WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 130

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Nightmare Floor 10 (3)

What the hell was this world's me doing?

It wasn't just that he'd driven people out of the Ark.

The Climbers were treating ordinary people like this...

Whether Person123 had ordered it himself or simply allowed it to happen, it was effectively his will as the man at the top.

He was acting like a king.

I couldn't believe I was doing something like this.

"Are all Climbers like that? Isn't there even one Climber who helps people?"

The girl cut in.

"Th-there used to be Climbers like that."
"There used to be?"
"They're all dead now. Ever since Person123 threatened to kill any Climber who protected ordinary people..."

...Unbelievable.

"M-mister. Can we follow you?"

The boy, who had been watching my reaction, spoke up.

"We'll do anything you tell us to. W-we won't use up much food either."

Maybe they'd decided I wasn't a bad person. They were asking me to protect them.

I shook my head.

"Sorry. I have something I need to do."

I felt sorry for them, but I couldn't do that.

I needed to clear this floor and leave as soon as possible. I wasn't in any position to take care of them.

Disappointment crossed their faces.

I took more food and water out of Subspace and handed it to them.

It wouldn't mean anything in the end, but I still couldn't bring myself to do nothing.

As the children accepted the food with slightly brighter expressions, I asked, "Does Person123 ever come outside the Ark himself?"

"Huh? W-we don't know..."
"I see. Then could you tell me where that farm you escaped from is?"
"Th-that way."

The boy pointed in one direction.

I escorted them safely as far as the building where they lived.

Then I flew straight toward the place he'd indicated. It was in the direction of Gangseo-gu.

['Kill' Me'.]

How to draw Person123 out of the Ark.

My first thought was this.

According to what I'd just heard, the Climbers outside the Ark treated people like slaves.

And the Climbers inside the Ark were practically their superiors.

Then if trouble broke out outside, wouldn't they come crawling out?

If I dealt with the ones who showed up, Person123 would eventually appear too.

Or I could make the Climbers deliver a message from me to Person123.

Of course, if possible, I wanted to approach quietly without causing a scene...

But I couldn't think of a better way.

Or should I wait until Person123 came outside the Ark himself?

There didn't seem to be a time limit for clearing this floor.

Still, if I just waited around, there was no telling how long it would take.

As I flew along and scanned the ground...

'...Is that it?'

A wide plain in the middle of the city immediately caught my eye.

Crops were growing there.

I looked over the scene, then turned my gaze toward the buildings.

I could hear people's voices.

"I was wrong! Please spare me...!"

A man was being dragged by the hair in a Climber's grip.

"Why the hell did you run, then? You should've made sure you didn't get caught."

The Climber clicked his tongue.

"More than that, I really don't get it. What did you think you'd do if you escaped from here? Who do you think keeps the Fallen from getting you?"

The Climber looked back at the despairing man and sneered.

"Anyway, you picked the wrong time too. You know how the boss got fucking pissed when some sibling brats ran off not long ago, right?"
"P-please..."
"You want to be spared? I'd like to spare you, but our boss probably won't. You'll probably get publicly executed as an example."

I looked down at the Climber casually saying something so horrible.

Then I landed in front of them.

The Climber stopped short at the sight of me dropping from the sky.

"W-what the hell?"

"I want to see your boss's face."

The Climber glanced up at the sky, then spoke with a tense expression.

"...Where are you from? You're trespassing in our territory."
"Let that person go."

Maybe he'd decided I was stronger than him.

The Climber only stared at me warily, his face stiff.

I crossed the distance in a single step.

Startled, the Climber swung a fist.

I caught it and lightly tightened my grip.

"Aaaagh...!"

The Climber screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees.

I jerked my chin at the man.

Now at liberty, the man stared blankly for a moment before quickly running away.

"Let's go. To your boss."
"U-ugh... A-all right..."

The Climber with the broken hand stopped resisting and led me along.

We crossed through an alley.

Then I spotted something strange.

"...?"

The corpses of monsters from Floor 5, Zone 1.

They were piled up along one side of the street.

"Hey."
"...Yes?"
"What's that? Are those Zone 1 monster corpses?"
"Y-yes. They were butchered and thrown away."

...Wait.

Come to think of it, could this world's Climbers still enter the Tower?

Then they could hunt monsters on Floor 5 and get as much food as they wanted.

There were plenty of edible monsters on Floor 5. They would respawn no matter how many were hunted, too.

Yet even though food wasn't scarce, instead of helping people, they were doing this kind of thing...

'This is pissing me off.'

If this parallel world had truly existed, then the Person123 here was a version of me I could never accept.

Separate from clearing the floor, I really wanted to ask what kind of mindset had led him to create this mess.

We approached a tall building.

Unlike the surrounding buildings, this one had several lights on.

Two Climbers standing guard at the entrance looked surprised when they saw us.

"...What, Lee Su-chan? Who's this guy?"
"T-tell the boss. We have a guest."

The Climbers seemed to understand the situation, so they didn't rush us.

One of them hurried into the building.

A little later, I heard several people approaching, and more Climbers appeared.

"What the fuck is this in the middle of the night?"

The strongest-looking man among them glared at me.

"Where the hell did you come from? Do you know whose territory this is..."
"Are you the boss?"
"Yeah, you bastard. I'm Kang Cheol-jin, one of the Gangseo-gu Five Strong."

What kind of Gangseo-gu Five Strong was that?

Thud! Thud! Thud!

I took down all the Climbers in an instant, leaving only Kang Cheol-jin.

"...!"

Kang Cheol-jin activated Skin Hardening and desperately attacked me.

I grabbed him by the forehead and slammed him into the ground.

"Urgh!"

The floor shattered, and Kang Cheol-jin writhed.

He looked up at me with frightened eyes and barely managed to speak.

"Cough... W-who are you...?"
"Go get the one above you."

I looked down at him.

"Call the Climbers inside the Ark. You're taking orders from them, aren't you?"

Kang Cheol-jin looked dumbfounded before answering.

"I... I don't take orders from them."
"Want to die?"
"I-I'm telling the truth! There is another boss above me! That person probably has connections with the people inside the Ark...!"
"Really?"

I grabbed Kang Cheol-jin by the back of the neck and lifted him up.

Boom!

Holding Kang Cheol-jin in one hand, I shot straight into the sky.

"Aaaah...!"

"Let's go to your boss. Tell me where he is."

I slapped Kang Cheol-jin's pale cheeks.

He pulled himself together and pointed in one direction.

"T-that way! Aaaagh...!"

I sprinted rapidly through the air, stepping repeatedly with Air Step.

The place Kang Cheol-jin led me to was a building that looked like a club.

'What is this?'

Faint music could be heard from inside.

I descended.

A Climber was standing guard at the entrance.

I dragged the dazed Kang Cheol-jin toward it.

"What? You..."

I casually threw aside the Climber blocking my way.

Then I entered the building and headed underground, where flashing lights greeted me.

A space filled with loud music and colorful lights scattering in every direction.

Two people were fighting on a stage.

What was this situation now?

"That's it! Kill him!"
"I bet ten packs of cigarettes on you! If you lose, I'll really kill you!"

Climbers sat around the stage, shouting.

The two men fighting were both ordinary people.

They were bleeding profusely as they fought desperately.

As though the goal was to kill each other.

Could this be...

Were they bringing in ordinary people and making them fight for fun? Like dogfighting?

"These bastards are worse than animals."

I tossed Kang Cheol-jin onto the stage.

The fighting men froze.

The cheers stopped, and every Climber turned to look at me.

I looked at the strongest Climber among them.

The man sitting in the highest seat was obviously the boss.

Though he was only around Level 30.

The man, who had been putting on airs, set down his drink.

"Who are you?"

I stomped my foot and stood in front of him in an instant.

The woman standing beside him like a guard immediately drew a sword and swung it.

The blade was covered in an aura skill.

Clang!

I caught it with my hand and snapped it.

I grabbed the shocked woman's wrist and tossed her aside.

The man watched the scene but remained seated instead of attacking.

He looked around.

"Nobody move."

The other Climbers, who had been inching closer, froze at his words.

The man spoke to me again in a polite tone.

"Who are you?"

He seemed quick to grasp the situation.

I got straight to the point.

"Is the one above you a Climber inside the Ark?"
"That's right."
"Can you bring that bastard here right now or not?"

The man didn't answer.

"If you can't, you die right now."
"...If you wish to meet the one above me, I can deliver a message."
"Then deliver it. Tell them to crawl out here before all their underlings start dying."

I didn't think Person123 would come out personally just because I beat up one of these guys.

But if I dealt with a few Climbers from the Ark, Person123 would show up eventually.

"May I ask why you're doing this?"
"No reason."
"..."
"But you don't need a reason to beat down things barely human, do you?"

The man stiffened and ordered a nearby subordinate to deliver my message.

The once-noisy club fell silent.

Then the man asked me, "Did you perhaps come from outside Seoul?"
"None of your business."
"I understand that your level is far beyond anything I could dare oppose, but I believe you are making a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"The Climbers of the Ark are far stronger than the likes of me."

The man spoke with a faint sneer.

"Even if you are stronger than them, if you touch them, Person123-nim will personally step in. Can you handle that?"

That was why I was doing this.

I sat beside the man.

"I was wondering about that myself."

Just how strong was the me from this parallel world?

I would find out when I saw him.

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