Chapter 72: Struggle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: Struggle
A private training hall within the headquarters of the US Tower Management Bureau.
Taylor, having finalized her preparations for the 4th Floor, was performing a final check of her condition. Liam, the Bureau’s new Director, watched her intently alongside Max and several other high-ranking staff members.
Historically, the United States had always been the first to follow in Saram123’s footsteps when challenging Nightmare difficulty, but the order had shifted this year. For reasons unknown, China had challenged and successfully cleared the 4th Floor at an incredibly rapid pace.
Perhaps it was a calculated move to pressure the US, but Taylor was not easily rattled. She refused to let the ticking clock dictate her pace, preparing thoroughly according to her original plan.
However, Director Liam couldn't help but feel more anxious than usual. He trusted Taylor’s capabilities—she had already conquered three floors of Nightmare difficulty—but the 4th Floor was not a place where skill alone determined the outcome.
How long can we keep following him?
Whether it was the US or China, would the other Nightmare Climbers be able to follow in that man’s footsteps forever? Even if he continued to post his strategy guides, the gap was widening.
At first, the US aimed to be at the forefront of the Nightmare difficulty. Then, the goal shifted to simply following closely behind Saram123... Now, Liam was starting to feel skeptical even about that.
The events on the 5th Floor had revealed just how vast the chasm was between Saram123 and every other Climber. There was a proverb in South Korea, the country where the man likely resided: If a crow-tit tries to keep up with a stork, it’ll only end up tearing its legs apart.
If this was the state of things starting from the 4th Floor, what would the remaining floors be like?
If Saram123 had revealed himself publicly, the US would have invested every resource into him, placing the weight of their hopes on his shoulders. But Saram123 remained a ghost. He had only revealed his identity once out of necessity during the conflict between the Security Force and the Black Star Society on the 5th Floor.
It was an incident that proved his noble character—exposing his long-hidden identity just to save lives—but it was regrettable that he hadn't shown so much as a shadow of himself since defeating the Zone 3 boss.
Of course, even if they had managed to contact Saram123 again on the 5th Floor, there was no way to support him. The mechanism for transferring items in and out of the 5th Floor was extremely complicated. Items brought from outside the Tower could only be taken back out by the person who brought them in. In short, it was impossible to transfer external items to another person.
This meant that even if they met Saram123, they couldn't give him Skill Stones or any other resources while on the 5th Floor—not unless they met him in person in the real world.
...Regardless, these weren't the thoughts a Director of the Bureau should be having. Right now, Taylor, the pride of America’s Climbers, was about to risk her life for her fourth challenge.
Liam offered a silent apology to Taylor. It was disrespectful to view her as a mere substitute for Saram123.
"I wish you good fortune, Taylor. America will not forget your dedication."
Receiving the salutes of the staff, Taylor took one last deep breath and entered the Tower.
Fortunately, the number of people in the Nightmare Communication Channel did not decrease that day. Following China’s lead, the United States successfully cleared the 4th Floor of the Nightmare difficulty.
* * *
Time truly flies.
The deadline for the Nightmare conquest had broken past the 60-day mark, leaving less than two months on the clock. That meant I had about a month left before my own challenge.
I spent most of my time hunting in Zone 4. I had already decided to give up on facing the Zone 4 boss before challenging the 6th Floor. Based on my hunting experience, I had sized it up; looking at my current progress, it was too much of a stretch. I would have to deal with the Zone 4 boss after clearing the 6th Floor.
It was a bit disappointing, but it was uncertain if I could even take down a boss twenty levels higher than me anyway. It could be dangerous if things went sideways.
I didn't forget to build affinity with Diul and kept up with my regular night walks on the 2nd Floor. Of course, I didn't neglect my daily life outside of the Tower either.
If I were to ask myself if I had spent this past year productively... I suppose so. I was always trying to make it so.
As time passed, various events, both big and small, occurred in the world, and things changed rapidly. Looking at the recent hot issues, there was the successful development of a pollution-free cooler using byproducts from the Ice Spirits, the monsters of the 4th Floor. The agreement between Japan and the treaty nations regarding the Mana Veins ended successfully, and I had reactivated the Mana Vein in Sendai.
Also, following China, the US had successfully cleared the 4th Floor of the Nightmare difficulty. A new Nightmare Climber from Spain was drawing attention as a "super rookie" after successfully climbing three floors in rapid succession earlier this year and was now preparing to challenge the 4th Floor...
And then there was the news I was watching right now.
—This is the news that UniverseZ’s first manned Mars explorer from the US has successfully landed on Mars after a flight of approximately three months. Human history is being rewritten as we expand beyond Earth to Mars...
The news screen showed a low-resolution video of the rocket landing on the Martian surface.
UniverseZ. Villon’s world-renowned private space exploration company. There had been plenty of reports about research into improving spacecraft using Mana Stone energy and the significant breakthroughs being made... and now, the news of a successful manned mission to Mars was finally breaking. It was truly something to celebrate.
[Saram123: I saw the news. Congratulations.]
I sent a message to Villon through the communication window. A reply came back immediately.
[Chicken Sandwich: Thank you. More than anything, Mr. Kim, your help was significant. Thanks to the Highest-Grade Magic Stones you provided, we were able to proceed with the research more aggressively. I should be the one thanking you.]
[Chicken Sandwich: Without the power of the Mana Stones, it would have taken at least six months to reach Mars, but we were able to shorten that drastically. To explain the principles a bit more...]
It was good to hear that I was of help. Villon seemed to be in high spirits as he began a long-winded explanation of principles I wouldn't understand even if he told me. I wasn't a humanities major, but there was no way I’d grasp the physics he was talking about. I just gave him appropriate responses.
[Saram123: But didn't you say the Highest-Grade Magic Stones I gave you shouldn't be discovered by the government?]
[Chicken Sandwich: The research was conducted privately. And of course, the Mana Stones used in the spacecraft were officially purchased by the company, so you don't have to worry.]
...If it was private, did he build a secret research facility on some remote island? Since he was the richest man in the world, it didn't seem impossible. I was just worried he might get into trouble, but if he said it was fine, then it was fine.
After some more conversation, Villon spoke.
[Chicken Sandwich: I'm planning to visit Korea soon. How about we meet face-to-face for the first time in a while?]
A proposal to meet in person. When I was receiving Skill Stones, I only met Villon the first few times; after that, his representative always delivered them. It had been a few years.
[Saram123: Sounds good.]
I didn't see a reason to refuse. Villon was now a partner I could trust completely. Since we always talked through the communication window, I wanted to see his face and have a proper conversation for once.
[Chicken Sandwich: Then shall we meet as we did before? I would love to treat you to a proper meal in a nice setting, Mr. Kim... but I understand that might be difficult.]
I thought about Villon’s words for a moment before replying.
[Saram123: That sounds fine to me. If you pick a place, I'll find my way there.]
I had Stealth, and I had Warp Teleportation. I had quite a few tricks up my sleeve now. Finding my way to where Villon was without being noticed by anyone was easy enough.
* * *
On the day of the appointment, I left my house to meet Villon. He had chosen a suite in a famous five-star hotel as the location. It was a bit overwhelming, but I was the one who agreed to go.
After arriving near the hotel, I entered while using Stealth. Following Villon’s instructions, I found the room and used Teleportation right in front of the door.
“...!”
As soon as I teleported into the room, my Stealth deactivated. The two men in the room flinched in surprise when they saw me, despite my warning not to be startled if I suddenly appeared.
It was Villon and his secretary, Ellen.
“Mr. Kim!”
Villon soon approached me with a bright smile and opened his arms. It was a warm welcome. I shared a light hug with him and then shook hands with Ellen, who was also smiling.
“It is an honor to formally meet you. I am Ellen, Mr. Villon’s secretary.”
She was the one who had been diligently relaying Villon’s words through the communication window whenever we spoke.
In one corner of the room, which was so large it felt vast, a luxurious spread of food was already laid out. This didn't feel like a hotel room; it felt like the living room of a grand mansion. I took off my coat, washed my hands, and sat down with Villon.
“You must be hungry. Please, help yourself.”
“Yes, then... thank you for the meal.”
I hadn't eaten dinner, so I was hungry. The table was filled with delicacies. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that food from every corner of the globe was gathered there. When I said I’d eat anything, did he really prepare everything?
I started by eating the familiar foods rather than the exotic ones.
“Is it to your taste?”
“It melts in my mouth.”
I talked with Villon as I ate. I heard more details about the Mars exploration from him, and I shared some of my recent updates as well.
“...I’ve been hunting hard in Zone 4, but it looks like I won't be able to fill the gauge before entering the 6th Floor.”
“I see. I hope you don't push yourself too hard.”
I also drank some of the wine Villon had prepared, which he claimed was a rare vintage. As we talked, the somewhat stiff atmosphere quickly became comfortable.
“You’ll be challenging the 6th Floor in a month.”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve always been curious, Mr. Kim. With what kind of mindset did you first enter the 1st Floor?”
Villon suddenly asked that question. I thought for a moment before answering.
“It was just... like clutching at straws. There were only a few hours left, no one had succeeded, and the world was about to end.”
“Even so, an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to challenge it. They would have just hoped that someone would succeed within those final hours.”
True, I had felt that way too. But why did I end up challenging it in the end? Now, I couldn't quite remember what I was thinking back then. Did I instinctively feel that no one else would succeed?
Regardless, looking back, it turned out to be the best choice... and it completely changed both the world and my life. I was living a truly strange life now. I felt it once again.
“Mr. Kim, you are truly a remarkable person. Humanity, including myself, owes you a great debt. A debt that can never be repaid.”
“It wasn't that big of a deal. Someone had to do it anyway. It just happened to be me.”
Villon smiled and asked another question.
“What is your dream, Mr. Kim?”
“...My dream?”
There was only one.
“To climb to the top floor of the Nightmare difficulty.”
I didn't know if doing so would completely remove the Tower’s time limit. But for now, I had no choice but to believe that it was the only way for the world to be safe.
Villon spoke.
“My dream is the multi-planetary colonization of human civilization. To expand our reach beyond Earth and into space, thereby increasing the survival chances of the human species. And that beginning will be Mars. Now that there is the massive threat of the Tower, another crucial reason has been added. If humanity leaves Earth, will the Tower’s curse affect Mars as well? Or will another Tower rise on Mars to follow humanity, just like the one in the Pacific?”
...I wondered about that too. What would happen? Would the Tower, which wielded power akin to omnipotence, let humanity go so easily?
But Villon’s idea was certainly worth a try. We had to struggle, no matter what.
“Once the manned Mars exploration is safely concluded, I plan to put all my effort into executing the plan for human migration to Mars. While you are saving humanity, Mr. Kim, I intend to do everything I can as well. Against that atrocious Tower, shouldn't humanity do its best to struggle, no matter what?”
I laughed because Villon had put my exact thoughts into words.
“We have to struggle. Until the very end.”
Because no one wants to die. And no one wants to live in a world where 99% of humanity has turned into monsters.
Villon and I smiled at each other and clinked our glasses.
< Struggle > - End