A Desperate Choice
User: Lee Taepyeong
Babel Tower Entry Count: 1
Granting entry commemoration trait.
Right.
A trait.
They said I'd get a trait as soon as I entered the tutorial.
There's still a chance.
If only a decent trait pops up...!
Heavenly Slaughter Star
Huh?
Heavenly Slaughter Star?
Granting skills corresponding to the trait.
Acquired Skill: Talent for Killing
"Ugh..."
The cold night wind swept across the banks of the Han River.
I stared at the flowing water, a bottle of lukewarm soju pressed to my lips.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I had cried so much that no more tears would come. Only the dry, crusty tracks remained on my cheeks.
"Sigh..."
I let out a deep sigh and looked around.
People were laughing and chatting, eating chicken, instant ramen, cola, and beer.
Under normal circumstances, I might have been sitting there too, casually enjoying a bowl of ramen.
But...
I don't even have the money to buy a single piece of chicken now.
Forget chicken. I couldn't even afford a cup of ramen.
In fact, I barely had enough change left to pay for the bus ride home.
How did things end up like this, you ask?
If you're a citizen of South Korea, you've probably heard of it at least once. Either on the news or from someone around you.
Rental fraud.
Yeah, that's the one.
A vicious scam that stabs innocent tenants in the back—no, completely shatters their lives.
I never in my wildest dreams imagined that the studio apartment I signed a lease for a few months ago was a trap set by the notorious scammer who had been plastered all over the news.
I had just been happy.
Happy that I finally had a space of my own that I could call 'home.'
For me, the meaning of 'home' was bound to be much heavier than it was for most people.
Because I grew up in an orphanage.
Life in the orphanage wasn't particularly happy, but it wasn't miserable either.
That was because, from a young age, I never wanted for anything.
If you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed.
I couldn't even begin to count how much that realization, which I stumbled upon before I even hit puberty, had helped me throughout my life.
At eighteen.
When I reached the age where I had to leave the orphanage.
I headed straight for a gosiwon.
The very first thing I bought with my independence settlement money was a drawing tablet.
I had been obsessed with manga since middle school and drew constantly, and I actually had a bit of talent. I had even landed a few freelance gigs during high school.
Drawing on that experience, I started working as a webtoon assistant.
While others went to college, dated, and traveled.
I spent my days drawing like a madman in a tiny gosiwon room that was completely cramped with just a bed and a desk.
Still, it wasn't painful.
By working part-time jobs on top of it, I could make ends meet and support myself. And I could nurture the dream of one day becoming a webtoon artist.
Above all, my creed of 'if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed' was a source of great strength.
Until I got hit by the rental fraud.
My meager savings and the loan I took out.
All of it instantly turned into debt.
I couldn't believe it.
Why did this have to happen to me?
All I wanted was a normal life.
Was even that too much to ask for?
"Heh... hehehe..."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips, making me sound like a lunatic. A couple happily eating chicken nearby turned to look at me.
"Should I just kill myself?"
The words slipped out of my mouth as I stared at the Han River.
Then, like a sign from above.
I saw a billboard on a building in the distance. It was flashing overwhelmingly bright, standing out even among the sea of signs and advertisements.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF! AND CLAIM IT!
1234-7777 || Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau
A phone number flashed beneath a spinning purple magic crystal.
"..."
Right.
If I'm going to end it.
I might as well go out with a bang.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I just saw.
"...Is this the Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau?"
The Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau.
Unofficially, it was called the Hunter Association. Since the public and the media used the term "Hunter" far more often than "Babel Tower Climber," the name stuck.
Twenty years ago, a "Tower" appeared in the middle of Seoul.
It wasn't just Seoul. It was a global phenomenon. In the capital of every nation, a massive tower piercing the stratosphere materialized.
When the United States dubbed this tower "Babel," the mysterious entity officially became known as the Babel Tower.
The US was the first to explore the Babel Tower, but the results were disastrous. The only solid conclusion they reached was that the Babel Tower was a "phantom" that did not physically exist.
Footage of a military helicopter flying straight through the Babel Tower sent shockwaves around the world.
And with it, a question arose: How on earth do you enter that tower?
The answer came soon enough.
In truth, entering the Babel Tower was surprisingly simple. Anyone, regardless of age or gender, could enter just by saying the words, "Enter Babel Tower."
The problem, however, was returning.
The average survival rate after entering the Babel Tower was a mere 8%. A brutally low probability.
As the number of people who entered the Babel Tower and vanished grew exponentially, the number of entrants naturally dwindled. Eventually, it dropped to almost zero.
Items like magic crystals obtained from inside the Babel Tower traded at exorbitant prices, meaning one could make a fortune just by entering, but...
The absolute truth of reality applied to the Babel Tower as well: you only have one life.
Thus, the shortage of Hunters became a global crisis, not just Korea's.
Some argued:
—Then why don't we just stop climbing the Babel Tower?
—It's not even real anyway.
However, after the Demonic Outbreak in North Korea, such opinions vanished entirely.
A Demonic Outbreak occurs when a floor of the Babel Tower is not cleared within a certain time limit, causing a dimensional tear to form around the tower.
That exact phenomenon occurred in the middle of Pyongyang, North Korea.
When a dimensional tear opens, otherworldly monsters and alien races that could only be seen inside the Babel Tower pour out. Furthermore, terraforming begins to take place due to the tear.
Inside the tower, no matter how weak you are, you can at least put up a final resistance using traits and skills. But outside the tower, Hunters are ultimately just human. Their traits and skills suffer from reduced efficiency, along with various other restrictions.
It is overwhelmingly more advantageous to fight inside the tower.
The entire world learned through the textbook example of North Korea that it was far better to climb the tower than to face monsters in the real world due to a Demonic Outbreak.
North Korea had banned climbing the Babel Tower from the start to eliminate destabilizing factors and maintain national unity. But when they faced the threat of terraforming after the Demonic Outbreak, they hastily begged China and Russia for help and barely managed to survive.
Since then, climbing the Babel Tower became a global imperative. Consequently, recruiting Hunters became the primary task of every nation.
While countries like the United States and Japan used patriotism and massive capital to recruit Hunters, others like China and Russia resorted to conscription.
And South Korea...
"Tsk, tsk."
At the reception desk of the Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau, two civil servants in charge of registration and guidance watched a man sitting awkwardly in the waiting room.
One of them clicked his tongue as he flipped through the registration form. The name "Lee Taepyeong" was written on it.
Twenty-five years old. To apply for Babel Tower registration at an age when he should be enjoying the prime of his youth.
"I know his situation is pitiful, but..."
The man shifted his gaze from the application form to Lee Taepyeong.
"Another suicide seeker added to the list today."
"Don't say such jinxed things. Some people do make it back alive."
"Only because there are so few of them."
At those words, the woman sitting next to him fell silent. It was the truth.
The number of active Hunters in Korea didn't even reach a hundred. The mortality rate was just that high.
Statistically, the survival rate for the tutorial was 8% in Korea, while globally it was only 4%. In Korea's case, the Management Bureau enacted policies to support tutorial entrants, which kept the survival rate relatively higher.
Other countries only started providing support to those who had already survived the tutorial—a sort of qualification test. But Korea supported even those entering the tutorial, as it was the only way to attract new recruits.
Of course, it was still a miserable figure. Even with government support, it meant 92 out of 100 people died.
"Do you think he'll survive?"
"He has to."
"Why?"
"It's just sad."
"True..."
"He's a victim of rental fraud, after all."
In South Korea, there was a Special Act on Babel Tower Climbers.
This special law contained a clause that was highly attractive to certain people: once you became an aspiring climber, any minor criminal record would be expunged, and all outstanding debts would be completely forgiven.
Initially, there was a lot of public backlash against this law. However, as the perception spread that attempting to climb the tower was essentially a death sentence, most of those complaints vanished.
It became a place where those who had nothing left to lose were forced to set foot. The mockery that they were "suicide seekers" rather than "aspiring climbers" was probably not far from the truth.
"Have you read through everything?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. Yes."
Since I didn't talk to people very often, I ended up stammering out a reply three times. But the official in front of me didn't seem to care, simply pointing to the signature line.
"As soon as you sign, you will be granted the status of an aspiring climber."
"I see..."
I swallowed hard.
The moment I signed here, I would become a suicide seek—no, an aspiring climber.
The moment I became an aspiring climber, all my debts would vanish.
But at the same time, I would be obligated to enter the tutorial.
Whether I continued climbing after completing the tutorial was up to me... but that was a story for after I managed to keep my life.
Well, didn't I come here to die anyway?
Let's go out with a bang.
It was all or nothing anyway. Either a successful suicide or a successful debt clearance.
I took the pen handed to me by the official.
And then...
Lee Taepyeong
Without any fancy signature, I wrote my name down clearly, stroke by stroke.
As soon as I put the pen down, the official took the application and checked it to make sure the signature was in order.
"Mr. Lee Taepyeong."
"Yes."
"From this moment on, you are officially granted the status of an aspiring climber."
"Understood..."
Why did I feel relieved rather than anxious? Was it thanks to my creed that if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed?
Indeed, I expected absolutely nothing.
I had no expectations of becoming the world's greatest Hunter, saving the world from the threat of Demonic Outbreaks by clearing the tower, making astronomical amounts of money, or receiving the praise of the masses.
I expected nothing at all.
"Whew..."
As I let out a soft sigh, the stiff-faced official cracked a slight smile and looked at me.
"Then, I will first guide you to the lodging where you will be staying."
"Lodging...?"
"Yes. During the three months of training to prepare for the tutorial, lodging, meals, and necessary supplies will be provided."
When I stared at him with wide eyes, the official realized his mistake and quickly added to his explanation.
"Ah, of course, it's not mandatory. If it's uncomfortable, you can stay at your own home..."
"N-No, no, no!"
"Pardon?"
"I need it. The lodging! And the meals too!"
...Being a suicide seeker might not be so bad after all.