Chapter 55: Branch Tower (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: Branch Tower (1)
After posting the strategy for the 4th floor on the community window, I spent my days constantly moving in and out of the Tower.
Because of the shop system, the 4th floor was a complex puzzle for other Nightmare clearers to solve. It was only natural; the key to conquering that floor lay in point management and maximum efficiency.
Based on the information I provided, Rhino developed various strategies and sought my advice incessantly, verifying every minute detail. Rhino was just the most prominent example; other nations were also reaching out for consultations.
As always, I gave them as much help as I could. This particular floor just happened to be exceptionally busier than the others.
As for the 5th floor, there was no rush. I could enter it whenever I felt ready.
[Time remaining until the appearance of the first Branch Tower: 5 minutes 29 seconds]
Before I knew it, a week had passed. Now, only a few minutes remained until the Branch Tower’s debut.
"I'm getting nervous..."
I was wary of what the Tower might pull this time. Would the world be plunged into chaos again, like during the Fallen incident? Honestly, I was worried that an even greater disaster was looming.
I sat at my desk, quietly watching the clock tick down.
3... 2... 1...
The moment arrived.
[The first Branch Tower is appearing.]
A series of messages flooded my vision.
[The Branch Tower consists of 10 floors.]
[Once you enter a Branch Tower, you cannot exit until the final floor is cleared.]
[If the Branch Tower is not cleared within the time limit, a 100-kilometer radius centered on the tower will be eroded by the Tower's Curse.]
[Erosion is permanent. Any human within the eroded area will die instantly from the Tower's Curse.]
[Climbers can enter the Branch Tower if they are within a 100-kilometer radius of its location.]
[First Branch Tower Time Limit: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes 55 seconds]
[Time remaining until the appearance of the second Branch Tower: 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes 55 seconds]
I calmly read through the notifications. Once I finished, my conclusion was simple.
"Sigh..."
This was driving me crazy. What kind of bullshit was the Tower pulling now?
* * *
The first Branch Tower appeared in China.
A massive black spire rose in the heart of downtown Chongqing. Its appearance was accompanied by violent earthquakes, causing significant casualties. However, the message delivered by the Tower was even more terrifying than the tremors.
[Phoenix: Erosion? Does this mean the Tower's Curse is being carved into the land itself?]
[Jupiter: It means everyone within a 100km radius is a dead man walking.]
[Turtle: If they die from the Tower's Curse, they'll probably turn into the Fallen, right?]
[NormalHuman: Wow... isn't China totally screwed?]
[Wade: Can't they just leave the radius? A week is plenty of time.]
[SteelSword: It's a 100km radius, you idiot. Do you think it's easy to evacuate millions of people in a week? Is your brain just for decoration?]
[ChargeOnHorseback: The problem is that the erosion is permanent. It’ll become a wasteland where no human can ever set foot again.]
[Song Gyeong: I live in Chongqing, and it's pure chaos. All the roads are blocked. You can't even get out by car.]
— The first Branch Tower has appeared in Chongqing, China. The Chinese government has yet to release an official statement, but Chongqing and Sichuan Province are currently in a state of total anarchy...
The world was in an uproar, but the situation inside China was far worse. Not only Chongqing, but also eastern Sichuan cities like Nanchong, Suining, and Guang'an fell within the 100km erosion zone.
A Great Exodus began. Citizens living within the predicted erosion radius and surrounding areas fled in terror. Roads were completely gridlocked, forcing many to attempt the escape on foot. Despite the desperate cries of its people, the Chinese government only issued a recommendation for an "orderly evacuation" and remained silent for a full day.
[MotherNature: I wonder who's actually going to try and clear that?]
[WalkerWacker: It says you can enter from within the radius. It has to be the Chinese climbers.]
[Ultrasound: But who would be crazy enough to go in blind? lol. They have to clear 10 floors without leaving.]
[Watanku: I'm curious about the difficulty level.]
[EggToast: If you're so curious, go in yourself.]
On the second day, as the situation grew increasingly dire, a new global message surfaced.
[The first Branch Tower has been cleared.]
The world was shocked. The Branch Tower had been conquered in record time. The identity of the hero was soon revealed.
— Wang Kai, the record holder for the highest floor in Hard Difficulty in China, has successfully cleared the first Branch Tower.
Wang Kai. The Hard Difficulty ranker and officially the highest-level climber in the world. He was the one who had stepped up to challenge the Tower.
[When a Branch Tower is cleared, the Tower's power takes root within a 100-kilometer radius, forming a Mana Vein.]
Following the clearance, another message appeared. The formation of a Mana Vein. People soon realized the staggering implications of those words.
— Large-scale Mana Stone mines have been discovered in the vicinity of the Chongqing Branch Tower. This appears to be a direct result of the Mana Vein formation...
Mana Stones began to emerge from the earth near the Branch Tower. What was even more surprising was the quality.
Lowest-grade, low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade—and even highest-grade Mana Stones. While the top-tier stones were rare, the fact that highest-grade Mana Stones, which were previously exclusive to Nightmare Difficulty, were appearing in the real world was astounding.
The Chinese government immediately designated the area as a restricted zone, blocking all civilian access.
No matter how many Mana Stones climbers brought back from the Tower, the supply could never meet the overwhelming global demand. Clear rewards were inconsistent, and the quantity was small. Furthermore, stones obtained by climbers belonged to the individuals, meaning the state had to purchase them.
Thus, a Mana Vein was a national jackpot. The Branch Tower wasn't just a threat; it was a massive "carrot" for those strong enough to take it.
[Time remaining until the appearance of the second Branch Tower: 1 day 20 hours 16 minutes 49 seconds]
While international attention shifted to China’s new wealth, no other country wanted the next tower to appear on their soil.
Wang Kai, as expected, shared nothing. What was inside the tower, the difficulty level, the mechanics—it was all kept secret. Without information, the risk of failure remained far more terrifying than the allure of a Mana Vein.
The world criticized China for its secrecy, but Beijing maintained that it was Wang Kai's personal choice and they couldn't force him to speak. It was a transparent lie. Everyone knew Wang Kai’s silence was the will of the Chinese government.
A chaotic week passed, and the timer for the second tower hit zero.
[The second Branch Tower is appearing.]
This time, it was Mongolia.
A black spire erupted in the middle of the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian government immediately begged China for help. They had no choice. Who would dare enter an unknown tower with zero information?
Furthermore, Mongolia was a developing nation in terms of the Tower. A country's pool of talented climbers usually correlated with its national power, and Mongolia's top climber was more than ten levels behind Wang Kai.
China's response to the plea was simple:
Of course, we should help. But shouldn't you pay a fitting price?
The news was soon flooded with reports of the predatory negotiations between the two governments.
* * *
Two weeks after the Branch Towers began appearing.
Wang Kai’s swift clearance of the first tower had allowed me to relax slightly.
‘I guess the difficulty isn't impossible.’
The second tower was in Mongolia—once again in Northeast Asia. Unsurprisingly, China was still gatekeeping the information, using it as leverage to make unreasonable demands of the Mongolian government.
[Second Branch Tower Time Limit: 5 days 9 hours 28 minutes 37 seconds]
I quickly made up my mind.
"Should I go clear it?"
Ever since the tower appeared in China, I had been considering stepping in if things looked bad. Since Wang Kai wasn't talking, I couldn't be sure, but I suspected there were massive personal rewards for the clearer in addition to the national Mana Vein.
Above all, seeing that Wang Kai had succeeded, I didn't think it would be suicidal. It was unlikely that another climber had cleared something that was beyond my capabilities.
Wang Kai was currently on the 15th floor of Hard Difficulty and was level 60. We were the same level.
But even at the same level... I had Time Stop. It wasn't arrogance; it was a simple fact that my specs were far beyond any other climber in existence.
Of course, the difficulty might vary between towers, but if I couldn't clear it, no one could.
With the same mindset I had when tackling Nightmare Difficulty, I decided to conquer the Branch Tower. The only problem was the entry requirement: I had to be within a 100-kilometer radius. That meant I had to go to Mongolia.
"There are no flights..."
As soon as the tower appeared in Ulaanbaatar, the Korean government had slapped a top-level travel ban on the region.
Still, I had a way. I had obtained a perfect item as a hidden reward from the 4th floor.
[Item: Top-Grade Warp Device]
A warp device utilizing the magi-tech of the Datian Empire. It is activated by charging it with Willpower; you can travel 10 meters per 1 point of Willpower. You can move to a saved point or set a specific direction. Up to one point can be saved. Travel between the inside and outside of the Tower is impossible. Activation takes 10 minutes.
Current Charge: 100 / 1,000,000
I checked the map; the distance from Seoul to Ulaanbaatar was roughly 2,000km. I could get there with this.
However, three problems came to mind.
First, the distance. What about the margin of error? I didn't think that would be a dealbreaker. The device didn't have a cooldown. If I landed in the wrong spot, I could just adjust and warp again. I’d just need a high-performance GPS. Since I only needed to get within the 100km radius, a little error was fine.
Second: what if someone saw me warping? Also easily solved. I could use Stealth before the warp triggered. Stealth only breaks when using a skill, not an item.
The final problem was the real headache.
The distance was 2,000km. The Willpower required to charge the device for that distance was 200,000.
...How long would it take to fill that?
Since my current Willpower was 2,100, I would have to empty and refill my pool nearly 100 times. That meant 100 hours of pure grinding. I had to repeat the same tedious process I used to fire the cannon for the 3rd-floor hidden route. And I’d have to do it all over again to come back.
...Well, it had to be done. I couldn't let the Mongolian capital become a graveyard just because I didn't want to do some chores.
Deciding to strike while the iron was hot, I immediately began charging the device.
A self-imposed "Hyperbolic Time Chamber" for the next 160 hours. Start.
Charge the device, stop time, refill Willpower, charge, refill...
When I went to the kitchen for a water break, my mother looked at me with concern. "Are you okay, Seohyun? You look exhausted."
"...I'm just a bit tired, Mom."
I was halfway there. I went back to my room to finish the remaining 50 hours.
Charge, refill, charge, refill, charge-refill-charge-refill...
Current Charge: 210,100 / 1,000,000
"...Phew."
Finally, it was ready. I changed my clothes and prepared to leave.
‘Should I write a will?’
Honestly, I didn't expect to fail... but just in case, I wrote one, just as I had for Nightmare Difficulty.
"I'm heading out!"
"Where are you going?"
"Meeting a friend. I might be back late."
I went to an electronics store, bought a high-end GPS device, and learned the basics of how to operate it. My preparations were complete.
[Would you like to save your current location as a point?]
I rented a motel room and saved the location. Then, using a map and a compass app, I aimed northwest toward Ulaanbaatar.
I activated the warp device and waited for the ten-minute countdown.
[0:05]
"Let's go."
Just before the timer hit zero, I activated Stealth. As the warp triggered, the space before my eyes distorted and folded.
The Mongolian Branch Tower.
I was coming to tear it down.