Chapter 8 : Top Open (2)

I feel uneasy, deeply uneasy.

“Uuuuuuuh…….”

“M-Master?”

“Huuuuuum…….”

With my arms crossed, I paced back and forth across the yard, doing my best to express my anxiety.

“Sword Demon, Hwarang and Death Knight… they’re not going overboard, right?”

“No way.”

Sword Demon laughed and swung her broom through the air.

“If they do, I’ll go cut off their heads.”

“…Th-That’s a bit extreme. Just… maybe flick them on the forehead with the broom instead….”

At my words, Sword Demon tilted her head.

“…I could still cut off their heads with just a broom, though?”

“…Huh?”

“Do you know how many Tower Coins I’ve earned? My strength has nearly doubled!”

She giggled as she ran over to grab her sword, which had been resting beside me.

The way she hugged the massive weapon, which was even bigger than she was, looked oddly adorable.

“Master, throw a log into the air for me!”

I was watching, drooling a little in anticipation, when suddenly, she made an unreasonable request.

“Uh, can I even do that?”

“Eh? Of course, you can!”

She beamed, thinking I was joking.

I smiled awkwardly and walked over to the pile of logs.

‘She wants me to throw this? Into the air?’

Even if I could somehow throw it, what was she planning to do with it?

Curious, I reached out to give one of the logs a light push with my finger.

CRACK!!!

I barely touched it, but the log split in half with a thunderous sound.

Everything inside the Tower is reinforced with magic, making it nearly impossible to break.

“?”

“Huh.”

Yet, it had shattered just because I nudged it.

“W-We took a while to chop those down…!!”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s amazing!”

Sword Demon’s eyes sparkled as she jumped up and down excitedly.

‘With this much strength, I might be able to lift a log if I just control my power a little…’

As long as I didn’t overdo it, I should be able to lift one easily.

I carefully grasped a log like I was holding an egg and lifted it.

“…Oh, this actually works.”

As I swung it around, the air whooshed violently, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Now! Throw it!”

“Ah, okay.”

Sword Demon hopped around, waving her arms excitedly.

The slightly oversized maid outfit she wore fluttered as she moved—it was kind of cute.

“Here, here!”

“Hoi!”

BOOM!!!!!

“!!”

The log flew much faster than expected.

A sharp whoosh cut through the air as it rocketed forward, and my eyes widened in shock.

Meanwhile, Sword Demon, far in the distance, had already closed her eyes and rested a hand on the hilt of her sword.

Had she shut her eyes without even seeing it coming?

If so, this was bad.

We’d only known each other for a day, but I’d grown fond of her.

I didn’t want her to die so meaninglessly by my own hands.

“Get out of the w—!!”

Just as I was about to shout.

FLASH!

A crimson gleam flickered from her sword, and the log, which had been hurtling toward her at terrifying speed, suddenly stopped midair.

Then, with a loud thud, it tumbled to the ground.

“What… what just happened?”

Sword Demon remained in the exact same posture, hand on her sword.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

“Ta-da! How was that?”

“…Huh?”

“You threw it faster than I expected, so I panicked a little, but I still did a good job, right?!”

“……?”

She clutched her sword to her chest and ran toward me, eyes sparkling as if waiting for praise.

“Uh… wait, so you did that?”

“…Yes. Did I not do well?”

When I asked again, her shoulders slumped.

Ah, she looks like a puppy.

Her expression reminded me of puppi, the dog I used to have when I was little.

“…I-It’s just that Master threw it too fast this time…! Th-That’s why! If you give me one more chance….”

As I stood there reminiscing, staring blankly at Sword Demon, she flailed her arms in the air, desperately trying to explain herself.

Even that was adorable.

She looked like a child, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Aww, you did such a good job! So it was you, Sword Demon! Good job, good job!”

“Uuuhhh…….”

Before I knew it, I was squeezing her cheeks.

She blinked in surprise, flustered as I continued poking at her face.

“D-Did I do well?”

“Yeah, you did great.”

“Phew… I thought you were going to kill me!”

“H-Hey, I don’t just go around killing people.”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, as if she’d really been frightened.

Was it because of what happened yesterday, when I wiped out those three in an instant?

Maybe I scared her too much.

“Sorry, I misjudged my strength and threw it harder than I meant to.”

“It’s okay! If it were before I got Tower Coins, I’d probably be dead, but I’m strong now!”

She giggled, and I ruffled her hair.

At that moment.

[The Tower has opened!]

[The vanguard is entering the Tower!]

[Initiating surveillance!]

The system messages popped up, notifying me that the attack on my Tower had begun.

A massive screen appeared in front of me, displaying a real-time feed of the hunters.

“…Sword Demon, the others will handle this well, right?”

“If they don’t want to die, they’ll have to.”

“…I told you, we’re not killing them.”

“Yes, sir.”

It seemed like she couldn’t see the screen.

With no other choice, I sat alone, watching nervously.

***

8:30 AM in the morning.

In front of the Tower of the Benevolent Nine-Tailed Fox, a massive crowd had gathered.

Most were reporters, but mixed among them were leeches hoping to capitalize on the event.

Of course, they were quickly caught by the black-suited agents from the Hunter Surveillance Bureau and kicked out.

Amidst the chaos, ten minutes passed.

Then, five hunters finally appeared.

Naturally, all eyes were on the one leading the group.

“Choi Hanseong, sir! What do you think about this SSS-class Tower?”

“Hanseong, as the number one hunter, what’s your take on this situation?”

“After the Hunter Conference, no information was released! What’s going on?”

Choi Hanseong, the top-ranked hunter and leader of the top guild.

With twenty minutes left before the Tower’s opening, the hunters were bombarded with questions.

But they only gave four responses: We’ll do our best.

We can’t say anything.

No comment.

Watch the broadcast when we enter.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have responded this way.

But this was an unprecedented, top-tier Tower.

To enter a Tower with a higher rank than yourself with only one party was an immense burden.

Even top-tier hunters were still human.

They were nervous.

And since all discussions from the Hunter Conference and ongoing research were classified, they couldn’t say much.

“…Please support us.”

“We will return alive, no matter what.”

With those final words, Hanseong and his team entered the Tower.

[You are now entering the Tower of the Benevolent Nine-Tailed Fox!]

[May luck be on your side!]

That same system message always appeared when entering a Tower.

But today, it felt heavier than ever.

***

Inside the Tower.

“Hyung, something’s wrong.”

“…Master, what the hell is this?”

“…This is strange.”

The hunters who stepped into the first floor were utterly baffled.

They had expected lush Korean-style fields or forests.

But their predictions were completely off.

A sky shrouded in violet storm clouds.

And before them,A massive, black castle.

Not the interior of the castle—just its enormous front gates.

‘The monsters must be inside that castle.’

Hanseong had seen a place like this before.

The interior of the Tower of Honor in England looked just like this.

The only difference was that, in the Tower of Honor, this kind of setting was found at the top floor—Whereas in the Nine-Tailed Fox Tower, it was at the very bottom.

A first floor that looked like a boss room.

The hunters, overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events, hesitated at the entrance.

“Hey, old guys, are we in big trouble?”

“…Hanyul, I’m scared.”

“I-It’s okay, Yuna-unnie. Deep breaths. Master, what do we do? Do we back out now?”

Hanyul, who had been calming Yuna down, turned to Hanseong for guidance.

Without answering, Hanseong carefully scanned their surroundings, analyzing the Tower’s interior.

“…Yuna, can you hold on just a little longer? We don’t have enough information.”

After saying that, Hanseong gestured for Chanseok to start recording.

“…It’s on.”

“Even if we die here, this information must make it out.”

Hanseong spoke firmly, locking eyes with Yuna and Chanseok.

“If it comes down to it, I’ll stay behind. Chanseok, Yuna—you take everyone and run.”

“…Hyung?”

“Chanseok, even if I die, don’t try to help me.”

“…What are you saying?”

“Hanyul only has offensive magic. You’re the only one who can teleport everyone out.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll buy time. Teleportation takes too long.”

With that, Hanseong walked over to Yuna.

“…Yuna, if I die here, you need to quit being a hunter.”

“…Oppa?”

“……Even if you’re an S-rank healer, how can you keep working as a hunter while dealing with PTSD?”

“Don’t say things like that….”

Hanseong let out a small chuckle before approaching the castle gate.

“…Chanseok, cloak yourself the moment we step inside.”

Though tense, Hanseong hid his anxiety as he drew his sword.

“…Hyung, we’re going in.”

“Alright.”

Kim Junghan, the tank, raised his shield and pushed open the massive doors.

Anticipating an immediate ambush, Hanyul began casting protective spells from the rear, while Yuna reinforced everyone’s bodies.

Fully prepared, they stepped into the castle.

And at the far end of the hall.

“So, you’ve finally arrived.”

A chilling, deep voice resonated through the room.

A Death Knight sat regally atop a throne, blocking their path.

Boom!!

“Hiiik?!”

The castle doors slammed shut behind them, making Yuna yelp in surprise.

“Shall we begin?”

The Death Knight leveled its sword at them, waiting for their response.