Siege of the Abandoned Villa
Just before descending to the Fog Lake.
In the Inter-floor Zone, Kim Yu-na said,
"From now on, you're in command, Kang Hyun."
"Huh? I'm the newbie here, though?"
"But you escaped the 7th floor all by yourself. You know the paths better than anyone. You'd do way better than me."
"...Alright, got it."
It was actually a pretty logical choice.
Kim Yu-na wasn't exactly team leader material anyway.
So it made sense for me—the guy who could pick up info faster and more reliably—to take charge.
Even if it was just the two of us...
It sure beat stumbling around solo looking for the exit.
Whoosh!
We dropped to the 4th floor, and night had already fallen.
The fog made visibility utter garbage, as expected.
Having always lived in the city, it hit me anew.
Was night this dark?
No streetlights, not even moonlight.
"Let's find a hideout first."
"Yeah."
We both had night vision goggles...
But on the 4th floor, they were next to useless.
The fog was just too thick.
'Condition's... holding up.'
I could probably pull off Transcendence once or twice.
'Oh, it's been a while since I last saw you?'
My skill level ticked up for the first time in ages.
Kim Yu-na was leaning on me hard in pitch-black conditions like this.
Without even knowing exactly where we were.
Then, a mantis monster unique to the 4th floor pinged on my senses through the fog.
'Gun? Nah, it's too quiet around here...'
Shing.
I drew the Death Priest's Ritual Tool.
Dagger in my right hand, pistol in my left.
If shit hit the fan, I'd just blast it.
Luckily, the thing didn't spot us and wandered off.
Kim Yu-na hadn't made a peep from behind me.
Shh.
I sheathed the dagger. After a bit of fumbling, I finally clocked our location.
The dorm district on the outskirts of the 4th floor.
Built for the lake's workers and company staff.
'Dorms... there were a few ruins nearby.'
I quickly spotted a decent hideout.
Kim Yu-na looked straight-up impressed.
"You found one this fast? Whew, no need to march all night now."
Go Ji-ho's main group would probably get a bit turned around too, so no rush.
We'd looted plenty on the 5th floor.
All that was left was linking up at the rendezvous.
While Kim Yu-na set up bedding, I rigged a booby trap like I'd learned before.
The trick was keeping buried wires from triggering randomly.
I improvised a brace like the sniper gang had done.
"There, done."
Dexterity Skill level risen to 7
Falling behind like this made skill levels climb way faster.
Not an illusion.
If sniper Sang Ha-jun had been here, he'd have handled it instead.
"Kang Hyun, come on. Kinda chilly, huh?"
"Fog Lake, remember?"
I fired up the Eternally Burning Heart, and the room warmed right up.
With the fog this thick, better to hunker down till morning.
We'd rested two hours in the Inter-floor Zone...
But lying down on the setup made exhaustion hit like a truck.
Real combat tension was no joke.
Plus the Perfect Sense backlash.
Kim Yu-na, camera already out, spoke up.
"Sleep if you're tired. I'll take first watch."
"Gonna film again?"
"Gotta do it when there's downtime. Can't film fights anyway... and even if I could, they're too brutal to use."
Guess this is what it takes to be a top YouTuber.
Everything so quiet, even whispers carried.
"Let's collab again once we're out. Anything but that weird escape game."
She really hated that Tower Escape game from last collab.
Reactions were solid, though.
Well, it was a Geneva Convention violation.
Torturing POWs is a no-go.
Thanks to her consideration, I crashed first.
Having a teammate for watch was bliss.
A few hours later.
I woke naturally and told her, mid-sip of water,
"Your turn, Yu-na."
"You sure? Don't your skills wipe you out?"
"Eh, I've slept plenty."
Check: nearly four hours.
And I had a safety net.
Transcendence backlash was so bad it leveled Regeneration.
Grab the upper skill, and I'd handle the kickback better.
Or just TranscendenceRegeneration itself.
Problem: skills need mana...
Which Regeneration doesn't recover well, so I saved it.
Kim Yu-na killed the camera.
"Wake me if anything happens. Night."
Good thing it was the outskirts—no incidents.
Nearby hunters had all piled into the dorms.
Morning came; we ate and headed for Fog Lake.
Rendezvous: ruined building by the lake.
Fog had thinned a bunch.
"Let's pick up the pace today."
"Got it, team leader."
Even one teammate made a huge mental difference.
Except when she whipped out the camera—then I wanted to scream.
"Whoa, monsters ahead."
"!"
Thinner fog meant they spotted us easier.
I dropped the silent charger with my pistol.
Pfft!
One-shot. Kim Yu-na was impressed.
"Damn, that's quiet."
"Go Ji-ho recommended it."
"He never told me..."
"Too big for your hands, Yu-na."
H&K Mark 23 pistol.
Subsonic rounds make it whisper-quiet.
Designed with suppressors in mind.
Half the noise of a rifle.
Bit big and heavy for a pistol, but the mil-spec vibe? Love it.
We reached Fog Lake without drama.
"Over there."
Rendezvous: two-story abandoned villa.
Empty inside.
Looks fancy, but no loot worth squat.
Kim Yu-na immediately carved a long gash by the fireplace with her knife.
Our arrival signal.
Even if we had to bail, Go Ji-ho's main group would spot it.
"We're ahead, as expected."
"No Perfect Sense on the main group—takes 'em longer."
Sniper Sang Ha-jun's detection was level 8-ish.
Plenty for moving in thinning fog.
But right as we settled...
Massive racket from afar.
BOOM!
"Eek?!"
Kim Yu-na—legit spooked—grabbed her gun and hit the window.
Far off, but loud as hell.
Direction: Fog Village, prime farming spot.
'Too big for regular combat...'
BOOM!
Again.
They were wrecking shop.
"What the hell? Cannon?"
"Not a mortar."
Mortars are pricey and not super portable.
Too much for third-world Tower regulars.
"...Rocket launcher?"
Either way, headache city.
Blasts that loud? Every monster nearby heard it.
We hustled upstairs to scope it.
"Ah... yeah, they're swarming."
Monsters poured down the cleared roads like a dog pack.
3rd-floor zombie horde vibes.
They'd skirt empty buildings...
But exposed hunters? Screwed.
No going out for a while.
Bang, bang!
BOOM!
Combat noise closing in fast.
Fog-lost hunters.
Main group okay, right?
But no time to worry.
"On guard!"
"Huh, why?"
"If hunters are nearby, they'll head here."
"Oh..."
Other buildings by the lake? Pension cluster.
Otherwise, this villa's it.
4th floor's low density means few structures.
Bang, bang!
Gunfire getting closer.
Heading our way.
"Gotta chase 'em off?"
"Yeah."
But if they clocked us as just two, trouble.
I fired warning shots their way.
Pfft!
Bullets thunked into the ground; approaching hunters froze.
"Ah, there's another hunting crew inside!"
Huh?
Familiar accent... but off?
No translation glitch.
I focused my senses on them.
'...North Korean military?'
Five-man hunter team.
Gear's beat to shit.
One officer, four grunts.
Grunts hesitated; officer from behind barked,
"Charge in and break through now!"
Us already dug in, and they wanna rush?
Brain-dead move.
At least surround, grenade the angles, then breach.
Panicking 'cause monsters might show?
Grunts dithered; officer pushed.
"Why you shaking like bitches? Scared of them? Bullet from there or mine here—same diff! So charge forward! Assault now!"
Staying back himself, obviously.
Grunts finally spread out and crept closer.
"Of all things, North Koreans? Those guys are total hardasses..."
"Why?"
"Fail quota over there, it's jail or execution."
Kim Yu-na, uncharacteristically uneasy.
Honestly, no desire to tangle.
Loot? Zilch. Gear? Trash.
Win, get nothing.
But the grunts pretended to approach... then wheeled and hosed the officer.
Rat-tat-tat!
"Gahk..."
Scream, officer down.
They looted his corpse clean, then swarmed off like locusts.
"Whoa, they're smart."
"Yeah..."
Better one useless officer dies than force a breach.
Good I didn't fire first.
If we had, no choice for them either.
"Repelled for now."
When would Go Ji-ho's main group arrive?
Tense wait...
Bang, bang!
Gunfire didn't quit.
I scarfed biscuits and a chocolate bar for lunch.
Kim Yu-na offered jerky.
"Want some? It's tender."
"Whoa, nice! Thanks."
No waste issues, she's a gem.
Couldn't have blown ten mil a month on food, right?
Team dinners were always on the corp card.
Nuts for snacks, added a notch by the fireplace.
One every six hours.
Kim Yu-na resumed filming.
"Oh yeah, made a new catchphrase."
"What?"
"The North Korean troops have completely lost their minds... Whaddya think? 'Completely lost their minds' is the hook. Perfect for Tower vids."
"Hmm... way better than that weird 'jijo jijo' last time."
"R-right?"
Million-sub YouTuber approval.
Maybe she's got real talent.
But the vibe didn't last.
Sunset done, then...
Masses of presences near the villa.
"Gasp... that's a lot."
"How many?"
"...Nine."
"What?!"
Plus four familiar from before.
Extended senses, got the picture.
'Ran into another NK team. New officer's leading.'
New officer wasn't as dumb.
Had his gun out, fully surrounded the villa.
2 vs 9.
Completely lost my mind.
Grenades incoming any sec.
Heaven's Veil might let us slip...
But linking with main group? Back to square one.
Exit's a trek; if I collapsed from backlash, done.
They'd chase forever.
'No choice.'
Can't just run forever.
Pulled a recovery potion from my subspace pouch.
"I'll handle it."
"Too risky! Nine guys!"
"They won't shoot till they breach. Think we haven't noticed."
Villa doors rigged with traps.
Unlike 5th floor, we owned this building.
Proper defense? We got this.
"Yu-na, just watch for grenades. Got it?"
"..."
Shook off her restraining hand, chugged the potion.
Skill backlash hits my body.
More regen, better endurance.
'Potion's not enough.'
Transcendence: Regeneration Skill → Immortal's Blood Skill activated
Fwoosh!
Body responded instantly.
Stamina and mana trickling back, slow but steady.
Committed now—no turning back.
Better end it quick, less strain.
'Sucked in training... but it'll work.'
Transcendence: Perfect Sense → Four Seasons Skill activated
Everything around the villa snapped into crystal clarity.
I shot an incoming grenade mid-air, dropping it to the road.