The crowd was thick in front of the tower at Yeoui Island.
The situation was so chaotic that even the police couldn’t control the gathered masses and were left wringing their hands in frustration.
I had contacted Yoo Jun-seo to let him know I’d be entering quietly, but for some reason, rumors spread, and the news articles started popping up.
“You know, everything’s fine, but how about reconsidering this?”
Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo said to me with an unmistakably uneasy expression.
“It’s a place where a 5-Star Calamity resides. I think you called her the ‘Unmatched Gale’…or was it a Typhoon? Anyway, remember the Blackened Saint Selene from before, the S-Rank Awakened One’s minion? You must have seen that video where she killed a 4-Star Calamity with just one slash of her sword, right?”
“Of course, I’ve seen it.”
“Right. Let me tell you, I was there too. And at that moment, I realized… 5-Star Calamities are beings from beyond this world. Humanity as it stands now, cannot defeat them.”
“What’s your point?”
“What’s my point? Are you kidding me, Nam Joo-yeon? If you die while going in there, it’ll be a disaster. Who’s going to protect Seoul if the Dragon King of the Korean Peninsula gets annihilated?”
Exactly why had the title of Dragon King of the Korean Peninsula become settled fact?
My expression soured naturally.
At this, Yoo Jun-seo patted my shoulder and persuaded me again.
“For now, let’s go back, gather more strength, and then think about it later.”
“And then?”
“Huh?”
“So, what are we going to do if the tower erupts while we’re waiting?”
At my question, Yoo Jun-seo tilted his head.
“What? If this tower erupts, we can just block it then.”
To be honest, this was a sound judgment. There wouldn’t be an Awakened One willing to enter a dungeon harboring a 5-Star Calamity willingly.
Except me.
“Anyway, I’m going in.”
“Did you not hear me, Nam Joo-yeon? This is literally suicide, you know?”
“What do you know?”
Contrary to Yoo Jun-seo’s worries, I wasn’t entering the tower to conquer it.
I was entering to meet Mirien and talk about the recent events.
So, it would just be…a conversation for now.
“Sigh…Mr. Nam Joo-yeon, can you at least spare the face of the Management Bureau once? How awkward would it be if our S-Rank Awakened One dies trying to enter this tower?”
Of course, I couldn’t reveal these plans to them.
After pondering deeply, I came up with what I thought was a decent excuse.
“Director.”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
When I put on a serious expression abruptly, Yoo Jun-seo appeared startled.
But I went on without caring, speaking loudly.
Loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Once the tower erupts, it’ll be too late. Numerous civilians will perish. With a catastrophe in the heart of Seoul, I cannot sit by and do nothing. No matter what sacrifices I have to make, I will deal with this potential threat.”
The moment my speech ended, thunderous cheers erupted from the people gathered around the tower.
Loud cheers, accompanied by clapping.
A few Awakened Ones and police officers had even placed their hands upon their chests, looking deeply moved.
“…”
When it reached this point, Yoo Jun-seo could no longer stop me.
To say the least…this was the grandest lie I had ever told in my entire life.
Right as a pang of conscience began to surface…
“I will go too, if it’s about that.”
Seemingly, Yoo Jun-seo was moved as well.
“Nam Joo-yeon, this Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo will accompany you in the extermination.”
“…”
Yoo Jun-seo had declared his participation.
“….”
*
[Entering dungeon 「Tower of Defiance」.]
[Subjugate the dungeon’s lord and obtain ownership.]
A more unpleasant sensation washed over me compared to when I first entered the Storm Dragon’s den.
It was like being drenched in sticky tar.
The inside of this entered dungeon had a foul-smelling atmosphere.
Ding.
[Caution Dungeon 「Tower of Defiance」 is a 5☆ dungeon!]
At last, the caution message appeared.
In contrast to when entering the Abyss, it had recommended a rapid evacuation, yet this did not happen now. I supposed it was because I already possessed a 5-star Calamity.
Of course, Yoo Jun-seo’s situation was different.
He stared blankly at the air before finally turning his gaze towards me.
“… Did you see that too, Mr. Nam Joo-yeon? That message said to run fast! Shouldn’t we just leave?”
At my side, Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo was accompanying me.
As a result, this tower capture operation had an unnecessary headline follow—“A Dramatic Collaboration Between Flame Tyrant and Dragon King.”
However, Yoo Jun-seo didn’t seem like he wanted to approach capturing the tower. Probably, he disliked the circumstance where all spotlights focused on me more than he actually cared about liberating Seoul.
Was he petty? Or maybe he was great in a way since he showed courage despite that?
Jo Geon-wook was right; Yoo Jun-seo was indeed an easy-to-understand person.
“Nam Joo-yeon, the air here itself is dirty. But for a certain wretch, this place seems to be perfect.”
Yoo Jun-seo summoned two 3-Star Calamities and instructed them to scout, but they only returned with the report that there was nothing.
“The inside is pretty clean though?”
“…Can you please shut your mouth for a moment?”
I don’t know how many flags he was planting by himself.
Anyway, the current situation revealed that Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo was entirely useless.
Even though he was an A-Rank Awakened One owning four 3-Star Calamities, it was evident that he wouldn’t cause significant harm to Mirien.
Besides, I wasn’t here to fight anyway.
Ultimately, I needed to ditch this cumbersome bureau chief. Unfortunately, with my slow brain, I came up with only this method.
[Summon 4★ Hellfire Guardian.]
Bang!
The summoned Hellfire Guardian from thin air glared at Yoo Jun-seo with a loud noise.
“Damn! That—!”
Simultaneously, Yoo Jun-seo quickly analyzed the situation.
Of course, he never once imagined that the Hellfire Guardian was actually mine, leading him to jump to the wrong assumption.
“Hey, this is the Actor’s dungeon! We should escape!”
Hastily turning his body around, Yoo Jun-seo blocked me with his own as he started retreating.
As expected, the moment he sensed danger, he was planning to leave me and run away.
This wasn’t bad. In fact, it would be more convenient if he acted like this.
[Summon 4★ Storm Dragon Tempestra.]
I summoned the Storm Dragon as preparation for the showdown.
Yoo Jun-seo nervously glanced between the Hellfire Guardian and me.
Perhaps he thought it was a fair match.
However, I had no intention of giving him a chance to choose.
[Summon 5★ The Blackened Saint Selene.]
Suddenly, a deep abyss appeared in mid-air as the Blackened Saint walked out of it.
The giant calamity draped in crimson flames.
The moment Yoo Jun-seo saw it, the hand he was holding dropped.
“…”
Yoo Jun-seo softly groaned before…
“AAAAAAAAAHHH! I told you not to come in, didn’t I!”
And bolted away immediately.
Discarding his companion, he fled like a coward as expected.
When Yoo Jun-seo reached the entrance of the tower and tripped over his own feet, he began crawling forward.
However, some remaining bit of conscience made him look back at me before exiting.
Of course, I delivered the prepared line.
“I’ll buy some time, so go escape!”
Shouting it dramatically while mimicking a desperate expression, Yoo Jun-seo tightly closed his mouth, forcefully nodded, and fled out of the tower with a heroic attitude, unlike a defeated soldier.
Wasn’t he overdoing the dramatics a bit?
Once Yoo Jun-seo completely left the tower, I relaxed, re-summoning the Storm Dragon and the Hellfire Guardian.
“Phew. The uninvited guest has finally disappeared.”
“Lord, permit me to say this, this is the perfect place to kill that man.”
Selene spoke nonsense.
“No, we can’t kill him. What would people think if only I emerge unscathed? Especially when people like Jo Geon-wook are already suspicious of me.”
“Then why don’t we kill that Jo Geon-wook individual?”
“Selene, shut your mouth.”
“I apologize.”
I looked upwards. The inside of the tower was a hollow cylindrical structure, and a spiral staircase winding up to the sky made a deep impression.
“How long would it take to ascend that?”
Sighing, I began ascending the spiral staircase.
The tower was incredibly high, so the staircase stretched on endlessly.
“Forgive me for daring to ask, may I carry you up the stairs, Lord?”
Though Selene asked cautiously, I declined.
Being carried in her arms felt like it would drop me several levels as both a human and as a man.
“It’s fine. This is good exercise.”
And so, it took about an hour.
While quietly climbing the stairs, various thoughts inevitably came to mind.
By now, Management Bureau Chief Yoo Jun-seo might be explaining the current situation outside. They wouldn’t come back into the dungeon again. After all, it’s been revealed that two 5-Star Calamities lie in wait inside this tower.
Then, what will become of me?
Should I start thinking of an excuse in advance?
While pondering this, Selene suddenly spoke up.
“Lord, there’s something on my mind.”
“What?”
“Mirien of the North Sea Storm…she tends to be rather…paranoid.”
“…Huh?”
“And…she has extremely keen hearing.”
With a furrowed brow, Selene looked up toward the upper floors of the tower. It seemed like she had a lot to say, but due to my presence, she was restraining herself.
“Exactly what do you want to say?”
“The way you act, Lord, might be taken differently by Mirien.”
Upon hearing Selene’s words, I began to notice something odd.
Around the time of that conversation, we arrived at the highest floor of the tower.
The door was wide open.
Far at the end of a long corridor was a single small chair. There sat a delicate-figured woman.
Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea.
Just like in the game, she now stood in the real world before my eyes.
“…”
On the other hand, perhaps sensing something, Selene quietly sighed.
“…”
Did she hear that sigh? The head of the 5-Star calamity sitting on the chair, Mirien of the North Sea Storm, tilted up her previously bowed head.
Between her black hair reaching down her shoulders, her blue eyes lacked any vitality.
Mirien had a cold and beautiful face, but it was filled with nothing but despair.
Tousled hair, smudged eye makeup.
In a withered face, Mirien slightly moved her lips.
“Actor, why do you intend to kill me?”
“…”
Only then did I finally understand what Selene had been implying.
