"Hey, raccoon! You brought us here just to make us suffer, didn't you? This doesn't look like a path at all!"
"Pipe down before you get smacked again, ma'am! If that were the case, would I have brought the Captain along?!"
"Well… that's true."
Beneath the thick blanket of snow, Jinhyuk and Elia were following Kancho, experiencing what he proudly called "snow mole travel."
Jinhyuk wiped snow off his face and glanced around. He'd always wondered what was so fun about burrowing under the snow all the time.
Surprisingly, it was quiet and cozy down here. Not bad at all.
"Hey, raccoon! Could you dig a little more gently? It's getting in my mouth!"
"Don't forget you're walking behind me, ma'am."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I might take a dump."
"…Sorry. I'll keep quiet."
Elia fell silent immediately.
"She should've stayed by the campfire with Momo and Camella. We could've told her once we arrived."
"That wouldn't do! If you want to truly savor the joy of discovery, you have to experience the journey too! This is part of the process!"
"If anyone touches the treasure before the Captain does, they'll lose a hand!"
Elia glanced back.
"Master, what do you think about whacking the raccoon's butt with a baseball bat?"
"Not a good idea. We're behind him. Right now, we're the ones at his mercy."
"Yeah, I figured. Just checking. Let's behave."
After following the snow creatures for some time, Kancho—who had been tunneling straight ahead—suddenly changed direction.
Then he leapt down somewhere.
"Ohhh, we're heeereee!"
Elia vanished from sight.
A cliff.
Jinhyuk quickly jumped after her and caught her mid-fall. Once they landed, Elia flashed him a thumbs-up.
"I knew you'd catch me. Still, that crazy raccoon could've at least warned us."
Jinhyuk set her down and stepped forward.
…Wow.
Now he understood why Kancho had called it strange.
If someone asked what the door looked like, he wouldn't even know how to describe it. Countless bizarre patterns twisted together in grotesque shapes.
"The keyhole's up there!" Kancho shouted.
"Got it."
Jinhyuk leapt up, grabbed a nearby outcropping, and pulled out the key they'd obtained from Maredo's box—The Key to the Strange Land.
Please fit.
Our Yodel Ranger worked hard to find this.
Click!
Nice.
A perfect fit.
But—
"Grrrgh…!"
It wouldn't turn.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he forced it.
Kancho stared up at him with sparkling eyes.
He couldn't let himself look pathetic in front of him.
As the Captain, he had his dignity to uphold…!
Grinding his teeth, Jinhyuk twisted the key with all his strength.
A dull cracking sound echoed in his ears. For a second, he thought the key had snapped.
"Just as expected of the Captain! The door's moving!"
Jinhyuk dropped down and stepped back.
Then he walked over and vigorously ruffled Kancho's head.
"Yodel Ranger Kancho!"
"Kancho, you're the best ranger."
He meant it. One thousand percent.
A door to a strange land hidden in a place like this? If not for Kancho digging around everywhere, they never would've found it.
"Thank you!"
Kancho's ears twitched like they were motorized.
Ding!
[The Door to the Strange Land is opening!]
[The Tower of Despair floors 67 through 70 are merging!]
[A part of Floor 70 is being transformed into the Strange Land!]
Ding!
[You do not have enough Tower of Despair tickets!]
[The Key to the Strange Land can be converted into a ticket! This action cannot be reversed. Do you agree?]
The messages flashed by rapidly.
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin.
So that's how it works.
'Turn the key into a ticket, huh.'
A cautious person would refuse.
Tickets would replenish tomorrow. A key like this? Who knew when they'd find another.
But he decided not to overthink it.
"Convert it."
They just had to clear it.
[The key has been converted into a Tower of Despair ticket!]
[The door is opening!]
He called the others over.
One by one, they manifested and stared beyond the door.
"Whoa… What is this? Something like this was under the snow?"
"Kancho found it."
"As expected of twitchy-ears! Those ears must be amazing!"
"What does that even mean?"
"I don't know! I just wanted to say it!"
Bickering as always.
Jinhyuk tucked Kancho and Momo under his arms and stepped through the door.
Off to the Strange Land.
Somewhere in the Strange Land.
At the top of a towering castle, an old man sat upon a throne.
"Hmm."
He opened his eyes.
A gray sky stretched before him.
Gray to the left. Gray to the right.
Nothing but gray.
This was that kind of world.
No color. No life. No joy. No hope.
"Visitors, is it? It's been a while."
He rose slowly and walked to the balcony.
Nothing moved.
But that was only while the king slept.
Now that he had awakened, everything would change.
The king raised his staff.
Light gathered around its tip, forming a massive circle. With a sweeping motion from left to right—
Swaaah…
The light shattered into particles and scattered across the world.
Soon, change followed.
Color seeped into the gray landscape.
The forest, once frozen in time, began to stir.
With a mere gesture, the world was reborn.
"Awaken and greet our guests."
A smile curved his lips.
The rabbit who had fled this land—Maredo.
Sending him out with the key had been worth it.
One guest would have sufficed. But eight?
The world would grow far richer.
"Welcome to my world."
He spread his arms wide.
"And bid farewell to the world you came from. You shall never return."
Rumble…
A massive tremor shook the land.
The game had begun.
"Wooooah!"
Momo snorted excitedly, eyes gleaming.
"Wow."
Jinhyuk couldn't help but admire it too.
A mysterious light had poured down—and from it emerged a giant monkey doll.
It even held cymbals in both hands.
"Amazing! It's a monkey!"
"Looks like it's about to perform."
The monkey slowly spread its arms.
Ding!
[The Game of the Strange Land has begun!]
[Act 1: The Monkey's Performance Brings Disaster!]
When the cymbals ring three times, disaster will strike!
Flee beyond the reach of the sound!
"Guess we shouldn't sit and enjoy the show."
"I'm curious what kind of disaster it'll be."
"Me too. But no need to wait for it. Let's get moving."
"Mission continues!"
The cymbals drew closer together.
Just as they were about to clash—
A streak of crimson light cut through the air.
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion rocked the area.
Without warning, Kancho had fired his slingshot at the monkey.
Hand shading his eyes, Kancho nodded.
"Direct hit."
The dust cleared.
The monkey doll's upper body was completely blown off.
Was that allowed?
Ding!
[The Monkey can no longer perform.]
[Act 1 Cleared!]
Apparently, it was.
Jinhyuk gave Kancho a thumbs-up.
Why solve the problem when you can eliminate it entirely?
Outstanding.
[Act 2: Catch the Rabbit!]
The guide rabbit has appeared!
The rabbit is extremely sensitive! It will flee at the slightest hint of presence!
Grab its twitching ears to immobilize it!
Use any means necessary to capture the rabbit! Only then will it guide you!
A rabbit appeared before them.
No—a person.
"Isn't that a human?" Kancho blinked.
"A beastkin," Elia said.
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin.
Beastkin. The kind you see in comics and anime.
"You've seen them before?"
"I stayed in a beastkin village once. If this rabbit's like the ones I met…"
She pointed at the rabbit.
"It'll be insanely fast. Rabbit beastkin are known for speed and jumping."
"Figures. Look at it. Acting all smug."
Hop! Hop! Hop! Peek. Peek.
"That's irritating," Kancho muttered.
"Agreed."
"He just smirked. Did you see that?"
Kancho pulled out a minigun.
"I'll shred him."
"No killing. He's our guide."
"Then what? Look at him wiggling left and right! We should blow him up!"
"It's fine."
Jinhyuk smiled.
"We've already got him."
Crunch!
"!?"
The rabbit spun around in horror.
"How's that, Rabbit Hunter Momo?! Ninja Momo's silent steps!"
Momo's unique trait—Presence Suppression.
Even Renya, who had been tapping Jinhyuk before, once admitted Momo was the only one he couldn't sense approaching.
Kancho, despite his keen detection skills, often found his twitching ears grabbed before he realized what happened.
'For survival, that might've been the most important skill of all.'
He'd never used a Blank Card on Momo before. Combat always took priority.
Maybe his thinking had been too narrow.
Next chance he got, he'd learn that skill.
Momo dragged the struggling rabbit back.
[The Rabbit of the Strange Land has been captured!]
[The rabbit will now guide you through the Strange Land!]
Momo still clung to the twitching ears.
Another message popped up.
[The rabbit will no longer attempt to flee!]
"Momo, let go. It says he won't run."
"Okay!"
She released him.
Kancho discreetly stepped back, worried he'd be next.
Jinhyuk crouched.
"Hi there, rabbit."
"H-Hello…"
"No need to act terrified. We won't hurt you."
"You're lucky the Captain said that. Otherwise you'd be ash."
"Eek!"
"That just means don't run. Nothing to be scared of."
"Eeeeeek!!"
The rabbit's expressions changed by the second.
He went pale and collapsed to the ground.
That should keep him from running.
"What's your name?"
"Tutu."
"Did you just make that up? What kind of name is that?"
"It's really Tutu!"
"You're the guide, right?"
He nodded.
"Where do we need to go?"
Tutu pointed toward a distant tower.
"Where the King of the Strange Land resides."
"So we just kill the king," Kancho said.
"Sounds about right," Elia added. "Let's go beat him up."
"Lead the way, rabbit."
Tutu stood and turned toward the tower.
Once his face was hidden from the group, his lips curled into a long smile.
Yeah, right. Like you're ever getting out.
This was that kind of world.
The outcome wouldn't change.
----------
T/N:
Just for being a free member, you'll get 5 advanced chapters every week!
Access 35 chapters in advance on my Patreon:[email protected]//towerup