「Please proceed to the waiting room on the 7th floor.」
After returning to the waiting room, Yoon-seok immediately headed to the seventh-floor plaza. Then he headed to the currency exchange shop to find Elle. Since she was always watching him, did that mean she could watch over him on Earth?
Elle noticed Yoon-seok and welcomed him with a smile.
“You went back to Earth. Did you have a good rest?”
“…Yes.”
He only went because he had something to do, not for a holiday. It was nothing to brag about, and it was already over, so he didn’t have to worry about it any further. Instead of dragging the conversation out, Yoon-seok brought up the crux of the matter.
“I’m curious if there’s a faster way to earn WP.”
The Heart of Liberty that could eliminate the side effects of {Bloodseeker’s Energy} cost 900,000 WP. Since Elle had said, it required about half a year to earn 1.5 million WP. Apart from reaching the tenth floor, it would take two months to gather enough WP. Yoon-seok wondered if there was a way to shorten the period.
“I, I can’t handle more work…I’m not making excuses because I’m having a hard time!”
Elle replied while trembling. She did say she couldn’t handle it, but it looked like she’d listen if he pushed harder. Of course, even after seeing her like this…no, even before seeing her like this, he’d never thought about it…
“No, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do. I didn’t mean to burden you.”
It was only then that Elle sighed with relief. Then she glanced over Yoon-seok with amusement.
“You wouldn’t have said that yesterday. Did something happen on Earth?”
“…”
Yoon-seok replied with silence, and Elle didn’t ask for more details. She just answered Yoon-seok’s first question.
“…If you’d asked me this yesterday, I would’ve said no, but unfortunately, there is a way.”
“What is it?”
Elle opened her mouth reluctantly, perhaps because she didn’t recommend it.
“You earn WP from listening and granting other admins’ desires, but it’s a request rather than a contract.”
Was he feeling a late sense of estrangement? Elle continued as if she felt uncomfortable.
“But it’s really strange. It was just a moment ago that an offer was received. Did that woman say something to you first?”
Elle’s voice was full of unpleasantness. Should he say it was like she was interrogating a cheating husband? He didn’t know why, but his tone became naturally defensive. Feeling like something bad would happen if the matter were confirmed, Yoon-seok replied hastily while feeling some unknown anxiety.
“No, I swear I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Hm…is that so? Is that a coincidence?”
Elle murmured, looking at Yoon-seok with a piercing gaze. He didn’t lie, but he felt guilty somehow, so he quickly moved to the next topic.
“…So what should I do?”
“There’s nothing you can do right now. You can only hear her wish when you reach the 8th floor.”
Eighth floor…
It wasn’t that far into the future. He just needed to win the next duel. Yoon-seok asked for further details, and Elle explained it slowly.
“Her wish is to clear the eighth-floor mission on the ‘only’ level of difficulty.”
“Mission?”
A mission, not a duel. In other words, to fulfill the admin’s wish who requested Yoon-seok, 500LP must be given at the achievement store, and a “Mission Order” must be used.
“It’s common sense that a mission is easier than a duel, but the Only Difficulty is different. She’s signed a lot of contractors, but no one has fulfilled her wishes yet. Do you get the gist?”
Elle went on to say that if he failed, he would lose LP.
“LP becomes increasingly difficult to acquire, so choose carefully. It may take some time, but the WP will accumulate someday…”
Eventually, Elle said the choice was up to him, but he felt in her voice that she wanted him to say no. Yoon-seok had no choice but to disappoint her.
“I can take the risk. Could you tell her that I’ll do it?”
Every ounce of hesitation about killing evil with {Bloodseeker’s Energy} had disappeared. He didn’t think he was righteous. He just couldn’t stand and watch. Why should he put up with it when they do whatever they please with their powers? When he had the power to punish them all?
On the other hand, he felt out of place seeing himself naturally practicing such a mindset. He couldn’t put his finger to it, but it felt like he was slowly losing a part of himself. He wanted to shake off this suspicion as soon as possible. Elle barely answered after a long pause.
“If that’s what you want…okay, when you arrive on the eighth floor, rip the mission statement, and choose the Only Difficulty. Things will automatically proceed from there.”
“…Thank you.”
While he bowed, Elle gave Yoon-seok her last warning.
“As I said before, watch out for this battle. Whoever it is, there will be someone you can’t look down on.”
“Elle, I wouldn’t lose to anyone unless you were the opponent.”
Yoon-seok replied with a smile to liven the mood. On the other hand, he was rather nervous, contrary to his projected confidence. He had no choice but to. Even though it was a life-long challenge to climb up the Tower…the opponents of the seventh floor were admins who had reached the final floor of the Tower.
“Well…I’ll see you on the tenth floor.”
“Yes, I hope I can meet you there.”
If he ascended, he would never be able to return to the seventh-floor plaza. Knowing that, Elle and Yoon-seok said their goodbyes and separated. After returning to the waiting room, Yoon-seok meditated once there to calm himself down before the duel.
He knew whoever the opponent was; it wouldn’t be easy. But he never intended to allow himself to be stuck here like everyone else just because he was afraid.
「You are matched with a dueling opponent.」
「Please get ready. The duel will begin soon.」
That’s how he arrived at the arena. It wasn’t that long, but somehow he felt like he was coming back for the first time in years. Ironically, Yoon-seok found peace of mind at the arena, where the lines between life and death were divided.
At least, there was something he must do here: to knock down his opponent with all his might. It didn’t matter whether they were a villain or a hero. That proposition was the only law and justice in the arena. However, this meant that he didn’t have to worry about killing or saving others but only fighting with all his might.
As soon as the countdown started, Yoon-seok’s eyes were fixed on his opponent. In addition to inferring skills and combat methods through weapons, armor, and accessories, he didn’t miss checking the shape of their clothing and general atmosphere.
Everything was initialized here, so he always looked for things that he was familiar with. Soon after, Yoon-seok discovered where his opponent was from.
‘Is he from Moorim?’
Flowy wizard clothes, with two swords, crossed on his back in the shape of an X. In his early twenties, the man who faced Yoon-seok looked vaguely Asian and bore an atmosphere similar to the woman he met on the sixth floor. While thinking that the other person’s face seemed familiar, Yoon-seok recalled the characteristics of the challengers from different dimensions that someone had organized in the chat room.
Kilian mythical creatures tend to fight with their unique powers, and Seheranbad people often emphasize skills. For reference, Moorim challengers prioritized their stats and used techniques as the center of their skills.
A Moorim fighter specialized in techniques. Coincidentally, his weapon of choice was two swords like him. Yoon-seok was deeply curious. How did this man, presumed to be from Moorim, handle dual-wielding?
「START!」
The duel began, and the restraints disappeared.
Clang!
Standing in the stadium, both of them took out their swords without saying a word. Then they rushed toward each other as if it were agreed upon beforehand.
Whoosh!
The distance between them narrowed rapidly. Yoon-seok waited for the right time to invoke the characteristics of the counterattack skill. The moment he saw his opponent’s sword move first, he stretched out his sword to block it.
If the enemy’s attack could be prevented with certainty, attacking later was more advantageous than attacking first. Yoon-seok planned to fight back after shifting his posture to block his opponent’s attack. But the moment he was convinced he’d successfully strike down the sword, the incoming sword tip divided into two.
“…!”
Yoon-seok sensed big trouble and turned the sword around, but it was too late.
「User is protected from dangers unrecognized by the Spirit of Ancient Hunters.」
The phrase appeared as blue light emanated from Arch Hunter’s Hunting Gloves Yoon-seok was wearing. Only then did Yoon-seok realize the fact that his head was almost blown away.
“Backstep.”
Yoon-seok hurriedly regained his balance and increased the distance. His Adam’s apple throbbed, thinking about his mistake earlier. If the effect of the gloves hadn’t been triggered just in time, his throat would’ve been torn out.
Yoon-seok felt dizzy. Of course, even if he was stabbed in the throat, he could recover by using Bloodseeker’s Energy. According to gloves’ explanation, the protection decision was made when there was an unknown danger. In other words, that attack was that threatening to Yoon-seok.
‘Let’s not make assumptions. Nothing is certain yet.’
It was just a notification. It could have been triggered when a vital point, such as the heart or neck, was targeted. Yoon-seok tried to stay calm and focus. Then, his opponent smiled.
“It’s pretty good of you to block a blow from me.”
Unlike what he’d imagined, his voice and tone were young and slightly exaggerated. However, his eyes were arrogant, as if he had already confirmed that Yoon-seok was inferior to him.
“You should be happy! You deserve to know the name of the Prince!”
As soon as it had started, he thought he was similar to him given how he wielded his swords, but perhaps not. What the hell was this? A new kind of psychological attack?
While Yoon-seok was speechless, the narcissist man revealed his name.
“Chul Namgoong is my name, who will be the future head of Namgoong noble family and leader of the Great Moorim.”
He looked very happy in this current situation. But, when Yoon-seok stared casually without any reaction, he tilted his head and asked as if he was genuinely curious.
“Why aren’t you happy? You just got a chance to exchange a formal statement with me!”
Even if he’d said so, Yoon-seok didn’t even know what the Namgoong noble family and Moorim leader were. He only talked about the future but didn’t mention the present.
‘…He looks like he’s in his 20s, but is he younger?’
He probably shouldn’t say this about someone from another dimension, but it was like looking at a middle schooler. However, contrary to his frivolous attitude, he had incredible skills, so Yoon-seok didn’t let his guard down and raised his sword. Chul Namgoong clicked his tongue when he saw his reaction.
“Oh no, so you’re an unmannered gangster?”
Yoon-seok was speechless. Without asking, he offered his name then directly called him an unmannered gangster.
“Hiding your face with a mask, so you have been living guiltily? I, Chul Namgoong, will punish you here with the Firmament Sword!”
Yoon-seok was devastated to see him shouting after changing his stance. He didn’t even ask for his full name but seeing his change in demeanor had Yoon-seok feeling miserable. He wondered if that was how he looked in other people’s eyes.
Whoosh!
One of the two swords in Chul Namgoong’s hands rose into the air and began to move freely as if it was operated with an invisible wire. Yoon-seok felt a great sense of deja vu.
“…?”
Come to think of it. He’d seen a similar scene before. To be exact, it was when he was suddenly taken to the arena after breaking through the fifth floor and was pulled into the Wish Auction. Yoon-seok looked back at Chul Namgoong’s face, and he realized why he thought he looked familiar.
No white hair or a beard that was as long as a hermit’s. Two swords instead of seven. Even his outer appearance was decades younger. But with all the conditions aside, he was sure as soon as he looked at his stubborn features.
‘Oh, my God..’
If Yoon-seok’s guess was right…
Chul Namgoong was the younger version of Heavenly Warrior.
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