Chapter 41: Normalization (1)

“So, Manager Shin knows nothing about what happened either.”

“That is correct.”

The Head of Climbing Department narrowed his eyes after hearing the report from Shin Soojin, who had returned to duty after recovering from her injuries.

“But was it truly a Level 5 Fallen One? Is it possible you misidentified it in the heat of the moment?”

“Thinking back, that might be a possibility. The situation was extremely chaotic.”

“…At any rate, it means another Monster existed and then vanished without a trace.”

The Arts Center tragedy was currently one of the largest-scale Incidents in the Republic of Korea since the appearance of the Fallen Ones. During the subsequent Investigation of the scene, only the corpse of a Level 3 Fallen One and a noticeably massive hole in the theater ceiling were discovered.

Because the fiber optic backbone inside the theater had been severed while the Level 3 Fallen One was rampaging, no internal CCTV records remained from the moment the audience members began to die. Therefore, the only way to grasp the situation at the time was through the testimony of Shin Soojin, who had directly engaged the Fallen One.

Since she had already reported witnessing a Level 5 Fallen One out of necessity back then, Shin Soojin had no choice but to feign ignorance regarding its disappearance. Given that the Fallen Ones were an unprecedented disaster that occurred suddenly, it wasn’t particularly strange for her not to know.

Furthermore, the Climbing Agency was in no position to focus solely on such follow-up investigations right now.

“Since there is a possibility the Fallen One is hiding somewhere… I’ll inform the police to expand the search in that vicinity. Are you fully recovered now, Manager Shin?”

“Yes. I will head to the field immediately.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Carry on, then.”

Leaving the Head’s office, Shin Soojin prepared to move out. The subjugation of the Fallen Ones was still very much ongoing.

***

After the dead Climbers turned into Fallen Ones, a state of national emergency was declared, and the Army was fully deployed.

– These Fallen Ones vary in aggression, but it has been determined that they are fundamentally hostile toward Humans.

– It is speculated that habits differ by individual, with some exhibiting peculiar behaviors. However, it is a clear fact that they are no longer Human, having lost the reason they possessed as Humans…

– The weakness of a Fallen One has been identified as the head. Their trait of not dying unless the brain is destroyed is similar to the Undead on the 3rd Floor…

Level 1 and Level 2 Fallen Ones accounted for an overwhelming 99% of the population, following the probabilities stated by the Tower. Hundreds of these entities across the Country were eliminated by the Army or Climbers. They were at a level where soldiers armed with guns could sufficiently neutralize them, so the subjugation proceeded quickly.

However, from Level 3 onward, it seemed the firepower of Guns alone was insufficient. Out of 40,000 people, they made up 0.9%—roughly 400 individuals worldwide.

Excluding the one I killed at the Arts Center, a total of two Level 3 Fallen Ones appeared in Our Country. Since one was found in Ulsan and another in Gyeongju, there had been no news of further sightings. Those two were reportedly handled by the Air Force.

Our Country was relatively lucky, as it was reported that not a single Level 4 or Level 5 Fallen One had appeared—excluding the one I killed, of course.

In a way, it was fortunate that a Level 3 and a Level 5 Fallen One appeared together at the Arts Center that day, and that I happened to be nearby to handle them at once. Well, I don’t know if “fortunate” is the right word when so many people died…

For a while, the entire world was in chaos. Countries across the globe devoted all their resources to resolving the disaster of the Fallen Ones that had arrived without warning.

Supposedly, Level 5 Fallen Ones appeared in China and Canada as well. I saw on the News that both countries succeeded in their subjugation quickly. In China, Wang Kai, the Record Holder for Hard Difficulty, reportedly handled it alongside the Army. In Canada, they succeeded through a joint military operation with the USA.

Regardless, a staggering number of people died. For a time, the News was filled with reports of Fallen Ones being killed, death tolls rising, and certain African nations falling into states of total paralysis. Although Our Country managed to bring the chaos under control relatively quickly, the total casualties were said to be in the tens of thousands.

While the Fallen One crisis eventually settled down as Time passed, a new problem surfaced once things calmed down.

– We need stricter supervision of Unclimbed Climbers! We must ensure such a horrific disaster never happens again…

The issue concerned the treatment of those who had not completed the Climb of Floor 1. In the public eye, these people were now no different from time bombs destined to turn into Monsters in another year. Nightmare Climbers were a particular concern.

With their feet held to the fire, the Government proposed several alternatives: greater Reward packages for Unclimbed Climbers, more active support for the Climb, and the legalization of euthanasia for those who chose not to enter the Tower.

Ultimately, those people had to either enter the Tower or die before their time ran out. To ensure this, it was necessary to make it mandatory for everyone to report their status as a Climber to the Country without exception.

Other countries were in similar situations. Governments now had to be more thorough, and a mix of coercive and persuasive measures for Climbers were discussed. Conflict was inevitable in that process.

“It’s a total mess,” I muttered while watching a protest in a Foreign Country on the news screen.

If the Tower’s purpose was to turn the world into a shambles by any means necessary, it was achieving its goal magnificently.

***

Following the Fallen One Incident, a single task emerged for every nation: the thorough identification of Unclimbed Climbers.

Until now, many countries did not require Climber registration. For instance, the USA is a Country where there are no national ID cards and carrying identification isn’t mandatory due to privacy concerns. By the same logic, reporting as a Climber was not mandatory.

During the final days of the Floor 1 era, the USA briefly made it mandatory, but that was quickly reversed after Nightmare Floor 1 was cleared due to public backlash. However, even those countries now needed to take action. Otherwise, the disaster of rampaging Fallen Ones would repeat itself.

Of course, even if registration was made mandatory, people could just hide it; the important thing was practical measures like Rewards rather than coercion. Regardless, there was no reason not to enact the law.

The Government always wanted to tighten the leash on Climbers even a little bit more. The growing influence of Climbers, who were developing at a terrifying pace every year, was a significant threat to them. The justification was sufficient.

“We need to take this opportunity to suppress the Climbers.”

“Agreed. If we miss this chance, it will be even harder to control them in the future.”

It started in the USA. The US Government intended to cement various laws, including mandatory registration for Climbers. Since citizens who had experienced the Fallen One Incident fervently supported the Government this time, they had the full weight of public opinion behind them.

“Are these Crazy Bastards serious? The ‘Social Safety Contribution Act’? What is this? It basically says they can mobilize Climbers for war at a moment’s notice!”

“We can’t just sit back. They’re trying to grab us by the throat.”

The Climbers, however, felt differently.

“This is a violation of our civil liberties! Guarantee the human rights of Climbers!”

The International Association of Climbers. This is a private international association with headquarters in the USA and branches in many countries. Led by a 17th-floor Climber of Normal Difficulty, the association aims to protect and promote the rights of Climbers. To be blunt, it was a union whose sole purpose was to expand the interests of Climbers.

They fiercely opposed various bills that restricted the freedom of Climbers, including mandatory registration. If they gave the Government even an inch, their rights would be nibbled away from then on. It was the same in other countries, not just the USA.

“Does it make sense that you won’t accept mandatory registration? Your selfishness is driving the world toward disaster!”

“Who knows what you’ll do once you’ve identified all the Climbers! You’re saying if we don’t die on our own, you’ll find us and kill us yourselves?!”

The confrontation between the Government and the Association naturally spread into discord and conflict between Climbers and ordinary citizens. The situation only continued to escalate.

***

Lately, the world had truly gone to hell. I could tell just by looking at the Communication Channel.

The clash between Climbers and the general public. I knew why the atmosphere was like this. The News was constantly reporting on the standoffs between various governments and the Association. I thought it would be resolved quickly, but it seemed to be getting worse.

– The only reason the world is being maintained right now is because we Climbers are risking our lives to Climb the Tower! The Nightmare Climber Person123 is saving Humanity every year! How can you persecute Climbers like this!

– Person123’s Climb of the Tower is a noble sacrifice for Humanity. How dare you put yourselves on the same level as him when you only care about protecting your own interests and don’t give a damn about citizen safety during a disaster? You should follow the example of Person123.

I even saw people from the Association and the Government mentioning me. Lately, I had been receiving many whispers through the Communication Channel. They asked if I wasn’t on the side of the Climbers and urged me to step forward and speak up for them.

Seriously, whose side? There was no such thing. It wasn’t for me to judge which side was absolutely right. It was true that the Government needed to take measures, and it was also true that the rights of Climbers shouldn’t be excessively violated. Everyone was just fighting during an already difficult time, and it was frustrating.

According to Billon, there was still no sign of a resolution. The Government had public opinion on its side, but the Association held many cards as well. After all, it was the Climbers who increased the time limit by Climbing the Tower, and it was the Climbers who supplied Magic Stones to the world. In fact, the head of the Association had even threatened that Climbers would stop entering the Tower altogether.

I had never cared about political issues before, but I worried that if things reached an extreme, something terrible might happen. The whispers coming in every day were getting really annoying…

Wasn’t it enough that I was extending the Nightmare deadline? Did I have to worry about this too? I opened the Communication Channel.

I hesitated before writing. It was cliché, boring, and pedantic. Would anyone even listen if I said that?

…If I’m going to intervene, I might as well do it properly. I deleted the text and wrote again.

I didn’t Climb the Tower just to see the world turn out like this. If you guys keep acting like this, I’m out. We can all just die together.

***

The world was turned upside down by the post uploaded by Person123.