The Meeting: Igniting the Inter-Floor War!
"Meeting! - It's time to start the inter-floor war! We must go! We must bring the judgment of fire upon those wicked demons holding our departed as hostages! - Our dead are crying out for salvation! From that cold abyss, our family! Friends! Lovers! We must bring them back!"
"Meeting! - It's time to start the inter-floor war!"
"We must go! We must bring the judgment of fire upon those wicked demons holding our departed as hostages!"
"Our dead are crying out for salvation! From that cold abyss, our family! Friends! Lovers! We must bring them back!"
Having watched the transmitted video to the end, Yu Ye-na—one of the Chilgeuk—gazed at the darkened screen, lost in thought.
Inter-floor war.
The term popping up everywhere lately. It had been confirmed that an organization was scheming to incite one.
Yu Ye-na herself had captured and detained Zhao Wei, a member of that group.
Is it a difference in scale?
The organization kept manufacturing incidents to spark an inter-floor war: the Azure Dragon's descent to Earth, the assassination of the son of the auspicious envoy from the ancient martial world, the unsealing of demons at the Sylos Cathedral, and more. Even beyond the major events, trivial incidents were erupting simultaneously.
This feels like the same breed.
Yu Ye-na suspected Arachino and Yeoeumhoe had a similar puppet master behind them.
She'd heard the abyss demons could resurrect the actual dead, but the claim that all souls were trapped there was hard to swallow.
The radio is lying.
No matter how she sliced it logically, it was impossible.
The real issue was—
It's too big. Over-the-top big. Just how grand is the picture they're painting?
3rd Floor, 4th Floor, 5th Floor. Incidents across multiple layers, all with a clear goal.
Inter-floor war.
Why are they so desperate to start one?
No distinctions, either. If it were something like "3rd Floor versus 4th Floor," she could at least infer motives. But no.
They just want chaos in the Tower. Turmoil as the endgame? Why? What's in it for them?
Tap tap.
As her deliberations dragged on, a notification pinged on Yu Ye-na's phone. The Tower Administration Bureau was convening the layer leaders again.
As Seoul Hunter Association vice president and one of the Chilgeuk, she had to attend.
Everyone's been watching Yeoeumhoe.
Of course. As she moved to head out—
"……."
She suddenly stared at her phone.
The breakneck pace. Incidents everywhere. Someone pulling strings.
No way…….
A name flashed in her mind. After a moment's hesitation, Yu Ye-na let out a short sigh and reached for her phone.
Soon, the call connected.
"Hm? What's up with you calling?"
"Seram, you busy right now?"
"Right now? I'm watching baseball, dude."
"Yeah, well, could you help me with one thing?"
"No request through the company? Straight to me?"
"Yeah, favor. If you can take leave, do it quietly and move in secret."
The sound of Ryu Seram, lounging in her chair, straightening up came through.
"What's the deal?"
"Could you head to Cyber City for me?"
* * *
The after-work drinks crowd had ballooned unintentionally. I'd planned to treat just Renea and Kim Yang, but Beloah and Ophelia tagged along.
"Sushi! Su-shi! Suuuu-shiiii!"
The granny chanting some weird song. She'd loved the sushi last time.
I hadn't planned on buying for four.
"Let's take my car."
Ophelia, who'd parked her sleek SUV by the building. A testament to a single woman's wealth past thirty.
Though the SUV screamed "family aspirations" in a creepy way.
"Shiii! Su-shi-bam!"
What the hell was that? Sliding into shotgun, I casually asked Ophelia.
"How'd that match I set up go? Mr. Whitebait, right?"
"Good-looking, nice place. But that ancient martial world vibe…… Honestly, felt kinda stuffy."
"Got it."
Looked like small talk, but it was work. Clients refine their tastes over dates.
Rarely a match on the first or second try.
I added to Ophelia's profile in my head.
"Where to?"
Ophelia gripped the wheel. I grinned.
"Cheonra Mart's that way, right? Let's hit it."
"Sushi at Cheonra Mart?"
"This hour, they slap discount stickers on the markdowns."
"……."
The seat jolted—probably Kim Yang protesting from the back.
Sue me. You think I can afford sushi for all these people?
"Mart sushi's pretty good these days."
"We'll buy ours, Beloah and me. Just go to a sushi joint."
* * *
Not really a welcome party for Renea—more like a chance to chat with Beloah and Ophelia.
Curious about their visit to Raichen and any Yeoeumhoe links.
"Boss, draft beer here!"
But Ophelia ordering beer the second we sat killed any serious talk.
"Two drafts!"
Post-work beer was irresistible. Especially after just cans lately.
"B-Boss. Booze?"
"Yeah, not driving anyway."
Ophelia'd call a driver.
"Th-Then…… me too."
"This lady too!"
The waiter glanced at Renea. Figured he'd card the kid-looking one.
But he nodded at her elf ears and fetched the beers quick.
The impromptu drinks kicked off. Minus booze-weak Beloah, we all sipped drafts.
Not just sushi—yakitori, takoyaki too, perfect beer snacks.
"Hoo…… So, what's Yeoeumhoe exactly?"
Ignoring Ophelia's beer chug, Beloah looked up from her boiled soybeans, eyes brightening.
Topic finally on her.
"It's…… the gathering of lingering echoes. Made by Arachino, a necromancer from the Abyss Research Club."
Abyss Research Club.
The club of seven geniuses that rocked the Magic Academy. Too radical for conservative mage towers, disbanded despite academy creds.
"Few days back, Arachino came to me. Said he'd made a radio linking to the afterlife."
"Afterlife?"
Godless Lazesta spouting that? Wild.
"Bring a dead person's item to the radio…… Arachino links it with magic, and you hear their voice. L-Like that—."
Beloah panted, unaccustomed to talking so much. I started to say take it slow when Ophelia shoved her phone over.
"Just watch this."
"Hm."
The screen showed a live rebroadcast replay. Personal broadcast style.
"This lady wants to see too!"
"Uh, where."
"Ah, a bit……."
Renea and Kim Yang crowding in was annoying, but it clicked quick.
"So, the souls of the dead are actually trapped on the 1st Floor."
"Demons torment them for fun—"
"To liberate them, we must wage war. Right?"
Beloah's crisp summary nailed it.
More intriguing than expected.
"What a bizarre scam."
They really scammed creatively.
"R-Right."
Kim Yang agreed, but Renea stared blankly at the screen.
"If this were real……."
A lingering reluctance in her pause. I teased her 1,900 years, but that meant endless hellos and goodbyes.
Missing someone? Renea gulped her beer like swallowing her words.
"A…… scam?"
Beloah hesitated, whispering but firm.
"Honestly…… not sure."
"You believe the radio?"
"Not the radio…… Arachino."
Tap tap. Kim Yang slid over sauced yakitori. Eat while talking, her eyes said.
"Arachino…… cried the most when the Abyss Research Club disbanded."
"Surprising. Looks the type who wouldn't."
The phone screen screamed necromancer.
"Back then, we were blending 6th Floor items with magic seamlessly. Arachino led it."
Cyber City tech and Lazesta magic. Hard to imagine the hybrid.
"We all said it wasn't your fault. And it wasn't—just one project."
"Complicated mess."
Ophelia, on her third beer solo, added bitterly.
School days: prodigies sharing brilliant ideas. They shone like stars.
"Arachino wants to prove it now…… he can help the world too."
"……."
"That his research was right."
* * *
Tower Administration Bureau conference room. Same spot Kim Juseon got grilled—layer reps conferencing via screens again.
"3rd Floor Administration assesses high likelihood the radio was manipulated."
Director McKellen stated firmly from the podium. Consensus with the other Chilgeuk.
"The device isn't Lazesta style. Cyber City origin. Meaning info manipulation possible."
Holy See Rep: "If so, how do they recreate exact voices per target?"
"Noise is heavy in the footage. Unstable audio. Tech can mimic voices at that quality."
Holy See Rep: "One or two, maybe. But hundreds confirmed. Nonexistent person's items, living person's…… Holy See tested personally, Yeoeumhoe knew every time."
"Lazesta Continent…… cannot rule out it's real."
Meaning inter-floor war on the table. Targeting demons directly this time.
"Ancient martial world? Cyber City?"
A shadow behind a screen's folding screen replied unmoving.
"Ancient martial world opposes. Yeoeumhoe hasn't touched it."
Only untouched spot. Sensitive spirit beasts blocked electronics, no broadcasts reached.
Cyber City's screen lit next. [AXIS] blinked calmly.
"AXIS agrees with Lazesta Continent."
"Analysis: No clear forgery traces in broadcast audio data."
"Magic, non-scientific domain—AXIS cannot judge definitively."
"Cannot rule out authenticity at present."
McKellen sweated at AXIS's curveball. He loosened his tie, breathing deep.
Next words: Yu Ye-na's proposal.
Is this right?
If she was correct about the inter-floor war instigator—
"3rd Floor requests direct verification."
A cool woman's voice cut in. Yu Ye-na, silent till now, stepped forward with heel clicks.
"I don't see this as spirit, magic, or afterlife issue."
"……Then what do you see it as?"
She hoped for a convincing answer. Yu Ye-na declared firmly after a breath.
"A long-term, calculated scam based on personal data leaks."
The room's air lightened instantly. Too familiar a phrase.
"Yeoeumhoe always demands relics. Relics tie to one's life, relationships, records. They also request partial personal info on registration."
Yu Ye-na continued.
"They collect via relics, recreate desired voices from data."
"Hypothesis understood."
"But Chilgeuk Yu Ye-na's claim has excessive logical leaps."
"Insufficient evidence to pinpoint culprit."
"Agreed, insufficient. Thus, I propose verifying if Yeoeumhoe's hell exists."
"How?"
"……Put someone with zero known info in front of the radio."
She clenched her cold fists. Eyes shut, Yu Ye-na murmured an apology.
Sorry, Juseon.
"7th Floor native. No records here till years ago: Kim Juseon."
"……."
"If Yeoeumhoe's true, they'll summon regardless of floor or info."
But if fake—
"The radio will just spit static."