Choi Ji-won Is Too Strong (9)
Choi Ji-won Is Too Strong (9)
"Do it."
"..."
"I said, do it."
Archangel Raphael's expression didn't twist. Not right away.
His face remained the same as ever. But the smile at the corner of his lips seemed to deepen just a little.
"And what sort of reward would satisfy you?"
Knew it. That was exactly what I'd expect from someone who'd been playing the goodwill card this whole time.
Instead of going stern or getting angry, Raphael passed the baton to me as if to say, go ahead, make an offer.
I couldn't afford to screw this up. The one explaining is always in the weaker position, and the one listening holds the reins. The one proposing is the petitioner, and the one deciding is the authority.
Even if I threw out an unreasonable demand, if he brushed it off with a simple "Hmm, I'm not sure that works," the whole thing would be pointless.
In other words, I had to name an appropriate reward. Something not too excessive, but not too stingy either.
"I'll take whatever you give me."
So I just lay flat and said I'd take whatever was offered.
Standing here racking my brain over what reward would count as "appropriate" would mean letting myself get dragged along by the other party's intentions.
In a negotiation, you always have to control the pace of the conversation yourself.
"...You'll take whatever I give you?"
Archangel Raphael was, at least outwardly, maintaining a stance of goodwill toward humanity.
He couldn't just hand over some laughably trash reward and lowball me here. Not with the dignity of an Archangel on the line.
Which meant the one now agonizing over "what would be appropriate" was Archangel Raphael once again.
This counter-offer was also tinged with my own irritation at the thought of losing a battle of wills to an Archangel.
"How amusing."
I couldn't tell how much of my inner thoughts he'd read, but Raphael gave a small shrug.
Snap!
The moment he snapped his fingers, a silver ring appeared in the air, wreathed in bright light.
"Truthfully, I cannot ascertain the precise nature of your condition either, Mr. Jun-ho. My Father has placed an information restriction on it. But based on what I can see on the surface, I believe this will be the reward you need most. I can stake my honor on it."
I carefully took hold of the ring floating in the air.
"...Its stats aren't showing up."
"Is there not a certain joy in discovering things for yourself?"
"...If we factor in not knowing its function, the reward still feels lacking. I think I'd need those three Diamond Rewards we discussed earlier for this to feel sufficient."
"Very well."
My mouth said it wasn't enough, but... I could tell instinctively that wasn't the case.
The ring in my hand was steadily emitting a sacred yet refreshing energy. As Raphael had suggested, it was no ordinary item.
I silently tightened my grip on it.
"Well then... it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jun-ho."
The conversation was winding down.
Just as Raphael was about to say his farewells.
My eyes landed on the Sign Angel, trembling violently in Raphael's grip.
"...That Angel in your hand."
"Pardon?"
"What happens to them?"
"...I merely intend to administer a small punishment. A light penalty for dereliction of duty."
"..."
But the Sign Angel's violently trembling body and pallid face told me everything.
This wasn't going to end at a simple "punishment."
"Just let them go. You need a guide here anyway. And now that the City Master is gone, won't you need someone to monitor whether the rules are being followed?"
"..."
Archangel Raphael gently released the Sign Angel.
"Th-thank you!! Thank you, Climber!"
The Sign Angel's face instantly brightened as they thanked me.
"Then... once again, congratulations."
And with that strange smile.
In the time it took to blink, Archangel Raphael had vanished.
The baby angels that had filled the sky disappeared without a trace as well.
The square, which moments ago had been filled with hymns and trumpet sounds, returned to an empty silence in an instant.
"Ugh..."
"Fuck... my head..."
I could see the players around me coming to their senses, one by one.
The sacred atmosphere from moments ago was completely gone, and the square had reverted to its shabby appearance.
"..."
"Um..."
The Sign Angel, who had been cautiously watching the mood, quietly spoke to me.
"Thank you so much, truly... but why did you save me...? No, no, it's not that I'm not grateful..."
"...No reason."
I couldn't stand that Angel, but the reason I'd gone out of my way to save them was...
Because it occurred to me that Raphael was trying to pin the blame on the Sign Angel.
Angel or not, I didn't like seeing someone used as a tool by someone else.
And humanity too... the thought that we were being toyed with by God had crossed my mind.
-yo i just cleared Floor 2 and things were kinda different from what ppl posted here? there was some weird instructor and missions and stuff... are you guys climbing a different tower than me?
-heard Choi Ji-won settled things with the Angel and that changed everything.
-who's Choi Ji-won?
-unofficial world's strongest. a woman who fought Floor 2 hidden boss 1-on-1 head-on and won.
-bullshit. Michael Jeter from the US is stronger.
-i lurk on the american community too and from what i saw, Jeter got trashed by the City Master, didn't he? wouldn't that make Choi Ji-won stronger?
Three weeks since the US President acknowledged the Tower's existence.
The hottest topic across global player communities was none other than the Korean, Choi Ji-won.
-it just doesn't make sense. i got a trait too and thought i'd gotten pretty strong, but that woman is just a monster.
-you couldn't even see her sword swing... really felt the wall there.
Choi Ji-won's showdown with the City Master. There had been so many eyes watching.
She wields a sword absurdly well. Has a ponytail. Is a beautiful East Asian woman. Is Korean.
Thanks to all the aggro she'd drawn wandering the city for the "revolution," her appearance had become quite concretely known among players.
-isn't this her? looks identical?
And once a photo taken of Choi Ji-won at her father's funeral surfaced, her full identity spread like wildfire.
Choi Ji-won. Those three syllables were firmly etched into the players' minds.
-i never even considered that changing a floor's rules was possible... the idea itself is amazing.
-for real. while the rest of us were just thinking about getting better rewards, that woman was thinking about changing the system itself.
Moreover, the internet had credited Choi Ji-won with changing Floor 2's rules. From the moment the City Master began rampaging, virtually all the average players had been knocked unconscious, unable to witness the full story. Even those who did stay conscious were put to sleep by the Archangel's power, so the truth was buried.
To the point that the official story became: "Choi Ji-won, after taking a hit from the City Master, miraculously regained her senses and subdued the City Master with the last of her strength."
Given Choi Ji-won's personality, she would have actively stepped up to clear the air if such false rumors were spreading... but because Kim Jun-ho didn't want to draw aggro, she just let it be.
The aftershocks of Floor 2 didn't end there.
『 Mr. Choi: Who Is She? 』
『 [Koryo TV] There's a Korean That America Marvels At, Japan Shudders At, and China Trembles At?! 』
Players who hadn't climbed to Floor 2, or ordinary people, couldn't see the concrete details due to the information restriction, but they could at least see indirect descriptions from other players talking about how "anyway she was fucking insane."
"Wow... that young lady is really something... earning worldwide recognition..."
"Isn't our country just brimming with talent?"
So ordinary citizens were downing a heavy dose of national pride without even knowing what Choi Ji-won had actually done.
"...Should I try climbing Floor 2? Looks like if you pull enough aggro, you could rake in cash."
"...What the hell happened on Floor 2..."
While the players staying on Floor 1 were mulling over whether to head to Floor 2 after seeing Choi Ji-won in the national spotlight.
"...The real one was that man."
"Just by watching that short battle, he copied the hidden boss's technique? Is that something a human can do?"
"Choi Ji-won is important, too. But what's even more important is that man. Pay attention to that talent."
The strong ones who had endured the City Master's lightning were talking about Kim Jun-ho.
They had clearly seen with their own eyes Kim Jun-ho using the Flash Step to subdue the City Master. Choi Ji-won was one thing, but the impact Jun-ho had shown was on a completely different dimension.
Those with connections scurried off to talk about Kim Jun-ho, and those stories were passed on to other rankers...
No one knew the exact details, but rumors of "Choi Ji-won's ally with impossible talent" quietly spread among the rankers.
"Jeter. Did you hear about Floor 2?"
Enough that the big names were taking notice.
-maybe i shoulda just tried for the gold reward? it looked way too brutal so i just took the silver reward and got out.
-the angel holding the sign was cute lol they were hella nice
-fr. that bastard at the tutorial "judgment" was a piece of shit with no manners.
-Baron Licht << i think he's a hidden NPC. hides in a corner of the city, gives you a buff if you ask. effect is insane.
-did you guys see the woman who used to be the City Master? she was seriously gorgeous.
-isn't she that furry tanned assistant? i think i saw them this time.
-can normal ppl use these low-grade potions too? thinking about selling them.
"...Hmm."
After doing a full sweep of the internet communities, Floor 2 was definitely showing signs of improvement.
The "prohibition of violence" rule and the newly introduced "instructor" system were getting rave reviews.
Some were even saying that Floor 0 was essentially a basic qualification test, and that Floor 2 felt like the actual tutorial.
For latecomers aiming to climb the Tower from now on, Floor 2 would serve as a lucrative, value-packed floor where they could learn combat skills and earn rewards. Since material resources were practically unlimited, a fair number of people were planning to stay long-term and get accustomed to combat.
In the end, just as I'd originally intended, I had succeeded in overhauling the system on Floor 2. People no longer had to commit unnecessary sins just to get decent rewards.
"...I'm not regressing."
Regressing here didn't seem like a good option.
First, there was no guarantee I could repeat the exact same circumstances.
Just look at the result.
Thanks to the Archangel's massive concessions, I'd managed to completely reform Floor 2.
On top of that, I'd obtained every reward there was to get. I even received an Elixir this time as a Diamond Reward, so there were no rewards I'd missed.
In other words... looking solely at the outcome of Floor 2 operation, I had successfully achieved the result I wanted. There was no compelling need to regress.
What also worried me was Archangel Raphael.
I couldn't gauge it precisely at my level, but Archangel Raphael was such an overwhelmingly powerful being that I didn't even dare to look at him properly.
Now, imagine I regressed and then faced Raphael again.
Could I perfectly recreate my reaction from when I first met Raphael? To the point of deceiving a Transcendent?
If Raphael observed my reaction and... somehow deduced my regression?
For now, he didn't seem to know about the "regression" itself, and he'd been consistently favorable to me, but...
There was no guarantee he'd act the same way after noticing the regression.
Meaning... the option of regressing and going through Floor 2 again was scrapped.
So what I had to do was simple.
[Choi Ji-won] : The day after tomorrow, 6 PM. Does that work for you?
[Kim Jun-ho] : That works.
Waste no time and head straight up to Floor 3.
Before the world falls apart even more.