Chapter 23. The Chamber of the Abandoned
Darkness swallowed his body.
For a moment, Do-yoon could not breathe.
The floor disappeared.
The walls vanished.
He could no longer sense Liana.
Even Luna's hand slipped away.
Everything drifted into the distance.
A low voice echoed beside his ear.
Do you desire it?
Do-yoon clenched his teeth.
That question again.
It was the same voice he had heard when he first crossed the Dimensional Gate.
The Tree of Desire.
Or perhaps something even deeper than that.
Do you desire it?
Do-yoon closed his eyes and answered.
I do.
What do you desire?
Money.
Is that all?
Power.
Is that all?
A home.
Is that all?
Companions.
Is that all?
Do-yoon paused.
Companions.
For some reason, the word felt unfamiliar.
Until now, Do-yoon had divided people into two groups.
Those who bullied him.
And those who ignored him.
But things were different now.
Liana.
Luna.
Han Myeong-jae.
Ariel.
Some wanted to use him. Others watched him, while some remained suspicious of him.
But at the very least, Do-yoon was no longer alone.
For some reason, that realization felt strangely heavy.
The voice asked again.
Can you climb while bringing the abandoned with you?
Do-yoon opened his eyes.
"I'll climb."
At that moment, the floor returned.
Thud!
Do-yoon landed on the cold stone floor, dropping to his knees.
The air rushed out of his lungs.
"Ugh..."
A small scream came from beside him.
"Eek!"
Do-yoon immediately turned his head.
Luna was sitting on the floor.
Fortunately, she did not appear to be injured.
Do-yoon extended his hand.
"Are you okay?"
Luna took his hand with trembling fingers.
"Yes... I'm fine."
Liana landed a short distance away.
As expected of a Silver Badge mercenary, she maintained her balance perfectly.
She immediately drew her sword.
"Check your surroundings."
Do-yoon drew his dagger as well.
Luna stood between them, gripping the straps of her bag tightly.
The three had arrived in a room.
It was spacious.
Far too spacious.
The ceiling was so high that they could not see it, and the walls were made of black stone.
Ancient writing was engraved across the stone walls.
Do-yoon could read it.
[Floor 1: The Chamber of the Abandoned]
Broken jars, old swords, shattered shields, and rotten pieces of cloth were scattered across the center of the room.
It looked as though someone had dumped the remains of countless failures here.
Even the smell was strange.
Dust.
Mold.
Rusted iron.
And a lingering dampness that somehow reminded him of old tears.
Luna spoke quietly.
"This place... feels sad."
Do-yoon looked at her.
"Can you feel it?"
Luna nodded.
"Beastfolk are sensitive to smells and energy. This place... smells like something that's been abandoned for a very long time."
Liana spoke in a low voice.
"That's not a bad way to describe it. This is a living dungeon."
"Living?"
"The tower tests people. It doesn't just throw monsters at you."
That was when it happened.
The writing engraved on the walls began glowing red.
[Entrants Confirmed]
[Kim Do-yoon: Chosen One of Pride]
[Liana: Silver Badge Mercenary]
[Luna: First Companion Candidate]
Luna stepped back in surprise.
"M-me too?"
Do-yoon narrowed his eyes.
Companion candidate.
Did that mean she was not yet a proper companion?
Another message appeared.
[Floor 1 Trial]
[Do Not Abandon the Abandoned.]
[Time Limit: 1 Hour]
[Reward: 10 Low-Grade Mana Stones]
[Special Reward: Companion Contract Engraving]
Liana frowned.
"A special reward?"
Do-yoon looked at Luna's bracelet.
The Slave Contract bracelet.
A binding contract that could not be broken.
A shackle she could not remove unless her master died or declared her free.
The bracelet was trembling faintly.
Luna covered her wrist.
She appeared to be in pain.
Do-yoon asked,
"Does it hurt?"
"It's... a little hot."
Do-yoon clenched his teeth.
This tower was not an ordinary dungeon.
It was watching how he treated Luna.
Then a sound came from the far end of the room.
Clatter.
Clatter.
It was the sound of bones striking one another.
Liana stepped forward.
"Something's coming."
A figure emerged from the darkness.
A person.
No.
Something that had once been a person.
Rotten pieces of cloth hung from its dried bones.
It held a rusted dagger.
Blue flames burned inside its empty eye sockets.
And it was not alone.
Two.
Three.
Five.
Ten.
The skeletons slowly approached.
Luna swallowed nervously.
Do-yoon adjusted his grip on his dagger.
[The Body of Pride prepares for combat.]
His body grew hot.
His vision sharpened.
This was different from when he had first entered the sewers.
Back then, fear had overwhelmed him before anything else.
He was still afraid now.
But his hands were no longer trembling.
Liana spoke.
"There's no point aiming for a skeleton's neck. Break its joints."
"Got it."
"Luna, stay back."
Luna nodded, but she could not move.
Her legs had frozen.
The first skeleton charged.
It was slow.
But its movements were unnatural.
It moved as though it would never stop, even if its body were shattered.
Do-yoon stepped aside and thrust his dagger forward.
The blade struck the skeleton's elbow joint.
Clang!
The impact felt like metal striking stone.
The arm bone broke away.
But the skeleton did not stop.
It tried to grab Do-yoon with its remaining arm.
Do-yoon kicked its knee.
Crack!
Its leg bone snapped.
The skeleton collapsed.
Do-yoon stepped on its skull and crushed it.
CRASH!
The blue flame went out.
[Low-Grade Undead Defeated]
At that moment, the second skeleton attacked.
Liana's sword flashed.
Two skeletons collapsed simultaneously.
As expected, Liana was strong.
Watching her, a thought suddenly entered Do-yoon's mind.
Will I ever become that strong?
No.
Will I ever surpass her?
[Pride smiles.]
Do-yoon shook his head.
He needed to concentrate.
That was when it happened.
One of the skeletons headed toward Luna.
Luna stumbled backward.
"Ah..."
She was still gripping her bag tightly.
Do-yoon shouted,
"Luna! Get back!"
But there was a wall behind her.
The skeleton raised its rusted sword.
Do-yoon ran.
But he was a little too far away.
Liana was also being held back by another skeleton.
Luna squeezed her eyes shut.
At that moment, the bracelet around her wrist began glowing blue.
Her ears stood upright.
She opened her eyes.
Then, without even realizing what she was doing, she ducked.
The rusted blade swept just above her hair.
Luna grabbed a piece of broken shield lying on the floor.
"Aaaah!"
She screamed and swung the shield fragment.
It struck the skeleton's knee.
The bone snapped.
The skeleton collapsed.
Do-yoon reached her at that moment.
He reversed his grip on the dagger and smashed it down onto the skeleton's skull.
CRASH!
The blue flame went out.
Do-yoon immediately turned toward Luna.
"Are you hurt?"
Luna looked down at her hands with a blank expression.
"I..."
"Yeah?"
"I dodged it."
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
A body that had spent its entire life being beaten.
A body that had never been able to escape.
A body that had never moved without an order.
For the first time, that body had escaped death.
Do-yoon answered simply.
"Good job."
Luna's eyes trembled.
Good job.
Those two words were enough to make her face tremble as though she were about to break down.
But she did not cry.
Instead, she gripped the broken shield even more tightly.
"I'll... stay behind you."
"Good. But keep your eyes open."
"Yes."
Liana cut down the final skeleton.
The room fell silent again.
Fragments of bone were scattered across the floor.
Do-yoon caught his breath.
The battle was over.
But the trial was not.
[Time Remaining: 42 Minutes]
[Do Not Abandon the Abandoned.]
Do-yoon stared at the message.
"Is the abandoned person supposed to be Luna?"
Liana shook the dust from her sword.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Luna looked toward the center of the room.
"Over there..."
Do-yoon and Liana turned.
In the middle of the room, among the broken jars and old weapons, stood a small iron cage.
They had not noticed it earlier because it had been hidden in the darkness.
Something was curled up inside.
Do-yoon slowly approached.
A young beastfolk child was inside the cage.
A very small cat beastfolk.
Black ears and a black tail.
Its body was becoming faint and transparent.
It did not seem to have a physical form.
Liana spoke quietly.
"A remnant."
"A remnant?"
"A memory left behind in the tower. The lingering trace of someone who's already dead."
Luna spoke in a trembling voice.
"It's a child..."
The cat beastfolk inside the cage raised its head.
Its eyes were empty.
The child spoke.
"No one bought me."
Its voice was as faint as dust.
"Nobody took me with them."
Do-yoon pressed his lips together.
"I was slow."
The child continued.
"I couldn't hear very well."
"I couldn't run properly."
"Everyone who came looking for a slave laughed at me."
Luna's face turned pale.
It was almost as though she were listening to her own story.
The cat beastfolk extended a hand through the bars.
"So I was abandoned here."
