Chapter 44: The First Proposal (2)

Choe Won-yeong had a daughter, a high school student who had turned eighteen that year.

And soon, her daughter was going to die.

At the age of fifteen, she had been selected as a Nightmare-difficulty Climber.

Only a few years’ worth of data had been collected since the Tower first appeared, but there had not been a single officially confirmed case of anyone under fourteen being chosen as a Climber.

In other words, fourteen appeared to be the minimum age for selection.

As though the Tower were playing some cruel joke, Choe Won-yeong’s daughter had been chosen as a Nightmare Climber on the very day she turned fifteen.

At twelve, the girl had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and endured years of grueling treatment.

Just when she had finally defeated the disease—just when they had dared to believe that miracles might truly exist—something far worse had been waiting for them.

A nightmare in every sense of the word.

“I’m fine, Mom! I’ve still got two whole years, right? I just have to squeeze an entire lifetime of fun into them. That means I can forget about studying and enjoy myself, doesn’t it?”

Still only a middle school student, her daughter had spoken as though it were hardly worth worrying about.

She had always been a cheerful child.

So cheerful that even the harshest rounds of chemotherapy had failed to take the smile from her face.

“Hm? Mom... I’m really okay. I mean it. So don’t cry.”

And so Choe Won-yeong had tried not to be sad either.

With the time they had left, she needed to create as many happy memories with her daughter as she possibly could.

She had already lost her husband at a young age.

If her daughter were taken from her as well, she would have no family left.

Their happy days passed one after another, and the end slowly drew near.

In only a few weeks, her daughter would die.

She would die—and become a monster.

To prevent that, she would have to either enter the Tower or submit to euthanasia, after which even her remains would be destroyed until nothing was left.

Both mother and daughter had chosen the latter.

Nightmare was a difficulty on which even the most exceptional people, equipped with the most exhaustive preparation humanity could provide, had produced only around twenty successful Climbers.

There was no possibility of her daughter conquering it.

And even if there had been the faintest thread of hope...

Choe Won-yeong could never have endured the thought of her daughter being torn apart by monsters and dying in agony.

—Only three days remain before the Nightmare Time Limit reaches twenty days. As the entire world prays for Person123’s success...

Whether the world ended or survived barely registered in her mind.

The only thing she could not bring herself to accept was that her one precious daughter was about to die.

Even so, she wore a smile whenever she stood before her daughter.

A smile like a mask.

Because her daughter had not stopped smiling either.

That night, after hours of lying awake in silent anguish, Choe Won-yeong finally drifted off.

She woke again in the early hours of the morning.

As she approached her daughter’s room, she heard muffled sobbing through the door.

She opened it and stepped inside.

Her daughter was curled up in bed, desperately trying to suppress the sound of her crying.

“Hic... hngh... I’m scared, Mom... I don’t want to die...”

In the end, Choe Won-yeong’s composure shattered.

She pulled her daughter into her arms and wept with her.

The day before the Nightmare Time Limit reached twenty days.

The time had finally come for her to accept their farewell.

She watched her daughter eat dinner, a fragile smile trembling on her lips.

Then, without warning, letters appeared before both of their eyes.

[The Tower is making a proposal to ‘Person123’.]

“...What?”

It was a message whose meaning she could not even begin to understand.

***

What the hell was going on?

I had finally managed to clear my head, and then this came flying out of nowhere and threw my thoughts into complete chaos.

A proposal?

From the Tower?

To me?

Why now?

What kind of game was this thing playing?

[If ‘Person123’ selects one of the following penalties and enters Floor 4, the rule ‘Climbers who fail to enter the Tower within 3 years will die’ shall be nullified.]

What the Tower was offering in return was the abolition of the Three-Year Rule.

[1. Physical abilities reduced by 50%]

[2. Skill cooldowns doubled]

[3. Three random skills prohibited from use]

[4. Highest-grade skill prohibited from use]

[5. Items prohibited from use]

And if I wanted that rule abolished, I had to choose one of those penalties.

The first thought that entered my head was simple.

Are you kidding me?

Half my physical abilities.

Double skill cooldowns.

Three random skills sealed.

Destruction Ray sealed.

All items forbidden.

Not one of those options was anything less than brutal.

More than anything else, the fact that the Tower had approached me with a proposal like this at all was deeply suspicious.

It left an intensely unpleasant taste in my mouth.

[The penalty will remain in effect only during the first conquest of Floor 4.]

[‘Person123’, if you accept the proposal, select a penalty and enter.]

But this bastard...

The fact that it was even capable of doing something like this—did that mean it possessed a will of its own?

Was it more than just an automated system?

“Haa...”

I raked my fingers through my hair and examined the options again.

If—just hypothetically—I had no choice but to pick one, which would it be?

[1. Physical abilities reduced by 50%]

I would set that aside for now.

[2. Skill cooldowns doubled]

That would cut my skill rotation speed in half, and I was primarily a Magic Type.

Fatal.

Absolutely fatal.

[3. Three random skills prohibited from use]

If it selected a few low-grade skills I barely used, it would hardly qualify as a penalty.

But if it happened to seal several of my key skills in succession, I would be finished.

It was pure gambling.

And the word “random” bothered me.

What was stopping the Tower from rigging the result?

[4. Highest-grade skill prohibited from use]

That was effectively the same as saying Destruction Ray would be sealed.

My ridiculously overpowered finishing move.

...I was not sure.

Given the theme of Floor 4, would losing it truly be more devastating than the other penalties?

[5. Items prohibited from use]

Considering the fourth floor’s theme, losing Diul would be bad enough.

But losing Plli would be catastrophic.

And that was without even counting the ice dagger and all the other miscellaneous equipment I had gathered.

Ugh.

I had no idea.

Why was this suddenly being forced on me?

Was I truly expected to choose one?

No matter how I looked at it, I should refuse.

Nightmare was already hellish enough.

And now I was supposed to challenge it with an additional penalty?

My face twisted as I agonized over the decision.

Then I suddenly thought to open the Communication Channel.

And when I did—

“...?”

Messages were pouring in faster than I could read them.

I turned on the television.

A breaking-news broadcast was already underway.

—Messages from the Tower have appeared before people across the entire world. In an unprecedented development, the Tower has made a direct proposal to Person123...

...Why was this being broadcast to the whole planet?

Apparently, the message had appeared not only before Climbers, but before ordinary people as well.

All I could do was sigh in disbelief.

***

After the Tower delivered its message to all humanity, the world erupted into chaos.

The Communication Channel was the first place to explode.

[Rabi: ?]

[Crusher: ??]

[Wow: tf is this...? not just me right?]

[Green Field: since when does the Tower make proposals?]

[Lucifer: insane wtf is even happening]

[Fire Dragon: heard regular people can see the message too, not just us?]

Naturally, the Tower making a proposal to one particular Climber was something that had never happened before.

The abolition of the Tower’s Three-Year Rule.

In exchange, Person123 would have to accept a penalty.

The Communication Channel quickly reached a general consensus.

[Cyclops: he’d have to be insane to take this. there’s no way he can accept.]

[Glass Bottle: every single option is way too harsh]

[Claude: 8 billion lives are at stake. he absolutely cannot do this just to save a few tens of thousands.]

[Hoda: it’s tens of thousands every year, so the number would keep growing. and it would solve the Fallen problem too... still don’t think he should accept though]

[Leafcar: Person123 are you reading the Channel? do NOT choose a penalty!]

News organizations and media outlets around the world rushed to air special coverage.

On a major American cable-news network, a panel of experts sat around a desk discussing the situation.

“The Tower has offered to abolish the Three-Year Rule if Person123 accepts one of the proposed penalties before entering Floor 4. What is your assessment?”

“He must not accept. Absolutely not. This is clearly a trap.”

A bespectacled man answered with a grave expression and absolute conviction.

“The fact that the Tower has singled out Person123 for such a proposal is suspicious in itself. More importantly, it has done so only one day before his scheduled entry into Floor 4. Its intention to obstruct his conquest could hardly be more obvious.”

The other panelists nodded in agreement.

“Under the circumstances, it certainly appears that the Tower is attempting to interfere with Person123’s progress. He has no reason to cooperate with its agenda.”

“If he enters Nightmare difficulty—which is already unimaginably dangerous—while burdened by one of these penalties, how severely would his probability of success decline?”

“Regrettable though it may be, the survival of humanity as a whole is at stake. No one could reasonably blame him for refusing the proposal. Prioritizing all humanity is the only rational decision.”

Naturally, the overwhelming majority hoped Person123 would refuse to select a penalty.

Failure on Floor 4 would mean humanity’s extinction.

Any penalty would dramatically increase the likelihood of that outcome.

With eight billion lives hanging in the balance, there was no room for sentiment.

“...Please! Please choose a penalty! I’m begging you! Please!”

Those who wanted him to accept were an almost invisible minority.

They were Nightmare Climbers facing imminent death, along with their families, friends, and loved ones.

They poured into the streets, organized small demonstrations, and screamed until their throats were raw.

They could only hope that Person123, whose identity and location remained unknown, might somehow hear them.

“Have you all lost your minds?!”

“If he chooses a penalty, the world could end! How can you be so selfish?”

There were also scenes of passersby stopping to curse and berate the demonstrators.

[Nightmare]

Participants: 183,157

Time Limit: 20 days 30 minutes 56 seconds

Floor Reached: Floor 4

A turbulent twenty-four hours passed.

The twenty-day deadline was almost upon them.

All that remained was Person123’s decision.

***

For an entire day, I agonized over the choice.

Then I agonized over it again.

In truth, the answer had been obvious from the beginning.

Don’t choose one.

I could not accept a penalty.

That was the only sensible conclusion.

Challenge Nightmare difficulty—where even perfect preparation guaranteed nothing—and willingly add a penalty on top of it?

No sane person would do that.

Had I already forgotten the third floor?

Had I forgotten how many times I had nearly died?

The fourth floor was more likely than not to be even worse.

For the sake of the world, too, accepting a penalty was out of the question.

If I failed, humanity would end.

Was I really going to take that risk merely to save a comparatively small number of people?

Not merely small.

Infinitesimal.

Was there even a meaningful comparison?

Eight billion people throughout the world against tens of thousands—or perhaps hundreds of thousands?

Yes, abolishing the rule would also solve the problem of the Fallen.

And if someone in my family were ever selected as a Climber, it would eliminate that threat as well.

But even after considering all of that rationally, the scales still did not balance.

If I failed this time, my entire family would die anyway.

Therefore, I could not choose a penalty.

...I knew that.

And yet something continued to weigh heavily on my chest.

I pushed myself upright from where I had been lying on the hotel bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The television continued to pour out report after report.

Experts insisting that he must not choose a penalty.

Families of Nightmare Climbers standing in the streets, screaming themselves hoarse.

The Communication Channel was overflowing with frantic whispers and arguments as well.

By forcing the message before every person on the planet, the Tower had plunged the world into madness all over again.

I would not allow their opinions to influence me.

I could not afford to.

This was simply a matter of making the correct choice.

[Chicken Sandwich: No one has any grounds to blame Mr. Kim for refusing the penalty. No one would even dare claim such a right.]

[Chicken Sandwich: Please do not feel guilty, not even for a moment. This is nothing more than the Tower’s manipulation. Mr. Kim has already saved humanity several times, and refusing the proposal is once again the choice that gives humanity the greatest chance of survival.]

[Person123: Does Bilon want me to refuse the penalty too?]

[Chicken Sandwich: ...I will respect whatever decision Mr. Kim makes.]

I had discussed it with Bilon as well.

And, as expected, the answer appeared to be a foregone conclusion.

The twenty-day Time Limit was nearly over.

I had to decide.

—...Ultimately, whatever decision Person123 makes, we must respect it. Even if he accepts a penalty, and even if that decision results in the destruction of the world, I, at least, will honor the nobility of his spirit...

I switched off the television, silencing the broadcast.

Then I put on all my equipment and stood in the center of the room.

[1. Physical abilities reduced by 50%]

[2. Skill cooldowns doubled]

[3. Three random skills prohibited from use]

[4. Highest-grade skill prohibited from use]

[5. Items prohibited from use]

Looking at the options again, the entire situation felt just as absurd as before.

Was the Tower afraid that I might clear Floor 4 too?

Was that why it was resorting to something like this?

“Seriously... what is this? Trying to handicap the ace?”

If the Tower’s only goal was to disturb my concentration regardless of what I chose, then it had succeeded.

But I was not going to accept a penalty.

[Enter Nightmare difficulty Floor 4?]

I ignored the penalty-selection window and summoned the entry prompt instead.

“Ent—!”

I tried to force the unpleasant feeling from my mind and shout the command defiantly.

But the word caught in my throat.

“...”

Don’t do this.

I know this isn’t my fault.

I know no one has the right to blame me for this decision.

The Tower created the rule by itself.

Now it was offering to abolish that same rule on its own terms.

I...

“...Heh.”

A quiet, bitter laugh escaped me.

I closed my eyes and remained still for a long moment.

Then I opened them again and looked back at the penalty-selection window.

“This is genuinely insane.”

I knew exactly what I was doing.

Everyone kept calling me a savior, and now I was starting to believe it myself?

...Still.

Just this once.

I wanted to be stubborn.

I raised my finger.

***

After seeing the Tower’s announcement, Choe Won-yeong had gone outside.

She had found a demonstration somewhere in the city and joined the others who shared her circumstances.

Together, they cried out:

Please choose a penalty.

She did not know whether it meant anything.

She did not know whether their voices could ever reach Person123.

She was simply grasping at the final straw left to her.

Exhausted beyond words, she eventually returned home.

The moment she entered, her daughter ran into her arms in tears.

Choe Won-yeong held her tightly.

“I’m really okay, Mom... I’m okay now...”

On the television, the Nightmare-difficulty Time Limit occupied the entire screen, its numbers steadily counting down.

Only a few minutes remained before the twenty-day deadline.

Choe Won-yeong knew.

For the sake of the world, she should not hope that Person123 would accept a penalty.

She also knew that her wish was terribly, unforgivably selfish.

But please...

Even so, please.

If only she could be permitted to hope for a miracle.

Just this once.

[‘Person123’ has accepted the Tower’s proposal and selected a penalty.]

[The rule ‘Climbers who fail to enter the Tower within 3 years will die’ has been nullified.]

“...!”

Still locked in each other’s arms, mother and daughter raised their heads at the same instant.

For a long time, neither of them moved.

They simply stared at the message floating before their eyes.

***

“Hoo...”

A dark office.

Bilon sat slumped deep in his chair.

He dragged both hands down his face and released a long, heavy sigh.

“...If that is your choice.”

He murmured the words while staring at the message suspended in the air.

“Please see it through, Mr. Kim.”

***

The Tower Monitoring Division office at the Tower Climbing Special Agency.

“He... chose a penalty.”

Kang Ju-hyeok spoke with his instant noodles frozen halfway to his mouth, his gaze fixed on the empty air.

Shin Su-jin nodded, her expression tense.

Without realizing it, she had clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.

In the depths of her heart, she prayed desperately that he would return alive and unharmed.

***

“...He has made his choice.”

The live news anchor spoke quietly.

There was no need to explain what he had chosen.

Everyone had already seen the message.

Gwanghwamun Street in Seoul was filled with an immense crowd.

For a moment, gasps, cries, and groans rose from every direction.

Then a few people clasped their hands together and began to pray.

Those standing beside them followed.

Then the people beside those people did the same.

One by one, the gesture spread throughout the crowd.

Before long, the entire street had fallen into a deep and solemn silence.

The whole world held its breath and waited for the result.