Chapter 23: Decision (2)

“Ah, take this.”

I pulled something out of my pocket. It was a Top-Grade Magic Stone, radiating a brilliant golden light. Billon took the stone, looking surprised.

“Oh, a Top-Grade Magic Stone?”

“Yes. You recognize it?”

“I have some knowledge of the rewards that appear in Nightmare Difficulty.”

Easy rewards the lowest or low-grade stones, Normal gives mid-grade, and Hard provides high-grade. Top-Grade Magic Stones were a tier that appeared exclusively in Nightmare.

The reason I brought it was partly because I felt bad just receiving things. Honestly, I had planned to use this to negotiate. I was going to ask if I could continue receiving Skill Stones in the future; if Billon hadn’t brought it up first, I would have.

Since everything had worked out perfectly, and the stone was useless to me anyway, I intended to give it to him since I’d already brought it.

“Since you’re helping me, I should give you something in return.”

Billon shook his head. “That’s not necessary. I’m not looking for a quid pro quo relationship.”

“Still, I feel uncomfortable just taking. Besides, I have no use for this stone. I can’t even sell it anywhere.”

“Ah, are you unable to sell it because you are an Unregistered Climber?”

I nodded. Billon stroked his chin, humming thoughtfully.

“I believe I can help with that.”

“Really? How?”

“There are many ways. I could handle the proxy sale of the Top-Grade Magic Stone, or I could simply buy it from you myself.”

Oh, like that?

“The problem is how to apply the market price. This isn’t exactly a common item traded on the open market… Ellen, do you know anything about this?” Billon asked the man in the driver’s seat.

The man named Ellen replied, “Supply is so limited that market value is almost meaningless, but for that size, I’d estimate at least 30 billion won.”

…30 billion?

the Top-Grade Magic Stone I brought was barely smaller than a fist. I knew it was rare, but that much?

“It’s worth that much?”

“As I said, the price is arbitrary. With only five Nightmare Conquerors in existence, there is an extreme gap between supply and demand. It’s essentially worth whatever someone is willing to pay at the moment. In the US, it’s classified as a strategic resource, so private trade is technically prohibited…”

As I listened, something felt inconsistent, so I asked, “Then how are you going to sell it?”

“Legal routes aren’t the only ones that exist.”

“Ah.”

Right. A mogul like Billon would surely have his ways. Still, I wondered if he really needed to go that far.

“That seems like a lot of trouble. You don’t have to go that far for me.”

Thinking about it, even if Billon gave me the money, how would I receive it? Would I have to open a Swiss bank account or something?

“In that case, how about this? I provide you with lower-grade Magic Stones.”

What does that mean?

Billon explained, “You are still an Unregistered Climber. Why not register as a Climber of a different difficulty? The government has no way of knowing your actual difficulty level. If I give you stones of a grade that matches that difficulty, you can simply sell those.”

…Wait, that’s actually tempting.

It wasn’t just about the money; it was a solution that resolved the dilemma I’d been facing lately. If I registered as an Easy difficulty Climber and consistently received low-grade stones from Billon to sell legitimately, I could perfectly maintain the persona of an Easy difficulty Climber.

The stones didn’t have name tags, and if I claimed I got them as rewards from the Tower, there would be no issues. For someone like Billon, sourcing a few low-grade stones would be trivial.

Up until now, I’d been half-heartedly attending university because a part of me still wanted to return to a normal life someday. But once I decided to climb the Tower with everything I had, I couldn’t keep going to school. Especially once I finished my pre-med years and started the main medical course; I’d have to do nothing but study.

Climbing the Tower while studying? There was no way I’d have the time. Sure, I could pull it off if I used my Time Stop Ability to the extreme, but there was no point in that, and I didn’t want to push myself that hard.

The problem was explaining to my family why I was suddenly quitting medical school. But if I told them I became a Climber, I could persuade them. Especially since the Tower’s new rule meant climbing wasn’t exactly optional anymore.

I could quit school, make money selling stones, and tell my family I was a Climber so I wouldn’t have to hide my trips to the Tower. I could focus entirely on the conquest. This plan solved almost every problem. It was perfect!

“That’s a great idea.”

“Excellent. If you agree, let’s proceed with that.”

After hearing the details of the future plan from Billon, I agreed to do it. I also forced the Top-Grade Magic Stone onto him despite his polite refusals. I told you, I hate just taking things.

“Then I shall accept it gratefully. I will put it to good use in our research.”

I remembered one more thing and added, “Oh, and about the Skill Stones—it doesn’t matter to me if you find Magic-type skills. I actually prefer Magic over Physical.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

Though, honestly, I’d be grateful for either. It was time to head out.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you.”

I shook hands with Billon one last time, nodded to Ellen, and opened the car door.

Hmm…

I turned back to Billon before stepping out. “My name is Seohyun Kim.”

Since he was helping me this much, it felt rude to keep everything hidden. I decided to at least reveal my name. Billon’s eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled.

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kim. I’ll see you again soon.”

***

Exactly one week later, I met a person to receive the Magic Stones.

“Ah, thank you.”

At the meeting spot, a foreign man simply handed me a bag, bowed, and left. I opened the bag to check. Inside, it was filled with lowest and low-grade Magic Stones emitting a pale blue light.

From now on, I was to receive stones like this once a month at a designated location. Billon couldn’t deliver them personally every time, so he said he would have a separate courier in Korea. Since he said it was someone trustworthy, I assumed it was a close associate.

Now that I had the stones, the next step was to register as a Climber.

‘I’m finally doing this after two years.’

I had considered revealing that I was a Nightmare Conqueror to get national support, now that I was committed to the climb. But I worried about my family finding out, and there were too many strings attached, so I dropped that idea.

I proceeded with my registration as an Easy difficulty Climber at the nearest Climbing Department branch. Proving one was a Climber was simple. Those who had cleared at least one floor just had to demonstrate entering and exiting the Tower.

Even for 1st-floor Climbers who hadn’t entered yet, there was a way. Since 1st-floor Climbers can see the progress of all difficulties, they just had to answer questions about real-time changes in the headcount or time limits.

In my case, I could register using the former method.

Seohyun Kim, Easy difficulty, currently on the 2nd floor.

Once registration is complete, Climbers on the 2nd floor or higher can be issued a Climber license. This license also served as a certificate for trading Magic Stones. I could finally sell stones legally.

“Total weight is 20.56kg.”

I sold all the stones I received at the government-authorized Magic Stone Exchange. The money I earned was approximately 130 million won. I could now understand Sang-cheol’s spending habits. I wouldn’t have to worry about pocket money anymore.

Now, the final and biggest hurdle remained.

“The truth is, I became a Climber.”

That night, after dinner, I told my parents I had something to say and sat them down in the living room.

“What…?”

Seeing their shocked expressions, I quickly added, “It’s Easy difficulty. I’ve already finished the 1st floor, so there’s no problem.”

I explained that I had actually become a new Climber recently but didn’t tell them because I was worried they’d be anxious. I told them the 1st floor was easy and that everything was fine, and only then did their stiff expressions soften slightly.

“Are you really okay? You aren’t hurt anywhere?”

“Easy is just a single Goblin. There’s no way to get hurt, and even if I did, the injuries heal once you clear the floor.”

I moved on to my next point. “So, I’m thinking of quitting school and working as a Climber.”

My mother cried out in horror, “Absolutely not! What are you saying!”

“I’m not saying I’ll keep climbing higher; I’ll just keep clearing the 1st floor repeatedly. You don’t have to worry, Mom. There’s zero danger in repeated clears.”

My father finally spoke. “What is the reason you want to be a Climber? You worked so hard to get into medical school; what about becoming a doctor?”

I brought out the argument I’d prepared. “To be honest, we live in a world where we don’t even know what will happen a year from now. I don’t want to spend all my time just studying at school. It takes years of study to become a doctor.”

“Hmm…”

“I want to enjoy my hobbies, travel, and do a lot of things before it’s too late. If I work as a Climber, I can earn enough money even with very little work.”

I laid out a long, persuasive explanation. My father listened quietly and asked again, “Have you truly made up your mind? You won’t regret it?”

“Yes. You know I don’t say things like this lightly.”

I thought it would be hard to convince them in one go, but surprisingly, my father nodded. “Fine. If that’s what you think, I’m okay with it.”

“What are you saying! You should be stopping him…!”

“Seohyun isn’t wrong. It’s a world where we don’t know what will happen. I want to let the kid do what he wants.”

Nice, Dad’s permission is a go.

“Mom, it’s really not dangerous. No one dies or gets hurt repeating Easy Floor 1. If there’s even a hint of danger, I can just exit.”

“And I have absolutely no intention of climbing to the 2nd floor. I had to do the 1st, but I’m not crazy enough to keep climbing the Tower if I wanted to die, right?”

As expected, my mother was much more stubborn than my father. So, I performed a little demonstration by taking a book and ripping it apart with my bare grip strength.

“Look. You get this strong at just Level 1. My body is so tough that even if I wanted to get hurt by a Goblin, I couldn’t.”

“Heh…”

In truth, Level 1 wouldn’t be this strong, but there was no way my parents would know that. Eventually, I managed to get a “we’ll think about it” out of her. I felt a bit guilty for causing them grief, but it couldn’t be helped.

In any case, half the problem was solved. I no longer had to sneak into the Tower while dodging eyes at home. I picked up the bracelet on my desk and summoned Diul.

“You like it too, right, Diul? From now on, we can have even more night walks on the 2nd floor.”

He gave off a feeling of ‘Do whatever you want,’ but I also sensed a faint trace of happiness. This prickly guy… it felt like raising a cat when I’d never even owned one.

SLAM!

The door suddenly flew open, and I hurriedly sent Diul back into the bracelet. Gosh, I told her to knock.

“What? Why?”

My younger sibling looked at me with a pouty face. “I heard you became a Climber.”

“…Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Just because. You heard it from Mom and Dad, so that’s enough.”

My sibling hesitated for a moment and asked, “Is it… doable?”

“What?”

“Climbing the Tower. Since you said it’s Easy difficulty.”

“It’s doable. Why? Are you worried?”

“Ugh, shut up! You’re so annoying!” My sibling screamed and stormed out. Geez.

Thinking I should teach them a lesson later, I called Diul back out. “That’s my sibling. Crazy, right? She treats her brother like total dirt.” Diul didn’t even react.

“Fine, let’s just go for a walk.”

I threw on a cardigan and entered the Tower.

***

Northern Gangwon Prison.

Thump, thump, thump…

The repetitive sound reached the ears of a correctional officer on night patrol. It sounded like someone knocking on a cell door. The officer approached a cell, looking for the source.

“What are you doing? Who’s at the door…”

He peered inside, scowling, but recoiled as if he’d seen a ghost. A prisoner was pressed right up against the viewing slit.

“…What are you doing right now! Seodongwoo!”

Seodongwoo, Cell 11, Ward 3. He was serving a life sentence for murder but had been a quiet model prisoner for ten years without any major incidents. The officer was naturally baffled by this sudden nighttime eccentricity.

Seodongwoo grinned and spoke in a drawling voice. “Ah, Officer… it’s nothing much, it’s just that my friends are hurting quite a bit…”

“…Hurting? Who’s hurting?”

“Yes. Everyone is hurting a lot. They’re hurting so much they can’t even move a finger.”

“What? What on earth…”

Suddenly, a metallic smell wafted out. As Seodongwoo slowly moved his face aside, the inside of the room was finally revealed.

Bright red blood, mangled flesh—the corpses of what used to be the other inmates. The officer stared at the scene, his thoughts grinding to a halt.

“Uh, uh…?”

A hand reached through the viewing slit and grabbed his head.

“What should I do about them? Can you save them, Officer? Will they live if they take some medicine?”

“Gack, hurk…!”

“A person is asking you a question~ Give me an answer. An answer!”

As the grip tightened, the officer’s head crushed with a wet snap, like a ripe persimmon.

“You should have just answered quickly.”

Seodongwoo let out a chuckle, shook off his wet hand, and stepped back from the iron door. Then, he lunged forward and slammed his body into it.

BOOM!

The iron door rattled violently. Alarms began to blare madly from all directions. After several more slams, the thick iron door began to warp, and cracks spread across the wall connected to the frame.

CRASH!

The wall, unable to withstand the impact, finally crumbled. The rapid response team rushed over, only to freeze in horror at the sight before them.

The cell door had been torn off. In the middle of the hallway stood a prisoner, his hands drenched in blood.

“Man, why is this thing so sturdy? If my level was any lower, I might not have been able to break it.”

Seodongwoo smirked as he spotted the officers.

“What are you looking at? Never seen a prison break before?”

“…”

“I guess you haven’t seen one like this. Keke.”

That night, the sounds of screams and gunfire echoed chaotically through the prison.