Chapter 67: Floor 5 (5)

Hyeon stood before Wang Kai, blocking his path.

Alex had no idea where he had suddenly come from.

No—more importantly, hadn’t this man just blocked Wang Kai’s attack?

How?

“Stop. Are you really planning to kill all these people?”

Hyeon’s words snapped Alex out of his daze.

Amid the confusion and questions swirling through his mind, a sudden realization struck him.

‘No way...’

Wang Kai seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

“You... It’s you, isn’t it? Don’t tell me...”

“...”

“Person123! You’re Person123, right? Right?!”

Someone powerful enough to block Wang Kai’s attack, yet affiliated with neither the Security Corps nor the Black Star Society.

An unknown climber.

Who else could it possibly be but Person123?

Hyeon made no attempt to deny it.

It was almost impossible to believe.

The young man Alex had briefly crossed paths with at a restaurant was Person123.

The climbers from both the Security Corps and the Black Star Society stirred, momentarily forgetting the confrontation altogether.

The savior of humanity—the mysterious figure whose identity had remained hidden behind an impenetrable veil—had finally revealed himself in public.

Then, without warning, Wang Kai attacked.

“...!”

Person123 dodged and parried the flurry of blows, gradually giving ground.

After a brief exchange, the two separated once more.

“...Why are you attacking me?”

“Hey.”

Wang Kai let out a deranged laugh.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long, long time, you cute little bastard. And today, I finally got my wish. Wow.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but... how about you stop?”

“Stop what?”

“Trying to kill Alex and the members of the Security Corps. I don’t know why you were fighting, but you’ve already won.”

Person123 was protecting the Security Corps.

Alex and the others held their breath as they stared at his back.

“Yeah? You want me to stop?”

“...”

“Then get down on your knees and bow your head. Do that, and I’ll stop.”

In response to Person123’s attempt to mediate, Wang Kai merely began spouting more madness.

“Hmm? If the Savior of Mankind himself bows his head to me, then of course I’ll have to stop. Right?!”

Wang Kai and the climbers of the Black Star Society burst into laughter.

Alex couldn’t understand what those lunatics thought they were doing.

This was Person123.

The savior of humanity, who had saved the world more times than anyone could count.

Setting everything else aside, did they really think it made sense to threaten and mock him like this?

“Stop fooling around.”

“I’m not fooling around. Bow your head and ask me properly.”

“...And if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll kill every last one of them. As for you, I’ll only beat you within an inch of your life, so don’t worry.”

Person123 sighed.

“I’m telling you one last time, Wang Kai. Stop now. This is your final warning.”

“A warning? Oh, how frightening. I’m terrified. And what happens if I don’t listen?”

“You’ll die.”

“...”

“I’m not confident I can subdue you without killing you. Let’s end this here, without anyone else dying. It isn’t a difficult choice.”

At Person123’s words, Wang Kai’s face twisted viciously.

Alex’s thoughts raced.

He was grateful that Person123 had stepped in to protect the Security Corps, but Wang Kai was clearly insane.

Provoking him like this was far too dangerous.

Judging by their brief exchange, Wang Kai had the advantage in raw level.

If they fought in earnest, Person123 could be in danger.

“The longer I listen to you, the more bullshit comes out of your mouth. Fine. Don’t kneel. I’ll smash both your legs and force you down myself.”

Killing intent poured from Wang Kai.

‘This is dangerous!’

Was that lunatic truly about to try to kill the savior of humanity?

Alex spat out the blood pooling in his throat and struggled to shout.

“Don’t...!”

Then darkness engulfed Wang Kai.

There was no warning.

No sound.

Wang Kai simply vanished.

“...”

What?

Alex couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

The members of the Security Corps and the Black Star Society were no different.

Person123 merely frowned and let out a quiet sigh.

‘...A skill?’

It didn’t look as though he had used an item.

Then it had to be a skill.

But what kind of skill had that been?

It certainly wasn’t a Physical Type skill.

It had to be Magic Type.

Yet Person123 hadn’t used Mental Concentration.

More importantly, how could such an absurd skill even exist?

None of it made sense.

The only undeniable reality was that Wang Kai had been erased before Alex’s eyes without leaving so much as a speck behind.

“Does anyone else want to fight?”

Person123 looked from the Security Corps to the Black Star Society.

One of the Security Corps officers, still too stunned to close his mouth, stepped forward and answered.

“Uh... no. No one.”

The members of the Black Star Society looked even more dazed than those of the Security Corps.

Of course they did.

Their leader, Wang Kai, had disappeared without a trace.

Had there at least been a body, they might have been able to accept his death.

Instead, he had simply ceased to exist in the blink of an eye.

“Wh-what did you do to Lord Wang Kai...?”

Person123 answered without hesitation.

“He’s dead.”

“...”

“There was no other choice. I told him to stop. I warned him again and again, didn’t I?”

The climbers of the Black Star Society wanted to reject the reality before them.

Wang Kai—the world’s greatest climber and the pride of the continent.

Wang Kai, who had effortlessly crushed even America’s Alex, the only man considered his rival.

He had died just like that?

Person123 hadn’t even lifted a finger.

He had simply erased Wang Kai as casually as one might swat an insect.

The impossible gulf in power was too shocking for them to comprehend.

“All of you should head back now.”

With those words, Person123 vanished.

Just as suddenly as he had appeared, he disappeared.

“...”

And with that, the confrontation came to an end.

Person123 seemed to have left for good.

The climbers of the Security Corps were the first to recover.

They began moving stiffly, as though awakening from a dream.

They collected the bodies of their fallen comrades and prepared to return to Zone 0.

“Let’s go, Chief.”

One of the officers stepped forward to support the gravely wounded Alex.

Alex continued staring blankly at the place where Person123 had vanished. Then his legs faltered, and he allowed the officer to help him along.

“Is Jay... cough! Is he all right?”

“He’s fine. Better off than you, Chief.”

Jay was the officer who had blocked one of Wang Kai’s attacks earlier and been hurled away.

Fortunately, his life wasn’t in danger.

The members of the Security Corps remained in a daze.

Person123 had appeared.

Wang Kai had died.

The two earth-shattering events had unfolded and ended before any of them had even managed to collect their thoughts.

“...What’s going to happen now?”

The officer muttered the question, but Alex had no answer.

Wang Kai had been killed by Person123.

What would happen after this?

Nothing like it had ever happened before.

The entire world was about to erupt into chaos.

“Person... Urgh, cough!”

“D-don’t speak. Are you all right?”

Alex managed a strained nod.

Whatever came next, he was sincerely grateful to Person123.

That man had saved the lives of every member of the Security Corps present.

Meanwhile, the climbers of the Black Star Society stood frozen, watching the Security Corps depart.

“...We’re going back.”

One of their officers finally managed to issue the order.

Like a routed army that had lost its general, the Black Star Society climbers began their gloomy retreat.

***

Hidden beneath Stealth, I watched the two groups separate and head off in opposite directions.

‘Haa...’

I’d done it.

Was this the first time I had killed someone in real life?

Now that I thought about it, yes.

It was.

I didn’t particularly regret what I’d done.

Wang Kai had been physically stronger than me, and there was no telling what other skills he still had in reserve.

There was no reason for me to risk fighting him while holding back enough to keep him alive.

Besides, he wasn’t the kind of opponent who deserved that consideration.

More importantly, I had ended up showing my face to a crowd.

If I hadn’t intervened, Wang Kai might genuinely have killed every member of the Security Corps, so there hadn’t been much choice.

Still...

If I had known something like this might happen, I would have made a habit of carrying a mask.

‘...It’ll probably be fine.’

Only a few dozen people had seen me at most.

A brief glimpse of my face wouldn’t be enough for them to determine exactly who I was or where I lived.

No one had taken a photograph or recorded a video, either.

The most they would be able to establish was that I was Asian.

More specifically, Korean.

I could live with that much.

I pushed the concern aside.

The only thing I couldn’t predict was the fallout from killing Wang Kai.

‘Will China start cursing me?’

Whatever.

Let them.

I didn’t think I had gone too far.

Because Wang Kai alone had died, no one else had needed to.

All things considered, it was a fairly good outcome.

Whatever China had to say, I could simply ignore it.

There was no point worrying.

Still, I did feel a twinge of guilt.

Not because I had killed someone, but because...

Wang Kai had been a climber like me.

He had fought on the front lines of the Tower and helped extend the Time Limit.

And now I had killed him.

For humanity as a whole, his death was a loss.

‘...Should I post a brief statement on the Communication Channel?’

I was responsible for what had happened, after all.

For now, however, it would be better to wait and see how the situation developed.

I no longer felt like hunting, so I decided to head back as well.

It looked like the news would be dominated by stories about me again for quite some time.

***

Some ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) time after Wang Kai’s death in Zone 3, strange rumors began spreading through the Communication Channel.

[Shrew: Wang Kai was killed by Person123? What the hell are you talking about?]

[Dieter: idk. Where did this even come from?]

[Starfish: What kind of nonsense is this now?]

The rumor claimed that Wang Kai—the Hard difficulty record holder and the highest-level climber in the world—had been killed by Person123 on Floor 5.

At first, most people dismissed it as just another baseless story.

Climbers from all over the world gathered on the Communication Channel, and every day it overflowed with nonsense, rumors, and blatant trolling.

A story had to be at least remotely plausible for anyone to believe it.

Person123, who had kept his identity completely hidden until now, had suddenly appeared on Floor 5?

And what connection could there possibly have been between the two of them for Person123 to kill Wang Kai out of nowhere?

However, it wasn’t long before specific details began to emerge, and the rumor spread rapidly.

[Mine: Heard the Security Corps and the Black Star Society got into a serious fight on Floor 5, and Person123 showed up to stop them...?]

[Vicious: Apparently Wang Kai tried to kill Person123 and got killed instead.]

[Sensory: What the hell is all this? Is it actually real??]

[Marker: The fight between the Security Corps and the Black Star Society seems real, at least...? I saw Security Corps members carrying their dead back into Zone 0.]

[ChipsAndCola: Just heard it directly from a friend in the Security Corps. It’s true. Person123 actually appeared.]

[Rooibos: They said it wasn’t even a fight. He killed Wang Kai without lifting a finger.]

[Griffin: How... How is that possible? Wang Kai is level 60.]

[Swordmaster: People are saying he used a Magic Type skill with Instant Cast...]

[Lightning: Has China released an official statement yet?]

The rumor spread out of control.

[Pasta: Person123 is Korean?]

[NorthPole: Is the Korean thing real? Someone fact-check this.]

[Cyborg: At the very least, it seems confirmed that he’s Asian and fairly young.]

[Siren: Heard his features looked Northeast Asian.]

[Vaccine: If he killed Wang Kai, he probably isn’t Chinese. And since he sealed the Japanese Mana Vein, he can’t be Japanese either, right?]

[Lucifer: Then Korea seems pretty likely.]

[Rolling: Whoa... Are we finally learning something about him? Never thought I’d see the day.]

[Arrow: Honestly, I’m still amazed that Person123 is an actual human being.]

[Radiation: But what’s this about Wang Kai trying to kill Person123? Did he seriously do that?]

[Music: People have always said he was a psychopath.]

[PeanutToast: Crazy bastard. The world almost got completely f*cked because of him.]

[Latin: If all this is true, shouldn’t China be turning upside down right now?]

[TheEnd: China’s already turned upside down. Wang Kai is dead.]

For the first time, fragments of information about Person123—the man whose identity had remained a complete mystery until now—were beginning to emerge.

And as they did, the entire world buzzed with feverish unrest.