There was the option of simply going straight to battle and ascending to the next floor, but Yoon-seok went to the plaza instead. Once he’d reached the next floor, there was no way to descend to the sixth floor again. What if the seventh floor was as messed up as the sixth?
Then he would just have to clean it up. That way, the place wouldn’t be flooded with trash.
But…
‘I was worried over nothing.’
The plaza was brimming with challengers, whom all seemed relaxed. It was like the past image of the sixth-floor plaza he’d heard from Jang-Il.
“Wow, that’s truly amazing! I can’t believe they sell ice cream here!”
Were there challengers who arrived around the same time as him? Behind Yoon-seok, he could hear someone murmuring in admiration. Somehow, the voice was strangely familiar. As if he’d heard them earlier…
‘Huh?’
Yoon-seok looked back instinctively and was startled. It wasn’t impossible since they completed their duels simultaneously, but the polite beast-man was there. He froze briefly when his eyes met with Yoon-seok and then choked on his breath.
“Gasp! Cough! Cough!”
A reaction as if he’d seen a ghost. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Yoon-seok approached instead of avoiding him. There had been an indescribable sense of discomfort, but it was when he was in the middle of the duel, so he just let it slide.
Now, he couldn’t help but ask.
“…Did you just say ice cream?”
Did he think that Yoon-seok was going to hurt him? Surprised, the beast-man replied in a flash.
“There, them! Do you see what they’re holding in their hands? That’s what ice cream is! It’s cold like ice and very soft, so it’s a delicacy!”
He wasn’t expecting an answer like that. Yoon-seok knew what ice cream was. But, he was curious how this beast-man knew about it. The more Yoon-seok’s brows furrowed, the more desperate the beast-man became.
“Really! I wasn’t swearing at you. I was just amazed that they were selling it here….”
After hearing that, he understood one thing: he didn’t find out through the chat room. This beast-man already knew what ice cream was.
“Where are you from?”
“I-I’m from Seheranbad…?”
“Is there ice cream there, too?”
At Yoon-seok’s question, the beast-man answered as if he was offended.
“O-of course not! Ice cream is the food of the earth! Seheranbad is a terrible place, hot in summer and cold in winter. Terrible in food culture too.”
Was this beast-man from Seheranbad? Or Earth? He didn’t know. Why did the beast-man remind him of those talented foreigners that often appeared on Korean TV shows? Yoon-seok was even more confused.
So without realizing it, he asked in an accusing tone.
“How do you know about the food on Earth when you’re from Seheranbad?”
The beast-man answered with a shrug.
“B-because that’s where I live…?”
…What?
At first, he thought he was joking, but he wasn’t.
“Do you know why most challengers can’t get back to the real world?”
“Yes, it’s because it’s hard to survive in a fragile body…”
“So you know. Yes, and I am also a challenger who was unable to return due to similar reasons. I don’t want to admit it, but…that’s why I chose to flee to Earth.”
“You ran away? Is that possible?”
“It’s possible. Doesn’t the 5th-floor Achievement Store sell anything and everything?”
Only then did Yoon-seok understand the whole situation. There wasn’t a hint of a lie that he was born in Seheranbad but was currently living on Earth.
*Dimensional Registration – One of the dimensions of Seheranbad, Kilian, Moorim, or Earth will be registered additionally. You can choose the destination when you use a return ticket. Price: 500 LP
Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Why didn’t he consider what other challengers might think as soon as they saw this item? Earth was different from other dimensions. Instead of losing power and returning as a weakling, there was no danger because their ability alone made them superhuman on Earth. All while the high civilization improved their quality of life.
Would there be a place this attractive for a duel challenger who was sick of repeated duels? Realizing his lack of insight, Yoon-seok asked the beast-man.
“…Then how long did you stay on Earth?”
“Half a year. Every day on Earth was happiness itself, but it was too risky for me to invest more AP.”
“If you’ve been there for half a year, have you met other challengers like yourself?”
“Of course, do we just meet each other? We even have a group chat for those who fled to Earth. We’re extremely close.”
It seemed like there were more challengers at other levels who had settled on Earth than he’d expected. That raised a new question for Yoon-seok. If they didn’t commit crimes, they would have to work and earn money to make ends meet on Earth. So how were they able to live half a year without being exposed to the public?
The answer was simple. They received help from the government.
“In most countries, challengers are considered invaluable resources. Thanks to that, we were being accepted with great hospitality under high secrecy. It was enough to go out and catch monsters for them once in a while.”
In his previous trip to Earth, Yoon-seok had met with a group of people connected to challengers. They seemed to be aware of challengers who came from other dimensions and managed them well long before Yoon-seok was brought to the Tower.
“By the way…I’ve been wondering for a while. Can I ask you one question?”
There were many people around him, and maybe Yoon-seok wasn’t as dangerous as he thought? The beast-man asked cautiously. Grateful that he answered all his one-sided questions, Yoon-seok nodded his head gladly.
“Are you from Earth?”
Contemplating for a moment, Yoon-seok said yes to his question. There was no reason for him to lie anyway. He wouldn’t have asked this question in the first place if he hadn’t gained confirmation from the previous conversation. But…
“…!”
The beast-man’s jaw dropped and stayed like that as if he forgot how to close it.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so surprised that I let you see that”
He apologized after regaining his composure, probably thinking that it was impolite to do that in front of other people. Yoon-seok was pleased with the apology, but he wondered why he was so surprised.
“I hate to say this in front of you, but challengers from Earth are too weak. It might be better in other trials, but in duels, there were only a handful of Earth challengers who ascended to the fifth floor.”
The beast-man said he was considered a top-ranked challenger on Earth. He also added that all top-ranked challengers were from other dimensions. But Yoon-seok was different; he was too powerful. To the point where he thought if he was to return to Earth now, what kind of opponent would he be if all the top-ranked challengers fought him at the same time.
“Plus, it could be because of the initial environment. Most people from Earth are very, very vulnerable. On the other hand, you…”
The beast-man didn’t finish the thought and gave him a wink. Yoon-seok didn’t ask what it meant. Even if he didn’t, he knew how his actions in the Great Battle might have reflected to the beast-man.
“Come to think of it, it’s fate that we’ve met like this, but we haven’t even exchanged names yet. It’s Tehran Fahur. The family name is first. It doesn’t matter, so call me whichever you like.”
He introduced himself, but Yoon-seok hesitated. It would have been easier if they were from different dimensions, but it was difficult to reveal his name to the beast-man who had connections on Earth. As if he could sense the atmosphere, Fahur laughed loudly and resolved the atmosphere before it could grow awkward.
“Haha, you don’t have to give me your name. Instead, I’ll call you ‘Masked Man’ from now on.”
In the end, there was a compromise. It was time for them to separate anyway. As he wondered the point of all of it, Fahur brought up a new proposal.
“It’s amazing to meet a fellow countryman in a place like this. Would you want to move somewhere else with me?”
Countryman? He wanted to correct him that his hometown is Seheranbad, not Earth…
Yoon-seok decided not to do so. He just nodded and agreed to his proposal. There was no reason to hold on to him and ask questions here. He was about to take this opportunity to delve into the situation on Earth. It hurt his pride as a native of Earth, but it seemed that Fahur knew more than he did.
“Why don’t you exchange money first and have some sweets? I’m stressed out, and my sugar level is low. Oh, it’s not like I’m stressed out because of you!”
Yoon-seok grinned at Fahur’s ambiguous reactions. He seemed to know his way around the plaza, too.
“Oh, come to think of it, I was inconsiderate. Do you happen to know what the currency exchange is?”
“I heard it in the plaza on the sixth floor. You can change your points to buy daily necessities or build a building….”
“Sixth-floor square? Did you go there?”
Should he just tell him that he just returned from there? He even staged a massacre to prevent the seeds of evil from growing again.
“I heard that if a duel challenger goes there, you won’t see good things…”
“Things will be fine there in the future.”
Fahur, who tilted his head for a moment at Yoon-seok’s answer, soon shut his mouth. He didn’t bring it up again. He seemed to have realized the meaning of Yoon-seok’s words.
“…”
The two of them walked down the street in awkward silence. Meanwhile, Yoon-seok scanned the area and took in the scene of the seventh-floor plaza. It was different from the sixth floor, which was filled with several empty buildings around the plaza. People were moving within the buildings, and challengers walked on the streets just a stone’s throw away.
Yoon-seok looked at their heads carefully. No matter how peaceful the place was, he would occasionally see a judgment mark. However, Yoon-seok didn’t pull out his sword immediately. Suddenly, he thought of something he hadn’t before.
Was the judgment mark definite? Just as people were born with different personalities, there must have been some who were born like that in nature. Of course, that didn’t mean their committed sins could be forgiven. But nature was nature. What if one had suppressed their true self and lived normally? What if one has never bullied anyone and had never realized their true self?
“…”
Yoon-seok decided to put it on hold for now. It wouldn’t be too late to judge them after learning more about the plaza.
After a decent walk, Yoon-seok and Fahur arrived in front of a dilapidated building.
“This is the currency exchange office. You can convert the points collected in each trial into currency. There’s a rumor that the employee is an admin, but I don’t know if it’s true.”
When he opened the currency exchange store’s door and went inside, he was welcomed by a neat interior, unlike the shabby exterior. To his surprise, the place was several times wider than the outside. There were quite a few people, so Yoon-seok took a ticket and waited. The wait didn’t last long, as it seemed Yoon-seok’s turn came instantly.
“Exchange 5,000 AP only, please.”
“Yes, I, see…?”
The employee, who was moving her hand quickly at Fahur’s words, was startled. It was also the same for Yoon-seok. Yoon-seok and the staff member froze and looked at each other. She came to their senses quickly and pulled up her hood to cover her face.
But it didn’t work. She covered her face anyway. Yoon-seok didn’t even know the face inside the hoodie in the first place. He once again looked closely at the staff of the currency exchange office, confirming it.
“…”
A hoodie down to the bottom of her nose. The bright color caught flowing through the hood. A unique body line belonging to a woman was visible even though it was a loose robe. No, there couldn’t have been another fancy robe embroidered with red, white, and gold thread.
“…Elle? Why are you here?”
“I’m not Elle…?”
The staff at the currency exchange station was Elle. Yoon-seok was utterly speechless.
He couldn’t believe the extra work she’d mentioned previously was something like this…
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