Chapter 112: The Third Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: The Third Proposal
“Pant, pant… I can’t climb anymore…”
My father glanced back at my younger sister, who was already starting to whine, and said a word.
“You’re out of shape, completely out of shape. You should be building up your stamina at times like this.”
“Ugh, I don’t care… Let’s just rest a biiit…!”
“Even we’re climbing just fine, and you’re the one who’s young and full of energy.”
It had been a while since the whole family went hiking together.
My father and mother were fully equipped with hiking clothes and trekking poles.
That was because the two of them often went exercising together on weekends. They were staying healthy.
Only my sister, the one with the worst stamina, was busy complaining.
“Come on, just a little more effort. We’re almost at the summit.”
“Mom, you’ve said that so many times already…”
I chimed in, teasing her.
“That’s what you get for lazing around all day.”
“Damn, you’re a climber… If I were a climber, I’d be zooming up too, you know?”
“This all depends on having the base stats to back it up. If you were Level 1, you’d barely be average for a normal person.”
She was the type to grumble but still trudge her way up.
We reached the summit of Gwanaksan.
I looked down at the panoramic view of the city surrounded by mountains and enjoyed the breeze.
My father, who had been drinking water and catching his breath, turned to me and smiled.
“You don’t look tired at all. Is it because you’re a climber?”
“Well, something like that. Haha.”
For me, this was just a stroll.
At my current level, I could reach the summit in a minute without even breaking a sweat.
“That makes sense. A climber would be good at climbing mountains. Hahaha.”
“Haha…”
My father, who had been laughing after telling a dad joke, soon let out a sigh and looked up at the sky.
“The weather is really nice, isn’t it…”
For some reason, he seemed to have a complicated mix of feelings.
There was only one reason for that.
Doomsday was drawing near once again.
“Seo-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“A thought just occurred to me. I’m truly grateful that the world has remained intact all this time.”
My father said softly.
I nodded and looked behind me.
My mother and sister were taking pictures next to the summit stone.
“And we’ve been able to spend more time together as a family like this.”
I thought I knew what he wanted to say.
It was true that since the Tower appeared, our family had gone on outings together far more often than before.
After all, it was a world where it wouldn’t be strange to see it end at any moment.
It made you try to live each day to the fullest.
The Tower’s only positive function, I suppose.
“I hope we can see the sunrise on New Year’s Day next year, too. The whole family together.”
His words were filled with the hope that we could get through this year safely as well.
“…Don’t worry, Father.”
I said with a smile.
“Saram123 has always pulled through, right? He’ll do it again this year, I’m sure.”
Failure was not an option for Saram123.
I would succeed this time, too.
Yes, I had to.
“Seo-hyun! Come on, I’ll take your picture. You too, dear.”
My mother called out. My father and I went to have our picture taken.
After coming down the mountain, we ate Duck Baeksuk and returned home.
There were two months left until the 8th Floor challenge.
* * *
Time flew by in a flash.
There were big and small events happening in the world.
Among them, the biggest change in the international political landscape was undoubtedly North Korea.
– Sweeping Reforms in North Korean Leadership, Easing of Reign of Terror… A Fundamental Change from the Roots?
– North Korean Chairman Kang Tae-sung Expresses Will for Korean Peninsula Peace and Cooperation with International Society… Large-Scale Food and Relief Supplies Introduced…
– Is North Korea’s Denuclearization a Real Possibility?
From the day the coup occurred, Kang Tae-sung began to overhaul North Korea, just as he had said he would.
He strongly expressed his will to actively cooperate with the international community and grant freedom to his people, and even subtly brought up denuclearization.
Of course, the international community vehemently welcomed North Korea’s 180-degree change in attitude.
The United States began to gradually lift its economic sanctions on North Korea, and various countries started providing food and relief supplies.
There were probably many other negotiations happening behind the scenes besides what was reported in the news, but that was no longer my concern…
Though I ended up finding out naturally because both Villon and Kang Tae-sung kept sending me Whispers.
[Kang Tae-sung: There is something I would like to ask you cautiously.]
[Saram123: Yes. What is it?]
[Kang Tae-sung: Do you, by any chance, wish for the unification of the North and South?]
He would ask things like that out of the blue.
Perhaps Kang Tae-sung thought I had helped him for the sake of my country’s national interest…
[Saram123: Please don’t mind me. Just do your best according to your own beliefs.]
Helping Kang Tae-sung was purely a matter of conscience, and things just happened to escalate.
I didn’t have any strong feelings about the issue of the North and South.
Unification? Well, it would be great if it went well.
But it wasn’t a problem that would flow smoothly just because I wished for it, was it?
North Korea was changing, but it was just the beginning, and it was obvious that it would be followed by immense chaos if you thought about it even a little.
The world was already a place where the clock of doom ticked away every day because of the Tower.
If possible, I hoped for the status quo to be maintained as much as possible.
Someday, the Korean Peninsula might truly be unified, but that would unfold as it would.
I just needed to focus on what I had to do.
[Zone 5 (79.1%)]
Hunting in Zone 5.
I was working hard, but it seemed I wouldn’t be able to fill the Zone 5 Boss gauge before challenging the 8th Floor.
The hunting speed was just too slow due to the field’s characteristics.
Thwack!
A Giant Walking Stick, pierced by an icicle, spewed bodily fluids and died.
I spoke to the Demon King currently occupying my body.
‘Time’s up.’
“Aren’t you just going to keep hunting anyway? Just let me use it for a bit.”
‘Then I’ll give you 30 more minutes.’
These days, even the Demon King was good about helping with the hunt when he took over my body.
It seemed he’d built the Ice Castle in Zone 4 and then abandoned it, having lost all interest.
Other climbers hunting in Zone 4 eventually discovered it, and for a while, the Communication Window was in an uproar.
Both the Security Force and the Black Star Society had investigated it, but of course, there was no hidden treasure to be found.
I didn’t bother revealing the fact that I was the one who had built it.
And so, the Ice Castle remained a mystery of Zone 4 to the climbers.
I now understood why the Demon King had been sitting on the throne there, spacing out…
He had been trying to regain his memories.
The Demon King had said he had no memory of the time around his world’s destruction.
Anyway.
I was now maintaining a stable, cooperative relationship with the Demon King.
It was a huge leap forward compared to when he was desperate to steal my body.
I had vaguely sensed it since the 7th Floor.
It seemed the Demon King was pinning some small hope on me.
“Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of hope would I have for a runt like you…”
The Demon King snorted.
He might say that, but since our souls were intertwined, we couldn’t help but know when the other was lying.
In preparation for clearing the upcoming floors, I had also been analyzing the Demon King’s abilities.
As befitting the name Demon King of the Bitter Cold, all the magic he could use was Ice-Type Magic.
And maybe one Flight Magic for mobility?
It would have been better if he could use a wider variety of magic.
While that part was a bit disappointing, it also meant that his Ice-Type Magic was absolutely perfect.
Thanks to the Demon King’s existence, I was a bit more confident about clearing the 8th Floor than the previous ones.
And then… the Sage.
I still hadn’t figured out what the Sage had given me.
Would I find out if I faced a crisis during the clear?
Whatever it was, I hoped it would show some use…
Otherwise, I felt I would deeply regret not choosing the Book of Omniscience.
[Nightmare]
Population: 476,814
Time Limit: 23 days, 1 hour, 35 minutes, 43 seconds
Highest Floor Reached: 8th Floor
Time continued to pass.
The 20-day mark of the Nightmare time limit was now just around the corner.
I slowly began to prepare myself mentally.
[Skill: Frost Mist (Rare+)]
Spreads a frost mist with a 10-meter radius. Opponents who enter the range are continuously affected by freezing. Requires 50 seconds of Mental Focus to cast.
Category: Magic-Type
Willpower Cost: 35 per second
Cooldown: 1 minute
From Villon, I had obtained one Rare+ Magic-Type skill, one Rare+ Skill Enhancement Stone, and a variety of Common grade skills and enhancement stones.
The disappointing part was that it had to be an Ice-Type magic.
Still, I used the Skill Stone to enhance Sixth Sense, which was now at +4.
Just one more enhancement and I could obtain its superior Epic grade skill.
And with the Epic grade Skill Stone I had saved from a previous reward, I also enhanced Hellfire Eruption.
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 8th]
[Level: 95]
[Willpower: 5,000/5,000]
[Skills: Destruction Ray (Epic+), Subspace (Epic), Hellfire Eruption (Epic)(+1), Sixth Sense (Rare+)(+4), Teleportation (Rare+), Rapid Regeneration (Rare+)...]
“Hmm…”
Sitting at my desk writing my will, I paused my pen.
I wrote it every year, but I always got stuck like this.
Even if the content was similar each time, I’d get lost in thought and end up writing more and more.
A thought suddenly struck me.
Someday, perhaps even this year, if my family were to see this will.
What would my mother and father think?
Well, they wouldn’t feel good about it…
Still, I hoped they wouldn’t be too sad.
Although I was semi-forced into this at the beginning, I had come this far with my own sense of mission.
There were many times I thought, “Why me?”
But now, I sincerely thought that I was glad it was me who could do it.
Of course, I had to do my best to ensure my family would never have to read this. That included this 8th Floor.
With 22 days left on the Nightmare time limit.
I packed my bags.
For the 6th and 7th Floors, I had stayed home, mindful of my family, but this time I planned to go on a trip again. To Jeju Island.
For some reason, I just wanted to.
“Seo-hyun, did you get a girlfriend or something?”
“…What? No, nothing like that.”
“Alright, then. Just asking, in case.”
My father had his strange, sudden suspicions, but whatever.
When the day came, I left the house early in the morning.
“Have a safe trip. Always be careful. Got it?”
My father and mother saw me off at the door.
As always, their eyes were filled with worry.
It wasn’t exactly the best timing to be traveling around at a time like this.
“Yes, I’ll be careful. Don’t worry too much.”
I said with a smile.
“Well then, I’m off.”
* * *
I spent the day eating delicious food and sightseeing.
That evening, I returned to my hotel and relaxed with a beer.
I also had the Celestial Music Box playing, which always calmed my mind.
[Patrasche: 5 minutes left until the 21-day mark!]
[Pine Tree: I believe, I believe… I believe in humanity’s savior, Saram123-nim…]
[Karo: Ahh, I’m starting to get fucking nervous]
[Steamed Blue Crab: Tsk tsk. That friend still lacks faith]
[Frenzy: I told you, all you have to do is believe and wait lol]
Looking at the Communication Window, the atmosphere was quite positive.
Some people were even talking as if the 8th Floor had already been cleared.
Well, it was better than them being anxious.
I turned off the Communication Window again.
[Nightmare]
Population: 476,803
Time Limit: 21 days, 58 seconds
Highest Floor Reached: 8th Floor
It was almost the 21-day mark.
The time when the Tower had always made its proposal.
However, the Tower hadn’t made a proposal on the 7th Floor.
What about this time?
As I silently waited, watching the time limit decrease…
[The Tower makes a proposal to ‘Saram123’.]
…a message appeared.
I calmly read its contents.
[If ‘Saram123’ accepts the following penalty, a special reward will be obtained in return.]
[Penalty: During the first clear of the 8th Floor, the use of one of ‘Saram123’s’ owned items will be randomly banned.]
[Reward: ‘Saram123’ will acquire ‘Skill: Ark (?)’.]
[Skill: Ark (?)]
Sets a 10-kilometer radius as the Ark Area. The Ark completely blocks external threats, including The Fallen, and humans existing within the Ark Area become immune to the Tower's Curse. Only humans permitted by the skill caster may enter the Ark Area. The skill can be activated and deactivated, and an activated Ark lasts forever.
Category: Special-Type
Willpower Cost: None
Cooldown: None
[If you enter the 8th Floor before accepting the proposal, the proposal will be invalidated.]
[If ‘Saram123’ wishes to accept the proposal, please indicate your acceptance.]
“…”
After confirming both the penalty and the reward.
I furrowed my brow.
The reward was the Ark, same as on the 6th Floor.
It was even much larger, with a 10km radius.
But… the penalty.
…What kind of bullshit is this?