Dawn broke with the first light of day.
"Hoo!"
Torongi, the earth spirit, wiped away the sweat streaming down his face.
He'd been grinding away without a break all night long.
He'd managed to produce way more than his target amount.
'What a rewarding day.'
He pressed his cheek flat against the soil.
Truth be told, Torongi preferred tilling the fields over fighting monsters in the tower.
Communing with the earth, plowing and tending to it.
What a peaceful, blessed time it was.
"Heeheehee."
As he rubbed his cheek into the dirt, a soft footstep sounded.
In his view appeared a pair of furry feet.
He'd seen them before.
They were the same ones that had kicked him in the side just hours ago.
"Heeek!"
Torongi yelped in shock and fell on his butt.
It was the crazy raccoon's return.
"Calm down. I'm not here to beat you up."
Kancho approached and slung an arm around his shoulder.
"I've got orders from the boss not to hit you anymore. Though it does bug me a bit that you went running off like a crybaby after one little smack, I'll let it slide."
Torongi's face brightened.
At least this lunatic raccoon wouldn't go wild on him anymore.
"From now on, I'll have your back. Go ahead and farm to your heart's content. But if I see any slacking off, I'll have no choice but to bring out the carrot."
Wait, carrot? Or was it whip? The thought crossed his mind, but he decided to let it go.
"I'll drop by now and then to check on the crops. Make sure you put your all into it, since the boss and I will be eating the harvest. Take care now."
Kancho walked off with his hands behind his back.
Torongi swallowed hard as he watched the raccoon disappear into the distance.
What the hell is up with that guy?
Tweet tweet tweet tweet!!
The sparrow family announced the arrival of morning with their booming chirps.
As always, they were up and at it early.
"Boss."
"Don't blow up the sparrow family."
"Got it."
I dragged myself up, still groggy.
My face felt like it was burning anyway, so I was about to get up.
I squinted up at the blinding sky.
The inescapable flood of sunlight.
That was the fatal flaw of sleeping on the rooftop, no matter how romantic it seemed.
"Releasing manifestation. Get ready, we're heading home."
"Sounds good. I want chicken."
"Momo wants chicken too!"
Come to think of it, it'd been a while since I'd indulged in modern delivery culture.
Home-cooked meals from back home were great, but I was ready for a little indulgence.
I stretched and headed to the faucet.
Nothing beats a splash of cold water to wake you up.
Splash!
The moment I doused myself, I jumped back a couple steps.
Whoa, that was a shock.
Was it always this cold?
'I almost had a heart attack.'
It hit me after so long.
Unlike the city, rural water temperatures had no bottom limit.
'Sorry, Momo.'
Momo hadn't been whining about her face freezing for nothing yesterday.
I apologized inwardly as I headed into the living room.
People really need hot water for washing up.
The warm air hit me the second I opened the door.
It was bustling inside—breakfast was already in full swing, even at this early hour.
"Huh? Son! Where'd you sleep? I checked the other room and you weren't there."
"The weather was nice, so I laid out a mat on the rooftop."
"Without a blanket?"
"I'm tough, it's fine."
"Really? Come eat then."
I locked eyes with Cheon Se-yeon, who was sitting at the table in a half-asleep daze.
Her gaze seemed to plead for help.
In front of her was a mountain of rice and a heaping pile of braised short ribs.
It suddenly reminded me of my school days.
My mom, Kim Min-ji, forcing me out of bed just to stuff me with a huge bowl of rice when all I wanted was one more minute of sleep.
I knew it was out of love, but it was torture back then.
"But Mom, did you know?"
"What?"
"Even people who farm all day don't eat as much as this. Especially not for breakfast."
"City folks must eat less. Your dad scarfs down that much every time."
I glanced over.
Yu Man-cheol, my dad, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
He kept his head down.
Just silently battling on for the sake of peace.
Powered by love.
'Dad, hang in there.'
I sent him silent encouragement and sat across from Se-yeon.
"Hold on a sec. We're short on rice, so I need to make more."
"No need. I'll share Se-yeon's. Se-yeon, give me half."
"Huh? It was so delicious I was planning to eat it all myself."
Her words said regret, but her face lit up like she'd met her savior as she quickly scooped half over.
The food really was delicious.
But this portion was way too much.
Slide.
Dad looked up at me.
I felt his gaze but ignored it completely.
If I took from his too, I'd literally burst.
'They look good together.'
Kim Min-ji watched Jinhyuk and Se-yeon sharing rice with a satisfied smile.
My son takes after his dad—such a charmer.
"Son, take this with you when you go. Kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and squid salad. I packed Se-yeon's share separately."
"Really?! Thank you so much!"
Se-yeon's face beamed.
The portions were overwhelming, but the taste was top-notch.
She was thrilled at the thought of enjoying home cooking for a while.
"Sis! Try this too!"
Yu Jin-hee fluttered around, offering Se-yeon a choice piece of rib with a cute grin.
"Thanks!"
To Se-yeon, who had no siblings, Jin-hee was just adorable.
Jinhyuk shook his head watching the scene.
And so the lively breakfast wrapped up.
Sitting side by side on the sofa, Se-yeon lowered her voice.
"Jinhyuk, you okay?"
"Huh?"
"I saw the Hall of Honor update. You cleared two floors at once without even using Compression Fist. The system even added a note—something about defeating a disaster way too strong for the floor."
'That system—always so detailed when it's not needed.'
Se-yeon leaned back, scanning Jinhyuk's body.
He hadn't washed yet, so he looked a bit grubby, but there were no visible injuries.
He seemed perfectly fine for someone who'd faced a massive disaster.
"Not a scratch. The system was just being dramatic. There was an easy trick to clear it."
"Really? That's a relief."
"Want some coffee?"
"Thanks!"
I sipped my coffee and leaned back on the sofa.
Just then, the Chungnam regional morning news started.
Back in the day, Jin-hee and I used to fight over the remote for our favorite shows.
Now, both of us just watch whatever's on.
Breaking news this morning. Last night in Cheonan, Chungnam, another disappearance occurred. The missing person is an awakened player, with no signs of leaving home, suggesting an accident during tower climbing...
Jinhyuk tilted his head watching the news.
Since the Tower of Despair appeared, disappearances had become one of the most common incidents.
If something went wrong or you died during a climb, you didn't auto-eject—you just vanished.
So unless it was someone famous, it rarely made the news. But here it was, leading the morning broadcast.
"Oh no, another disappearance? How many is that now?"
"Why, Mom? A lot lately?"
"A lot? More like insane. Thirty in Cheonan alone this past week."
Jinhyuk pulled out his phone and searched for articles on it.
Most were players climbing between floors 20 and 30.
'That's way too many.'
Three years had passed since the Tower of Despair emerged.
Short time, but long enough for data to pile up.
Even the public Tower site was flooded with guides up to the 70s.
Thanks to that, low-floor disappearances had dropped exponentially since year one.
For thirty cases in a week, all in Cheonan, all in that range? Did a whole group skip reading the guides?
"I heard the Chungnam Player Hunter Bureau is investigating."
Se-yeon whispered.
"But they haven't found any solid leads. No connections between the victims—no shared illnesses, similar ages, or friendships."
Jinhyuk nodded.
You couldn't blame the Hunter Bureau for incompetence.
Disappearances where people vanished without a trace.
Relying solely on correlations made it naturally tough.
"Jin-hee and Jinhyuk! You two be careful. Don't push yourselves! You too, Se-yeon! Got it?"
Kim Min-ji said with a face full of worry.
She'd lock them out of the tower if she could, but her kids wouldn't listen.
"Don't worry, Mom. My summons have me under ironclad protection."
"I only go to the easy spots."
"Yeah. And answer your phones! Don't make me have a heart attack. Especially you, Yu Jinhyuk! No more sleep mode!"
"Okay, okay."
"Yeah, sure you will—always just words."
Jinhyuk smiled and turned back to the TV.
An excessive number of low-floor disappearances.
Probably just climbing accidents, right?
An abandoned shopping complex in Cheonan.
A luxury sedan pulled up in front.
A woman in a suit stepped out and stared at the building.
"...Tch."
She clicked her tongue lightly and walked inside.
The door, long neglected, was rusted over.
Creak.
Opening it unleashed a foul stench.
The woman frowned and covered her nose and mouth.
"You're here?"
A creepy voice echoed from the dim interior.
It always grated on her nerves.
"Can't you ventilate this place?"
"You know we can't. It would disrupt the barrier, letting smells and energy leak out. With all the awakenings, who knows what abilities are out there—we have to be careful."
The woman clicked her tongue in irritation again.
She stepped further in.
Something sticky clung to her shoes, making a squelch with each step.
Deeper inside, an old woman in red shaman robes turned her head.
"Heh heh. You left the talisman I gave you behind again, I see."
"How am I supposed to carry something drawn in blood? It's gross. So, results?"
"You already checked on your way here, didn't you?"
The woman scowled at the direct hit.
Annoying old hag.
"Thirty should be enough for verification, don't you think?"
"But they're all low-floor players."
"You're the one who chose this area and targets to avoid attention, remember?"
The old woman turned fully, locking eyes with her.
Those piercing, unsettling eyes that seemed to see through everything.
The woman clenched her fist and glared back.
She nearly averted her gaze on instinct but managed to hold firm.
"Now, let's be honest. Who exactly do you want to curse?"
After a pause, the woman pulled photos from her pocket and handed them over.
This was what it had all been for.
Every bit of preparation up to now.
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T/N:
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