Chapter 69: 5th Floor (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: 5th Floor (7)
The world continued to burn with talk of Saram123.
[Upperhook: So is it a confirmed fact that Saram123 is Korean?]
[Nalsae: Buddy, are you really looking for "facts" on a message board?]
[BananaApple: Reminds me of those rumors a few years ago about Saram123 being a woman. That was a total troll fest.]
[Eunha: Well, at least one thing’s for sure now—he’s definitely a guy.]
[Gwangcheuseu: I’m telling you, he’s Mongolian. He cleared the Branch Towers starting from Mongolia.]
[DragonBreath: Every other tower took minutes, but Mongolia took days. Why would his own country be the slowest?]
[Wave: Maybe he cleared it late on purpose so people wouldn't realize he's Mongolian?]
[Charlotte: If he cared about that, he would've timed the other towers similarly.]
As usual, the communication channel was a chaotic mess of rumors piled atop a few scraps of known facts.
While these unproductive conversations went in circles, a video that had been posted long ago on a Korean internet community was suddenly unearthed.
[The situation at the Seoul Arts Center is insane, holy crap]
The Seoul Arts Center is a mess right now. Police are everywhere, people are coming out drenched in blood, it’s no joke. Some weird black pillar is shooting up, too...
November 12, 2028—one year ago, during the Fallen incident.
It was a short video captured by a pedestrian passing near the Seoul Arts Center. In the middle of the footage, a black pillar suddenly erupted from the center of the building. Though it was evening and the lighting was dim, the pillar was clear enough for anyone to see.
When the video was first uploaded, the reactions were mostly people claiming it was the work of a Fallen or asking if the video file was corrupted; it hadn't garnered many views at the time.
However, when combined with the current rumors surrounding Saram123, this one-minute clip caused a massive global ripple.
[Gwangso: They said Saram123 killed Wang Kai by firing something like a black beam, right...?]
[Freric: And the video just happens to be in Korea. Wow, I’ve got chills.]
[Arju: Crazy lol]
[WalnutCake: This is a slam dunk.]
[Baeksun: Saram123 really was Korean...]
The story that Wang Kai had vanished without a trace after being hit by a black beam had already spread everywhere. This video was the evidence that all but confirmed the rumors that Saram123 was Korean.
[Arrowhead: I looked into it, and apparently a Fallen appeared inside that building back then and killed a lot of people.]
[Lody: So who handled it?]
[Ashes: No idea. It just says the police and a Climber from the Korean Climbing Agency did it.]
[WineAndCheese: I’m digging through all the Korean news, but there are no more details.]
[Raindrop: But looking at the video, doesn't the context suggest Saram123 handled it?]
The communication channels and the media were in an uproar. The Korean government was also thrown into chaos. Unofficial channels and hotlines from various nations were flooded with inquiries.
The reason, of course, was Saram123. They suspected the Korean government was hiding his identity.
Wait... we’re surprised too!
Hiding Saram123? It was a bolt from the blue for the Korean government, who knew absolutely nothing.
Until the video surfaced, Korean Climbers had been trying to keep their excitement in check on the communication channels. They remembered how Japanese Climbers had made fools of themselves when rumors claimed Saram123 was Japanese, and they didn't want to suffer the same embarrassment.
But once the video made it almost certain, they could no longer hold back.
[LeftHanded: Hell yeah! Saram123 really was Korean!]
[PersimmonTree: Honestly, it’s a slam dunk.]
[CheeseBall: This level of national pride is a 100,000% lethal dose lol]
[FineDust: No, but seriously, this feels surreal. Is he really one of ours?]
[Throne: Sob It wasn't that our country didn't have a Nightmare Clearer... the greatest Nightmare Climber of all was one of us...]
[GodGodGodGodGod: Always grateful for your devotion. God, Jesus, Buddha, Saram123, let’s go!]
Saram123—the undisputed best and strongest Climber in the world, the savior of humanity—was Korean?! The urge to gloat was irresistible. The rhetoric was similar to when Japan had celebrated, but the difference this time was that the evidence was far more concrete.
Of course, as always, Saram123 issued no statement. However, the Korean government soon released an official position.
"...We are aware that many suspicions regarding the current situation are directed at our government. However, we clearly state that our government has no connection with Saram123 and has not identified any personal information regarding him."
The government had agonized over their response, but they decided to put out a statement first. Whether people believed it or not, no country dared to openly protest.
What were they going to do? Demand a more thorough explanation because they didn't believe it? Whether Saram123 was actually connected to the Korean government or not, he was a citizen of that country. Picking a fight was like poking a hornet's nest.
Nations around the world simply adopted a "Hmm... okay for now" stance while quietly keeping a suspicious eye on Korea.
[Icicle: Is the Korean government really hiding something about Saram123?]
[Sart: Looking at that Seoul Arts Center video, isn't there at least some kind of connection?]
[WangDing: Maybe not. They say Saram123 can appear and disappear instantly. Maybe he just handled the Fallen like that and left?]
[WingBeat: But is there a reason for the government to hide it if they know? Wouldn't it be more beneficial to go public?]
[Fabridbi: The country that possesses Saram123... that’s an insane diplomatic card.]
[Paris: It could be for his protection.]
[Herb: Maybe Saram123 told the government to keep their mouths shut.]
Endless chatter swirled.
Meanwhile, Japan was in the middle of negotiating contract terms with other nations regarding the Mana Vein issue. The Japanese government grew pensive as they watched the situation unfold.
Saram123’s condition for reactivating the Mana Veins was for all nations to agree to a new treaty, but negotiations weren't exactly smooth since everyone was trying to gain even a slight advantage.
But Saram123 was Korean? Korea was becoming a major concern in the negotiations.
"I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky..."
Prime Minister Yamaguchi, the new leader of Japan, sighed and muttered to himself.
Saram123 had only told the signatory nations to reach an agreement; he hadn't made any demands that specifically benefited Korea. He had cleared the Branch Towers, he held ownership of the Mana Veins—honestly, even if he demanded that Japan hand over half of their Mana Veins to Korea, Japan would have no choice but to accept.
Was Saram123 truly a neutral figure who cared only for humanity, regardless of his own nationality? Admiring that fairness once again, Prime Minister Yamaguchi pondered how to lead the remaining negotiations.
At the same time, the United States was busy. They put all their effort into confirming if Saram123 was truly Korean and how much the Korean government knew about his identity.
Analysis showed the Seoul Arts Center video wasn't AI-generated, and when cross-referenced with the testimonies of the Security Force members who witnessed Saram123—including Alex—the probability of him being Korean was over 99%.
Then, did the Korean government really not know his identity? After synthesizing all their intelligence, they concluded there was a 99% probability that they truly didn't know.
The US knew more about its allies than one might think, and they gathered a vast amount of information in real-time through their intelligence agents. If the Korean government had actually identified Saram123, there was no way the US wouldn't have caught even a hint of it.
Therefore, the final conclusion was: Saram123 is definitely Korean, and the Korean government has no idea who he is.
"We need to revise our foreign strategy immediately."
Following that, the State Department and various other agencies were a hive of activity. Even if the Korean government had no connection to Saram123, the fact remained that Saram123 was Korean. That fact alone was enough to warrant a total review of their foreign policy and strategic stance toward South Korea.
And then, there was one more person in a difficult spot.
"Section Chief Shin, do you really know nothing...?"
Shin Su-jin answered under the suspicious gaze of the Director of the Climbing Agency.
"Yes, everything I’ve told you is the truth."
The Seoul Arts Center video had become the definitive proof that Saram123 was Korean. And Shin Su-jin had been at the scene back then. Her report on the Stage 5 Fallen from a year ago was now being scrutinized in light of the current situation.
Shin Su-jin, who had no intention of revealing anything about Saram123, maintained her stance of ignorance. The Director sighed and nodded.
"I see. You may go back to your work. The higher-ups are breathing down my neck to look into what happened a year ago in more detail..."
Shin Su-jin bowed and left the Director's office. She had been genuinely shocked after the Wang Kai incident. She hadn't been there, after all.
He was a man who hid his identity so carefully, yet he had risked exposure to save the Security Force members. He was... a truly selfless person. Even if it was part of her job, the Security Force members were her colleagues. While she was grateful to Saram123 for saving them, she also felt a bit worried.
With the world buzzing so loudly about his identity, she feared he might be distressed...
* * *
"Well, shit."
I muttered an exclamation as I watched the news on TV.
— If you look at this footage, a black ray pierces through the roof of the Seoul Arts Center...
I wondered when that had even been filmed. A video of me using Destruction Ray, captured by someone with impeccable timing a year ago, had been dug up, branding my Korean nationality for the whole world to see.
"Why are you swearing all of a sudden?"
"Just because."
My younger sibling glanced at me before looking back at the TV screen.
"But seriously, this is huge. Saram123 is actually Korean..."
I added a comment. "Don't believe everything you hear. It’s no different from when the rumors said he was Japanese."
"What? No way. They say it’s for sure this time."
"There’s no official word, so who says it’s for sure?"
"...Why are you always such a buzzkill? What if it’s true?" My sibling glared at me.
What if it’s true? Well, it is.
"I should pray even harder from now on. Oppa, you should try staying home more this year, too."
"I'll think about it."
I tuned out the voice and opened the communication channel. The channel was noisy, the media was noisy. I wished they would just lose interest in me, but I suppose that’s unavoidable.
Actually, I didn't care that much. It wasn't like my nationality being revealed would cause any real problems. I had already decided to accept this much. I just had to be careful from now on.
Anyway, it was about time I headed back to the 5th Floor. I went back to my room and entered the 5th Floor immediately.
[You have entered the 5th Floor.]
Remaining in Stealth, I headed straight for Zone 3.
[95.3%]
The Zone 3 boss gauge hadn't changed since the Wang Kai incident. That made sense, as hunting in Zone 3 would have been at a total standstill since then.
Alright, let’s finish this quickly. It was time to take down the Zone 3 boss.