Chapter 55: Branch Tower (1)
After posting the 4th Floor Strategy Guide on the Communication Channel, I stayed busy moving in and out of the 4th Floor. The 4th Floor was complicated for other Nightmare Conquerors to strategize around because of its shop system. It made sense; the key to the 4th Floor Strategy Guide was ultimately how to spend points with maximum efficiency.
Based on the information I wrote, Mr. Rhino came up with various strategies and constantly sought my guidance, asking about specific details he wanted to verify. Mr. Rhino was just the most prominent example; other countries were also seeking my advice. As always, I simply provided as much help as I could. This floor just happened to be exceptionally busier than the others. The 5th Floor wasn’t urgent, so I could enter it later.
In the meantime, a week had already passed, and only a few minutes remained until the Branch Tower appeared. “I’m getting scared… really scared.” I was afraid of what the Tower might pull this time. Would the world turn into a mess again, like the Fallen Ones incident? Honestly, I was worried that an even greater disaster might unfold.
I sat at my desk and waited quietly for the time to run out. 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second… The moment arrived.
A message popped up.
I calmly read through the sequence of messages. After finishing, the conclusion was simple. “Sigh…” This is driving me crazy. What kind of nonsense is this now?
—
The first Branch Tower appeared in China. A massive black tower rose in the middle of downtown Chongqing. Simultaneously with its appearance, earthquakes struck the area, causing many casualties. However, the message from the Tower was even more serious.
“The first Branch Tower has appeared in Chongqing, China. The Chinese government has yet to release an official statement, and Chongqing and Sichuan Province are currently in a state of chaos…”
The world was in an uproar, and the interior of China was even worse. Not only Chongqing but also cities like Nanchong, Suining, and Guang’an in the Eastern Sichuan Province fell within the 100km erosion radius. A mass exodus occurred from the predicted erosion zone and neighboring areas. Roads were completely paralyzed, and many people attempted to flee on foot. Despite the outcries, the Chinese government only recommended an orderly evacuation and remained silent for an entire day.
On the second day after the Branch Tower appeared, while the situation was growing increasingly dire, a new message surfaced.
People were shocked that the Branch Tower had already been conquered and wondered who did it. The identity was soon revealed.
—Wang Kai, the Record Holder for the highest Hard Difficulty in China, has successfully conquered the first Branch Tower.
Wang Kai, the Record Holder of Hard Difficulty and the officially highest-Level Climber in the world, had challenged and conquered the tower.
After the conquest, that message appeared. Forming a Magic Vein within a 100km radius—people soon realized what that meant.
“A massive Magic Stone mine has been discovered near the Chongqing Branch Tower. This appears to be related to the formation of the Magic Vein announced by the Tower…”
Magic Stones began springing up from the surface and underground near the Branch Tower. What was even more shocking was that every grade of Magic Stone existed there—from Lowest-Grade to Top-Grade Magic Stone. While higher-grade stones were rarer, the fact that Top-Grade Magic Stones, which were previously only obtainable through Nightmare Difficulty, appeared was astonishing.
The Chinese government immediately designated the areas where stones were found as restricted zones and blocked civilian access. Even though Climbers brought back Magic Stones from repeated Tower conquests, the supply still couldn’t keep up with the Overwhelming demand. Although there was no limit on the number of repeat conquests, rewards only dropped about once every ten times, and the amount of Magic Stones per drop was small. Furthermore, Magic Stones obtained as rewards belonged to the Climbers, meaning the state had to buy them.
Thus, the appearance of a Magic Vein was like a massive Jack pot for the country. The Branch Tower wasn’t just a whip; it provided a significant carrot if conquered.
Though global attention briefly shifted to China’s massive Magic Vein, no country wanted the next Branch Tower to appear in their land. Wang Kai, naturally, did not share any information—what appeared in the tower or how high the difficulty was. Since there was still no information, the risk of failure felt greater than the reward of a Magic Vein. The world criticized China for not sharing information, but China repeatedly claimed that it was Wang Kai’s personal choice and the Government could not force him. It was a blatant lie; everyone knew Wang Kai’s actions reflected China’s will.
A chaotic week passed, and the time for the second Branch Tower arrived.
This time, it was Mongolia. A black Branch Tower appeared in the middle of the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian government immediately requested help from China. They had no choice. Who would dare challenge it when the Difficulty was unknown? Furthermore, Mongolia was a lagging country in terms of Tower climbing. Since a talent pool of Climbers Tend to be proportional to a Country’s power, Mongolia’s highest-level Climber was over 10 levels behind Wang Kai.
China’s response to Mongolia’s plea was simple: “Of course we should help. But you’ll have to pay a fitting price, right?” For a while, the News was buzzing with negotiations between the Mongolian and Chinese governments.
—
Two weeks since the appearance of the first Branch Tower. I felt a bit relieved as soon as I heard that Wang Kai had Swiftly conquered the first one. ‘I guess the difficulty isn’t completely impossible.’
The second Branch Tower appeared in Mongolia—once again in Northeast Asia. Unsurprisingly, China did not share the Branch Tower information. News came out daily that Mongolia was in the middle of negotiations, with China making unreasonable demands that Mongolia would likely have to accept.
I quickly made up my mind. “Should I go conquer it?” I had been thinking since it appeared in China that I would step in if things looked bad. Since Wang Kai wasn’t releasing info, I wasn’t sure, but I suspected there might be personal rewards for the Conqueror aside from the Magic Vein. Most importantly, since Wang Kai succeeded, I didn’t think it would be too dangerous. It’s unlikely another Climber cleared a Difficulty that even I couldn’t.
Wang Kai has currently conquered up to the 15th floor on Hard Difficulty and is Level 60. In other words, he is the same level as me. But even at the same level… I use the Time Stop Ability. It wasn’t arrogance; it was a fact that my specs were bound to be much higher than other Climbers of the same level. Of course, the Difficulty might vary per Branch Tower, but if I can’t clear it, nobody can.
With the same mindset I had when challenging a Nightmare, I decided to conquer the Branch Tower. The problem was that to enter, I had to get within the 100 Kilometer Radius. This meant I had to go to Mongolia. “There are no flights.” As soon as the tower appeared in Mongolia, Our Country’s government Swiftly slapped on a top-level travel ban.
Still, there was a way. I had luckily obtained this as a 3rd Floor Hidden (2) reward.
I looked it up, and the distance from Seoul to Ulaanbaatar is about 2,000km. I could get there easily with the Warp Device. However, three problems came to mind.
First, the distance is quite far—what about the margin of error? I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal. The Warp Device didn’t have a cooldown. If I landed in the wrong spot, I could just adjust the direction and move again. I could just buy a high-performance GPS. Besides, I only needed to get within the 100 Kilometer Radius, so a little error was fine.
Second, what if someone sees me warping? That was easily solved. I could just use Stealth. Stealth breaks when using skills, but not when using items. And the Warp Device was an item.
The final problem—and this was the real issue. The distance to Mongolia is about 2,000km. The Willpower I needed to charge into the Warp Device was about 200,000. How long would that take to fill? Since my current Willpower is 2,100, I would have to refill and charge it about 100 times. That means 100 hours. I had to repeat the same tedious process I did with the cannon during the 3rd Floor Hidden. And I’d have to do it again to come back.
Well… I had to do it. I couldn’t let the Mongolian capital become a land of death just because I didn’t want to do this. Striking while the iron was hot, I immediately started charging the Warp Device. A 160-hour self-imposed “Room of Spirit and Time” began.
Charge the device, Time Stop, refill Willpower, charge, refill… When I stepped out to the Kitchen to grab some water during a break, my mother asked, “Are you tired, Seohyun? Why do you look like that?”
“I guess I’m just a bit tired lately.”
I was halfway there. I went back to my room to finish the remaining 50 hours. Charge, refill, charge, refill…
Finally, it was full. Sigh. “Should I write a will?”
I changed my clothes and prepared to leave the house. Honestly, I didn’t think the Conquest Failed was a possibility, but just in case, I wrote a will like I do for every Nightmare Conquest.
“I’m heading out.”
“Where are you going?”
“Meeting a friend. I might be back late.”
After researching online, I went to an electronics store, bought a high-end brand GPS, and learned the basics of how to use it. With that, I was ready.
I rented a motel room and set it as my current location. Then, using a map and compass app, I aimed toward the northwest where Ulaanbaatar was located. I activated the Warp Device and waited 10 minutes.
[0:05]
“Let’s go.”
Just before the time ran out, I activated Stealth. Space distorted before my eyes as the warp triggered. The Mongolian Branch Tower… I’m coming to conquer it now.