Chapter 36: My Death (3)

The white light faded. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back on the battlefield. My eyes quickly landed on a familiar sight.

Monsters howled and human soldiers bled as they fought against the monsters. A legion of monsters threw themselves at the harbor’s defenses. It was the eleventh-floor stage, also known as

Defend the Supply Line

.

The soldiers were in their first battle to protect the Aegim Empire.

“My, my! You’re here to save the empire! Thank you, heroes!”

Sarbas Aegim, the NPC general, came out to welcome me and the Hunters, the same as the last try. He was wearing the same armor, had the same look on his face, and said the same line.

“Heroes! Please help me and the army and save the empire!”

That was all that stayed the same. The Hunters’ organized response to the general was completely new.

“Black Dragons, assemble!” a cold, piercing voice ordered. The Black Witch, the leader of the Black Dragon Guild, just like she had in a battle which now only I remembered, used her aura to command her guild. Something about her voice captivated people.

“The Black Dragon Guild will take command of this battle!” the Black Witch boldly declared. “OJP Sect and the Watchmen League! Take the left! The Pantheon and MA will take the right! My Black Dragons will handle the middle. Break through their lines! If anyone has a problem with my orders, speak after the battle is over! If you have time to talk, you have time to kill another orc!”

The world had changed. Those words were the evidence. No Hunters zoned out like the last try, having been forewarned that the eleventh floor was going to be a battle.

“Kids, keep up! If anyone dies before me, I’m going to kill them!”

The Viper’s OJP Sect.

“What nonsense is he... No, no. Everyone, support the OJP Sect! We have to stop those boars from getting stranded!”

The Paladin’s Watchmen League.

“Hahaha! Anyone who goes rogue gets an immediate execution! Do not step away from your team!”

The Inquisitor’s Pantheon.

“Everyone is quite energetic. But the MA will take it slow and not go out of our way too much. Just back them up.”

The Countess’s MA.

The guilds created a perfect defense and stayed true to their roles, allowing them to break the monsters’ advance. Fighters stood in the front line wielding their weapons while supporters chanted magic spells from the rear. It was like a raging river washing the monsters away.

“Ohhh...!” The general rejoiced at the sight in front of him. “The goddess hasn’t forsaken the empire yet! Look! Heroes from a different world are valiantly fending off the monsters! But we shouldn’t leave everything to them! Soldiers of the Aegim Empire, follow me!”

The general and soldiers charged into battle with a loud cry.

I watched everything from a step away. Yes, all it took was a little lie. My small changes and secretive moves were enough to create a completely different approach to the eleventh stage.

—Zombie, are you alright?

the Guardian quietly asked.

Huh? What do you mean?

—Won’t you get less attention if you do it like this?

The Guardian’s brows furrowed.

You’re the world’s biggest attention seeker. You love it.

Well, you’re right.

I shrugged.

But this isn’t bad either.

—Huh? Haha, you must’ve matured a little.

Not really... I’m still going to milk it for all it’s worth.

I felt eyes on my back. I turned around and found the Sword Star watching me.

“Uh... What are you doing over there, sir...?”

“I’m watching you,” the Sword Star answered, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I told you that I’m going to watch you for the next five days and then I’ll decide if I’ll kill you or not. That’s why I’m watching you.”

“...Uhh... Umm... Are you really going to watch me 24/7 for the next five days?”

“What a strange question. Of course I will.”

What? Did that mean that I was going to have a stalker?

“You should kill some monsters too, sir! The reward will be given in the order of the highest contribution in this battle!”

The Sword Star looked away and flicked his sword.

A blue streak of aura cleaved through over twenty goblins. They lost their heads before they could even scream.

The Sword Star nonchalantly looked back at me as flowers of blood bloomed on the battlefield. “I’ll wield my sword every now and then, so don’t worry. Don’t mind me, just do your job.”

He was indeed a master swordsman in a different league from me.

“

Phew.

” I shook my head and headed over to the Black Witch.

The Black Dragon Guild members stopped me. When they saw the Sword Star behind me, they tensed. The Black Witch saw we were coming and gestured at her people to let us through.

“What is it, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja...?” Her eyes narrowed. “And you’re here too, old man,” she noted, obviously annoyed. “Things are hectic for me because I’m leading the guilds. I would appreciate it if you state your business within thirty seconds.”

“I don’t really have business with you,” the Sword Star answered indifferently. “I just followed this young man.”

“What? What is that supposed to mean— No, forget it. I’m not interested! I don’t have time to listen to you, so please leave if it isn’t important,” she snapped. “Ah, hey! Team 4! Hold your position! Don’t stand in front of everyone like idiots! Hold it with your life unless you want to end up with a spear up your ass! Team 12! What are you doing? Do you think we’re here to take a stroll? Hunt properly!”

“I-I’m sorry, Black Dragon Master!”

“If you have time to apologize, then swing your sword again!”

She really looked busy, so I quickly got to business.

“Black Dragon Master, I have the reward for clearing the tenth floor.”

“I’m sure you do. So what?”

“I have a mini-map of the battlefield. Enemies and allies show up as dots, so I know where their commander is.”

The Black Dragon finally turned and looked straight into my eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Why would I bother lying? It’s the truth.”

“Then what in the world have you been doing? You should have come to me sooner!” The Black Witch grabbed my right hand. “Tell me! Where is the boss monster!”

It looked like she tended to show her true nature when she was busy.

“Over there.” I pointed in the direction the mini-map showed me. “I can’t really see it because it’s surrounded by monsters, but it’s over—”

“Say ’I agree to be the subject of your Skill.’ Come on!”

“Um, I agree to be the subject of the Black Dragon Master’s Skill.”

“

Teleport!

”

After a moment, the Black Witch and I were high above the battlefield. We were falling out of the sky. The monsters were fighting against the human army way down below.

“Where?!” the Black Witch shouted, her hair whipping around her.

“Over there!” I screamed over the wind. “Where I’m pointing—!”

“

Teleport!

”

Each time she said the word, we closed in on the boss monster. I hugged the Black Witch a little tighter. It didn’t mean anything, I just thought that I might fall from the sky if I only held onto her hand.

It looked like she understood, because she didn’t say anything or try to shake me off.

“How confident are you with that sword?” she asked, still frowning.

“I’m good enough to kill the boss monster!”

“Then I’ll teleport you right above it! One strike! Got that?!”

“Yeah, yeah!” I knew exactly what she was thinking.

“

Teleport!

”

After the last teleport, we were now directly above the boss monster. Just ten meters below, the Goblin King was quacking at the monsters around it. With the splendid golden staff it held, it looked like it was commanding its army in its own way.

“Mr. Kim!”

That was my signal. I enveloped myself with aura and let out a shout. The Goblin King heard our voices and looked up, tilting its head in confusion.

“Gorr?” The Goblin King saw me, but it was too late.

My sword cut right through the top of the Goblin King’s head and split it clean in two. Despite being a boss monster, it couldn’t even put up a fight. It just looked at me angrily until the lights went out. Well, I had technically killed it twice, so I guess it was a little unfair.

The monsters, abruptly bereft of a leader, blinked dumbly at me. Everything happened so fast that they were still processing it.

“Why?” I grinned and planted my feet on the Goblin King’s body. “Do you guys want to end up in two pieces too?”

Belatedly, the monsters screamed.

Low-level monsters like goblins and orcs scattered in panic. It started with one monster, but it soon became six. Six quickly turned into thirty. Like a line of falling dominoes, monsters in all directions started running away.

“Yes!” The Black Witch clenched her small fists. “Great job, Mr. Kim! Oh my god! We cleared the stage in less than an hour! I think less than fifty Hunters are dead. Maybe even less than thirty...

Ahhh!

I couldn’t ask for a better result!”

The Black Witch was so worked up. I had never seen her like this.

She had been expressionless in the last try... Was it because quite a lot of Hunters had died in the chaos? And she was now happy because of the low casualties?

She’s simpler than I expected.

Her sadness and happiness depended on the number of casualties.

I smiled. “Now, now. I think you got too excited. You should calm down.”

“If this isn’t the right time to be excited, then when is!? Let me say it again: you’ve done an excellent job, Mr. Kim! This is the lowest casualties ever since we started clearing the Tower. You should be proud!”

The Black Witch beamed. It wasn’t like a thin smile like when she delivered her speech up on the ramparts—this was genuine, downright glowing happiness.

“I’m sure it was tempting to keep the tenth-floor stage’s reward all to yourself. Really...I’m glad that the new hero is a person like you. What a relief. Brace yourself! All eyes in the Tower’s media are going to be on you starting today!”

The Black Witch’s eyes were filled with pure goodwill as she held out her hand for a handshake.

Yeah. That’s right,

I thought, grabbing her hand.

I’m... happy to receive attention from ordinary people. It feels really good to have those people believe I’m the best and their hero. Their envy, jealousy... Everything about it feels awesome. But it isn’t as good as earning these people’s recognition.

The Sword Star had achieved dominance by merit of his swordsmanship alone, and the Black Witch was leading the biggest faction in the world of the Tower.

Aside from them, countless people in the Tower diligently led their lives. I couldn’t say that they made the best of their lives, but they certainly tried their best.

I...

I held her hand tightly.

I want to live a life where I can earn their recognition.

My goals didn’t stop there.

I want to protect these people.

They had been working so hard. I wanted to stop the Demon King from toying with them. The Fire Emperor had insulted their efforts. Some mocked them. There were those who tried to undermine their efforts with nasty schemes.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

I didn’t want any of that. I purely wished to acknowledge their hard work and earn their recognition—no, their respect. It might be an impossible dream.

But that is how I want to live.

I wanted to change, just as the world had changed ever so slightly. That was my deepest desire.

—Watching you grow is quite a sight,

the Guardian murmured.

Before long, the announcement of clearing the eleventh stage was made. Huge letters floated up in the sky.

Quest Completion Contribution List:

First Place: Kim Gong-Ja

Second Place: Black Witch

Third Place: Inquisitor

Fourth Place: Viper

Fifth Place: Paladin

Sixth Place: Countess

Seventh Place: Sword Star.

...

As the world had changed, the ranking was slightly different. The Sword Star took a significant hit and was now in seventh place down from second. However, the former sixth place, the Black Witch, rose high and took second place.

[The top ten champions will enter the twelfth floor first.]

[The remaining champions cannot enter the twelfth floor until the top ten champions receive their rewards.]

[Announcement.]

And now the

twelfth floor, the start of all tragedies, opened.

“If we can keep this up, we’ll be able to clear the twentieth floor in no time,” the Black Witch said, her cheeks slightly rosy. “I thought we’d have to sacrifice at least five thousand people... We’re off to a good start. A really good one.”

No, we were going to pay a dear price on the twelfth floor unless something changed. We would lose the Countess, the MA’s leader and our critical link for trading with the outside world. If that channel was severed, the Tower’s economy would instantly collapse.

It would be anarchy. Then it wouldn’t just be five thousand—five hundred thousand people could die.

So I’ll carry everyone’s weight.

A bright light enveloped us.

***

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in the imperial audience chamber. The sparkling white marble floor was still unstained by blood.

“Whoa!”

“Hmmm.”

Hunters were summoned one after another. They regarded me with various expressions. Some smiled at me like they expected me to be here; I also saw Hunters who looked angry that I’d taken first place again. It was just like the last try.

“Mr. Kim Gong-Ja!” The Inquisitor came running over, singing praises again. “You were amazing! I didn’t expect you to work with the Black Dragon Master like that! Haha. Did you find the boss monster with the last stage’s reward? I’m guessing I’m—”

Unlike the last try, I raised my hand to stop the Inquisitor.

“Hold on.”

The Inquisitor tilted his head in confusion. “Pardon?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about first.”

All eyes were on me. Each person thought something different. While The Black Witch’s cheeks were still slightly rosy, the Viper’s brows were furrowed. The Paladin looked nonchalant, and the Countess fanned herself...

What about the Sword Star?

I immediately turned to check. He was quietly standing alone in the corner of the audience chamber. Although I met his eyes, he didn’t show any reaction; he simply looked at me with his arms crossed. It was very different from how he had drawn his sword on me as soon as he had seen me last time.

It worked! It’s okay now!

The frustrating fight that had broken out shortly after the Hunters’ arrival on the twelfth floor was now gone. I had erased the possibility and successfully stopped the Hunters from antagonizing each other, even if it was temporary.

“There was something I asked from all of you yesterday,” I said, my heart pounding.

“Yesterday?” the Inquisitor repeated.

“I’m talking about the favor. I asked all of you to do me a favor no matter what when I asked.”

“Ah, yes! Of course, I remember!”

The Hunters’ ears perked up.

“I’d like to call in that favor right now.” I slowly looked around at them. “For the next five days, please stay here and don’t do anything.”

“If you do that...” I took a deep breath before I continued. “Within those five days, I’ll clear up to the twentieth floor.”