Chapter 40: Fallen Ones (3)

Chapter 40,: Fallen Ones (3)

I watched Manager Shin Soojin exit through the door. I hadn’t expected to run into the Climbing Department Manager here of all places. It seemed best for her to get out quickly and receive treatment.

I turned my gaze back toward the monster on the stage. It was a gruesome scene, difficult to put into words. The sight of the monster wailing as if performing a funeral dirge amidst the corpses was both bizarre and chilling. It felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Why are you crying so creepily… after killing everyone yourself?

This monster, too, must have been a Human until moments ago. Climbers who died from the Tower’s curse had turned into monsters. The Tower named them Fallen Ones. It seemed that no shred of Human reason remained within them.

There was no other choice then. I had to kill it. One Fallen One had already been bitten to death by Fliya just moments ago. However, the one Fliya killed had three horns, while the monster on stage now had five.

The Tower clearly stated that Fallen Ones would appear from Rank 1 to Rank 5. Based on that, I concluded that the number of horns likely represented the rank of the Fallen One. This was surely a Rank 5 Fallen One, which was said to have a 0.01% chance of appearing.

If it’s 0.01% out of 40,000 people… isn’t that about 4 individuals? And one just happened to appear in Korea? Regardless, I could feel its strength. My sixth sense was whispering to me: it was extremely dangerous.

I didn’t want to get into a dangerous fight either… but I couldn’t just leave a thing like that alone. It was idle for now, but there was no telling how much more damage it would cause if left undealt with.

But would it be able to withstand my new finishing move? I highly doubted it.

I reached out my hand. I was about to cast Destruction Line toward the Fallen One, who was still just huddling and crying.

‘…Hmm.’

I pulled my hand back. The angle was a bit awkward. Inside the Tower it wouldn’t matter, but this was reality. The problem was that the Destruction Line skill was too powerful. I had no way of knowing how far the beam would penetrate or extend.

If it pierced through the walls and reached outside the building, it would be a disaster if people got caught in it. As for firing toward the floor… wasn’t there an underground space here? What if someone was underneath?

I looked up. A dome-shaped ceiling. Aiming upward seemed safe enough. I just needed to launch the Fallen One high toward the ceiling and then fire the Destruction Line.

‘Launch it up.’

At my command, Fliya immediately lunged toward the Fallen One. Only then was there a reaction from the previously still monster.

Kieeeeeee—!

The Fallen One went into a frenzy, letting out a screeching scream like a malfunctioning karaoke microphone.

“…!”

It was fast. The Fallen One dodged Fliya’s bite like a bolt of lightning and kicked his torso. Fliya, who was ten times larger than the Fallen One, was sent flying and crashed into the surroundings. Walls crumbled, and sparks flew from the lighting fixtures.

Kaoooooo—!

Fliya charged back in immediately, seemingly without much damage. When he performed a body slam, this time the Fallen One was the one sent flying. They began to tumble and scrap in earnest, but the Fallen One showed no signs of being pushed back.

Then again, it didn’t seem like Fliya was losing either. It was a stalemate. I watched the skirmish while remaining in Stealth.

‘Is it around Level 50?’

Maybe a step above me even when I had my physical enhancement active at maximum? However, it didn’t seem to have any notable abilities other than its powerful Physical Ability. I was certain one shot would be enough.

The two monsters ran wild, devastating the spacious theater. Because the Fallen One’s counterattacks were so fierce, Fliya was unable to properly carry out my order to launch it toward the ceiling.

If this dragged on too long, other people might come in. My Stealth duration didn’t have much time left either… I had to look for an opening.

Gruuuuuu…!

After some brawling, a perfect opportunity soon arrived. The Fallen One was in a contest of strength, holding Fliya’s jaws open with both hands.

‘Stay right there.’

I commanded Fliya while approaching the Fallen One while still hidden in Stealth. Then, I teleported right next to the monster. Without giving it a moment to react, I used my swing skill to kick its stomach upward with all my might.

Kiaa—

The Fallen One soared up, nearly reaching the ceiling. It was a perfect angle. I reached out toward the Fallen One and triggered a Stop in time.

After finishing the 300 seconds of mental concentration, the fully charged jet-black beam was fired toward the sky.

Fsssss…

Where the darkness faded, only a massive hole remained in the ceiling. Dust fell and sunlight poured in. Just in case, I had intended to follow up immediately with Flame Strike, but there was no need. The Fallen One struck by the Destruction Line had vanished without a trace.

As expected, it couldn’t withstand it. The battle ended that simply.

‘Good job.’

I un-Summoned Fliya, who had worked hard. Surveying the carnage, I looked at the corpse of the Rank 3 Fallen One that had died earlier. If over 40,000 people had all turned into such monsters, the world was going to be a mess.

‘What kind of chaos is this again…’

Feeling my head grow heavy with complex thoughts, I slipped out of the building while remaining in Stealth.

—

“Ah, oh…! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine.”

As Shin Soojin stepped outside the building, SWAT teams had already arrived and surrounded the entrance.

“Are you Manager Shin Soojin?!”

“Yes. What happened to the people who came out?”

“Don’t worry. They’ve all been evacuated to a safe place, and the injured have been transported by ambulance!”

Shin Soojin nodded and said, “Do not go inside yet. There is a monster.”

“Yes! We will now enter and eliminate—”

“No! You’ll all die! Ugh…”

Shin Soojin didn’t even have time to tend to her injuries as she stopped the police.

“It’s a monster that won’t even take a scratch from a rifle… If you engage, you’ll all be killed. Stand by for now.”

Since these were words coming from a Level 30 Climber who had emerged wounded, the police had no choice but to listen. Shin Soojin got on the radio.

“This is Manager Shin Soojin. Presence of a monster inside the Arts Center confirmed. It is a single entity and…”

Boom!

Just then, a massive vibration echoed from inside the building. The police were startled and aimed their muzzles back toward the entrance.

“Is—is the monster going on a rampage?”

The police had no way of knowing what was happening inside. Several loud and small thundering noises echoed as if the entire building were shaking. Sounds like the roars of a beast could be heard.

Shin Soojin stared at the building with trembling eyes before finishing her transmission.

“…A very powerful monster is inside the Arts Center. I suspect it is a Rank 5 Fallen One as seen in the message. Combat power… must be assumed to be at least Level 50.”

Shin Soojin trusted Person123. He was an incredibly powerful Climber even back when he conquered Nightmare Difficulty Floor 2. Now that he had conquered up to Floor 3, he would obviously be much stronger. Moreover, he possessed the ability to handle such a monster.

But, even so, what if he died to the Fallen One? If the only person currently climbing Nightmare Difficulty died here, it would be the worst possible irreversible situation.

‘…No.’

The thought made her dizzy. Had her judgment been clouded for a moment because of her injury? Shin Soojin regretted simply coming outside as he had told her. Instead of leaving the fight to him, she should have stopped him from fighting the Fallen One. Shouldn’t such a monster be killed by a barrage of missiles rather than a person facing it directly?

The moment Shin Soojin decided to go back in to check the situation—

“…!”

In the middle of the building, a black pillar suddenly shot up through the roof. Everyone who saw it stared at the incomprehensible phenomenon in a daze. What on earth was that…?

The black pillar soon vanished. Along with it, the vibrations that sounded as if the building were collapsing ceased as if dead. Shin Soojin stood blankly for a moment before turning on the communication channel. Just as she was about to send a whisper to Person123, a whisper came from him first.

As soon as she saw that message, all the tension left Shin Soojin’s body. He won. Fortunately, Person123 was even more of a monster than that spine-chilling creature.

‘That black pillar just now…’

What could it have been? An ability of the Fallen One? Or perhaps it was a skill of Person123. He was full of mysterious abilities.

Shin Soojin sent a reply.

Words of thanks were not enough. She had owed him her life yet again. If he hadn’t stepped up to face the Fallen One, there might have been far more casualties than there are now. After closing the communication channel and catching her breath, Shin Soojin spoke to the police.

“…I will re-enter to confirm the situation.”

—

Shanghai, China.

Boom! Crash!

A man was clashing with a Rank 5 Fallen One in the middle of the city. While they were trading fierce blows without either side backing down an inch, the man grabbed the Fallen One’s horns and threw it far into the distance.

Whoosh—

Fighter jets flying in the sky unleashed a volley of missiles toward the Fallen One. A series of massive explosions occurred. The Fallen One walked out of the flames and debris while letting out a scream of pain.

Just then, the man used a Leap skill to lunge back at the Fallen One.

— Halt! Stop!

The pilots, who were about to unleash more bombardment with the intention of finishing it off, veered away. The man continued the battle with the Fallen One. His body was now covered in a red aura.

The Fallen One endured for a long time even in a battered state. The man first tore off one of the Fallen One’s mangled arms, then crushed its chest entirely, and finally stood over the back of the fallen monster.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

The man struck the head repeatedly with his fists. As the ground cracked and the Fallen One’s body was hammered deeper into the earth, the monster finally stopped moving only after its head burst.

As the effects of the Berserk skill wore off, the man’s blood-red eyes returned to normal. He spat out the bloody saliva pooling in his mouth. A moment later, vehicles approached the man.

Secretaries stepped out of a black sedan among the military vehicles and hurried over.

“Great work, Lord Wang Kai!”

The man ripped off his shredded shirt and took a new set of clothes to put on.

Wang Kai, a Level 52 Climber on Hard Difficulty Floor 14. He was the record holder for Hard Difficulty and the highest-level Climber in the world.

“Are you hurt anywhere…”

“Can’t you see? I’m fine.”

In truth, Wang Kai’s condition was far from perfectly fine, but no one dared talk back to him. Wang Kai looked up at the fighter jets in the sky and clicked his tongue.

“I could have taken it down on my own without those flying things helping. Why did they even deploy? They should have just saved the fuel.”

“Yes, you are truly amazing!”

“Still, it was pretty strong. Is this thing a Rank 5 Fallen One? No other Climber would be able to handle it.”

Wang Kai looked down at the Fallen One’s corpse and smirked.

“Man~ the world is sure turning into an interesting place.”