Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability – Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Branch Tower (5)
The Magic Veins of the Branch Tower emerged at random spots within a 100km radius. This was the first time Magic Stones had formed like minerals in the reality outside the Tower. For now, the only viable exploration method was to follow the stones protruding from the surface and dig them out one by one, like pulling at a sweet potato vine. Once the approximate scale of the Magic Vein was assessed and estimates were finished, full-scale mining would begin.
Japan was also feverishly exploring the Magic Stones within the radius of the Sendai Branch Tower.
“…Huh?”
The scholars and experts conducting the exploration were bewildered as they watched the Magic Stones in the sinking wells suddenly lose their light. The anomaly wasn’t limited to that location. Simultaneously, the Magic Stones at every spot Japan had discovered thus far lost their brilliance, as if they had returned to being ordinary stones. The only stones that remained intact were a tiny amount that had already been extracted as a test. The Magic Vein had dried up in an instant, like a river running bone-dry.
“What on earth happened?! Why did the Magic Vein suddenly disappear?”
“You’re saying every other country is fine? Why only us…?”
Japan was thrown into an uproar. After some time passed, a post appeared on the Communication Channel.
The Communication Channel erupted once again at Person123’s post.
Japan’s withdrawal from the Magic Stone agreement had been an incident barely worth global notice while the Branch Towers were emerging, but Person123’s post drew all the attention toward it.
Japan, having blown a massive national interest due to their own blundering, was mocked relentlessly on the Communication Channel.
While everyone else enjoyed the spectacle, Japan was in a state of crisis. Losing something you already had is always more infuriating than never having it at all. The opportunity to become a global power in Magic Stone resources had been within their grasp, only to vanish into thin air.
“Dammit!”
Prime Minister Sato was driven to the brink of madness. If he had known this would happen, he would have been cautious and minded his surroundings. If only he had known something like Branch Tower ownership existed!
“Who could have known such a thing existed…!”
There was no other way. He had to beg Person123 to reactivate the Magic Vein. However, Person123, who ignored everything except Nightmare Conquest consultations, naturally did not respond to messages sent via the Communication Channel.
Prime Minister Sato immediately issued an official statement.
“…The withdrawal from the Magic Stone agreement was an unfortunate incident resulting from a lack of mutual communication, and we express our regret. Our cabinet feels a deep sense of responsibility for actions that may have appeared somewhat unilateral.”
Translated directly, the flowery statement essentially meant: We won’t leave the agreement. We will apologize to the member nations and strive to negotiate. If Person123 has separate demands, we will accept them all. So please, return the Magic Vein.
Person123’s reaction? There was none. No posts appeared on the Communication Channel, and the Magic Vein of the Sendai Branch Tower remained dormant.
Public sentiment across the Japanese archipelago toward Prime Minister Sato reached a boiling point. Person123 was the one who turned off the Magic Vein, but even in a Japan that had its prize snatched away, how could public opinion ever turn against the savior of humanity? It was only natural that all the arrows were aimed at the current Prime Minister, whose approval rating was already low.
Of course, if the results had been good, no one would have blamed the government—in fact, they wouldn’t have cared at all. But the result was a catastrophe. Public opinion spread like wildfire, claiming the Prime Minister had completely ruined everything with a massive blunder.
Watching this sequence of events, Mongolia felt a sense of relief despite not having done anything.
“We will aim for coexistence and cooperation so that everyone can benefit.”
Brazil, which had been preparing to test the waters with neighboring countries, quickly changed its tune and issued a prompt statement.
Meanwhile, the parties with direct interests—Korea and the Southeast Asian nations—were simply bewildered. Person123 stepped in for us? Why?
Could a minor issue like this—though certainly not minor to the parties involved—be enough to catch the attention of Person123, who was busy saving humanity? The only other time Person123 had intervened in political matters was when the conflict between governments and associations worldwide was reaching its peak. This wasn’t exactly on that scale.
It was enough to make one tilt their head in confusion.
“Did he get angry because he conquered the Branch Tower and they were messing around with it?”
“Maybe his goal is to nip the conflict caused by Magic Veins in the bud. Regardless, Japan was made an example of.”
“It’s not a bad situation, but I’m not sure how we should respond…”
Japan was now desperate, practically clinging to the member nations, including Korea. They seemed to believe that if they could stage a reconciliation with the involved parties, they might change Person123’s mind.
The Korean government was also contemplating its stance. If the terms of the agreement were renegotiated so that Korea could benefit from the Magic Vein, they were more than willing to hold hands and play nice. But would Person123 really turn the Magic Vein back on just for that? Since Japan was clearly out of Person123’s favor, Korea had to be cautious.
The involved nations, including Japan, waited with bated breath for Person123 to release any further statement.
***
After deactivating the Sendai Branch Tower’s Magic Vein as an example, whispers kept coming in from people claiming to be from the Japanese government, but I ignored them. I had no particular intention of reactivating the Magic Vein.
We can just act like something that never existed isn’t there.
I had already conquered it for them; it’s not like people would die just because I didn’t turn it on.
‘Hmm.’
But as I thought about it, my mind changed slightly. Was it still a bit much? China would be happily mining Magic Stones from their vein, so leaving only this one locked up was a waste. It would be a significant loss. Still, I didn’t want to personally demand this or that from Japan, and I didn’t know anything about international politics or state affairs.
So, I decided to do this:
It would be best if they could coordinate and make it work among themselves. This way, at least Japan wouldn’t hog all the profits. Well, it’s a Japanese Branch Tower because it’s on Japanese land, and technically there’s nothing wrong with that. But honestly… it’s a bit annoying to watch our country sit on its hands while Magic Stones sprout in the neighboring country. Especially since I was the one who conquered it.
I’m human too, so it was an unavoidable emotional issue. Since I didn’t want to make it purely for our country’s benefit either, this was enough. If they negotiate well and share the profits, great; if not, no one gets it.
That was the end of that matter.
Time passed, and the appearance of the fifth and final Branch Tower drew near. Hoping it would appear in a nearby country this time, I sat in my chair and waited.
The message appeared. But then, a follow-up message followed.
A special reward? And the time limit was 30 days. All the other Branch Towers had been 7 days. Was there something different about the fifth one?
I watched the Communication Channel, waiting for news on where the tower had emerged.
Location: Tajikistan.
It reportedly appeared in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
‘Is that toward Central Asia?’
I looked up the location on a map. It was a country right next to China. The distance was about 5,000km. Well… okay, it’s much better than Brazil. Excluding the 120 hours I had charged over the week, I’d need about 280 more hours. I immediately began charging the Warp Device.
But would the difficulty be the same if it offered a special reward? I doubted it. There was no reason for them to unnecessarily increase the time limit otherwise. It would surely be harder than the other Branch Towers. I had to conquer 10 floors at once, and while I didn’t think each floor would be as hard as a Nightmare…
Boring hours passed as I refilled my Willpower, and finally, the warp charge was complete. I set the coordinates for Tajikistan and warped immediately. Arriving far outside the radius, I adjusted the direction and warped once more.
I moved inside the tower’s radius.
“Enter.”
I entered, my tension rising slightly.
By habit, I used Time Stop and checked my surroundings. The location wasn’t particularly different from the other Branch Towers. Weapons were laid out on the floor in front of me, but…
“It’s not here?”
There was no monster to fight. I resumed time. I wondered what was going on, but I wasn’t the type to be flustered by something like this. As I calmly looked around, my Sixth Sense suddenly reacted. I felt a killing intent from behind.
Screech!
A goblin that appeared out of nowhere lunged with a dagger. But I had already leaped away from my original position.
Kerk.
It was a black-skinned goblin with strange patterns on its face.
‘Stealth.’
It was a stealth ability. It wasn’t just invisible; it was the kind of stealth where the presence itself disappears, similar to Diul’s ability. However, judging by the speed of that attack, its Physical Ability was pathetic. Only slightly better than an ordinary goblin. I could have taken the hit and not even had a scratch.
The goblin turned transparent again.
“You think that’ll work?”
I immediately fired a Flame Strike at that spot. The re-stealthed goblin exploded.
I looked at the scattering ash.
‘A stealth assassin goblin…’
Things were unusual right from the first floor. The fifth and final Branch Tower. As expected, it wasn’t as ordinary as the others. It had a bit of a taste—the taste of a Nightmare.