Betrayal in the Storage Zone
The third floor of the Tower of Trials was, compared to the floors below, one of the few places where humans could still live with some semblance of comfort.
There was less dust drifting in, making it easier to breathe, and food and water rarely became contaminated. That was why supplies bound for the first and second floors were stored here.
Because of the sheer volume of stored goods, this area—aside from the main gate on the first floor—had the largest deployment of guard personnel.
“The presence cuts off right here.”
Yeon Cheong had slipped past the guards on the first and second floors with ease. There were almost no one left who could stop him now.
After all, he had not risen to the position of top janitor for nothing. Even the tower’s strongest fighters struggled to contain him.
“He’s still alive.”
Yeon Cheong scanned the third floor. Unlike the dust-choked haze of the lower levels, the air here was clear, giving him an unobstructed view of everything happening around him.
Still, he had to move quickly. Every event inside the tower was reported straight to those above. Especially when it involved something as critical as an artifact, the information flowed directly upward, making theft nearly impossible.
The tower’s tightly woven intelligence network spread any news through the janitor network within hours, feeding straight into the minds of the upper echelons. The culture of informants made any conspicuous movement even riskier.
“Presence detected.”
Yeon Cheong kept his body low and scouted the surroundings. If any suspicious figure appeared, the third-floor residents would report it immediately, so he had to stay silent.
“I might as well try Yeongdeung.”
The person currently holding the artifact was Andrew. Since his life force had not yet faded, he was still alive. Yeon Cheong needed to find him, recover the time artifact, and escape the tower. Even with his strength, surviving outside without the artifact’s power would be nearly impossible.
Woong.
As Yeon Cheong closed his eyes and focused, clear lines of energy appeared in his pitch-black vision. Yeongdeung—the technique that had made his janitor work effortless, the ultimate martial art of assassins. It allowed him to sense the life force emitted by living beings and suppress his own presence to vanish from sight. The more he trained it, the wider its range and the longer its duration became, until he could erase his presence completely.
“Over there.”
Through Yeongdeung, Yeon Cheong immediately located Andrew’s presence. Their long time together made it easy to find him once he concentrated.
“This isn’t good.”
Andrew’s energy was steadily fading. It was clear he was dying. The rhythm of his life force dimmed like a dying flame, spurring Yeon Cheong’s steps faster.
Tatatak!
Yeon Cheong raced across the rooftops of wooden buildings, cutting through the wind. The closer he drew to Andrew, the weaker the presence became, until it finally flickered out like the last ember of a fire.
“Damn it. I’m too late.”
Yeon Cheong stopped and stared ahead. At the end of his gaze lay Andrew’s corpse, abandoned where it had fallen.
Since the time artifact was what he needed, he decided to search the body. A large stab wound marked Andrew’s chest, and a deep gash ran across his neck. He had not died peacefully.
“Did they take the artifact?”
Yeon Cheong rifled through the pockets, knowing exactly where Andrew had kept it. His fingers brushed against the familiar shape—a broken pocket watch with its hour and minute hands snapped off. It looked like nothing more than scrap metal, hardly something sacred.
“Found it.”
Yeon Cheong quickly pocketed the artifact and straightened up. At that moment, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
“It’s been a while, senior.”
The man who spoke had a long scar running from his lips to his cheek. It was Kim Gil-su, Yeon Cheong’s junior janitor.
‘They left the body on purpose.’
They had known Yeon Cheong possessed Yeongdeung, so they had predicted he would sense the presence and come. They had slit Andrew’s artery to let him bleed out slowly while hiding nearby, waiting. Their countermeasure against Yeongdeung had worked, at least partially.
“Looks like Senior Na-young failed, huh?”
Gil-su wiped Andrew’s blood from his sword and smiled as he continued.
“...”
Several other janitors stood beside Gil-su—handpicked elites sent by those above. If it came to a direct fight, victory was far from guaranteed.
“Why do the higher-ups want me dead? It would’ve been easier to just leave me alone.”
Yeon Cheong asked the fundamental question. He had devoted himself to the tower and handled every dirty job. Being discarded like trash now made no sense.
“Who knows? Maybe they just didn’t like you. You’ve been a thorn in their side for a long time.”
“...What?”
“A first-floor resident who somehow clawed his way up here.”
Gil-su’s eyes changed as he glared at Yeon Cheong. Yeon Cheong nodded, understanding the inferiority complex behind that gaze. Gil-su came from the upper floors, after all.
‘They used me until they couldn’t anymore, and the moment I tried to sit at their table, they decided to get rid of me.’
Anger surged inside Yeon Cheong. There was no reward for everything he had done—only exploitation, followed by this betrayal. It was absurd, yet all he could do was laugh bitterly.
The Tower of Trials was rotten at its core. The fact that he had twisted himself to survive in such a broken place suddenly felt pathetic. Deep regret stabbed through his chest and into his mind.
‘Jin Hong.’
Yeon Cheong forced himself to calm down. Thinking of the person who had died for him made it impossible to accept dying here.
“I was thinking this might be a good chance to kill you and take the top janitor spot for myself...”
Yeon Cheong clicked his tongue at Gil-su’s ridiculous dream.
“A hundred years too early for that, kid.”
Gil-su’s face flushed red at the jab. He was a relatively new janitor. Even with veteran janitors surrounding Yeon Cheong, defeating him was nearly impossible. There was a clear difference between “victory isn’t guaranteed” and “victory is impossible.” Yeon Cheong was confident in his skills and fully intended to wipe out everyone present.
‘The environment isn’t ideal, though.’
The open space worked against him. Someone who relied on stealth and surprise attacks was at a disadvantage in such an exposed area.
Gil-su gave a faint smile and nodded. The janitors drew their weapons and charged.
Swish!
In an instant, multiple strikes passed by, each aimed at Yeon Cheong’s vital points. He deflected them all and immediately counterattacked, grabbing one janitor’s arm and twisting it until it snapped.
“Aaaagh!”
Yeon Cheong swung the broken arm like a club and hurled the man into the wall. With a dull thud, the janitor’s body embedded itself grotesquely into the wood.
“As expected of the top janitor.”
Gil-su clicked his tongue at Yeon Cheong’s strength, his expression twisting. He had no choice but to play his hidden card.
‘Still manageable.’
Yeon Cheong steadied his breathing and prepared for the next attack. Then his heart sank. He felt the helplessness of a human facing overwhelming power.
‘This is...’
It wasn’t ordinary energy. Something clearly superior was flowing up his legs.
“Artifact—”
Before he could finish, his vision blurred. A sharp sting spread from the back of his head, followed by burning heat throughout his body.
‘Cough.’
Blood spilled from his mouth. Breathing became impossible. As the word “death” flickered before his eyes, the janitors’ shouts rang out.
“He can’t move! Cut his throat right now!”
Yeon Cheong focused his mind and assessed the situation as fast as he could. ‘I can still move.’ His legs wouldn’t respond, but his upper body could turn if he forced it. That was enough.
Clang!
Yeon Cheong twisted his torso, predicted the sword’s trajectory, and struck back. He couldn’t deflect every blow, however, and several strikes landed.
‘Move!’
He poured strength into his legs. Muscles trembled, but he managed one shaky step forward.
“Is this bastard a monster? The artifact isn’t working!”
“Shut up and cut his throat!”
Slash!
The head of the shouting janitor flew off. The others panicked. Even with the artifact active, they couldn’t stop Yeon Cheong’s movements.
“Insane...”
They were forced to acknowledge once again why he was called the strongest janitor—an existence the artifact itself could not restrain. The truth that he was the tower’s apex was laid bare.
Slash!
Minutes later, Yeon Cheong’s blade finally stopped. He felt nothing. His blurred vision gradually cleared, revealing the scene around him.
“...”
Gasping for breath, Yeon Cheong confirmed he was still alive and took in the blood-soaked battlefield. Corpses lay scattered everywhere—the same sight he had witnessed countless times.
“Is it over?”
A bitter smile formed on Yeon Cheong’s lips. He already knew his life was ending. Countless swords had pierced his chest, and his right arm lay severed some distance away.
“You said a hundred years was too soon.”
At the tip of Yeon Cheong’s blade lay Gil-su’s corpse, still clutching a strange object. He had probably tried to use the artifact until the very end, only to lose his head to Yeon Cheong’s instinctive slash. Even with his vision gone and body unmoving, Yeon Cheong had charged forward and taken his life. Gil-su’s final expression was frozen in terror.
Thud.
It was all so hollow. He had never imagined dying so miserably. At the very least, he had hoped to achieve something before the end. All he had done in life was kill people to comfort himself. Nothing more.
“Those bastards at the top.”
He cursed, yet only felt another wave of despair at his own powerlessness. In the end, the upper-floor residents had succeeded in eliminating him. Once they recovered the artifact, they could easily replenish the janitors they had lost. Yeon Cheong’s death was nothing more than a dog’s death.
‘Just another beast used and discarded.’
No matter how much rage he felt, there was no one left to hear it. He had already severed every connection with his own hands. His vision blurred again. Death was right in front of him.
‘...’
His pupils had already dilated. Strength drained from his body, bringing a strange sense of peace. Accepting death, Yeon Cheong slowly closed his eyes.
At that moment, text surfaced in his fading mind.