Chapter 73
My head trembled.
For a moment, I almost turned around without realizing it.
Step. Step.
I kept walking without stopping.
The farther I went, the clearer her voice became behind me.
"Hey, hey. Are you seriously going to keep doing this?"
"Honestly, Taesu is one thing, but you have some weird sides to you too."
I knew.
That voice.
It was nothing more than an illusion created from my memories.
As long as I knew it was fake, there was no reason to be shaken.
And yet...
"I've actually been watching from here the whole time."
"I thought you'd be alone again, but thankfully you weren't."
"Honestly, I was worried."
"With your personality, there's no way you'd approach people first."
"Right?"
With each step, her footsteps matched mine.
Before I knew it, I was listening closely to that sound.
"Looks like I'm the only one who made it here."
"The others must not have been able to come."
"They missed you a lot."
She laughed softly.
"Still, I guess it's good that at least I got to see you."
"Hey."
"Are you really not going to look at me?"
My lips began to part.
I immediately bit down hard.
The taste of blood filled my mouth.
Right.
Ever since I regressed...
For some reason, I kept seeing her.
I had tried to deny it.
Tried to pretend my mind wasn't slowly falling apart.
Because I had to fix everything.
That was the reason I, the one who had survived alone after everyone else died, was still alive.
[Warning! Cracks are beginning to form in the target's mental barrier.]
The path stretched endlessly ahead.
This entire place was a kind of formation.
Normally, I could have broken it immediately.
But my body wouldn't obey me.
If I turned around right now...
I could see her.
The hesitation that had remained lodged inside me like a knot slowed my steps.
[Mental Power has reached its limit.]
My vision gradually began to darken.
Then...
"Now that I think about it, you met Hyuna."
I froze.
"I'm glad."
"If you'd come back exactly as cold and blunt as before, no one would've stayed by your side."
"Maybe because she's like me, she's really bright."
"..."
"Oh, and Taesu's exactly the same as before."
"Was her name Yumi? Watching those two bicker is pretty funny."
"And honestly, that cat traveling with you is cute too."
She had seen all of it.
Everything that had happened since I came back.
There was something I wanted to ask her.
Something I had always wanted to ask if we ever met again.
Then her voice came.
"Don't turn around."
My head stopped just before it could move.
"We'll watch from here."
"You need to keep going."
"With your new companions."
She cleared her throat playfully.
"Ahem. Instead, tell us everything someday."
"Everyone will want to hear it."
Her footsteps had disappeared.
Somehow, I could feel it.
This was the last goodbye.
"Take care."
"Stay healthy."
"And tell Taesu I said hello."
"Lee Suhyeok."
"..."
[Your collapsed Mental Power is gradually recovering.]
I raised my hand.
[Using Trait ‘Formation Disruption (S)’.]
[‘Soul-Returning Formation (S)’ has been dismantled.]
When I opened my eyes again, I was only one step away from the exit.
This time, I didn't hesitate.
I stepped forward.
[Hidden Dungeon cleared.]
[As a reward, the curses spread across the floors are lifted.]
[The souls of those who had entered the Underworld begin returning to their bodies.]
Whether she had been real or fake no longer mattered.
Illusion or not...
I had only one reason left to keep moving forward.
"...Yeah."
"I'll be back."
Meanwhile, outside.
Only one day remained until the date Suhyeok had promised.
"Cough... keugh."
Bens coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His vitality was fading by the second.
His face and entire body had withered like a mummy.
There was almost nothing left of the large frame he'd once had.
His vision blurred.
Even Bens himself had nearly given up.
"Young Master Bens...! Please stay conscious!"
Carlson tightly gripped his limp hand.
"J-Just hold on a little longer! He'll definitely come back...!!"
Hope was almost gone.
Then...
Ding!
[All curses are lifted.]
[The condition of all cursed individuals begins to recover.]
Green light burst from Bens's body.
Life returned to his dry skin.
His unfocused eyes slowly cleared.
"...Huh?"
He blinked.
"I-I'm... fine?"
Bens looked around in confusion.
Carlson's eyes filled with tears.
He immediately pulled him into a hug.
"Y-Young Master Bens...!!"
"Keugh, my lord."
Bens laughed weakly.
"If you squeeze any harder, I really might die again. Hahaha."
It wasn't only Bens.
The same thing happened to everyone on the 10th and 20th floors.
The moment the message appeared, the plague vanished completely.
Even those who had died regained healthy bodies.
"S-Sob... Mei..."
A mother clung tightly to her child.
"Are you really okay? Nothing hurts? You're not in pain anywhere, right?"
"M-Mom? Why are you crying?"
The child smiled.
"I'm okay now."
Inside the controlled zones of the various guilds, the recovered patients hugged one another and erupted into cheers.
"We survived!!"
"Everyone, we're alive...!!"
"F-Fuck...."
A man wiped his tears.
"I thought I was really going to die like this."
"Now that I'm alive, I can't stop crying... sniff."
People sobbed in relief.
Because they had been able to protect those precious to them.
"...You're awake."
"Yes!"
One guild member jumped to his feet.
"My body feels completely normal! Want me to go kill a monster or something?"
"Don't."
Jang Haksu gave him a dry look.
"I don't feel like cleaning up another corpse."
The guild member rolled up his sleeve and flexed, insisting he was perfectly healthy.
Jang Haksu watched him and, unusually, let out a faint laugh.
"So this is all thanks to that man."
He shook his head.
"Looks like I owe him yet another favor."
Then, across the skies of the various floors...
Brilliant fireworks exploded.
A message appeared.
[‘Player Lee Suhyeok’ has achieved a Unique Achievement.]
[Achievement ‘Path of the Hero’ obtained.]
[Your great deed will be recorded in the history of the Tower.]
Lee Serim, Kang Dongwoo, and Calahil watched the message together on the 20th floor.
"See?"
Lee Serim smiled.
"We were right to trust him and wait."
"Well..."
Kang Dongwoo scratched his cheek.
"I almost lost faith halfway through."
"But the result turned out fine, so isn't that what matters?"
Calahil looked at the message and spoke calmly.
"Now we'll have quite a few things to prepare."
"Business should always be done while the tide is high."
Then he smiled.
"So with that in mind, I'll only charge half price for the Elixirs."
The two stared at him in shock at the blatant mention of payment.
"...Didn't you just completely ruin the emotional moment?"
"It would've been better if you said that later."
Kang Dongwoo paused.
"No, actually, I probably still would've hated hearing it."
Calahil chuckled.
"It can't be helped."
"Nothing in this world is free."
He smiled.
"Lee Suhyeok taught me that."
Less than a day had passed since Suhyeok returned from the Underworld.
Before leaving through the portal, Bens bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
"You saved my life again."
"If you're grateful, work harder on developing the mine."
"Hahaha. Of course."
Bens straightened.
"Everyone's already working hard."
"At this pace, I think we can finish even earlier than originally expected."
For some reason, Bens looked noticeably more handsome than before.
Objectively, he'd improved.
Yet because everyone still remembered his previous spiteful appearance, the transformation somehow felt unpleasant.
I don't usually say this, but even looking at him annoys me.
He looks handsome, but somehow... I still want to punch him.
It's good that he reformed, but why does his old face keep haunting me?
No way that face turns into THIS??? How is that fair? Fuck, curse me too.
At that point, he basically got reborn ;;
Bens grew increasingly uncomfortable under all the hostile stares.
Leon, in particular, was grinding his teeth as though looking at a lifelong enemy.
"Wh-Why is everyone looking at me like that...?"
Leon finally snapped.
He grabbed Bens by the collar.
"Kyaaaak! You're seriously irritating me, nya!"
He shook him.
"Don't start thinking you're handsome now, nya!"
"You're Slave Number One of the great Leon for the rest of your life, nya!"
"H-Hiiik...!"
"Kyaaaak! Stop acting delicate, nya!! Come here, nya!!"
"I'll hit you once... no, at least five times, nya!! Mmph! Mmph!!"
"H-Haha.... Sorry about this."
Taesu clamped a hand over Leon's mouth.
"I'll take him away."
"Mmph! Mmph!!"
And so, with Taesu silencing Leon, they passed through the portal to the 30th floor.
"Pwah! Let go of me, nya! Hmph!"
The capital they arrived in was in full festival mode.
Residents filled the streets.
Almost everyone carried Churu in one hand.
"Hoo. That cat's rather temperamental."
Taesu looked around.
"By the way, can humans eat that stuff too?"
"I'm a little hungry after exhausting myself."
Yumi gave him a tired look.
"Seriously? You think that's edible for humans?"
She smirked.
"Well, if you're determined to become a pig, I won't stop you."
Hyuna quietly held back a laugh.
Then she looked around at the festive streets and turned toward Suhyeok, who was walking beside her.
"Still, it's nice seeing everyone so cheerful."
"It kind of feels like visiting a famous place overseas."
She hesitated.
"So... I was thinking, maybe you and I could walk around the festival togeth-"
"Huh?"
Someone suddenly shouted.
"Isn't that Lord Suhyeok, nya?"
One by one, people recognized Suhyeok now that he wasn't wearing a mask.
Apparently, word had already spread not only across the 10th and 20th floors, but the 30th as well.
Within moments, dozens of people surrounded him.
Taesu, Yumi, and Hyuna barely managed to slip away.
From a distance, they watched Suhyeok trapped in the crowd.
"That reaction is understandable."
Taesu sighed.
"But I admit I'm jealous."
"No one even looked at me."
"If anything, they seemed to avoid me...."
Yumi glanced at him.
"Don't get your hopes up over something you can't pull off."
"The more you expect, the sadder you'll get, ahjussi-"
She froze.
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Yumi slowly turned.
Hyuna was smiling.
Her lips were curved upward.
Her eyes were not.
Taesu and Yumi exchanged nervous glances.
"...H-Haha."
Yumi forced a laugh.
"Maybe we should enjoy the festival too?"
"T-That sounds excellent!"
Taesu nodded vigorously.
"Hyungnim can handle himself."
"Ahem. We should probably get going."
LMAOOOOOOOO
A private romantic moment? Not happening.
Ugh, even I'm scared. My hands are shaking lol
(looking disappointed) I was hoping for some sweet pure romance ;;
SAME I was waiting for it too fuck
Fact) The knight of pure love never arrives ㅇㅇ
That night, Suhyeok returned to his lodging.
Apparently, the rumors had spread so far that the innkeeper offered him a room for free.
The moment he entered, he pulled a ticket from his inventory.
"11:58."
"Not much longer."
Leon floated nearby.
"Hehe. Aren't you a little too nervous, nya?"
"You prepared well all this time, so don't worry too much, nya."
"You look more nervous than I do."
"M-Me? Nervous?"
Leon flailed.
"I'm not nervous at all, nya!"
"I'm just trembling a little, nya!"
[Many Constellations wonder whether those are not the same thing.]
"A-Ahem!"
The current success rate of Divine Artifact Enhancement was fifty percent.
It seemed to have risen along with Suhyeok's Rank.
With that, preparations were complete.
"...I'm more worried that she still hasn't woken up, nya."
Leon glanced toward Seong-a.
"What if something went wrong?"
"I didn't expect you to be that worried about her."
"H-Hmph!"
Leon turned away.
"Who said I'm worried, nya?"
"I'm just bothered because the noisy brat isn't around to chatter, nya!"
Leon was wildly gesturing in the air while making excuses.
Then the ticket in Suhyeok's hand began to glow.
Flash!
In the time it took to blink...
He was teleported elsewhere, just like when he'd gone to the banquet.
"This place...."
It didn't feel like a workshop.
There wasn't even any heat near the entrance.
Cobwebs covered many parts of the interior, as though no one had used the place in years.
Creeeak.
The door opened by itself.
Almost as though inviting him inside.
Suhyeok slowly entered the workshop.
[ Wow. This place looks ancient, nya. I can't even guess how long it's been abandoned, nya. ]
Even the furnace, which should normally have been blazing hot, wasn't running.
Piyong had been shrouded in mystery even before Suhyeok's regression.
There had to be a reason for all this.
[ Oh! Lee Suhyeok! I think this is it, nya! ]
Leon pointed ahead.
[ The workshop is huge, but look at that tiny little door, nya! Kyahaha! ]
There were two doors.
One was about the same size as Leon.
The other was large enough for a human to enter.
Creeeak.
Suhyeok opened the latter and stepped inside.
There, sitting in a chair, was Piyong.
He looked exactly like the Administrator of the Pharaoh's Tomb.
[ H-He really looks exactly like me, nya.... ]
Even Leon was visibly shaken.
But what happened next was even more shocking.
Someone kicked open the inner door.
"Hahahaha!"
"Been a while, you little brat."
It was Dolkin.
