Any desire he might've had to try the Cheongsan family's liquor vanished the moment he saw the scene before him.
The situation was far worse than he'd imagined.
'How many are there?'
He counted the bodies lying on the floor. Even at a glance, there were well over thirty.
Eun Kangseok, who had been sitting in the center, stood and walked over.
"Thank you for coming all this way."
He used to be bright and energetic, almost overflowing with vitality. Now his face was gaunt, his whole presence weighed down.
"All of them…?"
"Yes. They're the ones whose souls were taken by the box."
Just as Kangseok was about to continue, an elderly man entered the room. He gave Jin-hyuk and the others a brief nod before approaching Kangseok.
"I told you it was enough. This ends here. It was impossible from the start. Because of this old man's stubbornness, innocent people have suffered."
Jin Yoon-ho lowered his voice.
"That's Master Bae Jin-guk, head of the Cheongsan family."
"Oh… so that's him."
After a tense silence, Bae Jin-guk turned to face Jin-hyuk.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-four."
"Do you have a death wish?"
"No, sir. I plan to live a long time."
"Then go back. Unless you want to end up like them."
He gestured toward the unconscious figures.
"To save my one son, more than thirty young people ended up like this. I could spend the rest of my life repenting and it wouldn't be enough. I have no desire to pile on more sins. I'm grateful you came all this way, but please… go home."
"Thank you for your concern. But since I'm already here, I'd like to hear the full story before I leave. First, though—where's the restroom?"
"…This way."
After stepping inside and locking the door, Jin-hyuk summoned Camilla.
"You called—…the restroom?"
She wrinkled her nose, though fortunately it didn't smell.
"Sorry. There were too many people outside. What do you think about the ones lying down?"
"Hmmm."
As usual, Camilla raised her pipe to her lips. Jin-hyuk quickly covered her mouth.
"Not now."
The house felt like a funeral parlor. He couldn't walk out smelling of smoke.
Camilla shrugged and lowered the pipe.
"They're empty. Just shells. Their bodies live, but there's nothing inside. If things stay as they are, they'll never wake up."
"Can't you bring them back?"
"Impossible. Their souls aren't in this world. And even if they were, I couldn't interfere. This isn't a curse or forced extraction. It's the result of a legitimate, mutual contract."
Jin-hyuk rubbed his chin.
So the rabbit's so-called "game" counted as a binding agreement.
"If the souls are freed, will they wake up on their own?"
"They should. The fact that their bodies live means the connection hasn't been completely severed."
Camilla pointed her pipe at him.
"You're strong, Master. But be careful this time. It could be dangerous."
"Got it. Thanks, Camilla."
After dismissing her, Jin-hyuk returned to the others.
Kangseok and Jin Yoon-ho gestured for him to sit.
Kangseok spoke, his voice heavy.
"The Cheongsan family took me in when I had nowhere to go. For the first time in my life, I had a place to belong."
He looked toward the man lying at the far end.
"That's Yoo-cheol hyung. The Cheongsan heir."
Bae Yoo-cheol had treated Kangseok like a younger brother. When Kangseok awakened and became a freelance Hunter, Yoo-cheol had been happier than anyone.
"He awakened a year ago. Got hooked on climbing the Tower. I should've warned him more instead of just cheering him on…"
He rubbed his eyes.
"He obtained the box three months ago. It came from a special reward chest he'd saved up for. Not long after, he stopped waking up. At first they thought he was just exhausted. He used to sleep an entire day after tough climbs."
But his father soon realized something was terribly wrong.
"He started gathering information about the box. Eventually he learned that if someone clears it, the trapped souls are released."
"There's more than one box, right? I heard people talking about it on Tower forums."
"Yes. There are many. But the floors are shared. It's different from the Tower of Despair, where progress is independent."
"Shared how?"
"Even if two people have boxes and try to enter at the same time, only one can get in. The other gets placed in a queue."
So only one person could meet the rabbit at a time.
"Grandfather offered a massive reward to anyone attempting floors below 71. Naturally, people flocked in. No matter how frightening the rumors, the reward was too tempting. Not just the money—people wanted the hidden floor rewards. And the result… you see it."
Kangseok leaned back against a pillar.
"He delayed contacting me as long as he could. When he finally did, I couldn't help because of the entry restriction. I kept searching for another way… and in desperation, I contacted you. I'm sorry. I know this is a burden."
Jin Yoon-ho let out a quiet sigh.
From his perspective, it was a nightmare.
Ranker Eun Kangseok and Runner Yoo Jin-hyuk—both were invaluable assets to the Hunter Administration, to the country itself. He couldn't push Jin-hyuk in, nor could he outright forbid him.
If he were honest… he hoped Jin-hyuk wouldn't go.
This wasn't the Tower of Despair, where plenty of data existed.
This was different.
Dangerous.
"Lastly, this information is from Hunter Jegal Hoon at Strategic Command."
Jin-hyuk read the document.
His brow furrowed.
Jin Yoon-ho sighed inwardly. He already knew what was written there.
Surely Jin-hyuk would refuse now.
He was too rational to step into something this uncertain.
There was no way.
"Hmm."
Jin-hyuk set the document down.
Kangseok gave a resigned smile. Jin Yoon-ho quietly lifted his teacup.
"I'll go."
"Given the circumstances, that's unfortunate but—…Pffft!"
Tea sprayed from Jin Yoon-ho's mouth.
Jin-hyuk calmly wiped his right cheek, then his left.
Yoon Mi-ri had also choked on her drink.
"Y-Jin-hyuk? You're going in… now?"
"Yes. I'll bring them back."
He smiled.
He'd been unsure at first, but Jegal Hoon's data confirmed it.
That rabbit bastard… I know him.
"Wait, Jin-hyuk."
Yoon Mi-ri hurried over.
This had to be stopped. Especially because he was a Runner. It could be irreversible.
Jin-hyuk glanced at the two approaching him.
Convincing them would take too long.
He smiled brightly—and reached for the box.
[Entering somewhere below Floor 71.]
Whoosh.
"Uh…?"
"Wha—?"
Yoo Jin-hyuk vanished on the spot.
Only the soul-trapping box, Maredo, remained.
Jin Yoon-ho collapsed to his knees, cold sweat dripping down his back.
How on earth was he supposed to report this?
[You have entered somewhere below Floor 71.]
[You have consumed a Tower of Despair ticket. Remaining tickets: 0.]
Jin-hyuk frowned.
Risky enough already—and it even took a ticket? Shameless floor.
Particles gathered and formed the space.
A high plateau surrounded by sheer cliffs. The drop was so steep he couldn't see the bottom.
Soon, the master of this place appeared—the one who had stolen so many souls.
"Welcome to somewhere below Floor 71. I am Maredo, the administrator of this floor."
Now he understood why people called it grotesque.
Rabbits were supposed to be cute.
This one wasn't.
Button eyes. Patchwork seams across its body. Claws sharp enough to rip through anything.
A Frankenstein version of a rabbit.
'You've changed a lot.'
It wasn't just the difference between 2D and 3D. On a monitor, it had at least been a little cute.
Now? Completely warped.
"I didn't like you back then, and I like you even less in person."
Maredo tilted its head.
"Do we know each other? I've never seen you before."
Oh, I know you.
He might not have smashed his keyboard, but he'd definitely destroyed a mouse because of this thing.
Maredo had appeared in the game Tower of Myth.
How exactly that game entity had manifested here, he didn't know.
Floors based on Tower of Myth functioned like alternate timelines—parallel worlds branching endlessly.
Speculation was pointless.
"Well then. Shall we begin the game?"
Maredo's lips curled upward.
Fresh prey.
And quite a tasty one, judging by the scent.
"Game?"
Jin-hyuk shrugged.
"Forget the game. How about you just—"
Poke poke poke poke poke poke poke.
"Momo?!!"
Momo suddenly materialized again. Jin-hyuk nearly jumped out of his skin.
He crouched as Momo whispered urgently in his ear.
"I smell something!"
"What smell? Rabbit smell?"
"No! Treasure!"
"What? Where?"
"Down there!"
She pointed toward the cliff.
Meanwhile, Maredo frowned.
If it hadn't entered its field of vision, it would never have sensed that presence.
Jin-hyuk straightened up and cleared his throat.
"You said you wanted to play a game? Give me five minutes."
He held up five fingers—then walked toward the edge.
And jumped.
Straight off the cliff.
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T/N:
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