"Hey, rabbit!"
"Eeeek!"
"What're you freaking out for? I haven't even done anything. Are you actually guiding us properly? The castle's getting farther and farther away."
"Th-that's because… there's an order to these things…"
Click!
A minigun was leveled straight at Tutu's head.
"Eeeek!"
"That tone just now sounded kinda rebellious. Are you plotting treason? For reference, that old man Toto who escaped from the Yodel Forest—huh? Come to think of it, your names are almost the same. That means you're a traitor."
"N-no! I swear we're going the right way! Look!"
Tutu pointed straight ahead.
In the middle of the forest sat a lone house, completely out of place.
"You'd better hope you're not lying. If you are, you're going straight to the grill."
Kancho dashed forward and dropkicked the door.
Maybe because he'd done it so many times, his form was flawless.
The door exploded off its hinges with a crunch.
An old woman inside lifted her head.
"A guest… after so long. Sit down."
She didn't even flinch at the fact her door had just been obliterated.
She led Jinhyuk's group to a wide table.
"You'll get three chances."
Five cards slid onto the tabletop.
"One of them has a diamond embedded in it. I'll show you once, then shuffle. Find it."
Ding!
[Game 3: Find the card with the jewel!]
You must find it within the allotted chances!You will only be shown all the cards once.After that, they will be shuffled, so don't lose track!
"Oh?"
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin.
A memory test, basically.
Still… five cards, three tries.
Pretty generous.
"Alright, I'll show you."
The old woman waved a hand, and the cards flipped open.
"It's the third card! Momo totally memorized it!"
As Jinhyuk gave her a thumbs-up, Tutu spoke from behind them.
"You won't find it."
Jinhyuk turned.
Tutu's expression was different now—smug, almost arrogant.
"The game ends here. Oh, by the way… you said goodbye to your original world, right? You'll never go back. You'll be trapped here forever, playing cymbals like that monkey doll you saw earlier! Puhahahaha!"
They weren't given time to respond.
The five cards floated into the air.
The old woman flicked her fingers, and the number of cards began to multiply.
Five became ten. Ten became twenty. Twenty became forty.
After repeating the process more than a dozen times, the entire field of view was packed with cards.
"Hehehe. No one has ever guessed correctly so far."
Humming to herself, the old woman looked at Kancho.
"If I roast you, you'll be so tender. The rest I'll offer to the King… but you, I'll keep for myself."
"Captain. Captain."
Kancho leaned in close.
"Why are old ladies always so fearless?"
"This one definitely is."
"I think she needs to be punished."
"After we find the card, we'll punish her."
"Understood."
They finished their quiet exchange and straightened up.
"So I just pick one?"
"As many as you like."
The old woman smiled leisurely.
How could anyone find one card among this many?
Unless the goddess of luck herself descended, it was impossible—
The old woman's brows suddenly twitched.
A pair of plump, golden eyes gleamed.
A small hand reached out.
The old woman's pupils dilated.
It was reaching straight for the card with the jewel.
No.
She tried to subtly move her hand, to swap positions—
Shhk.
"!?"
A cold metallic sensation pressed against her wrist.
"There's a rule like that, you know. If you try to cheat… you lose your hand."
Jinhyuk glanced between Seira and Kancho.
They must've watched a gambling movie together recently.
"Found it!"
Momo's Golden Eyes—able to see the value in all things.
They didn't even need three tries.
One was enough.
[You found the correct card! Game 3 has been cleared!]
[When you reach the King of Wonderland, the final game will begin!]
Hundreds of cards rained down.
The old woman's head drooped.
She couldn't believe it.
She lost… just like that?
"This! We have to take this!"
Ignoring her despair, Momo cheerfully plucked the jewel from the card and beamed.
With their objective complete, Jinhyuk and the others left the house immediately.
Kancho lingered behind for a moment and placed a lump of clay on the table.
"You tried to roast me. Now you can roast yourself. Get nice and golden."
Then he walked out.
What is he even saying?
The old woman frowned at the nonsense.
It felt humiliating to be ignored so completely, but she didn't dwell on it.
They'd lose to the King and come crawling back anyway.
She leaned into her chair, waiting for that moment.
And then—
A flash of light burst before her eyes.
BOOOOOOM!!
Jinhyuk's group turned around.
The house had been blown away spectacularly.
The whole thing.
Tutu trembled violently, biting his nails.
How could they dismantle the witch's game so easily?
Something was going wrong.
Grab!
No one even saw her move, but Momo was suddenly behind Tutu, yanking his ear.
"Got him!"
"Hold him tight! What did you say earlier, huh!? I knew you were plotting treason!"
Kancho charged in and dropkicked Tutu right in the stomach.
"Kuhk!"
"Where do you think you're going!? Treasonous little—!"
"Beat him! Beat him more! Don't let him make a sound!"
"If he squeaks, that's the sound a mouse makes, Momo!"
"Then beat him until he can't make any sound! Make him eat dirt too!"
"Roger!"
After stuffing a handful of dirt into his mouth, Kancho pulled out a slingshot and started whacking him with it.
When it came to group beatdowns, the Kan-Mo duo's teamwork was terrifyingly good.
Normally Jinhyuk would've stopped them by now, but—
How dare you plot treason?
He let it go on a little longer.
Still…
A king ruling Wonderland.
What kind of guy was he?
After a brutal beating, Tutu—now basically a rag doll—kept walking.
He made a solemn vow.
Until they reached the castle, he would behave.
If he got beaten like that one more time, he really would die.
"Tutu."
"Y-yes!?"
"What kind of person is the King of Wonderland?"
"He's… the king?"
Click!
"Eeeek!"
"Do you want to die? Answer the captain's question properly and with respect. Start with the king's name."
"R-Romanak! His name is Romanak!"
Jinhyuk tilted his head.
Why did that name feel so familiar?
Within ten seconds, he remembered.
He stopped walking and opened his bag.
He pulled out the blueprint for the Soul Harvester.
Then he checked the materials still grayed out, the ones he hadn't obtained yet.
# Romanak's Flint, tempered for a thousand years.
"Have you ever seen a rock shaped like this?"
He showed Tutu a photo of the flint he'd saved on his phone.
"That's an ugly rock."
Smack!
"Who asked for your aesthetic opinion!? Focus and look properly!"
Tutu wiped away tears, then stared at the photo in panic, afraid another hit was coming.
"Huh? That looks kind of…"
"Count to three. Don't stall. One, two—!"
"That! That!"
Tutu pointed somewhere in terror.
The castle was now close enough to see clearly.
"At the very top—when they built it, the stones they used look like that!"
Now that he looked, the very top of the castle did have a strange texture, different from the rest.
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Well, well… maybe this trip is going to pay off in a way I didn't expect.
Ding!
[You have arrived at Romanak's Castle, home of the King of Wonderland!]
[Romanak welcomes his guests!]
[The King's orchestra appears!]
Creaking and groaning sounds rose from all directions.
Stuffed animals—holding instruments like accordions, flutes, and trumpets—stood up.
Just like the monkey earlier, every one of them was enormous.
[The boundary of the board has appeared!]
Light spilled from the castle, forming a grid-like board.
A massive square of glowing tiles surrounded Jinhyuk's party.
It felt like standing on a chessboard.
[Final Episode: The Road to the King of Wonderland begins!]
[In Wonderland, King Romanak's power is absolute!]
[Only the King may create rules!]
[Romanak's rules are imbued into the path leading to the King!]
[Only warriors who endure horrific despair and suffering may meet the King!]
[A trial will be given each time you step onto a tile!]
[The orchestra begins to play!]
[The orchestra's power is imbued into each tile!]
"Deputy Commander Kancho of the Yodel Rangers! I will conduct a scouting mission—aaaargh…"
The moment he stepped onto the next tile, Kancho collapsed face-first.
"Kanchooooo!"
Jinhyuk hurried over and dragged him back.
Ding!
[The Curse of Terrifying Sloth has been applied! Your strength drains from your body!]
Once Kancho was pulled back to the original tile, he perked up instantly.
The debuff was gone.
Jinhyuk stood, exhaling in relief.
He'd gotten the gist of it.
Time for a taste tester.
"I'll go alone."
"Alright. We'll wait until you call."
Jinhyuk gave a thumbs-up and stepped onto the grid.
And maybe because he still lacked experience…
Tutu's lips curled again as he watched.
Idiot.
That glowing grid was anything but normal.
Once the orchestra's performance seeped into the tiles, horrifying curses ran wild.
And there were hundreds of tiles between here and the King.
By the time Jinhyuk reached him, he'd be nothing but ash.
Step.
A familiar message popped up.
[The Curse of Terrifying Sloth has been applied!]
Jinhyuk took another step.
[The Curse of Corrosion has been applied! Your fingertips begin to rot!]
[The Curse of Sleep has been applied! An unbearable drowsiness washes over you!]
[The Curse of Blindness has been applied! You can no longer see ahead!]
…
…
And paired with every curse, another line appeared:
[All Status Ailment Resistance SSS+ has activated! You are immune to curses!]
[All Status Ailment Resistance SSS+ has activated! You are immune to curses!]
Jinhyuk smiled.
Nice try.
Doesn't matter what curse it is.
If it doesn't stick, it doesn't matter.
Still… that king was disgustingly petty.
Retreating removed the debuffs, but advancing stacked them.
It was basically designed to prevent anyone from reaching him at all.
Kang! Kang! Kang!
With every step, the orchestra's music grew more intense.
The curses grew stronger too.
But it was meaningless.
Jinhyuk strolled casually all the way to the top of the castle.
The King of Wonderland, Romanak, frowned deeply.
His head filled with question marks.
How did he get here? No—how is he still standing? He should have hundreds of curses stacked on him!
"Hello."
Jinhyuk greeted him calmly.
"And…"
He pulled out Salamanca.
"Goodbye."
"!?"
Romanak didn't even have time to react.
Jinhyuk vanished from his sight—
Swaaaash.
A line of aura carved straight through the air in a single, flawless stroke.
----------
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