Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability - Chapter 177

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 177: The Great Invasion (2)

──────

A fighter jet flew around the barrier covering the sky.

The pilot let out a low sigh.

“This is insane...”

A radius of 1,000 kilometers centered on Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea.

It was a colossal barrier encompassing all of South Korea, major cities in North Korea, Japan, and China, and even Russia’s Primorsky Krai.

The same was true in the other countries where Dimensional Rifts had appeared.

“The Great Invasion rule has begun. Dimensional Rifts have appeared in South Korea, India, Thailand, Nigeria, and Germany, along with barriers like those from the isolation zones...”

[Battlefield 1 Personnel: 735,788,130]

[Battlefield 2 Personnel: 519,143,236]

[Battlefield 3 Personnel: 371,608,735]

[Battlefield 4 Personnel: 360,581,243]

[Battlefield 5 Personnel: 263,057,291]

From Battlefield 1 to Battlefield 5.

The numbers were arranged in descending order of their included populations.

India was Battlefield 1, Thailand was Battlefield 2, South Korea was Battlefield 3, Nigeria was Battlefield 4, and Germany was Battlefield 5.

Every news outlet, community, and the Communication Window erupted.

[DawnStar: Fuck, I got stuck in Battlefield 2? Anyone else caught in it, speak up.]

[Firefly: I’m in Battlefield 4... Reading the rules, doesn’t it look like Battlefield 5 is in serious trouble?]

[Prara: So basically, one of the five Battlefields has to open its Dimensional Rift, right?]

[Clover: yeah, and deal with ten million monsters]

[Cat: This is fucking insane;]

The rules were simple.

Starting with Battlefield 1, they would vote in order on whether to open the rift.

If they chose to open it, ten million monsters would pour out of that rift.

And if none of Battlefields 1 through 4 chose to open theirs, the rift in Battlefield 5, the last in line, would open automatically.

In other words, Battlefield 5 had no choice.

Battlefield 5 included all or parts of numerous European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands.

[Cloak: What the hell is ten million monsters? Isn’t this just telling us to die...?]

[Samurai: Looks like it really is.]

[SnowWhite: Their levels are supposedly random from Level 10 to Level 100. Even ten million Level 10 monsters would be a disaster, but this...]

[BigExplosion: Does that even make sense? If they’re Level 100, wouldn’t that make them Stage 9 or 10 Fallen?]

[Prayu: I’m telling you, whichever Battlefield gets picked is being told to die.]

[Anaconda: This rule is seriously beyond imagination...]

[Person123sLoyalServant: People in Battlefield 5 are fucked. What are they supposed to do?]

[Feed: Damn, all the Europeans are going to die;]

[Pavlov: Couldn’t the other Battlefields choose to open their rifts?]

[Cheongoe: Who would choose to open one? Any Battlefield that gets picked is basically guaranteed to be wiped out.]

[Breath: The monsters are coming out of the rift, right? Couldn’t we just use nukes and missiles...?]

[Grrrrrr: They said they’ll keep pouring out for 72 hours. I don't think even nukes would be enough.]

[Teriot: I’m in Battlefield 5. Am I really going to die...? Like this?]

[Knuckle: Fuck! Why the fuck should I have to die, you bastards? Save me.]

Ten million monsters.

Their levels would be random, from Level 10 to Level 100.

Everyone knew.

This was not a scale anyone could handle.

This rule would end only after one of the five Battlefields bore the entire burden, and hundreds of millions of people died.

The Tower’s unimaginable malice had once again descended upon humanity.

The countries in Battlefield 5, faced with an absurd catastrophe, went into emergency mode.

Since the barrier blocked all entry and exit, it was naturally impossible for people to escape the Battlefield.

[Battlefield 1 is currently voting.]

[Time Remaining for Voting: 30 minutes 35 seconds]

The vote continued even amid all this.

But the outcome was practically already decided.

No one through Battlefield 4 would choose to open their rift.

No one would willingly take on the catastrophe of ten million monsters.

The European countries included in Battlefield 5 fell into complete panic.

Armies hurriedly mobilized, and the leaders of each country rushed to issue statements.

“Europe will be destroyed! The world will face a great depression! Please, Battlefields with far larger populations must choose to open their rifts...!”

There was nothing they could do.

It was only a desperate struggle and plea.

There was no way people in the other Battlefields would listen. Were they being asked to die in Europe’s place?

[Immortal: It can’t be helped... Battlefield 5 has the smallest population, so they should be the ones sacrificed.]

[Pluto: Europe is being destroyed. Is this really happening?]

[Dagger: Battlefield 1 obviously won’t open theirs. Who would choose that?]

Amid the chaos and panic that had suddenly swallowed the world...

Time continued to pass.

* * *

“Phew...”

The Great Invasion had begun.

I watched the situation unfold.

That crazy bastard of a Tower had once again dumped chaos beyond imagination onto the world.

In terms of scale, it could be called the worst yet.

Naturally, Battlefields 1, 2, 3, and 4 would not choose to open their rifts.

In the end, the rift in Battlefield 5, which included many European countries, would open.

Ten million monsters.

It wasn’t as though all ten million would be weak monsters. Monsters up to Level 100 could appear.

It was impossible for them to handle that.

The barrier prevented me from traveling to Europe to deal with the monsters too.

[The Great Invasion will end when everyone in that Battlefield dies or all monsters die.]

In the end, the Great Invasion would only end after all two hundred million-plus people in Battlefield 5 died.

...There was a way to stop this catastrophe.

Only one.

The people in Battlefield 3 had to choose to open the rift.

Only then could I personally go to Gangneung, where the rift had appeared, and deal with the monsters.

Ten million monsters over 72 hours?

I could do it.

Even Level 100 monsters were weaklings to me.

The monsters would all come through the rift anyway. That made it possible.

Without a single casualty, I could hold the rift by myself and eliminate every monster.

Yes, if only the Climbers in Battlefield 3 chose to open it.

[Person123: I have a request for the Climbers of Battlefield 3.]

I wrote a long post in the Communication Window.

I appealed to them to choose opening the rift, saying that I could deal with all the monsters.

‘...Will this work?’

But I had doubts.

Would people really believe me and open the rift in Battlefield 3?

The number ten million was overwhelming.

I was certain I could handle it, but other people would not be.

...If I was going to do this, I had to appeal to them as much as possible.

I closed the Communication Window and immediately left my room.

My family was watching the news in the living room with grave expressions.

I spoke.

“I’m going to Gangneung for a bit.”

“...”

My parents looked like they had much to say, and my younger sibling’s face was filled with unease and worry.

My father came closer.

Without saying anything, he patted my shoulder.

“Be careful.”

“Yes.”

I hugged each member of my family once.

Then I activated the warp device.

[0:01]

I warped toward Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

The place where the rift in Battlefield 3 had appeared.

* * *

“It’s dangerous. Please do not come any closer.”

A cordon had been set up around the Dimensional Rift in Gangneung.

Police officers and armed soldiers were keeping citizens away.

Reporters from broadcasting stations argued with them, trying to get even a little closer to the rift.

“Yes, the Dimensional Rift that opened in Gangneung does not appear to have undergone any changes yet. The vote for Battlefield 1 is currently underway, and there are now 20 minutes remaining...”

Whoooosh...

At that moment, a faint sound tore through the air.

The reporter speaking into the camera reflexively looked up.

One by one, the others also raised their heads toward the sky. Their eyes widened.

“...Huh?”

“Th, there’s someone...!”

There was someone flying through the sky.

That person landed near the rift.

Thud!

The soldiers approached in surprise, and everyone’s attention focused on the newcomer.

A man wearing a mask.

He spoke to the reporter standing beside him with their mouth open in shock.

“May I borrow your microphone for a moment?”

“...Pardon?”

The reporter handed over the microphone in a daze.

The masked man accepted it and stretched one hand upward.

A massive jet-black beam shot into the sky.

“...”

The soldiers who had been rushing toward him stopped all at once at the sight.

The masked man spoke.

“I am Person123.”

His voice was modulated to sound slightly lower.

Silence fell.

The reporters, the soldiers, and the citizens gathered nearby.

All stared in shock at the masked man who had identified himself as Person123. Every camera from the broadcasting stations turned toward him as well.

No one doubted what he had just said.

That black beam was practically proof that he was Person123.

Humanity’s savior and hero, Person123, stood right before them.

It was the first time the masked man had appeared before the world in person.

The reporters from other stations, having regained their senses, tried to approach him.

They wanted to thrust microphones before him.

But the masked man raised a hand as if to stop them.

Faced with an indescribable pressure, the reporters could only stop where they were.

Only the reporter directly in front of him, the one who had handed him the microphone, swallowed hard and waited for his next words.

With countless eyes focused upon him,

Person123 spoke.

“The reason I came here is to make a request of the Climbers included in Battlefield 3.”

“If Battlefields 1, 2, 3, and 4 all refuse to open their rifts, ten million monsters will pour out from the rift in Battlefield 5, which is last in line. Even if the countries included in Battlefield 5 do everything in their power to stop them, it will be a catastrophe they can never handle.”

There was no one who did not know him.

But it was a catastrophe that someone had to bear.

Unfortunately, it was simply the European countries included in Battlefield 5.

“Let me state this clearly.”

Person123 continued.

“I can stop them.”

At that calm declaration, someone unconsciously drew a sharp breath.

“Without a single casualty, I will deal with all ten million monsters. Therefore, I earnestly ask all Climbers in South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia, who are included in Battlefield 3, to vote in favor of opening the Battlefield 3 rift.”

Person123 had already posted in the Communication Window earlier...

But it was a truly shocking declaration.

And an earnest plea as well.

“You must be afraid and anxious. I understand. But if things continue this way, over two hundred million people in Battlefield 5 will all die. The only way to end the Great Invasion without anyone dying is to open the rift in Battlefield 3 and have me face the monsters.

“I will say this once again. I can face all ten million monsters alone. Please believe me. Climbers of Battlefield 3, please vote in favor of opening the rift. Make the choice that can save hundreds of millions of lives. I beg you.”

This live broadcast spread around the world in an instant.

The world was turned upside down by Person123’s direct appearance.

“Person123 has personally appeared at the rift in Gangneung, South Korea, Battlefield 3. Person123 is currently encouraging the Climbers of Battlefield 3 to choose to open the rift...”

[Wild: Holy shit! Person123 showed up in South Korea!]

[Turmeric: I’m seeing it in person at the scene right now. I can’t believe it.]

[FallenOne: They say they’ll stop ten million monsters alone? Is that really possible?]

People were amazed that Person123 had appeared in reality, but opinions were sharply divided on whether he could truly stop ten million monsters.

[TombRaider: Isn’t that impossible even for Person123...? Ten million. How could anyone stop that alone?]

[Alcohol: They said they can do it. They must be saying it because they can.]

[GroundSpider: There’s no way Person123 would ask for Battlefield 3’s rift to be opened while gambling with people’s lives. Wouldn’t they have calculated that it was entirely possible?]

[Breakthrough: Still, ten million is a little...]

[Blangde: Your faith is still lacking. Have you already forgotten what happened during the Qualification Trial and the Joint Battle? There is no limit to that person’s ability.]

[Whisky: Even if the Battlefield 3 rift really opens, the military and other Climbers should still help.]

As this went on, the voting time for Battlefield 1 ended.

[Voting for Battlefield 1 has ended.]

[Vote Results]

Opening: 29 votes

Not Opening: 380,123 votes

[The Dimensional Rift in Battlefield 1 will not open.]

Naturally, the rift did not open.

It moved on to Battlefield 2.

[Battlefield 2 is currently voting.]

[Time Remaining for Voting: 59 minutes 59 seconds]

Another hour quickly passed.