A Century's Trek to the Eastern Sea
Our tribe, following my orders, began shifting gradually eastward—toward the sunrise—starting that very day. With such a large group and food shortages to contend with, we couldn't relocate everyone at once. We had to take our time, moving bit by bit over the years. If there were other tribes nearby, we'd raid them along the way. We'd halt migrations for hunts, raids, or outbreaks of disease. No moving in the bitter cold of winter, nor right before it hit—we had to prepare for survival first.
Hmm, this migration process feels kinda boring. Guess I'll bump it up to 1024x speed.
I activated the 1024x fast-forward and let time fly. As we steadily inched toward the sunrise, decades slipped by. Folks I vaguely remembered—like Dodokke, Ingchil, or Engsun—were all long dead. Roughly a century had passed. My first-generation kids, the daughters and sons you could call that, had kicked the bucket too. Even my grandchildren were grandparent-aged now.
Yet I remained young and hale, something of a divine figure in our tribe. As we migrated, rumors of our tribe—and me—spread to neighboring groups. They called me "Khan." No idea why. Anyway, that became my title.
About a hundred years after we started migrating, I—or rather, our tribe—reached the eastern edge, right up against the sea.
"Father, it looks like this is the end of the world. Where do we go now?"
"Uh... hmm. Hold on a sec."
I returned to reality. Time hadn't budged here either, and there was my cute little sister eyeing me suspiciously.
"Little sis, I've got a confession to make. You're gonna love this."
"...You just went into the Tower again, right? Time doesn't pass in reality while you're inside, so that's why your face changes like that. Yeah? You've spent ages in there, like the protagonist in that novel. Am I right?"
"Yeah, spot on. ...Phew, keep this secret from the rest of the family for now, okay?"
"Heehee. Yeah! Yeah! I'll keep it secret. So, what happened? How far'd you get? From your face, you hit the 'sea,' right? But it doesn't feel like the Korean Peninsula, does it?"
"Whoa, how'd you know?"
"I can read your face like a book. ...So, you can bring me in too, right? You told me the whole story pretending it was a novel. The protagonist got some kinda companion entry pass in the Tower. I can come too, yeah? Heehee, this is exciting!"
Little sis was bouncing around, dying to dive into the Tower.
"Haa... alright, let's go together."
I messaged the System to request companion entry for my little sister.
"Whoaaa!!! It's real!!! A System window just popped up in front of me! Asking if I wanna enter with you. I just hit 'Yes,' right?"
"Yeah. System says that'll link you with me."
"Okay, hitting it. ...But this time, just you and me. When you pop out for a break, tell the family and bring 'em all into the Tower's civilized world. Mom and the sisters will love it. We've got that insurance—your rescue skill—in case shit hits the fan. You can chill on some comfy floor alone, wait out the cooldown, and keep using it. Got it?"
Since I'd spilled my story to her like it was a novel, she knew all my skills inside out. Maybe that's why she was cool heading to Tower Floor 9—where subspace doesn't work and healing potions are useless—trusting my "True Ultimate Rescue" skill.
"...Huh? Yeah. Don't worry, I know this stuff way better than you."
"Gotcha, oppa. I trust you."
"But you're planning to bring Big Sis, Second Sis, Fourth Sis, and Mom too? Didn't see that coming. Thought you'd wanna hog me all to yourself."
"Try telling the sisters and Mom later that we've been having fun just the two of us. Even if you get away with it, I'd be 100% iced out by them. I'm already under fire for breaking the pact and taking your virginity—getting the side-eye and jealousy nonstop. If this got out, I'd be homeless from the mansion. Got it, oppa? Do it for me~?"
"Alright, no worries."
"Heehee. Then let's go."
I told the System we were heading to Floor 9, and just like always, we were inside the Tower world. With my adorable real-world little sister by my side.
"Woooow~~~!!! It's real!!! Insane! Totally insane! No way...!!!"
She was jumping for joy, eyes wide at this new world. She seemed deeply moved.
"...Tribal Chief? Who's that girl? ...She's stunning, like a goddess."
"My little sister. Descended from the heavens with me. Treat her like you treat me. And if you don't listen to her, you're dead."
"...!!!"
With my ironclad endorsement, my little sister instantly became the tribe's top star.
I also handed her management of all the pussies (women), just like in reality. Kinda like... what was it? The head of the inner palace from some historical drama.
"Oppa, let's head south. This looks like Primorsky Krai to me. Go south, swing a bit west, then straight south again—that'll get us to the Korean Peninsula."
"Primorsky Krai? ...Oh, yeah, Primorsky Krai... Wait, how do you even know that? The knowledge restriction on directions and place names got lifted...?"
"Oppa, are you seriously that dumb? You never experimented to figure out the knowledge ban? It lifts once enough tribesfolk grasp concepts like 'directions.' It's not some smartphone or internet shit that's hard for primitives—why haven't you established directions or place names by now?"
"Uh... y-yeah, makes sense. But now we know, right?"
"No, oppa, what the... You've been running this tribe like nomadic bandits? Haa, I gotta bring Mom and the sisters ASAP. The whole structure's a mess—you've just been doing whatever your dick wants."
"...Ahem, little sis. The tribe's listening—don't roast me too hard. I'm still the chief, y'know."
"I'm only holding back 'cause they're here. Haa, anyway, we need to settle down and become a sedentary people first. Can't build civilization as nomads. Nomadism has perks, but at least semi-sedentary. Gotta farm, right? Wandering forever has limits."
"Yeah, fair point."
"The trial's 'Settle and Farm.' Let's hustle south. Korea's right around the corner. But why Korea? Manchuria or China looked fine. Or we build ships, cross the Bering Strait via Alaska to America? ...Nah, too much. Storms there are brutal. Dragging the whole tribe? No way."
"Nah. Hate other lands. Seoul! Seoul it is! Korean origins start in Seoul. Our capital's Seoul by customary constitution. Constitutional Court said so! Not in the text, but customary law makes it official. Something about watermelons too, I think."
"Haa... f-fuck. ...Got a lot to say, but won't. Fine, do what you want. Head south to settle first. We can move the capital to America later once ship tech advances. No point rushing and exhausting the soil. Humans weaken it over millennia once farming starts."
As little sis said, I led the tribe south. And while traveling with her, we fucked like crazy... and I knocked her up again.
Huh?
"Little sis, why're you pregnant again? You were already expecting in reality...?"
"Oppa, you don't know? Entering the Tower wipes all combat-related status effects. Even folks with missing limbs who survived trials said Tower life was better. Pregnant women get un-pregnanted inside. Solve the trial, exit, and boom—pregnant again. Got it?"
"Oh... yeah, that rings a bell. Saw it on TV news or something."
People too impaired to choose difficulty got auto-assigned by the Tower, as the System once explained. But for those with sound judgment despite physical disabilities, it gave fully healed bodies for the trials. Of course, exit the Tower after clearing, and you're back to disabled. Though superhuman versions now. Some got recovery skills or traits, healing fast in reality. Plus, with healing potions available outside, superhuman disabled bought 'em up.
Prime examples: Japan's former "Blind Swordsman," a Level 50 superhuman, and Taiwan's former "One-Armed Swordsman," also Level 50. The "former" tag? They cured their disabilities with potions and other treatments.