Chapter 24: The Jailbreaker (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: The Jailbreaker (1)
- An inmate has escaped from Northern Gangwon Prison in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. The escapee is presumed to be a Climber, and reports indicate over thirty casualties within the facility. In response to this unprecedented crisis, the government has deployed military forces to conduct a massive manhunt...
I woke up on a sunny Monday morning to the sound of insane news blaring from the TV.
"What the hell is this?"
A jailbreak? By a Climber?
The escapee’s face and personal details were already plastered all over the internet. His name was Seo Dong-woo.
The most alarming part was that he still hadn't been caught.
While major crimes committed by Climbers happened occasionally abroad, I never thought something like this would occur in our country. Good grief.
Thinking about how the world was going to hell, I habitually opened the communication window.
Things were just as chaotic there.
[So-young: Why do you guys live such boring lives even after getting such awesome power? You should follow my lead.]
[So-young: By the way, everyone's working hard to find me right now, aren't they? Even if you're curious, I'm not telling you where I am! Good luck finding me~]
"What is this now?"
This was the Hard Difficulty communication window.
Some lunatic was posting and drawing all sorts of aggro.
* * *
"This guy is a complete psychopath. We need to find him quickly."
Kang Ju-hyuk struggled with a lingering sense of nausea as he drove.
Just a moment ago, he had visited Northern Gangwon Prison, the site of a horrific bloodbath the previous night. The metallic stench of blood that permeated the prison seemed to cling to the tip of his nose like a ghostly aftertaste.
Shin Su-jin, sitting in the passenger seat, remained silent, lost in thought. Kang Ju-hyuk spoke up to break the tension.
"What do you think, Team Leader? What level do you think he is?"
The man had literally ripped the door off his cell and walked out of the prison. He was far from ordinary.
Seo Dong-woo had been incarcerated ten years ago on a life sentence for murder, meaning he had become a Climber while behind bars.
There had been three cases in South Korea where an inmate became a Climber. Usually, inmates were eligible for a pardon under special management if they reported their status, so they had all been released.
Despite that, Seo Dong-woo had hidden the fact that he was a Climber, secretly climbing the Tower until he finally staged a jailbreak. And he had done it in the most brutal way possible.
The only conclusion was that the man was a pure madman.
It was a mystery how he had managed to enter the Tower without being noticed, but for now, they could only speculate that he had silenced his cellmates and entered during the night.
The average clear time for Hard Difficulty was around ten minutes. If his fellow inmates kept their mouths shut and he avoided the eyes of the patrolling guards, entering secretly wasn't entirely impossible. Of course, there was no way to confirm this now—Seo Dong-woo had slaughtered everyone in his cell before escaping.
What was truly difficult to determine was Seo Dong-woo's level.
"Team Leader?"
"...Yes? What did you say?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering what Seo Dong-woo's level might be."
"I wonder. He's probably around Level 20."
They had reviewed the CCTV footage from the prison and the testimonies of the guards who had survived the encounter. Even guns hadn't worked properly against him.
It was certain that his level was that high, or perhaps he possessed a skill that reinforced his physical durability or a high-tier defensive ability.
With incredible physical prowess, Seo Dong-woo had broken through the blockade of armed guards, leaped over the prison walls, and vanished.
It was determined that he had fled into the mountains after leaving the prison, and the military was currently scouring the Seoraksan area.
The Climbing Surveillance Department of the Climbing Agency had also been deployed for this unprecedented situation. There had been minor instances of Climbers using force before, but an incident of this scale was a first.
However, there wasn't much they could do at the moment. All they could do was share information with the search party and move toward one of the predicted escape routes.
"Predicted" was a generous term; the search itself was at a standstill.
Perhaps he had already escaped the mountain range. The abilities of a high-level Climber were far beyond the scope of common sense. He could probably navigate rugged mountain terrain as if it were his own backyard.
"Even if we find him, he could just flee into the Tower as long as he's not in combat status. Sigh, seriously, what a mess..."
Furthermore, this madman was currently causing a stir in the communication window.
A Climber with the nickname 'So-young' had appeared in the Hard Difficulty chat.
He was posting nonsense like a mental patient, taunting people to find him, saying that all Climbers should run wild together, and offering to explain why murder was "fun."
They couldn't be certain it was really Seo Dong-woo, but given the circumstances, the probability was high.
Kang Ju-hyuk glanced at Shin Su-jin, who had been quiet for a while. Seeing her staring intently into the air, he asked, "What's wrong? Is that guy talking nonsense again?"
"...No, it's nothing."
Shin Su-jin's mood was strangely somber, so Kang Ju-hyuk took the hint and shut his mouth.
Is she really angry?
It was understandable, considering over twenty guards had been killed by the man.
Kang Ju-hyuk hadn't worked with Shin Su-jin for long, but he knew one thing: she loathed villains with a passion.
She was one of the few high-level Climbers in South Korea over Level 20.
As competition between Climbers from different countries intensified, high-level Climbers were essentially national assets. And Shin Su-jin was one of the best.
Despite her young age, Kang Ju-hyuk respected her. She could have enjoyed far greater wealth and honor if she wanted, yet she chose to serve the Climbing Agency—an organization that was always short-staffed and buried in national crises.
"There's a rest area coming up. Should we stop for a bit?"
"Sure. You don't look so good; I'll drive after the break."
"Pardon? Oh, no, I'm fine!" Kang Ju-hyuk answered quickly.
She was truly a respectable boss, even showing such consideration for her subordinates.
While Kang Ju-hyuk felt a bit better, Shin Su-jin turned her gaze out the window. Still staring at the communication window with cold eyes, she gritted her teeth.
* * *
Kim Seong-ho had been feeling quite uneasy lately.
Having raised two children, his only worry in life had been his second child. But now, his eldest—who had always done well on his own without ever making his parents worry—had suddenly become a Climber out of the blue.
After looking into it, people said that the 1st Floor of Easy Difficulty wasn't dangerous. They said that with repeated clears, one could exit whenever they wanted.
But even so, a parent's heart couldn't help but worry.
He had faith that his son, who had never caused trouble, would take care of himself. That was why he couldn't bring himself to oppose it. He knew his son's personality—he always listened to his parents, but once he made up his mind, he was stubborn as a mule.
"Manager Park, you said your son is two years old now, right?"
"Yes, sir. He's 15 months old."
"How would you feel if your son became a Climber later on?"
Manager Park tilted his head before answering. "My heart would probably drop. Isn't it dangerous?"
"Right? Then what if it was Easy Difficulty?"
"If it's Easy Difficulty... I guess I'd worry a bit less. They say almost no one dies in Easy unless they're pushing for the higher floors."
Kim Seong-ho felt like arguing immediately. "No. Even so, wouldn't it feel different when you're actually in that situation? That's just how a parent's heart is."
"Ah, yes... I suppose so," Manager Park said with an awkward smile. "But sir, I don't think you've ever had to worry about your children. Isn't your son a medical student at Seoul National University? Haha."
"...That's true. Well, you should head home now too."
Kim Seong-ho sighed inwardly and prepared to leave work.
Suddenly craving a beer, he stopped by a convenience store before going home and had a can for the first time in a while. He sat on a plastic chair outside and drank while scrolling through the news on his phone.
- The whereabouts of the escapee Seo Dong-woo remain unknown...
"Tsk, tsk. What are they doing, still not catching him?"
The Climber Seo Dong-woo, the man who had massacred guards and escaped from prison.
They said they were searching with the military, but three days had passed and he still hadn't been caught. Public anxiety was soaring, and the mood across the country was grim.
Thinking the world had truly gone mad, Kim Seong-ho downed the rest of his beer in one gulp.
Feeling a bit tipsy, he took a long way home through a different route to get some fresh air. As he walked down a deserted alleyway lit by orange streetlights, a person approached from the opposite direction.
It was a man wearing a hat, a hoodie pulled up, and a mask. His physique was so imposing that Kim Seong-ho instinctively moved to the side to give him space.
"Hey, mister."
The man suddenly called out to him. Kim Seong-ho flinched and stopped in his tracks.
"How do I get to Yeongdeungpo Station from here? Let me ask for directions."
"...Yeongdeungpo Station? It's that way..."
Kim Seong-ho kindly explained the way. The man gave off a dangerous vibe, and tension filled the air.
"Ah~ so it was that way. I was going the complete opposite direction. Thanks."
Fortunately, the man listened to the explanation and went on his way. Kim Seong-ho thought to himself that the young man's way of speaking was quite rude, and he was about to start walking again when...
"Oh, but mister, wait a second."
Kim Seong-ho turned back. At the same time, the streetlight flickered.
Kim Seong-ho momentarily looked up at the flickering light before looking back at the man. "Wh-what is it?"
The man approached and scanned Kim Seong-ho's face up and down. "...You look like him."
"Wh-what..."
"You look like my old man. The one who used to beat the shit out of me before ditching me when I was ten. You're not my father, are you? Hehe."
The man's eyes were dangerous. He sounded mentally unstable, talking such nonsense. Kim Seong-ho felt his heart pounding and shook his head frantically.
"I-I have a respectable family of my own. You have the wrong person."
"Yeah, I know. It's a joke. But you really do look like him. It pisses me off." The man grinned and waved the hand he had pulled out of his pocket. "So, let me just land one hit. Since you were kind enough to give me directions, I'll go easy on you. If you die, well, that's just too bad."
CRASH!
Kim Seong-ho's body flew through the air, slammed into the alley wall, and collapsed. He lost consciousness instantly.
The man whistled and continued on his way with a light step.
* * *
"...What?"
Late at night, a devastating call came from my father's number. My family and I hurriedly got dressed and rushed to the trauma center.
"If you had been just a little later, it could have been serious, but the surgery went well. His life isn't in danger, so you can rest easy."
"Th-thank you, doctor. Thank you..."
My mother almost collapsed as she cried, and my younger sibling also burst into tears. I had to be the one to comfort them both.
After the emergency surgery, my father lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. I looked down at him, my face frozen like stone.
They said he was brought in with his ribs completely crushed, as if he had been hit by a truck. Miraculously, there was almost no internal organ damage, so the surgery had been successful.
"Are you the patient's family?"
The police arrived and explained the situation. They said my father hadn't been in a car accident; he had been assaulted.
"Assaulted? He's injured this badly! Who on earth...!"
"...You know Seo Dong-woo, right? The Climber who escaped from prison recently. It's not certain yet, but we're investigating under the assumption that he's involved."
The jailbreaker? Seo Dong-woo?
My family and I could only stand there in a daze, wondering what this was all about.
"There's CCTV footage. We can show it to you if you'd like..."
We watched the recording the police provided.
An alleyway. My father was walking when he seemed to strike up a conversation with a man coming from the opposite direction. They were about to go their separate ways when the man approached my father again.
The scene that followed was shocking. My mother and sibling gasped. The man suddenly swung his fist, and my father's body flew into the wall, slammed into it, and collapsed.
"..."
The moment I saw that, it felt like something inside my head snapped.
"Since he's exposed his location like this, we'll probably be able to catch him soon. We're currently mobilizing all police forces to track his route..."
If he were that easy to catch, wouldn't he have been caught already?
That thought crossed my mind, but the police finished their explanation and left. In the early hours of the morning, my mother spoke to us.
"You two go home now. I can watch over your father by myself."
"I want to stay too."
"Where would you even sleep? It's fine, so go home and get some sleep. You have school tomorrow."
I took my stubborn sibling and headed home. Even after returning, my head felt hot. It was pure, unadulterated rage. I don't think I've ever been this angry in my life.
"Whew."
I sat at my desk and opened the communication window.
The guy who had been spewing all sorts of bullshit in the Hard Difficulty chat for the past few days—this guy was almost certainly Seo Dong-woo.
[So-young: The world is so beautiful. That's why I want to kill everyone.]
[So-young: Is there anyone who wants to start a revolution with me? Climbers should rule this world. It would be great to live however we want, killing whoever we want!]
[So-young: You're all slaves. Slaves who aren't free.]
I found the messages the guy had left and glared at his nickname.
Then, I sent him a whisper.