Chapter 10: Last Chance
"Last Chance," one of the thirteen Hell Players.
This person was quite famous.
‘The Prodigy who cleared up to the 23rd Floor of Hell through Solo Play.’
Last Chance was notorious for tackling the Tower alone, without being affiliated with any guild or team. In a Tower of HELL Difficulty where Party Play was practically mandatory, the fact that this person reached the same floor as everyone else without cooperating with others made them an absolute monster.
‘I didn’t expect someone of this caliber to contact me.’
There were constant debates about whether this person was the number one in terms of Combat Power among all Players. However, there was one thing that bothered me.
‘How did this person know I was struggling with a Penalty?’
Did Morning Sunshine tell them? Even if Last Chance only did Solo Play, they probably had each other’s contact Information. Actually, as long as Mad Dog didn't know, it didn't really matter. I sent a reply immediately.
Ting!
The reply came the moment I sent it. Everyone’s replies were incredibly fast. Were the Hell Players doing nothing but staring at their message windows?
It seemed they didn't intend to just give it away. It was a stark contrast to the attitudes of Morning Sunshine and Mad Dog, who had handed over information quite readily. Thinking about it, this might actually be the normal way of doing things. Since I was the one who needed the information.
They didn't want to leave a record. Do people usually worry about that? True to being a Hell Player, they were certainly unique.
Wait. They were suddenly trying to make an appointment. How did they know where I lived? But before I could even reply, another message arrived.
The address Last Chance provided was in Korea. Moreover, it was only a 30-minute drive from my house.
‘A Korean... No way.’
Was my personal information leaked? Could they figure out my details just by exchanging messages? If it was a Hell Player, it might be possible. No, if it were that easy, the Saintess and Mad Dog wouldn't have bothered asking me. While my doubts deepened...
Last Chance sent no more messages after that.
‘Well...’
It was suspicious in many ways, but the area was right in the middle of a crowded downtown. If I blended into the crowd, I wouldn't be caught. Above all...
‘I have Stealth.’
By using the Stealth Skill, I could meet them without revealing myself.
‘Now that I think about it, there’s no real reason to keep hiding my identity.’
The Korea Awakened Management Bureau was also looking for me. It might be better to just reveal my identity and get help. I hadn't contacted them because I was too busy with the Clear, but eventually, I would have to register as a Player.
‘Hunter registration is essential if I want to dispose of Magic Stones.’
It wouldn't be too late to do all that tomorrow. As the tension released, a wave of exhaustion hit me. Physically I was fine, but mentally, it seemed I was reaching my limit.
I checked the System Message and headed to the bathroom. I didn't even know how many times I'd showered today.
‘Let’s actually get some rest for now.’
Tomorrow looked like it was going to be even busier.
‘There are quite a lot of people.’
The place Last Chance designated was a downtown park. Since it was near a busy district, there was a lot of foot traffic. It was definitely more reassuring than meeting in a deserted place. Regardless, I arrived right at 1:00 PM.
‘The bench in front of the fountain.’
Since I was using my Stealth Skill, there was no worry about being caught. What about the CCTVs scattered throughout the city? No problem. I had tested it with my Smartphone beforehand. Curiously, I wasn't captured by electronic devices either. It seemed even machines couldn't find me.
I decided I could choose whether or not to reveal myself after meeting Last Chance. As I walked toward the bench in front of the fountain...
"..."
A woman was sitting alone on the bench. With glossy long hair and calm, deep eyes, she was a beauty with a mysterious aura. It was quite unexpected. I thought it would be some scary-looking guy.
‘And she’s Korean?’
If so, I could understand why she chose this location. There were rumors that Morning Sunshine was also Korean, but I didn't expect Last Chance to be one as well.
‘What would she have done if I were from another country...’
Anyway, I had to let her know I had arrived. Just as I was about to send a message through the system...
"It is time."
The woman sitting on the bench turned her head and spoke.
"Have you arrived, Cheonha?" "..."
For the record, she was looking in a completely different direction from where I was standing. Her tone was strangely stiff—exactly like the messages. I felt a sense of dissonance. They say none of the Hell Players are normal.
"Naturally, this woman is not me."
The woman continued speaking quietly while staring into the air. She wasn't even wearing an in-ear piece. Was it some kind of brainwashing Ability? It was a bit creepy.
"I cannot be certain of your presence, but from now on, I will speak assuming you are nearby."
It seemed I wasn't the only one who didn't want to reveal their identity. Setting up a Device like this meant Last Chance had no intention of showing her face either.
"You did well not to reveal yourself directly. From the moment you entered HL+ Difficulty, the whole World will be after you."
‘Come on, surely not that much...’
"Among them, there will be many villains who use coercive methods such as kidnapping, brainwashing, threats, and memory manipulation."
‘Holy crap. Seriously?’
"Even if you are a climber of HL+, from the perspective of existing Players, you are just a sprout who has only just reached the 2nd floor. It is only natural that people will try to use you."
This person was saying some pretty intense things with a very calm Expression.
"It's an obvious thing to say, but I recommend hiding your identity until you can protect yourself."
Unfortunately, she had a point.
"If you wish, I can help you operate while keeping your identity hidden through me, but..."
"..."
"There would be the issue of trust. If you decide you can trust me, you may ask me then, and I will grant it."
The woman spoke with a blank expression. I sent a message through the system window. It was a question that naturally came to mind.
The woman turned her head. This time, she looked straight ahead. Was it just my imagination that she seemed to be checking the message window? The words that came out of her mouth were:
"I will not take questions."
‘This person is crazy. She’s just doing whatever she wants.’
"Mad Dog and Morning Sunshine are trustworthy, so it wouldn't be bad to rely on them. I will leave that judgment to you."
"..."
The moment she said Mad Dog was trustworthy, my level of trust in her plummeted.
"Let's get to the point. The Penalty Removal Method."
Finally, the part I was curious about came up.
"It was purely my guess that you were carrying a Penalty. If you were in your right mind, you wouldn't challenge HL+ Difficulty and clear the 2nd floor just a day after entering HELL Difficulty."
It seemed she hadn't been contacted by Morning Sunshine after all.
‘Certainly, if I were in my right mind... I wouldn't clear it that way.’
Now that I thought about it, that was true. If it weren't for the Penalty, I wouldn't have had to re-clear the 1st floor to enter a Hidden Place, nor would I have cleared the 2nd floor immediately.
"To remove the Penalty, you must contact the system administrator."
So there really was an administrator. There were only rumors about it in the Community.
"There is an old telephone in the basement of the grand mansion on the 5.5th Floor. That is the fastest way to contact the system administrator."
On the 5.5th Floor, there was a city where all Players gathered. NPCs existed there, making it possible to buy and sell various items. It was also from that point on that one could form teams with others.
‘A grand mansion...’
There was only one place called the "Grand Mansion" on the 5.5th Floor. Since it was the home of a noble NPC with great influence within the Tower, the security would be very tight. Would I be able to break through and enter?
‘A telephone to talk to the administrator.’
With my Stealth Skill, it felt like I could make it work somehow.
"That is all the information I can give you. If it's not related to the Penalty, I will answer through messages. My Information regarding HL+ will be more accurate than Mad Dog's."
It was a statement laced with quite a bit of confidence. Like Mad Dog, she was a Player of HELL Difficulty, so I wondered how she knew so much about HL+ Difficulty. It seemed everyone had their own informants.
‘This is good.’
It was great because it allowed for cross-verification of information. Climbing the Tower based on only one person's word was too dangerous in HL+ Difficulty.
"Lastly... I will give you the address of the Black Market."
Her tone was stiff, but the information was overflowing. To be this kind... was she actually a good person? Of course, I'd have to wait and see. This conversation ended with Last Chance reciting the address of the Black Market.
I sent a System Message and left the park. The woman sitting on the bench didn't move an inch until I left. Whether she was the real Last Chance or not didn't matter once I received the information.
‘I have to break through the 5th Floor to get to the 5.5th Floor. Let’s just survive until then.’
I walked toward the Black Market address I had noted on my Smartphone. It was time to sell the Magic Stones I had obtained in bulk from the 1st and 2nd Floors.
The woman sitting on the bench bit the straw of her Americano cup. Her throat was parched from tension. She wondered if she had spoken correctly. She hoped she didn't look suspicious.
"..."
She had pretended to hide her identity in front of Cheonha, but in fact, she was Last Chance herself.
‘He was definitely here.’
She was certain she had talked with Cheonha because the messages had arrived. However, she couldn't feel anything. Not that Cheonha had visited this place, nor that he had been standing somewhere nearby.
Absolute Stealth.
It was still an absurd Ability.
‘To think he can't even be detected when he’s only just climbed the 2nd Floor.’
Last Chance was no ordinary Hell Player. She was an overwhelmingly powerful individual who had monopolized all sorts of Hidden Pieces and Artifacts while climbing the 23rd Floor of HELL Difficulty solo. Nevertheless, even Last Chance couldn't sense a trace of Cheonha.
Slurp.
Sitting on the bench, Last Chance finished her Americano in one gulp and slowly stood up. She had done everything she could.
‘The final key to clearing the Tower. Cheonha.’
From here on, she had no choice but to leave it to luck. The success or failure of a Tower Clear ultimately depended on the Player themselves. There was only so much she could do about the details. Having made her resolve, she stood up.
‘But I can't just leave it be.’
It was no time for weak words. Even if everything depended on luck, she had to do whatever she could within her reach.
‘This time, I will absolutely not let him die.’
Class: Absolute Unique Regressor.
With that, Last Chance left the park.
***
Turning into an alleyway, the Black Market appeared immediately. Bright lights hung in clusters under the dark night sky.
"Buying Magic Stones, come this way!"
"Mandrake powder, Phantasm powder, Spirit incense—"
"Wyvern meat is cheap and good!"
"Buying all Items."
Merchants were selling various goods under tents. It didn't have the dark, gloomy feel of a typical "Black Market."
‘It feels like a normal night market...’
Except for the fact that the goods for sale were bizarre items that ordinary people would never see, it was just a night market. There were so many different Items and materials lined up on the stalls that there was a lot to look at.
‘I didn't come here to window shop.’
Due to the nature of HELL Difficulty, even if I bought them, I couldn't use them in the Tower, so it felt like looking at a pie in the sky. I headed for the shop Last Chance had mentioned.
‘Did she say I just need to present the goods?’
A young man wearing a black blindfold was looking at his Smartphone with a bored Expression. The sound of a video leaked from the Smartphone's speaker.
— Who exactly is the Player Cheonha? Everything is shrouded in mystery. It's clear he's no ordinary person...
Since I was still in Stealth, he didn't seem to notice me standing right in front of him. I placed the Magic Stones I had brought from my Inventory in front of the man.
Clatter—
The actual amount I possessed was more than this, but I thought selling them all at once might raise suspicion, so I planned to dispose of them in batches. Only then did the man hurriedly put away his Smartphone and bow his head.
"W-Welcome! I'll process it right... Huh?"
Then he suddenly raised his head. He looked around, even checking under the counter.
"Excuse me, but where are you exactly?"
"..."
Should I say something? A brief silence followed.
"Ah, if it's a burden to show your face, it's fine to stay as you are."
Fortunately, the man was quick-witted.
"We have all sorts of people using our shop, after all."
The man, who chuckled awkwardly while rubbing his hands, picked up a lens and began to examine the Magic Stones.
"Ooh, the quality is all great. These are top-shelf. You must be quite skilled. Haha."
After quickly counting the Magic Stones, the man put on a business smile.
"We are buying Elite Magic Stones for 5.14 million won and Low-grade Magic Stones for 1.1 million won. In total..."
The prices weren't much different from what was available on the market.
"That will be 43.28 million won. Please wait a moment!"
The man went into the back warehouse and came out with several bundles of 50,000-won bills. He put them through a money-counting machine to show that the amount was exact. The man skillfully packed the bundles of cash into a shopping bag.
"This is clean money with no issues, so feel free to use it. We look forward to seeing you again!"
The man bowed his head toward the empty air, as if receiving such bizarre customers was a daily occurrence. I took the shopping bag and left. I checked, but there were no suspicious traces.
‘40 million won...’
To some, it might not be a large sum, but to me, who had just started out in society, it was an immense amount of money. Fearing I might lose it, I took a taxi instead of the bus. I was on edge until I got back home. After all, I couldn't ride a taxi while in Stealth.
"Phew."
Only after returning home could I comfortably set down the shopping bag. Looking at the stacks of cash, a smile finally formed.
‘40 million won in a single day.’
And in cash, too. I didn't have an immediate use for it, but it made me feel secure. I still had unsold Magic Stones left as well. From now on, if I needed money, I could just use the Black Market. It finally felt like I was a Player.
‘It really is a life-changing turn of events.’
Normally, I would have been anxiously waiting for the results of my transition to a permanent position. Now, that didn't matter anymore.
‘It sure is nice.’
My livelihood was resolved in an instant, wasn't it?
‘If only it weren't for the Penalty, it would be perfect.’
The problem was that from now on, I had to worry about my life, not my livelihood.
‘Let’s prepare for the 3rd Floor Clear.’
Once again, I had to gather information first. I pulled up the system's message function.
I sent the message to three people: Morning Sunshine, Mad Dog, and Last Chance.
Dammit, I’m not the crazy one here. It seemed even the Saintess didn't realize my Penalty was a forced Clear. It was just that Last Chance was unusual.
Both of them expressed reluctance this time. This was the section where Hell Players died the most. Seeing how previous Hell Players died even when they had some information... it was undoubtedly a difficult level even if you knew what was coming. And it had even been upgraded to HL+ Difficulty.
‘Is there no choice this time?’
The moment I thought that...
Ting—
A message arrived from Last Chance.
I couldn't have asked for a more reliable ally.
‘With this, it’s worth a shot.’
The reward for the 3rd Floor was a Skill Enhancement Ticket. It was a ticket to strengthen an existing Skill. Using the Information Last Chance provided... I might be able to get my hands on that enhancement ticket quite easily.