206 – The Returner Endures (3)
“… Is it okay to call them angels? They force their own standards. “Are they even our masters?”
“… “He might be the owner.”
Leaving the angry Choi Ji-won behind, I was lost in thought for a moment. In ‘Top Climbing,’ the ending in which the main character constantly becomes stronger, but eventually attains godhood and devours gods and becomes absolute, used to leave me with many questions.
Are the beings who created the tower idiots? Or are they those who long for death? Even if you observe the creatures in the tower and enjoy the process of them becoming stronger, what’s the point if you die as a result? To be honest, I didn’t really understand why climbers get stronger randomly.
However, it makes sense to say that the intention was ‘a situation in which some strong beings exist in the same world as ordinary people.’ What if all mankind were good, rational, and reasonable people? This situation was no different from a bomb with a lit fuse.
“If the god who created the tower is the god of creation… Don’t you know this? Or are you just pretending not to know?”
In the first place, humans are not all good or all evil. Therefore, it can be said that this structure, in which if anyone has a bad mind, the entire world is destroyed, is a structure that is destined for catastrophe. If God created humans, there would be no way he wouldn’t know this.
If this whole situation is as God intended, it is true that God intends to get rid of us. It is true that he has decided to abandon humanity. But there is one error here.
“… Return.”
The truth is that my ability to return was also given to me by God.
Although there is an extreme penalty, the regression ability is clearly a fraudulent trait. This alone is an overpowering ability that can change the history of humanity, and indeed the world. The fact that it wasn’t even a single regression, nor was there a limit to the number of times, but an infinite number of repetitions, made me semi-immortal.
“… “
Why would a writer who really wanted to destroy the world give humans this ability to deceive? I doubt that.
“There’s no point in worrying about it.”
However, this is a problem that I cannot find the answer to even if I spend my whole life thinking about it. Unless you reach the 66th floor, grab God by the collar, and ask him directly, you won’t be able to get a perfect answer.
Whatever the intention, what I have to do is fixed.
“Climb the tower.”
And in the process, it prevents the planned destruction. It’s the best I can do and the only way to f*ck the Archangel and God. Even I feel frustrated and can’t breathe because I’m dealing with something huge, a god who can build towers in the first place… You can’t give up just because it’s painful and difficult.
“Should we just take a day off and go right away?”
“Then.”
The number of floors conquered is 20. The remaining number is 46.
I have a long way to go, so I have to hurry up.
**
From Noble mtl dot com
-I entered the 21st floor.
As I always say, I get very nervous when I first enter the tower. So far, there has been no case where a monster appears as soon as you enter the tower, but we cannot be sure that it will not happen in the future.
“… Eh.”
That’s why I felt a momentary sense of heterogeneity. Because there was something heavy in his hand.
“This…” “
A square-shaped object. The back is finished in a clean white color, and the front is like black glass. The weight is roughly between 0.5 And 1 kg. The texture you feel in your palm is cold and sticky.
This is…
“IPad… ?”
In his hand was the iPad that Choi Ji-won often saw using in real life.
“Is it cosplay?”
“Aren’t you filming a movie? Or YouTube?”
“Can I take a picture? “It’s kind of cool, isn’t it?”
“I think that’s a real knife.”
“I should post it on Instagram.”
Only then did I hear voices whispering to me from people around me. Some of the dogs take pictures by covering the flash and speakers with their fingers. Compared to the modern clothing they wore, the dwarven armor I wore was obviously strange.
“… “
Embarrassed, I tried to focus my magic on my ears, increasing my hearing and vision, and grasping everything that was happening around me.
“Oppa. Did you see the duck on that screen? “It’s really cute, right?”
“Honey, that’s a mandarin duck.”
“Oppa. Just agree with me.”
“Sorry. I am T… “
Lovers passing by with their arms around each other and smiling.
“Dad! Dad! “Can I touch the dog here?”
“Hansol. That’s an animal hospital. “You can’t go in.”
“He’s smiling at me? It’s so cute… ?”
“Suddenly. You can’t cry. Instead, if Hansol listens well until Christmas, then we can get a puppy. How is it?”
“Really? Is it real? Dad is the best!”
“Honey!”
A father who promises a cute puppy, a son who runs wild, and a mother who tries to stop herself from hitting him on the back.
“Yes. Sure. Sure. Oh, about that part, I’m on a business trip right now… “
A businessman passing by in a hurry.
“… “
“… “
The majority of people pass by with their heads buried in their cell phones.
The language people used was clearly Korean, and the writing on store signs and cell phones was also in Korean.
Above all, this street here…
“… “It’s near my room.”
It looked familiar somehow.
The background of the 21st floor was the Earth.
**
I don’t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, but the 21st floor was a little different from reality.
“Who are you?”
“Do you live here?”
“Ah, yes.”
“… “Excuse me.”
First of all, my room now has an owner. She was a woman I had never seen before, and when I glanced behind her, I saw that she also had a cat. For reference, pets are not allowed in this building, but that seems to have changed as well.
“Maybe…” This is Choi Ji-won… “
“Who? “I’m Mr. Park.”
“I’m sorry.”
The same goes for Choi Ji-won’s house. No, it’s not just me or Choi Ji-won.
Past presidents. Celebrity. Great. Even past history.
The form of this world was infinitely close to the Republic of Korea that I knew, but it was a world that was similar in general but very different in the details. This is a world line in which there is no such rare war criminal as Hitler, and instead, Britain is ambitious and tries to conquer Europe… The shell is the same, but the contents are different.
“Other players… “It seems like there isn’t one.”
No, there is no tower or player in the first place. Super power? Ability? These are things that only appear in movies. Even after searching social media, there was no mention of players or players’ associations.
To put it bluntly, a kind of parallel world. I was in Korea, which was infinitely similar, and this place was similar to my world before the T.O.P.
Moderately peaceful. Fight in moderation. A moderately stable world.
“… This.”
Because it was such a world, I couldn’t believe the message window that appeared before my eyes.
＜21St floor＞
-Survive for 7 days.
Survival. Survival. Survival.
This is a phrase I saw on the 4th floor, and I knew very well what it meant.
“f*ck.”
Sooner or later, something will happen.
**
I tried to immediately start collecting information, but I was overlooking one fact.
“Uh… hmm… “Please give me your card and I will help you pay.”
“Ah.”
In the original world, I lived a life unfettered by material constraints, but this world is different. I have no credit card, cell phone, bank account, anything.
Originally, I was going to find a cheap motel and observe the surroundings, but it was impossible for me right now. I left my motel job, which was looking at my armor strangely, and ran to a nearby park and sat down on a random bench.
“Armor is… “
Armor would be of no use in order to blend into this world, but here, only the background is the modern interior of the tower. Taking off your armor is not a wise choice.
Now what I have to decide is how to move. However, since there was really no information to take drastic action, there was nothing much that could be done.
“IPad.”
Other than checking the tablet I’m holding tightly in my hand.
When I opened the screen, it turned out to be an unlocked screen, and a video immediately came to mind without me having to press anything.
“… “
Look around for a moment, then play the video.
“Hello, climbers.”
A mysterious angel greeting you on the screen. There is an angel dressed in white against a black background, but it felt a bit awkward.
“What do you think human values are?”
An angel brings a quiet cat from somewhere, sits it on his lap, and starts petting it.
“Courage may be the greatest human value.”
There was joy in his voice.
“Animals cannot overcome their instincts. Appetite. s*xual desire. Desire to sleep. All animals that appear to be able to overcome their desires have simply had their instincts distorted through a process bordering on abuse. “It’s just another instinct that overcomes one instinct.”
‘Training’ is, in a sense, abuse. Learn that certain actions will result in rewards, and certain actions will result in pain. Therefore, the behavior of a trained animal is nothing more than an act derived from the instinct of ‘I don’t want to get sick’ or ‘I want to eat something delicious’.
“On the other hand, what about human courage?”
Humans can overcome the fear of death. Humans can give up basic needs. Humans can go against their instincts to carry out the values they believe in. We call it courage.
“It is beautiful to see courage. A person who ignores the warnings of his instincts and takes a step forward shows the meaning of our lives. “Isn’t that right?”
The angel who put down the cat looked straight at the screen and smiled.
“Tomorrow, 9 o’clock in the morning. The ordeal begins. Please show courage.”
With those words, the video ended. The time on the pad was 3pm. In the next 18 hours, the tower’s ordeal begins.
“Courage, courage… “
I don’t know what angels want from humans, but… The guy chose the wrong opponent. Although it is difficult to say that I am a courageous person.
“Look forward to it.”
It is true that he is a person who has overcome the fear of death.