Chapter 83: Bug (1)

“You did exceptionally well. I heard you were the first to step forward and try to stop the auction, Section Chief Shin.”

“I didn’t stop it. Person123 did.”

“Heh. Even so, your actions alone have elevated our country’s standing on the international stage. I’m truly proud of you.”

After the Masked Auction, Person123 received most of the public’s praise, but Shin Su-jin also found herself in the spotlight.

She had been the first among the invited participants to step forward, removing her mask without hesitation in an attempt to stop the bidding.

Her determination to prevent the deaths of countless innocent civilians had been admirable in its own right, and people showered her with praise.

It wasn’t that Shin Su-jin disliked being complimented.

Still, the attention was becoming a nuisance.

Even before the incident, she had already been a public figure in Korea.

As the country’s highest-ranked Normal-difficulty climber—and an attractive one at that—she had never been someone the media would willingly leave alone.

Although the climbers employed by Korea’s Tower Climbing Special Agency were technically public servants, they received special exemptions allowing them to engage in a limited amount of commercial activity.

It was little more than a desperate measure by the government to attract even a handful of climbers who would otherwise refuse to enter public service.

As a result, offers to appear on broadcasts and endorse products were hardly unusual for Shin Su-jin.

But after news of the Masked Auction spread, she had received five offers in a single day.

Turning each one down individually was tiresome enough.

And the external attention wasn’t the only problem.

“By the way, I heard you spoke with Person123 directly, Section Chief Shin.”

The director of the Tower Climbing Special Agency asked the question with barely concealed curiosity in his voice.

Shin Su-jin replied,

“I only thanked him for stopping the auction. We didn’t discuss anything important.”

“Hmm. Even so, perhaps you could tell me something—anything at all. Were you able to confirm whether Person123 is definitely Korean?”

Shin Su-jin sighed inwardly.

Ever since it had become all but certain that Person123 was Korean, the government had quietly continued investigating his identity.

From fragments of information the director had let slip in conversation, Shin Su-jin had developed a rough understanding of the situation.

Person123’s very existence was a matter of national importance, and the government was desperate to gather even the smallest scrap of information about him.

Shin Su-jin worked for the country, but she had no intention of telling them what she knew.

It wasn’t as though she knew Person123’s true identity, nor did she possess any particularly extraordinary secrets.

Even so, nothing concerning Person123 would ever pass her lips.

She had promised to protect his secrets.

That promise came first.

Whether considered publicly or privately, it was a promise made to the person she regarded as her savior.

Shin Su-jin offered the director a vague response and excused herself from his office.

Before returning to her duties on Floor 5, she stopped by the break room for some caffeine.

As she sipped her coffee, her thoughts drifted back to the Masked Auction.

...Had it not been for him, the auction would have ended in a horrific massacre.

When number 41’s provocation had triggered a bidding frenzy and the entire hall descended into chaos, she had been powerless to stop it.

She had simply stood there, overwhelmed by panic.

Even when she had believed the situation was beyond saving, Person123 had found a solution almost immediately.

Without the slightest hesitation, he had eliminated number 41 and brought the crisis to a flawless conclusion.

He had been incredible.

Was that the kind of person one had to be in order to continue challenging ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Nightmare difficulty?

Afterward, she had even been given the opportunity to speak with him at the banquet.

Honestly, she regretted not having a proper conversation with him.

During both the Seo Dong-woo incident and the Fallen incident at the Seoul Arts Center, Person123 had helped her enormously.

She had wanted to thank him in person for a long time, but with so many people listening, she could hardly bring up such private matters.

And when she had finally been given the chance to speak with him, she had become nervous.

Deputy Commander Justin had spent most of the conversation happily talking away, while Shin Su-jin had done little more than stand beside him and listen.

She should have said more.

“Haa...”

Had he found her boring?

She really wasn’t usually like that.

She could only hope that another opportunity would come someday.

***

After the Masked Auction, I took a day off.

Then I began dealing with what needed to be done.

Namely, hunting in Zone 4.

[Zone 4: 89.5%]

I decided to postpone the Floor 6 hidden objective for a while and deal with the Zone 4 boss first.

There wasn’t much left to fill on the gauge.

And if I had to choose between the two, it made more sense to claim the Zone 4 boss reward before attempting the hidden objective.

There was no limit on the number of times I could challenge a boss, whereas the hidden objective allowed only three attempts.

In terms of priority, the boss came first.

The only drawback was that my Floor 6 information post would also be delayed.

[Person123: I’ll post the Floor 6 information after defeating the Zone 4 boss.]

I gave everyone advance notice through the Communication Channel.

Of course, I could have posted what I already knew.

But if one of the other Nightmare clearers asked me to verify something afterward, I wouldn’t be able to help.

The moment I entered Floor 6 again, my limited attempts at the hidden objective would begin to run out.

The cleanest approach was to complete the hidden objective first and post the Floor 6 information afterward.

Slash!

The Sword of Light sliced cleanly through the Yeti’s neck.

Its severed head fell away, and the headless body toppled sideways into the snow.

I pushed onward through the blizzard, searching for another monster.

To improve my proficiency with the new skill, I had been hunting Zone 4 monsters primarily with the Sword of Light.

With the physical abilities of a level 80 climber and the Sword of Light’s cutting power—which was essentially that of a lightsaber—monsters in the level 40 range stood no chance.

Every swing cut through them as effortlessly as a knife through pudding.

Vrrrrrn!

I spotted a Giant Hornet flying overhead.

I hurled the Sword of Light toward it.

The weapon spun through the air and sliced the hornet cleanly in half at the waist.

Its two halves plummeted toward the ground.

I extended one hand.

The Sword of Light curved through the air like a boomerang and returned to me.

I caught it cleanly.

The skill description hadn’t mentioned this function, so I hadn’t known it existed.

Still, the ability to recall the weapon was more useful than I had expected.

After wandering a little farther, I spotted several White Wolves.

They were pack hunters by nature, and sure enough, an entire group of them had gathered in the distance.

I threw the Sword of Light toward them.

“Detonate.”

Boom!

A brilliant burst of light exploded outward, engulfing the entire pack.

The Sword of Light’s explosive power was even stronger than a Flame Strike enhanced by a power buff.

Then again, it was a rare+ skill with a far higher willpower cost and a much longer cooldown, so that was only natural.

In any case, I was extremely satisfied with the Sword of Light.

I continued hunting.

At this rate, filling the remaining ten percent of the gauge would take no more than two months.

It was time to make a quick attempt at the Zone 4 boss.

***

Whenever Person123 cleared a new floor, there was always one thing people eagerly awaited.

His information post.

The Masked Auction had claimed most of the public’s attention this time, but plenty of people were still anxious to learn what Nightmare Floor 6 had been like.

Then the message appeared.

[Person123: I’ll post the Floor 6 information after defeating the Zone 4 boss.]

The post went up shortly after the Masked Auction ended.

Only a small portion of the Zone 4 gauge remained unfilled.

That meant Person123 would soon challenge the Zone 4 boss.

Some people cheered.

Others expressed concern.

[Anchor: How long until the Zone 4 gauge is full?]

[Card: Maybe about a month.]

[Recess: He’s going to solo the Zone 4 boss too? Is that really safe...?]

[PumpkinSoup: He knows what he’s doing. He one-shot the Zone 3 boss.]

[Leben: He cleared Floor 6 and gained twenty levels. I don’t think we need to worry.]

[Zebra: How are we supposed not to worry? If something happens to him, the whole world is fucked.]

Meanwhile, the Security Corps continued hunting tirelessly in Zone 4.

The monsters there were far stronger and far more troublesome than those in Zone 3.

Even among the Security Corps, only the most elite climbers were capable of hunting in that area.

“Ice Hornet! Watch out!”

Security Corps Chief Alex shouted a warning the moment he spotted an Ice Hornet approaching.

A flying monster equipped with venom, it was among the most troublesome creatures in Zone 4.

Taylor stepped forward.

Slash!

Using Quick Step, she evaded the descending stinger.

In the same fluid motion, she swung her sword, now wrapped in Aura Blade, and severed the hornet through its vulnerable waist.

Her clean execution drew murmurs of admiration from the squad.

Alex, who had deliberately remained on the sidelines to observe, nodded as well.

‘As expected...’

A Nightmare clearer truly was on another level.

Taylor had recently cleared Nightmare Floor 4 and entered Floor 5.

Since then, she had occasionally taken part in the Security Corps’ hunts.

At present, several of the Corps’ most elite climbers—including Alex and Taylor—were devoting themselves entirely to hunting in Zone 4.

Their purpose was obvious.

They wanted to help Person123.

Even if they could fill the Zone 4 gauge only slightly faster, they could save a little of humanity’s savior’s precious time.

In fact, Taylor herself had volunteered for the assignment.

She was a valuable Nightmare clearer into whom the United States had poured enormous resources and support.

Naturally, the authorities were reluctant to let her hunt in Zone 4, where a single mistake could have disastrous consequences.

Yet Taylor had insisted that she wanted to help Person123.

That was how she had ended up accompanying Alex’s team.

Watching her fight, however, Alex saw little reason for concern.

Taylor wasn’t merely level 40 on paper.

Her combat instincts and mastery of her skills were both exceptional.

In all honesty, Alex believed she fought better than he had at the same level.

The team continued searching for monsters.

“I see White Wolf tracks.”

Taylor was the first to notice the trail.

White Wolves were the only Zone 4 monsters that moved in packs.

Individually, they weren’t especially powerful.

But they often gathered in groups dozens strong, making them extremely dangerous.

They were relatively intelligent as well.

Judging from the tracks, it appeared to be a sizeable pack.

But when the team followed the trail, they found something entirely different.

The aftermath of a massive explosion.

The corpses of White Wolves lay scattered across the area, torn apart so completely that they were barely recognizable.

Alex surveyed the scene, his expression growing tense.

The Black Star Society?

No, that couldn’t be it.

None of the byproducts had been collected.

In their current condition, there probably hadn’t been anything left to collect.

“...Could Person123 have done this?”

One of the squad members cautiously voiced the possibility.

Taylor and Alex had been thinking the same thing.

Zone 4 was vast, so even discovering the remains of Person123’s hunt was an extraordinary coincidence.

But what kind of skill could leave destruction on this scale?

It looked as though the entire pack had been annihilated in a single attack.

Judging from the blast marks, it didn’t appear that he had used the black ray either.

Still, this was Person123.

There was nothing particularly surprising about it.

Perhaps there truly was no need to worry about the Zone 4 boss.

The thought came naturally to Alex and the rest of the squad.

***

Roughly a month passed as I continued hunting diligently throughout Zone 4.

[Zone 4: 99.9%]

It was almost time.

The Zone 4 boss was about to appear.

I had completed all my preparations.

How strong would it be?

It was bound to be at least level 80.

Since I was level 80 as well, there was a chance it would fall just as easily as the Zone 3 boss had.

It would be convenient if a single shot from Destruction Ray solved the problem again.

Still, complacency was not an option.

I sharpened my focus.

Through the Communication Channel, I had already warned both the Security Corps and the Black Star Society.

If anyone was considering helping me fight the boss, they were not to come.

I hadn’t made any serious attempt to stop them during the Zone 3 boss fight.

But the Zone 4 boss would be vastly stronger.

It would be a level 80 threat at minimum.

The other climbers—even Alex, the highest-level member of the Security Corps—wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Searching for the boss in an attempt to help me would only place them in danger.

So I had told them directly not to come anywhere near the area.

I would use the same strategy as I had against the Zone 3 boss.

Activate the Warp Device in advance.

Then engage the boss.

If the fight appeared hopeless, I would warp away.

If it seemed manageable, I would continue.

I wandered through Zone 4, searching for a monster that would fill the final 0.1 percent.

Before long, I found an Ice Hornet.

The instant I killed it with Flame Strike, a message appeared.

[Zone 4: 100%]

[The Zone 4 boss has appeared.]