Chapter 74: The Second Proposal (2)

This time, I did not leave on a trip a few days before the time limit reached twenty days.

My sister had made such a fuss about me going away, and the looks from the rest of my family left me feeling a little guilty.

There was no reason to force myself out the door only to spend the entire time feeling uneasy, so I decided to remain at home.

Instead, I planned to challenge Floor 6 slightly earlier in the day than usual.

I could not allow my family to notice anything, after all.

Tomorrow afternoon, I would quietly slip out, rent a motel room, and enter the Tower from there.

[Nightmare]

[Climbers: 278,822]

[Time Limit: 21 days, 5 minutes, 39 seconds]

[Highest Floor Reached: 5F]

—Five minutes remaining. Alejandro is preparing to enter Floor 6...

Before going to bed, I watched the live news broadcast on my phone.

Alejandro—the Nightmare climber who had publicly declared that he would challenge Floor 6 before me.

To be honest, I had agonized over whether I should stop him or simply enter Floor 6 ahead of him.

Someone attempting a Nightmare Floor without any prior information was absurdly dangerous.

No one understood that better than I did.

But did that truly give me the right to prevent another person from trying?

Would that not be unbearably arrogant?

I had watched Alejandro’s interview as well.

His words had radiated unwavering determination. He had declared that he would no longer leave the burden to me alone and that he would save humanity himself.

I had to respect a decision like that.

So I resolved to challenge the Floor when the timer reached twenty days, exactly as I had originally planned.

Besides, judging from everything Alejandro had accomplished so far, he was unquestionably a man of exceptional ability.

That left a faint possibility lingering in the back of my mind.

Perhaps...

Just perhaps...

I was only human.

I still had not entirely abandoned the hope that someone might truly succeed and help carry some of this burden beside me.

—Ten seconds remaining! Ten, nine, eight...

Alejandro would enter at any moment.

I stared at the broadcast, silently praying for his success.

Then, the instant the countdown reached zero—

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

A message appeared before my eyes.

“...”

I frowned.

Again?

What the hell was this?

The exact same thing that had happened one year ago was happening all over again.

Before my attempt to clear Floor 4, the Tower had also presented me with a proposal one day before I entered, precisely when the time limit reached twenty-one days.

Perhaps because I had already experienced it once, I was not particularly shaken.

The problem was that I was not the one attempting the Floor this time.

Alejandro was.

So why the hell was the Tower making another proposal to me?

That was the first thought that crossed my mind.

The second was this:

Now that the Three-Year Rule was no longer an issue, what kind of proposal could the Tower possibly have left to offer?

I calmly read the messages as they appeared one after another.

And then—

[Should ‘Person123’ accept the following Penalty, a special reward shall be granted in exchange.]

[Penalty: ‘Person123’ is forbidden from entering Floor 6 of Nightmare difficulty for 21 days.]

[Reward: ‘Person123’ acquires ‘Skill: Ark (?)’.]

[Skill: Ark (?)]

[Designates an area within a three-kilometer radius as the Ark’s domain. The Ark completely blocks all external threats, including the Fallen, and every human within the Ark’s domain becomes immune to the Tower’s Curse. Only humans authorized by the skill’s caster may enter the Ark’s domain. The skill can be activated or deactivated, and once activated, the Ark will persist eternally.]

[Classification: Special Type]

[Willpower Cost: None]

[Cooldown: None]

[Should Floor 6 be entered before the proposal is accepted, the proposal will be rendered void.]

[If ‘Person123’ wishes to accept the proposal, please indicate acceptance.]

As I finished reading, my frown deepened.

A long sigh escaped my lips.

“Hah...”

What was this?

What the hell was the Tower trying to pull this time?

***

The moment Nightmare’s time limit reached twenty-one days, a message appeared before the eyes of all humanity.

Just as it had exactly one year before.

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

The Tower had offered Person123 another proposal.

This time, however, the terms were completely different.

The Penalty imposed upon Person123 was not a reduction in physical ability, nor was it a restriction on the use of skills.

It was a twenty-one-day prohibition on entering Nightmare Floor 6.

In other words—

Do not challenge Floor 6 until the time limit expires.

The world was thrown into shock.

[Reaper: A twenty-one-day ban? Isn’t that just telling Person123 not to challenge Floor 6 at all?]

[Retriever: What kind of bullshit is the Tower trying to pull now...?]

[Honeybee: This isn’t even a Penalty anymore. It’s completely shameless. Is the Tower really going this far?]

[Ricky: Look at the reward. The Ark.]

[Heavy Weapon: Wait. So basically, what it’s saying is...]

The reward the Tower had offered in exchange for accepting the Penalty was a skill known as Ark.

The skill would designate an area within a three-kilometer radius as the Ark’s domain.

Its effects included immunity to the Tower’s Curse and complete protection from all external threats, including the Fallen.

People quickly realized what the Tower was truly offering Person123.

[Festival: ...So even if the world ends, it’s offering humanity at least one path to survival?]

[MonsterHunt: As long as Person123 agrees not to challenge Floor 6.]

If Nightmare’s time limit expired and ninety-nine percent of humanity died—

The remaining one percent would have virtually no chance of surviving in a world where the other ninety-nine percent had been transformed into monsters.

Either way, the result would be an apocalypse.

But what if Person123 chose the Ark?

At the very least, the humans sheltered within the Ark would be able to continue living in safety.

It was only a three-kilometer safe zone.

Even so, humanity would not become entirely extinct.

[Bomb: This proposal is insane. Almost everyone still dies, and only a tiny handful survive. Isn’t that basically the same outcome?]

[Shepig: Would Person123 actually accept it...?]

[Grape: No way. If they choose the Ark, most of humanity dies.]

[Howard: How many people could even fit inside a three-kilometer radius?]

[Solar System: No idea. Maybe a million?]

The Communication Channel descended into chaos.

The real world was no different.

At the site where Alejandro’s entrance into Floor 6 was being broadcast live, the Tower’s sudden announcement caused an immediate uproar.

“...What the hell?”

Alejandro halted his entrance and read the Tower’s proposal from beginning to end.

His expression twisted.

He was the one preparing to challenge Floor 6.

So why the fuck was the Tower making another proposal to Person123?

The contents were ridiculous as well.

Ark?

What the fuck was that supposed to be?

Judging from its description, it was effectively a skill that would allow its owner to become the king of a post-apocalyptic world.

All Person123 had to do was abandon the Floor 6 challenge, and the Tower would hand over a skill like that?

The Tower was willing to go to such lengths to stop Person123 from entering.

But what about Alejandro?

He could not help feeling utterly disregarded by the Tower.

His pride wounded and his blood boiling, Alejandro glanced around at the chaos surrounding him and shouted.

“Person123!”

The commotion subsided.

Every eye turned back toward him.

Alejandro stared directly into the camera and spoke.

“...You may accept the Tower’s proposal. I will clear Floor 6 myself.”

The most important moment of his life had been ruined.

But if he succeeded in clearing Floor 6, the spotlight would inevitably return to him.

‘That piece of shit Tower.’

So I am not even worth considering?

Let us see whether you can continue treating me like this after I clear Floor 6.

[Will you enter Floor 6 of Nightmare difficulty?]

Refusing to alter his plans, Alejandro charged into Floor 6 as though slamming his foot down on an accelerator.

Not long afterward, the number of climbers displayed in the Nightmare Communication Channel decreased by one.

Alejandro had failed to clear Floor 6.

But no one was paying attention to him anymore.

The world had far greater concerns than something so trivial.

News organizations across the globe rushed to report the story, each outlet competing to be the first.

“The Tower has once again presented Person123 with a proposal.”

Several panelists sat around a news desk, exchanging grave looks.

“At this point, the Tower is actively attempting to prevent Person123 from making the challenge at all. It is offering a reward simply in exchange for not entering Floor 6.”

“And that reward—the Ark—would allow a small fraction of humanity to survive even if Person123 abandons the Floor 6 challenge and the world comes to an end.”

“A three-kilometer radius covers approximately half the area of Manhattan in New York. Manhattan has a population of roughly 1.6 million.”

“If Person123 chooses the Ark, however, the deaths of the overwhelming majority of humanity will become unavoidable.”

“Is there any possibility that Person123 might abandon the climb and choose the Ark?”

“Judging from everything Person123 has done until now, I would say the chances are extremely low. However...”

In the end, everyone was waiting to see what Person123 would choose.

Naturally, the overwhelming majority did not want them to accept the Ark.

The number of lives the Ark could save represented only a tiny fraction of humanity, and no one believed that they themselves would be among those fortunate few.

Surely Person123, who had sacrificed so much for humanity, would never choose a path that condemned nearly everyone to death.

Most people continued to believe that there was no chance Person123 would abandon the challenge.

And yet—

[Cat: ...Person123 might choose the Ark, though. At least it offers a definite way for humanity to survive.]

[Greatsword: Are you serious? Billions of people would die!]

[Geupanba: Honestly, I might choose the Ark too. How much longer do you think Person123 can keep holding out?]

Person123 cared about humanity.

No one doubted that anymore.

But no one could know exactly how that concern would ultimately manifest itself.

If Person123 valued the guaranteed survival of a small portion of humanity over an uncertain future, then abandoning the climb and choosing the Ark would not be an entirely irrational decision.

People waited for Person123’s answer with mounting anxiety.

Some took immediate action.

Person123 was believed to be Korean.

Therefore, if the Ark were chosen, most people assumed it would be established somewhere in Korea.

Flights to Korea from every corner of the world sold out in an instant.

Wealthy tycoons and high-ranking government officials began traveling to the country aboard private jets.

Desperate to grasp even the faintest possibility of survival, people flooded toward Korea, leaving the Korean government scrambling to contain the sudden chaos.

Less than a day after the Tower’s announcement, the entire world had descended into pandemonium.

***

[Nightmare]

[Climbers: 278,821]

[Time Limit: 20 days, 6 hours, 54 minutes, 16 seconds]

[Highest Floor Reached: 5F]

The appointed hour was drawing near.

I had told my family that I was going out for a walk and slipped away from the house.

Now I sat alone in a motel room, lost in thought.

“...”

[Skill: Ark (?)]

[Designates an area within a three-kilometer radius as the Ark’s domain. The Ark completely blocks all external threats, including the Fallen, and every human within the Ark’s domain becomes immune to the Tower’s Curse. Only humans authorized by the skill’s caster may enter the Ark’s domain. The skill can be activated or deactivated, and once activated, the Ark will persist eternally.]

[Classification: Special Type]

[Willpower Cost: None]

[Cooldown: None]

I stared at the description of the Ark skill.

The Tower’s intentions could not have been clearer.

Do not challenge the Floor.

Accept the apocalypse, and I will allow at least some of humanity to survive.

How should I put it?

It almost felt as though the Tower were attempting to negotiate with me.

As if it were telling me to accept this compromise and be satisfied with what I had been offered.

It had not been long since I had boldly declared that I would struggle until the bitter end.

But if I was completely honest with myself—

How much longer could I truly continue?

Perhaps I would eventually fail anyway.

Perhaps the destruction of the world had already become inevitable.

And even if I somehow endured until the very end, what exactly would be waiting for me there?

But if I chose the Ark—

My family and I would be guaranteed to survive.

The threat of the Fallen would also be eliminated.

Humanity would be confined to a world incomparably smaller than the one it had once inhabited, but at least some people would continue living.

One way or another, the species would survive.

I had looked into the dimensions.

A three-kilometer radius was roughly equivalent to the size of one of Seoul’s districts.

Apparently, if people were packed together shoulder to shoulder with barely enough room to stand, hundreds of millions could theoretically fit inside.

Naturally, such a situation would be impossible in practice.

But perhaps several hundred thousand people could live there while retaining at least some semblance of a normal human existence.

There would be problems with food and countless other necessities.

Still, the Fallen would not pose a serious threat to me.

If I repeatedly traveled in and out of the Ark and worked hard enough, perhaps we could somehow survive.

And if the Tower’s Curse activated only once, at the moment the time limit expired, then disappeared—

If I continued eliminating the Fallen one by one over time—

Perhaps, in the distant future, far more people than I initially imagined might eventually be able to live.

Over the previous day, I had considered every possibility I could think of.

Where I would establish the Ark.

Whom I would admit.

How I would bring those people inside during the remaining twenty days.

How order would be maintained afterward.

But whenever I followed those thoughts to their conclusion, I always arrived at the same question.

Could the Tower truly be trusted?

The skill description claimed that the Ark would completely block all external threats and persist eternally.

But the Ark itself was still nothing more than an ability granted by the Tower.

Choosing it would mean that humanity’s entire future rested in the palm of the Tower’s hand.

In truth, I had already made my decision some time ago.

Allow more than eight billion people to die in order to save, at most, several tens or hundreds of thousands?

No matter how many times I examined the numbers, they simply did not add up.

Even so, a faint trace of hesitation still remained.

Because choosing the Ark would guarantee my family’s survival.

And because of the fear gnawing at the back of my mind.

What if this was the final proposal the Tower would ever offer?

What if, with my own two feet, I was kicking away humanity’s last remaining chance of survival?

“...You could at least be a little more generous.”

I muttered the words into the empty room without any real expectation.

I had no idea whether the Tower could hear me.

Even so, I addressed it directly.

Even Th*nos allowed half of humanity to survive.

Couldn’t you at least offer that much?

A miserable three-kilometer radius?

Naturally, the Tower gave no response.

Fine.

Yes.

I really could not accept this.

In that case, I would overturn the entire table.

I steeled my resolve one final time and rose to my feet.

“I’ll clear Floor 6 as well.”

Then Floor 7.

Floor 8.

Floor 9.

And every Floor that came after them.

I would continue climbing until I finally reached the summit—or until the Tower offered me a proposal that genuinely satisfied me.

I would not stop.

No.

I could not stop.

[Will you enter Floor 6 of Nightmare difficulty?]

The world before my eyes shifted.