「Contribution settlement increases 2x for clearing the Only Difficulty Level.」
「A total of 31,500,000 MP will be paid.」
「You have contributed more than 80% individually. Additional special rewards are given.」
「Move to the waiting room on the 21st floor.」
The 30-day mission was over. Yoon-seok looked at the clock installed on the waiting room wall: 29th July 2019. The date the mission started was the 19th, so it took about 10 days…
“…10 days. It only took 10 days.”
Even though he knew it, he burst into laughter. How long had he struggled alone on that mission?
“Huu…”
Yoon-seok slowly scanned the empty waiting room. Perhaps because it was the place he returned to after his long and hard journey, but he felt like he finally returned home. Suddenly, he could understand why other challengers wasted points decorating their waiting room.
Of course, Yoon-seok would never go that far.
‘I’ve rested enough, so let’s get started.’
He had about 13 days left until the next duel. Since the 21st-floor mission had been cleared, it was impossible to go on it again, and it felt kind of short to go into the exploration trials now. Then how should he spend the rest of his time?
Some ideas came to mind, but most of them could be done outside the waiting room.
‘Let’s finish the things I can do here first.’
Yoon-seok opened the tablet and checked the points he had. Including the ones he kept before, this put his total points at 31.55 million MP.
‘Are they paying back as much as what the hard work was worth?’
In this mission alone, he earned 31.5 million MP. Although there were some differences in the items sold in the store, the value of MP and AP were similar. Considering that he earned 15 million AP for the 21st-floor duel, he received a huge reward this time.
That wasn’t even all of it. Twenty mechanical parts from Butchering Dracar’s armor were stored in Yoon-seok’s subspace. Someday, he could use it to strengthen Lynn or manufacture other equipment.
‘Maybe this is better.’
Yoon-seok abandoned any regrets about what he didn’t receive. Dracar helped a lot. Was that why? Unexpectedly, the mission was suspended, and he wasn’t able to use {Predation}. Well, this wasn’t that bad either. Anyway, the ability he coveted was power so that it couldn’t be taken away.
‘Plus, there’s a special reward.’
Finally, Yoon-seok opened the bottom of the statue. There was a small ticket shining with blue light. What in the world was this for?
*Last Fortress (Rank EX) – When the ticket is torn, you will move to the palace where the Queen of Death resides with your colleague. Up to 12 people can enter together. It will be available after 312 days.
His confusion only grew when he Appraised it. This was the special reward? Even without her warning, Yoon-seok realized the Tower was a facility that trained challengers, and the final goal was to kill the Queen.
‘When the time comes, am I supposed to use this to kill the Queen?’
The ticket was restricted from being used until about ten months later. Yoon-seok guessed the reason was either that it wasn’t ready yet, or he must do something first to kill the Queen. Either way, he was now starting to see the Tower’s intention.
‘Perhaps the 21st-floor mission is also designed to make people aware that the Queen is a must-kill entity.’
It was just a hypothesis, but it felt quite plausible. The real Queen, unlike the fake one, was far from mad. Perhaps the Tower recreated the Queen and deliberately made her look like an absolute evil, even when the Queen tried to offer a clue. The Tower restricted that information by suspending the mission.
‘Why did they have to do that? Is it because they know that I wouldn’t move as they predicted if I found out?’
He thought so, but he wasn’t sure. Was the Queen an enemy or an ally? On the contrary, was the Tower an enemy or an ally? Nothing was confirmed yet as both hid their intentions. Left with no other option, he decided to dig into the truth earnestly.
He wouldn’t let himself be taken advantage of without knowing anything.
‘Rick Gerssey.’
His past life in Seheranbad from 500 years ago. This name would certainly be the beginning of his journey to uncover those secrets.
‘Why did the queen call me by that name?’
Yoon-seok pondered over why but did not conclude. Still, he was sure that the Queen certainly knew more secrets than Rick himself.
—Wake up, and you will know everything.
Maybe waking up meant for him to remember his past life.
—You are him! Listen carefully! You are…
Then, what kind of person was Rick Gerssey? Why did the Queen react like that when she heard the name? He couldn’t understand. Rick Gerssey was a Rank F mercenary. Of course, he possessed higher abilities than his rank, but he wasn’t as strong as Yoon-seok.
What made him so special?
‘Wait…’
He felt goosebumps at the one possibility that suddenly came to mind.
‘What if the basic premise is wrong?’
Yoon-seok tried to calm down and calmly reflect on Rick’s end.
—I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll save you now.
The Holy Trinity Cult corrupted Elle and used her as a weapon of war, and Rick offered himself as a sacrifice to purify her soul. All Rick wanted was for Elle to live her life freely.
—But what I wanted… was not something like this.
Unlike his wish, Elle lost all hope and waited for death until-
—It’s a special guest.
-she was chosen by the Tower.
And all of Yoon-seok’s questions began here. Did Rick Gerssey die then? If not, was there a possibility that he was chosen by the Tower at the last moment and became a challenger like Elle?
—Don’t forget. Rick Gerssey.
Was this just an absurd assumption? An ordinary mercenary became a challenger, and beyond that, someone special that the Tower and Queen considered important? That couldn’t be true.
Even Yoon-seok was ordinary until he came to the Tower. No, wasn’t it a life lived below even that? Anything was possible in the Tower.
—In the past and now, the Tower is your enemy.
New possibilities opened up as questions gradually turned to convictions. Rick Gerssey didn’t die that day. As a challenger, he climbed the Tower and reached the secret hidden there. He didn’t know what specifically happened. However, whatever had happened, it continued into his present life.
Suddenly, a new question came to mind.
‘Then what about Elle? Why didn’t Elle say anything? Did she not know?’
Was she unaware of this? Well, that was possible. Or maybe she deceived him by not telling him the truth like last time. Yoon-seok decided not to make a hasty conclusion.
「The Lady of Liberation is calling you.」
「Would you like to accept it?」
He could just ask in person.
Yoon-seok wasn’t the one who called Elle. Coincidentally, the call came just in time, and Yoon-seok responded, appearing in a cabin filled with a sweet smell.
“Are you alright…?”
As soon as Elle saw Yoon-seok, she asked about his condition. She looked extremely worried. Did she see all the time that Yoon-seok rewound?
“I’m sorry for calling you while you’re resting. I was so worried that I couldn’t….”
Elle didn’t know the conversation he had with the real Queen in stopped time. Besides, he wasn’t resting, so she didn’t notice that he was thinking about Rick Gerssey. He wanted to take advantage of this and open up first. Yoon-seok decided to ask openly.
“How does the Queen know Rick Gerssey?”
“What?”
“Didn’t you see it? The Queen’s expression after hearing the name. I thought she was going to say something important, but the Tower ended the mission.”
“…”
“Is there anything you can tell me about this?”
“…”
Elle chose silence. As always, her silence was the most obvious answer. Yoon-seok asked again.
“How did Rick Gerssey die?”
Again, no reply. Yoon-seok’s eyes turned cold. When he was summoned, he thought this might happen. However, the picture in his head and the reality were different. A strange sense of betrayal filled him in her silence.
Elle struggled to speak.
“…Trust me. Everything, it was all for your sake.”
Come to think of it; she said this last time. When Yoon-seok found out that Rick was his past life, Elle said she didn’t tell him because she thought it was for his good. At the time, he believed her. He thought she was his unconditional ally in the Tower.
But it was hard to believe so now. Not only was this already the second time, but Elle told him confidently that there was more to hide now.
“If it was really for me, would you answer sincerely just this once? Have you met Rick Gerssey in the Tower?”
“…”
Elle kept her mouth shut. Was he expecting too much? Yoon-seok’s gaze passed indifferently over the cooling teacup before he smiled.
“Will you send me back to the waiting room?”
He would end the conversation here. El clenched her teeth and asked back sharply.
“…Are you saying you won’t see me anymore?”
A matching sense of betrayal was mixed in her voice, but Yoon-seok shook off any emotion from his voice.
“If I have WP, I’ll come to buy powers. Oh, it’s at your discretion to gather WP, so that won’t happen.”
“W-what’s wrong with you?! Do you know how much I’ve done for you? And now you’re behaving like this!”
Clenching both her hands, Elle raised her voice like a child whining. Yoon-seok didn’t respond. He continued to look at Elle calmly as if to tell her to send him back quickly. Their confrontation dragged on in the suffocating silence.
Elle was the one to break it.
“…I haven’t.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“It’s what I said. I haven’t. I said I hadn’t. Because he wasn’t chosen by the Tower!”
Belatedly, Yoon-seok realized that was her answer to his previous question. Of course, he didn’t know whether it was true, but the answer was completely unexpected.
“So, Rick Gerssey wasn’t a challenger?”
“You won’t believe it now, but there’s a reason why I can’t say it.”
“Are you going to make an excuse about the restriction again?”
“Excuse…?”
Elle made a choking sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
“That’s right. Of course, that’s all you can hear. I understand. I do. I can understand everything. So…”
Blood flowed down from her lips.
“I’ll send you back to the waiting room. I won’t call you first from now on.”
Elle no longer made excuses. Just as Yoon-seok tried to go his way regardless of good or evil, she endured everything.
“But please believe in this one thing. The Queen is your enemy.”
Yoon-seok smiled coldly. That was an interesting thing to say. The Queen he met last time said the Tower was his enemy. Who was telling the truth?
「Move to the waiting room on the 21st floor.」
He didn’t know, but it was very strange. b Bloodseeker Ultimatum} had long since disappeared, but the urge to break everything was blooming in his heart.
‘I’ll have to postpone going back to Earth.’
Yoon-seok stood still for a long time in the empty gray waiting room. He felt like absolute shit.
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