisper (1,651)]

Whisper notifications were crammed into one corner of the Communication Channel.

There was a feature like this?

I opened it, and it looked like an email inbox that had been neglected for years, with messages stretching on endlessly.

Most were simple greetings, words of thanks, questions about my Level or the rewards I had received, and other things of that nature.

But a few stood out.

[Lucas: Good day, Person123. My name is Ban Baker, Director of the U.S. Tower Climbing Management Bureau. First, allow me to express my gratitude for the information you have provided. The reason I am contacting you through Whisper is none other than...]

[Seongcheon: Greetings, Person123. I am the individual overseeing climbing operations for the People’s Republic of China. I sincerely appreciate your candid disclosure of the information concerning Nightmare 1F. I am contacting you to convey a message on behalf of the President of the People’s Republic of China...]

[Podrick: Hello, Person123. I represent Russia’s...]

They were requests to establish dialogue at the national level.

There was even one from Korea’s Tower Climbing Special Agency.

Yeah, no thanks.

I ignored every last one of them and closed the Communication Channel.

I had given them the information. Now I only wanted them to buckle down, prepare properly, and clear the first floor.

I lay down on my bed.

Closing my eyes, I thought about the future.

Other people would do their part, and ideally, more Nightmare clearers would emerge.

But I couldn’t afford to neglect my own preparations.

Within a year, someone would eventually have to clear Nightmare 2F.

And what if I ended up having to do it again?

Then I would have no choice but to step forward.

Because I didn’t want to die, either.

Because I didn’t want the world to end.

“Gotta do what I gotta do.”

The Tower allowed Climbers to re-enter floors they had already cleared for a Repeat Clearing.

The only reward for Repeat Clearing was Magic Stones, which served as the primary source of income for Climbers.

I couldn’t have cared less about Magic Stones.

But after I cleared the first floor, there had definitely been a message.

“It said a Hidden Route had been unlocked...”

Yet an internet search revealed nothing about Hidden Routes.

It seemed to be connected to the First Clear Reward.

However, while other difficulties were said to grant Skill Stones or items as First Clear Rewards, there was no information anywhere about Hidden Routes.

My only option was to re-enter the first floor and investigate it myself.

There was little actual danger involved.

I had been told that once a floor had been cleared, a Climber could leave at any time without having to complete it again.

Besides, I was stronger now.

My physical abilities had surpassed human limits, and I had acquired skills on top of that.

I knew everything that was coming and exactly how to deal with it.

Compared to my first attempt, when I had fought tooth and nail simply to survive, this should be far easier.

Before long, I would have to return to the first floor.

***

Several more days passed without incident.

“Hey, I actually became a Climber.”

I was attending lectures as usual and having lunch with my friends when one of them suddenly dropped that bombshell.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m serious. I’m not joking.”

Sangcheol’s expression was deadly serious. He didn’t appear to be messing with us.

As though it weren’t enough that I had become one, now one of my friends had been chosen too?

Was I cursed or something?

While the others remained frozen in shock, I asked,

“What difficulty?”

“Easy. I’m still thinking it over. Maybe I’ll take a leave of absence next year and give the Tower a shot.”

Another friend immediately tried to dissuade him.

“Are you insane? You want to die?”

“I’m not going to die. They say Easy is a cakewalk. The survival rate for the first floor is over ninety-eight percent.”

Sangcheol’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

“I looked into it, and apparently, even if you only clear the first floor, the Magic Stones alone are worth well over a hundred million won a year. On top of that, Climbers are exempt from military service, and there are all sorts of other benefits.”

“Wait, aren’t you planning to become a doctor? You worked your ass off studying to get here.”

“That’s why I said I’m still thinking about it. But we’ve got a long way to go before we become doctors. If you include military service, we won’t graduate for another seven years or so... When I thought about it that way, becoming a Climber didn’t seem like such a bad option.”

“Dude, that career is still completely uncertain. And seriously, does a two-percent chance of dying sound low to you when it’s your own life on the line?”

He claimed he was still deciding, but Sangcheol already looked halfway committed.

I voiced my concern as well.

“If you decide to do it, be careful. Have you looked into the Climber training facilities?”

“Yeah, I’ve researched everything. Apparently, once you enroll, they teach you swordsmanship and all that.”

Everyone else called him insane, but from where I stood... I wasn’t so sure.

It wasn’t as though anyone could predict what the world would look like even a year from now.

Then again, I was still attending school myself.

[Rhino: Good day, Person123. My name is Max, and I am responsible for training climbing teams at the U.S. Tower Climbing Management Bureau. There are several matters concerning the information you shared on which I would very much appreciate your advice. That is why I am reaching out to you.]

After returning home, I was browsing the Communication Channel when I discovered the Whisper waiting for me.

It wasn’t from the Director who had been sending me message after message.

As I read through it, I realized it wasn’t a proposal for a private conversation or an offer of compensation.

It was purely a request for advice on clearing strategies.

[Rhino: Based on the information you provided, we are currently preparing to launch a large-scale initiative to train individuals capable of attempting Nightmare difficulty. Without such an effort, the world will once again face the threat of extinction in one year’s time. These individuals will stand on the front lines of Nightmare difficulty and fight solely for the sake of humanity. I believe you disclosed the information concerning Nightmare 1F freely and without compensation because you and we are looking in the same direction. If we could speak...]

A large-scale initiative to train Nightmare clearers?

Yes.

This was exactly what I had been hoping for.

There was no reason not to respond to something like this.

They were more than welcome.

I sent a reply.

***

“So, what do you think? How viable does it look?”

At the headquarters of the U.S. Tower Climbing Management Bureau, Max poured himself a cup of coffee before answering Director Ban’s question.

“Director.” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

“What?”

“Imagine I have to breach a building full of insurgents armed with rifles. Alone. With a single handgun. Through the front entrance. And those sons of bitches have seized control of a nuclear weapon and are threatening to detonate it, so retreat isn’t an option.”

“...”

“The question of viability is buried somewhere deep underground. It’s laughable even to discuss it. We do it because we have no choice. That’s all.”

“It’s really that bad? Even with the best possible preparation?”

Max shook his head.

The man still didn’t understand.

“It’s that bad. This isn’t a matter of preparation. I’m genuinely beginning to wonder whether the person who cleared it with no prior information is even human.”

Nightmare 1F.

In summary, the information shared on the Climber Communication Channel was as follows.

First, face two sword-wielding Goblins and one spear-wielding Goblin simultaneously.

Immediately afterward, face one sword Goblin, one sword-and-shield Goblin, and one bow Goblin at the same time.

When the stone door begins to close, finish the fight and escape into the corridor.

A massive iron ball will come rolling down the passage. Sprint forward and dive into a recessed groove midway through the corridor to avoid it.

Continue onward, and the final boss—a Goblin Knight—will appear.

A monster far stronger than a human, clad from head to toe in full plate armor.

During or immediately after the battle with the Goblin Knight, remain alert for a sudden ambush by a Crossbow Goblin.

All of this had to be accomplished with nothing but a single sword.

There was no means of healing any injuries sustained along the way.

...How the hell had anyone managed to do that?

How did any of it make sense?

This wasn’t a movie.

A Climber entering the first floor was still nothing more than an ordinary human being with no abilities whatsoever.

No matter how exceptional someone might be, facing three Goblins armed with melee weapons at the same time, on flat and open ground with no cover, was already absurd.

Suppose they somehow managed to defeat all six.

The stone door and rolling iron ball could at least be dealt with if they knew about them in advance.

But what about the finale?

A Goblin Knight?

They were expected to defeat a monster stronger than a human and encased from head to toe in plate armor?

While simultaneously avoiding crossbow bolts fired from an unseen location?

It was pure fucking insanity.

There was a reason tens of thousands of people had died.

And yet, despite all that, Max’s mission was to somehow train people capable of overcoming those impossible conditions.

The government had staked everything on this project.

No one wanted to experience again the utter helplessness they had felt during the Day of Destruction only a few days earlier.

Max was a former Delta Force operator and veteran close-quarters combat instructor. He had cleared up to the third floor on Hard difficulty and had previously served as the lead instructor for Hard 1F.

Now, he had been appointed head instructor of the Nightmare training project.

Nationwide recruitment of Nightmare Climbers had already begun, with extraordinary compensation and benefits on offer.

They would be trained, sharpened, and pushed to their absolute limits before being sent into the kill zone.

How many of them would return alive remained unknown.

But if humanity’s survival required sacrifice, then so be it.

“Still, you said you managed to contact that individual.”

“Yes.”

“...Isn’t there any way to persuade them to become more actively involved? Beyond simply offering advice?”

At Director Ban’s suggestive question, Max clicked his tongue before answering.

“You and the higher-ups need to stop wasting your time on stunts like that. I’m worried that if you keep pestering that person, they’ll cut me off too.”

Max thought about the individual in question.

Person123.

The only person who had cleared Nightmare 1F.

He knew that Person123 had ignored Director Ban’s repeated attempts to initiate a conversation.

Max himself had reached out only in the hope of receiving more detailed advice concerning the posted information.

To his surprise, he had actually received a reply.

[Person123: Hello. What would you like to know?]

They exchanged questions and opinions, and the conversation proved highly productive.

Of course, there was no guarantee that every piece of information was entirely truthful.

But once he began doubting that, there would be nothing reliable left to work with.

Max felt he had gained a rough sense of what kind of person Person123 was.

‘At the very least, someone who cares about humanity.’

That much was evident from the fact that they had publicly disclosed all the information about Nightmare 1F without demanding anything in return.

The same was true of the way they ignored every attempt by Director Ban to contact them while readily responding to requests for clearing advice.

They were almost certainly an Unregistered Climber with no intention of revealing their identity.

But one thing was clear.

They wanted more Nightmare clearers to emerge.

In that case, all Max and his people had to do was produce results to the best of their ability.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”

“Ugh. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is the Director. Anyway, I’m counting on you.”

Ban grumbled as he left the room.

Max finished the rest of his coffee and began organizing the documents scattered across his desk.

The situation was overwhelming, but there was still one small reason to hope.

Among the Nightmare Climbers newly chosen by the Tower after the clearing of Nightmare 1F, one individual had volunteered for the project faster than anyone else.

Someone Max knew personally.

A comrade with whom he had shared battlefields during his years in the military.

And the most monstrous human being Max had ever encountered in his life.

A Delta operator whose legendary achievements in the field had earned him the nickname “God of the Battlefield.”

“If it’s him, it might actually be possible.”

To produce as many Nightmare 1F clearers as possible.

Max intended to devote everything he had to the task before him.

For the sake of the world.

And to place his country at the forefront of Nightmare difficulty.

***

Saturday, early morning.

I had gone to bed early the night before and awakened at dawn.

I stretched, loosened my muscles, and shook off the last traces of sleepiness.

At this hour, while the rest of my family was still asleep, the timing was perfect.

[Would you like to enter Nightmare Difficulty Floor 1?]

“Here goes.”

It was time for a Repeat Clearing.

I was curious to see just how much easier fighting the Goblins would be in my current state.