Chapter 26: The Jailbreaker (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: The Jailbreaker (3)
The abandoned school Seo Dong-woo mentioned was tucked away in the mountains on the outskirts of Incheon.
Upon arriving, I vaulted over the perimeter wall and headed inside. Seo Dong-woo had said he’d be waiting in the gym. I spotted a building that looked the part and approached cautiously.
That lunatic really acted like we were just meeting up for a friendly chat. However, I couldn't rule out a trap, so I pushed my alertness to the limit. In situations like this, the Sixth Sense skill was a reliable companion.
But even before I stepped inside, I heard a commotion.
‘What’s going on?’
Was there someone else there besides Seo Dong-woo? An ally?
...No, it sounded more like a fight.
I slipped into the gym, only to find an unexpected scene unfolding. There were two people inside. A man was holding a woman by the throat, lifting her clean off the ground.
The man was likely Seo Dong-woo... but who was the woman?
Still trying to grasp the situation, I called out to him.
“Seo Dong-woo.”
He turned to look at me, flashed a wide, jagged grin, and tossed the woman aside like trash.
“Oh, you’re here! Saram123!”
The woman couldn't even steady herself as she hit the floor; she looked like she’d taken a serious beating.
I demanded clarification first. “Who is she?”
“Oh, her? She’s nothing. Just some Climber who came here to kill me. I was just playing with her until you arrived.”
Who was she, really? Was she someone who held a grudge against him, just like I did?
“Don’t worry about it,” Seo Dong-woo said, waving a hand dismissively. “Let’s just have a fun chat. First, let me get rid of this bitch—”
“Talk? Bullshit.”
“Huh?”
“I came here to kill you, too.”
Whatever his deal was, it didn't matter. There didn't seem to be any traps, so it was time to do what I came for.
Seo Dong-woo had claimed he was in his 20s in terms of level. That would make him lower-leveled than me, though there was always the possibility he was lying. But gauging him with my Sixth Sense at this very moment... I didn't get a particularly dangerous vibe. The skill was telling me he was beneath me.
“Don’t tell me you tricked me? I trusted you,” Seo Dong-woo’s face contorted into a fierce scowl as he glared at me.
It was so absurd I had to get a word in. “Do you really think anyone would want to talk to a psychopath like you? Are you stupid, or just a dumbass?”
At that, Seo Dong-woo lunged.
He was fast. I twisted my body, narrowly dodging his tackle. He skidded to a halt, spun around, and immediately threw a punch. After a few exchanges of blocking and dodging, I drove a kick into his stomach.
He was sent flying but scrambled back to his feet instantly.
“What the—you’re stronger than I thought.”
“...”
“I heard Nightmare difficulty gives ten levels per floor... so shouldn't you be level 20? I guess the rumors were wrong.”
I had a rough estimate of his strength now, too.
‘Is he level 28?’
He wasn't stronger than me, but the gap wasn't massive either.
Seo Dong-woo let out a sly chuckle. “Okay, I admit it. I’ll get serious now.”
Then, after shouting a line that sounded like a cliché death flag, his skin began to change. Green patterns, resembling a turtle's shell, spread across his entire body.
‘Skin Hardening?’
A Rare-grade defensive skill. I remembered seeing it on the skill tier list on the Babel site. It was a defensive skill fueled by consuming willpower every second. I recalled thinking it would be a nice one to have.
Seo Dong-woo licked his lips in a disgusting manner and lunged again.
We traded blows once more, and I managed to crack him in the face. However, perhaps because of Skin Hardening, the impact felt underwhelming. Seo Dong-woo faltered for a moment before throwing a kick. I blocked it with my arm and took a few steps back.
He pressed his advantage, launching a flurry of attacks. “Hyah! You’re nothing special for a Nightmare Clearer!”
Sorry to ruin your fun, but I was just getting warmed up.
I parried a punch aimed at my face and delivered a punishing blow to his solar plexus. This time, the impact felt much heavier.
“Guh...!”
Seo Dong-woo’s expression crumpled. I grabbed the arm he extended for another punch and threw him straight into the wall of the stage.
Crash!
Embedded in the wooden wall, he hurriedly tried to pick himself up. I used the Leap skill to close the distance and drove my knee into his abdomen.
“Agh!”
Seo Dong-woo let out a grotesque scream and swung his fists wildly. I dodged and landed a one-two punch to both his flanks. As he staggered, gasping for air, I used the Swing skill to kick him squarely in the head. He was sent tumbling off the stage.
With the Exhilaration skill active, the physical gap between us continued to widen. I didn't even need to use Teleportation or Flame Strike.
He was only this much.
Once Exhilaration reached its peak, Seo Dong-woo couldn't even put up a decent resistance. Whether he had Skin Hardening or not, every one of my blows was a clean hit.
Thud!
Seo Dong-woo, who had rolled pathetically across the floor again, stood up unsteadily. I walked toward him slowly.
Suddenly, my Sixth Sense screamed a warning. Seo Dong-woo was pulling something out of his back pocket.
“Die...!”
I stopped time.
It was a dagger, but the blade was made of ice, like a jagged icicle.
‘Is it an item?’
Since it felt dangerous, I decided to avoid it. After finishing my Mental Focus, I teleported behind him.
Whoosh!
As Seo Dong-woo thrust the ice dagger, a blast of cold air erupted, freezing the spot where I had been standing just a second ago. I kicked him right in the back while he stood there, dazed by my sudden disappearance.
“Gah!”
I picked up the dagger he had dropped. The ice blade had vanished, leaving only the hilt.
[Item: Sherburn's Ice Shard Dagger]
A dagger crafted by imbuing it with the intense cold of the polar region, Sherburn. It can release a blast of cold air by consuming the ice blade. The consumed blade fully regenerates after 24 hours.
So that’s what this is.
I shoved the hilt into my pocket. This was confiscated. It was mine now.
“You’ve got a lot of good stuff. If you have more, bring it out.”
Of course, I stayed cautious until my Teleportation cooldown was back, just in case he really did have another trick up his sleeve. But it seemed Seo Dong-woo had reached the end of his rope.
Thud! Thud! Crash!
I used him as a literal punching bag, pummeling his entire body before delivering a final blow to his chest. With the sound of ribs shattering, Seo Dong-woo was sent crashing into the wall.
“Gurgle... wheeze...”
He twitched, barely clinging to life. I walked up and stood over him. Even with his teeth knocked out and his face a bloody mess, he was laughing.
“Fuck... you’re so... damn strong... How are you this strong... when you’ve only cleared the 2nd floor...?”
“You can still laugh?”
“Heh, what, should I be blubbering instead...?” Seo Dong-woo gasped as he lifted his head. “Just kill me... I don’t give a shit. I’m just disappointed I couldn't enjoy myself more before I went, hehe...”
He certainly had a big mouth until the end. I glared down at him.
“You’re around the 7th or 8th floor, right? Why didn't you climb higher?”
“...What?”
“I mean, you’re a total loser. You talked all that shit about how Climbers should rule the world with this pathetic level of strength? If you were going to go on a rampage, you should’ve raised your level more.”
I mocked him, my voice dripping with disdain.
“Weren't you actually just scared? You were terrified that you’d fail if you climbed any higher, so you didn't even dare to try. Right? You were acting like a lunatic, but you were actually just a rational coward.”
Seo Dong-woo seemed triggered as he began to convulse. “Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch...!”
“Yeah, whatever, you pathetic, bottom-tier coward.”
I finally felt a bit better. My venting was over.
Now, the dilemma was what to do with him. I had only thought as far as beating him up; I hadn't decided whether to kill him or let him live. I didn't exactly have any qualms about killing trash like him, but I had to consider the aftermath.
‘...I should probably report this, right?’
Since I’d come this far, it was unavoidable, even if my identity got exposed. The other person over there saw everything, and it would be impossible for me to clean this up perfectly and vanish into thin air.
I looked back at the woman. She had managed to get up and was staggering toward us.
“...?”
The woman approached Seo Dong-woo and raised her fist. Then, with a fist shimmering with blue light, she slammed it straight into his head.
Splat!
Seo Dong-woo’s head burst instantly. He was dead.
I stared at the woman, dumbfounded. Breathing heavily, she suddenly began to cry.
What was this? Who was she? I stood there awkwardly, watching her perform this bizarre sequence of actions.
“Sigh...”
The woman lifted her head, wiped her tears, and turned her gaze toward me.
“...If given the time, he could have escaped into the Tower. I had to kill him before the Combat Status wore off.”
Combat Status? I’d heard of that. It was a rule that Climbers cannot enter the Tower while in combat.
“But who are you?” I finally asked.
Now that I looked at her, she was wearing a business suit. I had a nagging, uneasy feeling...
The woman brushed back her disheveled hair and introduced herself. “I am Shin Su-jin, Section Chief of the Climbing Surveillance Department at the Climbing Agency.”
“Ah.”
“Thank you for assisting in the execution of official duties. Thanks to you, we were able to neutralize the fugitive, Seo Dong-woo.”
I felt like I’d been caught red-handed. No wonder she was fighting him.
Section Chief Shin Su-jin pulled a business card from her inner pocket, handed it to me, and asked cautiously, “By any chance... are you Saram123? The first Nightmare Clearer?”
“...”
“I heard Seo Dong-woo call you that earlier.”
There was no point in denying it, so I nodded. If she was with the Climbing Agency, she was a civil servant. I decided to try my luck.
“...Could you possibly keep my identity a secret? And just say you handled Seo Dong-woo yourself?”
“Pardon?”
Shin Su-jin stared at me quietly for a moment before nodding. “I don’t know what your circumstances are... but very well. I will remain silent.”
“...Really?”
“You saved my life. It’s the least I can do.”
What a relief. She was more flexible than I expected.
Just then, Shin Su-jin clutched her stomach and let out a groan. I supported her as she grabbed my arm, stumbling.
“Are you okay? Are you badly hurt?”
“...I’m fine.” Shin Su-jin pulled her arm away and sat down against the wall. “I will handle the scene. It will be recorded that I killed Seo Dong-woo during a solo engagement, so you don’t need to worry.”
“...Then, should I head out?”
“Yes. Thank you once again.”
I started to leave but turned back to look at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? Shouldn't you call 119 quickly?”
“Yes, I’ll call them myself. The police might arrive soon, so please, go.”
If she said so. I left Shin Su-jin behind and exited the abandoned school.
But why was she crying earlier? She was a strange one.
* * *
Left alone, Shin Su-jin exhaled, enduring the waves of pain. She looked back at Seo Dong-woo’s corpse, his head destroyed.
She felt far more relieved than she had imagined. Despite constantly telling herself to forget, it seemed it could only truly end with this man’s death.
‘That man...’
Shin Su-jin thought about the man who had just left.
Saram123. The first Nightmare Clearer and the record holder for the highest floor in Nightmare difficulty. It was shocking to discover that the man shrouded in mystery was actually Korean. Furthermore, he looked younger than she had expected, though she couldn't see his face clearly because of the hood and mask.
It was also a mystery why he had suddenly appeared at this location. Judging by the conversation he had with Seo Dong-woo, it seemed he had tricked the man and arranged to meet here with the intention of taking him down.
Above all, the way he had overwhelmed the level 28 Seo Dong-woo as if he were playing with a child was shocking. Hadn't he only cleared two floors? No matter how much of a Nightmare Clearer he was, she hadn't realized there was such a massive gap between Nightmare and Hard difficulty.
He had been a huge help. If not for him, she would have died at Seo Dong-woo’s hands today. Thanks to him, she was able to avenge her grievance.
...She just felt light. It felt as though everything was finally over.
Shin Su-jin pulled out her phone. The screen was completely shattered, and missed calls were piling up. She dialed one of the numbers.
— Chief! Why are you just now picking up! Right now, Seo Dong-woo is—
“I got him.”
— What?
“I caught Seo Dong-woo, so please come to this location. The coordinates are...”
After finishing the call, Shin Su-jin closed her eyes to finally rest.