Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 13

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Chapter 13: Nightmare Floor 2 (1)

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I kept glancing around for no reason as I headed home.

"Phew..."

I had really gone and met him in person.

Billon Must said he would leave the skill stone somewhere if I just picked a location, but if he was planning to pull something anyway, it would not matter how we did it, so I met him face-to-face.

Seeing someone I had only seen on the internet in real life felt strange.

He's not going to run a background check on me, right? I wasn't tailed on the way back, was I?

Since the other party was a big shot like Billon Must, all kinds of thoughts crossed my mind.

Ah, whatever.

I could not take it back now, so I decided to let whatever happens happen.

'You are humanity's hope. Please clear Floor 2.'

I could feel he meant it when he said that...

Still, I wondered why he was going this far for me.

I was not the only Nightmare clearer anymore.

If Billon Must wanted to, it would have been much easier to invest in the U.S. clearer.

Maybe he figured the first clearer had the best chance of clearing Floor 2 as well?

Come to think of it, maybe he already invested there too and was covering me as well. Diversification is basic investing.

I stopped worrying about all that random stuff.

[Skill: Leap (Common)]

Instantly amplifies your jumping power.

Classification: Physical-Type

Willpower Cost: 10

Cooldown: 15 seconds

I checked out the new skill.

The Willpower cost was only 10, and the cooldown was short too.

'Look how cheap this is.'

There was no weird condition like mental concentration either.

Compared to magic-type skills, this was incredibly generous.

Well, it was only Common grade, so that probably had something to do with it.

I decided to test it right away.

[You have entered Nightmare difficulty Floor 1.]

I entered the Tower and used Leap.

A full-power vertical jump from a standing position.

My body shot upward as if the stone floor had turned into a trampoline.

"Oh...!"

I almost slammed my head into the cave ceiling.

When I landed, both legs throbbed.

That jump had to be close to 20 meters.

I did not expect much since it was Common grade, but it boosted my jumping power way more than I expected. Did it not more than double?

Ker... kek-

I killed the goblins coming out of the passage and kept testing the skill.

I tried jumping forward from a standstill and jumping while running through the cavern.

It was not a difficult skill to use.

Still, like Teleport, I needed time to get used to the sense of distance.

'If I practice for a few days, I should adapt.'

I decided to enter Floor 2 after that.

I got a new skill, so I should build proficiency first.

* * *

Jackal, the second Nightmare clearer who appeared in the Climber Communication Window.

For a while, people went wild talking about his taunt aimed at Person123, the first clearer.

[Satan: Looks like he's really confident he can clear it? How good was his Floor 1 reward?]

[Yukaru: More than that, his country probably dumped all support into him. It's the U.S., after all.]

[BananaPeel: Rumor says that clearer is level 10.]

[Unicorn: If he's level 10, isn't that 2.5 times Hard? The gap is that big?]

[Elevator: Easy Floor 10 = Nightmare Floor 1 lolllll]

[Meteor: That guy has no manners. He benefited from Person123's info too, then talks like that.]

[Kandrick: What are you saying, buddy. He's going first and sharing info about Floor 2.]

[Cheeseburger: Instead of cursing him, we should be cheering him on. If it's not those six, the world is finished.]

Then a few days later, when the number in the Communication Window dropped by one, it exploded again.

[Missile: He got cocky, I knew he'd end up like that lolllll]

[Haksho: You can laugh right now? The odds of the world ending just went up.]

[MachineBrain: Is no one else going to challenge it?]

[TunaSushi: Are you all still just watching each other?]

[MagicBombardment: Haha, damn it. The day of ruin is creeping closer again.]

Just like a year ago, anxiety spread everywhere as the time limit drew near.

At the U.S. Climber Management Bureau.

After Jack failed, the bureau felt like a funeral home.

To them, all the effort of the past year had turned to dust in an instant.

They still had one person left.

It was far from hopeful, but still.

"Taylor, let's push the date back."

Taylor had been training nonstop as always, and she let out a sigh at the news Max brought.

"Does that even mean anything?"

"Probably not. The people upstairs want to watch the trend a little longer."

"...The trend, right. Everyone's thinking the same thing. No matter how long we wait, we're just hoping someone else goes in first."

It was a game of chicken.

Among the remaining clearers, no one wanted to be the first to challenge Floor 2. Especially now that one had already failed.

Any country openly saying it would challenge Floor 2? None.

China was quiet. India was quiet. Russia was quiet.

Even with only 20 days left before annihilation, everyone was still calculating gains and losses.

At this rate, they would all be praying together on the final day again.

"Jack may have been reckless, but I think the direction he aimed for was right. His willingness to challenge deserved respect."

A project that began for humanity, and to put this great nation at the front of Nightmare difficulty.

Both of them knew it. If they were only going to hide and play it safe like this, the project had failed from the start.

"So keep the original schedule. Even without approval, I'm entering."

Max's face tightened.

Of course he knew. Someone had to take the lead.

The place they had to jump into was clearly hell.

Jack prepared thoroughly, received every bit of support, and still died within one minute.

No one could even imagine what kind of trial awaited on Floor 2.

"I'm sorry, Taylor."

She would be entering without proper support from the authorities.

The decision to pour all support into Jack reflected Max's opinion to some extent, since he was the Floor 1 training instructor, so he felt even more ashamed.

Taylor gave a bitter smile, knowing exactly what his apology meant.

"It was the obvious decision. You don't need to apologize."

Concentrating resources on the side with the higher chance of clearing was perfectly rational. Everything else was hindsight.

Taylor suddenly remembered why she had chosen to climb this difficulty.

Taylor had been an agent in the CIA Special Operations Division, and she had done many things for the country where she was born and raised.

The department she belonged to officially did not exist. She took part in many black ops, killed enemies, tortured them, and watched close colleagues die.

As her doubts kept growing, she was chosen as a climber for Nightmare difficulty.

She thought duty had pushed her too far to turn back, and then a side path opened.

With this, she could serve her country without having to watch someone die again, enemy or ally. Not only this country, but the fate of humanity was on the line. Nothing mattered more.

So she quit everything and volunteered.

Taylor looked down at her trembling hands, then clenched her fists tight, hoping there would be even a thread of hope.

* * *

After practicing for a few days, I got completely used to the Leap skill.

I started getting ready to enter Floor 2.

Dear Father, Mother, and little sister... I wrote a will and put it in my desk drawer.

I prayed this will would not be needed this time either.

"Thanks for the meal. It was delicious."

I was clearing my bowl after dinner when Mom spoke.

"Seo-hyeon, is something going on lately?"

"Huh? No."

What, was it showing?

Dad, still sitting at the table, glanced at me too.

I thought I was acting normal, but my parents were way too quick to notice.

"I guess I've just been a little uneasy. That's all."

"...Don't worry. The world doesn't end that easily."

Dad spoke as if to reassure me.

"It was like this last time too, and this time someone will succeed again. You know, that first clearer, and with help from the Russian government, he's preparing thoroughly, right?"

Looks like they thought I was anxious because of the Nightmare time limit.

But since when did I start getting help from Russia? That's fake news, Dad.

"Really? Then I do feel better."

"Right? I'm telling you."

I smiled and went back to my room.

I sat quietly at my desk and steadied myself.

Even after hardening my resolve, risking my life was never easy.

Honestly, I was hesitating even more than last time.

Last time, it was all-or-nothing. This time, there was still quite a bit of time left before the deadline.

Did it really have to be me? If I waited longer, would someone else succeed first...?

I shook off every stray thought.

Time passed, and after midnight, deep into the night.