Chapter 7: Information Sharing (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7: Information Sharing (2)
[Saram123: This is the strategy guide for the Nightmare 1st Floor. Upon entry, you start in a cavernous area, much like the other difficulties. You are provided with a single longsword as a weapon. If you wait, three Goblins will emerge simultaneously from a straight passage ahead. Two are armed with longswords, and one carries a spear. Once you defeat all three, the next wave appears. I’m not sure if the next wave spawns immediately upon the death of the first three or if it’s based on a set timer. The second wave consists of three Goblins armed with a sword, a sword and shield, and a bow, respectively. In my subjective opinion, the Goblins don't seem to favor coordinated attacks and tend to just charge blindly. I took advantage of this by using hit-and-run tactics to take them down one by one. However, in the case of the Spear Goblin and Archer Goblin...]
.
.
.
After posting the information, I headed to school.
I had listed the details as clearly as possible while keeping my subjective opinions to a minimum. It wasn't as if I were some elite combat strategist. Experts would likely analyze the data and devise far more efficient ways to deal with the Goblins anyway.
When I checked back later, the Communication Channel was in an absolute uproar.
[Retriever: Is this post for real? I can’t believe it.]
[Patrock: Compared to Hard difficulty, this is on a whole different level...]
[Light: There’s a boss mob? On the 1st floor?]
I was scrolling through the reactions when I noticed something I’d missed earlier.
[Whisper (1,653)]
The whisper notification icon was buried under a mountain of messages in the corner of the Communication Channel.
Did this thing always have a feature like this?
When I opened it, the messages stretched on endlessly, like an inbox that hadn't been checked in years. Most were just people saying hello, thanking me, asking what my level was, or inquiring about the rewards.
Among them, a few stood out.
[Lucas: Greetings, Saram123. I am Director Van Baker of the US Tower Climbing Management Bureau. First, I would like to express my gratitude for the information you provided. The reason I am whispering to you is none other than...]
[Seongcheon: Greetings, Saram123. I am the official in charge of climbing oversight for the People's Republic of China. Thank you for selflessly disclosing the information on the Nightmare 1st Floor. I am contacting you to relay a message on behalf of the Chairman...]
[Podrick: Hello, Saram123. I am from Russia...]
There were requests for contact from global superpowers and even one from the South Korea Special Climbing Agency.
Yeah, not interested.
I ignored them all and closed the Communication Channel.
I had given them the information; I just hoped they would use it to prepare for the 1st floor.
I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes, thinking about the future.
Other people would work hard in their own way, and it would be great if more Nightmare Clearers emerged. But I couldn't afford to be complacent.
In the end, someone would have to clear the Nightmare 2nd Floor within a year.
What if I ended up in a situation where I had to do it again?
I would have no choice. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want the world to end.
"I'll just have to do it. What else can I do?"
In the Tower, it was possible to re-enter and repeatedly clear floors you had already conquered. The reward for repeated clears was only Mana Stones, which served as the primary source of income for Climbers.
I didn't care about Mana Stones. However, a specific message had appeared after I successfully cleared the 1st floor.
"It said a Hidden Route had been opened..."
But no matter how much I searched the internet, no information about a Hidden Route came up. It was likely related to the first-clear reward.
For other difficulties, the first-clear rewards were usually Skill Stones or items; there was no mention of anything like a Hidden Route.
I had no choice but to enter the 1st floor again and check for myself.
It wasn't particularly dangerous. You could exit a cleared floor at any time, even if you hadn't finished the run.
Besides, I had grown stronger. My physical abilities had surpassed human limits, and I had even obtained a skill. I already knew exactly what would spawn and how to react.
Compared to my first try, where I had to roll through the dirt just to survive, this would be a walk in the park.
I should probably head back into the 1st floor soon.
* * *
A few more days passed without anything out of the ordinary.
"Hey, I actually became a Climber."
While having lunch with friends after a lecture, one of them suddenly blurted out the unexpected news.
"What are you talking about?"
"Seriously. I'm not joking."
Sang-cheol’s face was dead serious. He didn't look like he was kidding.
As if it wasn't enough that I was one, now my friend had become a Climber too? Was I cursed or something?
While the other friends sat there stunned, I asked, "What difficulty?"
"Easy difficulty. I'm actually thinking about it. I might take a leave of absence next year and try challenging the Tower."
Another friend tried to stop him. "You crazy bastard, do you want to die?"
"I won't die. They say Easy difficulty is a piece of cake. The survival rate for the 1st floor is over 98%."
Sang-cheol’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"I looked into it, and the annual income from the Mana Stones you get just by clearing the 1st floor makes a six-figure salary look like a joke. Plus, if you become a Climber, you're exempt from military service, and there are all sorts of other benefits."
"No, aren't you going to be a doctor? You worked so hard to get into this school."
"That's why I'm thinking about it. But it'll take forever for us to become doctors. If you include the military, it'll be about seven years until graduation... When I thought about it, this path didn't seem so bad either."
"Hey, but the future in that field is still uncertain. And damn, if 2% means your life is on the line, is that really a low probability?"
Though he said he was still weighing his options, Sang-cheol looked like he had already half-decided.
I also voiced my concern. "If you're going to do it, be careful. Have you looked into climbing training facilities?"
"Yeah, I checked them all out. They say if you go there, you learn stuff like swordsmanship."
My friends all said he was crazy, but as for me... I wasn't so sure. The world had become a place where no one knew what the future would hold even a year from now.
Even so, I was still attending school.
[Rhino: Greetings, Saram123. I am Max, in charge of training the climbing team at the US Tower Climbing Management Bureau. I am contacting you because there is something I would very much like to seek your advice on regarding the information you shared.]
When I returned home and looked through the Communication Channel, I saw that whisper. It wasn't from that Director who had messaged me several times.
Reading it, it wasn't a proposal to talk or an offer to bribe me. It was purely a request for advice regarding the strategy information.
[Rhino: Based on the information you provided, we are currently planning to train members on a large scale to clear the Nightmare difficulty. If we don't, the world will face the threat of apocalypse again in a year. They will stand on the front lines of the Nightmare difficulty clear solely for the sake of humanity. I believe you readily provided the information for the Nightmare 1st Floor without asking for anything in return because we are looking in the same direction. If we could have a conversation...]
Training members on a large scale to clear Nightmare?
Yes, this was it.
If it was something like this, there was no reason I couldn't answer. I welcomed it.
I sent a reply.
* * *
"So, what do you think? How much potential do they have?"
At the headquarters of the US Tower Climbing Management Bureau, Director Van posed the question.
Max poured himself a coffee before speaking.
"Director."
"Yes?"
"Imagine I have to storm a building full of rebels armed with rifles, all by myself, with nothing but a single pistol. Through the front door. And I can't retreat because these bastards are threatening to flip a nuclear switch and blow everything up."
"..."
"Potential? That's buried deep underground right now. It's almost laughable to even discuss it. We're just doing it because we have to."
"Is it that bad? Even with the best preparation possible?"
Max shook his head. He still doesn't get it.
"It is that bad. It's not a matter of preparation. I'm starting to seriously doubt if the person who cleared this without any intel is even human."
Nightmare 1st Floor.
The information shared on the Climber Communication Channel could be summarized as follows:
First, face two Sword Goblins and one Spear Goblin simultaneously.
Immediately after, face one Sword Goblin, one Shield Goblin, and one Archer Goblin simultaneously.
When the stone gate begins to close, finish the battle and escape through the passage.
In the passage, a giant iron sphere will roll toward you; run forward and dodge by entering a niche in the wall.
Continuing forward, the final boss, a Knight Goblin, appears. Its physical strength far exceeds a human's, and it is armed in full plate armor.
Watch out for a surprise attack from a Crossbow Goblin that suddenly appears during or after the fight with the Knight Goblin.
All of this must be done bare-bodied, with only a single sword. There is no way to treat injuries in the middle of the trial.
...How the hell did he do it? Does that even make sense?
Reality wasn't a movie. A Climber challenging the 1st floor was nothing more than an ordinary person with no abilities yet. No matter how talented someone was, facing three Goblins armed with cold weapons at once on flat ground was suicide.
Let's say they somehow defeated all six. Let's say they could prepare for the stone gate or the rolling ball if they knew about them in advance.
But the last part—a Knight Goblin? They had to defeat a monster stronger than a human, covered in plate armor? While also worrying about bolts flying out of the shadows?
It was complete bullshit. There was a reason tens of thousands of people had died.
But nevertheless, his assigned mission was to somehow train members who could fulfill those insane conditions...
It was a matter the government had staked its life on. No one wanted to experience the helplessness of the recent Day of Ruin again.
Max—a former Delta Force member, a veteran CQC instructor, a Climber who had cleared up to the 3rd floor of Hard difficulty, and originally the instructor for Hard 1st Floor—took charge as the head instructor for this Nightmare Member Cultivation Project.
The recruitment of Nightmare Climbers had already begun across the US. Extraordinary conditions were offered. They would be thoroughly refined and polished before being sent into the jaws of death.
He questioned what the survival rate would be, but if it was a necessary sacrifice for the survival of humanity, there was no other choice.
"But didn't you say you got in touch with him?"
"Yes."
"...Is there any way to get more active help besides just advice?"
At Director Van’s subtle question, Max clicked his tongue.
"Tell the higher-ups and yourself not to do anything stupid. I'm worried that if you keep pestering him, he'll cut off contact with me too."
Max thought about the man.
Saram123.
Currently the only clearer of the Nightmare 1st Floor.
He knew Director Van had repeatedly tried to initiate a conversation but was ignored. He had reached out just once, hoping to get detailed advice regarding the posted information, and surprisingly, a reply actually came.
[Saram123: Hello. What are you curious about?]
They had a productive conversation, asking various questions and exchanging opinions. Of course, there was no way to be certain the information was true, but then again, there was nothing else they could rely on.
Max felt like he knew what kind of person he was.
At the very least, he is someone who cares about humanity.
His actions, starting from disclosing all the information on the Nightmare 1st Floor without asking for anything in return, suggested as much. The fact that he rejected all of Director Van’s attempts at conversation while actively replying to requests for strategy advice pointed to that as well.
He was likely an unregistered Climber who had no intention of revealing his identity. But it was clear that he, too, wanted more Nightmare Clearers to emerge.
In that case, Max just had to do his best to produce results.
"Please leave now. I'm busy."
"Hmph, I can't tell who the Director is here. Anyway, I'm counting on you."
Van grumbled as he left.
Max finished his coffee and organized the cluttered documents on his desk. It felt daunting, but there was one thing he was looking forward to.
Among the Nightmare Climbers who had recently received the Tower's call after the 1st floor was cleared, there was one who had applied for the project faster than anyone else.
It was someone Max knew. A comrade he had rolled through battlefields with during his time in the military. He was also the most monstrous human Max had ever seen in his life.
As a Delta operator, he had achieved so many legendary feats that his nickname was the "God of War."
"If it's him, it might actually be possible."
To produce as many Nightmare 1st Floor Clearers as possible—Max intended to do his absolute best in his assigned role. For the sake of the world, and to establish this country as the leader in clearing the Nightmare difficulty.
* * *
Saturday, dawn.
I had gone to bed early yesterday and woke up at the crack of dawn. I stretched to wake up my mind. This time, when my family was all asleep, was the optimal time.
[Would you like to enter the Nightmare difficulty 1st Floor?]
"Shall we go?"
Time for a repeat clear.
I was curious to see just how much easier it would be to deal with the Goblins in my current state.