Chapter 7 : Top Open (1)

I feel unsettled.

Just a short while ago, I was human, yet now, watching monsters die weighs on me.

“…I hope they rest in peace.”

It’s definitely different from goblins.

Maybe it’s because I now know that these creatures have intelligence, but the fact that I killed them with my own hands makes me feel deeply sorry.

When I glanced at the chat, it was filled with nothing but question marks.

????

Huh?

??

Wait, did they actually die?

S-ranks melted like butter lol.

??

“…?”

I don’t know what to think anymore, what do we do?

Nine-tailed fox noona… what are you?

Are you actually good?

Slowly, some viewers were starting to believe in me.

I felt sorry for them in a way, but there was nothing I could do about it.

‘I’m sorry.’

I apologized once more in my heart before speaking to the chat.

“…Please believe me. I truly, truly want to coexist…! I don’t want to kill humans!”

A quick glance at the responses.

“……”

Don’t fall for it.

Weren’t you all saying you’d trust if they killed the monsters?

Now that I look closely… kinda pretty.

What kind of bullshit… is there anyone here with a brain?

Sigh.

What do we do?

This is actually getting pitiful.

I felt bad when they cried earlier.

The public opinion still hadn’t completely shifted in my favor.

‘…This is tough.’

Because of the prejudice that I’m a monster, it wasn’t easy to win over the crowd.

Beyond feeling hurt or anything else, I needed to control public opinion.

Being unable to leave the tower, I understood how powerful public perception could be.

With just public sentiment, people could be saved—or condemned.

There was a reason why those in power feared the masses.

No matter how great one’s authority, if they failed to sway public opinion, their power was meaningless.

Conversely, even with minimal influence, controlling the narrative could grant significant strength.

I learned this from my days as a reckless content creator, someone who thrived on manipulating discourse.

I knew better than anyone how easily people could be swayed.

If rumors spread that I was pitiful, kind, and an ally of humans,more people would start to take my side than one might think.

If I slowly revealed my daily life, building a friendly and familiar image.

There was potential.

After all, I hadn’t killed a single human so far.

‘…That’s enough for today.’

I was getting too emotional, and my patience was wearing thin.

As much as I wanted to shape public opinion, enduring endless insults was exhausting.

Even the strongest minds would struggle under relentless, anonymous criticism.

“…That’s it for today’s broadcast.”

“One day left until our tower opens.”

“I’ll make sure to properly train my people so that no hunters get hurt.”

With a polite nod, I ended the stream.

“……”

I’m actually confused.

What do we do?

“Ha… fuck…”

***

The silence was deafening.

In the midst of the stillness, Hanseong opened his eyes.

“…Did I fall asleep?”

Right after the stream ended, he must have dozed off while reviewing the meeting notes with the other hunters.

Around him, his fellow hunters were fast asleep, wrapped in blankets.

“…Status window.”

Hanseong rubbed his face before summoning his status window.

At the very top, a message in red letters caught his attention.

[The Tower of the Benevolent Nine-Tailed Fox]

[Time Until Opening: 04:11:48]

“Four hours left.”

He glanced at the watch strapped to his wrist.

[4:48 AM]

Checking the time, Hanseong stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Seona… are you doing well over there?”

With vacant eyes, Hanseong murmured the name of his younger sister, Seona, who had passed away two years ago.

She had been adopted into his family when she was in kindergarten.

But after awakening as a hunter, tension had begun to build between them.

That was all in the past now.

They hadn’t seen each other since then, though Seona had occasionally sent messages through their parents.

“…I told you not to take such dangerous risks.”

Seona had died trying to save a fellow hunter.

And that hunter was none other than Yuna.

“I might be joining you soon.”

Hanseong spoke quietly as he walked to the window and pulled back the curtain.

Beyond the massive window frame stood an enormous, black tower.

Dim red lights seeped through its cracks, casting an ominous glow.

Staring at the sinister structure, Hanseong realized for the first time in a long while that he was trembling.

And for good reason—monsters resided within that place.

The boss of the first floor was a Death Knight.

This was the same type of boss that had once triggered a Break in the second tower of England.

Though they had managed to contain the situation back then, the damage had been significant.

“When we first entered the Goblin Tower together, I was this nervous too.”

Hanseong let out a dry chuckle, his expression turning bitter.

“…I’ll save Yuna, so don’t worry.”

He glanced down at the notes he had scribbled earlier.

“An S-rank on the first floor… a Death Knight, huh.”

With such a small team, they would have to complete the search without being detected.

Whenever a tower ranked S or higher appeared, the top 1–5 ranked hunters were required to clear the first-floor survey.

Only after that could other hunters enter.

They couldn’t afford to send valuable hunters to their deaths.

The only option was for the strongest hunters to infiltrate, remain undetected, and gather intel.

“This… doesn’t feel good at all.”

He had done this many times before, but something about this particular mission filled him with unease.

***

Towers typically have no concept of morning or night.

After all, most of them are designed as enclosed indoor spaces.

Lower-ranked towers are often nothing more than caves.

But my tower… was different.

Here, the sun rises and sets, the moon appears and disappears.

There is a sky, rivers flow, the wind blows, and mountains stand tall.

I can tell when it’s time to wake up and when it’s time to sleep.

It feels like living in nature, which honestly isn’t bad.

In fact, I think I’m starting to like this place more and more.

Anyway, I woke up in my quarters as usual.

No one woke me up—just the sunlight filtering through the paper window.

“…Ugh…!!”

Stretching my arms, I let out a small yawn.

“…I’m hungry.”

Running a hand through my messy hair, I stepped out in search of food.

“Huh, they fixed the door?”

When did they even do that?

Yesterday, Hwarang, Death Knight, and Sword Ghost had gone into the forest to gather wood.

Looks like they repaired the broken parts while they were at it.

Seeing the newly restored door, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Master…!!”

“You’ve awoken…!”

From afar, Sword Ghost, who had been sweeping the yard with a broom instead of a sword, suddenly rushed over to me.

“…Good morning~”

“Good morning!”

Sword Ghost seemed oddly cheerful.

Just yesterday at lunch, they had been trembling in fear whenever they saw me.

But now, realizing that I was more clumsy than terrifying, they had started enthusiastically helping me.

I’d heard that ghosts like them were supposed to be cold and emotionless,but maybe that only applied to humans.

Honestly, they’re kind of adorable.

Not in a romantic way or anything.

It’s just… with our height difference, it feels like looking after a kid.

Yesterday at lunch, they were still cautiously sweeping the floor while sneaking nervous glances at me.

And when I stared at them for too long, they started tearing up and swept even faster.

That was kind of funny.

I wanted to keep teasing them, but… a bit of a shame, really.

“…A shame, really…….”

“Master, what did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“?”

Their ears were way too sharp.

I had whispered that to myself, but they still caught it.

Sitting on the veranda, I enjoyed the meal that Sword Ghost had prepared.

Surprisingly, it turned out that we could buy ingredients within the tower.

That was a handy tip from Hwarang.

“What do I do about food?”

“You can buy it with Tower Coins, my lord.”

“Oh, really?!”

“…Otherwise, there would be no reason for punishment.”

When food runs out, a wandering merchant in a black hood is said to enter the tower.

I heard that we exchange Tower Coins for ingredients with that merchant.

“But how do monsters earn Tower Coins?”

“When humans enter, the tower grants Tower Coins.”

“…Not for killing them?”

“No.”

“Then why do we kill them?”

“Would you live with bugs that have entered your home?”

Hwarang asked me with a genuinely confused expression.

Now that I think about it, that makes sense.

If we leave them alone, they’ll kill all of us.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I want to kill humans.

But then… who gives out Tower Coins?

A sudden question popped into my head.

Though, my curiosity disappeared the moment I saw the Death Knight striding toward me.

With two skeletons trailing behind and purple energy radiating from his body, he had the overwhelming presence of a true boss.

“My lord.”

A deep voice called out to me.

I looked at the skeleton and casually took another bite of my food.

“Welcome.”

“In one hour, the tower’s gates will open.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The Death Knight then asked me a question.

“Are you certain we do not need to kill the humans?”

“Yes, absolutely, do not kill them.”

“…Understood.”

“And bring me just one of them alive.”

“Yes.”

I had confirmed yesterday that my subordinates could freely move between floors.

So, it was just me who couldn’t.

At the very least, I wanted to move around my own front yard freely.

That’s when I came up with an idea.

“…A brief kidnapping should be fine.”

“A lowly human should be grateful to be spared, let alone see our lord.”

“Meeting the master is an honor in itself.”

My plan was simple: forcibly bring a hunter into the boss room and trigger the countdown.

The moment a hunter steps into the boss room, a countdown begins.

And once the countdown ends, I won’t be stuck here anymore.

Since they’re the ones barging into my home, this much help should be fine.

“If people hear that an S-rank hunter has been kidnapped, they’ll panic. I should broadcast it to show their face.”

“If capturing one alive is too hard, ask Hwarang for help.”

At my words, a very cold, emotionless voice spoke up beside me.

“…If they can’t even manage that, they might as well burn to death like those three yesterday.”

A chilling voice.

Startled, I turned around to see the Sword Demon smiling brightly while placing side dishes into my mouth.

“…What did you just say?”

“Nothing at all.”

The Sword Demon chuckled sweetly.

For the first time, I felt scared of my own subordinates.

* * *

Death Knight.

A Sword Demon sniffling as she cleaned.