Chapter 255: Episode 255

A gray hell where dust and ash drifted down like snow.

Seven adventurers walked toward a massive gate, their footprints marking the final stretch of this desolate land.

Drip. Drip.

An old woman, soaked to the skin, ran her wrinkled palms over the gate, her hands tracing and interpreting the characters carved into its surface.

“This is the right door,” she said, turning back to the others. “This is the final destination.”

The man whose torso was split in half let out a cheer.

The woman whose skin was overgrown with grass threw both arms into the air.

A chubby baby grinned and chewed on a piece of meat.

The man without a neck clacked the teeth of the head he held in his hands.

“It’s been a long journey. You all did well.”

Amid the cheers, a man in a worn, weathered brown cloak stepped forward. He ran his hands over the gate, just as the old woman had, and spoke with a voice full of certainty.

“Let’s go.”

He grabbed the gate with both arms and heaved it open. His companions followed him inside.

The space that spread out before them was the interior of a castle. The man glanced around and scratched his brow, a strange look on his face.

“I think I get what this is.”

The ceiling shook as stones rained down. The tremors grew more violent, filling the air with a dangerous tension. Everyone looked around anxiously.

The castle gate slammed shut on its own. The man without a neck hurried over and pounded on it, but it wouldn’t budge.

The shaking reached its peak, and then the ceiling collapsed, crashing down on them.

<Aiolos>

The robed man whirled his arms like a windmill. A net of wind spread out, deflecting the falling debris so that it crashed harmlessly to the side.

“Everyone okay?”

“Yeah! Thanks!”

Where the ceiling had caved in, a star-studded violet night sky appeared. The walls that had held the castle together crumbled along with the ceiling, leaving only bare steel beams behind.

Perched on the skeletal frame, a creature descended from the night sky. It had the body of a giant eagle and the face of a human. From its wings, which were larger than its body, a green magical light shimmered and surged.

The monster shrieked.

The companions clapped their hands over their ears in terror, but the man in the brown robe smiled, ready to face the fear head-on.

He pushed back his hood. Long black hair spilled down, and smoke curled from one of his eyes, which glowed a bright blue.

In another world, he was honored as the hero who had saved it.

He was none other than the Tower Master, Kim Yusin.

“Bring it on.”

The eagle beat its wings and took to the air, circling slowly overhead as if locking onto Yusin and his companions. Terrified, the man without a neck bolted out of the castle.

“Ah! Cold!”

The instant his feet hit the ground outside, the vast plain vanished, replaced by a deep blue sea. The castle itself began to rock as if it were a ship on the water.

“Don’t be impulsive, Frost. The more you move around, the worse it gets for us.”

The man without a neck clung to a pillar, shaking like a leaf.

The winged monster spread its wings wide in the sky. Countless feathers bristled, ready to launch.

Haah…

Yusin’s eyes grew calm as magic stirred and flowed from his body.

Cheir.

Soma.

Ops.

Cardia.

The magic transformed into four spinning metal plates in midair.

“Let’s go, my seventh-order spells.”

Yusin raised both arms.

The four metal plates flared with light, scattered, and were then absorbed into his body. A moment later, a brilliant pair of wings unfurled from his back.

The monster swept its wings, firing its feathers, and Yusin answered by launching feathers from his own. The feather-like bolts became streaks of light, colliding in midair with a series of deafening explosions.

“You finally completed it!”

“You can do it!”

His companions shouted their support. A few of them even moved to assist him directly.

When the woman with grass growing from her skin summoned her magic, vines burst from the floor and coiled around the eagle.

When the chubby baby opened its mouth wide, faces identical to its own sprouted all over the eagle’s body and began tearing into its flesh.

When the man with the split torso pulled a heart from his mouth and crushed it, a blood-red cross slammed into the eagle’s chest.

The eagle screamed. Its firepower began to fall behind, and soon Yusin’s feathers were piercing its body.

Yusin thrust out his right arm and clenched his fist. All the feathers transformed into a massive inferno, engulfing the beast. The burning monster turned to ash, plummeted from the sky, and crashed into the sea.

“We did it!”

“Wooooooo!”

His companions erupted in cheers. Yusin let out a breath of relief and lowered his arm.

[Congratulations! You have cleared the Trial.]

[The 7th Floor of the Tower, “Arcane Workshop,” is now unlocked.]

[You have acquired some traits of an “Arcane Engineer.”]

Yusin turned back with a delighted smile. The faceless woman stood with her arms open.

“You worked so hard, Yusin.”

“Mom!”

Yusin ran into her arms.

“I’m so proud of you, my son.”

“Thank you, Mom. I only made it this far because of you.”

The faceless woman patted his back while his companions applauded behind them.

But Yusin knew. He knew the moment of farewell was drawing near.

“What will you do when you go back to your world?”

At her question, Yusin answered without hesitation. “I’m going to wipe out the demons and the catastrophes that killed you. I’ll put an end to every injustice in this world with my own hands.”

“I see. I understand.”

Her body began to turn white and scatter into the air. She had no face, but in Yusin’s eyes, she was smiling.

“I’ll be cheering for you until the very end, my son.”

Her body vanished completely. His companions disappeared as well. Before he knew it, Yusin was back in the same blank white space where he had first arrived.

Applause rang out.

He turned toward the sound and saw the white-haired being who had guided him, clapping their hands.

“Congratulations on clearing the trial, Kim Yusin.”

“Thanks.” Yusin closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “So it’s all over now?”

“Yep. You cleared the combined mental world of the Requiem’s consciousness retrieval and the 7th Floor Trial in 7,512 attempts! Impressive.”

“…You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

The only reason Yusin had been able to roam freely through his mental world was thanks to the Requiem spell. The target of the spell embarks on a journey to find themselves, confronting the fear, sorrow, and rage they have created.

But that was where he had interfered. Right before Yusin entered the mental world, he had asked:

—“You really should learn the seventh-order before you go, don’t you think?”

Since Yusin was going to be active in his mental world anyway, he suggested that Yusin clear the “7th Floor Trial” at the same time. When Yusin first heard the proposal, he had been baffled.

—“You can do both at once?”

—“Sure! The 7th Floor Trial is also about entering your inner world, so the stage overlaps. Since I’m the one who created the 7th Floor Trial, it’s easy for me to recreate it. What do you say?”

Yusin had been curious about this being for a long time. In truth, he was the very person who had created the Tower—this Noah’s ark—to stand against the catastrophes.

That was right. This being was the “First Tower Master.”

With the First Tower Master’s help, Yusin had not only regained his consciousness but had even mastered the seventh-order.

“Anyway,” Yusin said, looking at the First. “Having Sky Castle Lord Albert as the final boss is a little cliché, don’t you think?”

“That was a product of your own subconscious, too.” The First shrugged. “You must feel the greatest threat from the Sky Castle Lord who killed you, right?”

“He didn’t kill me. I just ran out of strength.”

“Same difference.”

The two of them burst out laughing.

“So this is goodbye.”

“Yeah.”

“The duration of the spell I cast on you is up, too. I won’t be able to appear before you ever again.”

“Got it.” Yusin met his eyes and spoke from the heart. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Oh, but… how much time has passed out there?”

The First held up five fingers.

“Five years.”

“Son of a— Nemesis hasn’t shown up yet, has it?” Yusin asked anxiously.

The being snickered. “There’s still some time left before Nemesis arrives. You can find out the details once you’re back.”

“Tch, fine.”

No sooner had he answered than his body began to blur.

“Mm! Looks like the Requiem’s effect is kicking in properly.” The First smiled in satisfaction. “Hurry back. Everyone out there is probably missing you like crazy.”

“Are they? After five years, I figured their memories of me would be pretty fuzzy.”

“Heh, you’re destined to be someone people can never forget.” Arms folded, the First paused, then snapped his index finger up. “Since it’d be pretty reckless to send you back after five years with zero information, I’ll give you one hint.”

“A hint?”

“Yeah. Technically, this is breaking the rules, but this much should be fine.” The First’s expression turned unusually serious. “Someone you know has become a demon.”

He froze.

The moment he heard those words, Yusin’s thoughts ground to a halt. It felt like someone had smashed him in the head with a hammer.

“What are you talking about?!” he lunged forward and grabbed the being, shaking them. “A demon? They became a demon? Is it really someone I know?”

“Yes.”

Even in his confusion, there were a thousand questions he wanted to ask. But Yusin only asked one.

“…Why? What was the cause?”

“Your death.”

Yusin’s face twisted in agony. So it had come to that. The biggest reason humans fell and became demons was psychological trauma.

“Once you’re back, your top priority will be tracking down that demon. It looks like they still haven’t been exposed.”

“…Alright.” There was no point in blaming the First. He had only told Yusin the truth. “Thanks for telling me.”

He meant it. If he had returned to reality without knowing this, it could have been disastrous.

“There’s still some time before that demon makes a move, so don’t rush things. Everything depends on what you do now.”

Yusin’s body grew more and more transparent. The First beamed at him.

“And now, the opening act of Kim Yusin’s second life! Go have some fun with it!”

A moment later, Yusin’s body vanished completely from the mental world.

* * *

I lay there in silence.

The moment I opened my eyes, fresh sunlight poured down on me.

’Have I really come back?’

I slowly pushed myself upright. In the mental world, I had felt like I was constantly floating. The solid weight of my body was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time. I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, then slowly looked around.

“Ah…”

A sigh of wonder slipped out. The scenery I had missed so desperately spread out before me.

This was the fountain plaza in front of Seoul City Hall.

Kids ran freely across the grass. A young couple kissed on a bench. A salaryman, suit jacket slung over his shoulder, sprinted by while talking on his phone. When I turned my gaze downtown, I saw the familiar storefront signs of Seoul.

Cars honked as they passed, people with wireless earbuds crossed at the crosswalk, and even the city’s signature gritty fine dust hung in the air. Everything about this scene screamed Seoul.

That was right. I was back.

The realization was so overwhelming it almost brought tears to my eyes.

’He said it had been five years, right?’

First, I checked my clothes: plain jeans and a hoodie. Wondering if there was anything else, I dug through my pockets and found my now-outdated phone, a few crumpled bills, and the subspace pouch I had used back in my hunter days. Inside was just one thing: a necklace imbued with Anton’s relic, the “Water Veil” spell.

’How thoughtful of him.’

Normally, I should have woken up in a hospital or the Tower, but it seemed the First had gone out of his way to sneak me out. From my perspective, it was a fantastic starting point. If I had opened my eyes surrounded by people, I would have had a lot of explaining to do.

’So, what do I do first?’

In the mental world, I had endured grueling trials with only one thought in mind: getting back. Now that I was actually here, I felt a little lost. Still, I had at least one clear objective.

’…He said someone I know has become a demon.’

No one in this world knew I had come back to life. If I wanted to figure out which of my comrades had turned, this was the perfect opportunity. If I hid my identity and approached them, probed their thoughts a bit, I might be able to pick up a useful lead.

’And…’

I spread my arms wide, soaking in the sunlight.

Looking back, my life as Tower Master had been so busy I barely had time to breathe. Before I went back to that grind, I wanted to enjoy this freedom a little longer.

I headed toward the place I had wanted to visit most.

* * *

“Ughhh…”

My first stop was a jjimjilbang, a Korean bathhouse. After sweating it out in the blazing hot sauna, I felt pleasantly drowsy, like my whole body was melting.

’God, I really wanted to come here.’

For all that five years had passed, the world wasn’t drastically different. At the very least, jjimjilbangs still existed, which was reassuring. I stepped out of the sauna and headed straight for the snack bar. All the foods I had craved so badly were lined up before me.

“One instant yukgaejang cup ramen, some baked eggs, a sweet potato, and a sikhye.”

I loaded my tray to the brim and grabbed a seat with a good view of the TV. First, I peeled back the foil on the sweet potato.

“Hot, hot…”

After a few failed attempts to peel it, I split it in half instead. Steam billowed out, revealing the golden, mouthwatering flesh inside. I lifted it and took a big bite.

“Ohhh…!”

It was scorching, but the dense sweetness slammed into my brain. I was happy. So happy it made my eyes sting.

I grabbed the big bottle of sikhye next to me and sucked it down through the straw. The icy sweetness of the slushy rice drink cooled my scorched palate. I set it down and bit into one of the baked eggs, its shell a rich brown. The nutty flavor filled my mouth so completely it made me shudder. The moist, chewy yolk was exquisite.

I put the egg down, tore the lid off the cup ramen, gave the perfectly cooked noodles a quick stir with my wooden chopsticks, and shoveled them into my mouth.

What more needed to be said? It was the taste of heaven.

“Mom, that man’s crying.”

“Shh.”

Ahem, ahem.

I wasn’t embarrassed. It was my first real Korean meal in what felt like thirty years. Who wouldn’t react this way? No one could stop me. I endured the pain of my burning palate and gulped down the broth.

’Ah, this is it. This is what it means to be alive.’

[And now, our next story!]

An old man lay sprawled out, hogging the remote and watching the news. Kids who wanted to watch variety shows hovered nearby, but none of them dared approach the old-timer radiating such overwhelming “I own this place” energy.

[Minister of Magic Cha Doyeon has announced a new policy for training mages.]

I chuckled and swallowed the last of my baked egg.

’Look at you go, Doyeon.’

Cha Doyeon, dressed in a sharp suit with her hair tied back, was fielding questions from reporters. She was a completely different person from her days on the Fourth Floor Team. I picked up my giant sikhye again to cool my still-burning mouth. As the reporters fired questions, she narrowed her eyes and answered crisply.

[Of course. I solemnly urge Tower Master Na Daeyong to stop his reckless behavior and comply with the Association’s directives.]

“Pffft!”

I choked on my sikhye, spraying it everywhere.

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