Chapter 71 : Chapter 71

Chapter 71 - The Beginning

[ The chosen Conqueror, please conquer the next floor promptly. ]

[ In case of failure… ]

[ …‘Punishment’ will be carried out. ]

[ The estimated number of deaths for the 2nd stage of Punishment is 100,000,000. ]

-How many was it last time?

“It was exactly one-tenth of that.”

Kim Kang-in replied as he stared at the TV screen.

The screen was broadcasting a live feed of the Tower, which was displaying a new message.

Not long ago, it had caused a worldwide uproar with something about a 1st stage ordeal, and now, not much time had passed before it was announcing another such event.

“What’s the reaction from the West?”

-It’s the same as last time. They have no interest. You know the situation over there.

That was likely true.

Unlike the East, where the Climber society revolved around the ‘Tower’, the West was a place that revolved around ‘Dungeons’ scattered like dots all over Europe and the Americas.

Unlike here, where the threat of Demonic Beasts was confined to the Tower and its vicinity, their attacks were frequent, and the Climber and civilian societies weren't separated but rather quite integrated.

Their rapid growth was probably possible because there were many such ‘essential’ aspects to life.

Conversely, it meant that no matter how many people died over here, it would be difficult for them to come running right away.

If they pulled out the Climbers who were on constant alert, they would have a mountain of casualties from the periodic Demonic Beast invasions.

‘In that situation, it's rather absurd that they've planted their flags in our Tower as well...’

Considering that most of the top-tier guilds couldn't venture far because of the heinous dungeons that had opened in their home territories, the fact that the West held the Conquest Tokens for almost all floors below the 10th was a phenomenon that explained the polarized power difference.

In that respect, even a response like this was bound to be quite threatening.

-Ah, still, compared to last time, there are some guys who are interested.

“Oh?”

-The Valhalla Guild. Haven’t you heard of it at least once, sunbae-nim?

“I haven’t.”

-…

It wasn’t an empty word; I really didn’t know.

Kim Kang-in himself was a person who would forget his own family's names if it wasn't something that looked interesting.

-…There was a cadet who enrolled in the boot camp before and was kicked out for multiple acts of violence. Do you remember?

Ah, now that he put it that way, I seemed to remember a little.

There was a guy who went around beating up his fellow cadets without pause, regardless of whether they were seniors, juniors, or peers.

He was so skilled that he was completely unmanageable at the cadet level, and I remembered the instructors having a hard time with him.

So I personally beat him to a pulp and kicked him out.

“He was weaker than I thought, wasn't he? I gave him a tap and he collapsed with a cry.”

-…Batan Gilius was a man who was evaluated to be easily above A-grade even as a cadet.

“So, what about him anyway?”

-That weaker-than-expected fellow has now expressed his intention to participate in the Second Ordeal. It seems he got entangled with the person you’ve been keeping an eye on recently, sunbae-nim.

“Ah, Gyu-sik?”

Unlike before, the name popped out immediately, and the person on the other end of the call replied in a voice tinged with a bitter smile.

-Yes. That person. It seems they are passionate about each other in a bad way.

“...Did that junior of mine perhaps start the fight first?”

-From what I hear, yes. It seems Batan is sharpening his knives for him.

Kim Kang-in smirked at those words.

“He kept his promise.”

-Pardon?

“No, that junior of mine made a promise to me a while ago. He said he’d show me something interesting and asked if I had the confidence to follow.”

-…

“You should also keep a close eye on that guy's recent activities. You don't know what kind of storm he'll bring, that guy.”

-I'm already doing so without you telling me.

He probably was.

In some ways, he was a guy who would be watching that side more closely than I would.

“Don't cling to Ah-in too much just because you're worried. Ah, and stop working Hye-in so hard.”

-…I'm hanging up, sunbae-nim.

Seo Jin-seong on the other end of the call said that and abruptly hung up.

“That brat. So cold.”

Kim Kang-in muttered with a smirk.

Well, by Seo Jin-seong’s standards, this was an incredibly generous evaluation.

Considering what happened to his own wife, he was the type to draw his sword first if anyone approached his family, but for that junior named Kim Gyu-sik, who was hanging around with both his daughters, to end it with just ‘I’m watching him’.

“...”

It meant that he too knew that person’s ‘value’.

Probably, that guy.

“He’ll become a game changer. Starting from this ordeal, if it’s early.”

Kim Kang-in thought so and let out another dry laugh.

***

Anyone could enter the First Ordeal if they put their mind to it, but from the Second Ordeal onwards, that was not the case.

From here on, the ‘Tower’ itself sent invitations only to those it had selected.

The selection criteria seemed arbitrary, but if you looked a little closer, it wasn't necessarily so.

The Guardian of the Tower carefully picked and chose each and every one.

“So what's the criteria?”

“People who seem like they'd crawl their way out somehow even if you shove them into the pits of hell.”

Well, it mainly chose people who seemed like they would survive no matter what or where you threw them, including their individual fighting strength.

Of course, if one's individual fighting strength was high, the probability of survival would naturally increase, but considering the things that happened up there, one couldn't survive with just that.

“...”

As soon as they heard that, everyone gathered in this place nodded in understanding.

“If it's Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, I can accept it.”

“I agree as well.”

“Yeah. A garbage-like guy who would trample over others and survive by any means necessary-”

“Ho-jun. You could really die for saying that, you know?”

“Look at that, just look. His true colors are showing.”

“...”

He could say anything. Honestly.

So I let out a deep sigh and changed the subject.

“So, thank you all for gathering.”

As I said that, waving the invitation in my hand, everyone's expression soured.

“I mean, you're the one who received the invitation, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, so why are we gathered in front of the Tower too?”

“Because you're all coming with me.”

And one more feature of the Second Ordeal.

As I’ve said repeatedly, this was a ‘team battle’.

The one who received the invitation was granted the authority to form a team of up to 10 people, including themselves, and enter.

And the people gathered in this place right now were my ‘team’.

The Seo sisters, Chang Meirin, Yoo Ho-jun, Lee Si-yeong, and Darien.

They were the ones I had been training so hard until now.

I felt like I was looking at a lunchbox packed to the brim with rice.

Just looking at them made me feel so reassured.

“...Wait a minute. Why is that Pink Mage here?”

“What do you mean, Pink Mage. She's our guild leader.”

“She was the guild leader?!”

As Seo Ah-in said that in shock, subtle gazes flew in from all around.

No, well.

They had run into each other many times in the guild house, so what did she think all this time?

Even the others who had no information seemed to have a rough idea.

“I just thought she visited often to see you, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik!”

“...”

Right.

I understood very well how innocent your brain was.

As I was letting out a deep sigh, perhaps unable to let her younger sister exude any more innocence, Ms. Seo Hye-in quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, how do we enter the floor where the ordeal takes place? It's still closed above the 11th floor.”

“Ah, that's actually simple.”

As soon as I replied, a look of bewilderment bloomed on Ms. Seo Hye-in's face.

“...All the Climbers on the 11th floor are running around day and night, but they still haven't been able to find the portal.”

Normally, the pattern so far had been for the portal to the upper floor to open simultaneously with the clear, but it seemed there was no sign of that this time, so everyone was at a loss.

And in a situation where there was no progress in such a great search, it was understandable to be surprised when I suddenly said something like this.

Well.

It was faster to show them than to explain with words.

First, I went up to the 11th floor and walked past the Climbers who were exuding an aura of despair.

Most of them seemed to have collapsed from exhaustion due to the prolonged search.

And I arrived at the wolf who was always guarding the center of the village.

Other Climbers probably thought of it as just Demi-human A that you could encounter in the Tower.

“Ah, Climber! What's the matter?”

“Can you open the portal to the upper floor?”

“Sure!”

He was also a guy who served this kind of role.

And as that reply came back, a portal was created in the very center of the village.

“...”

“...”

The unfocused gazes coming from the surroundings were a bit burdensome.

“Wa-wait a minute. Wait a minute. Did you know this from the beginning, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik?”

No comment.

“You just had to say that?”

“Then what was all our effort for...?”

If I didn't, I might really get killed by the people who were looking dejected nearby.

“Well, isn't it obvious?”

Lee Si-yeong, who had been watching this with her arms crossed, chimed in with a snort.

“He probably kept quiet to prevent the ordeal from starting until he was sufficiently prepared. Hasn't this guy taken advantage of situations like this just once or twice?”

“Wow. Your character is really something.”

I kicked the shin of Seo Ah-in who said that.

“...Why are you only doing this to me?!”

Seo Ah-in shouted tearfully, but I could only tilt my head.

Not really?

I wasn't just doing it to her; the other guys were also in for a spectacular amount of suffering when we got up there.

“...”

Especially Lee Si-yeong and Yoo Ho-jun, who seemed to have quickly sensed something and were good at reading the situation, flinched slightly.

It was already too late to run away, though.

***

As I stepped into the portal leading to the 12th floor, an empty space enveloped my surroundings.

Well, this floor took quite a while to ‘enter’.

However, it seemed that the space was shared with the people I was with, as we could see each other even in a place with no background.

And as a result.

Everyone looked utterly exhausted.

“Why is everyone so down?”

“...Are you really asking that right now?”

Seo Ah-in shot back, scratching her dry hair.

Hey, aren't you a young lady from a good family?

You should maintain your dignity.

“Dignity, my ass. Anyone would become like this after going through the training program you set up.”

“Still, it was all useful.”

“Useful, my ass! In the first place, telling a Climber to fight without their mana is just nonsensical...”

Before Seo Ah-in, who was about to squawk, could finish her sentence, a flashing string of text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[ The Second Ordeal will now begin. ]

[ The entered ‘teams’ will be sorted by invitation. ]

[ All Conquerors, please do your best to survive in the given environment. ]

[ The first stage is the ‘Mana Vacuum Zone’. ]

[ Then, I wish you good luck. ]

“...”

I patted the shoulder of Seo Ah-in, who had become as silent as a clam.

“Do not doubt.”

“...Yes.”

Yup.

A good answer.

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