Unmonghyang
“Whoa!”
Lee Sia marveled aloud.
Following behind Yujin as the second to set foot on the 20th Floor, a fantastical vista had unfolded before her eyes. Forests of every color imaginable. Animals that might have stepped straight out of a fairy tale wandered the ground in perfect peace. So this was the Dream Garden. The name suited the place far too well.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
“Whoa, look over there! A unicorn!”
“Think it gives a lot of exp?”
The others were much the same. Some were moved by the sheer beauty. Some were stunned by the sight of creatures that had only ever lived in imagination. And then there was the extreme T-type who immediately thought of experience points. Reactions varied wildly, yet every face wore the same look of astonishment.
It’s been a while.
Yujin, too, wore a faintly nostalgic expression as he took in the surroundings. The 20th Floor. In the first timeline he had spent quite a long stretch of time in this place called the Dream Garden. There had been several reasons. First had been recovering from the injuries he took fighting the Holy Dragon. Second had been letting his exhausted body and mind rest. Climbing all the way here had left him worn down, both physically and mentally. The Dream Garden offered any number of spots designed to restore a player. Simply visiting them washed away every scrap of fatigue that had accumulated without anyone noticing. So Yujin, along with countless other players, had chosen to linger here for a while.
But that wasn’t everything.
This floor was overflowing with fortuitous encounters. No—it would not be an exaggeration to say the entire place was made of them. Yank a single weed by the roadside and one or two times out of ten it turned out to be an elixir. Skills and traits turned up with almost casual frequency. A true treasure trove of opportunities. Most players stayed for months on end, healing body and mind while grinding their specs higher.
I did the same.
Terra and the Dream Garden. Those were the two places inside the Tower where Yujin had spent the most time. He had remained here for at least half a year.
Not that long this time around, though.
Of course Yujin already knew the locations of the countless opportunities hidden throughout this floor. Some he had obtained himself. Others he had heard of through rumors. Still more had come from information guilds. Half a year would not be necessary. Even so, he would still have to stay for a considerable stretch.
Because there are things you can’t get just by knowing about them.
Skills that only opened after passing a trial of qualification. Traits locked behind locations that appeared only at certain times. Items awarded only after completing dozens of linked quests. There were dozens—hundreds—of such things. And naturally, the harder they were to obtain, the higher their value. Which meant he had no choice but to remain on the 20th Floor for a long while.
Even using every scrap of information I have…
It would take three months. That was Yujin’s estimate. It might take even longer.
By then, most of the ones who are going to make it up here will have arrived.
Three months. Plenty of time for the latecomers still climbing hard to reach the 20th Floor.
“Head that way and you’ll find a place to rest. Rest if you want, head outside if you want. Do as you please.”
Everyone except the 3 No would split up here. There was no reason to shove opportunities into other people’s mouths. He had no desire to, either.
Well, if the chance comes up I can grab a few for Kang Mu-hyun.
Yujin gave a careless wave of his hand and strode ahead with the 3 No in tow.
“Mister. Mister.”
Lee Sia called after him.
“What?”
“Are you going outside this time too?”
“No.”
Yujin shook his head.
“Huh? Why not?”
Sia’s eyes went round.
“No need.”
For the time being he was fine. Lee Ki-seok was moving diligently on the outside, and the weapons stored inside the Chunbae Cannon were still practically endless. Until he needed resupply or until Ki-seok’s research produced results, there was no reason to leave. Better to spend that time harvesting opportunities here.
“…Then are we going out on our own?”
“Suit yourselves.”
Yujin scowled as if the whole conversation was a nuisance and quickened his pace. Sia’s lips jutted out in a pout.
“What’re you planning to do with Sis while we’re gone—”
“Shut it.”
Vivian’s voice, thick with killing intent, sealed the girl’s mouth shut.
“You three are going out regularly. Check the situation outside and drop by SID every so often to get updates.”
He would have preferred not to care, but the outside world still mattered. Especially Lee Ki-seok’s SID. The progress of their research could very well decide the speed of their climb through the Tower.
“You never go out yourself, yet you’re always ordering us around.”
The endless grumbling reached his ears, but he ignored it completely. After they had walked for some time, a beautiful city came into view ahead. A city that suited the name Dream Garden almost too perfectly. The scenery looked as though fairies themselves might live there.
“Ji-hoo, hurry up, let’s go!”
“Y-Yes!”
Lee Sia and Park Ji-hoo sprinted forward; Vivian’s steps quickened as well. The others were no different. Whether from exhaustion or simply because the city had caught their fancy, their pace gradually increased. The freeloaders and the junkies in particular shot ahead like streaks of light and all but vanished.
“Wait for us!”
“You’re not leaving us behind!”
The rabble shouted noisily as they scrambled after them.
That was when it happened.
“What is the name of that city?”
Unlike the others, Kang Mu-hyun had matched Yujin’s stride and now asked the question.
“Unmonghyang.”
“…A fitting name.”
“Yeah.”
It truly did look like a city out of a dream.
“Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you intend to part ways with us.”
“You’re quick on the uptake.”
Yujin nodded casually at the observation.
“I can’t keep dragging you lot around forever. We need to climb higher, and faster.”
“I understand.”
The 19th Floor. There, Kang Mu-hyun had felt the gap between them with painful clarity. He could never keep pace with Yujin’s party. Perhaps much later—but not now. He would only hold them back. That much was certain.
“When might we meet again?”
“Hmm. Hard to say.”
Yujin scratched his head. The gap would gradually close. Not the gap in skill, but the gap between floors. Difficulty would rise, and places that a small group simply could not clear would inevitably appear. With enough strength one could force through even those, of course…
The problem is how long it takes.
Even Yujin had needed a full nine years to reach the summit. The final year he had spent fighting the apocalypse. Ten years in total. This time it would be far faster, yet there would still come moments when he had no choice but to join forces with other players.
“Around the 50th Floor, I suppose we’ll see each other again?”
“…The 50th Floor.”
Kang Mu-hyun let out a hollow laugh. The number felt impossibly distant. They had only just reached the 20th; he could not even begin to imagine when he might arrive there.
“It won’t take that long. Depends on you, though.”
Yujin flicked a glance at him and continued.
“Get a lot out of this place. Even if it means wasting some time, grab everything you can before you go up. It’ll help.”
He did not say what to obtain. But that was enough. Kang Mu-hyun seemed to understand the meaning behind the words alone.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll run until the soles of my feet catch fire.”
“If you don’t want to end up alone, take proper care of your companions. Honestly, they don’t help all that much, do they? At this rate you’ll lose them before long.”
Kim Jihye and Lim Ayeong. Objectively speaking, their skill was not bad. But that was all. There was nothing special about them. If one went looking for players of similar caliber, thousands would turn up without difficulty. Which meant their odds of dying without ever climbing higher were high.
“I know.”
Kang Mu-hyun offered a bitter smile. Of course he knew. That was precisely why he had been swinging his spear like a madman, pushing past every limit. If not for him, Kim Jihye and Lim Ayeong would already have… He shook his head before the thought finished. He did not want to entertain dark possibilities. Right now every scrap of energy had to be poured into improvement. Negative distractions were to be excluded as thoroughly as possible.
“You’ll manage somehow.”
Yujin did not bother adding anything more. If it was Kang Mu-hyun—if it was his level of skill—he would find a way. As long as one particular problem was solved.
“Speaking of which.”
“Please go on.”
“Among the players there are some real pieces of shit, you know?”
“I have seen them. The ones drunk on their own power, running around committing every kind of idiocy.”
“Yeah, those are trash too. But not the real pieces of shit.”
What Yujin meant were the Ten Evils. The miserable bastards who would one day take Kang Mu-hyun’s life.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Watch yourself. Besides your own companions, don’t get close to anyone else. They might be the pieces of shit I’m talking about. If something feels off, stab first. That’s how you stay alive.”
Kang Mu-hyun’s expression turned awkward. Stab first if something feels off? He could not see how that made Yujin any different from the trash he was describing. Yet Yujin’s voice was deadly serious.
“Take it to heart.”
That single line somehow pressed down on Kang Mu-hyun’s chest.
“Understood.”
In the end he nodded.
“Good.”
Yujin looked satisfied.
“Ah, and see that cliff over there?”
He pointed. Far in the distance, a breathtaking sheer cliff half-veiled by picture-perfect clouds came into view—an absolute precipice cut as clean and flat as a mirror.
“Magnificent.”
“It’s more than just magnificent.”
Yujin added one more thing in the tone of a casual aside.
“If you go there, you should be able to get something you need. Won’t be easy, but give it a shot.”
Kang Mu-hyun tilted his head. They had only just set foot on the 20th Floor. Yet Yujin spoke as if he already knew the place intimately. It had happened several times before. A quiet question carved itself into Kang Mu-hyun’s mind.
“What is there?”
“Something good.”
Yujin gave no further answer. He would find out once he went.
“Lastly—if you need anything, contact me anytime.”
“Is there a way to reach you?”
If Yujin climbed higher first, Kang Mu-hyun would not even be able to hear news of him, let alone make contact.
“Just do it outside. Exchange numbers with my kids and check in with them every so often. They’ll pass the message along.”
“Ah. That would work.”
At the completely unexpected method, Kang Mu-hyun smacked his own forehead.
“But wouldn’t it be simpler if you just gave me your number directly?”
That would be far more convenient.
“I don’t have a hobby of handing my number out to guys. Besides, I won’t be going outside much.”
Yujin smirked and raised a hand.
“Well, I’m off first. Don’t die. If we can meet again, let’s meet.”
He strolled into Unmonghyang like a man without a care in the world. Kang Mu-hyun hurriedly tried to follow, yet astonishingly the distance refused to close—even when he poured mana into his legs.
“Hah. Well then.”
He finally stopped and scratched his head. Yujin’s figure had already vanished long ago. Kang Mu-hyun stared quietly at the entrance of Unmonghyang before turning his gaze elsewhere.
“Something I need, huh…”
He still had no idea what it might be. But the words had come from Yujin; they would not be empty. Kang Mu-hyun decided he would step outside briefly with his companions, then pay a visit to that cliff.