Chapter 73: The Second Proposal (1)

“Wow, right here! Mom, take my picture here!”

My sister darted excitedly about like a fish finally returned to water, pointing at the Seoul Arts Center.

While Mom busied herself taking pictures of her, Dad and I wandered aimlessly nearby.

It was Saturday, and the whole family had come to the Seoul Arts Center to see an opera.

Why were we watching an opera, of all things, when I had never seen one in my life?

Because my sister had nagged us half to death.

Though, admittedly, I might have been partly responsible.

The Seoul Arts Center had suffered extensive damage during the Fallen Incident. Its restoration had only recently been completed, and the news had been running daily reports about the enormous crowds gathering there.

The reason, of course, was that video—the one showing my Destruction Ray blasting through the roof.

Apparently, people were flocking to the place where Person123 had fought The Fallen.

Somehow, without consulting any of us, my sister had managed to secure tickets and reserve seats for the entire family. And so I had been dragged here practically against my will.

“That video was filmed from exactly this angle, right? The black pillar shot up through that roof over there—whoosh!”

I cut her off before she could keep going.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Would you give it a rest already?”

“Jeez, I’m talking to Mom. Why are you butting in?”

“Because you’re shouting right next to my ear.”

Lately, she had been making an even bigger fuss than usual.

Though, honestly, it was not just her.

The general mood in the country these days was... how should I put it?

It felt as though everyone had become a little too intoxicated by national pride ever since word got out that Person123 was Korean.

Still, in a world like this, having one more reason to feel happy was probably not such a bad thing.

“Hey. You haven’t gotten mixed up in anything weird, have you?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You know. The Church of Person123 or whatever. There have been all kinds of rumors about cults lately.”

She snorted.

“Are you insane? Why would I join something like that?”

“Good.”

“Although... it’s not really a cult, is it? Person123 actually is a savior.”

“...”

Now I was beginning to worry about her as well.

When it was time for the performance, we entered the Seoul Arts Center.

People sang onstage.

By the time the opera reached its midpoint, I was beginning to lose interest.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

The curtain fell, and thunderous applause swept through the audience.

It was the first opera I had ever seen.

My verdict?

Meh.

Art probably was not my thing.

“Wow, that was seriously incredible.”

My sister, on the other hand, still seemed lost in the lingering excitement of the performance. She gushed about it all the way out of the theater.

“Right, Mom? What did you think?”

“It was fun. It’s nice for all of us to come and see a performance together.”

“No, not that. I mean the opera itself! Wasn’t the choir in the middle incredibly grand?”

Dad and I exchanged our own impressions.

‘What did you think?’

I formed the words silently with my lips.

Dad shrugged.

‘It was all right.’

‘Same.’

Sharing a quiet smile of mutual understanding, Dad and I followed behind the two of them.

There were about fifty days left before Nightmare’s time limit expired.

***

KAAAAABOOOOM!

A fireball erupted in every direction, blasting the wolves apart.

After hunting steadily for some time, I stopped to take a short break.

I pulled a thermos from Subspace, crouched in the snow, and took a sip of warm coffee.

[Zone 4: 86.3%]

There were now a little over thirty days remaining on Nightmare’s time limit.

And roughly two weeks until I challenged Floor 6.

Defeating the Zone 4 boss was out of the question. The reason I continued hunting here was simple: once I cleared Floor 6, I would have to defeat the next boss anyway.

I was merely getting a head start on something I would eventually have to do.

I also wanted to improve my proficiency with my newly acquired skills.

VWOOOOOM—!

A piercing buzz cut through the wind and stabbed at my ears.

I raised my head.

A hornet was flying toward me from the distance.

I waited until it came within range, then thrust out my hand.

CRACKLE—ZAP!

Sparks erupted as a bolt of electricity lashed through the air and struck the hornet.

The creature was severed at the joint between its body segments. It thrashed helplessly in midair before its upper half tumbled to the ground.

[Skill: Lightning Strike (Rare)]

[Concentrates lightning energy and releases it in a forward direction. Requires 20 seconds of Mental Concentration before activation.]

[Classification: Magic Type]

[Willpower Cost: 100]

[Cooldown: 30 seconds]

Lightning Strike.

It was one of my newly acquired skills—and the first lightning-attribute spell I had ever obtained.

Bilon had supplied it, of course.

Perhaps because it was designed to strike a single target, its destructive power was respectable. Its range, however, was shorter than I had expected.

My offensive spell repertoire now included Destruction Ray, Flame Strike, Scorching Zone, Blade Storm, Lightning Strike, Fairy Light Bullet, and Frost Shot.

At this point, I had collected spells from more or less every element.

Even so, Destruction Ray and my fire spells remained my primary sources of damage.

In addition to Lightning Strike, I had obtained one Rare Skill Enhancement Stone, one Normal Skill Enhancement Stone, and several miscellaneous Normal-grade physical skills.

I had immediately used the Rare Enhancement Stone on Lightning Strike.

As for the Normal one, I had considered using it on Frost Shot, but ultimately decided to apply it to Leap, which I had already enhanced once before.

[Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Floor: 5F]

[Level: 60]

[Willpower: 2,100]

[Skills: Destruction Ray (Epic+), Subspace (Epic), Teleportation (Rare+), Sixth Sense (Rare+) (+2), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+), Scorching Zone (Rare+), Flame Strike (Rare) (+5), Lightning Strike (Rare) (+1), Blade Storm (Rare), Exaltation (Rare), Skin Hardening (Rare), Fairy Light Bullet (Normal+) (+1), Minor Poison Resistance (Normal+), Minor Burn Resistance (Normal+), Low-Tier Frost Resistance (Normal+), Leap (Normal) (+2)...]

That was the current state of my build.

For the record, Floor 5 was not entirely devoid of level rewards.

How did one obtain them?

Simply by entering Floor 6.

The moment a climber set foot on Floor 6, the accumulated Power of the Floor from Floor 5 would be absorbed all at once.

In other words, the condition for receiving Floor 5’s level rewards was challenging Floor 6.

Apparently, many climbers became greedy during the transition from Floor 5 to Floor 6 and ended up losing their lives. It was supposedly the third most common cause of death among climbers, or something along those lines.

I could understand why.

The sensation of leveling up and feeling your body grow stronger was highly addictive.

In any case, since I intended to challenge Floor 6 regardless, those rewards were as good as mine already.

The instant I entered Floor 6, I would gain ten levels.

I continued hunting for a while longer before leaving the Tower.

Feeling hungry, I quickly made myself a bowl of rice with egg and soy sauce for an early dinner. I ate in the living room while watching television.

—My Floor 4 strategy honestly came down to the wire. Had I not obtained the Nullification Part at the very end, I might have been forced to use a method similar to Person123’s. Ha-ha.

A foreign interview was being shown on the news with translated subtitles.

‘That guy has been appearing everywhere lately.’

Spain’s new Nightmare-difficulty climber, Alejandro.

He had recently succeeded in clearing Floor 4. According to the reports, he had cleared Nightmare Floors 1 through 4 within a single year.

His achievement had earned him the nickname Super Rookie, and lately, everyone seemed to be talking about him.

Normally, the identities of climbers who cleared Nightmare Floors were kept secret, whether because their governments concealed them or for some other reason.

Alejandro, however, openly presented himself to the media.

He was certainly impressive.

Who else had ever cleared four Nightmare Floors in a single year?

The emergence of another talented latecomer was good news.

Even if I failed, the chance of someone else being able to take over would increase, however slightly.

But then, only a few days later—

—Spanish Nightmare Climber Alejandro Makes Shocking Declaration: Will Challenge Floor 6 Before Person123...

“Huh?”

I stared at the unexpected headline in surprise.

Alejandro had announced that he would challenge Floor 6 before I did.

***

As Nightmare’s time limit approached, the atmosphere in the Communication Channel always changed in the same predictable way.

[Jamong-cheong: I believe in you again this time, Person123. Please save humanity.]

[Dago: Have no doubt. Person123 does not fail.]

[Haruto: Could everyone tone down the hype a little? It feels like you’re raising a death flag, and it’s making me nervous.]

[Hwatbyeong: Quiet, you. Start worshipping already.]

[Nakshi: Everyone, don’t forget to pray with all your hearts from now until the timer reaches twenty days.]

There were those who were anxious, and those who prayed for Person123’s success.

Recently, however, another name had begun appearing more and more frequently.

[Bald Eagle: Who the hell is this Alejandro guy? He cleared all four Nightmare Floors this year. That’s insane.]

[Hwakryul: What did he do before becoming a climber? Was he in the special forces?]

[Kaid: Not special forces. Apparently, he used to be an MMA fighter.]

[Lion of the Plains: The guy is a complete monster. Is he even human?]

[Baekdan: He’s incredibly public about everything, isn’t he?]

Spain’s Nightmare climber, Alejandro.

He had emerged like a rising star, racing through the hellish Nightmare difficulty and reaching Floor 4 at breakneck speed.

Before becoming a climber, he had been an MMA fighter.

Immediately after his debut, he had built an overwhelming undefeated record in the amateur leagues, attracting attention as a monstrous newcomer. He had been on the verge of moving into the professional circuit when he was selected as a Nightmare climber.

Alejandro abandoned MMA and immediately began challenging the Nightmare difficulty.

—Why did I decide to challenge Nightmare? I simply believed I could do it. I was confident.

He had stepped into the media spotlight without the slightest hesitation, and his presence quickly became impossible to ignore.

Until then, people had simply accepted that this was the kind of person he was.

After all, with Nightmare’s time limit rapidly running out, public attention remained focused on Person123 and whether Floor 6 would be cleared.

But then—

“I will challenge Floor 6 before Person123.”

With approximately thirty days remaining on Nightmare’s time limit, Alejandro abruptly made his shocking declaration.

The world erupted.

Every eye on the planet turned toward him.

“Mr. Alejandro, why exactly do you wish to challenge Floor 6 before Person123?”

The question was asked on a famous Spanish talk show.

Alejandro answered the host with a relaxed smile.

“Someone needs to share the burden he has carried alone all this time, don’t you think? That is my only reason.”

“So you intend to challenge Floor 6 first in order to ease Person123’s burden?”

“Yes. We cannot continue placing everything on the shoulders of a single person and depending on him forever. I, too, intend to walk the same path as Person123.”

He intended to assume Person123’s role.

That was, in effect, what Alejandro was saying.

“However, the first clear of a Nightmare Floor is on an entirely different level from clearing one after information has already been gathered. What are your thoughts on that?”

Alejandro answered without losing his composure.

“That is true. But I have absolute confidence that I can succeed. The same conviction carried me through the previous four Floors.

“More importantly, when clearing a Nightmare Floor, raw statistics such as levels and skills are not all that matter. Insight and instinct are even more important. And I believe I possess both.”

“...Those are certainly reassuring words!”

The host nodded before moving on to the next question.

“Then I would like to ask you one more thing. During Person123’s attempt to clear Nightmare Floor 4, an unprecedented incident occurred. The Tower offered him a Penalty in exchange for nullifying the Three-Year Rule.

“Should something similar happen this time, what choice would you make, Mr. Alejandro?”

Alejandro answered as though the question did not even warrant consideration.

“If the Tower offers another Penalty in exchange for people’s lives, then naturally, I will accept it. I will never run from such a responsibility. The Tower may throw whatever it wishes at me.”

His answer drew cheers and applause from the studio audience.

Alejandro smiled and continued.

“I will challenge Floor 6 at the precise moment when twenty-one days remain on Nightmare’s time limit. Person123, are you watching this broadcast? This time, I will save humanity in your place. Watch closely.”

Alejandro’s interview sent shock waves throughout the world.

[Asteroid: Alejandro says he’ll challenge Floor 6 one day before Person123!]

[Pidapida: Has he lost his mind? A first clear is a completely different beast.]

[Black Hole: Remember that guy on Floor 2 who said he’d enter before Person123? He ended up dead.]

[Hela: With Alejandro, who knows? His performance is no joke after clearing four Floors that quickly.]

[Socrates: Don’t tell me a second Person123 has appeared. Holy crap.]

[Hood: No way. Comparing him to Person123 is going too far.]

[Knight: We’re cheering for you, Alejandro! You can do it!]

People were skeptical that he could truly succeed, but the prevailing mood was one of support.

If a second person emerged to stand alongside Person123 at the very forefront of the Nightmare difficulty, it would be nothing short of an enormous blessing for humanity.

[Nightmare]

[Personnel: 278,823]

[Time Limit: 21 days, 13 minutes, 36 seconds]

[Highest Floor Reached: 5F]

Time passed.

At last, Nightmare’s remaining time approached the twenty-one-day mark.

***

“How are you feeling?”

Officials from a Spanish government agency stood beside Alejandro, checking his condition.

Alejandro smiled.

“Absolutely perfect.”

Countless cameras and spectators surrounded him.

His attempt to challenge Nightmare Floor 6 was being broadcast live to the entire world.

In truth, the Spanish government had not wanted Alejandro to challenge Floor 6.

Of course they had not.

What country would willingly allow its precious Nightmare clearer—an exceptionally capable climber who had just raced through four Floors—to risk his life on a first-clear attempt?

But Alejandro had insisted that he would attempt the first clear no matter what, and the government had been unable to change his mind.

Once a climber declared that he was entering the Tower, there was no way for the government to stop him.

All they could do now was pray for his success.

Besides, who could say?

Considering the extraordinary results Alejandro had achieved so far, perhaps he truly would succeed.

‘Good.’

Meanwhile, with the Floor 6 challenge only moments away, Alejandro savored the situation.

At that moment, the eyes of the entire world were fixed on him and him alone.

It was a thrill almost impossible to describe.

Alejandro loved this kind of attention more than anything.

Why was he attempting to become the first person to challenge Floor 6?

To save humanity?

To share Person123’s burden?

Those were nothing more than pretty words.

In truth, he simply wanted to be revered as a savior, just as Person123 was now.

‘You’re not the only one who was chosen.’

Alejandro thought of himself as a chosen one as well.

A first clear?

Certainly, it would be difficult, but he was completely confident that he could succeed. That was the conclusion he had reached after clearing four Nightmare Floors.

Person123 timidly concealed his identity and refused to reveal himself to the world.

Alejandro was different.

He would clear Floor 6 proudly, stand before the entire world, and be worshipped as humanity’s savior.

“One minute remaining!”

[Nightmare]

[Personnel: 278,822]

[Time Limit: 21 days, 59 seconds]

[Highest Floor Reached: 5F]

Alejandro checked the remaining time.

His only regret was that the situation had not become more dramatic, as it had when Person123 challenged Floor 4.

It appeared that the Tower was not going to make another proposal this time.

Whatever.

It did not matter.

Once he cleared Floor 6, he would become the protagonist of the entire world.

The countdown to the twenty-one-day mark fell below one minute.

The enormous screen behind Alejandro began displaying the remaining seconds.

Bathed in the glare of the spotlights, Alejandro opened his mouth one final time.

“For humanity.”

There was no need for a lengthy speech.

Those two words alone unleashed a deafening wave of applause from the audience.

Ten seconds.

Nine.

Eight...

The countdown reached one.

Just as Alejandro was about to step onto Floor 6—

“...!”

He froze.

His entry came to an abrupt halt as a message materialized before his eyes.

“...Whoa!”

“Huh?”

The people gathered at the site gasped in shock. Murmurs spread through the crowd as everyone stared upward.

[The Tower presents a proposal to ‘Person123’.]