Chapter 26: Escapee (3)

The abandoned school Seodongwoo mentioned was located deep in the mountains on the outskirts of Incheon. Upon reaching my destination, I lightly leaped over the school wall and headed inside.

Seodongwoo had said he was waiting in the gym. I spotted the building that looked like a gymnasium and approached it. This lunatic actually seemed to want to meet just to have a casual chat with me, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility of him pulling some kind of stunt. I heightened my alertness to the maximum; in times like these, the Sense skill was a reliable asset.

However, even before entering, I felt a commotion inside.

‘What is it?’

Was there someone else besides Seodongwoo? An ally? It sounded more like the noise of a struggle.

As I cautiously entered the gym, an unexpected sight unfolded. There were two people inside. A man was holding a woman by the throat, lifting her into the air. The man had to be Seodongwoo… but who was the woman?

Not quite grasping the situation yet, I called out his name.

“Seodongwoo.”

Seodongwoo turned to look at me, gave a broad grin, and tossed the woman aside.

“Oh, you’re here! Person123!”

The woman looked severely injured, unable to even steady her body. I asked for clarification first.

“Who is she?”

“Ah, this~? It’s nothing. Just a Climber who came to kill me. I was playing with her until you arrived.”

Who was she, really? Someone with a grudge against Seodongwoo, like me?

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s have a fun chat now. After I finish off this bitch…”

“Cut the crap.”

“Huh?”

“I came here to kill you, too.”

Whatever, it didn’t matter. There didn’t seem to be a trap, so it was time to do what I came for. Seodongwoo had claimed he was in his 20s. That would make him a lower level than me, though it was likely a lie. But gauging him with my Sense right now, I didn’t feel any particular sense of danger from him. It felt as if my instincts were telling me he was beneath me.

“Are you telling me you tricked me? I actually trusted you.”

Seodongwoo glared at me, his face contorted in a sudden scowl. I was so baffled I couldn’t help but retort.

“Why would anyone want to talk to a psychopath like you, you idiot? Are you just slow?”

At that moment, Seodongwoo lunged at me. He was quite fast. I twisted my body to dodge his tackle. Seodongwoo came to a sudden halt, spun around, and immediately swung a fist. After a few exchanges of blocking and dodging, I kicked him in the stomach.

Seodongwoo was sent flying back but scrambled to his feet.

“What? You’re stronger than I thought.”

“…”

“They say one floor of Nightmare is equal to 10 levels… so shouldn’t you be Level 20? I guess those were just false rumors.”

I had also finished my assessment.

‘Is he Level 28?’

He wasn’t stronger than me, but the Gap wasn’t massive, either. Seodongwoo let out a snicker.

“Okay, I admit it. I’ll go all out from now on.”

He shouted a line that sounded like a cliché death flag, and then his skin began to transform. Green patterns resembling a turtle shell spread across his entire body.

‘Skin Hardening?’

A Rare-grade defense skill. I remembered seeing it on the skill tier list on the Babel site. It was a defensive skill activated by consuming Willpower per second; I recall thinking it would be nice to have.

Seodongwoo licked his lips in a disgusting manner and lunged again. We traded blows once more, and I landed a punch on his face, but due to the Skin Hardening, the impact felt underwhelming. Seodongwoo hesitated for a moment before launching a kick at me. I blocked with my arms and retreated a few steps.

Seodongwoo pressed his advantage, attacking excitedly.

“Hyahat! The Nightmare Conqueror isn’t all that much!”

Sorry to ruin your fun, but I was just starting to warm up. I batted away Seodongwoo’s fist flying toward my face and struck him hard in the solar plexus. This time, the impact felt much heavier than before.

“Urgh…!”

Seodongwoo’s expression crumpled. As he reached out with another punch, I grabbed his arm and threw him straight into the wall above the stage.

CRASH!

Embedded in the wooden wall, Seodongwoo hurriedly tried to pick himself up. I used my Leap skill to dive at him, driving my knee into his abdomen.

“Gack!”

Seodongwoo let out a shriek and started swinging his fists wildly. I dodged and landed a one-two punch to his ribs. As he staggered, gasping for air, I used the Swing skill and kicked his head like a soccer ball. He was sent tumbling off the stage.

As my Bolster skill activated, the physical Gap between Seodongwoo and me continued to widen significantly. I didn’t even feel the need to use Teleportation or Flame Strike. He was only at this level.

Once Bolster reached its maximum, Seodongwoo couldn’t put up any decent resistance. Whether he had Skin Hardening or not, all of my strikes were landing as effective hits.

THUD!

After rolling pathetically across the floor again, Seodongwoo stumbled to his feet. I walked slowly toward him. Suddenly, my Sense screamed a warning. Seodongwoo was pulling something out of his back pocket.

“Die…!”

I froze time. It was a dagger, but the blade was made of ice like an icicle.

‘Is that an item?’

Since it felt dangerous, I decided to avoid it. After focusing my mind, I teleported behind Seodongwoo.

WHOOSH!

As Seodongwoo lunged with the ice dagger, a blast of cold air erupted, freezing the spot where I had been standing just a second ago. I kicked him from behind while he stood there dazed by my sudden disappearance.

“Gah!”

I picked up the dagger he had dropped. The ice blade had vanished, leaving only the hilt.

So that’s what this is? I shoved the hilt into my pocket. This is confiscated; it’s mine now.

“You have a lot of good stuff. If you have more, bring it out.”

Of course, if he really had more, it could be dangerous, so I hung back for a moment until my Teleportation cooldown was up. But it seemed Seodongwoo had reached the end of his rope.

BAM! BAM! CRUNCH!

I used Seodongwoo as a human punching bag, battering his entire body before delivering a final blow to his chest. With the sound of his ribs shattering, Seodongwoo was sent flying into the wall.

“Gurgle… urgh…”

Seodongwoo twitched, barely showing signs of life. I walked up and stood over him. Even with his teeth knocked out and his face a bloody pulp, he was smiling.

“Fuck… you’re so… damn strong… why are you this strong… you only cleared two floors…”

“You’re still smiling?”

“Heheh, what, should I be blubbering instead…?” Seodongwoo panted, lifting his head. “Kill me, just kill me… I don’t give a shit. I’m just bummed I couldn’t enjoy myself more before going, kiki…”

Tough talk for someone in his position. I glared at him and spoke.

“You’re around Floor 7 or 8, right? Why didn’t you climb any higher?”

“…What?”

“I mean, you’re a weakling. With just this much power, you babbled about how Climbers should rule the world? If you were going to go on a rampage, you should have raised your level more.” I mocked him. “Weren’t you actually terrified? You were so scared of failing a clear that you didn’t even dare climb higher. Right? You acted like a maniac, but you were actually a total coward.”

That seemed to strike a nerve, as Seodongwoo had a fit.

“Don’t talk shit, you son of a bitch…!”

“Yeah, whatever, you pathetic little chicken.”

I finally felt a bit better. My venting was over. Now, the problem was what to do with him. I had only thought as far as beating him up; I hadn’t decided whether to kill him or let him live. I didn’t exactly have a moral objection to killing trash like this.

Well, there was also the issue of the aftermath.

‘…I should probably report this, right?’

Since I had come this far, there was no choice, even if my identity was revealed. Another person had seen everything, and it would be impossible for me to neatly wrap this up and vanish into thin air.

I turned back to the woman. She had managed to get up and was staggering toward us.

“…?”

The woman approached Seodongwoo and raised her fist. Then, with a fist shimmering with blue light, she slammed it into Seodongwoo’s head.

SPLAT!

Seodongwoo’s head literally burst. He was dead instantly. I stared at the woman, dumbfounded. Heaving heavy breaths, she suddenly began to cry.

What was going on? Who was this person? I stood there awkwardly, watching the woman’s strange behavior.

“Phew…” The woman looked up, wiped her tears, and turned her gaze toward me. “…If given time, he could have fled into the Tower. I had to kill him before the combat status wore off.”

Combat status? I had heard of that. Was it that a Climber couldn’t enter the Tower while in combat?

“By the way, who are you?” I finally asked.

Come to think of it, she was dressed in a suit. I had an uneasy premonition… The woman brushed back her disheveled hair and introduced herself.

“I am Team Leader Shin Soojin of the Climbing Surveillance Department under the Climbing Department.”

“Ah.”

“Thank you for assisting in the execution of official duties. Thanks to you, we were able to neutralize the Escapee Seodongwoo.”

I felt like I had been caught red-handed. No wonder she was fighting Seodongwoo. Team Leader Shin Soojin pulled a business card from her inner pocket, handed it to me, and asked cautiously.

“Are you, by any chance, Person123… the first Nightmare Conqueror?”

“…”

“I heard Seodongwoo mention it earlier.”

Since there was no point in denying it, I nodded. Being part of the Climbing Department meant she was a civil servant. I decided to try my luck.

“…Could you possibly keep my identity a secret? Let’s just say you handled Seodongwoo alone.”

“Pardon?”

Shin Soojin gazed at me quietly for a moment, then nodded. “I don’t know what your circumstances are… but understood. I will remain silent.”

“…Really?”

“It’s the least I can do after you saved my life.”

What a relief! She was more flexible than I expected. Just then, Shin Soojin clutched her stomach and let out a groan. I grabbed her arm and supported her as she staggered.

“Are you okay? You look badly hurt.”

“…I’m fine.” Shin Soojin pulled her arm away, leaned against the wall, and sat down. “I’ll handle the scene. Don’t worry, the report will state that I killed Seodongwoo alone during combat.”

“…Then should I get going?”

“Yes. Thank you once again.”

I started to leave but turned back to her one more time. “Are you sure you’re really okay? Shouldn’t you call an ambulance quickly?”

“Yes, I’ll call one myself. Go now, the police might arrive.”

If that’s what she said. I left the abandoned school, leaving Shin Soojin behind. But why did she cry earlier? She was a bit of a strange person.

***

Left alone, Shin Soojin exhaled and endured the surging pain. She looked back at the corpse of Seodongwoo, whose head had been crushed. It felt far more refreshing than she had imagined. Despite telling herself she had to forget, it seemed this only truly ended with Seodongwoo’s death.

‘That man…’

Shin Soojin thought about the man who had just left. Person123. The first Nightmare Conqueror and the record holder for the highest Nightmare floor. It was surprising that he, who had been shrouded in mystery, was actually Korean. Moreover, he looked younger than expected, though she couldn’t see his face properly because of the hoodie and mask.

It was also a mystery why he had suddenly appeared at this location. Judging by the conversation he had with Seodongwoo, it seemed he had tricked the villain into meeting here with the intention of taking him down.

Above all, seeing him overwhelm Seodongwoo—who was Level 28—as if he were playing with a child was shocking. Hadn’t he only cleared two floors? To think there was such a massive Gap between Nightmare and Hard difficulty.

He had been a huge help. Without him, she would have died at Seodongwoo’s hands today. Thanks to him, she was able to exact her revenge. …She just felt relieved. She felt like it was all finally over.

Shin Soojin pulled out her phone. The screen was cracked, and she had a pile of missed calls. She dialed one of the numbers.

— Team Leader! Why are you just picking up now! Right now, Seodongwoo is…

“I got him.”

— What?

“I got Seodongwoo, so please come here. The location is…”