Chapter 11: The Latecomers (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: The Latecomers (2)
Rumors and speculation surrounding the "Nightmare Clearer" were a constant fixture on the Climber Communication Channel and various online communities.
What was his level? What reward did he receive for the 1st floor? What grade of magic stones dropped in Nightmare difficulty?
The rumors were endless: some claimed Nightmare raid teams from various countries were receiving private consulting from him; others insisted he was actually a woman; some even pointed to specific high-profile individuals as the true Nightmare Clearer.
In the midst of this frenzy, some people analyzed his posts word by word, determined to deduce his nationality.
While the Tower’s communication window translated all languages to suit the reader, every language retained its unique nuances and proper nouns. They believed that if they could find the traces that even the Tower's translation couldn't hide, they could uncover his identity. Some even claimed they had already cracked the code.
Every nation on Earth was named at some point, but the truth remained a mystery.
Only one thing was now accepted as an established fact: he was an unregistered climber who refused to reveal himself.
[North Star: When do you think the Nightmare Clearer will challenge the 2nd floor?]
[Philip: Probably when the time limit is almost up.]
[Pumpkin Soup: The 2nd floor will be even more of a hellscape... I wonder if he can even succeed...]
The only way to confirm his survival was the (1) still displayed on the Nightmare communication channel.
[Nightmare (2)]
[Theomax: The number changed!]
[Sun: Holy crap, it really did.]
[Sturgeon Roe: Wow, has a second one finally appeared?]
Then, one day, that number finally ticked up to two.
Public attention immediately shifted to the second Nightmare Clearer who had finally emerged. It had been exactly 92 days since the initial clearance of the 1st floor.
The climber was American. Although their personal information was not disclosed, the US government did not deny the fact that one of their own had cleared it.
And as if that had opened the floodgates, more clearers began to appear in succession.
[Nightmare (6)]
With only one month left on the Nightmare time limit, there were now six people who had cleared the 1st floor.
Actually, "as many as six" wasn't the right way to put it. Over the course of nearly a year, while over ten thousand people had vanished into Nightmare difficulty, there were only six survivors. They were survivors from hell who had defied a 0.05% survival rate to return.
Two Americans, one Chinese, one Indian, and the last was presumed to be Russian.
[Cloud: But who’s going to challenge the 2nd floor now?]
[Lagpi: Aren't they all just playing a game of chicken right now?]
[Easy]
Participants: 180,644
Time Limit: 21 years, 29 days, 17 hours
Floor Reached: 23rd Floor
[Normal]
Participants: 172,784
Time Limit: 14 years, 29 days, 17 hours
Floor Reached: 16th Floor
[Hard]
Participants: 166,217
Time Limit: 8 years, 29 days, 17 hours
Floor Reached: 10th Floor
[Nightmare]
Participants: 163,487
Time Limit: 29 days, 17 hours, 54 minutes, 33 seconds
Floor Reached: 2nd Floor
Time continued to flow. Someone had to challenge the 2nd floor.
* * *
Kieeeek!
A Knight Goblin lunged at me.
I dodged the heavy mace and drove a punch straight into its torso.
Thud!
The armor dented under my fist, and the creature was sent reeling. Wheezing in pain, the monster grew even more agitated, thrashing about wildly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I deliberately refrained from counterattacking, simply weaving through the mace's path. After rampaging for a long time, the Knight Goblin grew exhausted long before I did, gasping for breath.
"Tired already?"
This wasn't even good sparring anymore. At level 15, I had long since reached the point where I could overwhelm a Knight Goblin with my bare hands.
Deciding to end it, I cast Flame Strike.
Two fireballs manifested in the air and streaked in different directions. One blew the Knight Goblin apart, while the other incinerated a Crossbow Goblin that was just about to ambush me from the shadows.
[You have completed the 1st floor of Nightmare difficulty.]
[Moving to the Reward Room.]
When I cleared the floor repeatedly, a magic stone appeared roughly once every ten runs. As a result, highest-grade magic stones were scattered all over my Reward Room.
Once I realized they stayed here even if I didn't take them back to reality, I simply started piling them up.
[Would you like to exit the Tower?]
"Exit."
I returned to my room. As soon as I arrived, my door swung wide open.
"...Jesus, you scared me!"
"What are you so surprised for?"
It was my younger sibling. I tried to calm my racing heart.
"Why are you home so early? What about school?"
"I had a headache, so I left early."
"Don't you know how to knock? You want to die?"
"Whatever. Since when did I ever knock?"
Should I just kill them?
My sibling scanned me from head to toe with a puzzled look. "Why are you wearing shoes in your room? Are you crazy?"
"Mind your own business. So, what is it?"
"Mom said we should order lunch. I want chicken."
"...If you're thinking about stuffing your face with chicken, you're clearly not sick. Why did you really leave early?"
I waved my hand dismissively. "Forget it. Just order whatever and get out of my sight."
They scowled and walked out.
Phew, that was a close one. This was why I could never let my guard down. I always timed my trips to the Tower for the early morning when my family was asleep or when no one was home. Entering the Tower from inside the house felt inherently risky, but I didn't have the luxury of choice.
— The time limit for Nightmare difficulty has dropped below the 30-day mark. While there are currently six individuals who have cleared the 1st floor...
I watched the TV while eating chicken in the living room. The news was doing a great job of ruining my appetite. My sibling picked at the food in silence before quickly retreating to their room.
I turned off the TV and finished the rest of the meal.
"...I wonder who will challenge it?"
If they did, I really hoped they succeeded. As the Nightmare time limit dwindled, my own anxiety deepened. Over the past year, the number of Nightmare clearers had grown to six, including myself.
It was a good sign, but the real problem was staring us in the face: the 2nd floor.
What if, just like the 1st floor, no one succeeded?
I still hadn't made up my mind. If I had to be the one to do it, when should that be? Should I wait until I saw everyone else die and only enter at the very last moment?
Only one month left.
In the meantime, I had prepared in my own way. I cleared the 1st floor repeatedly to keep my senses sharp. I increased my skill proficiency by using Flame Strike and Teleportation constantly. I looked up information on the 2nd floor and devised my own tailored training.
I did everything I could. But still, entering a new floor was terrifying. You'd have to be insane not to be afraid. Just because you've risked your life once doesn't make doing it a second time any easier.
The truth was, I still wanted to pin my hopes on others.
Returning to my room, I lay down on the bed. I opened the communication window and lurked as usual. Then I checked the Nightmare channel.
"Huh?"
Normally, the Nightmare channel was empty except for the information post I had written a long time ago. It wasn't that they had nothing to say, but rather that not a single person had initiated a conversation until now.
But now, a message had been posted.
[Jackal: Saram123, are you watching?]
[Jackal: I am the second clearer. I will be challenging the 2nd floor soon.]
[Jackal: Before I do, I wanted to say this to you.]
[Jackal: If I had become a Nightmare climber earlier, I would have been the one to achieve the first clearance.]
[Jackal: I will prove it soon. I'll be the one to give you the information for the 2nd floor.]
"What is this?"
The person claiming to be the second clearer was calling me out. It was provocative, but I didn't feel particularly offended. After all, what this person was saying was exactly what I was hoping for.
I usually ignored everything, but since this was someone about to challenge the 2nd floor, I felt it was only polite to offer a word of encouragement.
I typed a reply.
[Saram123: I wish you success.]
Please, succeed. I don't want to challenge the 2nd floor either.
* * *
The Nightmare communication channel was famously known as the "Room of Silence." Though the number of participants had grown to six, no one had ever shared a word. Naturally, when a conversation suddenly appeared, public attention was instantly captivated.
[Jackal: Saram123, are you watching?]
[Jackal: I am the second clearer. I will be challenging the 2nd floor soon...]
The second clearer had called out the first—and in a rather provocative manner. People eagerly anticipated the first clearer's reaction.
[Saram123: I wish you success.]
But the conversation ended abruptly with that simple response.
At a training facility within the US Tower Climbing Management Bureau, Max greeted the administrators and looked around at the numerous structures spread out before him.
There were towering pillars and uniquely shaped drones floating in the air. This facility, which had been used as a training ground for the 2nd floor of Hard difficulty, had been specially modified. A man and a woman were leaping through the air, using the pillars and drones as footholds.
As Max watched them, an administrator spoke. "Compared to Hard difficulty, we've more than doubled the distance between footholds and reduced the surface area of the platforms by over 50%."
"I see. Are those drones meant to simulate moving platforms?"
"Yes, we added them recently. Since it's Nightmare, we have no idea what might appear."
This place was dedicated solely to clearing the 2nd floor of Nightmare. Max was still doing his best to cultivate 1st-floor clearers, and the two who had already passed were here, preparing for the next trial.
A while later, the man descended from the structures, wiping away sweat as he approached Max.
"What brings a busy man like you here?"
"How are you feeling lately, Jack?"
He was the second person to clear the 1st floor of Nightmare—a legend of Delta Force and the individual Max had the highest expectations for from the very beginning.
"Always at my peak. I'm ready to enter the 2nd floor this very second."
"That's good to hear. But I saw what you posted on the communication channel."
Jack carelessly tossed his towel aside. "Is that why you're here?"
"He's someone who has helped us a lot. Did you really need to provoke him?"
Max was well aware of Jack's competitive nature. He was a man who always craved to be the best, which was why he was aiming for the first clearance of the 2nd floor.
"It wasn't a provocation. I just said what I wanted to say."
"That's exactly what a provocation is, Jack."
Taylor approached them as well. She was the fifth person to clear the 1st floor. Max exchanged a brief nod with her.
The ratio of male to female climbers was overwhelmingly skewed toward men. Once levels increased, gender became irrelevant, but the 1st floor was strictly the realm of ordinary humans. Since it was a floor that had to be passed using only innate physical capabilities, men often had an initial advantage.
Because of this, Max had never imagined a woman would emerge as a Nightmare clearer so soon. Of course, Taylor was no ordinary person either; she was a veteran operative of the CIA SAC.
"That person is an ally," Taylor said. "Not someone to waste your petty competitive streak on."
Jack retorted, "Competitiveness is the engine that drives humanity forward. It's the catalyst that makes us surpass our limits. Ah, is that something you can't relate to?"
"It's a misplaced sentiment. Don't you think your trivial words could sour our relationship with a key figure?"
Jack gave a short laugh. "He's not the type to get worked up over something so minor. Didn't you see? He wished me success."
The first Nightmare clearer, Saram123. Even though the number of clearers had increased, the achievement of being the first remained peerless. That was why Jack wanted to prove himself superior.
Jack believed that if he had been a first-generation climber, he too would have cleared the 1st floor without any information. This was a conclusion he had reached after experiencing the floor himself, and he possessed the skill to back it up—it wasn't merely arrogance.
His provocative words were a light greeting. He wanted to draw a reaction from the person who had never replied to anything unless it was related to the trial. Jack was satisfied enough that he had received a response at all.
Max shook his head. "Anyway, keep yourself in top condition. Your entry will be approved for the date you requested. I came to let you know that."
"Really? Good."
"Are you sure you're okay? You could take a bit more time..."
"My preparations were finished long ago. In the end, you don't know until you actually go in."
Someone had to be the first to enter eventually. No one had specifically asked Jack to volunteer, and the higher-ups wanted to wait longer, but Jack's will was firm.
"I will clear the 2nd floor. As requested, I'll establish this country as the front-runner of Nightmare difficulty."
Time passed, and D-day arrived.
[Nightmare]
[Participants: 163,366]
[Floor: 2nd Floor]
[Time Limit: 22 days, 14 hours, 28 minutes]
At a private ceremony within the headquarters of the Climbing Management Bureau, Jack performed a final check of his status.
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 2nd Floor]
[Level: 10]
[Willpower: 150]
[Skills: Feather Step (Rare)(+1), Hunting Time (Rare), Skin Hardening (Rare), Dash (Common+), Leap (Common)(+1), Deflect (Common), Toughness (Common)...]
It was a status window one wouldn't expect from someone who had only cleared the 1st floor. The situation for the 2nd floor was different; a climber who had awakened their status window could receive unlimited support in the form of skills and items. Jack had received every possible investment.
Numerous skill stones, enhancement stones, and an item that increased Willpower by 50. In particular, Feather Step—a rare passive skill that made the body lighter—and Leap were skills the government had gone to great lengths to procure, specifically for the theme of the 2nd floor.
The US had invested all its resources into the one they deemed most likely to succeed. Now, it was time to see the results.
"Good luck, Master Sergeant Jack Davis."
Receiving a final salute, Jack saluted back and stared into the air.
[Would you like to enter the 2nd floor of Nightmare difficulty?]
Soon, Jack vanished.
The room fell into a tense silence. About a minute passed. Taylor, who had been checking the communication window, suddenly turned pale and let out a gasp.
"Ah..."
Seeing her reaction, Max asked in confusion, "Taylor? Are you alright?"
He, too, sensed something was wrong and checked the window. His face turned hollow with despair.
[Nightmare (5)]
The number of Nightmare participants had dropped by one.