WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 109

──────

Coup (2)

News about the North Korean climber on Floor 5 kept coming out.

A North Korean climber who wanted to defect to South Korea had fled to Floor 5, and North Korea was demanding the Peacekeeping Corps hand the climber over.

Reports said tensions between the Peacekeeping Corps and the Black Star Society were running high, and that the South Korean government was in negotiations with North Korea.

It was a strange situation I couldn't help paying attention to.

What the news reported was only part of the picture. I was able to get a more detailed read on things, and that was thanks to Billon.

[Chicken Sandwich: Apparently he's a climber named Kang Tae-sung, Hard difficulty Floor 14.]

Whether it was because this was a Korean matter, I wasn't sure. Billon was filling me in on everything even though I hadn't specifically asked.

[Chicken Sandwich: It seems he was one of the key figures who led North Korea's recent coup. But after being betrayed by Park Gwang-jin and getting pursued, he escaped to Floor 5 during a window when the combat status had been lifted.

The finer details will need more time to confirm, but apparently U.S. intelligence has assessed Kang Tae-sung's account as credible.]

Whether Billon had some informant among the Peacekeeping Corps getting direct feeds, or was receiving shared intelligence from a climber bureau, I didn't know. Either way, Billon relayed every development in real time.

[Chicken Sandwich: It doesn't look like the North Korean side has any intention of negotiating.]

[Person123: That puts the Peacekeeping Corps in a tough spot.]

[Chicken Sandwich: It does. There are already murmurs of frustration internally, apparently. For now, their captain Alex is keeping a lid on it.]

[Chicken Sandwich: With no other options, the Peacekeeping Corps will probably wash their hands of it in the end. And from what I hear, Kang Tae-sung understands his situation, so he's signaling that he intends to stay and survive on Floor 5 rather than exit the Tower.]

Apparently North Korea had pinpointed Kang Tae-sung's position in reality and was preparing accordingly.

If he stepped outside, his odds of dying were very high. Staying on Floor 5 indefinitely was really his only choice.

I felt a little sorry for him.

From everything I'd heard, it sounded like Kang Tae-sung had launched the coup because he wanted to make North Korea a livable country.

Whether that was actually true, there was no way to know.

"Hmm..."

Would saying a word or two be alright?

It wasn't as if there was no way I could help.

But just standing by felt like something my conscience wouldn't let me sit with.

The South Korean government was reportedly still in ongoing talks with North Korea, too.

A single post from me in the Communication Window might end up being significant support for their negotiations.

My worry was whether it would needlessly provoke the North Korean side.

Acting on my own felt like overstepping.

After thinking it over, I decided to ask the South Korean government for their opinion first.

[Person123: Could you let me know what the current situation is?]

I sent a whisper to Manager Shin Su-jin.

* * *

"...It can't be helped. I know from the start that it was an unreasonable thing to ask."

"Not at all."

Shin Su-jin shook her head at Kang Tae-sung's words.

Days had passed with no progress.

Kang Tae-sung had been living inside the Peacekeeping Corps building the whole time.

"I've already imposed on the Peacekeeping Corps enormously. I can't keep being shameless about it, so from here on I'll figure things out on my own."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I'll have to keep living on Floor 5, I suppose. If I dig in long enough, even those bastards will get tired of it eventually."

At this rate the Peacekeeping Corps and the South Korean government would eventually let go, and if North Korea had no intention of yielding, that was the only path left.

Floor 5, though, was no guarantee of safety. North Korean climbers would be hunting for Kang Tae-sung, and the Black Star Society might lend them a hand. The Peacekeeping Corps couldn't stick by his side and protect him indefinitely.

Kang Tae-sung was a formidable climber at level 52, of course. Strictly speaking, hiding out in the monster zones beyond Zone 0 wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

But however it went, he was going to be living an exhausting life.

Shin Su-jin felt for him.

She exited the Tower, finished her report, and checked the Communication Window.

Then—

"...!"

She startled.

A whisper from Person123 was waiting for her.

[Person123: Could you let me know what the current situation is?]

...So he had been keeping an eye on things after all.

Shin Su-jin was glad to fill him in, explaining that negotiations with North Korea were still at a standstill and describing where the Peacekeeping Corps and the government stood.

After taking in the full explanation, Person123 said:

[Person123: Would it be alright if I helped?]

Shin Su-jin let out a small breath.

Given what kind of person he was, it wasn't surprising that he was stepping forward.

Person123, out of consideration for their side, asked her to check with the government to see what they wanted.

[Lotus: Understood. I'll pass it along right away.]

Shin Su-jin went straight back to the Director of the Climber Affairs Office.

"...Person123?"

The Director stared in surprise, eyes wide.

"He contacted you directly, Manager Shin?"

"Yes. He does know that I'm affiliated with the Korean Climber Affairs Office."

Shin Su-jin had previously denied having any connection to Person123, but there was nothing particularly strange about him reaching out to her.

The Director listened to what she relayed and gave a firm nod, his expression grave.

So it had come to this — Person123 stepping in. The stakes were about to get much higher.

The Director immediately conveyed Person123's intentions to the government.

The government went into a complete state of emergency. An urgent meeting was called between the President, who received the report directly, and senior staff.

This was the first time Person123 had ever reached out to the South Korean government like this.

Treating it as a national matter and giving the government its due respect, he had come to ask whether they wanted him to step in and help.

"...What should we do?"

It was a question the government had to weigh carefully.

Truthfully, the government had been in the process of settling on a position of dragging things out and then gradually stepping back. The only reason they hadn't let go yet was face on the international stage. From their perspective, there was no reason to shoulder an unreasonable burden just to protect Kang Tae-sung.

But if Person123 got involved, backing out would become difficult — and there was the problem of potentially provoking North Korea on top of that.

Then again...

"Person123 stepping forward like this essentially means he wants Kang Tae-sung rescued."

Given what kind of person he was, that was almost to be expected.

To the government, this also felt like pressure from Person123.

He had gone to the trouble of reaching out, and if the answer that came back was that they planned to give up on Kang Tae-sung and his help wasn't needed...

Would Person123 come away deeply disappointed in the South Korean government?

On the other hand, this was also an opportunity.

The whole world already knew that Person123 was Korean, but up until now he had never once taken a stance that sided with the South Korean government.

If Person123 stepped in on this issue, though?

That alone would give the government enormous diplomatic leverage to build on.

Hard to say for certain, but North Korea would probably lean toward accepting the negotiation. Unless they intended to make enemies of the entire world, would they really start threatening nuclear weapons?

After deliberation, the government decided to ask Person123 for help.

Once that decision was passed along, a post from Person123 went up in the Communication Window.

[Person123: I would like to ask that Kang Tae-sung-ssi be transferred to South Korea. I hope both sides can reach a smooth agreement.]

The whole world's attention focused on it.

[Sulfur: Person123 finally getting involved lol]

[Maximus: He's Korean so of course he's stepping in?]

[Fenrir: With someone's life on the line I feel like he'd step in even if it was another country]

[Rules: North Korea just stop being stubborn already~]

[GoldenBell: Whatever it takes, just get it sorted fast. You gonna keep taking up Person123's attention with this?]

Public opinion was entirely on Person123's side, naturally. And the governments of various countries, which had been watching the situation and waiting to see if Person123 would get involved, immediately declared their support for South Korea and issued official statements.

"We can no longer take your side. Negotiate."

The Black Star Society also reversed its stance the moment Person123 made his position clear.

The shamelessness of it was almost breathtaking, and North Korea's spokesperson was left at a loss for words.

Faced with pressure coming from every direction the moment Person123 spoke, North Korea had no choice but to agree to negotiate.

* * *

There were economic conditions attached, apparently, but within a range South Korea could reasonably accept.

It was decided that North Korea would personally escort Kang Tae-sung-ssi to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom for the handover.

It looked like things were resolving well, fortunately, but I was still worried. If North Korea broke their word, it would set off confusion all over again.

[Person123: Billon, is there any way to get detailed location information on Kang Tae-sung-ssi?]

I got Kang Tae-sung-ssi's precise location from Billon. The plan was to warp there right around the time Kang Tae-sung-ssi was set to exit Floor 5.

* * *

"Thank you. Truly. I owe you an immense debt."

Kang Tae-sung expressed his thanks to Shin Su-jin and the Peacekeeping Corps members.

He had been bracing himself to spend the rest of his days on Floor 5.

He never imagined Person123 would step in and things would unfold like this.

Kang Tae-sung moved with the Peacekeeping Corps members toward the portal in Zone 0.

North Korea had agreed to hand over Kang Tae-sung, but had not accepted the condition of pulling back the military hardware positioned outside.

Their reasoning was that with no way of knowing whether Kang Tae-sung might change his mind and cause trouble, they couldn't afford to receive him without precautions.

There was also the possibility North Korea might break their promise.

If that happened, Kang Tae-sung would be dead with no way out. But that was his choice to make and his burden to bear.

The Peacekeeping Corps and the South Korean government had done everything within their power.

"I hope we'll be able to meet again in the real world, Kang Tae-sung-ssi."

He shook hands with Shin Su-jin one last time, said his farewells to the Peacekeeping Corps members as well, and then:

[Do you want to exit the Tower?]

Kang Tae-sung stepped outside.

The moment his vision shifted—

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

The bullet bounced off Kang Tae-sung's body.

He didn't even flinch. He just stared quietly at Park Gwang-jin standing before him.

Park Gwang-jin smiled and tossed the pistol he'd been holding to the ground.

"Relax. It was a joke."

"...A joke?"

The outskirts of downtown Pyongyang.

Tanks, missile launchers, drones, and other military hardware ringed the area, along with climbers.

Firing a gun could easily be called a joke, sure.

A bullet couldn't leave so much as a scratch on the skin of a level 50 climber. But...

"One question."

Kang Tae-sung asked.

"Why did you betray me? What happened to the dream we shared — setting this rotten country right?"

The two of them had been friends since childhood. By good fortune they had both become climbers, and they had waited for the right moment while carrying the same conviction: one day overturning this country.

That was the revolution they had pulled off together. And at the last moment, Park Gwang-jin had betrayed him.

"Grown man grown, and you're still living in a dream."

Park Gwang-jin clicked his tongue with an air of pity.

"Look at reality. The strong dominating the weak — that's just the way the world works."

"..."

"Overturn it? Why in the world would I want to destroy this paradise with my own hands? Watching Li Hyeok-chul up close all that time, the thought I kept having was—"

Kang Tae-sung let out a scornful laugh.

"I was a real idiot for trusting you. Let's get this started."

"Started? Sure," Park Gwang-jin said easily. "Got to escort you to Panmunjom quickly."

Kang Tae-sung stared him down.

"Cut the crap. You've got no intention of letting me go."

Firing the gun — it had locked in a combat status so he couldn't flee back to Floor 5.

"You noticed?"

The corner of Park Gwang-jin's mouth curved. He wasn't even bothering to hide it.

"Can't be helped, Tae-sung. I know you too well. There's no way I could sleep easy with you alive. As long as you're breathing, you'll come for my life someday. Am I right?"

"You know me well."

Park Gwang-jin chuckled.

"Honestly, it was lucky that bastard Person123 came out swinging. If I'd just said I'd let you go without any fuss, you wouldn't have believed me and crawled out of Floor 5 so easily, would you?"

Breaking their promise here and killing Kang Tae-sung would carry a heavy international burden, even for North Korea, which was already absorbing every sanction there was. But Park Gwang-jin saw Kang Tae-sung's existence as a threat that outweighed all of it.

Taking that hit and making sure Kang Tae-sung was dealt with permanently — that was the right call.

Killing intent radiated off Park Gwang-jin and the other North Korean climbers.

Kang Tae-sung accepted his death and readied himself for a final fight.

And in that moment—

Whoooooosh!

A massive wave of cold surged outward.

Park Gwang-jin and the North Korean climbers, the military hardware ringing the area, the drones circling overhead — everything froze solid in a single instant.

"...?!"

Kang Tae-sung had been about to move and then stopped short, his face stunned.

What... just happened?

It was a sight that defied understanding even while watching it.

Sensing a presence, Kang Tae-sung looked up.

His eyes went wide.

Someone was looking down from the sky.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried