Jinhyeok walked over to the sofa with his tablet in hand.
The moment he'd received the "urgent" message, he had immediately called Jin Yunho—and learned the name of a certain item.
—Maredo's Box.
Sinking into the cushions, he began searching. He decided to gather more information about the box before continuing the conversation.
"How about a perfectly ripened melon? Super sweet!"
"Gooood!"
Momo came running in, balancing a large tray. On it were neatly sliced melon, watermelon, and mango.
"Momo! Why are you taking even the ones I was eating?!"
Kancho rushed in behind her and joined them at the table. With impressive skill, he skewered a chunk of watermelon and devoured it in one bite.
The red juice staining the fur around his mouth and his noticeably rounder belly said it all.
He had definitely polished off at least half a watermelon already.
Jinhyeok chewed on a piece of melon as he continued searching on the Tower site.
[The Soul-Imprisoning Box, Maredo]
He clicked on the post with the most comments.
Quick rundown of specs:
Drops between Floors 61–70.
Only usable by players who haven't entered the Floor 71 bracket yet.
The moment you use it, you're dragged somewhere "beneath Floor 71 of the Tower of Despair."
…What?
Jinhyeok blinked.
Those three or four lines were the entire post.
Naturally, the comment section was a battlefield.
@ What the hell? Are you insane? Finish your explanation.
ㄴ Author: That's all I know. I dipped the second I got in.
ㄴㄴ What did you see that made you run?
ㄴㄴㄴ Author: Some freaky rabbit floating in midair. Looked crazy strong. I'm a Hunter-class with a battle hound that's usually fearless. The moment it saw that rabbit, it pissed itself.
ㄴㄴㄴㄴ Or maybe your "fearless hound" is just a chihuahua?
ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴ Author: Insult me all you want. But don't you dare insult my comrade.
Jinhyeok stopped reading. The rest had devolved into the usual comment-section brawl.
He backed out and opened other related posts.
Best advice? Don't go in. Don't ask why. I don't want to remember.
I got curious and tried it. I have a combat power assessment class—numbers made zero sense. Want details? Send donations.
He had hoped to find out what kind of monster appeared inside or how to clear it.
Instead, most posts were useless: "If you value your life, don't enter." "If you like thrills, go ahead."
Then one post caught his eye.
If you wait inside long enough, the rabbit will talk to you. Not sure if it's a Tower resident or a monster. But the moment you lose the game it offers, you're trapped forever. You don't die—but you can't escape the floor either.
At least this one had substance.
Of course, the comments were skeptical.
"Did you write this from inside?"
"How would you even know that?"
"Hmm…"
As he muttered to himself, Kancho climbed onto the sofa.
"Did you find something?"
"They say there's a rabbit."
"A rabbit? That's nothing! Just kick it in the ribs and grab it by the ears."
"That's a good idea. If I see it later—"
"Take this! Hya!"
Momo suddenly drove her fist into Kancho's side and grabbed his ears.
"What are you doing?! Why me?!"
"You've got perky ears too!"
Before things got even louder, Jinhyeok quickly stood and moved away.
He called Jin Yunho.
"Yes, Team Leader. I took a look, but honestly I'm not sure what to focus on. Most of it is unverified—something about a mysterious rabbit and being unable to leave if you lose a game."
So the Tower site doesn't have much useful information either. But what you just told me is enough.
"…It is?"
If things go wrong, you won't just die—you might be trapped forever. As most of the comments suggest, it's an extremely dangerous box. That's why… even though Hunter Eun Gangseok made the request, I hesitated before calling you.
Jinhyeok rubbed his chin.
No wonder Yunho's voice had been full of hesitation.
'It really is dangerous.'
This wasn't a game.
There were no retries.
He tapped his fingers on the armrest.
A rabbit appearing out of nowhere and offering some kind of game…
'It feels familiar… but not quite.'
There wasn't enough information yet.
Better to learn more.
"Team Leader, how about we go see Mr. Gangseok first? We can hear the details directly."
Understood. I'll come pick you up.
"No need. Just tell me the address. I'll head over. Yes. Okay. See you there."
After hanging up, he stretched.
Duram-1, deploy.
Somewhere beneath Floor 71.
The rabbit floating in midair curled its lips into a smirk.
"Will you begin the game? Or will you run away? It seems it's time to choose."
No answer came.
The rabbit shrugged.
"You've been here for over ten hours now. Why won't you speak? What is it you want? The release of the ones I've imprisoned? Then start the game—or kill me. Treasure? Same thing. Start the game—or kill me. You only have one choice. There are no alternatives."
Its voice spilled out, tinged with irritation.
The man seated on the ground said nothing.
Eyes closed, he continued meditating.
'One more time.'
His teeth clenched.
'One more time.'
Heat surged through his skull. Blood trickled from his nose, staining his collar.
Unlike reality, dozens of games had already played out inside his mind.
His name was Jegal Hun.
A hunter of the Strategic Headquarters under the Player Hunter Administration, currently challenging Floor 70 of the Tower of Despair.
His raw combat power wasn't particularly high.
Yet he was favored above all by Director Han Jiwon.
The reason was simple.
His awakened ability made him the perfect strategist—able to simulate and verify countless battle plans.
And his intellect left nothing to be desired.
'One… more time.'
The battlefield in his mind reset once again.
Unlike a death-regression ability, it didn't rewind reality.
But the battlefield inside his head could reset endlessly—
As long as he had mana.
As long as his mind endured.
[Puhaaak!]
Blood sprayed from his throat in the simulation. His vision dimmed.
Another failure.
A piercing ringing filled his ears.
'Is it really impossible?'
His face twisted.
This branch. The last one. The one before that.
Every path he had chosen upon entering this place ended in complete failure.
Not a sliver of hope anywhere.
Since awakening, he had never faced a battle this hopeless.
'What am I supposed to do?'
Even when he "cleared" a game, nothing changed.
Another game appeared.
And another.
The cycle only ended when he lost.
He had tried attacking the rabbit directly.
It was useless—like hitting it with a cotton swab. No damage registered at all.
A metallic taste filled his mouth.
He had reached his limit.
If he reset again, his mind might not survive—
His eyes snapped open.
When had it moved?
The rabbit was right in front of him, crimson eyes blazing.
"So you've been doing something… inside that head of yours."
The rabbit extended a hand—but was repelled.
It couldn't touch him.
The game hadn't started yet.
"Humans are so cunning. Well? Did you see any hope?"
Its lips stretched into a grin.
"If I were to bet, I'd wager you didn't. Because such a thing simply cannot exist."
Facing this unknown entity forced him to confront a question he'd been avoiding.
What if this floor was never meant to be cleared?
What if that was why the decision to begin rested entirely with the player?
"So now what?" the rabbit pressed. "Will you continue your meaningless repetitions? Will you finally start the game and challenge me? Or will you tuck your tail and run—leaving everyone trapped behind?"
Jegal Hun wiped the blood from his nose.
He wasn't foolish enough to fall for such shallow provocation.
Without hesitation, he pressed the escape button.
He hadn't found the solution—but at least he could report the branches he had explored so far.
"Oh my, how disappointing. A coward, are we?"
As his vision blurred, the rabbit's final words reached him.
And beneath the mockery was something unmistakable.
The regret of a hunter who had just lost its prey.
Duram-1 slowed to a stop.
"Wow…"
Before him stood an enormous traditional hanok mansion.
The kind of place where you could sit on the wooden veranda, fan yourself, and eat watermelon in the summer.
'What's that smell?'
He leaned forward and sniffed.
A sweet, mellow fragrance drifted from beyond the gate, instantly making his mouth water.
After a short wait, a familiar sedan pulled up from the opposite side of the road.
Jin Yunho and Yoon Miri stepped out.
"Hello."
Jinhyeok gave a polite bow and faced them.
It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they last met.
Yet today, Yunho's face was heavy with concern.
Knowing the reason, Jinhyeok spoke first.
"Don't worry. I'm actually a huge coward. I'm not the type to throw myself into danger on impulse."
"Haha… Was it that obvious?"
"I told you it was obvious the moment we left," Yoon Miri teased lightly.
"My apologies. This issue's been giving me a splitting headache. Let's head inside."
Yunho stepped forward and knocked on the wooden gate.
No doorbell.
This place was the real deal.
The door creaked open.
"Please come in. He is waiting inside."
An elderly man in pure white traditional attire guided them inward.
As Jinhyeok entered, he looked around.
No wonder the air smelled so sweet.
Brewing equipment was set up throughout the courtyard.
"You may have heard of it—Cheongsan Liquor. This family has brewed it for generations."
Jinhyeok's eyes widened.
Of course he knew Cheongsan Liquor.
In the past, it had been a royal brew reserved exclusively for the king.
Even now, a single bottle sold for millions of won.
Production was so limited that money alone couldn't guarantee one.
Gulp.
He prayed no one had heard the very unstrategic sound of him swallowing his greed.
"Inside. Please, have a seat."
The elderly woman stepped aside and opened the tightly shut door.
And at the sight that greeted him—
His eyes widened once more.
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T/N:
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