128 – The Returner is Tired (3)
White. 52 Years old. Married person. He has only two children, a daughter. Pastor of a small local church. His favorite food is pizza, and he mows the front lawn before breakfast. He often forgets Bible verses, so he installed a Bible app on his cell phone. I’ve been worried lately because my stomach is starting to come out.
These are words that have been used to describe a person named ‘William Smith.’ He was a friendly, warm pastor who could be found anywhere. Until the tower appeared.
“Uh, uh… ? I’m alive… ?”
“Heo-eok, heo-eok… Oh God… “
William Smith, who had overcome the danger of death in the tutorial, realized that he had awakened his healing ability while supporting the sick.
And as a result of returning to his reality and investigating the information, he also realized that his healing ability was much more powerful compared to other healing abilities. While others stopped at preventing the wound from getting worse, he was able to heal the wound altogether.
If he were a thoughtless idiot, he would have thought of making a lot of money using his abilities or would have tried to garner attention by posting a video of himself healing his wounds on YouTube.
“Honey. “I guess I have to hide my abilities.”
“I think that’s true too, William.”
The Smiths chose to hide his abilities. William Smith’s abilities were very useful to those who needed them, but he was not very suitable for protecting himself. And at a time like this when the foundations of society are shaking, it is not wise for him to show off his treasures here and there when he is not capable of protecting them.
“Honey, can’t you just forget everything? You don’t have to climb that tower… “
“… Jenny is hurt. “I can’t die without being able to protect my family from another player’s terror.”
However, when his daughter was injured due to the player’s terrorist attack, William Smith also decided to climb the tower. Any head of household must have the strength to protect his family. They say there was a shotgun hidden in the attic, but that alone made me feel very uneasy.
[2Nd floor cleared.]
[Cleared the 3rd floor.]
William Smith climbed the tower so slowly. Thanks to suppressing most of his abilities, he didn’t attract more attention than necessary, and William was also satisfied with that fact.
Until the experience on the 4th floor completely shook him.
“That man. “Even if no one recognized that man, he silently saved people’s lives.”
How petty is a man who hides his power because it might be dangerous. With great power comes great responsibility, and he was avoiding his responsibility.
Love your neighbor as yourself. I don’t know if the transcendental person who created the tower is the same as the Lord of the Bible, but William Smith was not following God’s teachings. When he realized that fact, he felt ashamed.
“Her grandmother next door said she had bad knees, right?”
“That’s right.”
“… “If you come to the service tomorrow, I’ll have a look.”
Of course, this did not mean that we set grandiose goals such as ‘We will save all people on Earth!’ First of all, neighbors who need a helping hand.
Churches in the United States also served as hubs where people from the neighborhood could hang out, so naturally, William was the leader of the neighborhood. This means that they already knew who was hurting where.
“Oh, Smith! Thank you so much… “
After he healed the knee of the grandmother next door, the rumor spread and the number of people coming to visit him increased.
“Mr. Smith, actually, I have a chronic back disease… “
“Pastor Smith, I broke my thumb while fixing the warehouse…
At first, they were local people. Due to the terrorist attacks occurring across the country these days, all major hospitals are overcrowded. Instead of going to the hospital, people in the neighborhood went to church.
However, in today’s society where SNS is popular, there are no secrets.
-My ring finger, which was half necrotic, has returned. Here is the certification photo.
William Smith’s church became uncontrollably famous after a user who visited the church after seeing an article posted on the community by a local adolescent boy posted a verification message.
In the neighborhood next door. In the next state. On the other side of America. Sometimes even overseas.
“Flights were paralyzed due to terrorism, so I drove from Michigan to California. “Please, please, can you treat my child just once?”
“I was diagnosed as terminally ill… Pastor is my last hope… “
“If you treat me first, I will give you $10 million.”
“… We will treat you in the order you arrived. Wait.”
The crowds of people had now formed a crowd, but there was a limit to the number of people who could be healed in a day.
Naturally, lines form, people cut in line, and the government intervenes to issue numbered tickets. People buy and sell numbered tickets, set up tents and sleep in the open, or even buy houses in nearby neighborhoods. (In fact, house prices in the neighborhood where William Smith lives soared.)
A phenomenon similar to a modern-day gold rush was occurring on the other side of the world in the United States…
**
“They said so.”
“… “
Choi Ji-won’s story has ended.
I hear that someone I know is busy doing good things, what can I say? I’ll just say it’s okay and pass it on. Isn’t it too ugly to campaign by saying, ‘I am Kim Jun-ho, who saved the lives of the people on the 4th floor?’
“Hmm… “
Does anyone know a skilled healer? There was no way my existing friends would know because they were all ordinary people, and because I avoided associating with other people as much as possible, my player network was ruined.
“Jiwon, could you…”
“…”
Choi Ji-won’s network is also ruinous. Aside from the friends she made during her high school days, she really didn’t know anyone.
First of all, a player in my contacts… Firefighter Park Cheol-jin. And Kang Chan. Ahn Kyung-jun. This is the end. (Yoon Jung-hyun’s contact information was lost due to his regression.)
First of all, firefighter Park Cheol-jin. He was acquainted with me in some way, and he was really, really close with Choi Ji-won. He also has leadership skills, to the point where he leads a group of survivors from the tutorial.
“Uncle Cheoljin has been busy recently… You probably haven’t met anyone new… “
However, due to the recent series of terrorist attacks, he was concentrating on his main job. After he cleared the 3rd floor, he couldn’t even challenge the 4th floor.
“Kang Chan… “
Kang Chan. He says he’s been busy creating a ‘guild’ recently. (He said it was crew at first, but he changed it to guild because it felt too gangly.)
Although the name is grandiose, it is a guild, but I heard that it is just a community where people gather together, cooperate with each other, share information, and share items. In the case of Gangchan, which has strong single-shot firepower but has penalties, the existence of a guild would be essential. Oh, I said that Ahn Kyeong-jun and Ahn Kyeong-nam also belonged to that guild.
“… “I wonder if there’s at least one healer there?”
With low expectations, I carefully sent a message to Kang Chan.
-Hello, this is Junho Kim, who cleared the 3rd floor together. The reason I contacted you like this is none other than…
The 1 mark disappears shortly after sending a long message. After some time passed, Kang Chan’s reply arrived.
-There is no healing ability in our guild. No, there are no skilled healers in Korea at all.
The story Kang Chan told was shocking.
-Do you know him as William Smith?
Thanks to William Smith, who recently became a hot topic in North America, the stock prices of people with healing abilities are said to have hit their upper limit every day. The conglomerates decided that it would be better to hire a skilled healer rather than paying a lot of money to stock up on potions at home, and any healer with a fairly strong ability was already scouted with a huge salary offer.
– Perhaps because the healing ability is a non-combat ability in the first place, there are very few people who want to climb the tower. There is no need to climb the tower when you can easily make money in real life. Even if you save people, you will probably only be able to save chaff. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.
“… “
That is correct. I have the ability to easily suck honey, but I didn’t think I would risk my life to climb the tower.
“What should I do…” “
Potions don’t work on colds. Even skilled healers cannot be found. It would be a waste to use elixir. What should I do if this happens?
As a result of marathon meetings between the three of us, Choi Ji-won, and Bungboong, the conclusion we reached was simple.
“I think it’s right to go to the 11th floor right now.”
A lot of time has already passed. My physical condition shows no signs of improving. It’s right to just take the risk and enter the 11th floor right away.
If you want to be really efficient, it would be right to return here and starve the yeti to death again… It is true that my condition has improved over the past two weeks, and that mountain range is now unsightly. Just thinking about meat with that delicious smell made me feel nauseous.
“What do you want to eat for the last supper?”
“… “Would you like to eat soup?”
“…”
“Why, what? Can’t women like soup and rice?”
I finished dinner with Choi Ji-won, who had lost a lot of my shyness thanks to our time together, and completed the final inspection. We plan to enter the 11th floor at the same time.
Aren’t the 6th to 10th floors the only floor you can proceed to?
It is written in the ‘Guidebook’ that the archangels are each in charge of five floors. Raphael was in charge of the 1st to 5th floors, and a guy whose name I don’t know was in charge of the 6th to 10th floors.
Just because the 6th to 10th floors were solo floors, there is no way that the 11th floor would be the same.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. “Let’s go in at the right time.”
To summarize briefly.
Unconditionally, it is advantageous to enter with Choi Ji-won. The difference between being able to receive help from Korea’s strongest player and not being able to do so is extreme.
Of course, it would be nicer and colder to go alone, but… It seems like the Earth is going to be destroyed at some point, so what kind of person is this and what type of person is cool? Not taking the bus when you can take it isn’t cool, it’s foolish.
“… “
“… “
Choi Ji-won and I exchanged glances in silence, nodded and entered our respective portals.
[Enter on the 11th floor.]