Chapter 5: Nightmare Floor 1 (Part 4)

The White House Situation Room.

A place where all the key figures of the government and military, including the President of the United States of America, had gathered. In the solemn atmosphere, everyone’s eyes were fixed solely on the large screen.

As the countdown displayed on the screen ticked down, deep shadows cast over their faces. It was the time limit for the Nightmare Difficulty of the Tower—the hour that heralded the end of humanity.

“What is the status, Director Van?” the President asked quietly.

Van, the director of the newly established Tower climbing Management Bureau, replied while staring into the air. “The rate at which the number of survivors is decreasing is accelerating. It is currently around 76,000… but as the deadline draws closer, we may see a massive drop all at once.”

He didn’t feel like blaming them. This was a difficulty level that no one had cleared despite tens of thousands of deaths. Even if the apocalypse was right before their eyes, what human would want to throw themselves into a deathtrap with a 0% survival rate? On the contrary, the courage of the over 20,000 people who had challenged it so far was admirable.

Who could have imagined this just a year ago? Not climate change, not nuclear war, not a meteor impact, but that the world would meet its end in such a manner.

The world changed drastically after the Tower appeared, Climbers began ascending, and they brought back a new substance called Magic Stones. It didn’t take long for nations to realize that the future would be reshaped around the Tower and its Climbers.

The USA had also been moving quickly to prepare for this changing world, but in the end, it was all in vain. Even the notoriously brutal Hard difficulty had currently surpassed the 6th floor. What on earth was Nightmare Difficulty that they couldn’t even conquer the 1st floor?

Soon, the curse foretold by the Tower would descend. When time ran out, 99% of humanity would perish. It was utterly absurd, yet how could they ignore it? This was a warning issued by a transcendent being capable of making a massive Tower sprout in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and granting supernatural powers to Random people across the globe. It wouldn’t be strange if such a being could annihilate humanity overnight.

The only struggle they could muster was to direct the maximum firepower of human technology toward the unfathomable Tower. Preparations were already complete. If no one cleared the floor by the time the limit reached 30 minutes, a nuclear bombardment of the Tower in the Pacific would begin. It was their final line in the sand.

It was humanity’s final operation, coordinated with China and Russia. However, everyone in the room sensed that it was a futile gesture. It had been concluded long ago that the Pacific Tower, which was suspected to be rooted all the way to the Earth’s inner core, was impossible to destroy by any means. The mysterious energy shield covering the Tower’s surface seemed to exist outside the laws of universal physics, blocking all external physical force.

Thus, it was merely a final act of desperation.

“God help us…”

Everyone simply prayed. They prayed that someone among those remaining would succeed. They prayed for a miracle.

“Once the time limit hits one hour, I will also enter the Tower. I have summoned someone else to handle the status reports,” Director Van said, drawing everyone’s attention. He, too, was a Climber assigned to Nightmare Difficulty.

“Tens of thousands of people have sacrificed their lives. As the Director of the Tower climbing Management Bureau, shouldn’t I fulfill my final responsibility?”

“…Understood. Thank you for your dedication, Director Van.”

The people could only nod solemnly. The probability of one more person overturning this disastrous situation was near zero. Van also looked at the remaining headcount with somber eyes.

[1st Floor clear of all difficulties is complete.]

[The Tower calls for new Climbers.]

Messages floated before his eyes. Van blinked, then his eyes widened as if they might tear as he checked the current status of the Nightmare Difficulty.

[Nightmare] Participants: 175,837 Time Limit: 1 year, 2 hours, 39 minutes, 2 seconds Reached Floor: 2nd Floor

“It… it’s done!”

Van shouted at the top of his lungs, forgetting his dignity. People looked at him with startled eyes.

“Holy fucking shit! It happened! It happened! The Nightmare Floor 1 has been cleared!”

“…Is that true?!”

“A message just popped up saying the 1st floor clear of all difficulties is complete! I’ve confirmed that the Nightmare time limit has been extended by one year! Hahaha!”

“Whoooo!”

People hugged each other in ecstasy. Some even shed tears of relief. Director Van also laughed as he shared a joyful hug with the Deputy Director, Samuel.

“This is truly a relief, Director!”

With this, humanity survived. Although they had only bought a year’s reprieve, no one cared about that right now.

“The number of participants for each difficulty has increased by 100,000 again. It happened along with the message that the 1st floor of all difficulties was cleared.”

“Is that so? Could it be that the number of people increases every time an entire floor is cleared?”

Their joy was short-lived as they had to think about the tasks ahead. The clearing of Nightmare Difficulty 1st Floor, and the new Climbers. It seemed they would be breathless with work as they entered this new phase.

“By the way, who could it be? The hero who cleared the Nightmare Difficulty.”

“We’ll have to look into that from now on.”

The achievement of being the first to clear the Nightmare Difficulty, from which not a single person had returned alive until now. No matter which country they were from, an announcement would likely break out soon. Unless, of course, they were an Unregistered Climber who hadn’t reported to the government.

Regardless, one thing was certain. That person had saved humanity from the brink of extinction.

***

My eyes snapped open. I sat up and looked around.

“…?”

I’m alive?

I checked my body. The arrow that had pierced my stomach was gone, and I was perfectly fine. My neck was fine too. There were no bloodstains, and my torn clothes were restored. It was as if everything had been completely reset. I thought I saw a message about clearing the floor just before I lost consciousness… Did I do it?

Since my body was healed, it seemed I had indeed succeeded. Looking at the progress of the Nightmare Difficulty made it certain.

[Nightmare] Participants: 175,830 Time Limit: 1 year, 2 hours, 38 minutes, 31 seconds

Reached Floor: 2nd Floor

The floor had changed to the 2nd floor, and the time limit had increased by a year. I let out a hollow laugh for some reason.

“Haha…”

I actually did it. The world isn’t going to end.

Joy, relief, and a complex mix of emotions washed over me. It felt like I had succeeded in a bet where I had wagered everything. In reality, I had.

‘..But why did the number of people increase?’

Not just for Nightmare, but the number of participants for all difficulties had increased by 100,000. I tilted my head, then looked around again. It was a round, wide space like the cavern I was in earlier. I think I knew where this was.

‘Is this the reward room?’

I had heard that Climbers don’t go outside immediately after a clear, but instead receive rewards in a place called the reward room. Ah, the messages that appeared right before I passed out were starting to come back to me.

I whispered quietly, “Status Window.”

A simple window appeared before my eyes. So this was the status window. It’s the common reward given to Climbers who succeed in clearing a Tower floor for the first time. Through this, Climbers grow stronger and become superhumans as they ascend the Tower. And there was also a communication window… I’ll check that later.

I stood up. Since my body felt overflowing with strength, I tried to Jump in place. My body soared several meters into the air with ease.

“Oh.”

Physical ability improved by leveling up. I ran around and threw some punches, feeling the sensation of my completely transformed body. This is pretty awesome.

But why was my level so high? 10? I knew that the higher the difficulty, the more your level increases. Was it because it was Nightmare Difficulty?

I stopped the physical testing and decided to check the rewards. Two stones emitting different lights were lying randomly on the floor. I approached the stone emitting a golden light first.

Information popped up as I picked it up.

“So this is a Magic Stone.”

One of the rewards obtainable in the Tower. It’s said that Climbers make a fortune by selling these. They were treated as a magnificent resource that could significantly advance human civilization, though I didn’t know much about that.

I set it back down and examined the other stone. A water-drop-shaped stone emitting a green light.