[49:32:15] [49:32:14] [49:32:13]

Boss blankly looked at the clock and turned towards Kim Hajin. He sat on the ground shuffling cards like an elaborate magic trick. He seemed normal on the outside, but clearly wasn’t himself.

Boss recalled what just happened. She didn’t know what he dreamt about, but the image of him muttering to his mother and father became imprinted in her mind. His sorrowful voice made her heart slightly ache.

“Haaa.”

She sighed in the quiet cabin. Spartan had returned to the waiting room and the other members hadn’t come back yet. Who knew what they were up to? Boss had no idea how to start a conversation to break this awkward silence. After much thought, she turned on the messenger and typed a message.

[What’s up]

“…”

That sounded too unfriendly. [What’s up Hajin.] She tried adding his name and a period. [What’s up Hajin?] She didn’t like the question mark for some reason. [What’s up Hajin lol] This one didn’t sound too bad.

“Hmm.”

She agonized over whether to send it, but ultimately decided not to. She turned off the messenger and simply stared at him again. Should she apologize and ask for forgiveness?

However, no words came out of her mouth. Anything she said now would be nothing more than deception, but her heart ached every time she looked at him. She didn’t know why.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She had killed many people to this day. Whatever the reasons, they too were all someone’s mother, father, daughter, or son. She quickly blocked out such emotions.

It was too late to regret it now. That wouldn’t change anything. The people she killed could never come back and she would continue to kill many more.

— Don't fret over what can't be undone. Do what you can and do it well.

The former Boss once told her. She believed that as well and thought any guilt inside her had already disappeared, but…

“Boss.”

A voice called her. She raised her head towards Kim Hajin who came over.

“Why are you doing that?”

Only then did she notice her posture, crouched while hugging her knees. I wonder why. I guess I’m sleepy too. She murmured and bitterly smiled.

“Boss, I’m bored. Do you want to play cards?”

“I thought you didn’t want to.”

Kim Hajin smiled. “I have an idea. You can start with 10 cards and I’ll start with 5. That way it’ll be funner. Oh, you know how to play poker, right?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Then let’s do it.”

“Okay.”

He sat some distance in front of her. She watched him shuffle the deck of cards. Then she found herself instinctively trying to spot a trick and became slightly disgusted with herself.

“Alright, I’ll deal the cards.”

Boss felt pleased with her hand. However, over the 37 games they played in the next 3 hours…

“I quit.”

Boss lost 36 times. She held quad queens in the last game, but lost to quad aces. That was the final straw as she placed the cards down and turned away.

“Man, that didn’t work. How about I get 5 cards and you get 14—”

“I quit.”

“…”

***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

The players gathered in Eastern Crevon. The city had mobilized magicians to construct a secondary wall just outside the primary wall and built a fortress to attract players. They provided TP and items as bait. The royal family declared that it would lend items to players for free and offer TP for every monster killed. They would completely give away the items if players could destroy all the calamities. The royal family also offered one of their treasures and 100,000 TP to any player who could kill a calamity.

“We only got the entrance reward for the 10th floor.”

Aileen spoke with several Guild Alliance members in a restaurant near the eastern wall. Rachel, Kim Youngjin, and Yoo Yeonha all gathered around her.

“Black Lotus and his gang killed the 5th calamity, python. They also made it to the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th floor.”

Kim Youngjin nodded at Aileen’s remark.

“I see.”

During the last 20 days, a series of notifications shocked every player in the tower.

[A nameless party has entered the 11th floor for the first time.] [A nameless party has entered the 12th floor for the first time.] [A nameless party has entered the 13th floor for the first time.] [A nameless party has entered the 14th floor for the first time.]

It took them almost a year to climb from the 1st floor to the 10th floor, but only 2 weeks from the 10th floor to the 14th floor. Players argued over which of the two parties, Aileen or Black Lotus’, had reached those floors first. Today, Aileen herself ended the debate.

“We spent about 3 entire days on the 10th floor, I think? It was surprisingly difficult. Right now, we’re on our way to the 13th floor.“

“…”

Yoo Yeonha listened while thinking about something else. She felt a deep sense of anguish from her delusions. Her train of thought went like this:

The Black Lotus team is undoubtedly the Chameleon Troupe. Kim Hajin will probably chase them wherever they go, but he isn’t the type to rely on others. However, that’s too dangerous.

“Then… Senior Aileen… about Fenrir…”

Yoo Yeonha carefully asked. It had been almost a month since she first entered the tower, but she hadn’t met him yet. Even when she suddenly smelled Kim Hajin while walking, she only ended up finding Rachel drenched in his smell. It happened again today. Rachel, completely oblivious, happily asked if Yoo Yeonha came to see her. Yoo Yeonha couldn’t say no to her smiling face, so they decided to meet Aileen together.

“You’re looking for Fenrir?”

Aileen sulked. Needless to say, the public forum also gossiped about him and her party.

“He’s not too popular these days.”

It all started with the Black Lotus incident a while back. Black Lotus used to attack players before the calamities, but switched sides and attacked the monsters when the calamities invaded Crevon. Of course, the incident surprised everyone. That day, he killed hundreds of monsters with only 5 arrows and gave people another story to tell. They started referring to him as the Dark Hero.

“People are probably bad-mouthing Fenrir as much as me. Are you worried about him?”

“No, he’s not the type to concern himself with such things.”

“Really? Well, I don’t know anything. He seems to do well on his own, so he’s probably fine.”

Yoo Yeonha seemed disappointed at her remark.

“Cough.”

Rachel quietly stepped forward. I’m on good terms with Aileen, so I’ll try to get her to talk for Yoo Yeonha’s sake.

“Excuse me, Ail—“

“So you were here.”

The restaurant door opened and someone entered before Rachel could say anything. They all turned towards the door as a magician similar in size to Aileen walked in.

“Eh, eh?” Aileen widened her eyes at the unexpected encounter.

“Ah, she’s my companion. She said she wanted to meet you, Senior Aileen, at all costs.”

Yoo Yeonha stood up and introduced her companion, but Aileen remained in a daze. High heels echoed off the floor as the magician approached them. She barely stood 160 cm tall even with her kill heels and her round face gave off a child-like vibe. However, the way she walked and her expression exuded the epitome of elegance and pride.

“Cough.”

Kim Yongjin desperately held back his laughter as Rachel looked adoringly at the doll-like figure. Only Aileen seemed more serious than ever.

“Aileen.”

Ah Hae-In spoke as Aileen’s jaw dropped.

“It’s been a while.”

Many facilities called talent education centers could be found on Earth. At military agent academies, children under the age of 11 only took classes until 2 P.M. due to children’s rights. Private institutions grew in popularity to educate and train these children during subsequent hours. The Veritas Education Center in Gangnam, South Korea was the most famous in the world. Both Ah Hae-In and Aileen attended there while growing up. Aileen first registered at 5 years old and Ah Hae-In entered at 11.

“…”

They shared a long history, but Aileen didn’t offer any greetings and simply swallowed her saliva. The two had fought to the death a long time ago. Literally, to the brink of death. Click, click— Ah Hae-In arrogantly approached and sat in front of Aileen.

“…”

“…”

The two little adults silently stared at each other. It seemed like a staring contest between cats and dogs. They looked dead serious, but the atmosphere between them only felt cute and funny to outsiders. Tok, tok.

“…?”

Yoo Yeonha tapped Kim Youngjin’s shoulder for him to take a look at the messenger. Kim Yongjin pretended to look at the time and checked his messages.

YooYeonhaYeonha: I just received a report about a massive artifact site being uncovered in Central Asia.

Kim Youngjin slightly widened his eyes before calmly turning off the messenger. He felt sorry for Rachel, but they had to keep this a secret.

“Senior Aileen, Fenrir will most likely continue to chase Black Lotus. Please tell him that I want to see him if you happen to run into him.”

“H-Huh? Oh, o-okay…”

Aileen nodded at Yoo Yeonha’s words while studying Ah Hae-In’s expression.

“We have to go now. Please take your time.”

“Huh? G-Go where? You can stay. No, you should stay…”

Yoo Yeonha stood up with the others and they all left Aileen behind. A woman who had been eavesdropping coldly muttered.

“Idiots.”

Jin Sahyuk felt extremely frustrated. Everyone kept talking about Fenrir going after Black Lotus or how Fenrir killed Black Lotus. What a joke. She wanted to tell them like how that barber shouted about the king’s ears in the bamboo forest. [1]

Kim Hajin is Fenrir and Black Lotus, you brainless fools!

However, Jin Sahyuk didn’t tell anyone. Not because she feared Kim Hajin, but because she simply hated mudslinging. It couldn’t be called revenge.

“How am I going to make 150,000 TP?”

Rather than that, earning TP concerned her more since she wanted to use the Upgrade Center on the 7th floor. She could easily rob rich NPCs or hunt other players, but Kim Hajin’s threat kept her in line. She consoled herself by saying that not just her, but no one in the tower could stand up to him. Ding— A message suddenly arrived.

Bell: Sahyuk, I heard from our informant that artifacts have been discovered in Central Asia.

So what? Jin Sahuk didn’t bother replying. Right now, even time spent eating felt like a waste. She needed to kill monsters to collect TP and use the upgrade center as soon as possible.

Bell: It looks like the Chameleon Troupe will be there as well. What do you think?

Her gaze sharpened like a blade the moment she read that.

Me: You sure? By Chameleon Troupe, you mean Kim Hajin?

Bell: Probably? You know how I’m acquainted with their boss. I’d say there’s a 90% chance, but why? Do you want to fight him, so he can kick your butt again?

She clenched her fists. Not inside, but outside the tower. She felt confident in winning on Earth. No, not confident. She felt sure she would win. Her self-esteem that sunk to the bottom rose again as she muttered with resentment.

“I’ll bite and chew every piece of…”

“Here are your chicken legs.”

The waiter set down a plate of 20 chicken legs in front of her. Jin Sahyuk took the legs and tore them apart. Nom, nom. Her eyes shone with fury as she chewed the tender meat.

***

[15F, Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]

The Chameleon Troupe decided to halt their climb on the 15th floor. We found ourselves inside an abandoned warship that looked like it came out of a sci-fi movie. Cheok Jungyeong and I sat on a bench covered in moss.

“We’re stopping here?” Cheok Jungyeong asked.

“Yeah, we have to go back to Crevon now.”

The other calamities besides the python still remained and continued attacking Crevon as we climbed. Kim Suho should defeat Medusa soon enough, but not the remaining calamities like the level 40 minotaur and chimera and the level 45 cyclops. Furthermore, more calamities besides them still waited on the 9th floor. We simply skipped the 9th floor by killing a calamity instead of clearing it.

“Oi, Cheok Jungyeong?”

“Ah? Oh, what’s up? Sorry, I’m not used to you talking so casually.”

“Is that so?”

“Uh… Well, I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk to me like that. Haha, I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”

I silently smirked. Faking a near-death experience proved quite effective, but I could’ve actually died.

“Um… does it still hurt?” Cheok Jungyeong asked while scratching his cheek.

“I’m somewhat alright.”

I planned to visit the upgrade center again and raise my stats since the time reversal’s side effects felt too severe. I’d been putting off the painful operation, but I should raise all my stats by the maximum 3 points.

“What do you mean somewhat? Alright is alright.”

“Whatever.”

I stood up. The 15th floor consisted of one giant machine called [Genkelope’s Abandoned Vessel]. The warship equaled twice the size of Jejudo and featured sci-fi phenomena scarier than monsters. We needed to restart the ship to reach the 16th floor. In short, we needed at least a month to clear this floor.

“Mmm… I’m going back to Crevon. No, before that, to the 7th floor.”

“Gotcha. Then I’m heading back to Crevon first. I need to take care of a fella there.”

Cheok Jungyeong stretched his body. His remark sounded slightly suspicious, so I asked.

“Why? To avenge Kaita?”

Cheok Jungyeong paused. He awkwardly turned to me, embarrassed that I read his mind. However, he soon smiled.

“Once a comrade, always a comrade. No matter how stupid you are.”

He probably thought he sounded cool, but it didn’t work on me. For the record, Kim Suho had already killed Kaita twice.

“Are you gonna avenge him or not?”

“I will, you bum.”

Cheok Jungyeong curled his lips in a pout. I felt disgusted. Why did he act so gross these days?

“So, I don’t need to do anything today?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m leaving.”

Cheok Jungyeong went down using the crystal stele. Boss, Jain, and Jin Yohan already left the tower a while ago. They probably went out to look for Genghis Khan’s artifacts. It also served as an important turning point in the original novel.

My heart suddenly sank. Chae Nayun would meet the djinn who killed her mother there. Then should I head there as well? I hadn’t decided yet, but I needed to grow stronger for Crevon’s sake. I went down to the 7th floor with the crystal stele.

[7F, Game Center]

I passed by the familiar lobby and went straight to the Upgrade Center. The familiar AlphaGo greeted me as I opened the door.

— Hello.

“Yeah, hi.”

— How may I help you today?

“I’m here to do what I don’t want to do.”

I’d been putting off the stat enhancement operation because it would hurt like your limbs being severed and put back together.

— Are you referring to the stat enhancement operation?

“Yes. Can you do it?”

— Yes. This operation may be performed up to 3 times. Player Extra7 may undergo this surgery 2 more times.

“Okay. Then I…”

I planned on enhancing every stat other than magic power and easily paid the 150,000 TP. Then the door suddenly shot open and someone hurriedly entered. I recognized her as the robed sorceress, Medea.

“Hey, it’s great to see you. I knew you’d come back, so I’ve been waiting for the last 20 days.”

Medea gracefully spoke and approached with a beaming smile.

“You waited for me?”

I played dumb.

“Yes, Extra7. Remember what you said last time?”

“I don’t like being called by my nickname.”

“Oh… Really? Sorry. Then—”

She tried to continue, but AlphaGo grabbed me.

— The operation will begin soon.

“Ah, really? Sorry, administrator. I need to go into surgery now.”

Medea looked at AlphaGo, slightly irritated, but nodded.

“Yeah? Then… I’ll wait until it’s over. Oh, isn’t this expensive? Do you want me to pay for it?”

“I already paid.”

“… Is that so?”

— Please follow me.

AlphaGo’s mechanical voice pressed me and I followed him while pretending to be sorry.

Jiing— Kwaaaa— Wiinng—

All kinds of horrible sounds filled the shop.

I came out 4 hours later, overcome with pain. Medea dozed off in a chair as I drank a few potions to recover my stamina. That setting probably hasn’t changed if she’s this obsessed with luxury.

“Oh, are you finished?”

Medea woke up and bitterly smiled. She handed me a potion, but placed it back into her pockets after seeing the empty ones I already drank.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Well. You know, about what you said last time? Something bad happened, so I was in a horrible mood. First, I’d like to apologize. Simad told me you really did make it.”

I silently listened while reading the notification window that popped up in the air. 

[Warning! The calamities in Crevon are now raging!]

“I wasn’t too surprised. I’ve been thinking about how great your craftsmanship is, but a lot of administrators will visit you from now on. Such a marvelous robe can’t be found anywhere else. I don’t intend to receive it for free. Of course—”

“Woah!

“What?”

I widened my eyes and screamed on purpose.

“Sorry, administrator. Something important came up in Crevon!”

“H-Huh?”

I left Medea perplexed while I reclaimed my belongings from AlphaGo and took out the portable crystal stele.

“Let’s talk about this some other time! It’s a huge calamity!”

“W-Wait, kid!”

I felt a sense of déjà vu as my body warped.

1. A Korean folklore about a barber who swears secrecy regarding the king’s strange ears, but yells the truth inside a well and unintentionally spreads it to the entire world. ☜