Chapter 40: The Fallen (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: The Fallen (3)
I watched Manager Shin Su-jin as she retreated toward the exit.
I never expected to run into a manager from the Climbing Agency here, of all places. It was for the best that she got out quickly to receive treatment.
I turned my gaze back to the monster on the stage.
The scene was gruesome beyond words. The sight of the creature wailing amidst the corpses of the audience was both bizarre and chilling—like a scene ripped straight from a horror movie.
Why is it crying? It’s the one who slaughtered everyone.
That monster had likely been human until moments ago. Climbers who succumbed to the Tower’s curse transformed into monsters.
"The Fallen." That was the name the Tower had bestowed upon them.
It seemed that for the Fallen, not a shred of human reason remained. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do: kill it.
One of the Fallen had already been mauled to death by Phli. However, the one Phli killed had three horns, while the one on stage had five.
The Tower had clearly stated that the Fallen would appear in stages ranging from one to five. From that, I could deduce that the number of horns represented the stage of the Fallen.
A Stage 5 Fallen—a creature with a mere 0.01% chance of appearing.
If there were 40,000 people and the probability was 0.01%... didn't that mean there were about four of them? And one just happened to appear here in Korea?
Regardless, I could feel its strength. My Sixth Sense was whispering to me, warning me that this thing was incredibly dangerous.
I didn't want to get into a risky fight, but I couldn't just leave a creature like that alone. It was stationary for now, but there was no telling how much more damage it would cause if left unchecked.
But can it withstand my new ultimate move?
I highly doubted it.
I reached out my hand, preparing to cast Destruction Ray at the Fallen while it remained crouched and wailing, but then...
‘...Hmm.’
I pulled my hand back. The angle was awkward.
Inside the Tower, it wouldn't have mattered, but this was the real world. The problem was that Destruction Ray was too powerful. Once fired, I had no way of knowing how far the beam would penetrate or how far it would travel.
If the beam punched through the walls and hit a civilian outside, it would be a catastrophe. And if I aimed it at the floor... wasn't there a basement here? What if someone was down there?
I looked up at the dome-shaped ceiling. Aiming upward seemed safe enough. I just needed to launch the Fallen toward the ceiling before firing the Destruction Ray.
‘Launch it.’
At my command, Phli immediately lunged at the Fallen.
Only then did the previously still monster react.
Kieeeeeeeek—!
The Fallen went berserk, letting out a piercing shriek like the screech of feedback from a broken microphone.
“...!”
It was fast.
The Fallen dodged Phli’s lunging bite with lightning speed and kicked the creature in the flank. Phli, who was ten times the monster's size, was sent flying into a wall. The structure crumbled, and sparks flew from the overhead lights.
Graaaaa—!
Apparently uninjured, Phli immediately charged again. When Phli executed a body slam, it was the Fallen’s turn to be sent crashing into the scenery.
A brutal melee ensued, but the Fallen showed no signs of being overwhelmed. At the same time, Phli didn't seem to be losing either. They were evenly matched.
I watched the clash while remaining in Stealth.
‘Is it around Level 50?’
It seemed to be a step above me, even when I had Exhilaration active at its maximum. However, aside from its immense physical prowess, it didn't seem to possess any other special abilities.
I felt certain that one shot would be enough.
The two monsters rampaged, laying waste to the vast theater. Because the Fallen’s counterattacks were so fierce, Phli was struggling to fulfill my command to launch it toward the ceiling.
If this dragged on too long, more people might enter. My Stealth duration was also running low...
I had to look for an opening.
Grrr...
As they traded blows, an opportunity finally presented itself. The Fallen was locked in a contest of strength, gripping Phli’s jaws with both hands.
‘Stay right there.’
I commanded Phli and approached the Fallen while still invisible. Then, I teleported right next to it.
Without giving it a moment to react, I used the Swing skill to kick the creature in the stomach with all my might, launching it upward.
Kieek—
The Fallen soared into the air, nearly reaching the ceiling.
The angle was perfect.
I extended my hand toward the Fallen and froze time. After completing the 300 seconds of Mental Focus, a fully charged beam of pitch-black light shot toward the sky.
Fshhhhh...
Where the darkness dissipated, only a massive hole remained in the ceiling. Dust drifted down, and sunlight poured in.
I had planned to follow up with Flame Strike just in case, but it wasn't necessary. The Fallen, having taken a direct hit from the Destruction Ray, had vanished without a trace.
As expected, it couldn't handle it.
The battle ended that simply.
‘Good job.’
I unsummoned Phli, who had worked hard.
Surveying the carnage, I glanced at the corpse of the Stage 3 Fallen that had died earlier. If over 40,000 people had all turned into monsters like this, the world was going to become a complete mess.
‘What a disaster...’
Feeling a headache coming on, I slipped out of the building while still under Stealth.
* * *
“Oh—! Are you alright?!”
“I’m fine.”
As Shin Su-jin stepped outside the building, she found the entrance surrounded by a SWAT team.
“Are you Manager Shin Su-jin?!”
“Yes. What happened to the people who made it out?”
“Don’t worry. Everyone has been evacuated to a safe location, and the injured have been taken away by ambulances!”
Shin Su-jin nodded and spoke urgently.
“Don’t go inside yet. There’s a monster.”
“Understood! We will move in now to neutralize it...”
“No! You’ll all be killed! Ugh...”
Shin Su-jin didn't even have time to tend to her injuries as she stopped the police.
“Rifles won't even scratch that thing... If you engage, you’ll all die. Please, just stand by for now.”
Since these words came from Shin Su-jin, a Level 30 climber who had emerged wounded, the police had no choice but to listen.
Shin Su-jin spoke into her radio.
“This is Manager Shin Su-jin. Confirmed monster appearance inside the Seoul Arts Center. One entity, and...”
BOOM!
At that moment, a massive vibration shook the building. The police jumped, aiming their weapons back at the entrance.
“Is... is the monster going on a rampage?”
The police had no way of knowing what was happening inside. Several loud explosions echoed as if the entire building were shaking. They could even hear what sounded like the roar of a beast.
Shin Su-jin stared at the building with trembling eyes before finishing her radio report.
“...An extremely powerful monster is inside the Seoul Arts Center. I suspect it is the Stage 5 Fallen mentioned in the message. Its combat power... must be assumed to be at least Level 50.”
Shin Su-jin was putting her faith in Saram123.
He had been an incredibly powerful climber even when he was clearing the 2nd floor of Nightmare difficulty. Now that he had cleared the 3rd floor, he was undoubtedly much stronger. Moreover, he possessed the ability to control such a monster.
But even so, what if he was killed by the Fallen? If the only person currently climbing Nightmare difficulty died here...
It would be an irreversible catastrophe.
‘...No.’
The thought made her dizzy. Had her judgment been clouded by her injuries? Shin Su-jin regretted coming outside just because he told her to. Instead of leaving the battle to him, she should have stopped him from fighting the Fallen. A monster like that wasn't something a person should face directly; it should be destroyed with missiles.
Just as Shin Su-jin decided to go back inside to check the situation...
“...!”
Suddenly, a black pillar erupted through the roof in the center of the building. Everyone who saw it stared at the incomprehensible phenomenon in a daze.
What on earth was that?
The black pillar vanished shortly after. Along with it, the vibrations that had threatened to collapse the building ceased, falling into a deathly silence.
Shin Su-jin stood frozen for a moment before opening her Communication Window. She was about to send a Whisper to Saram123 when a message from him arrived first.
[Saram123: It’s over.]
The moment she saw that message, the tension left Shin Su-jin’s body. He had won. Fortunately, Saram123 was even more of a monster than that terrifying creature.
‘That black pillar just now...’
What could it have been? An ability of the Fallen? Or perhaps it was one of Saram123’s skills. He was a man of many mysterious abilities.
[Saram123: The monster has been taken care of, so you can go in now.]
[Saram123: Please keep my involvement a secret this time as well.]
Shin Su-jin sent her reply.
[Lotus: I will do so.]
[Lotus: Are you injured anywhere?]
[Saram123: No. I’m fine.]
[Lotus: That is a relief.]
[Lotus: Thank you. I am always in your debt.]
The word "thank you" wasn't enough. She owed him her life once again. If he hadn't stepped up to face the Fallen, the loss of life could have been far greater.
Taking a breath after closing the Communication Window, Shin Su-jin spoke to the police.
“...I will re-enter and assess the situation.”
* * *
Shanghai, China.
CRASH! BOOM!
A man was clashing with a five-horned Fallen in the middle of the city. After a fierce exchange where neither side gave an inch, the man grabbed the Fallen by its horns and hurled it away.
Whoosh—
Fighter jets circling in the sky unleashed a barrage of missiles at the Fallen. A series of massive explosions followed. The Fallen walked out from the flames and debris, letting out a pained shriek.
At that moment, the man used a Leap skill to lunge at the Fallen again.
“Stop! Cease fire!”
The pilots, who had intended to rain down more explosives to finish it off, veered away.
The man continued his battle with the Fallen. His body was now shrouded in a red aura. Even in its battered state, the Fallen held out for a long time.
The man first tore off one of the Fallen’s mangled arms, then crushed its chest, and finally stood over the creature's back.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The man hammered his fists into its head repeatedly. The ground cracked as the Fallen’s body was driven deeper into the earth. Only after its head finally burst did the Fallen stop moving.
As the Berserk skill wore off, the man’s bloodshot eyes returned to normal. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
A moment later, vehicles approached him. Aides scrambled out of a black sedan parked among the military vehicles.
“Excellent work, Lord Wang Kai!”
The man tore off his shredded shirt and accepted a new set of clothes.
Wang Kai. A Level 52 climber on the 14th floor of Hard Difficulty. He was the record holder for Hard Difficulty and the highest-level climber in the world.
“Are you injured anywhere...”
“Can’t you see? I’m fine.”
In truth, Wang Kai was far from looking "fine," but no one dared to contradict him. Wang Kai looked up at the fighter jets in the sky and clicked his tongue.
“I could have taken it down alone without those gnats' help. Why did they even bother showing up? They should have saved the fuel money.”
“Yes, you are truly incredible!”
“Still, it was pretty tough. So this is a Stage 5 Fallen? No other climber would have been able to handle this.”
Wang Kai looked down at the Fallen’s corpse and smirked.
“Man... the world is certainly getting interesting.”