Chapter 32
That evening...
The Imperial capital was overflowing with festival energy.
People filled the streets, drinking and celebrating.
“Hahahaha! Look at this bastard! You actually know how to drink!”
“Haha! Old man, you’re not bad yourself! Drink another!”
“Hehehe! What a ridiculous bastard! Fine! Let’s drink until we die!”
Dolkin and Bong Taesu were already completely drunk.
Somehow...
A drinking competition had started.
The Constellations reacted immediately.
[What kind of event is this now? lol]
[Can they even drink all that?]
[Alcohol is beautiful. Wine would’ve been better, though.]
[Both of them look like alcoholics. I genuinely can’t tell who’ll win lol.]
[Agreed lol.]
[Doesn’t matter. That one is definitely losing first.]
Countless barrels were lined up across the table.
Bong Taesu.
Dolkin.
Kim Hyuna.
Those three were participating.
A crowd had gathered around them.
“Place your bets! Place your bets!”
“I’m putting twenty Coins on that huge young man!”
“You don’t understand drinking at all. Dwarves are famous for alcohol! Forty Coins on the dwarf!”
No one paid attention to Hyuna.
Everyone assumed either Taesu or Dolkin would win.
Yumi suddenly pulled out a large pouch.
“Five thousand Coins on Kim Hyuna.”
The organizer’s jaw dropped.
Yumi gave him a look.
He hurriedly put the money into the basket marked with Hyuna’s name.
Taesu looked at Hyuna.
“Little sister Hyuna, don’t push yourself too hard.”
He puffed out his chest.
“From here on, this is a battle between real men.”
Dolkin laughed.
“Hahaha! Fine! I accept your challenge!”
The bell rang.
All three lifted their barrels.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
“Gah! First barrel finished!”
Taesu grinned.
“I already finished mine.”
Hyuna calmly drank.
“Hmm. This still isn’t too bad.”
Time passed.
Dolkin reached the thirteenth barrel.
Then...
He completely lost consciousness.
Taesu tried to drink his fourteenth.
His head slowly fell forward.
Everyone stared toward the final person.
The announcer trembled.
“T-The winner is...!”
Hyuna looked confused.
“Oh? You’re already done?”
The announcer shouted,
“Kim! Hyun! A!”
Nineteen barrels.
An unbelievable record.
Everyone stared in shock.
Yumi smiled brightly.
She had won the entire betting pool.
“I told you to think before choosing where to place your bets.”
She grabbed Hyuna.
“Come on, Hyuna.”
Suhyeok watched from a distance.
Then suddenly...
Someone appeared behind him.
Olivia.
“......What are you doing?”
She froze.
Apparently...
She had tried to surprise him and failed.
Olivia was dressed in ordinary clothes like everyone else.
“Ahem.”
She looked away awkwardly.
“You didn’t even react.”
Then she asked,
“By the way...”
Her expression softened.
“You’re going to the upper floors tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Olivia watched the people enjoying the festival.
Then she smiled faintly.
“Lee Suhyeok.”
She turned toward him.
“Would you stay by my side?”
Suhyeok answered instantly.
“No.”
Olivia stared at him.
“I expected you to refuse.”
She sighed.
“But I didn’t think you’d answer without even thinking.”
She smiled teasingly.
“There isn’t even an unfair contract this time.”
Suhyeok ignored her.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
He looked toward the palace.
“Focus on preparing for tomorrow’s coronation.”
Olivia sighed.
“Haah. Still no effect.”
Then she smiled.
“I secretly slipped out.”
She tilted her head.
“So please save the scolding for later.”
After Fray, the cause of everything, died...
Everyone involved with him was quickly executed.
The Empress.
The Duke.
The noble faction was purged on a massive scale.
Suhyeok asked,
“What happened to the Emperor?”
Olivia’s expression became complicated.
“...They say he probably won’t wake up.”
She smiled bitterly.
“Honestly, maybe that’s better.”
Her eyes lowered.
“I’d been wishing for it deep down anyway.”
Then she continued,
“Because of that, Sir Agnes is extremely busy right now.”
Olivia took out a box.
Then she handed it to Suhyeok.
“This is what I promised you when we first met.”
Iron containing the power of the sun.
Suhyeok opened the box.
Brilliant light exploded outward.
The dark surroundings became bright instantly.
Then...
His sword sheath began twitching excitedly.
“......”
Crunch. Crunch.
A short while later...
Seong-a was eating greedily.
Olivia stared blankly.
The sword kept chewing without caring about her reaction.
Eventually...
It finished everything.
Olivia looked into the empty box.
Then she slowly turned toward Suhyeok.
“Um...”
She tried to sympathize.
“That is... rather surprising.”
Olivia gave an awkward smile.
“It’s not often you get to watch an Imperial Treasure being eaten in front of your eyes.”
Then she looked at Seong-a.
“And especially not by a sword that transforms like this...”
A message appeared.
[Ego Sword ‘Seong-a’ expresses deep satisfaction.]
[Ego Sword ‘Seong-a’s consciousness is beginning to awaken.]
[An immature ego has manifested.]
The sword moved.
Then...
Someone gently tugged Suhyeok’s clothes.
“......?”
A little girl with short black hair stood beside him.
The moment their eyes met...
She smiled brightly.
[Daddy!]
The next morning...
Suhyeok visited Dolkin’s workshop.
Dolkin was still slightly drunk from the previous night.
His eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Suhyeok and Seong-a.
Seong-a suddenly stretched out her hand.
“Hello, Beard Mister!”
Dolkin sighed deeply.
“Haah...”
He looked at Suhyeok.
“So now you suddenly have a kid too?”
“She’s Seong-a.”
“Yeah, I figured that was your daughter’s name...”
Dolkin froze.
“Wait.”
His eyes moved toward the sword at Suhyeok’s waist.
“What?”
He looked back at the girl.
“You’re saying that little kid is...”
His eyes widened.
“No.”
He pointed at her.
“You’re saying that’s the Ego Sword?”
Suhyeok replied calmly,
“...As you can see.”
Seong-a ran around the workshop, looking at everything with excitement.
She looked exactly like a normal child.
Suhyeok had never expected having an ego to mean this.
Dolkin stared.
“I... honestly don’t even know what to say anymore.”
He rubbed his face.
“Is something like this even possible?”
Then Seong-a jumped back beside Suhyeok.
She smiled brightly.
She pointed toward all the weapons hanging on the wall.
“Daddy!”
She sucked on her index finger.
“Can I eat all of those too? Hm?”
Dolkin immediately remembered what had happened with the Moonstone.
His face went pale.
“Nope.”
He grabbed Suhyeok and began shoving him toward the exit.
“You’re leaving.”
Dolkin panicked.
“You’re absolutely leaving before she bankrupts me!”
Later...
Suhyeok returned to the inn.
He sat down and organized his thoughts.
First...
While Seong-a was in spirit form, ordinary people could not see her.
She only became visible while materialized like now.
The problem is...
Seong-a walked toward him.
She spread both arms.
“Carry me, Daddy.”
Suhyeok stared.
“...Why do you call me Daddy?”
Seong-a tilted her head.
“Hmmm...”
Then she smiled.
“Because you’re my daddy?”
Her expression said it was obvious.
Just like the system message said...
Her ego was still immature.
Suhyeok wondered whether she would simply become additional baggage.
But Dolkin’s words remained in his mind.
What? Have you lost your mind? Do you even understand how valuable that thing is?
That’s why I’m asking. Is it really okay to leave her like this?
Haah. What kind of stupid question is that?
Dolkin had looked toward Seong-a.
For now, she’ll probably stay looking like a child.
He had smiled.
But there is one thing I can guarantee.
The more that girl’s ego grows, the stronger she’ll become.
Dolkin had laughed.
Strong enough to cut even those arrogant Constellations someday.
As a weapon...
Seong-a already had incredible value.
But that final statement made Suhyeok’s decision easy.
He would have to keep her with him.
Dolkin had laughed again.
Since you’re doing this anyway, try raising her properly.
It’ll give you parenting experience for later.
Suhyeok had stared at him.
I don’t want to hear parenting advice from someone who never even got married.
Dolkin exploded.
Y-You bastard! I chose not to marry!!
Meanwhile...
Leon stood nearby with his arms crossed.
[Hmph. I seriously hate kids, nya.]
He frowned.
[They’re always noisy and annoying.]
Leon’s ears twitched.
[She’s already too loud, nya. Ugh!]
Seong-a suddenly turned toward Leon.
Leon froze.
His eyes widened.
Can she see me?
Seong-a stared at him with sparkling eyes.
Then...
Her face lit up.
“KITTY!”
She lunged.
[NYAAAGH?!]
Leon screamed.
[Don’t touch me, nya! H-Hey?!]
Seong-a grabbed his tail.
[Don’t grab my tail, nya!! Please! G-Get her off me!!]
Seong-a hugged him tightly.
“Hehe! Kitty, play with me!”
Leon struggled desperately as she carried him to the sofa.
Suhyeok looked surprised.
Interesting.
She can touch Leon.
Even while Leon was hidden...
Seong-a could interact with him normally.
The same was true while she was in spirit form.
Leon reached toward Suhyeok with desperate eyes.
Sponsorship messages appeared.
[‘God of Wine and Ecstasy’ has sponsored 3,000 Coins.]
[‘Goddess of Wisdom and War’ has sponsored 2,500 Coins.]
[‘God of Love’ has sponsored 2,000 Coins.]
The chat exploded.
[Cute...]
[Watching him panic is hilarious lol.]
[You can feel the camera desperately resisting lol.]
[They kind of look alike too. Maybe because they both have black hair?]
[As expected of an Ego Sword... Extremely desirable.]
The Constellations reacted very positively.
Sponsorships continued.
Suhyeok quietly looked away from Leon’s desperate expression.
“Kitty, come here! Let’s play over there!”
[Y-You evil senile bastard...!! Ugh!]
Leon was dragged away.
Suhyeok opened his inventory.
He checked the reward he had received.
[Mythic - Necklace of Immortality (Bound)]
Description: A necklace containing the power of ‘God of Death Thanatos’.
Effect: Allows the wearer to return from death once.
However, all stats are reduced by 95% for 24 hours after revival.
The necklace breaks immediately upon activation.
Suhyeok stared.
He had never obtained anything like this even in his previous life.
There was a huge penalty.
But that did not matter.
The reward was worth it.
More importantly...
On the 20th Floor, he could solve the problem of limited uses.
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Suhyeok opened it slightly.
Taesu stood outside, scratching the back of his head like usual.
“Haha. Did you rest well, hyung?”
He smiled.
“We should head out now.”
Taesu pointed outside.
“Everyone will gather in the plaza soon.”
Then he glanced through the doorway.
“Hm?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Did someone come here first?”
He tried to peek inside.
“Why is everything such a mess...”
Suhyeok immediately shut the door.
Then he stepped outside.
Taesu blinked.
“W-Wait. Why did you close it so quickly?”
Suhyeok walked away.
“...Let’s go.”
Taesu hurried after him.
“I didn’t mean rush this much!”
He jogged.
“W-Wait for me!”
They arrived at the plaza.
All the Players were gathered around a portal made of blue crystal.
There were more than 1,300 people.
The moment Suhyeok appeared...
The crowd began whispering.
Taesu cleared his throat.
“Ahem.”
He looked uncomfortable.
“This is pretty overwhelming.”
Then he leaned toward Suhyeok.
“Is this what celebrity life feels like?”
Yumi looked at him.
“Old man, are you still drunk?”
She pointed at Suhyeok.
“They’re not staring at us. They’re staring at oppa.”
Then she smirked.
“You bragged so much about how well you could drink, but you couldn’t even beat Hyuna.”
Taesu flinched.
“W-Well, yesterday I was...”
He panicked.
“Ah!”
Taesu raised a finger.
“My condition wasn’t good.”
He cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Little sister Hyuna certainly drinks well, but next time I won’t go easy on you.”
Yumi grimaced.
“Ugh.”
She shook her head.
“That’s pathetic.”
Yumi looked at Hyuna.
“If you lose, you should learn to admit defeat.”
Hyuna smiled awkwardly.
“Haha. You don’t have to say it that harshly.”
Taesu looked at her emotionally.
“L-Little sister Hyuna...!”
Then...
The blue crystal began glowing.
Messages appeared before everyone.
[You will move to the 11th Floor shortly.]
[You may return to the 10th Floor at any time through the Central Warp.]
Flash!
Light swallowed everything.
The scenery changed instantly.
A black forest surrounded them.
Crows cried from the trees.
The atmosphere was gloomy and ominous.
No one else was nearby.
Apparently, everyone had been summoned to different locations.
Leon sat on Suhyeok’s shoulder.
He looked around with disgust.
[Ugh. This place is depressing no matter how many times I come, nya.]
Leon shuddered.
[And the monsters are all disgusting, nya.]
Suhyeok looked around.
“Finally.”
If the 10th Floor was closest to an idealized medieval world...
The floors leading to the 20th were different.
This was a much darker, more realistic medieval world.
Dark fantasy.
Suddenly...
Static filled the air.
[Bzzzt... Ah.]
A giant loudspeaker appeared in the sky.
A voice echoed across the entire region.
[Welcome to the 11th Floor.]
The speaker continued.
[As I mentioned before, I am Uji, Administrator of the 20th Floor.]
Then he spoke casually.
[I’ll skip the boring speech.]
Uji’s voice turned amused.
[Because of what happened recently...]
[I prepared a special event for all of you.]
Suhyeok narrowed his eyes.
[There is apparently an entertaining game in the human world.]
Uji laughed.
[It’s called ‘tag’.]
Then system messages appeared.
[The ‘strongest Player’ on the floor will become ‘It’.]
[1. Lee Suhyeok - It]
[Player ‘Lee Suhyeok’ receives 9 Flags.]
Uji continued.
[Every twelve hours, the location of ‘It’ will be publicly revealed.]
[Whoever defeats ‘It’ will receive twice the amount of Coins currently owned by that Player.]
Uji laughed.
[Oh, and speaking of Coins...]
A message appeared.
[The Coins owned by ‘It’ are being revealed to all Players.]
[Lee Suhyeok - 732,800 Coins]
Every Coin he possessed had been exposed.
Uji was not finished.
[For fairness...]
[The stats of ‘It’ will be lowered to the average stats of Players on the 20th Floor.]
Suhyeok’s expression darkened.
[To win, ‘It’ must protect all Flags and place them into the portals on each floor.]
Uji laughed.
[Then...]
[Good luck.]
Messages appeared.
[The Tag Game begins in 10 minutes.]
[Return through the Central Portal has been restricted.]
[The stats of ‘It’ are temporarily reduced.]
[All stats are fixed at 15.]
[In 10 minutes, the current location of ‘It’ will be revealed to all Players.]
