Chapter 51: Choi Ji-Won is Too Strong (2)

“That... I didn’t expect to see you in such a state…”

“Mr. Cheol-jin, look at his clothes. Now, look at ours. The wear and tear are different. He’s been here more than just a day or two.”

“Ah, um… I can’t really tell.”

“And why are you speaking informally to him?”

“Well… it’s just…”

The two conversed in a friendly manner.

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin’s interaction with Choi Ji-won continued for a while, but then Ji-won turned her head to look at me again.

“Hello. My name is Choi Ji-won.”

“Cheol-jin... Ahem. Sorry, I mean, I am Park Cheol-jin. My apologies. You looked so young…”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin said with a laugh.

“…It’s alright. My name is Kim Junho.”

Come to think of it, only I mentioned my name after clearing the tutorial - we never had a proper introduction.

“Do you know that the country has publicly called for survivors? I had even thought we would meet there,” Choi Ji-won spoke while gently stroking Boong-Boong.

“…There were circumstances.”

Of course, I knew about it. It happened while I was gathering information just before moving up to the second floor.

One week after clearing the tutorial, which means two weeks ago from now, the South Korean government publicly gathered the players.

Actually, at this point, the term ‘player’ hadn’t been standardized yet. It was a week later that the U.S. government officially announced the term.

Era of Turbulence…

The term “Era of Turbulence” best describes the current times. It’s a period when public opinion is boiling over, and people are vehemently debating about the Tower.

Each person has their own way of perceiving the Tower, and public opinion around the world is fragmented, with no clear right answer. It’s a time when people are grabbing each other by the scruff, shouting that their view is correct, over an issue with no clear solution.

It would have been logical for each country to make its own decisions, given the divided public opinion...

Surprisingly, the decisions of leaders across nations were unanimous. First, to collect and digitize the list of players. Gossip speculated that there must have been some sort of agreement among these leaders.

Regardless of the reason, whether following public opinion or international trends, the South Korean government also hurriedly gathered the players.

-“Hey, did you go to the gathering of Tower survivors in your country?”

-“Why would I? What if they lock us up and conduct human experiments?”

-“I went, and it wasn’t like that. But they really did nothing. Just checked our names and faces and sent us back.”

-“Then why call us? Shouldn’t they ask about the Tower or teach us how to use weapons?”

-“How would I know? Ask the president.”

The problem was, although gathering everyone was a good first step, there was no progress to the next stage. Systematic support? Listening to the stories of survivors and forming an emergency task force?

None of that happened.

It later came out that there was a power struggle between the president and the major opposition party, which hindered the revision of related laws... But that’s none of my business.

Anyway, I had no intention of going when the government called. There was no point in bothering to go if they were just going to do nothing and send us back.

“Mr. Cheol-jin and I met there. Was it the Seoul Military Manpower Administration? It was used as a temporary place to identify survivors.”

“...It’s been a really long time since I went to the Military Manpower Administration. I hadn’t been there since my civil defense duty ended.”

It was common for those who had survived life-threatening situations in the tutorial to have some kind of mental scars.

There must have been those who had to stab a trusted comrade in the back.

To Survive, Ignoring Another’s Death. There must have been those who had to turn a blind eye to another’s death to survive.

And those who had to pay the price for the sins they committed.

It’s unimaginable not to have PTSD.

Yet, the closest family members can’t empathize with the experiences in the Tower. It is impossible to listen to in the first place. Then what about the government? What do they know to be gathering people like this? Can they even hear what Players have to say?

Moreover, there’s the enticing fruit of the first floor, an unprecedentedly sweet reward, right before our eyes. It’s almost bizarre to obediently follow the government’s call.

“When I went there… Most of them were just people I passed by during the tutorial. And Mr. Cheol-jin turned out to be a friend of my late father…”

Excluding those who just followed instructions and made it through the tutorial without any harm.

Choi Ji-won. And Park Cheol-jin. Along with about 50 others who cleared the tutorial, thanks to me.

After the government’s identity verification, these people who recognized each other rented out a whole restaurant to talk.

And naturally, the Tower was the main topic of their conversation.

“It’s all over the internet every day. What the tutorial is really like. Betraying to survive, killing to avoid death… It was horrifying.”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin shook his head in disbelief.

Only after clearing the tutorial did people truly realize.

How much of a blessing it was to survive intact.

How fortunate it was that everyone survived the tutorial.

“I’ve always wanted to say this if we ever met again.”

Choi Ji-won bowed deeply.

“I apologize for not trusting you and doubting you. I’m truly sorry.”

Her voice, once tinged with a faint familiarity, was now serious and heavy.

“I’m sorry too, for speaking informally to you earlier.”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin also bowed.

“After clearing the tutorial, I realized... how unfair and cruel the place we were in was. How many lives you, Mr. Junho, had saved. I really wanted to thank you. Once again, thank you. The others also asked me to convey their gratitude if they meet you.”

“...It’s okay. Really.”

Overwhelmed by Emotions. My throat tightened with emotion, but I managed to swallow and barely replied.

There was so much I wanted to say.

About Choi Ji-won. How she’s been all this time. If Boong-Boong is now more obedient. How firefighter Park Cheol-jin is doing.

I wanted to approach them warmly, throw an arm around their shoulders, and share a laugh.

But I couldn’t.

Their attitude made it clear.

They felt gratitude, not closeness.

To them, I was… a benefactor, not a comrade.

They were not the Choi Ji-won and Park Cheol-jin I knew.

The memory of fighting the Minotaur together was mine alone.

The Choi Ji-won who smiled at me in the setting sun at the clearing was gone.

The firefighter Park Cheol-jin, who had turned pale from sweating too much and called me a hero with a thumbs-up, was gone too.

So, the Kim Junho who was with them must be gone as well.

This joy I feel, I must bury it within my heart.

I thought it would hurt, but I didn’t expect it to this extent. I thought time had healed it. It hadn’t.

I was lonely.

Indeed... I should avoid getting too close to others. When I was alone, it was fine, but meeting someone I had grown fond of awakened a dormant loneliness.

Let’s maintain a comfortable discomfort. Keep a safe distance.

Be friendly, but not too close.

“...I’m glad to meet you like this.”

For my sake, and for theirs.

“People... They don’t plan to go to the second floor. At least, the normal ones don’t.”

Firefighter Park Cheol-jin began with a heavy expression.

Firstly, he said that those whose mental states were shattered by the brutal tutorial did not want to ascend to the second floor.

After being deeply scarred in the kill-or-be-killed tutorial, they lost all will, content to bury themselves in the comfortable first floor.

Except for a few with a sense of duty to save humanity and those driven by a desire to become stronger, everyone else was focused on enjoying their time on the first floor.

Unlike the thriving item trade in America’s underworld, there was no desire-driven ascent of the Tower here.

But did those who passed the tutorial unscathed want to ascend to the second floor? That, too, was not the case.

They lacked levels. You think achievement levels can cover that? But it’s not just the absence of levels; they also lack combat experience.

Although the exact nature of the second floor is unknown, if it’s a death game where one must kill or be killed... they lacked confidence in competing with others who had risked their lives to clear the tutorial.

“So... Mr. Cheol-jin and I came as a scouting party, to check if it’s safe.”

Park Cheol-jin and Choi Ji-won belonged to the responsible few I mentioned earlier.

They diligently trained on the first floor and, feeling somewhat confident in combat, decided to ascend to the second floor together.

Choi Ji-won, halting her speech, shifted her gaze to me.

“Mr. Junho... You seem to have been here for quite a while. Is there a reason?”

“There is. A very important one.”

After briefly explaining the rules of the second floor to them, I presented the information I had gathered through my regression as if it had been meticulously researched.

The structure of the second floor. The prohibition of violence. The residents forced to live others’ lives. The master of the city who created all these conditions. And the high likelihood of summoning the city’s master by taking the residents’ boxes.

“That’s... a madwoman.”

“I can’t believe a god created this Tower. Maybe an evil deity.”

Choi Ji-won was outraged, and firefighter Park Cheol-jin expressed his disgust.

I knew these good people would sympathize with me.

“I need help. Could you please listen to my plan?”

Choi Ji-won.

There’s something I need you to do.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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