Chapter 67: 5th Floor (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: 5th Floor (5)
Hyun stood his ground, blocking Wang Kai’s path.
Alex couldn’t fathom where he had suddenly appeared from. No... more importantly, had he just blocked Wang Kai’s attack? How?
“Stop this. Are you really going to kill all these people?” Hyun asked.
Alex, lost in a daze of confusion and doubt, suddenly snapped to his senses.
‘Could it be?’
Wang Kai seemed to realize it as well, shouting out, “You... is it you? No way.”
“...”
“Saram123! It’s you, isn’t it?! It has to be!”
A powerhouse capable of blocking Wang Kai’s strike, yet belonging to neither the Security Force nor the Black Star Society—an unidentified figure. Who else could it be but Saram123?
Hyun did not deny Wang Kai’s words.
It was beyond anything they had imagined. To think that the young man they had briefly encountered at the restaurant was actually Saram123.
The Climbers from both the Security Force and the Black Star Society began to buzz with excitement, momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation. The savior of humanity, a mysterious figure who had remained shrouded in secrecy until now, had finally revealed himself in public.
Suddenly, Wang Kai lunged at Saram123.
“...!”
Saram123 parried and dodged Wang Kai’s strikes, being pushed back slightly. After a brief exchange of blows, the two came to a halt.
“...Why are you attacking me?”
“Hey.” Wang Kai let out a manic laugh. “I’ve really, really wanted to meet you, you know? You cute little bastard. I finally got my wish today. Wow.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about... but why don’t you just stop?”
“Stop? Stop what?”
“Trying to kill Alex and the people from the Security Force. I don’t know why you’re fighting, but you’ve already won.”
Saram123 was trying to protect the Security Force. The members of the Security Force, including Alex, watched his back with bated breath.
“Oh? You want me to stop?”
“...”
“Then get on your knees and grovel. Then I’ll stop.”
In response to Saram123’s mediation, Wang Kai began to spew more madness.
“Well? If the savior of humanity himself grovels before me, of course I should stop. Don’t you think?!”
Wang Kai and the Black Star Society Climbers burst into laughter.
Alex couldn’t understand what those lunatics were doing. This was Saram123—the savior of humanity who had saved the world multiple times. Setting everything else aside... did it make any sense to threaten and mock him like this?
“Stop joking around.”
“I’m not joking. Get on your knees and ask me politely.”
“...And if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll kill every last one of them. Oh, don’t worry about yourself—I’ll just rough you up enough so you don’t quite die.”
Saram123 let out a sigh.
“I’ll say this one last time, Wang Kai. Stop here. This is your final warning.”
“A warning? Ooh, I’m shaking. And what happens if I ignore it?”
“You’ll die.”
“...”
“I don’t have the confidence to just ‘subdue’ someone like you. Let’s end this here so no one else dies. It’s not that hard.”
At Saram123’s words, Wang Kai’s expression twisted into a hideous scowl.
Alex’s heart raced with urgency. He was grateful that Saram123 was blocking Wang Kai to save the Security Force, but his opponent was a madman. That kind of provocation was dangerous.
Judging by the brief clash earlier, Wang Kai still seemed to have the upper hand in terms of level. If they truly fought, Saram123 would be in danger.
“...I’ve been listening to you, and your bullshit just never ends. Fine, don’t kneel. I’ll just break both your legs myself and make you.”
Lust for blood radiated from Wang Kai.
This was dangerous! Was that lunatic really going to try and kill the savior of humanity?
Just as Alex spat out the blood pooling in his throat and tried to scream—
“Don’t—!”
Darkness enveloped Wang Kai.
Without a single omen, without a single sound. Wang Kai simply vanished.
“...”
Huh?
Alex couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Neither could the watching Security Force or the Black Star Society.
Saram123 merely stood there with a frown, letting out a sigh.
‘...A skill?’
It didn’t look like he had used an item. Then it was a skill? That just now? It definitely wasn’t a Physical-type. It was Magic-type.
But Saram123 hadn’t used Mental Focus just now...? No, more than that, how could such an absurd skill even exist?
Nothing made sense. The only reality that had unfolded before their eyes was that Wang Kai had been annihilated, leaving not a single speck of dust behind.
“Is there anyone else who wants to keep fighting?” Saram123 asked.
He looked back and forth between the Security Force and the Black Star Society. One of the officers from the Security Force, who had been standing with his mouth agape in shock, stepped forward to answer.
“Uh, no. No one.”
The Black Star Society’s side was even more dazed than the Security Force. After all, their leader, Wang Kai, had vanished into thin air. If a corpse had remained, they might have been able to accept his death, but he had simply been erased in the blink of an eye.
“W-what... what did you do to Lord Wang Kai...?”
Saram123 informed them, driving the point home.
“He’s dead.”
“...”
“I had no choice. I told him to stop several times and gave him warnings.”
The Black Star Society Climbers wanted to deny reality. Wang Kai, the world’s top Climber and the pride of the continent—the man who had easily beaten down even Alex of the US, who was considered his only rival...
He had just died like this?
Saram123 hadn’t even lifted a finger. He had simply erased Wang Kai as if he were swatting a bug. That impossible gap in power was an incomprehensible shock to them.
“Everyone, please head back now.”
With those words, Saram123 vanished. Just as he had suddenly appeared, he was gone in an instant.
“...”
The situation ended just like that. It seemed Saram123 had truly left.
The Climbers of the Security Force were the first to snap out of it and began moving. They gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades and prepared to return to Zone 0.
“Let’s go, Commander.”
An officer stepped forward to support the heavily injured Alex. Alex stared blankly at the spot where Saram123 had disappeared before staggering forward with the officer’s help.
“Is Jay... cough! Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s in better shape than you are, Commander.”
The officer who had been sent flying after blocking Wang Kai’s attack earlier was, fortunately, not in critical condition.
The members of the Security Force were all in a state of disbelief. Saram123 had appeared. Wang Kai was dead. Shocking events had occurred and concluded before they even had time to process them.
“...What’s going to happen now?” the officer muttered.
Alex had no way of knowing. Since Wang Kai had died at the hands of Saram123... what would happen from here on out? It was an unprecedented situation. The world was going to be turned upside down.
“Saram... cough, wheeze!”
“D-don’t try to speak. Are you alright?”
Alex nodded weakly. Whatever the case, Alex was truly grateful to Saram123. It was no different than him having saved the lives of every member of the Security Force present.
Meanwhile, the Black Star Society Climbers remained frozen as they watched the Security Force depart.
“...We’re heading back,” an officer of the Black Star Society finally managed to issue an order.
In a somber atmosphere, like defeated soldiers who had lost their general, the Black Star Society Climbers also began to move.
* * *
I watched the Climbers split up and leave while remaining in Stealth.
‘Sigh...’
I’d gone and done it. Was this the first time I’d killed a person in reality? Come to think of it, it was.
I didn’t particularly regret my actions. He was an opponent whose physical abilities were stronger than mine, and I didn’t know what other skills he might have had. There was no reason for me to take risks by trying to fight him moderately with the intention of not killing him. He wasn’t the kind of person who deserved that kind of consideration anyway.
More importantly, I ended up revealing myself in front of people. If I hadn’t stepped in, Wang Kai might have actually killed everyone in the Security Force, so it couldn’t be helped... but if I’d known this would happen, I should have at least carried a mask around.
‘...It’ll be fine, I guess.’
Only a few dozen people saw me. It was impossible for them to pinpoint exactly who I was just by seeing my face for a moment. It wasn’t like I had my photo or a video taken. At most, it would just be known that I’m East Asian... or Korean. I can live with that.
I brushed off the worry. However, I wasn’t sure what kind of fallout would come from killing Wang Kai.
‘Will China hate me?’
Let them. I don’t think I went overboard. By killing just Wang Kai, no one else had to die, so I handled it well enough in my own way. Whether China complains or not, I can just ignore them, so that’s one less thing to worry about.
Still, I felt a slight bit of guilt. Not because I had committed murder, but because Wang Kai was also someone who, like me, was climbing the Tower at the front lines to extend humanity’s time limit. And I had killed him. From humanity’s perspective as a whole, it was a loss.
...Should I post a short statement on the Communication Channel? Since it was my doing. I’ll have to see how things play out first.
I didn’t feel like hunting anymore today, so I decided to head back as well. I guess I’ll be all over the news again for a while.
* * *
Some time after Wang Kai’s death in Zone 3, strange stories began to circulate on the Climber Communication Channel.
[FieldMouse: Wang Kai was killed by Saram123? What are you talking about?]
[Diter: I don’t know. Where did this story come from?]
[Starfish: What kind of nonsense is this now?]
The rumor that Wang Kai, the record holder for Hard Difficulty and the highest-level Climber in the world, had been killed by Saram123 on the 5th Floor spread like wildfire.
At first, people dismissed it as a hoax. Since Climbers from all over the world were gathered, the Communication Channel was a place where all sorts of nonsense, rumors, and bait were posted countless times a day.
Besides, it had to be somewhat believable. Saram123, who had kept his identity strictly hidden until now, suddenly appeared on the 5th Floor? And why would he suddenly kill Wang Kai? What connection did they even have?
However, the rumors quickly spread with specific details.
[Mine: I heard the Security Force and the Black Star Society got into a real fight on the 5th Floor, and Saram123 appeared to break it up...?]
[Ferocious: They say Wang Kai tried to kill Saram123 and got killed instead.]
[Sensory: What is all this? Is it for real?]
[FeltTip: It seems true that the Security Force and Black Star Society fought... I saw the Security Force members returning to Zone 0 carrying corpses.]
[CokeAndChips: I just heard it directly from a friend in the Security Force, and it’s true. Saram123 really showed up.]
[Ruiba: I heard it wasn’t even a fight. He killed him without lifting a finger.]
[Griffin: What... does that even make sense? Wang Kai was Level 60, for God’s sake.]
[SwordMaster: There’s talk that he used a Magic-type skill instantly...]
[Lightning: Is there any word from the Chinese side yet?]
The rumors spread uncontrollably.
[Pasta: Saram123 is Korean?]
[NorthPole: Is it true he’s Korean? Someone fact-check this, quick.]
[Cyborg: For now, it seems certain he’s East Asian and a young man.]
[Siren: They say his face looked like he was from Northeast Asia.]
[Vaccine: Seeing as he killed Wang Kai, he’s probably not Chinese, and he’s probably not Japanese since he blocked the Mana Vein, right?]
[Lucifer: Then Korea is the most likely candidate.]
[Rolling: Wow... is information finally being revealed? I can’t believe this day has come.]
[Arrow: I’m just amazed that Saram123 was actually a real human being existing in reality.]
[Radiation: But what’s this about Wang Kai trying to kill Saram123? Did he really do something that stupid?]
[Music: There were always a lot of rumors that he was a psycho.]
[PeanutToast: He’s a lunatic; if that’s true, the world almost went to hell.]
[Latin: If this is true, shouldn’t China be turned upside down?]
[TheLast: China is already upside down. Because Wang Kai is dead.]
As information about Saram123, which had been completely unknown until now, began to trickle out bit by bit... the world began to stir with excitement.