Arrival at Pine Breeze
The roughly ten-meter body of the Flame Dragon collapsed in a heap.
From nothing more than a single punch.
The boss monster that Lee Sia and Park Ji-hoo had failed to bring down no matter how desperately they tried now lay dead, a hole punched clean through it by one strike of Yujin's fist.
"That's insane, for real."
Lee Sia let the words slip out before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it. The gap between Yujin's level and theirs was only one. A difference they could close in a single day if they put their minds to it. Levels granted tremendous power, true enough—but never to this degree.
"How the hell are you that strong? You don't even have any special items."
Would Park Ji-hoo suddenly be able to one-shot a Flame Dragon just because he hit level 31? Impossible. The same went for Lee Sia even with Black Wing [C] in her hands. At their current strength, they could not kill a Flame Dragon in one blow even at level 40.
So what kind of monster was Yujin, that he could pull it off without so much as batting an eye?
"It's just know-how. Know-how. Once you pile on a little more experience, you'll be able to do it too."
Of course, given the difference in talent, it would probably take them a good hundred years to actually master it. Yujin answered as if it were nothing and flicked the blood from his knuckles.
Blazing.
Park Ji-hoo's gaze, fixed on him from right beside him, burned far too hot. Despite his appearance, the boy possessed a terrifying competitive fire; his chest was clearly ablaze.
"Don't. At your level right now you couldn't even attempt it."
The Fighting Demon was a genius. Among the useless masses he ranked near the top, right alongside the Sword Empress. Even so, in Yujin's eyes he was still hopelessly lacking. Maybe if the kid ground himself into the dirt for another ten years and hit level 300, but the fist technique Yujin had just displayed was something the current Park Ji-hoo could not even begin to imitate. It demanded perfect harmony between body and mana. A kid who could barely control his own flesh—let alone mana—had no business dreaming of it.
Still, even after hearing that, Park Ji-hoo would never give up. To close even the smallest gap with Yujin, he would cut his sleep and keep grinding. That was the Fighting Demon's true strength.
"Anyway, let's move."
Their business on the 4th Floor was finished. They had hit the levels they wanted, and the Flame Dragon blocking the stairs was dead. All that remained was to climb. Yujin led the two of them—both wearing faces bright with excitement—toward the stairs.
Hope they give me something decent this time.
As he had said before, the Akasha System 2.0 loved superlatives—first, greatest, strongest, fastest. Whenever someone racked up one of those achievements, it almost always shoved a reward into their hands. It had been the same every time so far. When he stepped onto the 2nd Floor. The 3rd. The 4th. He had deliberately taken the lead so he would be the first to set foot on each new floor.
Nothing particularly useful, though.
When he finished the Tutorial Floor and entered the 1st, the reward had been Power Strike [E]—a skill that raised attack power by a trivial amount. Naturally useless to Yujin. Nice to have, but nothing he needed. The other floor rewards had been the same. The Yujin of the first timeline would have been grateful and twisted his brain into knots trying to make use of them. Not anymore.
Still, this is the 5th Floor. Would be nice if something halfway decent dropped.
In the Tower of Light, the 5th Floor held special meaning for players. It wasn't Terra, but it offered a place to rest, various conveniences, and—most importantly—a chance to return to the real world. Everyone looked forward to the floors that came in multiples of five.
Which is exactly why I can't help getting my hopes up.
Maybe something good would appear this time. It was the 5th Floor, after all. Completely baseless expectation. Climbing the stairs, Yujin let out a dry snort. Looking forward to a lucky break like this made him feel like just another ordinary player. Even in his second life, his heart still raced at moments like these.
Whatever. It'll be nothing special.
They were still in the lower floors. Any reward obtainable here was never going to be of real help to him. Forcing down the hope that kept trying to lift its head, Yujin finally reached the top of the stairs.
You are the first to enter the 5th Floor.
Achievement 『Front-runner』 completed.
Achievement reward: Item 『Solar Blade [D]』 has been granted.
"Hm?"
Yujin's eyes widened a fraction. A weapon item? Even on the middle floors above the 50th it would have been rare; receiving a weapon as a reward this deep in the lower floors was a first. Of course, being only the 5th Floor meant it wasn't anything spectacular—but he was still pleased.
I needed a weapon anyway.
Thanks to that bastard Didascalia, his perfectly good Flame Dragon Blade [E] had gone up in smoke. He had been forced to hunt bare-handed ever since. Getting a blade now was a welcome surprise.
Not bad.
A D-grade tachi. Unless Didascalia came sniffing around again, it ought to last him until the 30th Floor. He would swap it out before then, of course.
"Whoa, is this the 5th Floor?"
"Finally…"
The two who followed him onto the 5th Floor spoke in voices thick with joy.
"Pretty nice, right?"
It was a small, beautiful town that looked like it had stepped out of a fantasy film. Nowhere near as large as Terra, but more than big enough for players to pass through and rest. There was something cozy and snug about it; just looking at the place calmed the heart.
That's why so many of them settled here.
The 5th Floor's little town was perfect for the idiots who decided risking their lives to climb higher wasn't worth it.
Pine Breeze.
Named, no doubt, for the pine forests surrounding the town. The pine-scented wind that drifted through those woods was genuinely charming. Yujin let the old memories wash over him for a moment, then shook his head and started walking.
"Let's go in. There are no monsters here."
The 5th Floor was purely a resting zone. No monsters, no dangerous beasts. There was no need to stay on guard.
"Relax your eyes. Aren't you tired?"
That was aimed at Park Ji-hoo. The boy kept scanning the surroundings with every muscle tensed, as if trying to adapt to the unfamiliar environment as fast as possible.
"Ah—yes."
He tried his best to loosen up at Yujin's words. His natural temperament refused to cooperate, though; his body remained wound tight. Even knowing it was safe, a first encounter with a new place forced tension into anyone.
Lee Sia, on the other hand, had relaxed so completely she had practically fallen apart.
"Oh my gosh, this place is so pretty! Wow, what kind of flower is that? It smells amazing. And there's that pine scent drifting everywhere. The village is gorgeous!"
Had she always been this talkative? The Sword Empress of the first timeline hadn't been like this.
Hmm.
Yujin made a faintly uncomfortable face, then let the thought go. He knew perfectly well why she was so worked up.
"Let's head in."
Savoring the familiar vista of Pine Breeze after so long, Yujin walked unhurriedly toward the little town.
"Huh? Players?"
"Wait, weren't they only summoned a few days ago? And they're already here?"
"Whoa, it's true!"
There was no identity check like in Terra. Instead they received the curious stares of the NPCs. The place had fewer than fifty thousand residents—more village than city—and it looked as if every last one of them had come out to gawk. Yet the attention wasn't threatening. Everyone kept a respectful distance and simply watched.
"I kind of feel like we've become a tourist attraction."
"That's because we are."
"What? Why?"
Lee Sia rounded her eyes at him.
"Well. We're the first players to make it this far, so I guess that does it."
More precisely, they were shocked at how quickly the three of them had arrived—but Yujin saw no reason to explain that far. If they asked how he knew, the answer would get awkward.
"So what now? You've got three options."
"What are they?"
"First: rest here for a day, then head up to the 6th Floor tomorrow."
"Rejected."
Well, that was predictable.
"Second: clean up, rest a bit, then head outside for a while."
"And the third?"
"Leave right now."
"Number three! Number three is perfect!"
Park Ji-hoo clearly felt the same; he nodded rapidly.
"Fine by me."
As if he had expected exactly that answer, Yujin never broke stride and headed straight for one particular spot—the plaza at the exact center of Pine Breeze. Flowers of every kind filled the square, creating an atmosphere of perfect peace. In the middle stood a stone pillar that looked like an ancient ruin. At a glance it possessed a refined, antique beauty, but what interested Yujin more was the vast mana coiled inside it.
If I can figure out how to adjust that properly… it might actually be possible.
Even after reaching the summit of the Tower and killing the End itself, Yujin had never fully grasped the power contained in the stone pillars that rose on every fifth floor. This time he intended to study them thoroughly. Used correctly, those pillars could let him pull off something very entertaining.
Later, though.
The hot gazes boring into the back of his head made him cut the thought short and turn around.
"Getting outside is simple. Just put your hand on this rock and pour mana into it."
At his words, Lee Sia's hips started bouncing as if she were about to launch herself at the pillar that very second.
"You know the time you can spend outside is only one week, right?"
"…Is that really true?"
She had heard it from Didascalia back on the Tutorial Floor as well.
"Couldn't we just hide really well?"
Tie themselves up so tight they couldn't move? Or beg family and friends to hold on and never let go?
"You think that would work?"
A sneer touched Yujin's face.
"Remember how you got summoned here the first time?"
Of course she did. The moment the Akasha System notification appeared, they had been yanked away with no chance to resist. The memory drained the color from Lee Sia's face. She had hoped, but of course it was hopeless.
"Don't cling to empty hopes. Exactly one week from now, you'll be pulled back into the Tower the same way you were summoned the first time."
"…Yes."
Seeing her dejected expression, Yujin clicked his tongue inwardly.
Raising them is going to take forever.
Getting swept around by a single emotion like that…
"Just take it easy and enjoy yourselves. A week isn't long, but it's more than enough time to rest properly."
Lee Sia nodded. It would be hard on her heart, but she understood.
"So who wants to go first?"
"Ji-hoo, you go first."
Even now she was looking after the younger Park Ji-hoo. That much, at least, was impressive.
"Thank you."
He bowed to both of them, then placed his hand on the stone pillar. A low hum rose as he drew up his mana the way he had been told. Tiny motes of light spilled out and wrapped around his body.
And then—
Flash!
He vanished. Transported outside the Tower.
Lee Sia swallowed hard and stretched out her own hand.
"S-see you in a week!"
Was she afraid someone might stop her? She frantically poured mana into the pillar and disappeared in the same flash of light.
"Hmm."
Yujin felt the sudden emptiness where the two of them had stood and weighed his options.
Go out? Or stay?
There wasn't any particular reason he needed to leave. Still…
Might as well.
In the first timeline, the last image of the real world that remained in Yujin's mind had been pure ruins. Not a single living soul left. This time would be different.
"Been a while since I saw ordinary people. Might as well go take a look."
And grab some decent food while he was at it. Decision made, Yujin pressed his palm to the stone pillar and released his mana.
A deep, resonant hum—then a brilliant flash of light.