Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 169

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 169: Nightmare, Floor 15 (1)

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Level-up notifications popped up.

Since more people had voted No, I had been given a Level Advantage.

[‘Sacrificial Lamb’ has ended.]

All twenty-five people other than me had voted No.

...Honestly, I hadn't expected every single one of them to vote No.

Feeling something strange that I couldn't put into words, I opened the Communication Window.

There was a conversation history in the Nightmare Communication Window, where no one but me usually spoke.

[Unyielding: We must all vote No.]

Surprisingly, the first person to speak was neither Taylor nor Ye Tianwei.

It was a Nightmare Climber with the username Unyielding, whose country I didn't even know.

[Unyielding: Our thoughts and goals may differ slightly, but I believe we all challenge Nightmare because we share one common cause: humanity.]

[Unyielding: If Person123 has to bear a 20-level penalty, then we have it backward. I hope everyone will carefully consider which choice is for humanity.]

[Squirrel: I agree. It's obvious what the Tower is after. We can stop it by voting No.]

[ThousandWon: That person is absolutely right. If Person123 has to bear the penalty, humanity will have no future.]

Squirrel was Taylor, and ThousandWon was Ye Tianwei.

The two of them chimed in right after.

[Strategist: I will vote No. There is nothing to consider.]

[Dale: I'll vote No as well. We were only able to clear Nightmare because of that person. We should have some shame.]

[AdvanceOvercomeVictory: This is the first and last chance for us latecomers, who have only received help, to help that person. Let's give them a 10-level advantage.]

[Pan: It seems our journey ends here. Only the current Climbers will receive the penalty, so new latecomers will emerge. I leave what comes next to Person123 and them.]

[Diligence: Well, if Yes somehow got more votes here, do you think we'd be able to handle the aftermath? Haha. We were at our limits anyway. If this can help Person123, then it's something to be happy about.]

[Sabara: That damned Tower probably thinks we'll vote Yes. I won't do what it wants.]

[Watcher: I wonder what Person123 wants... Person123 hasn't said anything.]

Those were the words the Nightmare Climbers had each left before the voting ended.

Of course, their choice may have partly taken public opinion into account...

But every one of them had called for No, and that was the result.

...To be honest, other than Taylor and Ye Tianwei, the other Nightmare Climbers had been completely off my radar.

I'd only helped them and offered advice on their clears out of habit.

I had never expected them to help me in any way.

Nor had I ever thought they felt indebted to me.

That was why the conversations before me came as such an unexpected shock.

The Nightmare Climbers.

In the end, they were people who put humanity above all else.

I didn't know why that seemingly obvious fact moved me so much.

They chose sacrifice without hesitation.

Thanks to all their sacrifices, I was able to avoid the penalty.

I didn't feel at ease, but their resolve and determination definitely reached me.

I stared at the Communication Window for a long time before writing a message.

There was only one thing I could say.

[Person123: Thank you, everyone.]

* * *

The Sacrificial Lamb vote, the rule for Floor 14, ended without anyone dying.

Of course, there was still damage.

From Easy to Hard, the highest-floor Climber of each difficulty received a level-loss penalty.

And in Nightmare difficulty, every Climber except Person123 received a 10-level penalty.

What shocked people was the choice the Nightmare Climbers had made.

[EyeOfTheTyphoon: Wow, I never imagined every one of them would vote No.]

[Raven: Seriously, that was fucking cool.]

[Caveman: Not all of them voted No. There was one Yes vote.]

[Rocket: lol Isn't it obvious who voted Yes? It's so damn obvious.]

[Raikal: But are we sure Person123 voted Yes? He posted a message thanking everyone. What if Person123 voted No too?]

[Beast123: That just means Person123 was grateful for the Nightmare Climbers' feelings, regardless of what result he wanted. Your reading comprehension is something else;]

[Box: As expected, Nightmare Climbers were on a completely different level from other Climbers...]

[Phoenix: In a way, it's obvious. They wouldn't have challenged that insane Nightmare Floor 1 just to make money, and with Person123 around, there isn't even any honor in being the first. They're people who risked their lives for their convictions.]

[GreatWhiteShark: Everyone, watch and learn, you selfish bastards.]

[HomeRun: You should worry about yourself first~]

[DaDaDa: Anyway, thank fuck Person123 didn't get the penalty. My heart seriously dropped wondering what would happen.]

[Cholesterol: Still, it's sad that all the Nightmare Climbers are basically done for...]

Countless people expressed admiration and respect for their choice, and governments around the world even released statements of gratitude.

Preserving Person123's combat strength was directly tied to humanity's survival.

“...It's a relief. Still, I'm truly amazed everyone voted No.”

As they left after the meeting, Max spoke to Taylor.

Of course, from the perspective of the U.S. Climber Management Bureau, it was a painful loss for Taylor, who was now practically one of the nation's greatest strategic assets, to lose 10 levels...

But he knew what mattered more and what should take priority.

Some higher-ups, however, seemed so upset over Taylor's lost levels that they could die from it. They had said nothing but pointless things throughout the meeting.

That was why Taylor's face was clouded with displeasure.

At least America was better off than China, they said. China's Nightmare Climber would now be completely unable to challenge Floor 7, they said.

Even with the world in this state, were such things really that important?

The U.S. Climber Management Bureau did not know that Ye Tianwei had successfully climbed to Floor 9. China had not announced it yet, and Taylor had not told them.

Ye Tianwei had said he would reveal his own clear later. If America and China both announced that they had reached Floor 9 at the same time, anyone would find it suspicious.

There was probably no complicated political calculation behind it. It was likely meant to avoid suspicions that Person123 had been involved. Taylor had come to understand his way of thinking to some extent.

With a sigh, Taylor checked the Communication Window again.

[Person123: Thank you.]

The one sentence Person123 had posted after the vote ended.

The person who had cast the only Yes vote was almost certainly him.

Could this result have gone against his wishes?

Did he not want the Nightmare Climbers to take the penalty in his place?

Taylor did not go out of her way to ask him in a private message.

No matter what Person123 thought, the other Nightmare Climbers had to bear the penalty instead. That was the right thing.

‘He is humanity's hope.’

The only person who could save the world.

And while all the Nightmare Climbers received penalties, Person123 received a 10-level advantage.

At his current pace, he would probably challenge Floor 15 soon.

A difference of 10 levels might be insignificant to him, but Taylor could only hope it would give him even a little more strength.

Taylor silently prayed for Person123's safe clear.

* * *

After the Sacrificial Lamb vote ended, I trained without rest and prepared to challenge Floor 15.

[Difficulty: Nightmare]

[Floor: 15]

[Level: 177]

[Willpower: 16,560/16,560]

[Skills: Radiant Incarnation (Legendary+), Elemental Arrow Barrage (Epic+) (+3), Destruction Beam (Epic+), Weak Point Insight (Epic) (+4), Hellfire Eruption (Epic) (+1), Subspace (Epic), Air Step (Epic), Finger-Flick Art (Epic), Life Devourer (Epic), Fatal Strike (Epic), Phantom Shift (Epic)...]

With the 10-level advantage, I was level 177.

Before I knew it, I was nearing level 200.

I'd been leveling up at a furious pace over this short period, but I was adapting to my constantly changing physical abilities through the Mindscape.

It felt like the increase in physical ability became more gradual as my level rose...

Still, my strength, five senses, reflexes, dynamic visual acuity, durability, and everything else had surpassed ordinary limits to the point where even calling me superhuman wasn't enough.

‘Though it's all the Tower's power.’

That thought occasionally came to me these days.

The Demon King and Seri had not become strong through the Tower's power. They had been powerful from the beginning.

Of course, they had been born into completely different worlds and circumstances from mine, so it couldn't be helped.

Still, fundamentally, my strength was dependent on the Tower.

The only ability I could truly call my own was time stop.

The Demon King had once said it was a power even the Tower couldn't understand, and that was why it feared me...

Honestly, I didn't know.

No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't an ability that seemed all that remarkable. Not compared to the Demon King's or Seri's power.

Obtaining Pankera's Crown had made it more useful, but that was all.

Well, the best I could do was keep training as I had been.

Even after meeting Seri, my swordsmanship continued to improve, even if only little by little.

Time passed.

“Then I'll be going.”

After saying goodbye to my family before entering Floor 15, I looked into the air.

[Would you like to enter Nightmare difficulty Floor 15?]

As I was about to enter, the Demon King suddenly spoke.

- You should probably prepare yourself. For Floor 15.

‘...What?’

What did that mean?

The Demon King was saying something similar to what the Demon King had said about Floor 10.

‘Why? Is Floor 15 different from the other floors too?’

- You'll see when you enter.

The Demon King said only that and did not answer any further.

...What had Floor 15 been like in Seri's world?

I searched my memories, but I couldn't remember.

Many parts had skipped past like rapidly changing scenes, so I had no memory of directly seeing Seri clear Floor 15.

Well, as the Demon King said, I'd find out when I entered.

‘Let's do this.’

The scenery before me changed.

[You have entered Nightmare difficulty Floor 15.]

As always, I stopped time as soon as I entered.

About ten meters ahead of me.

Someone was standing a short distance away.

‘...?’

A monster...?

I couldn't tell whether it was a monster or not.

It looked almost human and was even properly dressed. It held a spear as a weapon.

The differences from a human were its turquoise skin, vertically slit, beast-like pupils, a tail, and red stripes streaked across its face like tattoos.

So rather than a monster, it felt more like a member of another race.

Like the demons and aliens I had seen in the hidden areas of Floors 2 and 6.

More importantly, no one had ever appeared the moment I entered before.

...The place itself was strange too.

Black, blue, and white colors blended together in every direction like spreading paint.

It looked like a nebula in space, yet the phrase "a gap between dimensions" also came to mind.

I released time.

Messages immediately appeared one after another.

[Two challengers are required to begin clearing Floor 15.]

[If no other challenger enters within one year, Floor 15 will automatically be cleared.]

[Current Participants: 2/2]

[The required number of participants has been met.]