Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Law!
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I stepped forward to follow Yoo Ye-na, but flinched at the pull from behind.
"President..."
Kim Yang gazed at me with worry.
I tried to smile reassuringly, but I wasn't sure if it worked.
I'm good at smiling professionally. But in situations like this, it doesn't come naturally.
"I'm fine, so don't worry. If I don't show up for some reason, come to work tomorrow anyway."
"...Tomorrow, definitely come."
Kim Yang released my sleeve, her expression dark as she saw me off.
Yoo Ye-na glanced back at her, then asked as we walked through the crowd.
"That's the girl from the barbecue place last time."
"She's my employee. She does great work."
"Sheep horns, white hair..."
Yoo Ye-na stopped abruptly in her tracks.
Then she fixed me with a scolding glare.
"The daughter of the Freshness Garden owner."
"How did you know?"
"I investigated."
It felt like our conversation wasn't connecting.
"I mean, why did you investigate her?"
"Why?"
Yoo Ye-na hesitated for a moment before answering curtly, as if fleeing the question.
"It's the reason you used your power for the first time without permission."
"..."
"This is the second time. And she's involved again."
"I'll explain when we get there, but this time it wasn't because of her."
"Fine."
Her words were affirmative, but the atmosphere felt heavy with unease.
Tower Management Bureau.
The organization that manages the Tower, as the name implies.
Each floor has its own subdivided bureau, but they're all part of the same entity.
The United States oversaw the 3rd Floor Earth's Tower Management Bureau.
They maintained the most stable national balance and possessed three of the Seven Apex Hunters.
The bureau itself was located inside the Tower. Given the Tower's immense size, anything could be inside without surprise, and without knowing the way, it was nearly impossible to find.
Surrounded by Yoo Ye-na and the staff, we walked until we reached the end of the corridor, where a large door came into view.
Standing before it was a short-haired Black man in military uniform.
One of America's Seven Apex Hunters, known as "Breakpoint."
Victor Brooke.
Just as our side gave nicknames like Meteor or Night Yaksha, America used their own style for aliases.
It was also a way to foster a sense of belonging across nations.
Victor extended his hand to stop us—no, specifically Yoo Ye-na.
"The executives from each floor are gathered inside."
"..."
"I know you feel friendly toward him, but watch your words."
I thought it was a threat, but it was advice. Being ex-military, his tone was firm.
The door opened, and we entered.
There stood McKellen, the Director of Earth's Tower Management Bureau, at the podium.
Behind him, three large screens displayed each respective world.
One showed clouds and divine symbols.
The Pope of Rajesta Continent sat in his seat.
Another featured a folding screen exuding martial arts vibes, with a distinct human shadow beyond it.
The last was Cyber City.
Elegant script read [AXIS] prominently.
The central control system overseeing Cyber City.
The city-management AI, Axis.
"Welcome, Juseon."
McKellen greeted me in fluent Korean. The faint sweat on his forehead suggested a grueling time.
As I took my place in the center per his guidance, McKellen cleared his throat and began.
"No need to be too tense. This isn't a formal meeting; it's unofficial."
For an "unofficial" gathering, there were far too many heavyweights.
Gazes from all sides looked down on me.
The first to speak was AI Axis.
A chillingly cold proposal.
No malice whatsoever—just a result prioritizing equity and efficiency.
"The reason I activated the Law on Rajesta Continent was the demon."
I began explaining calmly.
"I brought paladins to reinforce the seal on the demon Arhellak at Sillos Cathedral, but an unexpected variable forced me to use it."
Axis responded immediately.
Axis's suggestions were always so logical.
Yoo Ye-na stepped forward as my advocate.
"Evaluating him solely on this incident ignores his clear contributions to the public good."
"The Azure Dragon Descent incident last time. It could've escalated to a second inter-floor war, but he averted it at his discretion. He's undeniably a hidden contributor."
A cold declaration.
But the response to Axis didn't come from Yoo Ye-na.
The man behind the screen, silent until now, replied coldly.
A brief pause.
The man's gaze from beyond the screen pierced right through me.
Silence fell like a declaration that no further debate would be tolerated.
The gazes on me twisted oddly.
In the ensuing quiet, Yoo Ye-na seized the moment.
"Unintended and unknown to many, but Kim Juseon has undoubtedly worked to maintain the Tower's balance. Please recognize that this incident was for the greater good, not personal sentiment."
The Pope chimed in agreement.
Tap, tap.
Drumming his fingers on the armrest, the Pope's expression hardened.
The screens blinked out one by one.
All that remained were the 3rd Floor bureau personnel.
Tension eased, Director McKellen approached, wiping cold sweat with a handkerchief.
"Mr. Kim Juseon, you did well."
"No, Ye-na handled it. I just listened."
"That's what makes it good. The accused defending themselves sounds like excuses."
Click-clack of heels as Yoo Ye-na approached.
She'd advocated like a top corporate lawyer, but her face wasn't bright.
"It went too smoothly than expected."
"Because you spoke so well?"
"Old Martial World was supposed to be the toughest."
Yoo Ye-na gazed at me intently.
She looked like she had a lot to ask.
"I don't know what you've been up to, but it passed, so I'll let it slide."
"What do you mean? I'm a marriage agency president."
I shrugged and smiled; Yoo Ye-na paused briefly.
"Right... marriage agency president."
Her faintly wistful expression prompted the director to laugh and lighten the mood.
"Anyway, it passed. As Ye-na said, Old Martial World was the trickiest, but they took our side. I thought they'd grill us when the Imperial Edict came."
Hm?
"Imperial Edict?"
I asked in surprise, and the director shrugged.
"The 5th Floor bureau belongs to the imperial family, so it was the Emperor's proxy."
"Juseon, why?"
"Nothing."
The Heavenly Sect young master proxy had taken my business card.
Could that be related?
The director patted my shoulder, relieved.
"Anyway, never use the Law again. The 7th Floor might catch on to your existence."
7th Floor.
The land called the Empire of Frost and Iron.
A white hell where fierce snow fell year-round.
My homeland.
"How is it there... now?"
The director shook his head without answering.
I knew it was a pointless question.
He couldn't tell me.
A soft hand slipped into mine.
Yoo Ye-na, now gently holding it, spoke worriedly.
"It's okay. Just live as Kim Juseon."
"..."
"I'll protect you."
Her resolve came through the warmth of her tight grip—
All I could do was smile and nod.
Snow-covered plains.
A colossal wall worthy of being called an impregnable fortress.
Encircled by it, a massive Tower.
Before it stood a tall man in a black uniform, motionless.
His gaze took in hundreds of slaves dragging massive magic beasts subdued by iron chains toward the wall's interior.
The man's name was Yorgan.
The greatest Grand General of the Frost and Iron Empire, Eisenreich.
He was the one who had slain and subjugated legendary magic beasts even in this harsh frozen environment.
"Grand General Yorgan."
An elderly man with wrinkles approached him.
Dead eyes, faint voice.
A gesture laced with worry that the frigid wind might carry his words to others.
"Yesterday, I heard that up to Article 3, Section 1—the highest clause of the Lawbook—was activated."
"..."
"It was brief, so little effect, but probably—"
"My son, I suppose."
Yorgan replied flatly, widening the elder's eyes.
"He's alive! He went down to the lower floors?"
"Seems so."
"Have you told His Majesty?"
"No. He doesn't know."
Eisenreich was a dictatorship.
A single Emperor ruled everything.
90% of the population were slaves, and the Emperor—with his paranoid personality disorder—had installed surveillance cameras exceeding five times the population across the land.
Even inside homes. Privacy didn't exist here.
The reason the Emperor could do this was one.
The existence of the Lawbook.
Earth's Awakening.
Rajesta Continent's mana and holy power.
Old Martial World's internal energy.
Cyber City's oversync.
Each floor's unique power.
For the 7th Floor, it was the Law granted by the Lawbook.
The Law wasn't a power that grew stronger.
It was permitted power.
Not chosen by individuals, but wielded by state-designated figures.
Borrowed from it.
"Records show he often used the basic 'Article 1: Response Acceleration.'"
"...Article 1 is used by so many. He hid well and exploited it."
The elder marveled at the cunning.
Then—
Wooooong!
The Tower behind them began to vibrate.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With smoke, the massive iron gate on the Tower opened—
Cyber City mercenaries poured out.
"What the fuck? Where is this shit?"
"Weren't we going down to Rajesta Continent?"
"Felt like the elevator was going up?"
They were illegal immigrants.
Wanted in Cyber City, unable to operate, paying top dollar to smuggle to 4th Floor Rajesta Continent.
But occasionally.
The Tower glitched and brought them here.
The wanted men looked around.
Slaves dragging building-sized ferocious magic beasts with chains.
And ahead, a tall man with a sword at his waist.
Clearly not Rajesta Continent's Tower—
"Hey, fuck. This isn't the 7th Floor?"
One realized with a flash; the other fugitives cheered.
"7th Floor? Yeah! It is! Heard 1st or 2nd ain't like this!"
"Crazy! Grab anything valuable now! We'll be rich!"
"Kuhahaha! Knew the 7th Floor existed! Bureau hid it to hog the honey!"
A new floor was an untapped goldmine no one had explored.
Exchange with new civilizations meant endless riches, the sooner the better.
Shing—!
No one noticed the sword drawn.
The fugitives' legs severed simultaneously; they crumpled to the ground.
Yorgan's sword, drawn like lightning, returned to its sheath.
"Kaaaaagh!"
"Guhk! Guh, guhk?!"
"Aaaagh!"
The fugitives screamed in sudden agony. Yorgan looked down and declared.
"Silence."
The fugitives' mouths shut.
Their gazes forcibly locked on Yorgan; their tongues numbed, unmoving.
As if this world had stripped them of the right to speak.
"From now on, you will live as slaves."
He pointed to one slave dragging a magic beast with chains. A Rajesta Continent native, legless, crawling on arms, biting the chain with teeth.
"Learn from him how to live without legs—that's your best shot at longevity."
Tears poured from the fugitives' eyes. The horrific future awaiting them was nightmarish.
But while on this 7th Floor.
They could never cry out again.
The Law.
Because this world wouldn't permit it.