Climbing the Tower
Lying on the bed, I felt utterly empty. What a letdown.
I’m an S-class Hunter, yet my skills and minions rank higher than me. What the hell?
Then Yeongwon floated over, flustered. “It’s just the Master’s creation. No need to worry about their grades. It’s just… it’s just!”
“Hmm. Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Exactly! Without the Master, we wouldn’t even exist!”
“Heh.”
“Hehe…”
My heart melted at Yeongwon’s flattery. That’s why kings fall for scheming ministers. But how could any man resist a beautiful woman buttering him up?
“Come here!”
I called her over to the bed. She slid right next to me.
“Hehe.”
Squishy. So incredibly soft!
“M-Master…!”
“It’s a ghost and you can touch it?”
“I can control it however I want. Usually I stay in ghost form.”
“Oh, so right now you’re in a state where I can touch you?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Heh… So you wanted me to touch you like this?”
“A-Ah… No… I could feel Master’s emotions, so I adjusted to repay you…”
“Really? You’re amazing. I have to praise you. Squish! Squish!”
I buried my face between two water balloons bigger than her face.
Happiness flooded me. Thinking about it now…
“I miss you every night you stroked me. I’d be happy if you took my life away. Please come back…”
“Hm…?”
“It’s nothing.”
Forget it. Forget everything. That 180mm howitzer is gone now. After the healing from our finger game, I grabbed my phone.
“Yeongwon, can you leave the Necropolis?”
“Yes, Master. I could force it, but the Heavenly Court’s attack would begin.”
“What? You can’t win?”
“I can win inside the Necropolis. But if I don’t receive buffs… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. If you could leave, that’d be too overpowered.”
Knock knock. I tapped the phone.
“Let’s see… Tower of Trials… Hard mode…”
I collected info. The monster on Hard mode floor 1 is the Goblin General.
“Hmm… Yeongwon. If we fight the Goblin General and one skeleton, who wins?”
“…”
“The goblin general wins.”
“What? Then I should give up on Hard mode… I’m S-class…”
I got depressed. Yeongwon immediately slid over, hugged my arm, and said, “Master, with two skeleton soldiers we can win.”
Two plush water balloons wrapped around my arm. Her voice sounded so seductive.
“Yeongwon is my wife.”
“F-Four…?!”
“I decided that. Squish squish!”
That’s how the finger game started again, but my head was elsewhere.
‘Two skeletons? We can do it. In two days I can summon one more.’
Sarak. Yeongwon’s hand wrapped around my waist.
“I will do my best to support Master until you regain your strength.”
“Ugh… Yeongwon….”
Pat pat. Haa… My heart stabilized. Peace settled inside me. I wanted this forever.
Rumble rumble…
But reality was cold. “Yeongwon… can you make food?”
“Of course.”
“Then make some? Just white rice with kimchi on the side.”
“B-But kimchi isn’t available right now.”
Reality hit hard. “Then… just eat with soy sauce.”
“Master….”
The hand wrapped around me tightened. “I can’t forgive you.”
“What?”
“Master eats worse food than prisoners.”
“That’s because I’m poor.”
“Poor.”
I muttered it like someone tasting the word for the first time. “That’s your enemy.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I loosened my grip on Yeongwon and looked into her eyes. “But now we’re together, right?”
“Master…!”
“I’ll escape with you. Alone it would’ve been tough. But you’re not alone, right? I have such a pretty wife. My energy is at its max.”
“A-Ah…! Master…!!!”
Yeongwon teared up with emotion. “Then make food for me? I’m starving.”
“A-At once! I’ll prepare right now!!!”
Whoosh — she vanished in an instant, body passing through the wall.
“Hehe. Bread is great too.”
Aaaah. Without my pepper, I no longer had to be careful. If a man said that, it’d be sexual harassment, but in this form it was just casual.
Queen of Souls. Yeongwon washed rice with a heart wrenching pain. ‘Master…’
The Master who bestowed life. A great being who rules over death. My eternal Master. When I first summoned her and opened my eyes, I was shocked the little girl was my Master. But the overwhelming presence from that small body proved it was the Master’s qualification. No memories from human life, but I knew Master was strong and kind. Now Master is trapped in this little body, drained of power. I understand the struggle because some of Master’s memories have seeped in. But feeling the poverty that torments Master, my chest ached. I absorbed knowledge from countless souls that hovered to the world where Master lives. I absorbed hundreds, thousands of souls, but none ate white rice with just soy sauce. Even death row inmates’ trays had rice, soup, kimchi, and sides.
Sizzle. I put the washed rice into the pot and set it on the fire. Master had no rice cooker. I had to cook with a pot. It was unbearably humiliating. If I could leave the Necropolis… No, at least if I could take Master into the Tower… I would slaughter every enemy blocking Master’s path and drag their souls into eternal torment. ‘Haa… It’s all because I’m lacking.’
The world where Master lives had the Heavenly Court’s power too overwhelming. They even inserted themselves into the middle world as the System, created gates and towers, monsters, and took human souls. I clenched my teeth. I was furious. Even after surpassing the transcendent EX thanks to Master’s grace, I was chained to the System. How pathetic. ‘Even so, now we’re together, right?’ The words Master gave me flashed back. Ecstasy, more ecstasy. Queen of Souls. No. First subordinate of Master. “Poor.” I quietly echoed the word. “The oldest enemy tormenting Master.” Her eyes turned cold. “I can’t forgive you.” “Mold.” “Dust.” “Back rent.” “And this world that made me eat chicken alone.” I clenched both fists. “I, Yeongwon, swear.” “I will definitely offer one whole chicken to Master.” “Not just sweet, but fried too.” “Even if you just eat the skin and discard the meat.” At that moment, a voice came from behind. “What are you muttering to yourself? Hey! Turn down the fire!!!” “A-At…!” Distraction made me lose focus while I calmed down; the pot boiled over. “You know how to cook, right?” “Of course! I got distracted for a moment… Sorry. I’ll focus now.” “Okay, I believe you.” “Yes…”
I was uneasy. Was it right to ask a ghost to make food? So I looked and she was clenching her fists, muttering alone. But soon after, the rice came out perfectly without burning. I ate it with soy sauce as a side dish. After eating, I made her do the dishes and lay on the bed playing games. “When I make money, I’ll buy a computer… and the internet.” One more hole for spending. The next day, the day after… “Finally…!” Two skeletons acquired — Ta-dan! “Congratulations, Master!” “Ahem.” “I will engrave the process of Master’s skeleton soldiers rising into a legion deep in my soul!” “Hehe!” The feeling of my nose rising. Shoulders puffing up, becoming a broad-shouldered guy. I didn’t hate it. It felt really good. “As expected, skeletons should be many. Just two from one, the feeling’s totally different.” “In the future, Master’s skeleton soldiers will pour down like waves and swallow enemies! My heart’s about to burst!!!” “Hehe, great. Come here, Yeongwon. I’ll reward you!” “Yes!” Squish squish. In those few days, Yeongwon listened to my orders obediently and changed a lot. Her speech became more casual, and she acted on command instantly. An adorable student being educated. “Okay, let’s go.” “Please be careful, Master.” “Don’t worry. With two skeletons we can beat the Goblin General, right?” “Yes!” “And we’re connected by a soul contract, so our hearts are linked.” “Exactly!” “Life in the Necropolis is over. Entering the Tower of Trials!” My vision slowly colored. Smiling, Yeongwon waved. I delivered a cool high-five. Then darkness swallowed me. But it felt different from the darkness when the Necropolis was complete. [ Please select difficulty. ] [ Easy / Normal / Hard ] Hard mode rewarded differently from floor 1. Death rate skyrocketed. But I had no money. “Of course Hard. Why ask such a question when I’m S-class and not buying this.” [ Please register name. ] “Gangster.” [ Please register companion. ] “Necromancer Solo.” [ Do you want to enter? ] “Go.” Shuaaaak. The darkness vanished. A space painted entirely white. “This is… the Tower of Trials.” Two dots marked in the white world. One was me. The other was the Goblin. “Hehehe…!” It licked its tongue, drooling. “That bastard…!” Rage surged. The look in its eyes. Flickering legs. I could tell what it was thinking. - Five seconds until the barrier disappears. Prepare for battle. A voice echoed. “Yeongwon!!! Send the skeletons!!!” I shouted. Even though I could think it, anger made me yell loud. Crack crack crack!!! Space split. Two hands shot out and tore the gap left and right. Clink clink… Two skeletons walked through the widened gap. “Go kill it…!” I gestured at the Goblin. The skeletons started running. “Kyaaaaaaaah!!!” The Goblin charged too. I felt something transparent disappearing. The skeletons and Goblin collided. One skeleton hugged the Goblin and tumbled. The Goblin swung its club with the right hand. Another Goblin grabbed that hand. The remaining Goblin bashed the stuck skeletons with its bare hands. Squish squish… Squish… Skeletons attached to the belly tore it open with teeth. Grrruuu…! Crack!!! Skeletons on the arms snapped the bones. “Kyyyyyyyyaaaah!!!!!!!” No matter how strong the Goblin General was, it couldn’t break the bare-handed skeletons clinging to it. The three of them rolled on the floor. But the only things scattered on the white floor were the Goblin’s blood and organs. “Damn it.” The hand that was hitting the skeletons stopped. The skeleton that had been eating the belly looked up. The bones turned red with blood. The skeletons on the arms stood up. They twisted the broken arms to harvest the loot. “Hmm. If it was just one, I would’ve lost.” [ Success in the challenge! ] [ Rewards granted. ] [ Special solo reward granted. ] The system window appeared. I dismissed it. Darkness fell again. I closed my eyes. Light fell on my closed eyelids, and I opened them. “Ta-dama.” I smiled. “O-Oh… Welcome home…!” Yeongwon blushed shyly, greeting me.