I've jumped out of a plane once.
Jumped out of a helicopter once.
So I figured I was somewhat used to falling by now.
But—
This was different.
"I'm scared!!"
Jumping into a place where you can't see the bottom at all was a whole other problem. I'd been falling for what felt like forever, and the ground still hadn't appeared.
My hands twitched, itching to stop myself somehow.
And maybe she noticed my cowardly inner struggle.
"Not yet! Don't stop now!"
Instructor Da-Momo barked the order. She even smacked my neck a few times—hard—like she was slapping the fear out of me.
Ten seconds passed.
It felt like a thousand years.
"Now!"
The instant her voice hit my ears, I drove both swords into the cliff face.
KRAAAANG!!
After that, I didn't need any more instructions.
Right beside where I'd stopped, there was a cave entrance.
What the hell is a cave doing in a place like this?
If it weren't for Momo, I never would've found it.
I leapt into the cave and reeled my swords back in with my chains.
Yeah, I'd been terrified, but I made it.
I pulled out a flashlight from my inventory and shone it inside.
…Damn. This place doesn't end either.
It looked like no one had been here in ages. Cobwebs hung everywhere.
Well, of course. Who in their right mind would come to a cave halfway down a cliff?
I squeezed the hand resting on my shoulder.
Not because I was scared or anything.
I was just holding it in case she got scared.
After walking deeper for a while, we found it.
Layers upon layers of black iron chains.
They were wrapped in talismans covered in grotesque symbols—enough to make your skin crawl.
I stepped closer to get a better look.
"Horn?"
Bound in the chains was something about the size of my palm—dark, bluish-black, and unmistakably a horn.
After examining it for a moment, I spoke.
"Instructor Momo."
"What now?!"
"Is this really treasure? Because it looks like a sealed demon horn."
Momo rubbed her chin with her chubby fingers.
"It definitely smells like treasure…"
Even Da-Momo didn't sound confident.
That's how suspicious it looked.
"Disgusting."
Camela appeared next, wrinkling her nose.
"A tremendous number of grudges cling to it. I can't even estimate how many were killed for this."
"So it is a sealed demon horn."
I nodded.
But we'd come all this way. I wasn't leaving empty-handed.
I reached out.
Tap.
The moment my fingertip touched the horn—
Sssssss…!
A dark blue smoke poured out.
It wrapped around me, taking shape.
"O?"
I recognized it immediately.
It was different in form, but it was the same phenomenon.
Someone's memory.
BOOOOM! KRAAASH!
The memory began with thunderous noise.
In front of me stood a massive horde—creatures I couldn't even identify.
They were humanoid overall, but their details and aura were completely alien.
"Kill him!!"
The army surged forward like a wave, weapons raised.
But the owner of the memory didn't retreat.
Not even a single step.
Is he fighting to protect something behind him?
There are battles you can't retreat from.
Battles you mustn't retreat from.
I'd never personally experienced one, but still.
Then—
The memory's owner slowly threw a punch.
Like a casual straight jab.
Only then did I realize:
He was barehanded.
Facing an entire army without even a weapon.
For a split second, I thought, Is this guy insane?
And then—
BWOOOOOOONG!!!
The entire front line was erased.
"…Huh?"
My mouth fell open.
I'd seen it with my own eyes, and it still didn't feel real.
He'd only thrown a punch—just one—and a huge chunk of the army was gone.
Not all of them, of course.
There were too many.
But it was obvious.
They were the ones about to be wiped out, not him.
This is going to give me motion sickness.
The viewpoint whipped around so fast I could barely keep up.
Every time it shifted, the enemy ranks were swept away like dust.
Then I heard it.
A laugh.
It sent chills down my spine.
It wasn't nervous laughter.
It was the sound of someone enjoying themselves to the point of madness.
I immediately corrected my earlier assumption.
This wasn't a desperate last stand.
This wasn't someone protecting something precious.
To the owner of the memory…
This was play.
A game.
A primitive, simple game made purely for his own pleasure.
Same type as Darc… maybe even like Kancho.
Not identical, but there was definitely overlap.
Darc, smiling even while surrounded.
Kancho, cackling "Puhahaha!!" while scattering deadly bombs everywhere.
All three carried a kind of madness you couldn't describe with words.
While I was congratulating myself for that neat little observation—
The smoke covering my body withdrew.
Now that I'd seen the memory, I had even less reason to hesitate.
CRACK!
I tore off the chains and grabbed the horn.
I'd test it with the Yordle Compass later.
"See? Master! It's treasure, so we have to take it!"
Momo beamed.
Normally, she would've snatched it immediately and shoved it into her own inventory.
But today, she didn't.
"So decisive. Fearless. Just like a true master."
Camela exhaled smoke as she spoke—words that sounded half like praise, half like an insult.
"You're turning this place into a raccoon den!"
Momo stumbled back.
Maybe because I'd stopped her from letting it out in the bathroom earlier—she was puffing smoke again at unusually short intervals.
"Both of you, de-summon. We're heading up."
I generated about a dozen Wooins, then dismissed them.
A dozen swords floated up into the air.
One by one, I stabbed them into the cliff wall, using them as footholds to climb.
Then I collected them again and turned around.
…Damn.
The rabbit was still there.
Maredo floated in the exact same spot.
I'd been so distracted by the horn that I'd forgotten he existed.
"Looks like you've finished your business."
His voice was icy.
The atmosphere around him was far more hostile than before.
His hands were trembling slightly.
This was the first time it had ever happened.
A mere human had ignored him this completely.
But he didn't shout.
He didn't let his anger show.
Because he couldn't.
Not yet.
He couldn't let me walk away.
He had to drag me into his stage and trap me forever.
Maredo steadied his breathing and forced a smile.
"Then… shall we begin the game? A tremendous reward awaits you."
He approached slowly.
Then, politely bowing, he extended his hand.
Take it.
For a moment, I looked like I was thinking.
Then I slowly reached out.
Maredo fought desperately to keep his grin from rising.
Not yet. Just a little more. Just a little more. Grab it. Grab it.
My hand was almost there.
He was about to smile—
And then—
I changed my hand shape.
And extended my middle finger right in front of his face.
"…?"
Maredo lifted his head in confusion.
Our eyes met.
My expression was perfectly calm.
Just like when I first entered.
Just like when I'd jumped off the cliff while treating him like he didn't exist.
"You asked earlier if I was done, right?"
I gave a small nod.
"Yeah. I'm done."
Then I spoke, quietly.
"So now…"
"Get lost."
Maredo's face twisted in fury.
He was just about to roar—
"Kill him."
A black knight appeared in midair.
A pitch-black sword swung down.
Maredo didn't even react.
He didn't need to.
That sword could never reach him—
SHRK!!
The world warped.
My face rose higher in his vision.
No—
It was the opposite.
He was falling.
Endlessly.
Forever.
Thud.
Maredo's head hit the ground.
His body, now headless, crumpled helplessly.
I looked down at him in silence.
"Those eyes of yours… how dare you…!"
His breathing hadn't completely stopped yet.
But I didn't finish him.
Because I already knew.
It was over.
His world was collapsing.
I crouched and spoke.
"Want me to guess why you set the entry condition for this space to below the 71st floor?"
Maredo's eyes widened.
"How…?"
"You ignore all attacks from enemies below your level. Right?"
His eyes went even wider.
How did I know that?
"You've never seen me before. But I've seen you. You weren't called Maredo back then, but still. I can't even count how many times I suffered trying to beat your stupid game."
Truthfully, I'd never managed to win his game even once.
So instead, I spent weeks grinding levels on the previous floor.
Then I came back up…
And killed him before the game even began.
"A-Are you insane…? Do you even know what my level is…?"
"The Maredo from the Mythical Tower ended up here through some kind of branching path. I don't know how."
I leaned in slightly.
"But no matter how hard a rabbit tries, it doesn't become a tiger or a lion."
Seira, a Legendary-grade card, was level 201.
A rabbit like him couldn't even dream of reaching that.
If Maredo were anywhere close to that level, he would've widened the entry range instead of limiting it to under 71.
And if—by some one-in-a-million chance—Maredo had been higher level than Seira, and her attacks hadn't worked?
I could've just escaped and come back later.
Because I hadn't even started his game.
Maredo's body began to crumble into ash.
"…Unfair…"
"Oh, shut up."
Before he could spit out any more nonsense, I stomped him.
The nerve of him trying to whine about being wronged.
"Stomp him! Stomp him! Harder!"
"Crush him! How dare he bark in front of the Captain Commander!"
Kancho and Momo joined in within 0.1 seconds, both stomping enthusiastically.
Thanks to them, Maredo couldn't even leave a final dying message.
He vanished completely.
[The administrator of the Soul Game, Maredo, has been destroyed!]
[All souls captured by Maredo are released!]
At the center of the space, a massive circular tower sent out over a hundred beams of light, scattering in every direction.
That's fewer than I expected.
Considering how many of Maredo's boxes had dropped, the number felt oddly small.
Still, the souls were free, so I nodded in satisfaction and looked around.
They all returned home.
Baek Yucheol from the Cheongsanga Clan should be waking up now too.
"Hmm."
I rubbed my chin, watching the space collapse.
Is there anything else?
Just finding traces of the next Hero Card already made this trip worthwhile.
But human greed has no end.
I'd spent a ticket for the Tower of Despair.
The least they could do was give me some experience.
Or a privilege box.
Or even a tiny item.
If not that—
Then at least some spare parts!
The moment I screamed that internally—
Ding!
A familiar notification rang out.
One that was always good to hear.
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T/N:
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